BECAUSE I'M HAPPY

     Hello once again people! How has your week been! Mine has been very good for the most part. Ebola is not in Ghana yet. That is good and we continue to pray that it doesn't. Also we pray for the people and Doctors who are facing this horrible problem. Sadly the missionary work has stopped in those countries (except Nigeria) and it doesn't look like it will pick up in the next three plus months. I am deeply saddened by this news.
     Well...it is yet another milestone in our journey, Seventeen Months on Mission! YES!!! This past week I have hit the big ONE SEVEN!!!! It is a good thing, but then it means that I only have seven months left in this wonderful country of Ghana. Just another day, nothing special, just went out and worked super hard. It was fun. Here in Mataheko we are having a lot of fun together. I love the area, and at the end of this transfer (which is on September 3rd) I will have been here for four and a half months. That will tie for the longest I've been in an area (tied with Amasaman). Just in case you have forgotten what areas I have served in or the companions I have had, I will make a small list here:

1st: Kpone One: (Ghana Accra Mission, three months)

Elder Tribe (USA)

2nd: Tantra Hills Two: (Ghana Accra/Accra West Mission, eight weeks)

Elder Anderson (USA)

3rd: Tantra Hills One: (Ghana Accra West Mission, six weeks)

Elder Smith (USA)

4th: Amasaman One: (Ghana Accra West Mission, four and a half months)

Elder Kiwanuka (Uganda)

Elder Reeves (USA)

5th: Korle Bu Two: (Ghana Accra West Mission, three months)

Elder Serassio (USA)

Elder Heaton (USA)

6th: Mataheko Two: (Ghana Accra West Mission, four and a half months)

Elder Metivier (USA)

Elder Shangase (South Africa)

     There you have it!  A complete record of the last seventeen months of my life where I have been in these places with these people. Not too bad, nothing to complain about, super fun and adventurous. I plan on making the next seven just as fun and successful as the first seventeen. It can only get better from here. I am super happy to be a missionary and look forward to hearing from all of you soon.
     Elder Shangase and the crew are all well. Hopefully as a District next week we will each be having a baptism, which would be super cool. To reap the fruit of our labors would be super awesome, please be praying that that will happen.
     Some of you are probably wondering if I got to have a rematch against the Missionary from Ethiopia. Sadly no we didn't get to face because on Saturday we didn't clean the chapel. Instead we went to a wedding for one of the MTC instructors. That was super awesome. You don't know a wedding until you've been to a Ghanaian wedding. Super fun, and well...you have to be there. One thing about Ghanians is they do not like to kiss in public or at all for what I've observed and heard. At one wedding I went to when the person doing the wedding said you may kiss the bride, he kissed her on the cheek. This wedding was so different. It was at a Chapel then they will go to the temple to be sealed for eternity. And when the bishop said you may now kiss the bride. . . let me tell you they kissed and the crowd went crazy! You would think Ghana just scored the winning goal of the world cup that's how crazy it was! The reception was also crazy! Dancing, drinks, cake (it had nuts so none for me), but it was a party. The missionaries were there because well, she is a MTC instructor so she asked that all the missionaries in the Kaneshie Zone come and sing for her wedding. So we sang hymn 52, that was interesting. All showed up early so that we could practice. And after one hour of practice, we nailed it. Fun Saturday.
     Well, that was my week. It was an alright week. I hope that all of you have an awesome week too! Love ya!

Love,

Elder Bowden

P.S. I am leaving a music video for all you who want to be happy to listen to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM

BECAUSE I'M HAPPY!!!!!