{week 13}

Good day family and friends! 

I hope you're all doing as good as I am! So, I finally got a new companion but to my surprise, I actually was a little sad to see Elder Barnes leave just because we have been together for 2+ months! But anyways, my new companion is Elder Gilman and he is from Yakima, Washington and his name is also Greyson! He loves to play soccer like me, he's the oldest in his family, and we have a bunch of other things in common. He loves to talk.... A lot. Pretty opposite from elder Barnes so it's taken a little bit to get used to but I'm doin my best! We also cover the whole Bennion East stake now so we cover 6 WARDS!! It is ridiculous how busy we have been and are going to be. The crazy thing that has happened is that we received 18 referrals last week and me and Barnes barely received like 15 the whole 9 weeks! People have definitely seen that Elder Gilman and I get along great and that we're happy so people like to talk to us and refer us to their friends! It's great! So as you can tell, we are staying pretty busy with work and the days are flying by! It's crazy! I actually found out another thing that was pretty interesting. So we lost 8 missionaries last transfer so some areas had to close down and that is why we cover the whole stake now. Anyways, Brother Bricko (Stake mission leader) apparently had a talk with my mission President and my mission President was telling him about how they were going to pull a set of elders out of the stake and Brother Bricko told our mission President that he wanted me to stay rather than any of the others. My mission president wanted to take me out of the stake because I have been here for longer than any of the others but Brother Bricko told president Moffat that he wanted me to stay and they had a big discussion about it and it turns out that I stayed hahaha. Brother Bricko was excited to see me  on Sunday morning  for our meeting and he told me all that had happened and it really made me feel great to know that I'm doing something right! And people are noticing! It is a huge confidence booster for sure! So, this past weekend Elder Gilman had a family member pass away and it's been pretty hard on him but he's still staying focused on the work and pushing forward which is a huge testimony builder to me because it really has made me think of how LUCKY we are to have the plan of salvation and that knowledge that we can see our family again and that there is life after our time on earth. "This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God" (Alma 34:32) We really need to do all we can to prepare to meet God in the next life which means scripture study, prayer, and just living good righteous lives. I love this gospel and the knowledge we have from it! This tough time for Elder Gilman has really made me think of Marie Wilson and she is the only close person that I've known that has passed away and that was so long ago but I remember that it was so tough. Yes, death is very tough but we will see our family and friends again in Heaven because of the atonement of Jesus Christ and that great plan of Happiness that Father in Heaven has blessed us with! "If we have faith in Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing" Love that quote! I hope you all have a great week and know that I am doing great and I love all the emails, pictures, and letters! I still have the same address so don't be afraid to send those letters!  6088 S. Shirl St. Taylorsville, Utah 84123  (:

Love Elder Bowler