IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

     Sing it with me! FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!! Wow can you believe it? Two years yesterday in Africa, Ghana, away from home, etc. . .WOW! It is truly a wonderful experience to be here in Ghana serving the Lord.  I am grateful for all the tender mercies that the Lord has poured out upon me, and not just me but everyone around me.
     So I will start by first talking about my week and then proceed to give a quick overview of my mission. This week started great. Really Tuesday and Wednesday we had really good days going out and teaching a good amount of lessons and even cooking food for a member, HOWEVER. . .we had a problem Wednesday night that changed the course of our week completely...WE WERE ROBBED!!! YEP! What would be going home with out one last robbery? I know right, went almost 21 months without one but nope, Ghana wanted to give me a good farewell. Ya. . .what happened is (well let me explain how our apartments are set up) the metal bars that are placed over our doors and windows are called burglar proofs, and they prevent someone from just opening the window and walking in. However, in our case, if you have a saw that can cut metal, then you can (as what happened in our case) cut the bars and squeeze in. These bars are about half a foot apart from each other, so if you cut one off you (or even myself I had to try it since it was available) can easily squeeze through a foot of open space. Thankfully I got off easy.   Most of my stuff was locked in my suitcases or on my person. However, my companion got hit hard, losing his mp3 player, speaker, cash, and a bunch of other stuff that adds up.
     Now onto greater things.  I got NINE DAYS LEFT!!!!!! Holy cow it has been quite the ride I can say. If you would of asked me if 21 or 18 or even 12 months ago if I thought this was gonna end, I might of said no, but now it seems so real, it actually does end, and it is so sad, because I really do love it here (minus the thieves) and some part of me doesn't wanna go, but another part of me wants to, lots of mixed fillings. However I am grateful for the time that I have had here. It is truly the best two years for your life. I have come out of here and have learned a lot of things that I know can help me become a better person. The adventures and the crazy events that have happened, the closer I've gotten to our Heavenly Father and everything else have been a wonderful thing to experience in these two years. I hope that as I return home that I am able to continue to study the scriptures and other church materials. It is something that I have to stay true to for the rest of my life. This Gospel is my life because this life is only a short time before we return back to our Heavenly Father and then it is over, and eternal life begins, and if we have remained true and faithful then we shall be rewarded and crowned with glory but if not, if our lives here, no matter how short, were that of evil, then we cannot nor should we expect to even come close to the Celestial Kingdom of our Father in Heaven.
     I just want to thank all of you for all the love and support that you have given me over the past two years. From the letters and emails, to the contributions and everything else, words cannot describe how I feel about all of this. Some of you have never even met me but have taken the time to send me letters and it has truly made me feel like I could continue on because believe it or not, sometimes you don't wanna carry on, just wanna give up and quit, but all the time when that happens I will receive either an email or letter from someone that just makes me feel like I can keep going and not give up. Thank you to all of you who sent me care packages, know that those were so helpful, I really did enjoy the snacks and drink mixes and candy (SUGAR) that was contained inside of them. Thank you everyone.
     Now some of you maybe wondering. . .why is Bowden saying all of this today and not next week, seeing as he still has one P-day left? WELL!!!! Let me tell ya'll about it. The last Monday of a missionaries journey in Ghana there is a Magical Place that we visit. It is called the Art Market, now for those who know what a normal Ghanaian Market is like, picture that with just a lot of art (paintings, carvings, masks, clothes, etc), every missionary before he goes home will get to visit this place for a few hours on that Monday. So next week I will be busy. However if I am able to get on, I will send you a nice little email. If not, then this is the last one. I might try to get on even if it is for ten minutes but if not, farewell my friends. It has been real. Thank you again for all you have done for me.

A big heart felt thanks. Love you all. Truly from the bottom of my heart.

Elder Ty M. Bowden

Signing Off. . .