Hey hey hey! It's fat ashlee

But really, I`m on an active diet as of one month ago. Here`s hoping you guys don`t have to roll me off the plane. 

Magon! Thanks for writing me! I love you and your family and have a picture of you guys from halloween tucked into my scriptures. You`re the best =) 

I FORGOT MY AGENDA! So I`m going to have to try and remember everything that happened this week.... ummm. okay here we go...

Also, yes, I`m very bad at keeping y´all up to date, I did have a baptism about a month ago. I don`t remember if I already mentioned it. Joaquinn and his family are now super active! We`re just working with the dad now. But they`re awesome, they read their scriptures together and pay their tithing and are a super cute little family. Hermana Rosa is one of my favorite people in Chile. So we`re pretty stoked about that.

Monday/Lunes: We only had P-day until 3 pm because of an activity that was going to be taking place later in the week (hehe) so, we bought our stuff, ran to the house and slept for about half an hour before we had to get out the door and get working. It was a pretty cool day, we found some people who are in need of the gospel, which was neat. Me and my companion are working ALOT on bettering our teaching skills and being guided by the spirit, so we had a really cool lesson with an evangelical lady. I don`t really remember what religious people are like in the USA, but evangelicals here are very.... not worried at all about truth, or authority or things make sense in general. If they feel good they go along with it, and it doesn`t matter if it makes sense or had a doctrinal significance. "God loves us, and we have got to BELIEVE! Just BELIEVEEEE!" But we`re having a fun time teaching truth and calling out all the false doctrines. 

Tuesday/Martes: We had district meeting and it was just okay. Elder Gray is my district leader, which is kind of funny because he was in my district in the CCM in Mexico. We had a good time there, but I don`t remember much of what we did as far as working. I am sure that I am working, I just don`t remember many details. 

Wednesday/Miércoles: Kind of a cruddy day, to be honest. In Chile every four years they hold a census. That`s okay. The cruddy part is that it`s a national shut down. You are required under law to stay in your house all day so that they can cense you, and we weren´t allowed to leave til the evening. We spent the time deep cleaning our house, and it looks super good now. I testify that a good deep clean brings the spirit in abundance. If you`re looking to have a clear mind and focus, clean your room, your house, your apartment. It makes a BIG difference. At 8 o´clock we went to a members house to watch a broadcast by President Russel M Nelson which was especially for South America. His wife, who spoke before him, told an AWESOME story. After several years and the death of a great friend, she felt inspired to clean her gerage, which was full of boxes contianing years and years of medical papers, all in all over 100 boxes. After four entire weeks she had it all organized and beautiful, but states that her weekly temple attendance had been interupted during that time. She justified and excused herself til she finally finished her project, and eagerly went to the temple to feel the spirit once more. However, when she got into the temple, the first and only thought or revelation she recieved was a dissipointed reprimand. "We`re not very pleased with your priorities of late." She also meditated on the words weighter matters. She was very confused and unhappy with the revelation she recieved. Shouldn`t heavenly father be happy with all the work she had acomplished? Couldn´t he see how spotless her garage was now? After a few weeks of bitterness, she decided to look in the scriptures for the phrase "weighter matters". She discovered the scripture Matthew 23:23 (go and read it). She afterward testified and explained that we must always be engaged en making the choice between the good things and the best things in our lives. The world will ALWAYS look for reasons to justify. My case is special. Heavenly Father understands me. But our vision will always be clearer and our journey much less complicated when we focus on the weighter matters. 

Maybe we don`t know why the church and the leaders have decided to impliment this policy or that program. It may simply not make sense to us. But are we going to abandon EVERYTHING we know over one small question? Are we going to doubt the truth of the restoration, the need for priesthood power and the wonder of the book of Mormon all because we disagree on personal matters of no importance? I trust Thomas S Monson. I know he was called of God. I know he`s just a man. And I know he comunicates with God to reveal to us the weighter matters of our day. I hope we can all take a deep breath and remember what really matters. 

Gonna skip to Friday/viernes: We had an amazing confernce with Russel M Nelson who came to visit our mission and the Concepción North Mission. I got the opportunity to shake his hand and the hands of other general authorities. He spoke mostly about the wonder and glory that the Book of Mormon is. It teaches things no other church or religion can teach, because it`s true. He promised us, in an apostolic blessing, the health and well being of our families while we are in the lords service. I hope you guys and look for and feel those mighty blessings. He spoke of a number of incredible and important things, and so did his wife. She`s become one of my favorite "not general authority" church speakers. She asked us to remember our companions who are cheering us on from the other side of the veil. They are literally with us when we teach and talk with everyone, cheering us on and helping us know what to say. There are also people on the other side cheering on the investigator. They have alreay met with the missionarys. They too need and want to be baptized, and their only hope for now is that this person, their decendent, can accept what we`re telling them and eventually be baptized for their ansestor. It was a very cool, beautiful concept. I know my grandparents who have gone on accompany me and help prepare the way for my work. It was amazing and a huge spiritual boost. 

Those were the highlights of the week. But I hope you all have a great week and can make time to read in your books of Mormon. Wuv de Chile! 

Sister Ashlee Bowling

♥ from Chile!

it's been a long time

I`m so sorry for not replying to anybody or writing or doing any of that fun stuff. I formally extend my deepest apologies.
Well this week goes like this...
Monday: We had an awesome P-day in Concepcion! I bought a super South American jacket that I`m using everyday. Super aztec as a typical white girl would say. We also had cambios, but nothing is going to change. The four of us, Me, Hermana Vasquez, Hermana Bazaes and Hermana Custódio are staying in Arauco! And we are PUMPED! We had an appointment later in the day with our investigator Ximena (pronounced himena) who is really cool. We showed her a video of a story of the book of mormon, and then afterwards asked her, what would it mean to you if the book of Mormon were true. She answered that it would change everything. It would mean a lot of new things to accept into her life, and that was just the best answer I ever could have heard. It was like, "yes. She gets it." We as missionarys tend to look on the bright side of things and talk only about the miracles we`ve seen, but I`m here to tell you that people like that are few and far between. We`ve had to wade through a lot of crappy investigators to find somebody like her. Slowly but surely.

Tuesday: We had a lesson with a homeless guy, which was interesting. Well, he`s almost homeless. About three weeks ago we were walking up a HUGE hill when we saw a super old man walking with a cane down the hill. He told us he wanted to go to church on Sunday, and that he had met with missionarys before. We told him he was welcome anytime. "yeah vale chao." So fastforward to that sunday, and nothing. We forget about him. But last week, as we were entering into the third hour, we look outside and see Luis, the homeless man, walking into the gate of the church. He left his house at 10 in the morning and walked an hour and a half to come to church. It was impressive, so Tuesday we challenged him to be baptized, which he accepted, and started working with him to help him understand just what a big committment it´s got to be. But he`s really cool, and it was the miracle of the week.

Wednesday: Pretty much nothing. Don`t remember a whole lot.

Thursday: Intercambio! I headed off to Curanilahue and got to work with Hermana Poyfair. She`s just the sweetest person I`ve ever met. It was a good time. Also, hermana Curtis is in Curanilahue too! So we`re going to be seeing each other more often! It was cool to meet up again. For those of you who don`t remember she was my companion in the CCM, and we lived together in Gorbea for 5 months.

Viernes: While teaching English class we met a super cool lady who said she`s been praying to find the true church. She`s a little bit scheptical but willing to meet with us which is really cool.

Saturday: We saw Eliana!! She`s so awesome! We invited her to come to church with us on Sunday, but for real this time, and she said yes!!!! We had district conference, so we invited her to come with us to Lota, and she did it!!!

Domingo: ELIANA CAME TO CHURCH!!! Patricio, an AWESOME recent convert came by and picked us up and we all went up together. It was a super cool day, but then my companion got motion sick and we were in the bathroom for a good part of the day =( Poor thing. But all in all it was a great week.

The weather is cooling down and we`re heading into auburn. Hope you all have a great week. LOVE YA!


Sister Ashlee Bowling
♥ from Chile!

alright, take a load off

The keyboard is crappy and I don`t have a lot of time, so buckle up.

Monday: we had an awesome last zoneactivity where the missionarys from each oftheir respective countrys had to make a classic dish and present it to everybody. We from usa west made chicken noodle soup with homemade egg noodles and everybody loved it. The east made fried oreos and funnel cake, the latinos were in shock. it confirmed all their wildest dreams. we in the us are fat slobs that eat pure garbage, but delicious garbage. we went and visited a member less active who lives with her grandchild. isidora is 10 and lives with her grandma because her mom works A TON and her dad is a drug addict =( trying to help the family have some hope.

tuesday: A really cool day over all. My companion and i are really trying to use our time well, and when some of the appointments we had planned fell through, we were kind of left out in the dark without much idea of what to do. we both felt inspired to pray and ask for dirrection and start walking. Before every blessing comes a moment to try our faith, and that is certainly true in the mission. we contacted a few people who were very curt with us, and with one man in particular. we handed him a card for the new easter video, which has an image of Christ on the front. When he saw the card he snatched it from my handand asked "have you seen Jesus Christ? does anybody know what he looks like?? you`re worshipping false images!!" and me with my companion were just like "Uhh... we don`t want to talk to you anymore..." but the next person we talked to was so kind! She let us in, gave us some bread and we found out that her daughters had recieved missionarys before! They we`re a huge blessing.

Wednesday: Not much to say about this day. we found out that one of our investigators was only listening to us because he thought we were pretty. so that wasn`t to fun, but we also found an INCREDIBLY prepaired lady with her two sons. her name is Sonia and she is an absolute doll. very humble and teachable which is all i really ask for in an investigator, that they`re humble enough to ask God if these things are really true. everyday is a good day when you`re working for the lord. we also had an awesome zone meeting where the zone leaders made us remember how it was when we first got our callings and the energy and excitement we had for the mission. I remember walking around the house with Dad the weeks after I got my call talking about videos and websites we had been looking at about chile and what itwould be like. it really is cool to be in such a wonderful place.

ThURSDAy WAS CRAZY: It rained SO HARD. I don`t have an umbrella, it got stolen while i was in San Pedro and we got SOAKED! But it doesn`t matter because we found another awesome lady who let us in and let me borrow some of her clothes (I was wet all the way down to my skin, I`ve never seen it rain so hard) and also gave us some food. she was also SO humble. She asked us why sometimes the things God does appear so unjust when she and her family have always tried to be good. As we explained she was so attent to our words, and said afterwards she would love to be able to come to church and find out more. Really cool lady.

We had a ton of miracles this week, too many to tell in the time I have left. All in all we found 15 new people to teach, more than I`ve ever found before in my mission. it was a really great time. til nextweek!!!


Sister Ashlee Bowling
♥ from Chile!

LO SIENTO PO

BYU is asking that I write four essays while I`m here in the mission as part of my college application process, and so i don`t have any time to write this week, nor did I have time last week. I`m very very sorry, but I´ll send pictures to make up for it. Also, general conference was the greatest thing ever. I burst into tears when Pres Monson began speaking and a clear thought came into my head, stronger than ever before that he is truly a prophet of God, and his words are the words the world needs to hear. The book of Mormon is true and contains the words of our savior Jesus Christ, who lives and loves us. I`ve never been more sure than now that these things are true. The conference was great and i even got to listen in English for the last sunday session. Hope you all, if you haven`t already seen it, will make the time to go and watch even a small part. I know these people are called of God and their words will guide us to eternal happiness. Have a great week and i love you all very much.

Sister Ashlee Bowling

♥ from Chile!