1st Area Oamaru, New Zealand

Elder Bowers has made it a week in the field. We heard a day late from him because yesterday was Labor Day in NZ. They didn't do much for the holiday, but they did get to go and see where the penguins are. Yes, I said penguins. Unfortunately, he did not get a picture, but hopefully we will get one in the future. Want to know where he is? Here is a map I found all thanks to Google Images.

It is the tiny little town above the word Queenstown. Clear down there. He said it is pretty cold there right now. He was able to catch a few of us online and so that was fun to exchange a couple words in the week immediately. Here is a letter that he sent to us. 

      Dear Family,

            My companion and I are doing great here in Oamaru, New Zealand. It is freezing here but the weather should warm up. We have a space heater that we bring with us to every room we stay in haha The work is slow here because we are white washing this area but the work should accelerate soon. The branch is great, it is made up of mostly tongans and they have all said they are more than willing to feed us everyday, all we have to do is show up at their house. My companion's name is Elder Carbonell and he is helping me adjust to missionary life here in NZ. We exercise every morning to stay healthy. We also are doing a lot of finding new investigators. I am struggling a little to keep up the pace but with the help of the Lord i'll only keep growing. I am so grateful for this gospel and they help it brings me and I know it could help others, that is why I am here. Just yesterday my comp. and I were biking up this hill and we were really struggling to get up and this old man on the side walk  told us that it would be easier to walk up it. I told him enthusiastically "it's good for you though". I think I can apply that to my mission, the slow crawl upward may not be easy but Heavenly Father knows it is good for me! I like thinking about every struggle here as a way to show improvement. I love you guys back home and I am really appreciative of your support. See you in two. Ofa Tu! Love always, Elder Bowers

{Thanks to Urban Dictionary, I found out what Ofa Tu means. It means I love you!}

We got a letter in the mail!

        Yesterday we got a letter in the mail from Elder Bowers. His letter was dated while he was still in the MTC which will probably occur often, we will get e-mails between letters. We still don't know what day his P-day is, but it should be coming up soon.
        Before I share parts of his letter, I have to tell  you a funny story. When Jason (my hubby) left for his mission, I remember hearing from his parents when he made it to the airport, when he made it into the field, etc... Which means they were told somehow. I have been watching the New Zealand Mission Blog that President Hudson's wife updates occasionally for pictures waiting to see the new elder's faces appear. I got nothin. Yesterday my mom told me to log on to her e-mail to get a copy of an e-mail he just sent to the parents. I'm scrolling through and boom four days ago she got an e-mail from Carol Hudson.... Connect the dots. President Hudson... Carol Hudson. It was UNREAD! "Mom! The mission president's wife e-mailed you! She did?" Oh gosh. haha My mom will kill me for sharing this. Needless to say, she wrote to inform her that he had made it safely AND we got a picture!

Looks beautiful right? Upon looking on her blog again to see if it was updated. It was! Here are a couple more I saved!

 It was so fun to see pictures. It has only been 17 days, but that still feels long. Anyways, now onto what he has to say. It was a week of spiritual growth. I have felt the spirit of Elder Lyon's, another missionary that came with me and it has helped my testimony to grow and has given me more strength to be a strong missionary. My companion is very quiet. I can tell he has stress and doesn't talk about it. Anybody{specificallly Ashton} getting ready to go on a mission should make sure they are comfortable talking about stresses and emotions. If not, it is a mental breakdown waiting to happen. Elder Bowers is happy to be heading to the field soon {he already is there now}.  We were able to make the hour and a half drive to the Hamilton Temple, where we did an endownment session. The temple was pretty small and old, but it was a beautiful building. The food here is alright. Too many baked beans and fish to be honest. Everybody eats french fries (chips) with a knife and fork HAHA! I really appreciate all of the e-mails. I'm sorry I can't respond individually while I am in the MTC. I will write more when I am in the field and get a full P-day.
      Hopefully that P-day comes soon so we can hear from Elder Bowers and get those pictures he promises every time!

A Quick MTC Departure Note

Elder Bowers left the MTC this morning. He had a one hour flight from Auckland to Wellington. He is very excited to be out in the field. He did not have time to respond to personal e-mails (i'm not sure if he even read them this week) because he just sent a quick note last night to let us know that he was heading to Wellington. He missed the MTC p-day, but we will hear from him hopefully soon when he has more time on his p-day. He got to visit the Auckland temple and said that he took a lot of pictures that he will e-mail when he has a longer e-mail time. Yay! He wants everybody to know that he loves you and thinks about his time back home but is thrilled to be serving at this time in his life. A little shout out to our family in Pennsylvania. Elder Bowers compares his weather and scenery to PA. He says there are no mountains [yet] but a lot of green fields. He also said the weather feels very similar!

Here's to a longer report next week!

First P-Day!

Elder Bowers seems to be doing great! He is still very busy and limited on communication time, but at least we get to hear something! I miagine it will get more interesting as he gets in to the field and has more time. Here is a part of his e-mail from this last week:

      Sorry I can't write you all personal letters, I only have 40 minutes to do this. It's so great to be able to check my email today! Yes, Sundays are teh best in the MTC! We were able tow atch conference agagin this weekend since they don't get it till the week after. I took a lot of notes and took a lot more out of it. I seriously loved hearing familiar voices in the MTC, it's always great, especially reading your letters. I missed you guys during conference though. It did make me a little home sick. My Companions name is Elder Harvey, he is from Wellington! He has taught me a lot about local culture and customs. He is great to work with and my district feels like a family already.
     .... Please let Ashton know that he needs to prepare now for his mission. He needs to finish the Book of Mormon before he gets out. It's really important. I did, but I wish I would have studied it more. (I'm sure Elder Bowers would give any future missionary this advice). I really do love it here and I would have it no other ways. Today marks the half way point of my stay at the MTC. Crazy right! I only stay for 12 days! On Thursday (Wednesday back home) we visit the Temple, which I am extremely excited for. I am grateful for the blessings the gospel has brought our lives and I pray for you guys every night. Please let everyone know I love them.
      .... Love Always, Elder Bowers

Tanner continues to apologize for his lack of time to communicate personally with all of his friends and family. He is busy learning about a great work. We are very grateful for his dedication and enthusiasm to serve the people of New Zealand.

Kia Ora.

He Made It!!

Elder Bowers landed around 5 am NZ time Thursday (10am MST Wednesday). Yes, that is a +19 hour difference. To the kind generosity of his mission, we received an e-mail letting us know how he is doing. Can you believe that it only took one long flight to already make him miss us ;)

 His first e-mail!

Dear Family,
 I made it to the MTC finally. The flight was very long but it was comfortable and so I can't complain too much. I travelled to the Auckland aiport with a group of twelve missionaires that are all going to New Zealand, so you don't have to worry, we all stuck together. I really enjoyed getting to know the other missionaries, one was Elder Lyon, he is from Brigham City. He wrested for Box Elder High and he has read the Book of Mormon eight times! He has a girl that is waiting for him that wrote him a letter for almost any situation you could imagine. It's pretty funny. He doesn't want her to wait for him. Well enough about that, the MTC here is great. I was very intimidated at first but i've decided to trust the process and not worry too much. We were interviewed and given callings today also, i've been made district leader. I'm overwhelemed about it but the MTC presiden told me to not overthink it so I am going to trust what he says. I hope you guys are surviving without me. I love you guys so much. It's touch being away but I know it's time for me to do this. I wish I could say good-bye one more time. I'm sorry I wasn't in the best mood at the airport, you know how I get. Anyways, I hope you know that i'm praying for you here in New Zealand, and I know that you will do the same. I know you guys will be blessed for the sacrifices you guys are making by sending me off and I deeply appreciate it and so does our Heavenly Father. If you get anything from this e-mail, just know that I love you guys and I love this gospel... Love you. See you all in two.
Love, Elder Bowers

Kia Ora...What Does It Mean?

In New Zealand there are many cultures, therefore many places to pull key phrases from. The Maori's have contributed many phrases including "Kia Ora" which means "Be Healthy". Away from his family for two years, I would say Elder Bowers could use some wishes of health and success. So Elder Bowers, Kia Ora.