Dear Family and Friends!
Woo hoo! I'm so pumped to hear from you guys! Sounds like all is going crazy good! Well, I'm gonna get straight into my letter for this past week! Well honestly, it was a little crazy! There were a ton of things that happened that weren't planned and weird scheduling and all but in the end we were able to still see the Lord's hand in our sector.
So the crazy schedules started Tuesday when Elder Brady was gonna go to the temple (And yes, Mom, I could have gone, but I chose to stay in my sector because I knew we weren't going to have a lot of time in our sector to work this past week.) So this whole week was crazy with splits and all. Tuesday Elder Brady went to one of the other branch sectors to stay with the two other elders that were gonna go to the temple Wednesday so that let Elder Alonso stay and work in our sector, which didn't turn out as great as we wanted, but we were able to get a lot of good contacts. Then, when all the missionaries came back from the temple we had our district meetings in the afternoon Wednesday where my companions and I as a trio were able to get back to together only for me to leave on splits right after the meetings to go to another branch sector with Elder Parker and Elder Ludeman.
I went there because Thursday in the morning Elder Parker and two other missionaries in our zone were going to have their "One Year mark" lunch with President and that meant that Elder Ludeman was going to be alone. So I worked with Elder Ludeman in his sector and he is a new missionary as well. Which, I think I say it all the time, but I just love being with new missionaries! Cualquier poder! We were able to find 3 new investigators for them and put some baptismal dates on some people. Then, Thursday night Elder Ludeman had to come with me to go to El Monte to meet up with my companions to do a baptism interview. At that time Elder Ludeman's companion came back and my companions were able to be together Thursday night.
But we weren't together for so long because the assistants wanted us to do a last split with one of our district leaders Elder Vinces and Elder Tait. So Elder Alonso went there. Then again Elder Brady and I weren't able to do a whole lot of stuff because that night there was a meeting with the stake mission leader and then a ward activity. :/ Then finally elder Alonso, Elder Brady and I were able to get back together Saturday to have a complete day together in our own sector.
I had talked with my companions before hand to excite them that we need to give it our all because we really didn't have a single investigator. Wd dropped them all as we made that decision in our weekly planning. You could say that I was really stressed the whole week because of the little time we had in our sector to work and how we were barley achieving anything. But I know there is a huge power in prayer.
I was praying day and night during the week, knowing that we wouldn't have much time, but at the same time knowing that Saturday would be a complete day to work. I prayed and prayed during the week that when Saturday came, the Lord would bless us with success. The scripture that was going through my head the entire week was pretty simple, but I would repeat it in my head over and over again. It's in 1 Nefi 18:3 " Yo Nefi subia con frecuencia al monte y a menudo oraba al Señor, por lo que el Señor me manifesto grandes cosas." I personally have a strong testimony of the power of prayer. I know that God, the all Being, with all power and knowledge, the First and the Last, Alpha and Omega, and all the other names you can give him, but what He asks us to simply call Him, Father. I know He is my Heavenly Father. I know He listens. I know He loves us. He is literally our Father. Oh, what comfort that gives me!
I was able to see the Lord, as Nephi said, manifest great things on Saturday when we had the chance to take advantage of a whole day to work together in our sector. We were able to have 6 lessons and were able to find 9 new investigators! It was amazing! We worked and worked hard! I think I drove my companions a little crazy because I was basically running all day long going from one place to the next. It was an amazing feeling to just go where the Lord wanted us to go. It wasn't a thing where we sometimes think, "Oh, who should we go visit? or I think we should go over there or over here, etc. and etc." But instead it was, "I feel something here, I feel we should go back, etc." It was such a fulfilling sensation to FEEL where to work and not just go with the flow of things or think in our own ways of what we should do. All day Saturday was like that and we were able to just be guided where the Lord leads us. There was a moment where Elder Alonso wanted to go contact on the other side of our sector and as we started walking out of one mini sector it was as if I was a tied dog on a leash and something was driving me back.
So I hurried and turned back and I told my companions there was still more to do. They agreed and we went back and that is when we were able to find all those 9 new investigators. Now, I know not all those 9 new investigators are super prepared, but I know Veronica and Pilar were ready; they were the ones the Spirit was leading us to. Veronica has investigated a lot of different churches and really just wants to know the true Church. She has two little kids and her spouse, and there was such a strong spirit there.
Pilar was the other new investigator that we found who just made me day! That was one of the most powerful lessons I have had in some time! She has two nephews that were baptized in the church about 3 years ago and told us that she went to go see their baptism. There, she told us that she had felt something so strong and so powerful that she had never felt before in her entire life. We testified of the power of the Holy Ghost and really has a lot of desires to do the things in the way the Lord wants us to do them to have this spirit. I was just full of joy to think that her nephew who is a missionary in Brazil right now is probably extremely happy to hear that Pilar is taking the missionary lessons. Even though I don't know him, but just being a missionary myself I am so motivated to baptize Pilar in order to help this missionary in Brazil!
Saturday night we received some huge news as well! Remember the plan piloto "El Rescate" that our mission and three other missions have been trying out since May? Well, Elder Evans came and talked to President where he said the results of how the plan is working and functioning and he was way impressed. He was so impressed that he has declared that all missions (26 missions) in the South America South region are going to start this misison plan in January of 2015! And He told President that he has never seen such great results in missionary work before and truly is proud. He told us that of the 4 misisons that have been trying this program out, our mission has had the best results. And He said that probably after all the missions in the South America South region have it, it will probably spread to ALL the misisons in South America! Wow! What a huge privilege to be one of the "Founding Fathers," as we call it, to start the Hastening of the Lord's work on a whole other level. Wow, crazy, it is that we were selected from revelation to be the ones to try this plan out! And how marvelous has the Lord blessed us! He truly is hastening His work! Awww it's just so awesome to think that now all these missions around us are going to start this program! Woo hoo! As Elder Evans told us, "We are legendary!" My heart is filled with gratitude for the blessings that we have received in our mission and in my life as an individual representative of Jesus Christ!
What a huge privilege to be on the Lord's side working with the Spirit in Hastening His work. There is so much joy in this work. I hope you will all be able to participate in this wonderful work! I love it, I love it, I love it!!!
And I love you guys so much!!
Love Elder Cowan
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