First Week in Rio Bueno

Wow this has been a crazy week for me!  Wednesday I said good bye to my beloved Punta Arenas and came to Rio Bueno.  I'll be honest it was really hard to leave everyone from the Austral ward who I've gotten to know for the last six months, but I know that this is where the Lord needs me now.

The first baptism I was able to perform

Friends in Punta Arenas

Rio Bueno is awesome.  It's a lot smaller than Punta Arenas and there's not a Lider, but it's still big enough that it's divided into three sectors, ours and two companionships of Hermanas in our district. (Actually, the only Elders in this zone are the zone leaders, and the district leaders with their companions haha). Our house is really awesome, I even have my own bathroom. It's one of the most successful sectors in the mission and the branch here is awesome.  I'm pretty sure it's all because of the ward mission leader, Julio.  He knows everyone in Rio Bueno and shares the gospel with all of them.  He's also really good and getting the members to accompany us to appointments.  This week we have been doing a lot of contacts and setting up lots of appointments, so we are going to have a busy week.  The people here are a lot more willing to meet with us than in Punta Arenas.  Elder Thomas is great.  He's a really great missionary and we get along great. It's funny, he has the name of a gringo but is from Santiago, Chile.  He also speaks really good English so if I don't know or forget a word, He can help me.

Elder Thomas in Rio Bueno

Sunday after church we took a bus to Osorno, then we did divisions and I stayed with Elder Adams, one of the Asistants to the President.  It was really fun because he was my first Zone leader in Punta Arenas. I basically ran around with him and helped as we got a mission of over 230 missionaries to the conference.  That night I slept in the AP's apartment, which is really nice. Then we woke up at 5:00 in the morning to take a bus to Puerto Varas, where we had the conference.  Elder Walter F. Gonsalez, the President of our area, Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Elder M. Russell Ballard came and spoke to us (yes, I did shake each of their hands).  It was a great conference.  Elder Ballard talked to us about internalizing the lessons that we teach.  Instead of just memorizing them, really actually feeling them and knowing how important they are for the people we teach.  It really hit me that that is what Preach My Gospel is all about.  We convert ourselves to all of the doctrines, and share that with everyone else.  I'm really looking forward to see how this changes the work in the mission.

Thanks everyone for the support, I couldn't do it without you.

Love, Elder Dower

FIRST TRANSFER

Well unfortunately, my time here in Punta Arenas has run out.  I'm being transferred to Rio Bueno (for those of you who don't speak spanish, that means "good river").  I'm really sad to be leaving, but really excited to get to know other places and continue progressing in the mission.  From what I've heard, the work in the zone where Rio Bueno is, La Union, is going really well so I'm really excited for that.  I'll have more information next week.

Really cool news that I forgot to mention so far, we are having a big mission conference next week with Elder M. Russell Ballard, so P Day will be on tuesday instead next week.  That's one of the good points of leaving Punta Arenas because they have to watch it by transmission and I'll get to be there in person.

So of course, luck would have it, right as I'm getting transferred, our sector is doing better than ever.  Ariel and Leslie have progressed so much lately!  When we told them that we were going to have transfers they said "shoot, you're just going to miss our baptism."... Yea kind of frustrating that I'll miss that, but the important this is that they do get baptized which is definitely going to happen soon.

I got to use my baptismal clothes for the first time on Saturday, I baptized Casandra and yesterday, Elder York confirmed her.  It was really great, she was so excited for it.  I was honored that she asked me to do it.  Her sister who is ten will be baptized in March as well which means we'll have three baptisms in the transfer right after I leave...haha o well, I'm sure there's lots of success to be had in Rio Bueno.

Well that's about all I have for right now, hope that everyone has a great week.  Thank you all for all of your prayers!

Love, Elder Dower

Cameron's new companion will be Elder Tomas from Chile

BEST WEEK EVER

Yea I bet that subject caught everyone's attention haha.  But seriously, this has been easy the best week of my mission.  We had a fun experience Monday, Dan Burton (that crazy guy from Utah who went to the South Pole) returned to Punta Arenas as the first man to ever ride a bike to the South Pole (pretty cool), so we served as translators for him and our bishop, he brought his bike with him so Elder York and I decided that we needed to take pictures with it.  After Elder York took his turn I tried to get on and, as I'm a little shorter than him and Dan, it was a bit tougher and right as I put my leg over, my pants ripped.... Everyone got a nice laugh out of that, but now I'm gonna have to learn how to sew pretty soon haha.  Tuesday, we had dinner with Bishop's family, Dan, and Vessa, Dan's friend from Finland who went to the South Pole on ski.  It was really cool, Elder York had a little English Book of Mormon that we gave to him and we taught a little about it.  So, we taught a guy from Finland, in English, in the house of our bishop in Chile... Who'd of thought? Vessa said that he is interested in visiting with the missionaries more.

Saturday, the sister missionaries in our ward had the first baptism that our ward has had in two and a half years (yes, they beat me to it, as our ward missionary said "Princesses, 1, Tanks, 0").  It was really awesome, I played the piano while some members sang the primary song "when I am baptized." Johanna, the Hermana who was baptized is awesome, and she's really good friends with Leslie, who came with Ariel too.  After the baptism, we all stayed and played ping pong while the water drained.  Johanna asked Ariel and Leslie when they were going to be baptized. That led to a great discussion with all of us.  We showed them a video that just shows pictures of temples and talked about how they can go get married there a year after being baptized.  The Spirit was there so strong.  Everyone had tears by the end of it.  They said that they would talk about it Saturday night.  We went and visited them yesterday and talked.  She said she'll get married if she can get the ring she wants, she'd do it right away.  So we're going to see what we can do about that.  Now that we've broke the ice about their marriage and everything, I think it will be a lot easier.  After writing we're going to go bowling with them.

Final piece of good news, I'm going to have my first baptism on Saturday.  Kassandra, a girl in the primary is turning eight this week and asked me to baptize her.  It doesn't technically count as a convert baptism but either way, I'm really excited and honored that she wants me to do it.

It's been a great week and a great testimony builder to me that the Lord really has a plan for everyone to accept the gospel, as long as we are worthy of the Spirit and focused on the work, He will work through us to accomplish His plan for everyone.

Hope everyone's had a great week, Love you all!

Elder Dower

_________________

Cameron answered a few questions that I sent to him

1.  What does a day in the life of Elder Dower look like?
        I get up at 7, exercise, shower, iron my shirt, get dressed, eat breakfast (granola), study for 2 hours, go to work, eat lunch with a member at 1, go back to work, then back home at 9 30 to plan, eat dinner, and go to bed.

2. Have you received any letters from home?
     Yes, I keep forgetting, I got a letter from Ash, grandma, and Tami I think, and I just got a couple from members of the ward last district meeting.

3. What is the weather like right now?
      The weather down here is starting to get colder again, summer is ending before it ever really began, but it's not bad.

4. Thanks for the pictures of your "house".  Describe it for us.
    the "house" is tiny but perfect for us, much cleaner and the shower is awesome!  The only problem is that the stove isn't hooked up yet so we can't cook, but I never cook anyway because I have no time so it's all good.

5. Have you been able to have any other fun Zone activities?  Pictures?
   We haven't been able to do anything as a zone since the penguins but the next thing would be a cave that we might be able to go to next week, I don't know, but everyone wants to go to Torres del Paine now because I'm one of the only ones who is still here that went last time, but they have to wait til I leave because I don't want to spend the money again haha.

6. When are transfers?  When do you find out about them?

    Transfers are next week, I'll know when I write on Monday.

Well it has been a very busy week for Elder York and I.  But the best news is that we finally changed houses.  It was a big pain in the neck all week but way worth it.  No more mushrooms growing in the bathroom in the floor of dirt or doors that take three tries to shut it right or dog outside barking all night and keeping us up...(not that the other house was that bad, Mom...;).  But we were really busy with moving all of our stuff and setting up the desks and closets and everything.  It's really fun trying to put together a closet with directions the size of two dollar bills of just pictures haha.

Our ward has been doing really great this week.  Some previously active members wife have been coming to church three weeks in a row and now have a calling as ward activities coordinators, which makes me really happy.  To see them from the first time I met them when they weren't really that interested and just watched the tv the whole time we talked to them, to now.  I feel like just for that, my time here has been worth it.  We had a record attendance of 35 in sacrament meeting yesterday which made me really happy.  We're also going to have a baptism from the Sisters in our ward this Saturday, which will help the excitement of the whole ward.  Hopefully our investigators will go soon after them.

I've forgot to mention, but I'm playing the piano for sacrament meeting now, which is just great haha, I really should have practiced that more before my mission, but I get better each time, according to our bishop.

It's weird to think that I probably only have two weeks left here in this sector.  I really want to make sure that I make the most of it. I want to leave each area I'm at better than I found it.  We've had a lot of challenges here, but I have seen God's hand in my life daily.  I know that He lives and is mindful of each of us.  Through Him, we can overcome any obstacle in this life and reach our true potential and His children.  I'm so grateful to be here in His service.

Hope you all have a great week. Love you all

Elder Dower

The new "house"

Wow this week has flown by!  Friday was my six month mark in the mission! I seriously can't believe I have been gone this long!  When I take a second to think about it, it's still strange to think about my situation and everything.  I'm a gringo in the bottom of the world  preaching the gospel, it's pretty strange haha.  But I absolutely love it.

It's been a really good week this week.  Friday we had interviews with President here so the two companionships of Elders from Puerto Natales, a little city 3 hours north, came down here and we had two of them in our house Tuesday thru Friday which was an adventure.  I went on splits with Elder Hullinger for two days which was a lot of fun.  He went to the U for a semester before the mission so told me all about it which was interesting haha.

We've been really focusing on Ariel and Leslie this week and getting them married and baptized.  Ever since my first lesson with them I've really felt a connection with them and I'm determined to get them with a date before I leave this sector.  The really good thing is that they've finally been reading the Book of Mormon and are actually farther along than the rest of the ward, which is really awesome.  Hopefully they'll be more receptive to the Spirit because of that.

That's about it for this week, hope all is well up north, have a great week, I love you all!

Elder Dower

Hello everyone!

It's been a pretty great week down here in the bottom of the world, unfortunately, we haven't been able to find some of the investigators much this week, it honestly seems like all three of them might be falling off the map. In one of our lessons , we only have been able to teach him in his doorway, and he doesn't let us get a word in, so we're going to try a few more times and if he doesn't show more willingness to listen to us, we may stop visiting for a while, unfortunately. On Monday, we had a really great family home evening with a family in our ward and their less active daughter and grandchildren. One of the granddaughters will be turning eight soon and is really excited to be baptized, she asked me to baptize her. If I'm allowed to do that I'm really excited for it. Her sister, who is ten, actually hasn't been baptized yet, which we never knew. But now she wants to be baptized with her sister.
 We also started the Book of Mormon program yesterday with our activity, which was great. Elder and Hermana Ramirez, a couple of senior missionaries, who actually made the program, helped out a lot and our entire ward are really excited for the program. The best news is that Obispo Diaz and his wife came. He was bishop about six or seven years ago and has been inactive basically since he was released and I haven't seen him in the church my entire time here. I'm really happy that they are finally starting to come back. They said that they'll be at church next sunday, so we'll see what happens.

Elder Dower and Elder York at Book of Mormon Activity

¡Hola todos!  ¡Feliz año nuevo!  That means happy new years, as you can tell I'm making a lot of progress with my Spanish haha.

It's been a pretty slow but really good week down here.  With all of the holidays, no one has been in town and I mean no one!  We walked down the street and the only people we saw were drunk guys sleeping on the side of the road haha.

The good news is that we are finally going to move houses next week, which we are really excited about.  Every time I take a shower I just keep thinking "y more days..." haha yea we can't wait.

We had transfers this last Wednesday, I forgot to mention last week, I'm still here in the same sector, which will make a total of 6 months here by the end of this transfer, which is really wierd, but I'm happy about it.  We still have a ton of work to do here.

So not a whole ton of news about investigators this week unfortunately... We've had a bunch of appointments fall with everyone, plus José's baptismal date fell this week because he didn't come to church, so we'll have to work with him on that.  The good news is that Ariel and Leslie came and we have a couple appointments with them this week.  We're planning on challenging them to get married and baptized this week.  I've been thinking a lot about our purpose as missionaries, as it says in Preach My Gospel "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them to recieve the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."  The key word for me there is invite.  With them, I've been a little afraid to offend them by inviting them to be married and baptized.  So we're going to do it and allow the Spirit to work on them.

Our stake is starting a new program this week of reading the Book of Mormon, we're all going to read it together, two chapters a day, starting Sunday. If you haven't read the talk "The Book of Mormon, The Keystone of our Religion" by President Benson, I would encourage you to do it.  He explains how many blessings can come into our lives from the Book of Mormon.  If you want to read with us you can do that too!

So this week began my entire year in the service of the Lord.  Each missionary has one.  As I look back and realize that I have been here on my mission for almost six months already I can't believe it.  The time is really flying by and I can't believe it.  Now, I look at this next year 2014 and I know that the time is going to go by even faster.  I want to make sure that I'm taking advantage of every moment of this year.

Hope you all have a great week.  I love you all!

Love, Elder Dower