Rain, Rain, and Ripping Satan's Lips Off

Hey, y'all! 

Happy 4th of July! My second week in Shelbyville has been so great and pretty nuts. We set a goal to find seven new investigators. By Friday, we only had three. In district meeting that day, our district leader trained us on how to get a new investigator within five minutes of meeting him/her. He promised us that we would all reach our weekly goals if we'd apply what we learned. Well, Satan worked really hard to keep people from wanting to learn more. Every person we talked to refused to let us leave them with a prayer, and that's a key part of a lesson. It was insane to see how hard we were pushed. But! We ended up finding our seven new investigators this week. Woohoo!

We were tracting on Saturday evening and came across a guy named Charlie mowing his lawn. We talked to him for a bit, but he told us to move along. The rejection kept coming. Person after person. It started to rain, but we didn't have our jackets or umbrellas. As we were walking, Charlie passed us. He stopped for a moment and just looked at us until he asked if we were Jehovah's Witness. We cheerfully exclaimed "No, we're the Mormons!" He said "Wow, it must be pretty important what you're doing." He pulled out an umbrella and handed it to us. So cool. We definitely ripped Satan's lips off.

I had my first exchange, and it was with Hermana Espinoza. Wow! She's a powerful missionary. And wow, if I didn't know my Spanish was so bad before, I definitely knew it with her. She's a native speaker and she's learning English. It was tiring to speak Spanish the entire time, but it was necessary stretching.

The neatest thing that happened this week was seeing Andres' confirmation. The Spirit was so strong when he received the gift of the Holy Ghost. I know that it will be such a blessing for him as he continues to progress and come closer to the Savior. 

This week I was studying chapter 16 of 1 Nephi about the Liahona. The Liahona led Nephi and his family "in the more fertile parts of the wilderness." They suffered from hunger because of their bows. We have personal Liahonas in our day. We have patriarchal blessings, the scriptures and the words of the prophets, and the Holy Ghost. The Liahona worked only when they had humility, exercised faith and diligence, and prayed. For us now, in order to receive guidance, we need to recognize through humility, faith, diligence, and prayer our many blessings. 

Have a happy week! 

💕 & 🐴 Hermana Boyson

Exchanges with the La Grange Hermanas! Hna. Espinoza, me, Hna. Gittins, and Hna. Wilkinson

During our exchange, we painted nails at the assisted living facility. There I met Hazel, the sweetest lady with the cutest name. 

Ms. Lillian made us real Kentucky fried chicken. Take that, Colonel Sanders! 

Danna is back from Mexico! We got to tour our ward mission leader's farm together.

The most fearless kids you'll ever meet.

Bye to Corydon and a Baptism

Hey, y'all!

Let me tell you about my week. It's been amazing!

I met my new companion on Tuesday and said "goodbye" to Hermana Parra.
I miss her a lot. A lot a lot. But! My new companion, Hermana
Wilkinson, is so great! She's a really hard worker, bold, and
optimistic. We've had some really good success so far.

We found six new investigators! We hope that all of them will progress
to baptism. Speaking of baptism, I had my first baptism on Sunday! His
name is Andres, and he's the coolest. He speaks a dialect of
Guatemala, so he doesn't understand Spanish perfectly. But his desires
are pure, and he understands everything that the missionaries have
taught him. It was a crazy week trying to get his last lessons in
before his baptism and putting the program together, but it all worked
out! Felicitaciones, Andres!

We set up our exchanges for this transfer. That was a really neat
experience. We prayed to know when we should exchange and who should
go where. It was a very inspired planning session. God knows our
needs, and He shows His love for us through others. I look forward to
learning from the sisters in our area.

This week I was studying in 1 Ne 16. One of the principles taught in
this chapter is that one of the tests in our lives is how we respond
to trials. If we are humble, we will endure them well. We will see the
hand of the Lord in our lives, and we will come out conquerors. When
we make a mistake, we will feel the guilt because it will prick out
hearts. If we humble ourselves, we will see that God is good and that
He wants us to succeed. Mistakes and errors are not the end. We are
never too far gone. Trials give us the ability to rely upon God.

D&C 122:7-8
7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of
murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast
into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce
winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the
elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws
of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son,
that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy
good.
8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

How will we respond to correction and afflictions?


Love,
Hermana Boyson

We drowned our sorrows of being separated in a "He Wasn't Worth It"
sundae from Emery's.

Transfers were on Hermana Parra's 17-month mark, but it looks like 71. Oops.

Tracting in the rain. Woo hoo!

The cutest little puppy ever! Candy and me. 

Andres' baptism! It was a great day 😊 

Grandmas and Green Tea

Hey, y'all!

Happy (belated) Father's Day! 

This week has been nuts! Where do I begin?! We had exchanges on Tuesday, and I went with Sister Vaughn to Charlestown. The humidity here is no joke! I was sweating buckets as we were walking around talking with people. We had a funny lesson on the Word of Wisdom with one of their investigators. We thought that she said that she was drinking green tea for health reasons, but it turned out to be herbal tea. It's green in color haha!

We had a great Zone Conference and received really great trainings. We cried our eyes out as we watched our goodbye video to President and Sister Brough :( I'm so sad to see them go! I'm excited to meet President and Sister Hughes who arrive on July 1st. 

We spent most of our day on Friday tracting an apartment complex that we found the night before. One of our potential investigators gave us a fake address, but it was a blessing! We found a new investigator and a part-member family/less-active! 

On Saturday, we got transfer calls. I will be leaving Corydon to serve in Shelbyville. Back to Kentucky! I have loved serving here even though it's only been five short weeks. I feel so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to serve with Hermana Parra. We have become really great friends, and I will miss her so much! We're the oldest hermanas in the mission, so it's been nice to have someone to struggle up the stairs with. Basically we're the grandmas of the mission. We weren't expecting to be separated this soon. I was sure that I would see her to the end of her mission. I'll go where you want me to go.

My new address is

1075 Lakeview Dr. #210

Shelbyville, KY 40065

The hardest part of this week was our lesson with Kyle and Megan. Sadly, we had to drop them. We had a lesson with them on Saturday for which we were really nervous. We had shared "My Words...Never Cease" by Elder Holland, "Testimony of the Book of Mormon" Mormon Message, and another article about evidence of the BoM (I was unsure if we should share it with them, but we did anyway. Probably not the best idea). We followed up with them, and they had made a bunch of notes on what we shared. They, mostly Kyle, had researched a good amount of anti-Mormon literature, so we got lectured for two hours. I felt prompted to stop him about an hour into it and reiterate that he was saying that he doesn't believe that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He said "no", so we testified and stated our purpose as missionaries. He spent the next hour lecturing us about the lack of knowledge of the Bible. He invited us to study with him because he "could see that we are unsure about our beliefs." We testified and got the heck out of there. It was a really hard experience for us. We weren't sure whether to cry or yell or drive back and tell him what we thought of his accusations. We ended up yelling out our frustrations to "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up" by Josh Groban. If anything, this experience has taught me to fear God and not man. It has helped me to grow my faith in the Book of Mormon and of the light that we are promised to receive from the Lord when we ask in faith with real intent. 

Love y'all!

Hermana Boyson

P-day with the Paoli sisters! We climbed the fire tower to the treetops. 🌲 

Our homemade cake for Melany. Feliz cumpleaños! 

We won the cleanest car contest at Zone Conference. Don't mess with the grandmas.

We were a little excited about winning. 

Us in 10 years. 👵 

Our favorite place to be on Sundays with our favorite people. 

Halfway Marks and Hiding Tamales

Hey, y'all! 

Hope you're having a wonderful week! It's been good here in Corydon. We found some new investigators, and they're pretty interesting. They're willing to read from the Book of Mormon, so we'll see how it goes! We weren't been able to see Kyle and Megan this week. They were at Vacation Bible School, so we're hoping to see them Saturday. 

This week, I had my first encounter with not being able to finish my dinner. We were over at a less-active family's for dinner, and we had already eaten two meals before. I couldn't do it! Their little boy had what they thought was strep throat, so when Hermana Parra went to check out his tonsils, I hurried and stuffed my tamale in my pocket. Not my finest moment, but I thought I was going to throw up.

I think that I'm becoming a dog person or at least becoming a non dog person. We had dinner with a member couple, and their dogs converted me. Their Shitzu, Griffin, sat on my lap during dessert, and he almost fell asleep from my petting him. 😊

I celebrated my nine months! Hot dog! It was a great day. I burned a skirt with one of the members from the Spanish branch. He did the honors, and I got to hold it and watch it burn haha! Thank you, Chilo! As I reflect on my last nine months, I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me this opportunity to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have been blessed to be able to learn Spanish and to serve with amazing missionaries with powerful testimonies. It was a difficult process to get out on a mission, but through my trials and challenges I was able to be prepared for this time to serve. Our Heavenly Father knows us and provides experiences to help us grow and progress. He loves you! 

Have a happy week! 

❤️ Hermana Boyson

Sent from my iPad

The stain in my pocket from hiding my tamale at dinner. 

The sacrificial skirt. Nine months! 🔥 

My companion and me with Chilo. No missionaries handled matches or lighters in the burning of this skirt. 

Look at those faces! 🐶 

| NINE MONTHS | happiest time of my life | 💕 |

Bats and Bleach Solution

Hey, y'all!

This week has been really good! We found a less-active family who has two kiddos who are of age to be baptized, and the parents are letting us teach them! Hot dog! We were able to help a family clean the siding of their trailer, and we didn't realize that bleach could make you feel like you have bronchitis. We did NOT wake up feeling good that next morning. Our lesson with Kyle and Megan was rough. They keep commitments, but they don't believe in the Book of Mormon. They discounted our testimonies which was hard. They want historical/archaeological proof like the Bible provides, but we know that the promise in the Book of Mormon is real, and that the guidance from James 1:5 is true. Asking God provides personal revelation in our lives, but we must ask with real intent and humility. They want to keep meeting, so please pray for them that they can have open hearts and minds. One highlight of this week was going to a Louisville Bats baseball game with our part-member family. It was so much fun! It was LDS night, so there were a lot of missionaries and members there. I got to see my trainer and some members from my first area! 

I love the words of Elder Holland concerning the Book of Mormon and The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ:

"I testify that the heavens are open. I testify that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God, that the Book of Mormon is truly another testament of Jesus Christ. I testify that Thomas S. Monson is God’s prophet, a modern apostle with the keys of the kingdom in his hands, a man upon whom I personally have seen the mantle fall. I testify that the presence of such authorized, prophetic voices and ongoing canonized revelations have been at the heart of the Christian message whenever the authorized ministry of Christ has been on the earth. I testify that such a ministry is on the earth again, and it is found in this, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Loves! 

Hermana Boyson

Our night with Victor, Kara, and Riley at the Louisville Bats game. 

GKLM!

Farm Animals and Faith in the Book

Hiiiiii!

¿Cómo han estado? We did a lot of service this week! It was my first
week helping out Steve on his farm. Holy moly. It was interesting. He
has hogs, an emu, goats, sheep, deer, and bison. I'm probably missing
an animal or two. Steve is really great. He's rough and tough, but
towards us he's a teddy bear.

We serve at the food bank now! It's a great way to make a positive
name for ourselves in the community. We have a good time running
around filling orders. :)

We found a lot of part-members and less-actives this week, so we were
able to get to know them better and offer service. We met Jesse and
his wife and family. They're so sweet! His wife, Elizabeth, is so
cool. Both of them were really open with us and allowed us to get to
know them. We get to go back and plant some lavender for them. Yay!

Our investigators, Kyle and Megan, are progressing. We're hoping to be
able to teach them more in the next few lessons. They have some hold
ups on the Book of Mormon, and they're devoted believers in the Bible.
They know it very well. It's intimidating! I love the Bible. I just
don't know it well at all. And there are so many out there! Teaching
them has given me a greater love and testimony of the Book of Mormon.
Through multiple translations, precious truths are lost. Through the
Book of Mormon, we have the fulness of the gospel. We have answers to
the questions of the soul. We know perfectly how to find lasting
happiness here on earth and how to make it back to our Heavenly
Father. I love this book!

I am grateful every day to be able to do the Lord's work. It's hard
out here, but this time I have been given to be a missionary is a
blessing. I love it!

Con amor,
Hermana Boyson

Christmas in May! Hermano Howard and his wife bought us Sam's Club!

Eddie! Our pet possum got out and now look at him! (*Not our pet possum. Don't worry, Mom.)

esus wants you to succeed! He knows you and loves who you are and who you're becoming ❤️ 

Chicos malos. 

Indiana and The Iron Rod

Hola, mi familia y mis amigos!

Hello from Indiana! New city, new companion, new adventures!

I have only been here for six days, and I already love it so much! It's a lot different than Paris. Not as much of a small town feel, but still beautiful, green, and friendly. 

My companion is so amazing! She's almost 25, so we have a lot in common. She has her Bachelors from USU so we're both old ladies. She's happy to be with me so that she's not the oldest one anymore haha! She's a really good missionary. She teaches really well and has a genuine love for the people she serves. We just laugh and laugh every day! I feel so grateful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to serve here with her. I have been so blessed with such great companions.

We've had some great things happen here so far. We had a breakthrough with Carolina. She hasn't been very friendly to the missionaries here, but this week she allowed us to walk with her to the Mexican store. She's really sweet. We're hoping to become better acquainted with her through service. 

We met with Kyle and Megan this week. They are referrals from the Zone Leaders. They are so amazing! We were able to answer their questions and taught The Restoration through our answers. They have two little kids who are dang cute. When they told us that they set aside every Tuesday night to spend time together as a family, Hermana Parra and I about fell off our chairs. They're so prepared!

We taught Victor whose wife is a member. He's super cool. He's from Puerto Rico and has the coolest accent! We knew that he'd been approached by missionaries before, so Hermana Parra felt impressed to approach him differently by asking him if we could practice teaching a lesson to him. He had a lot of great questions and said that he's willing to have us back to teach him more. Yay!

I have been studying Lehi's vision of the tree of life and what Nephi was able to see as well. As I have studied, I have learned a lot more about the rod of iron. The iron rod represents God's word. This includes the scriptures, inspired words from prophets and other church leaders, and personal revelation. As we hold to the rod, we are kept from the mists of darkness, or temptations of Satan such as pornography, seeking the acceptance or praise of others, addictions, selfishness, greed, being envious of others, failing to pray and study the scriptures, excessive use of electronic entertainment, excessive participation in any activity or sport, dishonesty, and following what everyone else does. 

As we take the time to armor ourselves against the adversary, we are able to receive the blessings that come from the Atonement. We allow ourselves to learn more about Jesus Christ and our purpose here on earth. 

Alma 32:24

"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."

Love y'all!

Hermana Boyson

That is a shelf cloud which is a great indication of a tornado. We barely missed it. Blessed. 🌪

This is a real pharmacy. And a soda shop. 😕