Aaaand I'm not going to write much but my mom said she'd fill you all in. :) 

(Jess has had another week of distractions from her own area.  There is a sister in an area near by that was in an accident and Jessica and her companion have spent a lot of time this week supporting them in their area.  That sister went home today and so the one that is left will be staying with Jessica and her companion until transfers next week.  I am not sure if she did an additional intercambio this week... She had hopes to go to some ruins today as a zone but that didn't happen so she was a little bummed about that.  It is awesome/scary to hear how she has forgotten English! There were some words today that she could not think of in English.  I also asked her what to have on hand in the way of food when she gets home and she said she honestly couldn't think of the foods she used to love.  I'm sure that will come back quickly too.  She is mostly excited for summer fruit... Strawberries, nectarines, plums, and PEACHES!  

They did have a zone get together where they had a BBQ (only she said it wasn't a BBQ but she didn't know what else to call it...) and they played games so she enjoyed it.  They have 2 people in particular that they have been working with that they were hoping would choose to be baptized before she left.  One they haven't been able to find in 2 weeks so she was feeling sad about that.  The other one has tentatively decided to be baptized on Friday.  She wants what is best for him and so if it doesn't happen she is ok with that.  

This coming week for her will be short and will fly by...  Tuesday is zone conference which she always loves but it takes most of the day.  Wednesday she will go on an intercambio (in another area) and then Thursday she will work in her area.  Thursday night they will go to the airport to pick up Hermana Curtis (a past companion that she LOVED who is also going home this transfer.)  She will stay with them until they both fly out on Monday.  Friday she and sister Curtis have an interviews with her Mission President.  The problem is one is in the morning and the other is in the afternoon.  They will have to burn up some time traveling back and forth to the mission office.  Saturday they (all of the missionaries who are going home, I believe there are 20+) will go to the temple and then have a meeting about transitioning back to life.   Sunday she will get to go to church in her past area and visit members with her current companion.  Monday she will get packed and then all the missionaries going home have lunch at the mission home and then they take them to the airport.  She will fly out Monday afternoon to Santa Cruz.  Then Tuesday she will have a VERY long travel day.  Her flight leaves Santa Cruz at 6 am (3 am our time) and she lands in the tri-cities just before midnight (3 am her time.)  We are so excited to get to hug her and hang out with her!  I am not big on countdowns for missionaries coming home but I have finally started one!  8 DAYS!  Woo hoo!)

I´m so grateful that I´ve had this wonderful experience to serve the people of Bolivia. I´m going to miss having the authority to share the gospel with everyone, but I´m glad to know that missionary work never ends, and that whole at home I can still be a member missionary.

I know Jesus Christ lives and loves us. I know he gave His life so that we can live with him and our heavenly father again after this life in eternal families. I´m so grateful for the gospel, and for the difference it makes in my life.

Estoy tan agradecida por las muchas muchas bendiciones que siempre Dios me da, sé que somos Sus hijos y que el evangelio de Jesucristo cambia nuestra perspectiva y nuestras vidas.

Con mucho cariño (¡¡¡y mucho entusiasmo porque la otra semana estaré en casa!!!), 

Hermana Rowe

Pension family (she has LOVED this family so much!)

view from the new apartment

This week has been super super crazy because we switched houses! Sorry I didn't take pics, but the good part is that we are all moved in and now everything is unpacked, but it pretty much took everything out of us. On Tuesday it was Leadership Council and we learned a lot (as always) from President Montoya. The rest of the week was packing, moving, and unpacking. And! We had one intercambio and I got to be with my hija! (This is the sister that Jessica trained.  In mission lingo she is called her daughter.) Hna Muñoz is super cool, it was fun to be with her for another day. In the evening she started crying because it was the last time that we were going to be together for a full day. It was a little sad, but the good thing is that I'm not home yet! I´ve still got time left in the mission to do a few things, help a few more people, find a few more people, and I'm trying to make the best of the time I've got. I'm grateful that this week should be more or less normal, because its the last normal week I've got in the mission. :) 

Hermana Munoz

We also did a service activity while we were in the intercambio, but in Ingavi, and we cleaned up a bunch of dogs... and we cut out their dreads... that took FOREVER haha but it was super fun.

 

Also, in the leaders council we did a choir of all the missionaries that were going home this transfer, it was fun and trunky haha. We sang a mix of Called to Serve and Placentero nos es Trabajar which doesn't exist in English, but it was super fun :) (Placentero nos es Trabajar is a beautiful hymn.  You can google it to hear it.  It was one of Jacob's favorites in the Spanish hymn book also.)

Leadership Council

 

I  love the Lord, I love His work, and I'm grateful to be able to serve the people here in Bolivia.

Con Amor,

Hermana Rowe

1 Month Left (Ha Ha not trunky...) - July 1, 2019

So this week has been pretty normal. We contacted a bunch, looked for apartments (We´re still searching since we haven´t found one yet, but someone put in on the relief society chat, and that´s been really helpful because every day different sisters call us to tell us about apartments in the ward haha), we had a lot of appointments, intercambios, interviews with presidente (that was also supér trunky) and pretty much just that. Everything always leads back to being trunky. EVERYTHING!! Especially since now all the members and other missionaries bug me about it, but no worries, we´re still working hard :) 

(The person she has been working with that was going to be baptized this week wasn't.  She actually feels good about it because he wants to make sure that he is ready to live up to the commitments he will be making at baptism.  She is hoping he will be baptized before the end of July so that she can witness it.  They have another baptism set for the end of July so we will see what happens.  She is trying to fight the good fight of keeping her mind on missionary things and not home.  She said it is getting harder because EVERYONE reminds her that she will be going home soon.  We don't have a countdown but apparently everyone there does. :(  I am so excited for my hug (and I have told her that when we talk) but I don't want her to focus on it.  I shared with her the scripture in the Book of Mormon in 3 Ne 13 when Christ appears to the Nephites. He teaches his doctrine and pick his 12 apostles.  He says in verse 34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."  It is a good reminder for me too.  Even though I am a total planner, no one knows the future and if we are striving to be Christlike each day we have nothing to fear.  If we stay close to the Lord we will be able to deal with whatever struggles we encounter.)

Not a lot of time left, but the mission is good! God is good :)

Hermana Rowe

An old man in the ward gave us books this week, mine is a spanish hymn book from the 80s or 70s , SO COOL

Just Keep Searching, Searching, Searching... - June 24, 2019

Welp, this week has been more or less normal... except that we have been house searching all week  (and believe me it´s pretty hard when you dont have internet to help you out haha) and every time we find something that we think is a good option, we find out that it´s too expensive or it´s got something that makes it "unfit" or there´s always something :(. But! We have hope (and the spirit haha) so hopefully we´ll have more success this week. 

Pretty much that was the majority of the week. I have a picture of me eating a banana because it was tiny and red and tasted really good. :) At one point we made AWESOME food for San Juan (yesterday) for the pic is toast with guacamole with sausage on top and a fried rgg. SO GOOD!!

We also found a mexican restaurant in our area that reminded me of my cousin Braxton and of Josh Cahoon (since they are both serving in guadalajara).

Aaaand also we we making that awesome food that I already talked about, and I started chopping onions... and it reminded me of Mulan and I needed a pic haha

We are seeing advancement in out area little by little, and I´m super ecited to see what the rest of these last 5 weeks have in store for me :)

(She and her companion are doing much better.  She has been able to deal with any conflict and differences with her usual optimism and love.  One of the people they are working with (she has been working with him since she first got to this area but he went out of town for more than a month...) has decided to be baptized so she is excited for him.)

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Rowe