The field is different than the MTC

Mom and  Dad,
¡Hola! This week has been CRAZY! I'll try to explain as much as I can
with the 15 minutes I have to write. Flying to KY was awesome. My seat
mate for both flights was Elder Adamovich. He's 23 and has been though
so much to get on a mission. I was able to talk with him and get a nap
in, too. I only got 10 hour of sleep in two days, so I was exhausted.
Meeting my Mission President was incredible! We walked through the
airport and came to a group of people with a man whose arms were
stretched out wider than I can explain. He's so great. He's goofy but
serious. He was in the Air Force, so he's got a military seriousness
to him. His wife is adorable. She's so friendly and personable. Our
dinner and breakfast at the mission was something I'd find in heaven.
I'm sure of it. MTC food is so gross. I met my trainer, Hermana Swapp,
the next day. She's amazing and incredible and beautiful! President
Brough told me who she was the night before in my first interview.
It's so wild because a girl I had met at the MTC knew her and told me
to look out for her! We're a lot alike, and I love that. Our struggles
are very similar so it's refreshing to talk with her. One goal on our
mission is to TWE--Talk With Everyone. My first TWEing experience was
so nerve racking! We were getting gas and the other sister
missionaries we were with, told me to go with them. I could not
believe how bold we as missionaries are! Last night I TWE'd on my own
with a Spanish speaker while Hna. Swapp talked to another guy. It was
so hard! Thankfully, there was a little girl with him who spoke
English. Tender mercies I'm tellin ya. Our area is kind of sketch, so
I'm feeling a little bit of culture shock. Our neighbors below is are
loud and yell a lot. The neighborhoods and gas stations we visit are
the ones in Utah I'd avoid. It's humbling. I have taken safety and
peace for granted. We have met some really nice people in the ward.
Sister Guffey is my favorite so far. She's a widow and the BEST cook.
The mission field is definitely different than the MTC, but I love it.
The work has been slower than normal from what Hermana Swapp says, but
I'm sure it'll pick up once we get familiar with the area. The great
thing about our area is that there are a lot of Hispanics. Hna. Swapp
came from Paris, KY and only got to speak Spanish maybe once a week!
We're so blessed! We're on our way to a dinner appointment where we'll
be able to use wifi.

3 Nephi 5:13 Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that
they might have everlasting life.

Love you all!
Hermana Boyson

I have my travel plans!

Hello! 

 

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My week has been great!  I received my travel plans on Friday!  So wild!  It's getting REALLY real!  I report to the travel office at 4:20am and then my flight leaves at 9ish. I fly to GA first and then have to jet to my connecting flight in a total of 33 minutes.  I hope I make it.  I've never connected before.  There are 17 people in my travel group, but I'm the only Spanish speaker that I know of. 

 

In my final week here at the MTC, I'm focusing on my language acquisition and exact obedience.  I know that through exact obedience, I will receive miracles, not just blessings. It has been a struggle, especially when others don't choose to follow every expectation.  One of the things a lot of us struggle with is food in the classroom.  I found myself eating a piece of licorice without thinking.  One of the Hermanas looked at me with a surprised face.  I was confused by her reaction because I hadn't realized what I was doing.  She told me she was surprised because I've been so good about following the rule.  I felt awful! It was terrible to realize that I slipped into disobedience without a thought. With my departure on my mind, I'm most apprehensive about the language and meeting my trainer.  I hope we get along, and I hope she's patient with me.  My goal this week is to remember to begin and end my studies with prayer.  I have experienced powerful and personal inspiration when I rely on Heavenly Father and Christ.  I know that the Lord knows of my struggles, so if I only let Him help me, I can accomplish so much more. 
I'm sorry I can't email more!  I colored my hair all by myself today, and it took way longer than I thought.  I also got my hair cut at the salon, so my P-day has been busier than usual. On top of that, we had to move from our residence to a new residence hall.  Originally, we had been assigned to be in 17M, but it was infested with bats a few days before I arrived at the MTC.  Now that it's batless, we were reassigned to where we were supposed to be originally. 

 

This time next week I'll be in Kentucky!  Thank you for all of the sweet letters while I've been here. 

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Love you! 
-Hermana Boyson

This week has been so great!!

Hola family and friends,

This week has been so great!  Yesterday marked two weeks until I'll be getting on a plane to Louisville.  So wild!  I should be getting my travel plans this week.  It'll get so real once I receive them.  General Conference was INCREDIBLE!  Saturday's sessions were my favorite.  It was hard to sit through Sunday's sessions.  I'm not used to that. One thing I kind of missed was sitting a on the couch in my pajamas with snacks, but the opportunity to sit with nearly 2,000 missionaries was incredible. One of the Hermanas from my district sang in the MTC conference choir, so it was really great to see her and the other missionaries represent us so well. They sang beautifully.  My favorite song they sang was "Baptism."  We as an MTC choir got to sing it for last week's song.  It was so incredibly powerful.  On Tuesday's practice, Brother Eggett showed us "The Baptism of Jesus" LDS Bible video (https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/the-baptism-of-jesus?lang=eng).  Then he turned the sound off and we got to sing to it.  Tears streamed down my face as we all narrated it through song.  It was one of the most spiritual experiences here at the MTC.  One of my most cherished as well. 

There were so many powerful conference talks.  It's hard to choose even a top three.  I loved the mission story Juan A. Uceda told about hiking the Machu Picchu trail. Such a powerful story to explain how crucial it is to listen to promptings of The Spirit. Henry B. Eyring's talk was incredible.  Gratitude is something we call all express more fully and more often.  Elder Rasband's talk was my favorite from Sunday's sessions.  

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 In the midst of life’s greatest storms, do not forget your divine heritage as a son or daughter of God or your eternal destiny to one day return to live with Him, which will surpass anything the world has to offer. 

​" ​That statement resonated with me. I challenge you all to remember this when dark clouds of trouble hang over you. You are a child of God.  He knows you and loves you PERFECTLY.  He sent His Son to atone for each and every one of us so that we would have a way to return to Him. I can't think of anything more reassuring. Sometimes I get so caught up in the things that are going on that I forget to place my trials at the feet of The Savior.  He knows perfectly what I'm feeling and suffered for me in order to succor me. The gospel is the perfect message of love and hope. I feel so blessed to be able to spread such a powerful message that changes lives. 

My favorite part of the day here at the MTC is "Ciclo."  It's our time for personal, companionship, and language study.  I have noticed that when I am diligent in my studies, I am much more powerful in our lessons and throughout the day. It can be a long three hours, but when I have a clear plan, the time flies.  It's hard to stay focused when someone or more than one of us is having an off day, but it's such a learning experience. The language is coming along a lot better, but I'm still the slowest in the class.  In between sessions on Sunday, I took a language assessment where I had to respond to 10 prompts.  I had to speak my answers, and I only had between :30 and :60 seconds to respond.  I felt as dumb as a box of rocks.  It was clear to me that I have so much to learn.  It was difficult, but I'm hoping that being in the field will help me with my language acquisition. Fingers crossed.  Things with my companion are about the same. A little better I guess. She's so sweet and works hard. I can't fault her on that. I need to be a better companion.  I pray for help to see her through God's eyes, but really it comes down to me choosing to be kind and patient. Very humbling, but I'm grateful for it. 

​13 more days and I'll be in Kentucky!  I can't wait to meet my Mission President and his wife. I already feel like I'm going to love them. 

 

💕Hermana Boyson

Oops, I forgot a few things. Will you post a message about DearElder?  If someone sends me one, will you ask them to include their email address in the letter?  Writing letters is so hard! Also, if anyone has sent me a DearElder, will you have them send me a quick email just so I have it.  I hate not responding to people!  Finally, I've attached pictures from recently. :)

The picture in our dorm is us Hermanas with our room inspection paper.  The frowny face says it all. I still haven't learned the importance of making my bed every day.

The picture of us girls with the Krispy Kreme donut was for Elder Mongkeya's birthday. Hermana Jackson's grandma used DearElder to send a box of donuts for him. 

The picture of Hermana Johnson and me was when we got out of the MTC  to visit the pharmacy.  It was the greatest day!

The picture of all of us is the most recent district picture we have.  It was taken after conference before our Sunday Evening Devotional. I will miss these people dearly.  They have become some of my best friends.