8 Day Miracle Baptism

Dear Family and Friends!

Well! Yes, just to let you all know I got transferred! It was a little bit of a surprise and it was hard to leave Talagante with all the success that Elder Smith and Elder Goates and I did. The both of them are staying there and we have a lot of people prepared for the month of March, which usually happens right before I leave. But whatevs! They are gonna keep taking out the trash!

Now I am with Elder Wagner! From South Carolina! (Yep that's right Trevor! He said he might even remember you!) He is from Goose Creek or Charleston basically and he lives in the Crowfield Ward! I don't know if you ever met him, Trevor, on your mission, but that would be cool! Really, I have known Elder Wagner for some time throughout the mission and he's probably one of the nicest guys! He has already been in this sector for a transfer and he goes home this transfer. So it looks like I'm gonna be killin' another companion this transfer. We are in Republica! Which is basically where the Mission starts from Santiago. I have never been so close to the city before! We live on the 7th floor of a tiny apartment building, right next to a huge highway . . . So we'll see how that goes. 

But the cool part is that Elder Kimball (mi hijo) has been here for 2 transfers now and they just announced today that he is going to be one of our district leaders and is going to train!! Woo hoo!!! I'm incredibly excited for him!! That means Elder Kimball and I will get to talk every night when he gives his redimiento de cuentas every night! I'm so excited! This zone too is pretty small. There are only 9 companionships to which in Talagante there were 12. But it looked like they had a good month this past month so I'm excited for what's in store! 

But now onto the good details of my last week in Talagante. It's incredible how much a missionary comes to love his sectors. When I first arrived in Talagante I was anxious, but at the same time a little resistant because it felt like I gave out all my heart to my last sector with Elder Kimball in 4 Poniette. But with my awesome companions we just took out the trash! I have never had soo many things happen in one transfer before! IT was incredible! And with all those good things, baptisms, and miracles, it was pretty hard to leave . . .

But we ended it with the best way possible! With a baptism!!! Yea! So I can't remember if I told you guys about Francisca last week but Saturday 14 we found her from a reference a member gave us. Her mom is less active and she just separated from her husband who was against the Church and never let their daughters get baptized in the Church until they were 18 when they could be adults and make their own decisions. And with the huge miracle of Francisca turning 18 in December we found her on Saturday, she came to church the next day and just absolutely loved it! She has been waiting her whole entire life to get baptized and be a member of this Church and she even got a little emotional that now everything was coming to pass for real!

And from that point, we knew that she was a miracle and already ready! Her mom, even though she couldn't get her daughter baptized, she still tried everything to prepare her beforehand so that way when she turned 18 she would be ready for the water! Truly, I can't describe how amazing this family is! I love them so much!!! From that point, after attending church for the first time on the 15th we visited her everyday last week. And we were able to teach all the lessons which she already learned from her mom, basically, and Friday she had her baptism interview, passed with flying colors and then chose me to baptize her!!!

OHHH!! What a blessing it was!! I can't tell you guys enough! It was a straight miracle!!! From only meeting her on that one Saturday and to end with the blessing of baptizing her only 8 days later!!! That is truly a miracle!! One of the most incredible miracles I have ever had in my whole mission! I felt so privileged to baptize her. Seeing her true desire to come unto Christ, but having to wait 18 years and now it was finally the time! Her dreams had come true!! IT was AMAZING!!! Yesterday at the baptismal service was probably one of the strongest moments I have ever had in my mission. The spirit was just so strong! Francisca and I were both balling our eyes out! It was the most beautiful feeling ever! She was 100% ready! And was a miracle!

Last night they invited us tomar once and that is where I broke the news that I had changes. . . it was hard to break it to them. Only getting to know them for such a little time but in that small amount of time it was just pure blessings and miracles and then all of that to just telling them that I wasn't going to be there anymore was really hard. It's crazy how in my whole entire mission, from being in sectors for 3 months, 4 months, or 6 months and getting to know a lot of families in those periods of time, the family of Francisca, (the Ceron Berrios family) has probably been the family I have gotten closest too and most attached too than of any other in my mission. And it was only in 8 days. I think that's why having transfers was so hard. But at the same time I know that family was specifically prepared for me. They are incredible! I love them soo much!

Now onto this next transfer to be able to keep the faith to do the same! There's still a lot to do and I can't wait to see what's in store! I want to bear my testimony of the pure love of Christ that one can feel, helping another come unto Him. That is the most beautiful experience I have witnessed time after time, sector after sector in my mission. This gospel brings happiness to all families! It is meant for everyone! And everyone needs it! I'll be honest, I'm nervous for this transfer, but I know if I serve and do my part, I can always feel the love of my Savior. I love my Redeemer Jesus Christ with all my heart. I love this mission. And I love with all my might, this pueblo de Chile.

Love,

Elder Cowan

Miracles at Church!!

Dear Family and Friends!!

Wow, this week was another great one! And it was jammed packed with things to do again! Ha ha, I honestly don't know where the time is going with everything! This transfer has been the best!! I love my companions so much! They are such studs! And we are just taking out the trash this transfer! I have never had so many logros in one transfer before! It's a miracle!

The beginning of this week started off a little slow for us! I think at the beginning of the week we were a little too contento of our achievements from the week before that we were as diligent as we should have been. We saw that in our results the first couple days of the week of barely getting anything done with our time. Monday through Thursday there was just a lot of small little things that would waste our time, but in the end we were able to pull it all off!

After the first three slows days of the week, Thursday came around and we had a special meeting with Walter F. Gonzalez. He had advised us early that he was going to come and talk to the whole mission Friday. But he threw in a little surprise and just wanted a special meeting, Thursday, with all the zone leaders! It was at a little bad timing because it took the whole afternoon and we got back really late but it was awesome being able to be in that special meeting with him! Walter F. Gonzalez is in the presidency of the 70 and the president of the South America South regions! The meeting was incredible! There were about 20 of us leaders and he was able to teach us the importance of being a leader! And how to be a true leader in this true Church! He gave us all his tips on how to motivate missionaries and how to keep their excitement up! I love that part! He talked about motivation and how it doesn't really exist in the gospel language. But he went on to tell us that motivation comes from the understanding of pure doctrine! 

Then Friday we were as a whole mission together when he gave a new capacitacion with us on how to focus more on better goals! He went on to tell us that a lot of times missionaries get confused and only focus on "middle" goals and not "final" goals! He went on to talk about how missionaries just need to fulfill the things that President asked them to do (for example, 30 lessons a week, 4 fechas, etc.), but they never focus on the final goals which in the end of everything is: to baptize! He also used a lot of examples on how we can use the Book of Mormon in EVERY situation! He and his wife did a few role plays to show us! And it was incredible! Even in super awkward or hard situations Elder Gonzalez was able to relate EVERYTHING to the Book of Mormon! It was so cool!! 

As they started to do more role plays as examples for us, they started to show us examples of ministering to less actives and how we have to use the Book of Mormon to guide us to the needs of them. But before he started he turned to President and asked for a companionship of zone leaders to come up. President thought for a moment and then called our names out! Aww!! IT was pretty scary having to do a role play demonstration in front of the whole mission and let alone to a member of the 70! But we did it pretty good and Elder Gonzalez was really pleased with our efforts! Woo! Our hearts were beating like crazy! Ha ha, but it was fun!

Then we were able to teach Ibet who I don't know if I have written about much. Her husband is inactive and we have been teaching her and her two kids, Kelly and Max and they are progressing really well. Then we were able to pass by Mary and Scarlett and teach the Plan of Salvation and they are so ready!! They just know it's all true! So that was a lot of blessings on its own just to see so many of our investigators progressing! But there's even more!!!

Friday night we got a reference from a member in our branch of a part member family. We got this reference a while back but we haven't been able to find them, but Saturday in the morning we passed by and found the mom, Isabel! She has been inactive for a few years now and within the first two minutes of us sitting in her house she just started to cry. She went on to tell us the problems she has had in her family and how she married someone outside of the Church and how he didn't support her in her beliefs at all. They had two kids Reanatta and Francisca. The husband never wanted his daughters to participate in the Church. She told us that a lot of times while he would sleep in the morning or if he had to work then they would sneak out and go attend sacrament meeting because they used to live around the corner of the church. But then they moved farther away and they were never able to attend again.

Luckily, they were able to resolve their problems and were able to separate as a couple and now Isabel lives in a different house (now in our sector) with her two daughters. Right when she finished telling us that story, her daughter Francisca came in! She just about exploded with happiness to see us! She went on to tell the same story of how her dad wouldn't let her participate in the church, but that she always wanted to go to church and be a member. She said that her dad made a contract that when she turned 18 she can decide for herself. And luckily in December she just turned 18! And she told us that she wants to get baptized! Woo hoo!! Such a miracle!!

Then the next day Francisca and her mom both came to church! And, as well, Ibet, Kelly, Max, Mary, Scarlet, and Scarlett's friends Javiera all came to church!! It was amazing!! We were able to bring 7 investigators to church yesterday! We took up a whole bench! It was incredible! And Rodolfo, Loreto, and Benjamin got confirmed in church yesterday as well!!! 

Even though the beginning of this week was a little slow the Lord still blessed us with so many miracles! Francisca is such a huge miracle! We will be able to pull of that baptism really soon! And as well with all the other investigators that came to church! Such an incredible blessing to see so many people progressing in this wonderful Gospel!

Love you!

Love,

Elder Cowan

The Night is Dark Just Before the Dawn

Dear Family and Friends!

Well, I'm just gonna jump right into writing you guys because now I have less time on the computer! President lowered the time on the computer for our benefit to be better and more obedient missionaries! And I love being obedient!!

So this week was insane! Seriously!! We went like 100 miles per hour and then Sunday it kinda all stopped us like a brick wall! But it was still amazing! 

Well, to first start off, Tuesday, we had another Consejo de Guerra where the zone leaders and the assistants talked with President. Well as for the state of the mission we aren't doing that great! We had 92 baptisms in November, 42 baptisms in December, and now we only had 38 baptisms in January. We are lowering and it's bad! President shared a lot of problems that are passing through the mission right now and sadly there aren't a lot of missionaries converted to being obedient. And for that disobedience we are receiving the consequences! So we are gonna be even more obedient! And we put that in practice a lot this week with Elder Goates and Elder Smith!

And even worse is that even though we still had a low number for the total of last month, our zone of Talagante didn't have a single baptism. A whole zone! I just don't know how that happens! But as a companionship we are putting into practice Jacob 1:19. We are taking upon ourselves the responsibility of that because that's just not acceptable! So we decided we need to step it up and look for some baptisms and some miracles!

The next day we taught Rodolfo and Loreto. We finished teaching them everything in that single lesson. It was a powerful and doctrinal lesson! Ha ha, but then we threw in the baptism interview questions and they all responded correctly. We then read Mosiah 18 with them and then challenged them to get baptized. They were a little taken back but at the same time they knew that they know these things to be true. After a lot of mediation, Rodolfo opened his Book of Mormon hoping to look for a sign when he came upon Mosiah 18:27 where it says that those that have should give more on their part and those that have little, give little. Rodolfo took that as a principle of where much is given, much is required. He told us that we have given him a lot of blessings and knowledge of this gospel and since he has been given this opportunity to have the gospel in his life, he too is required to act on his part. So he told us that they were ready for baptism!

It was amazing! I'm so grateful that he opened up to that scripture and that the spirit testified to him of what he should do! We were sooooo pumped! We got so excited and then challenged them to get baptized for that weekend! They accepted and then we left. But as we left we looked at the time and it was 9:22 and we only had 8 minutes to get into the pension. . . and we were sooo far! But we remembered the importance of obedience and we ran! And I don't think I have ever run so fast in my life! I think since we were on a little spiritual high from the lesson that helped us to have the energy to get in on time. And we did it! I don't know how because usually from their house it's like a 25 minute walk, but we ran and ran!! Truly, I know the Lord saw our efforts and helped us get in on time! 

Then the next day we finished teaching them everything. That day, Thursday, President called us and said he wanted to work with us that day, which he hardly does, so we were super surprised but he didn't have enough time to make it out to Talagante. Then Friday came along and they had to do their interview! And that's where we saw a little opposition in the process. We were at the church when they sent a message telling us they weren't gonna go. We were so confused so we took a taxi and rode out there. We entered the house and they were fighting a little bit. You could see how Satan has his power to impede people to come unto Christ. They were just arguing because Rodolfo punished his son for leaving the window open and Loreto thought it was too harsh of a punishment and then they started to fight. I was dumbfounded. I literally asked them if they were gonna lose their salvation over a dumb open window. Ha ha, I wasn't gonna risk it for anything else so I just told them straight forward. They realized it was dumb and got all ready and went to the church and they all passed their interviews!! Woo hoo!

Then we get to Sunday! Really, we couldn't believe how we were about to pull off this baptism even when only 2 days earlier they didn't even have a baptism date. But truly the Lord was helping us a lot this past week! But long story short, Loreto's mom is super Catholic and came over Sunday in the morning and tried talking them out of it all so we had some problems with that because that was during the reunion sacramental. And if they didn't show up for the sacrament meeting they wouldn't be able to get baptized. Sadly, they got there for the last hour of church and then we had to explain how they weren't going to be able to get baptized that day. It was pretty sad telling someone that. I have never had that experience in my life, but they accepted it and they are ready to get baptized this next week! So next Sunday we are having 3 baptisms!! Woo hoo! We are soo pumped!

Really, we saw a lot of miracles this past week! We are gonna change this motion we are having in the mission right now and we are gonna take out the trash and have a lot of success! I know it! And I know it all comes down to our obedience! I love being a missionary! I love the guides we have as missionaries that really help us to be the best we can possibly be! I love my Savior and I love serving as His representative!

Love Elder Cowan