8/18/14 - Photo from Oxford, MA

We made thank you cards for the members! Here is one of the photos. lol. Sister Boldt and I are having a joyous time on our missons!

Have a good day all! :)

Love Sister Bower

8/17/14 - Photo texted from a ward member

A Sister Burt from Oxford ward in MA just text this picture to me and said "I had your daughter over for dinner tonight and wanted to let you know she is doing great"

8/11/14 - Letter from Oxford, MA

Our week with our mini missionary was STELLAR. She is the best and I absolutely adore her. She is 16 years old and has long blonde Rapunzel hair. We told her that she sleeps like Sleeping Beauty, because every time we went to wake her up in the morning she would have her hair all majestically around her and her hands would be resting on top of her. SO CUTE. I remember one morning during studies, we were all on our knees to try and figure out what it was that Heavenly Father wanted us to share with this family. So while I was on my knees, Heavenly Father told me that our mini missionary would know. And in my head I just kept arguing with Heavenly Father saying that she wouldn't know because she had never met the family, and she was brand new and I didn't want to put her on the spot. But nothing else came to mind. So when we were all done praying, I looked up and immediately asked her what she thought we should share with this family. She sat there and pondered for a moment and then told us about a scripture that came to mind, and her experience with it. It turns out that that was the exact scripture that they needed to hear. It was AMAZING. She is a killer missionary.

I have an AMAZING experience to tell you about! So, this past Wednesday, we were able to go over to a family's home for dinner. After dinner, we shared a message with them about trials. The father is a tall, bald, has a go-t, has tattoo's all up and down his arms, and he is just really intimidating looking. WELL, he is the nicest man on the whole planet. He adores children, especially his and his wife's. They are the cutest family ever. He was baptized and received the priesthood not long after they were married. Well, he is now completely inactive. He says that he thinks he can be a better Catholic than a Mormon. He says that the Mormon church is just too overwhelming for him. His older son enjoys going to the LDS church, and has expressed interest to Sister Boldt and I about serving a mission when he turns 18. He is fifteen I believe, and he wants to serve a mission and receive the priesthood. He is just a good kid. And then his little son, who is 13, follows what his Dad does. The dad just received full custody over his boys not too long ago.  I don't want to go into detail about their story, but just know that they come from a very very hard life. ANYWAYS, back to when we were there teaching the lesson. Like I said, we were sharing a message on trials with them. Before we got there, Sister Boldt told me that she felt prompted to tell the family about her story. She didn't want to though. She didn't fully trust the father, and she thought that he would us it against her. We think that he views the two of us as two Molly Mormon's who are out serving a mission. He especially thinks that about Sister Boldt, since she is from Utah. So, Sister Boldt told me that she was absolutely not going to tell them about her story. During the message, I felt a prompting to tell Sister Boldt she needed to share her story with them. So I tapped her chair under the table so no one would see, and I knew she ignored me because she didn't want to say anything about it. But then the father told us that we should all share some of trials. And so he started with his boys, then told us his, then his wife told about one of her trials, and then I told mine, and then he looked at Sister Boldt with a grin on his face and asked to hear her trial. He was being rather joking about it, as if to say, "what can a Molly Mormon like you have anything to say abut trials?" Let me just say that Sister Boldt has never in her life cried when she has shared her story with anyone. She just doesn't cry. She has built this wall to block her emotions while she tells her life story. But it has been slowly breaking since we have met this family. So, Sister Boldt shared her story, and she was looking at his boys the whole time because I know that she finds comfort in talking to children. Children are her comfort spot. I, however, was looking at the father the whole time. I thought he would glance over at me because I was staring at him so much, but he was so completely glued to what Sister Boldt was saying, that nothing else mattered to him at that moment. I could physically see his wall come down, as tears poured down his face for this young girl who has had such a hard life, and was putting God first. Afterwards, we left them with a commitment to send up a prayer for help whenever they were to think of a trial or were going through one. The father has never agreed to any of our commitments, and he wasn't going to. He kept giving us excuse after excuse. So after Sister Boldt shared her story, we extended the commitment again. And he told us that he would do it. The spirit was so strong in that home. On the car ride home, we were asking our mini missionary what her impressions were, and what she thought everyone was thinking and feeling. Eventually, I turned around to look at her as she answered and saw her with tears rolling down her face that she couldn't stop from coming. I asked her what was wrong, and she said, "I just love them so much, and I have never even met them before. I would do anything in the world for them! And I hardly know them." A smile spread across Sister Boldt's and my own face. We knew how she was feeling, because that was how we felt the first time we met them too. I can honestly say, that I would jump in front of a bullet for this family, because I love them so much. And as scary as that is, it is truly amazing to be able to feel that way. Because not only do you feel your own love for this family, but you can feel just a fraction of the love that Heavenly Father and Jesus have for this family. I can't even imagine how much love our Heavenly Father has for them. I wish I knew, and I wish I could wrap my head around it. Moving forward to yesterday, Sunday the 10th. We were putting our things down in our seats, when we turned around and saw the wife from the family we had this experience there, with a big grin on her face. She doesn't come to church much, because the father didn't go. So we were glad to see her there. But then, the youngest son came up to us and was so excited to see us! Sister Boldt and I were amazed, because we never thought in our whole mission that we would see that little boy at church. So we told him that we would sit with him and the mom and his brother. When we all sat down together in the chapel, She looked at us and said, "that is not enough seats, we need one more." Sister Boldt and I looked at each other with confusion because both of her own children where either in Sweden with their grandparents, or at their dad's house for the weekend. And as we both looked up, there walked in the father with the biggest smile I have ever seen in my life. I immediately had tears in my eyes, and so did Sister Boldt. He came over and shook our hands, he was so happy that he almost gave me a hug, and then he remember that he couldn't. I wish I could have given him a hug though! But anyways, he shook our hands and told us that if Sister Boldt could come to church after all that she has been through, then so could he. And he told us that he was back. That day was the best day of my whole mission. Sister Boldt and I literally went home that day and jumped on our beds and were so happy that we were LITERALLY, bouncing with joy! We thanked Heavenly Father many times that day. It was truly amazing. I wish you could experience the love that we have for this family. I truly wish that you could understand the excitement and joy and love that I feel for these people. It is my favorite part about being a missionary. I just adore and love it so much.

Well, that is all I have time for this week. I love and miss you all terribly!

Love Always,

Sister Bower

8/4/2014 - letter and photo from Oxford, MA

My week has been super busy, as usual. On Monday we finally just relaxed. We haven't had a relaxing P-day in a long time. In fact, today is going to be rather stressful but it will be good stress. And do ya' wanna know why?! Because Sister Boldt and I are getting a mini missionary today! We are picking her up at 1 o'clock today in Stafford. She is from somewhere in Connecticut, and is coming to join us Monday through Friday! It is SO exciting. We already have some good pranks lined up for her. It should be loads of fun. I am so EXCITED that Kaitlyn is going on a mini mission! And I am more excited that they do those in Washington! They are HUGE here in New England, everybody does them. So I am super excited for Kaitlyn. Too bad she couldn't do it for a little longer. Being a missionary is the best thing EVER! AH! I AM SSOOOOOO EXCITED FOR HER!! It is so much fun!!! She is going to love it :D

We were going to teach young women's yesterday but we got some bad news instead. So yesterday, we got to church and they announced that there had been a death. The story is this: The past week was girls camp. All the girls had had a very spiritual and fun time at camp, and were all on a spiritual high. One of the Camp Leaders was expressing how stressed she was about going back home because they were going to have to pack up their whole house because they were moving. Instead of packing, she and her daughter had come to girls camp. On the way home from camp, both the Young women's leader and her 16 year old daughter were killed in a car accident. It was a five car crash, and they both died instantly. The whole testimony meeting at church that day was very sad, and very touching. All of the young women were in tears through out the day, as you can imagine. After sacrament, we carried on and went to Gospel Principles, which Sister Boldt and I have been teaching consistently because our Ward Mission Leader has been out of town. After that, we proceeded to go teach Young Women's. After all of the announcements, the Bishop and his counselors came in and talked to the young women about what had happened. I thought that it was so amazing of Bishop. He let the girls share their feelings, and then taught a lesson on the Plan of Salvation. It was amazing to see how he comforted the Young Women. You could literally see all of their shoulders relax a little as they talked about their friend, Rachel, and her mother. So no, we did not get to teach Young Women's, but it was an amazing experience to see how these girls handled the passing of a friend. We will be teaching young women's next week and have a lesson prepared on "Why Families are Important" and "How We Can Strengthen Our Families". It will be a stellar lesson :)

Some more good and bad news. One of our investigators has been coming to church every Sunday. He is awesome! However the adversary has been working very hard on him. This last lesson we had with him was awesome (every lesson we have with him is awesome, actually). We addressed the topic of his smoking and his drinking coffee. He wants to quit. In fact, his ex girlfriend that he is living with, has a disease called Lupus.  Well, unfortunately, it has been getting worse. The doctor told her that the only way it is going to start going away and the medication is going to help, is if she stopped smoking. So, our investigator, and his brother (who is always over at their house, I don't know why, but he was able to sit in on the lesson with us which was superb!) are going to stop smoking to show support and help her not smoke. We were able to teach him and his brother about the first part of the plan of salvation and talked about the atonement and how the Savior has gone through what they are going through. So, Sister Boldt and I made an addiction chart and are going to drop it off at his house later tonight. We are also sending them morning texts to not drink coffee and have a cigarette when they wake up. It has been helping a lot.

(Note from the editor: Sister Bower's mom received a call to be a ward missionary...)

You will be an amazing ward missionary! It is the best calling ever! You get to see so many investigators grow and change their lives for the better. And you grow to love them like your Heavenly Father would. Just remember to always look at them or try to find qualities in them that Heavenly Father has given them. Always look at the good and think of ways that you can help improve their lives. Bear your testimony often, it will not only bless them but it will bless you. There are only two major things that Heavenly Father needs missionaries to do:

1.) Invite others to come unto Christ

2.) Bear testimony

Those are the most powerful things that you can do :) AGH!!! I wish I could see you go out with the missionaries! I wish you could come out with Sister Boldt and I! That would just be so much fun.

Sister Boldt has taught me a lot these past couple weeks. I love her to death. She has taught me more about myself and has helped me see me how I really am, than I ever could in my whole life. Although it is very hard and I don't enjoy change, I love Sister Boldt for pushing me and helping me through it. She is the best companion I could ever imagine. Actually, I probably couldn't imagine her, because that is how great she is. I wish you could meet her.

Keep me posted on the life of all you Washington people :) I love and miss you!

Love Sister Bower :)

Sorry, I would send you more pictures but we have to go pick up our mini missionary! So I decided to send you at least one so that you know that I am still alive :)

P.s. Do you like my shirt? Sister Boldt and I bought a couple of matching things. Like this shirt. ALso a cardigan, a bracelet, and a pair of earings. So some days we are all matchy and it is super fun :)

7/28/14 - Photo from Oxford, MA

This is part of my District. There are two other sisters but they are taking the picture, and only took one! And it was one where we are all talking or are in the middle of doing something so we all look goofy! lol. But the one with the red tie is Elder Davey, he is awesome and is an amazing piano player. The one next to him what has brown skin and a purple tie, that is Elder Rivera. He is a Mexican with an English accent. SO COOL. He is the bomb.com and makes everyone feel included. He is getting transferred though, which is sad. Elder Pope is the one in the grey suit next to my companion and I. He is the nicest guy I have ever met, and has the guiltiest conscience EVER. It is so funny. He apologizes for everything, it cracks me up. He is a good kid. Elder Trujillo is the one sitting on the ground. He is such an awkward guy, which makes me just love him. He is hilarious, and I am sad to see him be transferred. Then the other two sisters are behind the camera. I will miss having this district, and am not too excited to start over in making friends. But I am glad that Elder Pope, and Elder Davey are staying. Plus my companion and I and one of the other sisters. 

7/28/14 - Email from Oxford, MA

Sister Boldt is STILL my companion, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for that! I love her. She is the best, and I am always learning so much from her. She says she is learning a lot from me, but I feel like I never do anything so I don't know what she is talking about.

Zone P-day was SUPER fun :) We went out to this big field and had a glorious time! There is this super long trail that we walked up to go to the campfire area and we made Kabob's and played games up there. After we ate, we went to this swamp area and played an interesting game that me and a couple of others (including elders) refused to play. But it was super fun to watch. So what we did was you had to climb down into this swamp, that was more mud than anything. But it was disgusting. And there were two crates that the elders placed down there. The goal was to stand on one of the crates, and another person stood on a crate across from you. Then you played tug of war and tried to pull the other person in the mud while balancing on the crate at the same time. It was really funny to watch some of the elders get pretty muddy.

Afterwards we went back out to the field and we all played some soccer and threw around a Frisbee at the same time, so there were two games going on at once, which was super fun :) Plus, the elders were going around spraying everyone with silly string, so that was fun as well. I am so grateful for my district leader, Elder Trujillo. He always makes sure that I am included in the activities - so I am very sad that the elder that I am good friends with is being transferred. But he has been here for 5 transfers so everyone knew he was leaving the area. But it is still sad. After all of that, we played a game where you tossed eggs at your companion and had to catch them without letting them crack. WELL. I can tell you now that I smelled really bad of eggs all day long, and went to an appointment afterwards in my church clothes, still smelling like bad eggs. Sister Boldt and I tossed three eggs......and all three splattered on me. So after the third time, I started throwing the eggs that were all over me at the Elders. They thought that me being splattered in eggs was the funniest thing..... SOOOOOO, I might have possible started an egg fight with the elders... hahahaha!!!! It was super fun though!

We also went to a zone conference, and that meeting lasted ALL DAY. But it was fun to hang out with some of the missionaries that I knew in the MTC. After zone conference though, Sister Boldt and I went to dinner with a bunch of Elders. They wanted to go to subway. Well let me tell you something, as a missionary, we eat subway TOO MUCH. I am kind of sick of it! We had had it twice the week before, and then that made it a third time. We eat subway at least once a week. The reason why, is because every Friday we have District meetings, which are far away from home for all of us, so we just eat subway together every Friday. It is kind of sad. But oh well. ANYWAYS, we went to the mall to get some Subway after zone conference, and it was really weird because we were just a group of missionaries in the mall. And the mall for a missionary, is like sin city. That is what it feels like. It is weird. You don't notice certain things in life until your a missionary, and then you are all weirded out by all these worldly things that people do or that occur in our generation. But anyways, it was really fun :)

Hmmmm, what else did we do this week? I don't remember! AAAGGGHHH!!!

Oh I know. So in our mission we have started this new thing for recent converts. Once a month, there is a Recent Convert Baptismal Day, which is when if you have a recent convert you take them to the temple so that they can participate in baptisms for the dead. It is a wonderful experience :) I was able to see Elder Perkes there! He is one of the missionaries I served with in the MTC. He is a greenie just like me, and his trainer is getting transferred. CRAZY! Especially since you are supposed to have your trainer for at least two transfers. It is fun being a missionary and going to the temple. I just love it so much! It is a completely different experience than just being a regular Joe like the rest of the world.

We taught [one of our investigators] this week. Things in his family life just aren't going well. So before we went to teach him, we decided to talk about trials. WELL, when we got there, he pretty much told us that Satan was working so hard against him and that he just had to stay strong and keep having faith in God. In the middle of our lesson he was SO FUNNY. He always gets so excited when we teach him. He literally stood up and said loufly, "Man! I love being a Mormon!" It was SO hilarious. Of course, we are going to remind him that he still has to be baptized to officially be a member, but it was still funny. However, we think that he might have some Word of Wisdom problems.... possibly with smoking. So we are going to talk about that next time we go over this week. I wish you could experience it with me as I watch all of these people grow so much. I love it.

All trials are there for our benefit. I have learned something about trials. Everyone says that Heavenly Father will never give you something that you can't handle. Well, I think that is a false statement. I think that He DOES give us things we can't handle so that we can learn to rely on Him. He is the reason our burdens are made light, so why wouldn't He want us to fully put our faith in Him? And He does it out of love too. There is always something to learn from a trial. And I think that although trials are hard, that we should start looking at them differently. I think we should look at them with a positive outlook rather than negative. Like I said, Heavenly Father gives us trials because He trusts us enough to go through them and learn and grow from them. I think that is a blessing in of itself.

I hope you have a splendid week!!!!

Email from Oxford, MA

Okay. So let me just start out with telling you what it feels like to truly be a missionary. Your days feel like weeks and your weeks feel like days. I don't even know what happened during which day this week. It just feels like one big blur, and let me tell you, Sister Boldt and I are SO TIRED. I feel like I am going to collapse at any minute.

I have found out what my mission is for. It is for two reasons. One - so that I can help my companions, because I know that I will have a great influence over them. Heavenly Father has told me several times. And also, I was going over the notes from when I was being set apart as a missionary, and in that blessing it told me that I was going to be a great influence for those who come from broken homes, and I will have a huge effect on them and their families, because through me, they will know the importance of eternal families. So that is my mission. I am her for my companion, the youth/children, and families. I don't know how I am going to do all that Heavenly Father wants me to, but I have already agreed to do whatever He asks me. Even if it is the last thing I ever want to do.

Exchanges went SO GOOD. I was able to do more than I realized, and although it made me exhausted beyond belief, I am glad that I was able to experience it. Sister Patterson was my companion for the day, and she is incredibly nice! I could have spent another day with her.

So on Wednesday, (I think it was Wednesday? I don't remember.....) Sister Boldt and I had to go to a meeting called Return and Report. It is for all of the new missionaries and their trainers to attend. Basically we have a lesson from President, and the AP's. Then our trainers leave the room and we ask any questions we want. Her and I are extremely blessed. While everyone was complaining, I had nothing to complain about or ask questions about. She said all of the trainers in the other room were asking questions about how to make their companionships better, and Sister Boldt said she had no complaints of questions about me either. We are lucky. I was able to see Sister Watts, my first companion from the MTC. She was SO happy to see me! She is one of the best missionaries around, and one of my best friends.

After the meeting we all went and did a session at the temple. It was SO AMAZING. The Boston temple is beautiful. I loved it. It was so amazing to go and do a session with only missionaries. I wish you could have experienced it with me. It was the coolest thing, and it was the strongest spirit I have ever felt when we all went to the Celestial room.

OH! and guess what happened when we were driving on the way to the meeting. Sister Boldt missed the entrance to the church, so instead of turning around on the highway and being late, she parked in the temple parking lot. Well, once we got out of the car, it started to drizzle. Sister Boldt looked at me and all she said was "oh no, RUN!" and she took off running to the church on this tiny little path that curved every which way! It literally POURED on us. And we were running in PENCIL SKIRTS. It was HORRIBLE. We got the chapel and got to a door only to find out it was locked, so we had to run all the way to the other side of the building. It was so embarrassing when we walked in because we were soaked. Everyone just looked at us and asked, "Is it raining outside?" Sister Boldt and I looked at each other and then looked at them like "really, are you REALLY asking that question?!" Because we were drenched.

Saturday, was also amazing! So long story short, Sister Boldt taught a family up in the New Hemisphere (I think she means New Hampshire?) area, and they were completely inactive. Saturday, we were both able to attend their family getting sealed in the temple. It was so beautiful. I have never been to a sealing before (obviously) but it was truly and amazing experience and it just gave me a stronger testimony of me wanting to get married in the temple. They had five little children, and one on the way. It was amazing to see all of them kneel across the alter. It was truly and amazing day.

Yesterday, I was able to help teach the lesson this time in the missionary class at church. Last time I didn't talk at all, and this time Sister Boldt said I did much better. She said that when I was bearing my testimony about something that one of the woman was almost in tears. I didn't even notice. I don't even remember ANYTHING that I said. But I am glad that I was apparently able to touch someone's heart. I thought that I was just blabbering on and on. But apparently I did a splendid job. We get asked to teach class a lot on the fly. It is scary for me. But I just follow whatever Sister Boldt does and wing it with her. It is always an interesting time.

OH! I remember another thing we did this week. We attended a funeral. That was rather sad. But it was a lovely service and everyone was glad that the old guy finally went. He was in a lot of pain. Apparently his non member wife, who wanted nothing to do with the Mormon's wants to get baptized now. Miracles are everywhere in this mission, even when things are sad, people can see the Lord's hand in their lives. It is truly amazing. I love being a missionary :) Even though some days I am like "what the heck am I doing out here in Massachusetts, all the way in the middle of no where?" But I know that I am being blessed.

Email with Photo from Oxford, MA

I am doing just grand this week. I am exhausted  as usual, but am doing grand. Sister Boldt has been sick a lot this week, so I have been taking care of her. We didn't even leave the apartmentSaturday because she had a fever on and off. So I made her sleep and have been nursing my TRAINER back to health! We have been taking turns getting sick. She let me sleep in until TEN O'CLOCK today! That little booger. She went and cleaned almost the whole apartment, WHILE SHE IS STILL SICK. I mean, I am grateful for the sleep, and I am still feeling really tired, but she told me that she felt like she was going to throw up and she was STILL CLEANING THE APARTMENT.   My companion. Sheesh. haha.

My days are all starting to blur together. I feel like Sundays are like... every other day! But I guess that is a good thing because it means we are keeping busy! Hmm.. what else? OH! I drove for the first time yesterday on New England roads! But only because Sister Boldt was sick and needed me to finish driving home. My poor companion :( But if you haven't seen New England roads, then you don't know the meaning of scary driving. The roads look like there is only enough room for one car, but somehow two cars fit down it. So driving was a fun adventure! I kept us all alive :D haha

Tomorrow we are doing exchanges, which is when you switch companions for a day. So tonight we are going to switch with the Sister Training Leaders in our zone. Apparently the Sister Training Leaders call and ask the District Leaders about any concerns they have about Sister Boldt and I, or any suggestions they have for us. Apparently Elder Trujillo told them that I needed to stay here in Oxford, and my companion would go somewhere else for the day. Do you know what that means? Two things. One, I am going to be in charge for the day which is SO scary because I feel like I don't know how to do ANYTHING still!!! And second, the fact that my District leader felt prompted to tell them that I need to stay here means that he is making sure that I am getting hardcore training. Elder Trujillo has been pushing me way past my comfort zone since I got here, and has been making me do things that greenies DO NOT normally do. For example, staying here and being in charge for during exchanges. And also, he made me give a training to our District ALL BY MYSELF. Greenies never, or rarely give trainings, so he is training me HARDCORE. Between him and my companion, I am learning a lot. But it is still scary to be a leader..... especially since I have only been here for four weeks starting yesterday.

The storms have been interesting. I love watching the lightening, but the thunder is scary. One set of our elders saw a lightening bolt touch down several feet in front of them when they were driving. But they were uninjured, and said it was wicked cool. So the tropical storms here are always an adventure.

Our youth had an awesome time at youth conference. They visited all the church historical sights and did indeed attend the pageant. They also went and did baptisms at one of the temples there. They slept in tents so that they could have two solid days to get to do everything. They had a blast. They rode up in charter buses, and all of the youth wrote there testimony in two Book of Mormon's and gave them to each of their bus drivers which I thought was the coolest thing ever!

Roasting s'mores at a members house. They are foster parents so they have a lot of little kids who love us to pieces! They have a sweedish neice and nephew visiting who are visiting for the summer and are interested in the gospel. They are amazing kids, and I would do anything for them! 

Email from Oxford, MA

Sister Boldt and I were blessed the other night, because I received an answer to my prayer. I was asking Heavenly Father how we could get more involved with the youth, and when we went into a members home for dinner, she asked if Sister Boldt and I could teach Young Women's one Sunday! We gladly accepted. Although it is far down the road, we are patiently waiting to get to know all of these youth. The youth are the key in this ward to get members going. Unfourtunatley, there are a lot of instances that have involved people getting very offended from many different people, or their testimonies are not strong - so we cannot be bold with them. We can, however, be bold with the youth. So that is where I am going to try and start digging for those golden testimonies that they don't realize that they can have.

(Sister Bower answered some questions sent from home:)

How many investigators do you have in your Teaching Pool?

-- We have nine! But I have only taught one so far. Everyone is either out of town or is unavailable.

Are you serving in just one Ward or are you covering multiple Wards?

We are only in one ward. The Oxford ward.

What is your companion's favorite snack?  Does she like chocolate?  If so, what kind?

Her favorite snack is Fiery Hot Cheetos. She has a cheeto addiction, and has gotten me addicted to plain old cheesy Cheetos. What a punk. She LOVES chocolate. She will eat all kinds she says, but she really likes the Symhony bars....... and she is currently listing off all of the chocolates she loves..... which is like... every kind imaginable. She cracks me up!

Is your mission utilizing FaceBook and tablets?

No we are not! They keep saying we will get them soon, but who knows when that will be? Probably not for a very long time still to come.

What doctrine are you studying right now?

I am currently not studying anything specific. Instead I am delving into the Book of Mormon like I never have before. I crave reading the Book. I currently just finished Alma 48 this morning. I read a chapter each morning - and basically what I do is write down things that stood out to me IN my Book of Mormon. Things about the story line, characteristics about the people and leaders, etc. I have found that I never really knew what was going on in all of these "War Chapters" and now they are probably my favorite!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Book of Alma, and I want to be Captain Moroni's bestest friend because he is the coolest man EVER!!!! I have fallen in love with the Book of Mormon, and I can't even describe how much I love reading it. Study time should be longer than an hour each day!!!

I love you and miss you so much! But if we are being honest here, you probably miss me more than I miss you guys.... is that bad to say? I just love being a missionary so much, and the work keeps me busy so I don't really have time to miss anyone. It is kind of a blessing. But you are in my prayers every morning and night!!!

Love Sister Emma Bower

Photos from Oxford, MA

Email from Oxford, MA

My week was splendid. Although, I am exhausted in all ways possible, I am standing strong. Missionary work is hard because you are exerting yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, AND spiritually. Hence the reason for me being tired and having headaches a lot. Apparently, missionaries always get sick the first or second week they are in the field. It hasn't happened yet, so let's just pray that it doesn't happen at all! My dinners have all been rather good so far. I am eating veggies like a pro. Even though I hate them. 

It has been VERY HUMID HERE! You Washington people have no idea. Uuugh. However, my hair has been doing VERY well. The Lord has blessed my hair. BAHAHAHA. It is weird to say, but he has. AND the humidity allows me to wear my hair curly. That's right ladies and gentlemen. You heard me right. After years of straightening my hair, I sometimes wear it curly here. I expect many applause and flowers and treats. HAHAHA, jk. I think I look weird with curly hair. I think it is because the last time I wore my hair curly it was long. Plus, it doesn't have much volume on top, like it does when I straighten it. BUT, the point is that I HAVE been wearing it curly. Let it be known to the whole world. I'm hoping that by wearing it curly that it will grow. I JUST WANT LONG HAIR AGAIN :(

A Bubbler is a water fountain/drinking fountain. If you say water fountain, nobody here will know what you are talking about. A Rotary is a round-a-bout. A Grinder means Sandwich. And Malt is a milkshake. 

I saw Emily Rogers at the MTC. She seemed like she was doing really well! She seemed excited to do the work, and seemed to have some good friends down there from what it looked like. So you can tell Sister Rogers that if you ever run into her.

Let's see what else?  Many people in the ward, and all over Massachusetts have had bad experiences with missionaries in the past. Many less actives have been offended deeply and if we were to be bold with them and tell them how it is, it would just make things worse. There are not many youth, and the ones that we have are not very active. The primary kids are, but the youth are not. The parents don't force their children to go to church. A lot of it is because a lot of the members are converts and don't want to push their children. I wish I could just be so blunt with people, but I can't! It is hard. 

A lot of our work is focusing on the less actives and nonmembers though. We are trying to build a really good trust with them.  Sister Boldt and I are trying to come up with ways that we can get involved with the youth. We believe that if we can influence the youth and children in the ward that it will make a huge difference. The problem is that a lot of the youth have youth conference and girls camp and all kinds of things. 

The people are just so different here, and I pray that I can somehow make a difference and open peoples eyes to the reality that the gospel brings. It breaks my heart to see so many people not living the gospel how they should be. I just want to convert EVERYONE, UGH!

Plus, I haven't even met any of our investigators yet. They keep canceling or not showing up to appointments. So I haven't taught a single lesson and my teaching skills are just itching to come out and preach the gospel to people! Hopefully we will be able to bless somebodies life sooner or later. It is just hard to be patient.

Anyways.... that was my rant. I feel better now.

Pray for me! I'm always praying for each one of you :)

Love Always,

Sister Emmie Bower :)

Email sent from Oxford, MA

Greetings from Oxford, Massachusetts :D 

A little town out in the boonies. Everything is SUPER spread out. But it is SO beautiful here in New England. Every house we pass by, I feel like Mr. Darcy or somebody from that time is going to walk out the front door!

We live in a kind of crummy little apartment where the neighbors are nice - all except one. But its okay. Life goes on. Everything is good.

My new companions name is Sister Boldt. Pronounced Bolt, like a lightning bolt. The "D" is silent. She is really nice and I couldn't have asked for a better trainer! She rocks.

​We don't proselyte that much. Actual I haven't even knocked doors yet. The people of New England are very different here. Statistics show that going door to door is really not effective in New England. So we focus A LOT on ward members and less actives.  We have a fabulous Bishop. We had dinner at their house last night and they  are pretty awesome people. I love them! They have a gorgeous house! 

President Packard is SUPER nice. He is the mission president. Him and his wife are so funny, and they like to TALK. It is something that you really have to get used to. And President Packard is a Texan so they ALWAYS had a ton of good food. DELISH! He says he is our father first and president second or something like that. He is a pretty neat guy. He is a pretty inspired guy too, he can receive revelation like a rock star. Well, rock star probably isn't the right term to be using.... like a ROCKIN APOSTLE. lolol. But really though. You'd love the Packards. 

Hmmmm.... there are a lot of weird names for things down here. I will give you some names, and you have to try and guess what they are and I will tell you if you are right in my next email.

1.) Bubbler

2.) Rotary

3.) Grinder

4.) Malt

They also have this deliscous thing called a Fluffer Nutter. It is a Peanut Butter and Marshmellow fluff sandwich. It sounds super gross but it is THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD. I AM ADDICTED. YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!!!!!!!! SOOO GOOD. It is a New England thing. But it should be introduced to the whole world. Because it is so tasty. Like heaven. I want one now..... mmmm..... so good..... You. Must. Try. It.

The elders in my District are awesome!  We only see them on District meetings one Fridays. Or on P-days when we decide we want to do something together. I think we are doing a picture scavenger hunt with them next p-day. It should be fun :)  Sister Boldt says I fit in perfectly with our little group. She receives a lot of revelation for me, which I admire a lot about her. She is very in tune with what the spirit has to say to her. I am striving to be like that. It is hard to recognize revelation. But I love the spirit that missionary work brings. It is absolutely splendid. I just hope I can make a big difference like Sister Boldt says I will make. She keeps telling me that I am going to be a legendary missionary and that everyone will want to be my companion when they get to know me. I don't believe her, but that's what she always tells me. She is the best. I don't know if I take that as revelation, but I do take it as revelation when she tells me I will have a big impact on certain families that we have met with. And I can feel it too. There are some families in this ward that just need me. Need us. Need us sister missionaries :)

There is probably a ton that I haven't told you, but I can't think of anything else right now! Although I am sorry to tell you that there are some words out here that you have to say with an accent or nobody knows what you are talking about. For example - Worcester. It is pronounced "Wusta" here. And my companion has it bad when it comes to her R's . I have to constantly remind her how to say words the RIGHT way. LOL. So if I come back with an accent - please don't kill me - because I won't be able to help it. My companion didn't even notice until I pointed it out to her. IM SORRY. I don't have an accent yet though :) I am still very much myself.

Photos

Email from the MTC

Note from the editor:  Our apologies that we haven't had any updates until now.  Just needed to work out some kinks.  We'll try to stay more up to date after this.  Thank you for your patience!  And now, here's Sister Bower...

From email dated June 9, 2014, sent from the MTC:

Hi Family and Friends!

I am doing absolutely wonderful :)  My companion's name is Sister Watts.  She is pretty much my BFF.  I love her, we are so much alike and when we teach, we literally finish each other's thoughts.  The spirit is so strong when we teach together.

I am loving the MTC.  I am in love with my teachers.  We do a lot of role plays in class, which I COULD NOT do at first.  I just had to laugh when we did them.  But now it is second nature almost.  Each of our teachers also role play as investigators, which you would think would be weird, but it is second nature to have them switch from teacher to investigator.  And let me tell you, you grow to love the investigator side of them even more every time you teach them.  Sister Reddish plays a Catholic, 21 year old woman, who wants to know more about the Mormon church because she has a lot of Mormon friends.  She is super hard to teach.  Her character, Jamie, doesn't really want to know if the Book of Mormon is true.  She just wants information so she can understand her friends a little better.  However, she IS willing to read the Book of Mormon, and has already started reading.  Sister Watts and I are going to teach the Plan of Salvation with her today.

Our other teacher, Brother Metcalf, plays a character named William.  I freaking LOVE William!!  He comes from a hard life, the only person who is really in his life is his mom, who lives far far away.  He used to be into drugs and has been to jail many times.  Plus he dropped out of high school so he is not an excellent reader - but he does extremely well when he reads from the Book of Mormon with us.  Sister Watts and I feel the spirit as soon as he hopes the door (to a classroom, but we are pretending it is his home).  I wish I could just hug William - too bad I am not allowed.  I have never felt the spirit so strong - only when I teach William.  I hope that it will be that way for my future investigators.  When I don't know how to continue my sentence or don't know what to say next - Sister Watts literally picks up where I left off.  And sometimes I feel the spirit tell me to tell William something, but Sister Watts beats me to it.  And she says the same thing about me.  We flow so wonderfully together.

I love the Elders in my District.  They are all nice and friendly.  Although I have to agree that the Elders are spiritual giants, and earthly idiots. ;)  It's just true.  It is weird to be older than them too.  They are all just out of high school - even though they look like college students.  They are the best though :)

I love you and miss you!  But not too much yet because I am loving serving the Lord :)

Keep me in your prayers and I will keep you in mine!

Love you all <3

" Farewell Talk " - Put Your Trust In The Lord

For those of you unable to attend , and others who follow this blog - Here is my " Farewell Talk " for before I leave on my mission .  I'm not the greatest writer when it comes to these things , and am hesitant to post this . But hopefully it will be an influence to you in you're life or help you in some shape , way , or form . Enjoy ~

Good morning Brothers and Sisters ,

Today I was assigned to speak from my favorite general conference talk by Elder Russell M . Ballard called Put Your Trust in the Lord . When Brother Wood called me and asked me to speak , he told me that I could choose my favorite talk from any of the conferences . This was hard for me – I have never really had a favorite because they are all so good . So I pray that the spirit will be with us and that you will benefit from what I have to say .

As many of you know , I have been called to serve as a full time missionary to the Massachusetts , Boston mission . I thought it would be good to start out with why I decided to serve . And I’m sure many of you have heard this story , so just bear with me .

I can remember the day well , as I stood in an arch formation with my fellow band members . We were warming up our instruments and practicing parts of the music before we went on the field to compete in our final marching band competition of the season . In front of each student on the grass , were out hats – or what we call shakos . As we were warming up , the band parents were placing those big goofy feathers in our hats – what we call a plume . When one of the band parents got to my shako , he bent down and placed the plume into it . Then with a smile on his face , he stood and quickly told me what had happened in General Conference that day . The missionary age had been lowered . Boys could now leave at 18 , and girls at 19 . My first thought was , “ That couldn’t be , he is just pulling my leg .” I can distinctly remember my second thought being , “ Oh darn , I’m going to have to serve a mission .” After thinking that , I placed the thought in the back of my mind . I didn’t want to serve a mission . It wasn’t a part of my plan . Skipping ahead to the day before Easter . I was studying my scriptures more intently that evening , because the following day I would receive my patriarchal blessing . The thought of serving a mission had crept back into my head , and with a sigh I got on my knees and said : “ Heavenly Father , if you want me to serve a mission you are going to have to tell me in my Patriarchal Blessing .” So he did . I was told that I would literally serve very soon . So I immediately agreed to go . Although it wasn’t easy trying to change my attitude from being “ this is my plan, and I’m going with it ” to “ This is God’s plan , and I trust Him .”

“ The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that ‘after all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel .’”

Elder Ballard includes the following in his talk : “ President Thomas S . Monson said : ‘ Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together … [and] labor in the Lord’s vineyard to bring souls unto Him . He has prepared the means for us to share the gospel in a multitude of ways , and He will assist us in our labors if we will act in faith to fulfill His work .’”

The prophet has told us to work together as members WITH the missionaries . As members of the church we should be wanting to share the gospel with others , and to introduce them to the missionaries . Just because you are not set apart as a missionary , does not mean you cannot be one . A quote by Neil A . Anderson comes to mind – he said : “ If you’re not a full time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat , now is the time to paint one on your heart .”

Elder Ballard continues : “ We know from our research that most active members of the Church want the blessings of the gospel to be part of the lives of others whom they love , even those whom they have never met . But we also know that many members hesitate to do missionary work and share the gospel for two basic reasons .

• The first one is fear . Many members do not even pray for opportunities to share the gospel , fearing that they might receive divine promptings to do something they think they are not capable of doing .

• The second reason is misunderstanding of what missionary work is .”

I can honestly say that I have been guilty of these things . Sharing the gospel is not easy – it can be scary . But guess what , all you have to do is share what you already know to be true . And if you end up becoming stumped on what to say , send up a pray in your head for the spirit to help you . Or if someone asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to , then it is okay to say “ I don’t know ” as long as you conclude with “ But I can get back to you on that .” Heavenly Father will be pleased and will bless you for giving it a go , and trying your best . Your best is all that He asks for .

Whenever my Dad travels , or flies somewhere , and I’m sure he has shared this with you , he prays for a missionary opportunity to arise . And it never fails to come , every single time . And he is excited to tell my family and I when he has one of those experiences . I can remember my first time flying , I thought I would see if my Dad was pulling my leg , or if something like that could happen to me . So I prayed for a missionary experience , and as soon as I was seated and began chatting with my flying companion , our conversation led to the church . I was surprised at how easy it was to talk to a complete stranger about the gospel . But it gave me confidence , all I had to do , was pretty much bear my testimony .

“ Perhaps you feel you may be asked to do unrealistic things in your relationships with friends or neighbors . With the help of the Lord , let me remove any fear you or any of our full-time missionaries may have in sharing the gospel with others .

Make the decision to do what Jesus Christ has asked us to do . The Savior has said :

“ Ask , and it shall be given you ; seek , and ye shall find ; knock , and it shall be opened unto you :

“ For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened .

“ Or what man is there of you , whom if his son ask bread , will he give him a stone ?

“ Or if he ask a fish , will he give him a serpent ?

“ If ye … know how to give good gifts unto your children , how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him ?”

“ Brothers and sisters , fear will be replaced with faith and confidence when members and the full-time missionaries kneel in prayer and ask the Lord to bless them with missionary opportunities . Then , we must demonstrate our faith and watch for opportunities to introduce the gospel of Jesus Christ to our Heavenly Father’s children , and surely those opportunities will come . These opportunities will never require a forced or a contrived response . They will flow as a natural result of our love for our brothers and sisters . Just be positive , and those whom you speak with will feel your love . They will never forget that feeling , though the timing may not be right for them to embrace the gospel . That too may change in the future when their circumstances change .

It is impossible for us to fail when we do our best when we are on the Lord’s errand . While the outcome is a result of the exercise of one’s agency , sharing the gospel is our responsibility .”

Elder Ballard also says: “’you don’t have to be an outgoing person or an eloquent, persuasive teacher. If you have an abiding love and hope within you, the Lord has promised if you “lift up your voices unto this people [and] speak the thoughts that [He] shall put into your hearts,… you shall not be confounded before men;

“[And] it shall be given you … in the very moment, what ye shall say.’”

Elder Ballard continues , “ I quote from [ a ] successful member missionary , Clayton Christensen : ‘ Every time you take someone figuratively by the hand and introduce him or her to Jesus Christ , you will feel how deeply our Savior loves you and loves the person whose hand is in yours .’”

I would like to read to you the lyrics of a primary song .

1. Faith is knowing the sun will rise , lighting each new day .

Faith is knowing the Lord will hear my prayers each time I pray .

Faith is like a little seed :

If planted , it will grow .

Faith is a swelling within my heart .

When I do right , I know .

2. Faith is knowing I lived with God before my mortal birth .

Faith is knowing I can return when my life ends on earth .

Faith is trust in God above ;

In Christ , who showed the way .

Faith is strengthened ; I feel it grow

Whenever I obey .

The line , “ Faith is trust in God above ” stands out to me . Throughout my life I can see patterns of this . For example , every time I pray , I wonder if God will listen . And I know that when I finish a prayer that He hears me , every single time . And there is no doubt in my mind that He listens to your prayers too and cares about what you have to say and what is happening in your life .  

Going back to the example of changing my plans to match the Lords . That took a great deal of faith to trust that what He has planned for me is going to strengthen me and help me throughout my life .

Showing that you have faith and trust in the Lord , to me , means that you pray and talk with God and maintain a relationship with Him . And let Him guide you throughout your life . Do as Jesus would do , and love those around you and share with them what makes you happy .

Something that brings me great joy and happiness is the gospel of Jesus Christ . I would like to invite those of you who are not members of the church , and even those of you who are , to come unto Christ .      

In the Book of Mormon , in Alma 10 : 32-33 , it reads ,

“ 32 Yea , come unto Christ , and be perfected in him , and deny yourselves of all ungodliness ; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness , and love God with all your might , mind and strength , then is his grace sufficient for you , that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ , ye can in nowise deny the power of God .

33 And again , if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ , and deny not his power , then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God , through the shedding of the blood of Christ , which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins , that ye become holy , without spot .”

In closing I would like to leave with you my testimony – 

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , is the true church on this earth today . I know that President Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet of our church , and that what he counsels us to do is right and a tool to lead us on our journey home to our Father in Heaven . I know that missionary work is important  , and I am excited to share with others the happiness that the gospel brings me . I know that as you put your trust in the Lord that He will bless you and guide you in your life .

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ , Amen . 

Mission Call

Dear Sister Bower :

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . You are assigned to labor in the Massachusetts Boston Mission . It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months .

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday , June 4 , 2014 . You will prepare o preach the gospel in the English language .

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When I am serving my mission , I will be including a section for this blog in my letters home to my family . I pray that it will help someone in their life as they read my experiences and adventures . It will also be a way for people to see what I am up to as I serve . 

God be with you till we meet again . 

--> Sister Bower