Service with a Smile!

Hey Mom, Thanks for writing and for getting that stuff for me. I might need like 5 pairs if you don't mind.. The humidity and bike area are not good friends.. It's bad.. ha the sweat doesn't evaporate like it does back home it just keeps coming. My allergies aren't too bad. I can still function. A shot wouldn't be bad but I could survive without one. K first off.. I can't believe Chris is getting married! That's just so crazy... You'll have to send pics. And I'd love to see the video of Jack too! It's family and it counts. And also why did Mike say to call? Like to talk to him? I just told him to ask you about tithing and how it's helped you guys out. K so about Gospel Principles I get a text at 9:30 saying we're teaching the class so I just took it on and did it. Of course there were a ton of people. I prolly repeated myself often but oh well at least I got whatever point across haha. So this past week has felt like a long one and a fast one. Our numbers were better this week and we were able to do service for a couple people which helped my sanity cause knocking doors sucks after a while. So a week or so ago we were walking back from somewhere and found that older lady to do service for Debra. (I don't remember if I wrote about her before or what) anyways, Wednesday we planned to help her out and of course she wasn't there. So we just rode around on our bikes. I found some dinky dirt jumps and hit those for a couple minutes, It was fun. So we rode around the neighbor hood just looking for service we could do. We talked to a guy sitting on his porch, He didn't want service but said we could come back this week to talk with him. (I shared a little about the restoration and stuff) then after we talked to a lady (Nicci) riding in her wheelchair going to pick her daughter up from school. We offered our service and she accepted. So we came back a half hour later and I weed-eated her lawn and Pebbles started to pull weeds. Then after I finished I started pulling weeds while talking to Nicci. I can't remember what I asked her but I just started talking about her and her family and how long they've lived here etc. Then I brought up the gospel and basically taught the restoration and invited her to learn more and also extended baptism and she said "yeah if I knew it was true I could get baptized again" So that was cool. So we'll be going back to teach her this week. We were able to have a lesson with Tiffiene this past week at the church. We just read from the BoM and helped her to know how to get a testimony. Which was one of her questions. So hopefully that helped! Then we had a lesson after that with Ray and Colleen and we went over the Plan of Salvation. It'll be interesting to see where they go just cause they're an older couple. But I invited baptism again and they both agreed if they knew it was true. So that was good. Then we had a lesson with Mike that night. We went over the Baptism interview questions. Then put him on date. It was a way good lesson and Pebbles bore a really good testimony and I know Mike felt the spirit that night. So the next day his friend brought some stuff up that kinda shook him up a little. Which is probably good for him cause it'll help him be more solid that this is really what he wants to do. Either way If he gets baptized he'll be solid cause he know all the Anti and Non-Anti Stuff. Which is good. He claims he's an "Investigating Investigator" which is very true. So he is still going to go through the Interview with President so that'll be good. Saturday was a decent day. We were able to go back and do service for Debra. Members from her church were there to help too. So it was good. They were really good people. Pebbles and I just tilled her garden and cleaned it up and put a fence around it. It was fun, I enjoyed it! Also that night we had to be witnesses for Robin (the member from Haiti) and his fiance to get married! She was finally able to make it to the States and then they got married. And now she is one of our investigators. She doesn't speak English though, But she speaks French and Coreal (sp?) it's the language in Haiti. So I'm glad our new ward mission leader went to France for his mish. We had a lesson there last night which was really cool cause it was in English and French. She's definitely a golden investigator which is way cool. So we'll see how she progresses. I can't judge it since I can't understand her haha but I have pics of their wedding so you guys can see that. Sunday we did a lot of riding around. We made B-fast for Mike and headed to church then after had lunch and went to teach Nicole Snedeger's kids like we had an appointment for and we were running late and biked 2.5 miles in 15 minutes. Ha and it was hot and humid of course. So they weren't there, Which sucked cause we were dripping sweat cause it doesn't evaporate off your face. So yeah.. We decided to go over to the Blake's house (Part Member family) and I invited John to learn more. He seemed a little "eh" on the subject but I was bold and invited him to learn more. So we'll keep in touch with them!. I'll have to post pictures tomorrow cause I forgot my cable. But anyways.. Oh yeah and on Saturday Night we peppered sprayed Pebbles. Which was pretty funny. I'll tell more about that when I send the pictures along with it haha. This kid will do most anything... Except clean up after himself and know when the right time and place is for things. But it's still going good. K I'll talk to you later! Love ya guys! Elder Derrek Bowler.


 

**The first picture is from Mike (the "Investigating Investigator") while Derrek was teaching Gospel Principles class on Sunday.  Mike is great and gives me the inside scoop with Derrek when he sees him.  I feel spoiled :)

Hey mom so these are the promised pictures. The library was closed yesterday so that's why I'm here today. So the pictures are of this Silent auction the youth had to raise money. I forgot to talk about it but it was pretty cool. The cookie flowers was one of the items to bid on. Then there are pictures of pebbles after he got pepper sprayed. Which was really funny. And then the picture of Robin and RoseMerlin (The french speaking lady from Haiti) with us and also with Bishop Donovan (doesn't he look like Mr. Clean?) haha anyways there ya go! love ya guys! and I forgot to give the address but it's 5050 Open Meadows Drive apt#8 Columbus, Oh 43228.