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.