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Slap Slap and Sand!

Timisoara!
Hey everyone! This was a crazy week and it's just getting started!

So biggest thing is that I am no longer companions with Elder Atkinson. There were some last minute changes and my companion is actually Elder Kemeny now. So pretty crazy change that I was not expecting. So with Elder Atkinson gone, we are whitewashing Timisoara and who knows what will happen haha. Another big thing is that I am now the Branch President of this branch of people I do not even know. But the Lord has a plan for me and obviously this was part of the plan even though I didn't think it would be. God qualifies those He calls so here we go!!!
The chapel in Timisoara

Since Elder Kemeny and I are new to the city, we started right away by getting to know the members. We visited a member named Sora Negriu and we had a wonderful time with her. She made us a huge meal that was probably one of the best I've ever had. She made "ardei umpluti" which is essentially "stuffed peppers" and they were sooo good!! She also made us gogosi (donuts) and she made us eat 2 plates full worth of them. Then she gave us leftovers so we had a lot of food with us. She essentially is our Timisoara grandmother so life is good. We then called an American member named Brooke about visiting her and her familyand she said she needs help with moving and repairing drywall. We'll visit her and her family this week and we will "take the putty, slap it on, and sand" as the tutorial video told us to do. And then we met most of the members this week at church and they are all super nice and loving members. It's probably the first branch out here that I've seen so united and supportive of everyone. It's beautiful to watch and be a part of, especially while being the Branch President.
My companion

Timisoara


We still have no clue where anything is, so we had a hard week contacting. But we received a referral from Temple Square about a man named Tanase who lives 1.5 hours away from Timisoara in Resita. So we are the closest missionaries to him so we talk with him and it's pretty great. We had a lesson with him about the Restoration and it was pretty good. He loves God very much and is very willing to try and find His true church. He is very grateful for meeting with us and we hope he continues to flourish as we keep teaching him.
A gypsy house in front of our apartment

I am grateful for this opportunity to serve as a missionary for the Lord here in Romania. Though it might be hard, hard is good! Hard will help me grow and become a better, stronger, wiser person. I would rather go through pain and suffering to grow, learn, and develop instead of being comfortable and never really becoming any better. Push through the pain and let it teach you and shape you to be a stronger, smarter, better person! The refiners fire is real! I love you all and I hope you all have a great week!

Va iubesc,
Elder Bowen














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