One thing that I felt I needed to tell mom was that I am indeed grateful for the lessons that she has taught me about loving animals. I remember when I was little I was capturing ants and using a magnifying glass to try to burn them with the sun, and mom scolded me. It really made an impression and since then my love for all animials all life has really grown. Carissa has also helped. The pictures were fun, I am glad that you sent them. Telisa's party looked like a sucess. The successes that I have found from the Lord have really been higlighted in the phrase: "Find Joy in the Journey. I am definetely sure that this life is not ment to be full of sadness and misery every single day. But when those days do come, I am glad for the humility and closeness to the Savior that they bring. I am glad that she likes interviews. I agree with her, those men are so kind and they are really there for our blessing. The Bitners asked the other night about the priesthood, and if it were only the men who were able to hold it. I answered: "The priesthood is the power of God given to men to serve as He would, Elder Gurney and I have had a whole lot of fun experiences this past week. It has been great to serve with him so far. We helped Teresa paint her new house, we gave her another blessing. He spoke in Sacrament meeting, and Brother Lopez had us over for dinner. He is fixing up a house(a big old one) for someone else, and they are letting him stay there while he does. He had a bonfire and invited the owner of his house and a friend over for ice cream. The friend had just gotten cancer, was in the hospital about to die, and his mom asked many congregations from different churches to pray for him. Miraculously his cancer disappeared, the doctors couldn't explain it, he just got up and started walking around. He kept asking us: "is that possible?" Do you believe it? Was that an answer to those prayers? He kept saying "but I don't understand, is it because I lived a good life before, and tried to help the poor and give of what I had?" I have tried to live a good life, and when the mormons came and visted me in the hospital they prayed with me and had me say a prayer, they told me that it wouldn't be selfish just to ask for that blessing. Then just so quickly I was up and walking around and the doctors were looking at me as if I were a god." We weren't able to teach him much. He isn't the type to listen to us, even when he asked us questions, he didn't really want to know the answers. "Be comforted" "have faith" "repent" "come follow me" The way to understand sprititual things must be done BY us, not done TO us.

Love, Elder Owens

Bye!