Servicio and Cinco Investigadores Más

Hello, everyone!

It's been an excellent week here in Paris! Hermana Starling and I said
our goodbyes on Tuesday. I only cried twice (in public)! Meeting my
new companion was so great! Hermana Rodriguez is from Tucson, AZ.
She's been out almost eight months. She is one of the sweetest people
I know. We've seen a lot of success together in only six days. We now
have five new investigators! FIVE! We have some really great
investigators right now. Juan R., Juan M., and Efrain are our most
promising. They all have amazing stories and are so prepared! Efrain
was taught by missionaries here in Paris 10 years ago. All of his
family are Mormon! What the?! The Spanish Elders who were teaching him
were whitewashed, and a set of English Elders came in. Efrain couldn't
understand them, so they lost contact. He has been attending another
denomination because the service is in Spanish, but he doesn't like
it. We had a really cool lesson with him. He shared a lot of things
and kept saying that he usually doesn't share this much about his
life, but he felt peace with sharing it with us. We're really excited
to bring the gospel to him again!

On Wednesday, we were able to help our Bishop's wife weed her yard and
put down mulch. We worked from 11-6:15. It was great! We had heard all
day that there was some very severe weather coming our way in the
evening. While we were out proselyting, we found a woman named Bertha
(She happens to be Efrain's daughter!). We started sharing a message
with her when we received a message from our district leader to get
inside and take cover--President's orders! We hurried to our apartment
and ten minutes later we heard the tornado siren blaring. It was
thundering and lightning and pelting rain! It was so awesome! Luckily
no tornados hit Paris, but it was a thrilling night!

Thursday was spent working in Winchester where we found our new
investigators, Juan M. and his son, Inmer. Juan is awesome. When we
told him we live in Paris, it reminded him of a movie he saw about a
criminal who fled to Paris, France. I didn't understand that it was a
movie, so I was freaked out as to why he was talking about guns and
drugs and taking a woman with him out of the country. He acted out the
entire movie and did so for 30 minutes. It was pretty entertaining
when I realized that it was only a movie! After that, we had intended
to have a drop lesson with Teresa. After talking with her she said
that she's been waiting for us to read the beginning of the Book of
Mormon with her and to share more about baptism. Hna. Rodriguez asked
me about it, and all I could say was "I had no idea!" Man, having a
language barrier is a killer! Haha! She still isn't able to go to
church. She babysits her niece and nephew on Sundays, and their dad
won't let them go to church. We're trying to think outside of the box
to get her to church so that she can progress.

We had the opportunity to help clean up the Rose Hill Church cemetery
on Saturday in Carlisle which is about 30 minutes away. It was great
to help out, and we got it cleaned up and looking nice in two hours.
We went looking for potential investigators and less-active members in
Carlisle while in the area. We pulled up to a member's home, but we
didn't get out. He had a no trespassing sign in his yard...

...Fast forward to Sunday at church. We were in the library before
sacrament meeting, and a gentleman walked in asking for a Book of
Mormon. We introduced ourselves, and he told us his name. He was the
member from Carlisle who had the no trespassing sign in his yard! We
looked at each other and both of our jaws dropped. We explained that
we tried visiting him, and he told us we could come another day! Fue
loco!

I have been using all of my personal study to read the Book of Mormon.
I love this book. It is the most correct book because it contains the
fullness of the gospel. It tells us exactly what we need to do in
order to have lasting happiness and to live a purposeful life. Over
and over it tells us to repent, and I know that through repentance we
can become Christlike. We can let go of the things that are keeping us
from having the Spirit in more abundance in our lives. We will be
given the strength to withstand the temptations that are put in our
paths. As we live the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are anchored so that
we won't be led astray.
Mormon 3:2 "2 And it came to pass that the Lord did say unto me: Cry
unto this people--Repent ye, and come unto me, and be ye baptized, and
build up again my church, and ye shall be spared."

💕 and 🐴
Hermana Boyson

So sad to see her go. She is beautiful inside and out. ❤️

Reppin' O-town! Gotta love my hometown! #ogdenmade

My new companion, Hermana Rodriguez! She's great! 😀

Pascua y Principe de paz

HOLA! Cómo han estado?

Tuvimos una semana asombroso! Queríamos encontrar cuatro investigadores nuevos, y encontramos cinco! Estoy tratando usar el idioma en cada oportunidad, entonces estoy usándolo en mi carta semanal.

We had an amazing week! We wanted to find four new investigators, and we found five! We worked really hard to talk with everyone, and the Lord blessed us! 

On Monday, we found, Juan, our first new investigator. He is awesome! He moved here from Texas. He promised God that he would go to church, and then we showed up two weeks later. It's a bummer because he's moving to Lexington, but he wants to Spanish Elders to teach him! Yes!

Tuesday was great! We had a lesson with sweet Angie. She's a recent convert and loves to share the gospel with her family. She's a great example to us! We worked in Winchester for a lot of the day and had a split lesson with Alex and Carlos. Alex is a less-active, and Carlos is a recent convert. He is preparing to receive his endowment. So neat! Alex is struggling to know what is truth and where to find it. I was able to teach him about the plan of salvation and invite him to pray to know what God wants for him. 

The rest of the week was crazy busy! The weather was nice so there were a lot of people out. We were able to find the rest of our investigators as we strived to get out and talk with as many people as we could. We found Cirilo in La Esperanza, a Mexican tienda. He is so great. He lost contact with missionaries a few years ago, and he's ready to be taught again. He has some health issues right now, so we're hoping that through receiving a priesthood blessing he will be able to feel better. 

It has been so wonderful to share #PrinceofPeace in preparation for Easter. We were able to share it with a lot of people and help them to feel of the peace that comes from knowing the Christ lives and that He overcame death. 

My dad shared this Ensign article with me this week, and I wanted to pass it along. It has helped me know acknowledge the influence of Satan so that I can combat it. My favorite line in Elder Lawrence's talk says "The devil targets all men, but especially those who have the most potential for eternal happiness." Do not allow Satan to tamper with your happiness. He is the father of lies. He slyly puts messages into our minds that tear us down, but we might not even realize that it's him. I particularly like Elder Lawrence's  explanation about counterfeits. Read it! You'll like it! The more I learn about Satan's influence, the more I know how much I need spiritual strength. For me, I know that spiritual strength comes from studying the Book of Mormon every day, praying to my Heavenly Father for His guidance and protection, and attending church each week to renew my baptismal covenants and to repent of the shortcomings from the week. D&C 10:5 "Pray​ always, that you may come off ​​​conqueror​; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may ​​​escape​ the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work."

Link to the Ensign article: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2017/04/the-war-goes-on?lang=eng

Love you so! Gotta go! 

💕 & 🐴 

Hermana Boyson

Our way cool jackets that Brother Young let us wear. They're missionary appropriate, right?

Can someone explain?

Funny story. We found a less-active in our area book who is age 71+. We asked a couple of members if they knew her, and they said they didn't. I joked that maybe she has passed on. We plugged her address into our GPS.......and it took us here. (We found out later that the GPS actually took us two streets away from the actual address.)

Hermana Rodriguez and me with Sister Mable. She's 92 and as sweet as ever. Thank you for the cherry pie!

The cutest doggies I've ever met! 

The creator of The Walking Dead is from Cynthiana, KY!

Beautiful Kentucky. 

The Atonement and April Fools' Day

Hi, y'all! 

My week here in Paris has been nothing more than eventful!  

We had a lesson with a less-active member who was referred to us by her visiting teacher.  She was anything but friendly towards us. Sadly, she has a hard time with the fact that we preach the gospel in the Spanish language. I can testify that I am a missionary set apart to preach the gospel to those who speak Spanish so that they can hear the gospel in their language. Everyone matters to our Heavenly Father. All of His children will have the opportunity to hear the good news, and I am so grateful to be an Hermana. I LOVE Hispanics and their culture. They are incredible people because they are His children. D&C 90:11 "For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ."

We saw a few more less-active members and had amazing lessons with all of them!  I know that life gives us lemons. We are promised that we will have challenges that are both common to mankind and that we will have trials that are specific to us. God is aware of ALL of His children in every moment. One woman said that she isn't doing enough and that she gave up too quickly. The Atonement is accessible to anyone who feels that they can't do enough or that they have given up and are too far gone. Trials are promised to us in this life, but we are not alone. Matthew 11:28-30 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

If anyone knows me, they know that I love pranks. April Fools' Day is an obvious day of jokes and pranks, so Hermana Starling and I took full advantage. The pictures will say it better than I can!

We received transfer news on Saturday afternoon. "Hermana Boyson, you're staying in Paris. Hermana Starling, you're staying as well." YES! Another transfer together! Five minutes later, we received a call from the Zone Leaders with the REAL transfer news. Hermana Starling is being "trunky transferred" to Owensboro. Throughout her mission, she always thought it would be fun to get the "six-week shaft." Herm, you got it! I'm so sad to lose my companion. I have learned so many wonderful things from her. She is compassionate, patient, and kind. She is diligent in the work and has fun doing it. I feel so blessed to have served with her. Best of luck, Hermana! 

My new companion will be Hermana Rodriguez from Tucson, AZ. I'm so excited to work with her! She's been out about the same amount of time as I have been out. She's a native Spanish speaker, so I'm excited to learn more of the language with her!

General Conference was AMAZING! We are so blessed to have living prophets who receive counsel and direction from God for the world. I especially enjoyed the words about missionary work and conversion by Elder Joaquin E. Costa. "Let me invite you, with all the energy of my heart, and from the depths of my soul: go and be baptized! It is the best thing you will ever do. It will change not only your life but also the lives of your children and grandchildren." Amen, Elder Costa! 

I hope that this weekend brought you some of the same feelings that I experienced. God loves us. We are in the last days, but we don't need to fear. We have a prophet to guide us. I invite you to review the words of the prophet, his apostles, and other church leaders, and to make this your walk and talk for the next six months. You will receive the strength needed to endure challenges and personal problems. Your family will be blessed. You will feel our Savior's love more fully. You will have JOY.

Love you so! Gotta go! 

-- 

Hermana Boyson

Kentucky Louisville Mission

This is what we woke up to on April Fools' Day. The sign says "Go back to Utah."

So...we retaliated. 🍪 🐥 

...twice. 🚪 🍪

Baby horsies!

I'm going to miss this companion of mine! She has taught me so much about missionary work. Love you, ⭐️!

Come Listen to the Prophet's Voice!

Hi, y'all!

This won't be very long today. We've been out shopping and sightseeing in Lexington with our Ward Mission Leader's wife. Lexington is AWESOME! 

This week has been busy busy busy! We had a great Zone Conference on Tuesday. We learned about member missionary work and building faith to find. We are so incredibly blessed to have the knowledge of the restored gospel, and we have been commanded to share it with "those who are perishing in unbelief." Open your mouth and take the gospel to the hearts of those who are prepared, and the Spirit will take it into their hearts. Please pray for those who need this knowledge. Pray that they will be led to you. Have charity and courage. 

While in a small town outside of Paris, we came across a B, her 8-month-old boy, H, a younger married woman, and her sister, J, who was inside of the house. We started talking to them, and wow, it was amazing what happened. Brooke and Heather were pretty receptive to us. Heather expressed her recent "Come to Jesus" after getting caught up with a some serious things. B apologized for J's absence. She said that she lost her fiancé in a car accident and has since lost her faith in God. She avoids any conversation about God. As we were sharing our testimonies of Christ, J came to sit on the porch and was intently listening to us. We shared "Look to the Light" testified of enabling power of the Atonement. The Spirit was SO STRONG! One of my all time neatest experiences yet. Sadly, we didn't get any new investigators, but it was a wonderful opportunity to plant seeds. 

Saturday was a treat to be able to watch the General Women's Session! I love the central theme of sacrifice and keeping our covenants. Heavenly Father loves us perfectly. Our happiness is His goal. He asks us to follow His Son and to keep the commandments. In turn, He blesses us greatly. I love this gospel. It truly is good news! 

As General Conference is upon us, we have the opportunity to listen to the Prophet's voice. He receives revelation from God on our behalf. He guides and directs us. He counsels us so that we can return home. I invite you all to prepare by evaluating what more you want to learn for you own life. The questions that you have will be answered by those who have prepared messages. We are blessed to hear the words of disciples of Jesus Christ. 

Have courage and be kind! 💕 

Hermana Boyson

Our c-u-t-e eggs from Brother and Sister Smith! 

Old friends back together!

🌈 🌈 I just love us! And we love rainbows

Parallels and Pure Testimonies

Happy First Day of Spring, y'all!

It's been a busy week here in Paris, KY. We had exchanges with our STLs on Monday after P-day. Sister Johns came with me to Paris, and we had a great time together. We got in with Patsy, an inactive member of over 25 years. We only got to talk with her at her doorstep, but we were able to pray with her. 

The next day we had a lesson with Anthony, an 8-year-old who is preparing for baptism. His mom is inactive, so we have the opportunity to teach him. He's such a sweet boy and is preparing for baptism on April 8!  Sister Johns shared a lot of wonderful and much needed insights with me. I am always in awe of these young missionaries who have such powerful testimonies and insights. 

We had the opportunity to eat dinner with a few members this week and share messages with them. The Spirit I feel in members' homes is humbling and brings me a lot of comfort. I am so grateful for their willingness to open up their houses to us and the time they take to prepare a meal for us. 

We had a lesson with our investigator. She's pretty shy, so Hermana Starling and I wanted to do something different with her so that we could get to know. We brought her her favorite candy and watched Meet the Mormons/Conozca a los mormones with her. It was great! We watched the first three stories with her, and her favorite one was The Bishop. She also liked how family is such a strong focus in our religion. 

During personal study this week, I started 3 Nephi. In the institute manual, President Benson said this about 3 Nephi 1-7: "...the record of the Nephite history just prior to the Savior's visit reveals many parallels to our own day as we anticipate the Savior's second coming."  The introduction to these chapters says "Only those with firm testimonies and full conversions were able to remain steadfast prior to the Savior's appearance in America. The same is true to our day. Only those with firm testimonies and full conversions will be able to remain steadfast prior to the Lord's Second Coming." 

As I have studied these chapters, I have found that these words are true. It it necessary for us to have firm testimonies in Christ. Elder John H. Groberg said "If we think deeply, we realize that the first principle--faith in the Lord Jesus Christ--underlies all else; that is, it takes faith in Christ to repent or be baptized or perform any other ordinances of the gospel." I know that it is only through Jesus Christ that we can be saved. He gave us eternal life. His arm is stretched out in mercy. We can repent through the Atonement and become like Christ. 

Love youins! 

Hermana Boyson

Exchanges with Sister Johns and Sister Endemann! It's been so great to see an old friend from my first area. 

Luhyouins!

It's serious biz in the Pioneer District. Front: Elder Walker, Elder Frigetto, Elder Benard, Elder Sherwood. Back: Sister Nielson, Sister Tripp, Hna. Starling, yours truly

We came to eat chocolate ice cream with Brother and Sister Young. ❤️ 🍦 

Six Months

Hola and Hello! 

What a great week! I celebrated my six-month mark on Tuesday! I feel so blessed to be here serving in the GKLM. The people of Kentucky are wonderful people. I have loved learning more about the Hispanic culture as I have been in their homes. They are such loving people, and I am blessed to be able to teach them in their language. 

We had a lot of wonderful lessons this week. Teresa's progression is slow, but this week she learned a lot through The Spirit. She has a lot of great questions, and we were able to answer them for her. Each time we taught a principle, she would say "Oooooooh. I understand." We could see everything clicking and coming together for her. It was AMAZING! I haven't had a lesson like that before!

On Tuesday, we were able to teach two recent convert. We asked them to write down what they want most out a life right now. Both of them wrote that they want peace. We testified that through keeping the Sabbath day holy, they could find the peace they're both wanting.  We know they know that keeping God's commandments brings blessings! We pray that they will be obedient and receive the blessings God wants to give them. 

Our Zone Meeting this week was fantastic! The focus of the meeting and the trainings we received was about members and member missionary work. A lot of times it feels as though teaching members is not good use of time because we're not teaching new investigators. We learned that through teaching and strengthening members, we are establishing The Church. We are helping build trust between missionaries and members. We can teach them how to find people for us to teach. I'm so looking forward to spending more time with members and allowing them to be prayerful in their search for prepared people.

After Zone Meeting, we were able to help a sister in our ward who we call Momma Rhonda. We had to opportunity to set up for her son's reception. It was so fun! They all were so stressed as any of you who have been part of wedding prep know. We strung lights and tulle, set up tables and chairs, and cleaned up the building's restrooms. #service

A dear friend of mine recently sent me an email, and I wanted to share a part of it with you all. She told me to prayerfully ponder this question and then sit and write down any impressions that come. Hermana Starling and I have been inviting members we teach to do the same, and we have seen how touched others have been. The question is this: "If the Savior was to come and sit next to me, what would He say to me?" I invite you all to take this question to prayer, and let the impressions flow. I know that as you do this, you will receive very specific impressions and an overwhelming feeling of love. 

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be there also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." D&C 84:88

Have a wonderful week, y'all!

Hermana Boyson

We found the cutest little store! Sorry it's so grainy! 

A cactus cigarette butt catcher thing. 

These were in bucket, so we thought we'd leave a note. Jajajajaja!

Lunch with the LexNorth Zone Sisters @ bd's Mongolian Grill. Yummo! 

St. Patrick's Day package from Momma Boyson. Thanks, Mom! ❤️ 

Rhubarb and Our Need to Remember

¡Hola, mi familia y mis amigos! 

This week was fantástico! 

We had another lesson with S and her boyfriend, L. They are such great people, and L wants to learn more and do more, but we feel like they're each other's road blocks. S works on Sundays. She said at first it was hard to miss church, but now it's what's necessary. It's sad to see how much she's changed by not attending church. I read Helaman 5:9-14. Pres. Spencer W. Kimball said this about memory and our spirituality: “When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be remember. Because all of you have made covenants--you know what to do and you know how to do it--our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day--to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that they ‘may always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them.’ Nobody should ever forget to go to sacrament meeting. Remember is the word. Remember is the program.” 

I know that to be true. When I forgot my covenants and purposefully missed church, my life was dark. I didn't realize how unhappy I was until I repented. The light of Christ was able to shine brightly in my life again, and I was able to feel peace and true happiness. I know that when God gives us a commandment, He will provide a way for us to accomplish it.

We were able to do some service again for the family who needed help with their horse stalls last week. We got them almost completely packed up and moved out. Service is one of my favorite things as a missionary. They were very appreciative. We could see how her burdens were lightened by our help.

We had dinner with two families in the ward this week. It's great to be able to share a message and to also gain wisdom from others who have such strong testimonies. And I got to try rhubarb for the first time! Mmmmmm! So good! Thank you, Sister Young! 

Tomorrow is my six-month mark. Holy buckets. I think I'm in shock that I've made it this far. There have been times when I felt like giving up because the language was too hard or when I felt like I couldn't overcome my weaknesses. I am grateful for the blessings, prayers, and uplifting words from my family and friends. I have loved these past six months. I have seen the hand of the Lord in my life as well as in the lives of others. My mom shared something with me today that I want to end with. 

"When we're prompted to do something or say something to or for someone, that means the Lord knows us and the other person.  So when people say they don't know if the Lord knows who they are, there's the proof."

I testify that the Lord knows you. He loves you. You are wonderful in His eyes. Heavenly Father sent His Son to die for you because He loves His children. Jesus Christ suffered what none of us can fathom. He did it because He loves you and wants you to return back home. 

Con cariño, 

Hermana Boyson

We found a cactus in a trailer park. Neature!

My companion and I with Angel. She's the funniest and sassiest human I've ever met. We sure love her!

You can't see it, but downtown Paris is behind us. We tried.