ELDER JAXSON BOWEN : WEEK 47 Salama Dahole! Tana for Zone Conf - Staying in Fianarantsoa

Another great week in Fianarantsoa! Again thank you to all those birthday wishes! Really was an awesome birthday.

So this week was pretty much a normal work week. But here is an update on some of our investigators:

So Roje sadly cannot learn anymore because he is leaving to go to Tamatave. He said he will try and find the church there so he can attend and he should be back in about 3 weeks. So we will resume teaching him when he comes home. For now he said that we can teach his son as he is gone and when he comes back they can learn together. Teaching families? umm yes way nice!

Then we come to Norian and her daughter. Her brother is Adonis, our recent convert. They are progressing very well and we had an awesome lesson with them this week about the Plan of Salvation. But like Roje, they are also going on vacation... so we will continue teaching them when they return. They should be leaving in a week or two though so we will see them next week hopefully. What's with all these people leaving and going to the beach? What's so good about it anyway? But no problem! So we will hopefully continue when they return here.

And last but not least we have Abdela. Way awesome guy. We went to go teach him and he wasn't there. We asked his neighbors where he was and they said he is up by the bar helping people walk home because the path isn't the safest. So he was the designated walker for the night haha. But he is seriously an awesome dude. We taught him a little about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith as he had some questions about those things. His final question in the lessons was "how can I know if this is true?" umm golden question! Committed to pray about it this week and to continue his reading in the Book of Mormon until he gets an answer. Way awesome!

So we received the news that we will be leaving this Friday or Saturday to head up to Tana but we will see. Elder Monsen and I may go up late as there is a baptism this Saturday but next week I will be in Tana for zone conference and stuff. Also will probably get my new companion around that time and then we will come back at the end of next week.

Oh yeah and last funny thing that happened. So people started calling me Tom Cruise here. They say that I look like him so as we are walking people will yell Tom Cruise! Doesn't help that Elder Monsen is telling everyone he sees to call me that... but they now call Elder Monsen Mr. Rogers and they call Elder Nelson Mr. Bean because those are their look alikes. So we are basically celebraties here in Fianarantsoa!

I hope that everyone has a great week! I love my mission and I know the Lord is looking out and watching over his missionaries. I love this gospel and I love getting to go around and teach it even when the language is difficult. I love this church and know that it is true!

Elder Bowen