Christmas is coming

It was an pretty exciting Saturday.  I was able to baptize the little girl that I talked to you about last week.  That was pretty cool.

Then we went up to a place up in Alta Loma and sang carols.  It is this really cool area that has one street that people from all over come to see the lights.  They have cops all over and have the street blocked off.  All the houses are decked out with lights so we found a place that we could sing and started singing a bunch of songs. It was a lot of fun.  I am excited to talk to my mom in a few days. 

 

Love you all! 

Helping Out

It has been raining here a lot because el nino is coming.  Everyone make sure you have food storage because it might snow a lot. We are going a baptism this Saturday and I get to do the baptism.   I'm really excited.   She is 8 years old and her name is Neveli.  Her dad is a member but he is less active but now returning back to activity and her mom is not a member yet but her mom basically knows these things that we teach are true.  She has a ten year old brother that is baptized so we taught her and she knows these things to be true and wanted to be baptized and her family is very supportive. 

 

We where able to help out a family with presents and food.  It was the coolest thing last night delivering all of those presents to them. The mom almost broke down and started crying.  It was great to help this family.  Teaching them has been a humbling experience seeing them having about nothing but they are actually trying to do something about it and I'm so happy that I can be part of helping them out.

 

 

Thanksgiving

My first Thanksgiving in CA.   We went to a ward members house she is a nice Russia and she cooks us Turducken without the duck but it was probably the fanciest dinner I have ever had in my life, or will ever have because it was a lot of food and just a lot. 
 

There is not to report on.  It was a normal week besides having this event called the creshe it is French.  Means nativity. We were basically the one's that made sure nobody stole anything and answered questions.  Next week I will send you pictures of it. There where over 1,000 nativity's that was fun.  I took some cool pictures of them that I will share next week.

 

 Also we live about twenty minutes away from San Bernardino so we have been on alert about things going on. 

 

 

I have a new companion this week.  We get along great, he is a great missionary.  We are pretty similar and joke around with each other.    

 

Last week we had a baptism.  It was great to be a part of it and to see the happiness in there eyes.   

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Chirst taught us how to live

This week was pretty good our investigator was baptized and confirmed.  It was a great moment.  We have been teaching two others at the moment.  They are great people.  Watching people learn about Christ is  wonderful to watch.  The amazing lessons that he taught us.  He just didn't love us but taught us ways to lives our lives.   I'm still working hard our here.  There are definitely people out here waiting for the gospel to come to them and not just that, people are searching for the light of the gospel in a dark world.

 

Right now I don't have my camera so no pictures  Oh and possibly this next transfer I may go to another location.  Loved all the emails thanks.  I think I will be spending Thanksgiving at a members house and having some great Mexican food.   Hope you are all doing well and I love you all emails.  

Service

HI everyone

 

This past week we did service and painted a persons house and we are going back up some time this week and finishing it.  Then we are helping someone else up there as well.  I want to tell everyone thanks for the emails and keep the pictures coming. 

 

 The Lady that I told you about last week is the one getting baptized this week.  Its so amazing to see people find the gospel and change there life's and the light shine in there eyes.  Understanding that God our father loves us and wants us to find joy and we just need to have faith and follow  his teachings.  We have other lady that we are setting a baptismal date she speaks Spanish and doesn't understand English so we teach her in Spanish.

 

 Got to go so love you have a nice week.

SPY

This week has been really good we have a baptism is coming up for one of our investigators and I really excited for her.  She is an old lady and she calls us her grand kids. It is pretty funny at times but she is nice and such a sweet lady and is pretty funny.  

So there I was today writing emails and a lady comes and gives me a lunch gift certificate.  She said it was from a really nice lady and then I realizes that my mom has been emailing me from her phone and then I get an email from her with a picture of me from afar.  My mom tracked me down I didn't actually see her.  I guess she had to come to CA for work and did a drive by.  LOL  Only my mom would do that.  But now I get lunch!

I hear that Chad is back home from his mission, I want an email.  I love all your photos and videos keep them coming.  I don't know what to tell you besides how amazing the plan of salvation, and we can live with are family forever. 

I love you all. remember to all ways live as close to the lord as you can.

Love Elder Thompson.

Budget

Ok Mom I am bad on pictures. I will send you some pictures next week.   I'm going to try to make some of that french bread pizza and french toast that you have made for us in the past.  Then I will send you a picture of me eating the food.  We are also going to make Arroz Con Leche or in English it is rice with milk.  It is actually pretty fun to make but you have to get creative with food out here.

 

I am learning to budget my money with food and household needs.  Thank you Roxy for the deodorant and soap which I won't need for a while now.  Eating a lot of Mac and Cheese and Top Roman.  I ride a bike every now and then because we go on exchanges but really we walk around quite a bit and I have been eating a little healthier. So I have lost 13-17 pounds. 

We do service at the Upland High School concession stand for there football games that's pretty fun.   Have to run talk to you next week. 



 

Tire again

This week was good I ended up actually bending the rim of the other missionary's bike a tiny bit so I had to pay him $30 and that was fun but I got lucky it was that cheap. When I ran something over it put a good hole in the tube and it deflated really quickly and I just ridding with on it with a flat.  It bent a little bit it wasn't anything major but it was a little bit.  Glad he wasn't made at me and I fixed it so its all fine now, he is a pretty funny kid.

I got sick this Sunday so missed out on church. My companion and I where suppose to give talks this Sunday but I got sick so that didn't happen. We have one really solid investigator possibly can be meeting with her three times a week and she is one of those that have been prepared by the Lord she has been doing every thing she has been going to church. When I was sick she actually called us and wanted to make sure that I was ok.  Well everything else here is good and not a lot to talk about.

Love you all
Keep the Lord Close
Elder Bowen Thompson

 

Transfer Week

Everything is good this week.  It is transfer week and I'm no longer in a trio. My companion is the new district leader. On Saturday I was on exchanges that was fun but I was riding somebody else bike and I ran something over and now I owe him a new bike tube.  I need to go buy that today I don't have my camera with me today but I well send some pictures late.  I'm still on the hunt for a poncho and a sombrero.  Hope to find them soon. 

 

So don't look now but I have been out here all ready for about three months. so that is cool.  My companion and me are in a car the other elders ride there bikes everywhere.  This week we were lucky to go to an In N Out and while we were there we got the call about our transfers and I'm still in Upland.  Love you mom. 

 

Talk to you next week

Spanish

This week I have been doing good.  We are really working hard here and I love having two companions, Elder Babcock and Elder Spaulding.  They are my trainers.  I sometimes I think that I cant do something and they push me, and then guess what I can do it!  It was just yesterday when I went up to this random Latino family and told a little bit about the church and bore my testimony to them, all in Spanish.  Wow right?  I know that God was there helping me but I wouldn't have done it if Elder Spaulding and Elder Babcock didn't give a little more of a push.   I could have missed an opportunity to try and teach somebody but I had my companions telling me that I could do it!  That is what I needed.  

Spanish is coming along a lot better now.  Now I feel like I can talk to any one I meet so that they have a chance to learn about the gospel. My companions have been a great help to me.  I still don't know a lot of Spanish but it will come over time.    I love this church!  

Mom asked me what my high and low is of the week.  My high is understanding Spanish more and my low is when people cancel appointments with us. 

Conference

General confrence was great  I could not say which one was my favorite talk but they where all really good.  I was a little scary when Pres Monson needed to get help to go back to his seat but he gave such a great talk.

 

Things here have been really good though and have been fun.  We taught a lot more people this week and we where able to go to the temple today and had a spiritual boost.

 

I'm on the hunt for a sombrero and mexican poncho we are going to hit up a goodwill next P-Day hopefully for a ward party.  lol  The mission president told us to tell family to send Christmas gifts a month early just to make sure they get here on time because things take a little longer to get here.   It goes through this really long process to get to us but it is the best way to make sure that we do get them.   

 

Love your missionary Elder Thompson and your favorite son as well  :)

Hike

I'm doing good this week we had a lot of people cancel appointments with us which is frustrated.  We only had one lesson this week.   I feel sad when people don't listen to us because of the great message we have to share with them.  

This week nothing really crazy has happened but we did go on a hike today that was fun. The road up there it is 45 miles per hour the whole way up.  Then you hit this little town that is just in the middle of nowhere.  It was fun on the trail.  There are these houses that people live in and we where like how did they get furniture up here because all it is a trail.  No room for a car or any thing to get up to these houses. But it was really cool on the way up I took a lot of pictures for the way up and none of when we where actually hiking.   I'm in a trio so now

Dogs

We where trying to find this lady to visit and we went to the house where she is suppose to be but we cant find it.  We where going to have dinner with them.  We walk up to the gate and there is a "beware of dog" sign but the gate is slightly open so we tap on the gate because we didn't see any dogs.  We walk up to the door and knock .  We then hear two dogs barking inside the house so we thought OK so they are inside, but all of a sudden these two dogs come around the corner because a side door was open!  They come out strong at us both bark at us.  Then one comes up to us and we both freeze because we didn't know what was going to happen.  So there we were on this porch with these two dogs one I'm pretty sure it was one of those meaner type of dog and the other is German Shepherded half lab.   Then the Lab mix comes up to us leans his head on my companions leg and has those eyes saying pet me and then the other one walks up to me and just looks at me and barks a few more times. Scariest moment of my life. But yeah we now go over there quiet often to teach some of his friends. 

 

It has been a lot of fun out here.  We had a dinner with some other members but on are way out we had to jump a fence because you have to have a key to unlock the gate which we don't have.

 

Love everyone have a great week!

Field

I'm in Rancho Cucamonga now and my p-day is on Mondays!  I'm happy and safe I love you guys and I finally made it to the field! So excited to start teaching people out in the field.

 

I'm doing great. I'm in Upland and my companion name is Elder Spaulding.  We white washed into this area which means we replaced the last Spanish Missionary's  and there is no other Elders.  So we have been trying to meet every body.  We don't have a GPS and we cant find our way around very well.  

 

I have all ready taught several lessons, that has been fun me.  My companion and I get along pretty well.  I'm doing great!  Some people are really nice to us but other I feel like they strongly dislike us.  Our apartment is in a little getto.  

 

We are doing really good work here and there is a lot of work to do.  It will keep us busy.   We have a car because we are the only Spanish missionary's in the area. Crazy thing here.... the squirrels here are bigger then Fenway or Molly.  

 

Love you all

 

Elder Thompson

Toe

Mom asked me to tell you about my day.  We wake up at 6:30am and then at 7:10am we have breakfast.  First class is at 7:40am then we go to the gym at 10:40 until lunch at 12:10pm.  After lunch we are in class from 12:55pm to 5:15pm.  Dinner at the MTC starts at 5:15pm which isn't bad food.  Then we return to class at 6:00pm until 9:30pm.  Some days we wake at 6:00am and do service then get breakfast, class, lunch, gym, class, dinner, and then devotional.  

 

This week it was Elder Oaks of the that was really great to listen to.  This week I was playing basketball and my toe was getting really bad so I went to the nurse.  I have another in grown nail and had to have the same procedure that I had on my other foot.  Now its healing and getting better.  I also saw my Lake Powell friend Cade.  It was pretty funny to see him in the MTC.

 

I leave on Monday to CA.  Cant wait to get into the field.  Love you all and please email me because it is nice to here from you guys.  It is nice to see pictures of you guys as well and see you in 2.

 

Humble

My week has been pretty good besides the fact that me and my companion taught our last lesson to Jorge Thursday.  That was sad because we had gotten so far with him.  I wish we could teach him at least one more time. I all so figured out that I depart from the MTC on September 7th.

 

This week I had to really humble myself though. This is one thing I want to remember and that is D&C 6:36 look unto me in every thought.. doubt not.. fear not. As well sometimes the Lord will break us down before he can take us higher.  All ways remember we are nothing without God.  I can not teach others with out him.  I cannot learn this language without him we have to be exactly obedient and driven to keep his commandments. I am not the teacher the spirit is the teacher. I can say as many things I want to but if the spirit is not there, than are just words that truly mean nothing.  The investigator  may think like oh that's nice but I don't now if they are true though. The spirit is the most important thing for us to have.

 

I love you so very much but I'm helping to creating eternal families for others so they can be together forever.

 

PS the picture is Elder Austin and he is my one of my best friends here at the MTC

My Purpose

Never in my life have I been closer to the Lord. I was looking at the pictures of us and I started to cry because never have I felt the spirit and have such a strong experience to realize what my purpose is.   My Purpose as a missionary is to give service and to let people know that they can have a forever family like I have. 

 

A missionary is a person who leaves his/her family for a short period of time so others can be with there's for eternity.  Knowing that families can be together forever is the happiest news I can bring to others.

I'm exiceted to go teach people.  I figured out my TRC investigator is a nonmember and there is a possibility that we can baptize him or get him batized he is such an amazing person.  I dont kinow if we would be able to do it but have some other people baptize him I really hope that he does get batized either by me and my companion or by someone.  It's been difucult because he lost his son when his son was 14.  I beared my testomniy about eternal families and told him about Austin so that was tough for me but he realy likes me and my companion.  I will miss teaching him because he is such a great guy. 

I'm on the lords time this is time that I give to the Lord for every thing that he has and will give to me. Keep the dear Elders coming or if you want me to answer a particular question email it and send me a Dear Elder or just send me a Dear Elders a lot ......oh and if you all want to send me dear elders in one day that would be awesome because the record for most dear elders in one day is seven and it would be nice to beat that record in our district so send them all in one day and lets see if we can break that record. well love you all and it means a lot when you guys send me letters, thank you for your support.

 

Yeah I just get frustrated some times because I cant express myself some times in Spanish but oh well... thats why I'm here so I can learn and become stronger.  Love you got to go and finish up my laundry.

 

- see you in Two.--

- Elder Thompson

Week Two in MTC

This week was a little rough but some of the happiest moments in my life and I'm pretty sure that every missionary has gone sort of insane. I know though that I'm a representative of the Lord. Yo se que ese de iglesia de jesuchristo es laverdad de Iglesias.

My comapnion's name is Elder Selph.  I love all the Dear Elders and keep the packages, keep them  coming.  Stay strong never give up push your self past the breaking point give your hundred percent to God and he will help you the rest of the way.

Elder Bowen Thompson

read D&C 8:8

Week One

Hey everybody I'm doing good the first week was difficult. I have all ready have to teach 7 lessons in spanish it's been difficult but you do not grow in your comfort zone you grow in a zone of discomfort the most and the quickest as well. My companion is 6 foot 6 inches tall and he played football in high school and he is planning to go to BYU and play football there so we have been working out everyday but he is amazing person.

 

God loves all of us and Christ knows what everybody is going through because he has gone through it as well never give up and strive to be the best person that you can be and to help others all ways so I challenge all of you that read this to do an act of service daily and to all ways to be loving to others love you all and hope you are all doing well.

 

Elder Thompson

My mailing address is:

Elder Bowen Henry Thompson

SEP07 CA-RC

2011 N 900 E Unit 264

Provo UT 84602

He is Off!

Had a great last day with Bowen!  On our way to the MTC we stopped off and had lunch at In and Out Burger with Ray, Brooke, Broc, Hannah, Roxanne, Mike and I.  He was excited and nervous all at the same time.  Amazing to see his smile when we arrived at the MTC and did the drop off.  Here are some pictures of the day.

Mission Time

Its time to set up my blog for my mission.  My mom will be updating this with my weekly letters.  And I am off.....................