January 21, 2014

Hey Mom and Pop.

 

Umm My week has actually been quite uneventful. but I'll tell you all that's happened the past few weeks. so last Sunday i dropped a glass plate at dinner and it shattered and went everywhere. then i went on exchanges with the most annoying elder ever. this kid actually pooped his pants during a lesson with his comp so i was pretty scared. then this Sunday i hit a pothole and wrecked two tires. and yesterday we heard of a place that is owned by members. so we went there and they pounded out our rims and fixed our tires so that was pretty awesome. every day just seems the same now. um Tracy was on date but it fell through and we were pretty sad. president murdock was gonna come to a lesson with us but he never did. we went to her house yesterday for dinner and me and stewart were talking in one room and Elder Ortiz had a real heart to heart with Tracy. not about the gospel or anything but she really opened up and told him a lot about some of the things that she struggles with. i always brag about how awesome my family is to everyone haha. they hear a lot about you guys. i've told the story about me putting calvin in the hospital like a million times and watching kids get struck by lightning. our family has some pretty awesome stories. i went through your blog and saw all the oldest entries and saw shep and how young he was and all the stuff we did and how young we were i loved it i got a really good laugh out if it.

 

i don't have much time to write today so i have to keep it short. the libraries were closed yesterday so we emailed today.

 

gotta go tho. love you tons. miss you too

 

bye

 

Love

Elder Bowler

January 13, 2014

its soo good to hear from you. it is seriously the best part of my week i look forward to it all week long! i miss you guys a ton! everything is going good out here. Tracy is doing good. we realized its gonna take some time and i'm so impatient haha. i know it'll bring her happiness but i just gotta cool my jets. and we've been trying to back out of their life a little more.. it kinda felt like these last two weeks were super slow and it was a huge struggle just to fill our days. and it seemed like we were over there a lot and i felt really bad when i realized that and apologized. but its going better sorta. were trying to get the members involved in missionary work because we really need help. i'm reading a book called The Power Of Everyday Missionaries. it is seriously one of the best books i've ever read. i strongly recommend it. also could you possibly send me those books that you wanted me to read before i came out but i never read because i'm an idiot.. i think they're in my closet. and we're still reading the book of mormon. i seem to read way ahead of schedule haha i cant put it down. i'm in helaman right now. i am loving this book. and i cant believe how much i'm getting out of it. all the times we read it before i guess were just a waste of time to me because i got nothing out of it. but this time reading through it is so amazing. and ill probably read it many times over again. i love the book of mormon. not much to report from out here tho. everyday just doing the lords work. what more could i ask for haha. its not easy tho. i'm definitely struggling sometimes with the courage to talk to people and to be able to share the gospel. but the book i'm reading is helping me a ton. again strongly recommended. not just to read it but to do what it says to do.

 

love you guys a ton!!! miss you OOOODLES

January 6, 2014

I don't know if I have much to say this week but I'll try to write as much as I can. This week has been pretty slow and we aren't teaching as much as id like. and its hard to keep the days filled and busy. i feel bad being a trainer because were supposed to be busy a lot and we haven't had much to do and it kinda sucks. but were trying. it snowed 14 inches. it was crazy. we were only supposed to get 3. and i looked at the weather in Derrek's mission. -39!! holy poopsicles. thats cold. right now its like 10 here. not too bad i like the cold I'm in shorts and a t-shirt. haha I get a lot of weird looks anyway as a missionary but i get more because here's this kid from Arizona in shorts and a t-shirt in 10 degree weather. haha i love it tho. we've been spending a lot of time with the a part member family. we kinda put the Mom on date. sorta. but i don't know if it'll work out. she just needs more time. we asked her to read the book of mormon and pray everyday. and i texted her asking how it was going and she kinda got after me. saying that there's a lot about her life that we don't know about and that her progression is gonna be gradual and she doesn't want to be pressured. i don't think we were pressuring her but i know that if she reads and prays it'll help her out and i want her to be happy more than anything. but when i got that text this morning from her my heart kinda broke a little. and i rolled over in my bed and this thought came into my head and this is what i texted her:

I'm sorry that we've been pushy. i feel bad. i know there's a lot that we don't know about but this is something that i know will help. just like being sick, drinking water and getting plenty of rest are the basics of getting better. while they may not be the best or fastest ways of getting better, and its not the cure for everything, it does help immensely. and with spiritual matters, with any struggle the basics are reading scriptures and praying. while it may not be the cure for everything it helps immensely,everyone that goes to the bishop for help the common advice is to read and pray daily. i've personally seen it change lives, and all were asking was in the next two weeks just to try it. everyday. it will help and you'll feel the difference in your life. i promise you this is true. i hope you know that we love you so much and were here for you whenever you need help.

I don't know why that thought popped into my head, and i don't know what affect it had on her but i felt like the spirit told me to say that. it was so clear what i needed to say at that time. i was so afraid that we were gonna lose her and afraid that by being a little too pushy we messed it up. but it is the greatest thing ever to feel this extreme love for these people. i cant describe it . i love it tho.

we've been spending a lot of time with a family in the ward.  they are probably the greatest family in the ward by far. i love them so much they remind me a lot of home and i love that. they are such a great family. and i love being there. Cori (the mom) has become a great fellowshipper to Tracy. i love it . Tracy needs a good friend. I love Cori. she's like a second mom. i have lots of moms out here now. ill make a list haha. but Cori is the greatest. She has a son in Brazil. so she takes good care of the missionaries here too. and she is probably the funniest person ever. i love her haha. Mom you should look her up on facebook and be her friend. shes great. she has lots of pictures of us haha.

all my Moms

Momma Butler.(Michelle)

Tracy

Cori

and you mom of course

and a crazy grandma.

Sister Engel haha i love her.. shes friggin' bonkers tho haha.

i love this ward its so great. my comp is about to get his visa so ill have a new one next transfer. so ill most likely be staying here for another one. transfers end on the 26 so i still have some time. i've had a different comp for every transfer. its crazy. oh well. i just go with it. i realize that there is nothing i can do to stop change. change is the most constant thing ever. especially when it comes with what the lord knows is best for me. i hate change. so what better to do than move me around a lot and give me a bunch of different companions. its for the best tho because i know i can come pretty attached to people and places. but now that i realize that change is coming i'm fine. ill be back to visit. I don't know about the end of my mission but were gonna go on one heck of a tour to see all these people i love. a lot of people even members act different around us. not the holloways. i even got her to cuss at me a couple times haha i love it. we are both super sarcastic and we dish it out to each other all the time its a blast. the whole family is like that.

anyways ill put some more pics and videos on the gmail account. right now

not much else to say. haha

Love you Guys!!! love you Momma!!! miss you tons!!

Love Elder Bowler

oh and we've been reading the Book of Mormon everyday to finish it in 6 weeks. its been the greatest thing ever. we highlight every reference to Christ and its crazy to see how much is in there.. you guys should try it.  and now weed is officialy officail.. we saw on the news the huge lines waiting for the weed. it sucks. its sad to see things go that way especialy being a missionary. its hard

December 30, 2013

im starting to think of home more along the lines of what it would be like to serve there and its cool to think that way. 

 

Yeah Ive actually noticed that weve been spending a little too much time at their house so were gonna start Backing out. Its hard tho because we dont really have anyone to teach and Ive been kinda losing motivation. i was sick the other day and spent the whole day in bed. it was nice tho. Theres alot of good people out here but no one wants anything to do with the mormons. it sucks knowing that it can only help them..

 

ive been struggling with homesickness and staying happy. normal missionaries dont really tell their family how they feel and if theyre struggling. but im gonna tell it like it is because i know you can only help. sorry i dont have much to say this week. ill do better next week.

 

love you tons. miss you tons too.

 

Love Elder Bowler

December 16, 2013

Yeah this week has been crazy. Ill try to remember everything that has happened.

so it has been a pretty rough week. my companion got his visa and everything so a lot of this week was saying goodbye to everyone. it was really sad and hard to see him go. he left today. ill be with the zone leaders until I get my new companion tomorrow.

so I haven't been the most obedient missionary in the world haha but president called me in and asked me to train a new missionary coming from the MTC. and he knows a lot that has happened to me over the course of my mission. a lot of which has been weighing me down a ton. so he asked me to get everything off my chest so that ill be a good trainer. so I let him have it haha. I told him everything that was weighing me down all the stupid stuff that I have done so far. and it was quite the list.

after I was done talking I felt a huge weight off my chest. it was amazing. after spending so much time on my knees it has finally paid off. and president Murdock is an amazing president he is so full of love its crazy. and he helped me out a lot and now im training. crazy. Im a bit nervous because I don't want to mess up and ruin this kids mission like my trainer did for me. and I really don't want a bad companion. me and elder Izatt got along so well its crazy. we have become like best friends and it was so hard to see him go. the whole week weve been saying goodbye to everyone and it was horrible.

but yeah I had a phone that ive been using to talk to calving and stuff and part of my trying to be more obedient we smashed it with a sledge hammer haha. there were a lot more things I was doing to that I talked to president about. and I talk to derrek and I love talking to him. he said he has been a Junior companion his whole mission and he has 9 months left. and that's crazy. I cant imagine having a mission president that doesn't like you. Murdock is so great. and now that im serving metro side I see a lot of him and he helps me a lot. we talk about other missionaries a lot too haha. he always says that he hates butt kissers and those who aspire to have a leadership calling. and there are a lot of them out here haha. but yeah its been a roller coaster of a week spiritually and emotionally. but im good now. its awesome to see the atonement first hand in my life and to look back and see how far I have come from where I was. and I only have been out almost five months. and I have a lot more to go and a lot more growing too. the process of growing isn't really fun at all but after it all I am so grateful for it. this transfer has gone by so fast its crazy. and the rest of the mission will go by in a blink of an eye.

love you all and miss you a ton

Alec

oh yeah and that shooting in Arapaho.. yeah we were pretty much there.. its like right next to us.. what the crap is wrong with Colorado these days. Columbine. Aurora and now this. it crazy too cuz its all like right next to me. its all in our mission. and listening to John Bytheways talks are awesome. in the one 5 scriptures that will get you through almost anything he talks about columbine and going to speak to the students. and explains why bad things happen to good people. awesome talk.

i sent  a package today. for mom. it has dallens stuff in it so if you would be so kind to wrap it for me. but the box within the box is for you mom. its a willow angel. "The Angel of Light". and i dont know if you already have that one but i thought it was perfect because to me youre an angel mom. and always will be. dad can be one too if he wants.