Thanks Mom

So. . .If you look back to the Monday, November 10, 2014 blog letter, I informed you all that this photo in the background was not a gun! Well, my Mother, was still not convinced, she somehow still thinks that this is a gun!?!? I don't know how, but she does. . .

So I found a nifty little link on www.lds.org so I thought you might like to see this.

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-temples-currently-under-construction

It is sweet. Spent a good amount of time looking at it.

I then read Elder Holland's talk from Conference:

Then I got curious as to what scene was being displayed in the photo. . .so I looked for it . . . couldn't find it so I put my favorite one I saw. . .

But then it wouldn't load due to internet problems. . .

I got to talk to my family on Christmas day! That was nice. Very nice. I enjoyed talking to them and letting them know about my adventures in Africa. It has been quite an adventure! It is crazy to think how fast it has gone and how little time is left for me to be in this wonderful place. Like basically the whole phone call was how I was coming home. So after the call I started thinking of the song "I'm coming home." That will be mentioned in a later post on a later day. Stay tuned for that. 

New Town is a good area. All of last week we went Christmas caroling and got to spend a few good hours with the members caroling at certain venues and what not. One of those venues was the Maamobi Police Station. We sang to the people in the holding cell. . .that was interesting. . .singing to them was nice. The Bishop afterwards addressed the "inmates" and told them basically to repent. . .go figure. . .

Well, I think that is all the time I have for now. The internet has been really slow today. I would like to thank all of those who sent me letters and packages this Christmas season. They were well welcomed and much loved. Thank you to all for your prayers in my behalf. I cannot wait to hear from you all soon. 

Love,

Elder Ty M. Bowden

It's Official and Merry Christmas

Well everyone, it is official!  I am leaving on March 31, 2015.  That is a Tuesday and I will arrive home on April 1, 2015.  I do not know all the details, but in 100 days, Elder Ty M. Bowden is coming home.  That is my Christmas present to you.

And so another week passes by.  I am a missionary in the New Town Ward.  It is a difficult change.  To be honest, I didn't think is would be, but I am home sick for Dansoman Ward.  I want to go back there so much.  It was a great area and the members there were so friendly.  Now I just have to get familiar with these members and get them to become my friend.  So my new ward is pretty interesting.  It is a very big ward, however, my area is very small.  The APs and the other missionaries have bigger areas, but they live farther from the area and the chapel, which isn't even in the ward boundaries.  It is so bizarre.  If you were to draw a rectangle, with the long side going up, and then in the very bottom left corner of the rectangle, you draw a dot that is where the chapel is.  Far from all of the areas.  The Bishop is a nice guy - very young and funny.  A lot of members don't live in our ward boundaries, but in other wards because this chapel is closer to them than the other chapel.  So that is my new ward.

As it is the Christmas season, let us remember the true meaning of Christmas.  It isn't about the gifts or the tinsel or any other wordly things.  It is about what one man gave us so that we could live forever.  We can give back at this time.  Let us give freely as he gave freely so that no one will have to suffer as he suffered.  Let's share the joyful message of Christmas at this time.  Merry Christmas to you all!

Ok, well, I am going to go.  There is nothing really else to talk about seeing that I am calling my family for the last time!  Then in 3 months, I will be home!

Love,

Elder Ty M. Bowden

Mini Transfers

     Well everyone. . . I have some bad news. . .Because of Christmas, there are some missionaries that leave early to go home before Christmas, even though the transfer is AFTER the Holidays. . .So they leave tomorrow, which means that some of the missionaries are without companions. . .so they need new companions. . .and well. . .I am one of those who will be replacing a missionary. . .so yes. . .I am leaving Dansoman area 8 days before Christmas. . .President let me know Saturday morning that way I could let members and investigators know. . .I cried. . .members cried. . . When the Bishop announced it in sacrament meeting (it was the ward business), all of the members were in shock. Of course Saturday night I couldn't sleep at all so I am extremely tired. . .so tired that I slept in today. Thats why I am on late.

     So now I have to pack everything up, and move to a whole new area. My new area is called New Town, I know a little about the place, MUSLIMS. It is Korle Bu all over again. It might be my last area. . .on the bright side, the APs and Office Elders are in my district, so anytime mail comes they are in the next apartment from me, even the APs are in my ward, and Elder Clark (my MTC) is in the ward so I am excited to be with him. My new companion is from Uganda.  He just finished training so he is a greenie. Yay.

     Today we also went back to the West Hills Mall, that big mall that makes you feel like you are in America every time you go. It is nice, I didn't get anything big though, because I am being transferred I didn't want to have to pack more junk than the junk I already had. Packing is not my favorite! You would think with three and a half months this would be someones last transfer. . .but you never know.

     We got to go to the Temple this last week. It was super good. Its been seven months since I last got to go to the Temple. The next time I will go is the Tuesday before I go home, then, I get to go as often as I want. I am excited about that. While we were there, we had a Christmas Conference, and President Hill arranged for all the missionaries to watch "Meet The Mormons" Wow! Shout out to that movie. If you haven't seen that movie, you have better go and buy your tickets right now. It is a movie worthy of going and seeing. President Hill also gave all the missionaries a Mission Pin and a Christmas Tie. Sweet.

     Ok, well I am going to go. I am super tired. BYE BYE!!!!

Love,

Elder Bowden

PS...
So before I leave, I have added a talk by someone we all know. . .Listen it is super good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlP9X5Pig-8

Cold Water. . .No Hot Tubs

     Greetings From Ghana again! How are all of you today? This week was alright. Just another normal week in the neighborhood. One of the missionaries in the apartment has been super sick this past week and we are grateful that finally he has finally started to recover small. He had a fever all last week (NOT EBOLA) and was just super tired and what not. He had been in the bush for six months where there are no mosquitoes, and now he is back in Accra where the mosquitoes are everywhere. So I believe it is Malaria. He has taken some medicine and now the fever is gone and he is doing well.

     Jerry and Nathaniel were confirmed yesterday in Church so now they are full on members of the Church and they are already getting so involved in every aspect of it. I am so excited for them to continue to progress. Next step is to get them to the temple. That shouldn't take too long and I am so excited for them. We meet with them on Tuesdays and Fridays and on Friday when they came they brought a friend who now is coming to Church and is starting to meet with the Sisters (stays in the sisters area) and Jerry and Nathaniel will help them teach these new comers. AWESOME!!!!! Golden Recent Converts bringing Golden Investigators to the Church! So excited.

     Speaking of the Temple, on Wednesday we will be going to the Temple! FINALLY!!!! It is about time, I have been going crazy waiting to know when we would actually get to go. Now on Wednesday I will get to go and oh boy, so excited. Also on Wednesday is our Christmas Conference so we will get together as a zone with another zone and party!!!

     Saturday night Kaneshie Stake had a music festival. It was crazy. It was held where the stage in the stake center is at and it was amazing! Another church came and also performed and there was some great singing and dancing. . .oh boy the dancing. Thank goodness my father wasn't there or he might of gone outside and jumped off a mountain. President Hill looked like he wanted to do so (he was there). It was the funniest thing ever. So many members were dancing and going crazy. When Dansoman ward got up to sing (me and my companion were in the choir) we (the choir) had toffie (kinda like candy) that we threw into the audience and that just made people go crazy! It was such a fun time of dancing and singing and just pure excitement.

     My Mom, my wonderful mother, told me in her e-mail, that their stake had to do a baptism in a hot tub because the water in the font was too cold. I cried. . .really I did, those poor poor people
. . .no working water heater to heat up the water for their baptism, so they had to do it via hot tub. . .hot tub? ? ?    I. . . .I Elder Bowden, here in Ghana, would like to make a comment on this. I would like to comment that for the past 20 months. . .I Elder Bowden, have done my baptisms, in:
                                1.The Rain
                                2. Only two feet of water in the tank.
                                3.In dirty water. it was brown.
                                4.When you only have two pairs of baptismal clothing, and you have five people  being baptized. That's a fun one.

     So I just want to mention that all of these are in cold water. Ice cold water. Never warm, always dirty. So enjoy your water heaters and hot tub baptisms. PEACE OUT BOY SCOUT.

     I love all of you so much and am so grateful for all of the prayers in my behalf. I cannot wait to hear from you next week.
Love,

Elder Bowden

From Zero to This

Well Friends and Family, another week has passed by and well, we had a nice week. I am truly grateful for all of the prayers and support that you have been giving to me these past few weeks. It hasn't been easy, Dansoman is not a easy area, especially to baptize in. However, thanks to all of the prayers being sent our way, we have had a blessed two Sundays filled with plenty of Baptisms. Last week as I mentioned we had one baptism. To continue that yesterday Jerry and Nathaniel entered into the waters of baptism and are now entering into the gate of eternal life.

So because of some issues we had to take Jerry and Nathaniel to visit President Hill during the week, and that is done at the Area Office at Accra, also where the Temple is located at. The experience that they had was amazing. As we were walking around the Temple Grounds waiting for President Hill to arrive (he showed up very late), they just were in awe at what they saw, asking questions and so forth, they even wanted to enter into the Temple. Sadly we had to explain that it would take some time before they could. We have already talked about the Temple with them so they understand the importance of it, now they just want to enter.  While walking they stopped, I asked if everything was okay, and they said they just wanted to feel the breeze while waiting for President Hill. That 'feel the breeze' was them just taking in the Spirit, it was so strong on all of us that we were in awe. We didn't want to leave after President Hill had arrived and did what needed to be done.

Last Sunday my Bishop asked me to assign two of the missionaries to give talks in Sacrament. Okay I thought. So I assigned one of my Sisters and myself to give talks on (you guessed it), Missionary Work. I had prepared a normal talk written it down and what not, then Sunday comes. Sitting on the stand, Sacrament meeting starts, everything is normal, then during the Ward Business, the worst thing possible happens. . . a shinny tan Toyota 4 X 4 shows up, and you'd never guess who it is. . . President Hill. OH BOY!!!!! I just gulped, already scared, now I am terrified. Bishop of course invites him to sit on the stand, next to me, and then announces (after the Sacrament) that President Hill would be the concluding speaker. So the Sister speaks and gives a really good talk. Then, my turn. . .I walk up to the pulpit, set my talk to the side, and just started to speak. I don't remember what I said, but it wasn't in my talk I can tell you that! Then surprisingly President Hill gets up and speaks, and it as if he was continuing where I left off in my talk. It was wonderful!

Then after the church service, we had the Baptism. President Hill stayed for that, I conducted the program. It was a really good time. It was super special for all of them. They all enjoyed it so so so very much. I am super happy for Jerry and Nathaniel. They have been prepared for this day, and now, they got one of the greatest things that God could ever give. Eternal Life.

Well folks. That is it for this week. Can you believe that it is December. That is so crazy.  AWESOME!!!! OKAY. . .

BYE BYE BYU BYU BYE BYE!!!!


LOVE


Elder Ty M. Bowden

Last Week

Greetings from Ghana. Well what a week. You know that this is transfer week and we have some news. For me, little old me, I am staying in Dansoman to be with Elder Langi! I am so excited to be with him for another transfer, he is such a cool guy and that will be a lot of fun. Sadly Elder McCullough is being transferred to another zone to be the new Zone Leader, congrats to him, his companion has been heck for him these past few weeks. All 8 to be honest. It isn't easy. Me and Elder McCullough's companion have not gotten along and also my companion doesn't like him, and now we will be with him in the apartment for another six weeks, I don't know if I can handle that.

     We did have a baptism on Sunday. It was super nice, a Sister named Tina, she was so ready to receive the gospel and it has taken us several months to baptize her. She is super happy and I am super happy for her. She has two kids that I can see becoming members when they reach the age of eight, one is five and one is two. So a few years down the road. The Sister Missionary that is going home had two baptisms as well, so that made three. Plus other missionaries from the zone made for a great Sunday Afternoon.

     Well, since it is transfer time, that includes missionaries going home. Including. . .Sadly. . .Elder and Sister Wall. I am truly sad that the Walls are leaving. I havn't ever said much about the Walls here on this blog, but they are our Office Couple. They spend all day in the Office at the mission home making sure everything temporal is taken care of while everyone else takes care of the spiritual things. Super cool and super nice. I have loved them so much, they made this new mission so much fun. I guess it will not be the "NEW" mission anymore since the first office couple is going home and we have a new office couple. Bless the Walls for what they've done for us as missionaries.

     Since one of my Sisters has finished her mission we will also get a new sister missionary in my district. She is just going on a bedroom transfer since she is in the same apartment as the sisters in Elder McCulloughs district. They share an apartment just like me and Elder McCullough share an apartment.

     Well, I guess that is all for the week. I hope you all have a good one. I know that I did. I can not wait to hear from you and I love and miss all of you.

Love

Elder Bowden