Hey everyone!!! So this was a really big week and a good amount of things went down, but I don't have all the time to talk about them, so I'll just give you all the basics!
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| Bowen and Hoisington in the street! |
So the highlight and downfall of this week was when we set a baptismal date with Felix for about 24 hours. So we met up with him this week and we had a lesson about the Plan of Salvation. We had Fratele Matei with us and he was a big help for us because he loves this lesson. So we teach and it went really well and we set a date for August 18th! We were happy, Matei was happy, it was great. But we were talking with him at night and he said he no longer had any faith. So naturally, we meet up with him again and it was an interesting meeting. Essentially he is looking for historical evidence that the Book of Mormon is true and he doesn't have that evidence that it is true. So, we dropped his date and we won't be meeting with him anymore until he starts having a spiritual witness that our message is true. It's sad, but necessary.
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Ran into a friend from Pitesti
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We also had the opportunity to help a couple members this week! We helped our member Alejandro prepare a talk in sacrament meeting and it was really great! We helped a member named Daisy move into her new apartment with her husband! And we celebrated the birthday of the branch president's wife because she absolutely loves us haha. It was a great week of helping members and I hope they felt the spirit strongly as we showed our love and support to them.
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Another grafitti picture of the Buc pig
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I had an interesting experience this week with an Orthodox priest. He came up to me and was asking me how everything was going. He then started asking me how I liked the mission and everything and so forth. Eventually, he asked me how I came to know that the Book of Mormon was true. My response was that I read and prayed and I received a witness that it is true. He then asked if I examined any other churches, and I said no. He then told me that I don't truly know the truth until I examine all of the churches and their histories. I told him I don't need to because I felt in my mind and in my heart that the Book of Mormon was true. He didn't understand and kept trying to argue. He eventually left and I was standing there feeling accomplished. My dear friends, stand ye in holy places and be not moved. Have a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and even when you are faced with the adversary's tactics of trying to deceive you, stand firm. Do not waver and do not compromise the truth for comfort. I truly have received an answer that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God who restored His church again on the Earth. And I don't need to examine every church to know. I have a testimony and faith in my Savior Jesus Christ.
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| Party at the church |
Finally, this morning we went on a hike in some mountains in Busteni and it was a super awesome time. So that's where most of these pictures are from.
Now for my invitation to you all. If you didn't know, this Saturday is my 19th birthday. And I want you all to do something for me haha. I want you to do an act of service for someone EACH DAY THIS WEEK. It doesn't have to be big, just a simple smile or hello, a simple text to tell someone they are important, anything!!! I want you to do that and email me this week on what you did to make someone's day. That is the only birthday present I want so please do it!!!! I love you all!!! Rock the world!!!!
Va iubesc,
Elder Bowen
Belief is the reason we go on a mission. It is the motive for preaching about Christ and sharing/Proclaiming his love. Faith is understanding we are children of God and our Heavenly Father. May the definition of faith bless you in life Faith is defined again and because faith has an inherent joy it gives us a solid foundation that we finally have the peace we have been searching for.
ReplyDelete"Many believer's feed themselves on what God hasn't done. When I dwell on what hasn't happened, I create the atmosphere for the spirit of offense to arise and to thrive. When I dwell on what hasn't happened, I legitimize unbelief. I live with a sense of justification, for not believing God.
Faith in the purest sense is the ceasing of resistance. even when there's no physical evidence, when the other evidence is present. Not feeding ourselves on what God hasn't done Faith in it's purest form is the absence of resistance
Heaven is a place where everyone is celebrated, some are more honored but everyone is celebrated. All men and all women shall be judged on the light which they have received. Heaven is a permissible culture. God's nature is eternally permissible. These statements protect us from credit.
Faith in the purest sense is the ceasing of resistance, even when there's no physical evidence, when the other evidence is present. Not feeding ourselves on what God hasn't done. Faith in it's purest form is the absence of resistance. Faith doesn't deny a problems existence, it denies it's influence. He or she was someone whom aridity and desolation never disturbed for he or she had a deeply rooted, and a vigorous faith.
Now we can act as we have always dreamed. Now we can act as we have always been. Now we can step into the light and gather the sunlight instead of blocking out our possibilities. Instead of blocking out our joy. Variety will bloom in/under the sun. We can show off our best, we can enjoy other people's gifts. We can blossom where we stand upon the joy that faith provides us. Upon the joy that faith inherently has, which blossoms the entire field of flowers"
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDYaxabUfkA - The Definition of Faith