The Spirit and A New Schedule

Hey y'all! 

This week has been muy bien! Get ready!

Monday: Hermana Starling and I woke up at 9:34am in the home of our Ward Mission Leader. We had a pretty unsettling Sunday night. During nightly planning, we were talking with and reporting numbers to the Elders who work here in Paris with us, Elder Sherwood (District Leader) and Elder Simons. They told us that earlier that day they had been followed by someone who was recording them on their phone. They told us to be careful and advised us to remove our bike rack so we didn't stand out. After planning, I was hustling upstairs because it after 10:30pm. I got to the top of the stairs and felt a very strong impression. "Get out of the house." I contemplated it for a few seconds and then the strongest warning I've ever felt in my life filled my heart and mind. Hermana Starling came up the stairs behind me until she was stopped by the same strong warning to leave. I said "Hermana, do we need to leave?" A split second later, we were running out of the apartment and into our car. We immediately drove to Bro. Harney's house, our Ward Mission Leader. We were struck with an overwhelming fear like nothing we've felt before. On the way, we realized that we hadn't locked the door behind us. Long story short, the cops went over to lock the door for us and to clear the apartment. They didn't find anyone inside, nothing out of place or anything of the ordinary. They asked us to come over since they couldn't lock the deadbolt without a key. We found nothing missing or out of place. It gave us quite a scare so we slept at Brother Harney's, our Ward Mission Leader. We got into bed at 1:30am. Crazy, huh! President Brough called and talked to us. He said we were okay to go back and to ask Elder Sherwood to bless the apartment. We're still a little uneasy being here, but we know it's just nerves. Never have I ever felt a warning that strong. How's THAT for a missionary experience? I am so grateful for the guidance of The Spirit guided us and that we heeded the prompting. Needless to say, our P-day was a little thrown off. We consoled ourselves with a Nutella donut from Frank's Donuts. 

Tuesday: We visited the W family, a family in the ward. We talked about the sacrament and the blessings we receive from remembering what the Savior did for us. Later that night, we had a lesson with H, a less-active member who was baptized about three years ago. He is amazing. He has seen a lot in his life as he was involved in drugs and drug dealing. It seems as though he feels like since he's making really poor choices anymore that he doesn't need the daily spiritual sustenance. We can see that he wants to do better, but the adversary is working really hard on him. 

Wednesday: One of the coolest experiences I've had yet. As we were walking to our apt, we saw a young woman across the street walking into her house. Her name is A. She shared her confusion about all of the different churches and about who God is.  We taught her The Restoration with a focus on God as her loving Heavenly Father and Joseph Smith. She said it was so weird that we stopped and talked to her because she had been crying on the way home and asked for help from whoever was up there. Hermana Starling said that a weird thing happened while we were driving to her neighborhood. She explained that while we were driving to the appointment, we drove past a black truck. Hermana Starling had felt impressed that we needed to talk to whoever was in it, and the truck ended up being A's. 

Thursday: We had dinner with H, and he opened up a lot about his past. He has a hard time with how messed up and evil this world is. We committed him to read 2 Nephi 2:13 and to pray about it. We hope to make progress with him and that he'll start reading every day.

Friday: We did a lot of social media missionary work! It's so helpful to be able to communicate with members, investigators, and less-actives who don't live close to us.

Saturday: We had a really neat lesson with C, T, J, and D. Hermana Starling has talked with her before, and she was very abrasive and unhappy with missionaries. At the end of the lesson, she offered the closing prayer and thanked God for our visit and for bringing her a message she needs for her family. Miracles!

Sunday: We had a great lesson with M, a recent convert. We shared the Mormon Message "Temples Are a Beacon," and he expressed that he wants to do his father's work who passed away. 

I love being a missionary here in Kentucky.  People are so humble and loving, and I love sharing the good news of the gospel to those people who God is preparing. 

The gospel allows us to be firm and undaunted. Alma 57:20

-- 

Hermana Boyson

Kentucky Louisville Mission

Graeter's Ice Cream with Brother Stamper! Hermana Starling, me, Bro. Stamper, Elder Simons, and Elder Sherwood

Watching the Worldwide Missionary Broadcast with the Lexington North Lions!

La comida Hispana! 

This picture was found on Elder Simons' iPad. Don't leave yours unattended. We'll get you.

God's Love and Less-actives

It's Monday!

Hello, all!  Greetings from Paris, Kentucky!  I hope you all are doing well!  So many wonderful things have happened this week. We were so busy ripping Satanic lips off that we didn't take one picture!  I know! I will repent and change!

Monday:  We had a great lesson with F, a recent convert and his girlfriend, C, a recent convert. They met in the ward. He seems so lost with the weight of the world on his shoulders. We are praying that they will be able to find the stability they need. 

Tuesday: We tracted Brian Station, a mobile home park, and met a really sweet woman named D. Wow, was she prepared! She has a faith in Jesus Christ and had a lot of great questions about life after death. She is very humble and seems to be looking for answers.  Since she speaks English, we referred her to Elders Simons and Sherwood, the English missionaries here. We ate dinner with the D family and had a neat lesson using the youth theme video, "Ask." 

Wednesday: We had interviews for this transfer with President in Lexington and received a training on Christlike attributes. Sister Groesbeck gave a really neat training on charity. In Moroni 7:46-47, if we replace the word 'charity' with 'the Atonement,' it reads "46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not [the Atonement], ye are nothing, for [the Atonement] never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto [the Atonement], which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail-- 

47 But [the Atonement] is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." ❤️ 

Thursday: Holy cow! What a day! We had an appointment with a less-active, but she was sick. As we were looking at our schedule, we saw a guy working for the city walking by our car. He turned out to be an inactive who hasn't been to church for about 30 years! He was so cool and agreed to have us over in a few weeks. Hot dog! Then as we were looking for a potential, we TWEd Christian. He said he'd talked to missionaries before and that he was actually a member. We asked him his last name, and he turned out to be a less-active family we had on our schedule to find! WHAAAT! We were able to talk to him and his mom, but she said they were busy until November. We're hoping to see them more and help them back to church. 

Friday: Oh man, we had an awesome lesson tonight!  T and her mother live in Winchester which is about 25 minutes from here. T has been reading in the Book of Mormon. Her mom can't read so she's been listening. We read 3 Nephi 11 together.  They seemed to really enjoy it. They didn't commit to baptism because they were thought it was really fast, but we assured them that they can be ready by February 25th. We feel strongly that they will receive the answers they're looking for and be ready!

Saturday: We had a good lesson with A. She's not a member like a lot of people think, but her husband is. She was close to getting baptized 18 years ago. We shared about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, and she asked really good questions! She asked questions about the next life and what we believe. For her, it's hard to change religions since she's been raised with so many traditions and the culture. She said we are welcome to teach her daughters. We are really praying to bring this family to baptism! 

Sunday: I translated again today! Go, me! Man, translating is so tough! Sundays as an Hermana are definitely different than Sundays back home. We taught a lot of lessons today. We get to teach M, a recent convert, during Sunday School. Well, it's mostly Hermana Starling teaching and me reading because my Spanish isn't there yet. We had another lesson this week with F and C. We read from Enos and talked about the importance and gift of repentance. Our last lesson of the night before turning into pumpkins was with H, a less-active. He's a way cool guy. We felt strongly that we needed to teach about God's love for him. We read from Elder Holland's talk, "Like a Broken Vessel." He says "Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend. As President Monson said to the Relief Society sisters so movingly last Saturday evening: “That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.” Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart. Faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life. Seek the counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being. Ask for and cherish priesthood blessings. Take the sacrament every week, and hold fast to the perfecting promises of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead."  I LOVE the words of President Monson and Elder Holland. Many people in this world struggle because they don't know who they are. Many of us are burdened by the trials of life that we lose the feeling of Heavenly Father's arms wrapped around us. 

My invitation to you all this week is to go to your Heavenly Father in prayer and ask Him how He sees you, then ask Him how you should see yourself. I promise that as you do this, you will know that you are a child of Someone who loves you infinitely. 

Press forward, 

 💕 Hermana Boyson

Paris and Purification

New address for Hermana Boyson:

817 Pleasant Street
Paris, KY 40361

Monday: Wow, what a loco day. We spent the day cleaning the apartment, packing, and leaving notes for the incoming Elders. A sister in the ward offered to cut my hair, so now I have a long bob! Not entirely planned that way, but I'm grateful nonetheless. :) We finally finished up everything around 1:30a, and I've never felt so tired. 

Tuesday: Transfer day. First one of my mission. Hermana Swapp and I finished up packing, cleaning the apartment. Arcadia has been my home for the first three months of my mission, and it felt so strange to be leaving. We're excited for the Elders who will be tending to this part of the garden. We got to the mission office/church building and holy moly there were cars and luggage and missionaries everywhere! I was sad to say goodbye to Hermana Swapp. Three months together in Arcadia brought on a lot of unforgettable experiences. Our goodbye was a little tearful and hard, but we knew we were going to be blessed in our new areas.

Meeting Hermana Starling was amazing! She gave me an abrazo, and I instantly felt like we were going to be really great together as companions. She has such a powerful presence, but she's very calm and collected as well.  I loved her right away. :) We talked to a few missionaries and then got on our way to Paris. This place is beautiful! Our apartment is SO NIIIIICE. Oh, I'm so excited about it. The shower doesn't look like a murder scene, and the neighborhood is beautiful. Our stove is from this century, and our dryer actually has heat. Plus, no bed bugs. Not even a trace. Paris, you're my best friend.

Wednesday: We visited Sister E who has just broken her hip and is stuck inside alone all day.  She was very discouraged and upset about the situation. I felt for her. We taught about the enabling power of the Atonement and trials that Heavenly Father gives us to help us progress. I hope we brightened her day and helped her to feel loved. After dinner, we had a lesson on The Restoration with F and his wife, M. They are a cute couple and have a VERY active 3-year-old. We set up a return appointment and felt really good about the lesson. We walked over to Sister G's home. She and F work on a horse farm together. Sadly, she works Sundays so she hasn't been to church in awhile. We shared the Mormon Message "Daily Bread: Pattern" (https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-08-012-daily-bread-pattern?lang=eng) and talked about the daily spiritual sustenance we need which God provides. 

Thursday: Crazy busy day! We had a Spanish lesson with A, a youth in the ward. I loved our lessons with A from my first area, so I was so pumped to have the same opportunity here! Blessings! Next, we went to a trailer park and had an interesting lesson with an older gentleman. He was hard of hearing because we would ask questions and he would stare at us. Our last appointment was so great. We had a lesson with a small group of Hispanics that live in a house together. There must be at least 15 Hispanic gentlemen living there! It was awesome! I told them I've only been learning the language for four months, and they were so impressed! They said they've been here seven months and can barely say 'hello' and 'thank you.' I feel like Heavenly Father has blessed me so much here already to help me feel confident with my Spanish. We set up a return appointment and giggled from excitement the whole way home. We have been so blessed in this area already.

Friday: We had a lesson with B and her children T (15), H (13), T (10), and H (4). They are hilarious. I had already met T at youth night and he stood out to me because of his maturity and "with-it-ness."  We taught them a lesson about fasting and invited them to fast as a family together. Both T and H said they wanted to fast for their family. Melt my heart!  We drove to Winchester, a city about 25 minutes away, for a lesson that fell through. We met T and her mother and had a great first lesson! Also, I got some really exciting news! My sister, Susie, had her baby! They named her Remi, and she's just perfect! It was a fun email to open to end the day. 

Saturday: During personal study, we got a call from the Elders asking if we could come help the Smith family move. We helped them for two and a half hours in the rain, and we loved it. It was nice opportunity to meet more ward members. I was very grateful. They are so loving and welcoming. After, we hurried over to Brother H's home, the Ward Mission Leader. He's such a nice guy and had a lot of inspiring words about missionary work. I'm really looking forward to working with him. We had dinner with the Prater family. I tried hominy for the first time! Not the greatest thing in the world, but hey, I tried it. They are a really sweet couple. Their daughter, Marsha, and her son, Tanner, sat in on our lesson. It wasn't until after that I found out they are not members. Hna. Starling and I both felt like the lesson we prepared was more for M and T than it was for Brother and Sister P. What a great night!

Sunday:  My first day in the Paris Ward. I love these people! They are so great. Thankfully I had already met a few people from moving the S family and dinner appointments. Hermana Starling asked if I wanted to translate the first talk. I'm sure my eyes were humongous. She said it'd be easy since it was given by a youth. Well, I did it. I didn't do very well with translating everything she said, but I surprised myself with how much I knew! She gave me the headset halfway through the second talk because she was losing her voice, so I translated the rest. I was sweatin', but I wasn't nearly as nervous as I have been. She is so encouraging, calm, and loving. I feel so blessed. 

I have been pondering a lot about putting trust in the Lord and the trials we're given to help us get to where He wants us to be.  His yoke truly is easy and His arms are outstretched waiting to help us. When we are obedient, we see blessings. When we are exactly obedient, we see miracles. As a mission, we are "fasting" from things that keep us from being purified. Although it has been difficult to sacrifice and change habits, I have felt very blessed. I invite you all to pray and ask God for one thing to fast from that will help you become a stronger follower of Christ. Go to Him in pray in the morning with a promise that you will purify yourself from that thing, ask for the strength necessary to succeed, and then account to Him at the close of your day. I promise that you will be blessed with added strength and that you will feel of God's love for YOU. 

Con amor, 

Hermana Boyson

Hermana Starling and me at our apartment moments before this email was sent because we realized we had no pictures together. She's beautiful inside and out.

Transfers and Trials

Feliz lunes!

This week has been so fun! We got our transfer call on Friday night.  We are being whitewashed with Elders, so there won't be hermanas in Arcadia anymore.  From the mouth of President Brough: "We need to get those sisters out of the 'hood." Haha! And with that, I will be going to Paris, KY, and my new companion will be Hermana Starling from Utah! Hna. Swapp is going to Shelbyville where she will serve as a Sister Training Leader. Go, Hermana!  She will do a fantastic job. I am a little nervous to go to a new place, but it's nervous excited, not nervous anxious. :)

Monday: Sister B from Jeffersonville, IN took us all around today for P-day. It was such a good time. We got to go shopping at TWO Goodwills. Heyo! We ate at a small Korean restaurant. Mmmmm, so delicious. Sister Bserved part of her mission in Korean, so her recommendations were well received :)  Funny story. We were out looking for some less-actives, and we were stopped on the street talking to some people outside. I saw a woman taking out her recycling, so I asked if she needed help. It ended up being Y and E's mom, A! We had been teaching Y and E about two months ago, but we had to drop them. The lesson was rocky at first because she was upset about what we had taught Y, but after we explained more and bore our testimonies, her heart was softened. It was beautiful to see. 

Tuesday: One of the best days here. We got to help Sister H tie a quilt, and I was so happy! As my mom is reading this, she's probably dumbfounded because I would always complain about it when I was young. We didn't have quilt frames, and the material was fleece. The needles were dif-i-cult to pull through, but we did it! It was so much fun, but I got really trunky thinking about my mom. Hermana Swapp had the idea to bring Meet the Mormons to watch. E watched the entire movie with us! We were all pretty shocked, but very grateful. Later, we had dinner with a family in the ward, The J. After dinner, we taught them how to study the scriptures.  It was a really neat lesson, and they really appreciated the ideas we gave them. It never hurts to ask for suggestions from others about how they study. I've learned so many new ways just while being a missionary. 

Wednesday:  I had a really powerful personal study this morning. I read from a devotional address by Elder Bednar given at BYU-I. His talk was about grace and the enabling and strengthening power of the Atonement. The Atonement redeems us from death, but it also gives us strength, and when we access the Atonement in trying times, we need to act and not be acted upon. We need to ask for the strength to endure, not for our trials to be taken away from us. When Nephi was bound by his brothers, he asked for the strength to break the bands, not for him to be freed. He was able to break the bands. This was something that brought me a lot of comfort. Prayers are answered by the added strength we are given. 

Thursday: Our lesson with Sister H and E was INCREDIBLE. E was very active in our conversation and took the time to listen to us talk about temples. There has been a significant difference with him and his interactions with us. We hope he will give us the opportunity to teach him more. 

Friday: We had a really really good Zone Meeting. Elders Jolly and Weeks taught us about being ourselves, but being our BEST selves. We are still people. We all have experiences and talents from our pre-mission lives that will benefit others as we share them. It's difficult at times to remember that, but it's important that we do. Even if/when we're not missionaries, we have lived a life that our Heavenly Father wants us to share with others.

Saturday: The busiest day here so far. Holy cannoli. We had another lesson with A, the mother of Y and E. We read the introduction to the Book of Mormon and committed them to read together and pray to find out if it's true. Next, we went to help Dawn Rene pack up her future son-in-law's house. After that, we visited Sister Hansgen and Ed to take them their My Family books. E is interested in family history. Woooo! Our last stop for the night was helping our favorite Sister G move boxes from her attic. Her house is 150 years old and AMAZING. What a wonderful day. 

Sunday: We had lunch with the M family. We showed "Mountains to Climb" and talked about how to access the enabling power of the Atonement. It was so neat when Sister E started talking about Elder Bednar's devotional talk because I had felt impressed to share the message of it, too! We love the M's and will miss them dearly. It was sad to say our goodbyes to everyone in the ward. 

This is my favorite quote from this week. Thank you, Abby.

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11–12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain."

I love you all so much. I invite you to pray for the strength to endure your trials instead of asking for the trial to be taken away. Trials are evidence of the Lord's trust in us. 

Loves, 

Hermana Boyson

Zone meeting with these clowns :)

LOVE this cute family. The Mushala's.

Happy New Year!

Hello and Happy New Year!

2017 is here!

Monday: We were busy with appointments in the evening. We got to see
R and her parents, J and M. They are a great family. After
we watched "Mountains to Climb," M expressed that since we have
been visiting R, she has had more challenges and trials of faith
than ever before. Rubi has amazing potential, and Satan knows it. When
we try to follow Christ, Satan is there with discouragement. R is
so strong and continues to pray and read the scriptures. Go, R!

Tuesday: Not much today. All of our appointments fell through today,
so it was a day filled with finding. We got to talk to a lot of great
people. One of the areas we visited was kind of sketchy, but the
people were really nice. :) My eyes are opened each day by the
circumstances of some. How blessed I am to have a loving family and
the knowledge of my Heavenly Father.

Wednesday: We switched our P-day to today so that we could go to the
temple. The Louisville Temple is small but beautiful. The feeling
inside was even more wonderful. It was a much needed relief from the
stresses of missionary work. The feeling of peace at the temple is so
special. It was a wonderful day.

Thursday: We saw J and J again tonight. We asked them why
they continue to let us in, and J said that they like that what
we teach is good and that we teach about God. J was receptive to
the lesson and seemed to enjoy it.  We think she's getting close to
accepting baptism. We hope her husband will sit in on lessons in the
future.

Friday: We were able to see R again, and she opened up about the
difficulties she has with her younger sister. Her sister is 13 and
avoids R at every opportunity. We encouraged her to pray for and
with her sister. She has great faith and said she would do both.

Saturday: New Years Eve! We saw sweet R and watched Meet the
Mormons with her. We love her and the perspective she has on life and
diversity. The comments she made throughout the movie about
circumstances showed how sweet she is. After our lesson with her, we
met up with Sister Weedman and Sister Endemann to celebrate NYE. We
had dinner together and went to The Big Four/Walking Bridge. It was so
great! The bridge was lit up, and the rain let up. It was magical! We
rang in the new year at 10:30with Country Time Strawberry Lemonade
and poppers. :)

Sunday: I woke up to a bad stomach ache and nausea. I spent most of
the morning in bed. No fun. I translated a bit in sacrament meeting.
Really it was just reading the sacrament prayers in Spanish from
Doctrine and Covenants. One day I'll be able to understand this
language :) We had a spirit-filled lesson with Sister R. It
seems that whenever we intend to teach her, she ends up edifying us.
We are so grateful for her and the spirit we feel when we visit.

I hope you all had a great NYE! Transfer calls are coming on Saturday,
so there's a chance that I won't be here in Arcadia. My first area has
brought so many challenges and experiences for which I am be eternally
grateful. I am blessed with the ability to invite others to come unto
Christ and to serve in the Great Kentucky Louisville Mission.

Con amor,

Hermana Boyson

District lunch with these hooligans! 

Temple P-day with Sister Weedman, Sister Endemann, and Hermana Swapp

 Happy New Year! 2017! Woooooo!