Winter Wonder Land!

Dear Family and Friends!

Well, I don't have anytime to write right now because we got really busy and because I was trying to fix those pictures. Entonces, Mom, I hope you like those pictures because this letter will be a little shorter today! Sorry! 

Well to start of this letter awww! It's getting really cold now! Aww the past couples days it has dropped to 32 degrees! Aww and winter technically hasn't even started yet! Everyone tells me that winter starts next month! Ha ha! But just to make things even better last Monday our water broke in the house and a person came to look at it and said that they would need to shut off that water because if there is water it will just fill the sink and if we would leave the house then it would flood. So this past week we were without water basically!! Woo hoo! Ha ha now don't think that we didn't shower for a whole week, ha ha, how awful! Ha ha, the guy showed us how to open and close the water to our house so we had to do that every morning but we all had to shower fast because if not the sink (which is the thing that really broke) would overflow. And our heater that was connected to the water wouldn't work when you turned off and on the water, so with this wonderful cold weather we all showered in cold water as well! Ha ha and then to top this great experience off, last night they cut the lights in our sector for some reason and we had no lights at night, which meant we couldn't use our little floor heaters or our bed warmers . . . so, I will just be honest, last night was horrible. It was so cold and we didn't have gas (for the heater) as well as water and light! Ha ha, I am pretty exhausted right now!

But--besides that great adventure--we got it all fixed today! Woo hoo! I may have been cold in temperature but that won't dampen the fire of the Spirit I have for this work!

Before I forget! Congrats all of you that graduated too! And to Dad who survived the year! Woo hoo!

Talking about rain, Tuesday it was just a down pour like crazy! We were soaked! ha ha, but it was awesome because we got in more houses because people felt bad for us, ha ha! But that was awesome to work with the streets flooded and all!

Okay, because I have no time at all now I just wanna tell about the story of Carolina. We had a lot of miracles and tender mercies with this family. They of all time, are my favorite family in the mission so far! We found Carolina a couple weeks ago doing tours of the church and we finally got a hold of her and got to go to her house. We went Friday night and met her family which is her spouse Francisco and their 5 kids! Angelo (who has 8 years and isn't baptized), Erick (who will turn 8 in 3 weeks) Javiera, and Javier who is only 3 years old but is a stud! Ha ha! And their new born baby, Dylan. We entered the house and you could just feel the love within this family. That is by far my favorite thing in the mission, teaching families! We taught the first lesson and the husband accept the invitation to be baptized, but not a exact date right now! But yea! Woo hoo! And Carolina said we wants to return to church and knows it is true and wants her two sons baptized as well the next month! Woo hoo!! Just a blessing to find this family!

But the sad thing was that they live in a really small house and it is sad. They live in a house that is no bigger than the TV room in our house and they hardly have anything. When we were leaving after the lesson, I looked into the tiny room next door and all of the five kids were all cuddled together on one tiny bed. We actually were standing when we taught because they don't even have chairs for their table. Carolina realized that I was looking at the kids and asked us that if we see anything to use they would warmly greet it and use it. I immediately felt the love of our Savior and the love He has for this humble family.

The next day Elder Alcaraz and I just kept thinking of what we could do for them. As we were leaving the house Saturday we prayed that we could at least find some chairs for them. Right then we started to go to work and we felt like we needed to pass by the President of the Relief Society and she yelled out to us and told us that she has 6 chairs, a small round table, a book shelf, and a whole couch that she doesn't want anymore! I just started to bawl my eyes out and the sister was so confused. I told her what we would like to do for this humble family and she was so grateful that she could help. I don't know how more specific Heavenly Father could have answered our prayer! We hauled all the stuff to our house and decided to go in the night to surprise the family.

It was awesome that we found all this furniture for them but we realized that Carolina lives on the end of the sector in the opposite direction of our house. But that wasn't going to stop us. We got a shopping cart and a dolly from a member and decided to play a little tetris, ha ha, until we could haul it all over to their house. We ended putting all the chairs and small table in the shopping cart and the couch and the bookshelf on the dolly. Then we went to work, which took about 40 minutes to walk with all this heavy stuff, but it was so worth it! I had the dolly and had to hold the dolly behind my back to see in front of me and all the weight was on my shoulders.

We did have one of the scariest moments of my mission! We were walking and I couldn't see behind me but Elder Alcaraz with the shopping cart told me that he would be my eyes from behind. His was really heavy too and I just went to town and just kept walking and walking and walking . . . until I saw a lot of people staring at me and then behind me as well as if they were trying to find something . . .or someone . . . like a companion!!!!! Aww! I lost my companion and I just kept walking for about 10 blocks!! Ha ha! Aww I hurried at dropped all the stuff and turned around and Elder Alcaraz wasn't there!! :0 I left the things in the middle of the street and just started booking it back yelling for my companion. And I have never felt so alone and so open to . . . I don't know really how to explain my feelings . . . I really just felt like I was in outer darkness! Ha ha, but finally I found Alcaraz and he was having a hard time pushing the cart with all the weight and one of the wheels got stuck in a pot hole and he couldn't get it out. He has been a little sick and he told me that he was yelling but he doesn't have a strong voice right now! It felt so great to find him!! 

Now back to Carolina! After finding my companion and hauling the stuff to her house we called her cell when we were outside and told her that we had a few "little things" to give to them. She opened the door a few seconds later and saw all the stuff we had for her and her family. She started to bawl and just ran and gave me a hug. Now don't judge! I know missionaries can't hug! I didn't hug back and it was only a hug for like a second because she remembered about the rule. But then the little kids came running out and all of them were yelling and screaming and so happy! The husband then came out and was so grateful. He came up to me and put his hand on my shoulder and said, "You guys really are missionaries of Jesus Christ." Basically we all ended up crying together and it was so great to help this family who had nothing before.

Another miracle was seeing the whole family at church yesterday :) which I actually gave a talk yesterday about going to the rescue for the less actives. It was great to spend this last weekend with them. I know without a doubt that the center of Heavenly Fathers plan is the family. I know all families can be sealed for eternity and I am so grateful for Carolina´s family! What such tender mercies of the Lord!

Love,

Elder Cowan

Birthday Week!

Dear Family and Friends!

Woo hoo this week was jammed pack with things and was a little crazy! It was like a roller coaster! Ha ha! I hope I will be able to explain everything! Well first off! Thanks everyone for the birthday shout outs! Especially a special shout out to Heidi! I loved your letter! Thanks for all the love! 

I will be honest . . . a birthday in the mission is a little weird! Ha ha! I don't know how to describe it, but for all of my mission we are always thinking of others and trying to help others and then there, out of no where, your birthday shows up and it seems like everyone is focused on you which I don't like at all! Ha ha, it was weird to think of myself for a day ha ha! But holy cow! I am 19 years old!!!! I can't believe it! I'm old! Ha ha! I still remember sitting with Brad Allison and Austin Mills in primary making paper airplanes and throwing them at people and then one Sunday a return missionary (I can't remember who), but he came in and talked to us and I still remember to this day talking with Brad and Austin and thinking that 19 (the missionary age at that time) was in an eternity!!! Ha ha and look at the time now! Here I am in Chile serving a mission! Holy Cow!!!!

I spent my birthday really well with a baptism!! Woo hoo!! The best day ever! The baptism of Jose was awesome!

Well, it was a little sad at first because there were only like 10 members that showed up and there was hardly anyone! I felt bad for Jose, but I started to talk to him and was trying to explain that it looked like all the members were still working and I was trying to make up some excuses for him to feel better, but he turned to me with a relaxed face and with a small smile and told me, "Elder Cowan . . . I don't care if there are 100 or 10 people here at my baptism, what's important to me is that this will be an acceptable baptism for the Lord, and I already know it will be." :0 !!! He is such a stud! I love him to death! It made me really realize what was most important in that moment and it was the baptism itself, obviously! Aww, Jose is awesome! And it was great to see Jose and Elder Alcaraz both smiling after the baptism in the font! It was a very special moment for me that I don't think I will ever forget!

Then it got even better after the baptism and the members that were there found out it was my birthday and one of the families ran to the closest store and bought birthday cakes and drinks and everything ha ha! And then we had a little party in the church after the baptism. Un fiesta for me and for Jose! It was aweosme! But ohh my did my companion get me good! Right when they took out the candles Elder Alcaraz just yelled out in his funny English accent, "Fatality!!" And shoved my face so hard into the cake! HA ha ha ha! Aww it was so funny! He shoved it so hard that a little blood started to drip out of my nose when I went to the bathroom to clean up! Ha ha, but, ohhh, it was hilarious! I love this ward so much! I just realized that at the end of this transfer I will have been here for half a year!! Holy cow!! 6 months! This ward is awesome and every week we are seeing miracles!! They are all like family to me! 

The only down side of the week was that Maria, the wife of Jose, didn't show up to the baptism because she was in Santiago. She wanted to but couldn't! So that was a little downer, but we saw her in the street and had a good small talk conversation with her which was nice! She will be baptized soon! I know it!!  :)

Another awesome thing was the family home evening with the family Peña! I have finally entered their house!! It was a great time with them! They have a lot of little kids and right off the get go I was already on the floor tackled by them and getting tickled to death, ha ha! And another cool thing was that they prepared a little dinner for us (once) and right before we did the prayer the baby boy just started to scream and cry sooo loud! Sister Peña just told me to wait a little bit to do the prayer, but he was crying for a long time. So, I just said I would do the prayer and I bowed my head and right when I said "Dear Heavenly Father . . ." the baby stopped and it was quiet! It was super cool!

Basically, that was our week! Not much, but we were a little occupied with the baptism and the interview for the baptism and everything. Another downer was that one of our less actives passed away this week, Hermana Franklin. who was really old and really sick and that's why she went inactive, but she came to church these past 3 Sundays and passed away Tuesday. We had the viewing and funeral and all Tuesday and Wednesday, which took a lot of our time. But it was a touching experience! I was able to testify to Hermana Franklin's daughter, who isn't a member, about the love of our Heavenly Father and His plan after death. It really helped her to feel calm and relaxed. I am so grateful for God's Plan. It really is the Plan of Happiness! And I know without a doubt that His plan wouldn't have worked if it wouldn't have been for our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ! I love Him so much! I love His willingly sacrifice and everything He did. I am so grateful for His grace and for His love that he extended out to Joseph Smith to restore this great gospel! I love my mission and each and every one of you! Good luck with everything for the end of the school year!

Love, 
Elder Cowan

PS OHH!! I forgot to write this in the letter but our mission has changed it’s schedule now! Normally we were waking up at 7:30 and working till 10 at night (10:30 if we were in a lesson) but since day light saving just happened in April they have changed everything one hour earlier for everything. So now we are waking up at 6:30 and working till 9! Which is really good because normally at 9 at night we were never at lessons and would just walk around and do some contacts.

Yes You Can! Miracles Exist!

Dear Family and Friends!

Man was it just awesome to talk to you guys yesterday for Mother's Day! I love you guys so much and you all looked awesome! It was awesome! Last night when I was writing in my journal (which Mom I am still faithful and strong and have written everyday in my mission :) ) and I just realized how amazing you all are! I really had a spiritual confirmation that we are an family eternal and that we were together before this life together. . . waiting to take on the world! You guys are the best and I love you all! I have the best family EVER!!!!!!!!!

So I decided to name this letter with the title of "Yes You Can!" Because that is our zone theme this transfer! There are so many changes happening right now in missionary work that it's just evidence that the Lord is hastening His work! And we know that we better take advantage of this time that we have, but we can't do it a lone. That's when the new awesome zone leaders came up with an awesome plan! In our meetings we read about how Moses and Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days and for 40 nights! And right off the bat I thought our zone leaders were crazy and were going to make us fast the whole transfer. But instead we are doing 40X40!!!! We are fasting for 40 days to reach 40 baptisms this transfer which has never happened before with just one zone! But yes we can!! It all depends on our faith! And I know our Heavenly Father is a God of miracles!! So we are doing a ladder fast, I guess you could say! One sector will fast for one day and then the next day another sector will start their fast and keep it going. And then that will be passed on to sector to sector until we hit 40 days! It's awesome! Our sector has to fast 5 times this month and I am soooo pumped for it! We already fasted for one day and it was so spiritual! I have really come to learn of the power of faith! It's amazing! So please pray for our zone and if you want to join in with us with the fasting feel free! :) It's going to be awesome! We are going to see miracles, I know!

And I know that because Elder Alcaraz and I have already seen a miracle this past week! And it was with Jose! He has been the most prepared investigator EVER!! Really he does everything we tell him to do, he has no doubts with anything and is just perfect! Really! And the ward is helping so much with being friendly to him! The past month we have had a baptism date for him for the end of May, but he works 4 days and then has 2 days off and those two days change every week. We realized that the next 3 Sundays we has to work and we were really nervous of how he would be able to be baptized and confirmed! As we started to fast, we received a direct answer! We fasted that everything would work out! So we started the day off and then Jose called us and told us that he asked his boss and he got this Sunday off but only for about 3 hours! What a blessing! But then we were wondering what to do about the baptism because we needed that one Sunday to confirm him. And then he told us that his two free days this week are Thursday and Friday and we finally got it all worked out! This Thursday he will have his baptism interview and then Friday (MY BIRTHDAY!) He is going to be baptized!!!!!! Awwwww what a blessing! And then Sunday he will be confirmed! What a busy and spiritual week for Jose! I am so excited!! And could you imagine a better birthday gift than to see your favorite companion in water baptizing someone! I can't think of anything better!!! Aww, I am so happy!

And then we also had another miracle with Maria, the wife of Jose, who when we first met her was against anything with the Mormon church. She would yell at us and scream at us that we were from the devil and everything. This whole time we have been teaching Jose in the church. Saturday night Jose came with us to the adult stake conference and he gave me a notebook and told me that it was a gift from his wife that she wanted me to have! I was so surprised because she was always so rude to us! Then he told us that she has been reading the Book of Mormon and is reading the pamphlets too! And he invited us to come over to his house before the baptism to invite her to see the baptism! He told us that she is ready now to listen!!!! Holy cow!!! What a miracle! Just a testimony to me that this gospel changes hearts! Just as Dad wrote me a while ago and told me that I am in the heart changing business here doing the work of the Lord! And I can now testify of that! The gospel is amazing! I can't wait to see what will happen with her!

Another blessing and miracle was with the family Peña, who are less actives and a lot of ugly things have happened with this family and a lot of bad things with the ward. My entire time here in this ward I have never been able to enter their house or let alone to talk with them. Then there was another miracle Thursday when we were walking by and looked at their house and the sister had just opened a little shop on the side of her house to cut people's hair. My companion and I immediately received the same inspiration and rushed over there! We yelled out to them and then they just yelled and rejected us like normal, but right when we were heading to the door, I said a tiny prayer in my heart that at least they would talk with us. And then a sister of the mom of the family, Carla, turned around immediately and started to talk to us!!! They still wouldn't let us in, but my companion and I asked them if we could be the first testers of their hair cut salon. This sparked interest in them and they let us in! And as you guys saw yesterday . . . they still need some practice, ha ha, because they cut all my hair and now it's super short! But I don't care one bit because I know it was a sacrifice to get in and talk with them. And! We planned a family home evening night for Tuesday! What a miracle! I'm so excited!

Well, I have to go! I just want you all to know that miracles exist!!! God loves us so much and it just depends on our faith! It was awesome to see all of your yesterday and I love you all sooo much!!!!

Love,

Elder Cowan!

The Faith

Dear Family and Friends,

Ohh wow! This last week was incredible! Really what made it the best was yesterday at the transfer meeting. Just to let everyone know Elder Alcaraz and I are still together! Woo hooo! And the other two elders didn't have any changes as well! There are soo many things happening in our mission right now! You can really tell that the Lord is hastening His work a lot right now!! It's such a blessing to serve at this time of life!

Some of the big changes in this new pilot plan that we are testing out is to focus more on the less actives! It is sweet! We have a goal from the Seventy that we have to increase the sacrament meeting attendance by 20% next month! And we are going to do it! Woo hoo! It will be awesome! I love working hard! It is the best! And another thing is that President changed all of his leaders in the mission around. Basically he lowered all his assistants to be zone leaders and the zone leaders to be district leaders to basically "divide and conquer" the mission and not to just keep them doing the same thing. And for the strong leaders to really make this mission work! I love it! Our zone leaders are two of the assistants and they are studs! I know we are going to have so much success these next two months! President said yesterday that these next two months are the most important months of our mission in all history!!!! Wow! We have a lot to do but yesterday President talked about the faith and I have never realized the huge role that faith has in our lives! I am so pumped up right now and feel my faith has increased ten fold! Seriously, after the meeting yesterday, I was just on a spiritual high! I felt like Goku in Super Sayan 3 ha ha ha! Ha ha, and I don't know how to describe it! I just KNOW! I just know we are going to have so much success! Elder Alcaraz and I are dedicated to give it our all this transfer and to be 100% obedient and to never lose the excitement! We are so pumped up right now, it is awesome!

We also had another meeting with another seventy! I hope you guys realized that President has felt to talk with us, Elder Gonzalez from the last week from the seventy and now this past week we got to hear from Elder Di Giovanni! Another seventy! I'm pretty sure that's a sign that the missionary work is hastening! Now is the time! Just as the scripture says in DyC I think it is in 84 or 88 but it says something like this in English, ´´I will hasten my work in its time´´ and from what the prophet has said before. Now is the time!!!! Aww it is so awesome to be a missionary right now!!! Woo hoo! But the meeting with Elder Di Giovanni was awesome! Seriously! I have had a lot of questions that I made on a list for General Conference, but they all didn't get answered or at least I didn't feel like they did. But with Elder Di Giovanni it was as if he went exactly in order of my question, ha ha, it was incredible how specific it was for me! I loved it! Just another testimony to me of how Heavenly Father always answers! In one way or another! In the meeting Di Giovanni really talked about conversion and how to be a better missionary and the power of the setting apart as a missionary! I know I am set apart as a representive of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I have the power with me! And I only have it for 16 more months and I better use it all because I know if I return home (which I never want to :) ) I don't want to have anything at the end! I want to give it my all!!!

Talking about conversion. . . that was the only problem we had this week with Camila. I feel really bad, but to tell the truth, she just isn't converted to the gospel. She doesn't have a testimony and after being really direct with her Sunday night she told us straight up that she has never felt or received anything in her prayers. I then asked her why she got baptized and she got up and left and we have lost contact with them now. I am really worried. And I feel bad that I was the one that baptized her when she wasn't ready. Well, I didn't know she wasn't ready, she just lied in the baptism interview for a secret reason that Elder Alcaraz and I have no idea. Please please pray for her! I think that is another reason why I stayed here in this sector to help her one last time to be converted completely to the gospel. 

But on a brighter note! We opened the curtains Sunday!! Woo hoo! Two Sundays ago we hit 101 in the attendance of the sacrament meeting! How incredible! So we opened the curtains and we put chairs out! Only about 5 of them got filled, but in time and with the faith I know they will be filled. The bishop came and looked at the chairs and had a look of surprise and asked us if we were having a stake conference or something and he started to doubt us. . . I simply went up to him, put my hand on his shoulder and asked him, ´´Do you have faith´´ then smiled and continued to put more chairs out, ha ha. He then thanked me for the chance I have to be here for another transfer. The bishop has changed so much! He is a stud!

But I don't have anymore time! I do want to wish DAD FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

There's a lot of new changes that our passing in the mission right now and a lot of enthusiasm to work! Lets get it done! I know that Heavenly Father is preparing the coming of His Son! The time is coming and we all need to be ready! And yet there are still millions who don't know this great blessing of the restored gospel! Every time I think about that it just drives me to work harder! I am so grateful for Mom and Dad who always taught me how to work hard! It is now coming into practice! I realized that my past 8 months I haven't given it COMPLETELY my all! But now is the time! I can do it! And I will do it! The month of May will be awesome! A lot of success, a lot of reactivation and my birthday and I will be able to celebrate the birthday of Alcaraz before the transfer ends which is in the first week of June, like the 5th. And much much more! It will be awesome!

Oh! I just thought I would finish with a funny story . . . last Tuesday we had divisions and we were at a less actives house eating when we heard a noise . . . we looked around and saw a rat! Ha ha, he chased it and chased it and then finally the brother in the family got a rod iron stick and basically timed it perfect and did a gold swing and splattered it onto the wall, ha ha! It was so weird! But we returned to finish eating when I saw another rat in the kitchen. This little guy was a little trickster! Ha ha, after a lot of time we finally corned it and then the brother started to gab at it to kill it, but I have to give this rat some props because he was dodging every blow, ha ha, it was pretty impressive I'm not gonna lie! Ha ha but then he yelled out at me to get a broom to help him. So I did and then while the rat was dodging his blows he yelled out “Elder Cowan slay it, slay it!” ha ha, so I went at him and right when we was dodging the iron rod I gabbed him in the head and knocked him out, ha ha, and then the brother stabbed it . . . I feel a little bad, but IT was crazy! We actually found 4 rats in this house and we killed 2! Ha ha, ohh the crazy things you can find in Chile! HA ha!

I love you guys so much and I am SOO  excited to talk to you guys next Sunday!!! Woo hoo! I can't believe the time has already flown by! Can't wait to talk to you all! I love you!!!

Elder Cowan