Greetings from Ghana

     Hello everyone. Well it has been another week here in the wonderful hot land called Ghana. The last few days I do not know why, but they have just been super sweaty. Like none other!! I was sitting on my chair last night, and I was sweating like crazy. Of course I am always sweating, but it was just more then usual. A little surprised because I am used to the heat and what not but the past few days have really been killers.
     Anywhos. . .I have some very good news. . .The good news is that we had a Baptism yesterday! YAY! That is sweet since I wasn't really planning on one. We had been trying to see this guy all of the week and he hadn't been around due to work so we had been seeing him in the evening around seven or eight pm and some days he wouldn't even be around then. Finally Friday night we see him so we can teach him lesson five. We do that so Saturday night the Zone Leaders come to do his interview. It was a miracle. His name is Thomas and he is super cool. He has been investigating the Church for about five to six months but has been coming and going so often that the missionaries did feel good about it. Then finally he started to show up when I arrived and we finally got him! YAY!!!! He has a son who is eight and he will be a child of record in a few weeks.
     Grace didn't show up to Church. . .again. She is the one whose husband is a Muslim and she is a Christian. She came last week but yesterday she didn't. I just wanna take her and scream. Nevertheless I feel that she can be baptized in the next month. I am not going to push her, I want to go back, reteach all the lessons to her, and then see what is going to happen with her. If nothing happens we will have to drop  her. That is sad to think, and I hope I am wrong, but we can not waste our time with non serious people.
     I want to share an experence me and my companion found ourselves in last Saturday.  We were teaching a guy named Michael when all of a sudden a Jehovah's Witness comes up and interrupts our lesson (typical). Well, we debated and argued and it was two LDS missionaries and one Catholic vs a Jehovah's Witness. Crazy combo if I've ever seen one. It worked. He left. They never let you talk, only them talking talking talking. Good grief.
    So I was looking at Dixie State University website on Google and up comes the "notable alumni" and you would never guess who I found on it.

Second to right: Wendy Horman. That is my aunt! Never would of thought of seeing family on the Alumni of Dixie State. Elder Holland was number one, so Aunt Wendy, you are on Dixie's Alumni. 

     Well, I guess that will be all for this week. Thanks everyone for your prayers and thoughts in my behalf. 

Love,

Elder Bowden

WEEK 93

     Well, another week is gone. They are going by faster then I can possibly imagine. This week was a very good week for us. On Saturday we kicked some serious butt! It was sweet. Especially in this area it was surprising to me that it has now happened for the last two weeks. I believe that it is all due to you. Your prayers and thoughts heading my way have really helped me and my companion. Keep praying for us. Pray that we continue to work hard and smart and that our investigators progress.
     Well last week was the beginning of my second to last transfer on mission (I have all the milestones marked out), and thinking about it is no help. However we put our faith and trust in God and push forward. Even though some mornings I don't wanna get outta bed. I do feel like I am working as hard now, as I was when I first came to Ghana 21 months ago. That is one of my goals is not to go "rusty" as we say but to "Burn Out" rather. I wonder how Ammon and his brethren did this for fourteen years, and some of them spent time in jail! Honestly how could they do that? I am grateful it is only two years and not fourteen. LOL.
     Talking about this past week, on Thursday President Hill had all of the Zone Leaders and District Leaders come to an extended Mission Leaders Council or MLC for short. After going to that meeting I am so grateful I was never called to be a Zone Leader because going to just one of those meetings gave me and everyone else a headache. So better to go once every six months rather then once every month. It was a good meeting in which we talked about a lot of things. We had a ton of action items that we need to work on in the upcoming weeks and months. Especially focusing on the Book of Mormon.
     Still on the hunt to find and teach new people. That is the biggest problem I think facing our Zone considering that half the zone is living in Muslim areas. But we continue to try out hardest to find those ready to receive the gospel. It is such a blessing to see it change so many peoples lives. It will continue to change and bless those who do live up to it. Not just saying they believe but actually living it. I hope that we all will try to live what we believe and not just say that we believe. Let us all do better.

Have a great week everyone! I love you so much!
Thank you for again for all of your prayers.

Love,

Elder Ty M. Bowden

12 Weeks.

     Lest in case you think that I am trunky. . .you might be right! LOL. It isn't easy that people keep reminding me about it. Let alone me thinking about it every day. LOL. No worries, I am happy to be out serving. I love it and I am still finding new ways to do it. I truly will miss Ghana when it is over. Ghana is a wonderful place with wonderful people. I do hope that within five years of finishing my mission that I can return for a few days or weeks to visit the people here. I have made so many good friendships that it will not be easy to be away from them.
     This week was anything but easy. We had one woman that we were supposed to baptize yesterday, but her husband (who is a Muslim/she's Methodist) isn't liking the idea of her joining the Church (from what she has told us). Since I came here 3 weeks ago, she has only come to Church once, and yesterday was one of those days she missed. I don't wanna give up on her, but seeing on how she is subject to her husbands laws, I am not sure how else to help her. From what she has told us she does not wanna become a Muslim. So. . .what now?
     We continue to drop people and find people. We just have to be in contact with more and more people. Just I hate contacting, but I know that I need to be doing it. So this week we actually did very well on doing that. It is the same old same old though. They all say "oh I'm cooking!" or "oh I'm busy!" or some other excuse, but that doesn't matter.  If you're too busy to hear us then God will be too busy for you at Judgement day (sounds a bit harsh but I find it a good response to those excuses, which usually leads to us getting a seat and sharing something small with them).
     Muslims are good people. Not like what you hear about in Iraq and Afghanistan. They actually find what is happening in the middle east disturbing and  not pleasing. When talking with one he told me that what they are doing is not found, or approved of in the Quran. I found that shocking but hey, this guy is saying it not me. So I believe true Muslims are good people.
     Two nights ago I was talking to one and he was saying that it doesn't matter what religion you believe in because they're are good Muslims and good Christians and bad Muslims and bad Christians. I of course disagreed with him, but then explained that if you travel down one road, you will get to one place, as with a different place on a different road. I further explained that not all roads go to heaven, and that while maybe you may be a good person, if you're on the wrong road, you won't get to the destination you would of liked.
     Having fun. That is good. Mission is suppose to be fun, hard, and not a vacation. So we treat it as such. Just gotta work and not get distracted by small things. Keep improving on the things that we can do better on, and then rejoice when people change because of the choices we make.

Love,

Elder Bowden

--- -.- --..-- / .-- . .-.. .-.. / .. / .- -- / --. --- -. -. .- / --. --- .-.-.- / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-.. .-.. .-.-.-
Just for my mom a little Morse code.

. .-.. -.. . .-. / - -.-- / -- .-.-.- / -... --- .-- -.. . -.

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