Melani's Baptism

Dear Family,

So this week was a lot better! Number wise, it wasn't what I wanted to get, but with health, the ward, and with my companion it was a lot better! First off, I am going to get this ward activated! I can't stand boring wards. I am going to just organize activities and everything! In fact, I organized missionary week for the seminary program and we'll be doing it in like two weeks! I'm pumped! Also, we started to do Thursday night soccor with the members which was so much fun! We had some investigators come and it was a great game! Guido, is our new youth investigator. He has been asisting [attending] seminary for two weeks now. We finally get to teach him this Wednesday and I'm so excited! He's this shy skinny looking kid, but on the soccer field he came out of no where and was a champion! We got along really well!

Also, with the youth, Melani was baptized yesterday! I have never been so stressed out for a baptism in my whole life! So, she had forgotten a towel so the bishop's wife took her to go get one. But they took the buses and they came back SO late!! We still had to do the interview and take the pictures and the baptism was already ready and everyone was waiting. But thankfully, she finished the interview with no problems and then we took a few quick pictures and the baptism headed off! It was really great! We had our new ward mission leader direct, the bishopric was there, all the youth, and several other members. Melani wanted me to baptize her, so I did. She's a little snakish but she's just a flirt with everyone! Anyway, it was great and she was funny getting out of the water because she couldn't get her feet back down and she doesn't know how to swim, like most of the people here.

I am continually learning patience with my companion. Elder Carlson has a great heart. He is always willing to work, although the work tires him out so much more than me. The other day, we were late for a ward division activity and he was hurting so bad trying to ride the bikes fast. So, I kept coming up from behind him and shoving him with all my strength! I got him going really fast! Other nights he's so tired trying to get back to the pench that I have him hold onto me and I tow him all the way back! I am always trying to serve him the best I can and to be his best friend. He often expresses himself to me at night. It's obvious that he's uncomfortable with himself and that he really wishes to fit in. I am trying all I can to help him develop into a better missionary and socially adapted person. I may have a hard time with this companionship, but I would hate to show up at judgment day and have the Lord look down at me and say that I was the one to help him and I did nothing. So, I forget myself and try to be his best friend!

We contacted a reference with Hermana Cuavas. Sergio and his family are great! The only problem is that he has an unfixed schedule and it will be impossible to set lesson dates and getting him to church. We also have been getting lots of reference ideas. We have a few ward families with the commitment to go and invite people to listen to us.

I don't know if I ever told you about Santiago. He is a less active addicted to some really hard drugs. He has been able to go three months free and returns to fall again. This last time it seemed very promising, but he fell back into the temptation after three weeks. He is going to spent the next two years in a rehabilitation center. I'm going to miss him and our weekly visits with him. I hope and pray he can overcome this devilish addiction.

We visited Santiago's father the other day and we were the answer to his prayers. We showed up because I had to use the bathroom, but it ended up being a very spiritual chat. He then gave a talk in church and added a powerful testimony of how the Lord doesn't always send angels to help us, but he sends Christ through His representatives. It was emotional and it was an amazing sacrament meeting. We also had several new investigators show up for church which was great! After sacrament meeting, we had a man show up in gospel principles class named Marcelo. He has been looking for the church! He was so excited that he found it, loved the class, and is so excited to start asisting [attending] regularly. He is going to be a fun investigator and I bet he and his family will be ready for baptism in no time. He said that he is looking for the true church, a church that teaches and perfects the members in Christ, something to bless his family, especially his kids, and something to give him peace. WOW! Talk about prepared. I can't wait to go and teach him! We should be having a lot of success this week with new baptismal dates and everything.

With Juan, he is excited to get baptized next week. He has to go to church one more time to be able to do it. He didn't show up yesterday, but we will go find out why this week. I hope he is able to stay away from alcohol and keep the commandments. If he doesn't get baptized next Sunday, it will definitely be sometime in June. He's got such a desire to wash away his sins and start a new life over. I pray for him a lot.

I should probably be heading off now. I am so glad I got to chat with a few of you and read all your letters. Keep being Christlike and loving others. Serve always and be an example of the believers! levantaos y brillad! I love you all so much. I wish the best of luck on anyone who has any finals and a happy summer break for the rest!

Love,

Elder Cowan

Trying Week; Rodrigo & Martin's Baptisms

Dear Family,

I think it's been probably one of the most trying weeks of my mission. I just seem to get sick a lot more often out here. All the lack of sleep and the climate continually changing doesn't do me good. I have been sick since last Tuesday and am trying to keep working. Not only that, but the rain has really killed the work. Nobody wants to let us in their houses! So, I had a few days of singing in the rain while getting really muddy! Also, Elder Carlson has been really trying my patience a lot this week.

So, we baptized two boys this week, Rodrigo and Martin. Rodrigo is the only one that counts for us because Martin is a ward baptism, but it was fun. We combined the wards for the baptism and it was cool to have everyone in white. Baptism days are so stressful too! You have to get everything organized and done so quickly. And this chapel is so odd where the font is and stuff that I ended up changing in a janitor's closet! ha ha! Got to love Latin America and little chapels!


Sorry mother, we couldn't pass by for Martina this past week. And there wasn't many progressing stories from the investigators. Melani will be baptized this week and that's going to be fun!

We found this man on Saturday morning that was a pretty good story. So, we were out working, but walking in this part of the area, and we walked past this older man shoveling a lot of sand. He told his daughter that we're North American spies and I turned around and said that we aren't! So I went back to him and we began to explain that we're from a church and we're just young men. He wouldn't believe it! ha ha! Then, I told him we come here to help the people, so he handed me his shovel and said, then help me! So I shoveled ALL his sand and explained to him why we are missionaries between each wheel barrel delivery. By the end, he was really interested and let us pass through and we taught him part of the restoration. He wants to go to church and he wants to see what's so special about this church that we've given up everything to serve the Lord. So, Martin, that's his name, will be a cool investigator and he has a huge family too! More baptisms!

I am so ready to work this week! I am tired of being sick. Oh, because I was so sick, I stayed in the pench all day and I cleaned it REALLY well, and perfectly, a senior couple came to investigate the pench and was surprised at how perfect it was! Looks like someone has taught their son to clean pretty well! Hno and Hna Eva were calling me a stud and loved me! They said I might be the cleanest missionary in the mission.

So, I don't really know what to tell you this week. I'm kind of rushed this week again too. I hope this next week will be a lot better with my health and the weather! Be prepared for an amazing letter next week!! I love you all!

Love,
Elder Blake W. Cowan

Great Success & Sweet Experience with Companion

Dear Family,

I enjoyed seeing you and talking with you yesterday. I have to say it was a needed boost of excitement and energy to lose myself even more in the work! So, I can't wait to tell you about last night. This was a moment that changed my life as a missionary and a person in general. So, we got Elder Carlson hooked up with Skype and his family and he started chatting away enjoying every minute with his family. He has expressed to me many times how much he misses his family. Meanwhile, I was making some tortas fritas, some Argentine desert thing, but he was having a fun time with his family. When it came time to end his call, I told him that I wanted to talk to his family too. So, I sat down next to him and I expressed my gratitude for him as a companion and to his parents for having raised him the way they did. I explained to him that he has such a desire to work and that he is a great example to me and  a wonderful friend. His family, and himself, were left in tears. I then left the room to let him finish his talk and I began to cook in the kitchen. He came in a little later and was pretty quiet for a while. He then said to me, "You know, what you did there at the end of the call . . . well, thanks." He cried. The tears streamed down his face and then I stopped cooking and gave him a big hug. He then expressed to me how his trainer had been very critical of him and his whole life he had often felt lonely and that he didn't fit in. He said that it was the single most nicest thing anyone has ever done for him. I told him that he should never let anyone tell him he's worthless or that he doesn't matter. I told him he's a son of God and he is important and special. I said that no matter where he is or what anyone says, you will always have a Father in Heaven who loves you, and that that crazy Elder Cowan will always be your friend. It was a tearful, special growing moment. Last night I talked with all the elders in our pench and we have decided to stop pulling as many pranks on him and to find ways to help him. I asked Carlson about the 5 love languages and he told me that his is definitely through verbal expression. We are all going to try to compliment him on something everyday. I am going to make it a goal to do it every single hour and every lesson. I just want to help this wonderful kid out!

So, with the work, we are having a lot of success, we will be baptizing two next week and then each succeeding week, we will have one or two more. We are making it a goal to baptize every single week of June!! That would be the best birthday present ever! With my birthday, I really don't know what I want. I love getting pictures and showing people about my life and about the lives of the ones I love. 

So, I've got more snakes in Guernica. Melani told me she wants to marry me someday when I finish the mission and she was really sad when she figured out that the mission is only two years long and that I don't actually live here. She's a cool girl though! She has such a testimony of the Church! She has asisted [attended--the Spanish word for attend is "asistir" so you can see he gets confused with this word] seminary for about three weeks and has been asisting church every week too! She will be another easy baptism. She just is always so excited for it! I can't believe we have only taught her once too! She has been taught and prepared by the youth of our ward more than anything! The youth are the key to the missionary work success here. They bring their friends to everything! We have five investigators in seminary now asisting regularly!

Another family that is progressing well is the Quiroga family. They are a part member family and the two boys are getting baptized this coming week. Rodrigo is a little unsure, he's eleven, but he just doesn't like sacrament meeting because it's boring for him. He likes learning about the church when we come over though. I am praying for him to get more excited about baptism and to asist [attend] church afterwards too.

So, this other part member family is Pedro and Sandra. He is currently getting divorced from another lady and then will be marrying Sandra. She is so excited for it! He told us that no matter what it takes, he will do anything to get his children and soon-to-be wife baptized. They have no problem either with it! So let's pray that all the documents and things pass through quickly and easily so they can be married and baptized.

Also, this man, Juan came to church last week and we had a chat with him that was very spiritual! We explained baptism and how that we can literally start over and have no more guilt and sin. He wants that very much! He decided to pray and ask God if that is the thing he needs to do. He is only afraid of letting God down. He doesn't want to fall and sin again. He wants to live his life right under the sight of our Heavenly Father. He couldn't come to church yesterday because he was going to take a friend to the hospital. But, he will probably be baptized on the 3rd of June! 

And the last most exciting thing this week is that we found this amazingly prepared lady during a contact the other day. Her name is Martina and she has studied every other religion and has found they don't have the truth. She is very interested in the message of the Restoration and wants to read the Book of Mormon. She told us to pass by in one week and she said she'll have either read the whole book or a good portion if she doesn't have much time. I am praying that we go over there and she just has the strongest testimony of the book and the Restoration when we go back. I would love to find someone like that! She's best friends with a slightly less active member too and we are going to work with them both, baptizing one and reactivating the other.

So those were all of our really spiritual and exciting lessons this past week. I was going to send a video or some pictures home, but we need to leave the cyber a little early to meet up with some other elders at our pench to eat lunch and I'm REALLY hungry! Ha ha! Oh, and don't worry, I got my hair cut this morning. It's still not as good as when mom cuts my hair! Never is the same. . . But I love you all so much! I'm so glad that I got to talk with you and I hope Trevor and Justin are doing good! I'd like to hear from Justin this next week. I was hoping to be able to skype him yesterday, but he wasn't on. Please write me!! And someone get RJ to write me. I want a big update on his life and all his questions. I know he always wants advice too. And tease Carly cause she missed her first week of writing me this week! Kevin, I am not responding till you do it. You know what I'm talking about. Well, I love you all and am so grateful for my mission and all the wonderful people who support me! Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Blake W. Cowan

Lots of Potential in New Area

Dear Family,

Confession time, I have like no time to write because I decided to write some other people that I felt had more of a need for my message. I will write enough for you though, plus you get a phone call this week, don't worry. So I think I'll start with my companion, Elder Carlson. I have enjoyed joking around with him, but I also what to help this young man discover who he really is. We had a sweet moment the other day. He expressed to me his desire to become socially acceptable and be able to fit in with some group of friends. I thought of my patriarchal blessing and how my life should be devoted to helping others with the gifts I have. I decided this could be an opportunity.

We have discussed the many qualities that he possesses that he likes of himself, those that he doesn't, those that others do and don't. We formulated a pattern to help him feel more confident and happy with himself without changing who he really is. I'm excited to see the end results of this! I'm sure that kid needs a friend to help him, and I will be that friend! I'm still going to have fun with him though.

Anyway, let's go back to the mission work. We have been having quite a few lessons and the members have been helping us a lot with the work. We have gotten a few people to come to church this week and we should be baptizing at least three in the month of May! That'll be great! I bet June will be FILLED with baptisms. I have been making plans to baptize every single week of June, what a way to celebrate my 20th birthday!! Woah, can you believe that, I'll be 20 next month! Dad's 50!!!! And little Kevy with his Donkey Kong dancing will be 17!!!!! I still feel 17!! ha ha!

So we have been sharing the 17 Miracles movie with a few members this past week and they were moved so much! They called us and expressed their gratitude for the pioneers and for you, mother, for having blessed their lives with that movie (ps it has Spanish subtitles) and they wanted me to tell any family or friends I have to say thanks for their ancestor pioneers.

I have had a lot of fun teaching Cristina and  few less actives this past week. I am super frank and direct with them and I tell them how it is! They get the message and actually fulfill with their commitments. We were able to reactivate and get people back to church!

I really don't have much to say, let alone time to say it. But, we are being very successful here! We are going to change this ward and area! I'm so excited! Well, I'm also excited to talk to the family next Sunday too! I can't believe it's already time to call again! I have no idea how to do it and it'll be interesting, but someway it will work out! ha ha! I love you all and I hope you are enjoying the spring/early summer weather. It got really hot here again this past week,s back to the short sleeved shirts! woo! ha ha!

Love,

Elder Blake W. Cowan