My girl. Hope you're taking a nice long nap, abuela! Sure love ya! #lasabuelasHey, y'all!
What a great week! Tuesday was transfers, and we got to see the departing missionaries. I got to see Hermana Parra! She looked so happy and fulfilled. Hermana Fluckiger is my new companion, and she's so cool! She's a lot like one of my best friends from home, so it's like I'm serving with her! Hermana Fluckiger (flu-key-grrrr) is a powerhouse missionary. I feel so blessed and grateful to have her as a companion. She has such a kind heart and a way with people.
We had the neatest thing happen to us this week. We were praying about where to go to find a new investigator, and we decided to go visit a less-active named Lupe and then work the neighborhood. When we pulled into her neighborhood, I honestly had doubts that we'd have any success. We pulled up to her house and found her son, Francisco, sitting on the porch. He checked to see if she would come out to talk with us, but he said she was sleeping. We talked to him for awhile, and he opened up to us about some family things and how he's been feeling really lost and depressed lately. We shared "The Refiner's Fire" (https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-11-010-the-refiners-fire?lang=eng&_r=1) with him and talked about it, and he said he wanted to come to church! Whaaaaat?! He hasn't been in 12 years since he was baptized. We knew that we were inspired to look for Lupe so that we could find Francisco.
On Sunday morning, we stopped by his house to help him get to church, and his sister said that he had just gotten picked up by his girlfriend for breakfast. Our hearts sunk. He seemed so solid! We got to church and as we were telling a member what happened, I saw Francisco walk in! I got Hermana Fluckiger's attention, and we both just looked at each other with huge smiles! He was welcomed back with open arms by so many people. He said for 10 years missionaries have been trying to get someone--anyone--from their family to come back to church. Heavenly Father really does just love us and knows exactly how to help us. He loves Francisco and knew that we needed to help him. I am so grateful to be the Lord's instrument.
During companionship study this week, Hermana Fluckiger and I were talking about Christlike attributes and adversity. This is from an article called "The Fourth Missionary". I loved it and want to shared it with you all.
"Every challenge you face, every hard thing you confront, every bad thing that happens to you, every unfairness, every conflict, every sadness, tragedy, every disappointment and heartache, every temptation and every opposition happens for one purpose only: to give you opportunity to respond by applying in your life the teachings of Jesus. As you do so you are changed to become more like Him.
If you were never presented with some advantage to be gained by dishonesty, such as recognition, or money, or a better grade on a test or avoidance of punishment or embarrassment, you could never develop integrity. If no one ever offended you, you could never learn to forgive or internalize mercy. Were you never wearied by the annoying behavior of another or the repeated failures of someone else, you could never become patient. Were you never subjected to the appetites and passions of the physical body for food, for water and for sexual fulfillment, you could not develop self-mastery. Without opposition, the plan would be frustrated, you could not progress, and the purpose of life would be unachievable.
In short, when you choose to follow Christ, you move forward and assimilate attributes of light; when you do not, you move backward and acquire attributes of darkness."
Love you all for who you are, and Heavenly Father loves you because you're His. Face your trials with trust in the Savior. The Lord is the way, and we can become like Him through adversity.
💕&🐴
Hermana Boyson
