I Can Do Hard Things

Well this last week had been a blur. One of the sisters went home for a family emergency, and so we combined areas with her companion. We are now a trio, covering two stakes, 12 wards! It is interesting, to say the least. 

In each area, missionaries do things their own way. Of course we all have things that we are supposed to do the same, the same goals, the same vision, the same work, but how you go about that can differ from companionship to companionship. What are you supposed to do with all of your engagements that are planned at the same time? And all of the sacrament meetings? And all of the people you are supposed to know? Well, there is no handbook for combining areas, but there is someone who knows exactly how to make things work, and that is my Father in Heaven. We pray all the time. We need to! There is no way to move forward without His help. And that has been an incredible experience. We also focus on what is good, what is better, and what is best. In everything we do, we have to prioritize and be in tune with the Spirit. I am so grateful for this experience, to be able to adapt and stretch myself and rely on the Lord. 

With three sisters comes three powerful testimonies, and our lessons have been great. We taught the couple that met in the dump, he is less active and she is getting baptized next month. She is so excited and ready to learn. Every time we meet with her she has grown in her faith and testimony. And they have been coming to church! As they move forward and recognize the power that the Lord has in their life, they see how much He has helped them. He is the one who made it possible that they met each other. He is the one who helped them save their house. He is the one who is helping them grow together. As we exercise our faith, the Lord blesses us! He wants us to show Him that we trust Him! He helps us through anything.

We are teaching another man who has not been to church since he was 10. He had lost his job and was feeling a lot of anger. Finally he decided that he needed to go back to church. So he walked across the street one Sunday (only in Utah) and went back. He knows so little about the gospel, but he learned how to pray, and how to ask Heavenly Father for help. He said that he prayed to recognize the Lord's influence in his life, and when he did, he felt peace. His anger went away, and he has been filled with optimism. He is now able to see all of the things that he has been blessed with. And he has faith the he will be able to handle the future, through his Savior Jesus Christ. 

Something that helps me know that I can do hard things, especially on the mission, is the knowledge that I am serving my Heavenly Father. This is His work, and He will make it happen. No matter my struggles, my shortcomings, or my insignificance. If I am doing all that I can, He will step in and make up where I lack.

I love you all and hope you're smiling, remember the wise words of Audrey Hepburn:

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!”

xoxo

Sister Boman

This picture proves that you can't always do hard things. This plate of "Frontera Fries" defeated me :(

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Hey y'all! Hope you're well! Last week I really struggled to put together an awesome email. Sometimes the juices just don't flow! I never want it to sound forced. It is a privilege to share my experiences with you, but I am too much of a perfectionist in my writing! Haha. But today I am especially short on time, so I will be brief. I wanted to talk about some things that I love.

I love:
dog hair- because everyone here has at least one dog. And white dog hair looks great on a black skirt. And dogs are so stinkin cute! They always make me smile.

sore feet- because it means i've been walking a lot, trying to contact a lot of people.

sunburns and tan lines- because it means the sun is shining and we are working hard.

the smell of cigarette smoke- because it means that people who need to change are welcoming us into their lives, as well as their Savior, Jesus Christ.

stomach aches- because it means that we have spent time with members, teaching them how to be missionaries in their own lives.

crying- because it means that i'm feeling the spirit!

We can choose how to see things- positive or negative. President Uchtdorf said "It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life's story will develop."

I am so grateful to rely on my Savior for strength. He helps me to be positive and excited to live my life. I am so happy to know of this restored gospel!

I love you all. Keep smiling!!!

xoxo

Sister Boman

Reunited And It Feels So Good

Happy belated mothers day to all the beautiful women reading this! What an incredible gift you are to the world! Sister Bartnik and I were asked to speak at church on mother's day about mothers and missionary work. It was so fun to think back on all of the ways that my mom has prepared me to be a missionary. President Joseph F. Smith said, “The love of a true mother comes nearer [to] being like the love of God than any other kind of love”. The love of my mother showed me the love that my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for me. Because of her example, I want to share that love with everyone I meet- and that is missionary work!

I love my beautiful family!

Nana and Grandpa!

I was reunited with a few things this week, first of all, my family! We were able to skype and it was such a delight. I am so grateful to have a loving and supportive family. They are my strength every day, and their examples motivates me to be better. We updated each other on news and chatted like old times. I love that we are always able to laugh together. And I saw my Nana and Grandpa too! It was so nice to see their smiling faces :)

I was also reunited with my MTC companion, Sister Greene! We had a special sister's training for all of the sister missionaries in the Utah Ogden mission. It was such an inspiring and motivating training. There are a good amount of sisters serving, I think close to 70. But the elders outnumber us 4:1. As sisters, and as women, we approach missionary work from a different angle. We are often more nurturing and compassionate. Because of this, we are not always as bold with our invitations. We are more sensitive to other's feelings, and we do not always hold investigators to keep commitments. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things that the elders do that are not the best, but the training was organized so that we would understand that we should be getting the same results as the elders are. There are a million different factors of course, we do not force people to get baptized just for a number, but it was great to be motivated and learn how to best use my skills as a sister missionary to help others draw closer to Christ. There are people who have been prepared by the Lord, who are ready and waiting for us to find them and share this wonderful message.

I was reunited with my bandanna, one that I bought in France and wore while I worked on farms there that summer. We participated in Make A Difference Day, and we pulled weeds along a trail. It was fun to work with our hands for a while. I thought it appropriate to wear my "get it done do-rag" as we named it on the farm. I ended up wearing it the rest of the day just for fun.

Reunions were sweet this week, and they made my heart smile. As I study the scriptures and learn more about my loving Father in Heaven, I look forward to our reunion in Heaven. I am so grateful to be able to learn and grow closer to him. I know that He loves me, and He wants me to be happy here on Earth. He has given me so many things to show His love for me- my family, friends, the scriptures, the sunshine, this gospel, even His own Son, Jesus Christ. I am so blessed to feel of His love and rely on Him every day for strength.

How will you prepare for your reunion with our Heavenly Father?

I love you all, and hope you are smiling!

xoxo

Sister Boman

Small And Simple Things

Not every week is filled with incredible revelations and powerful stories. This week was a bit slow, but it was filled with small and simple beautiful things.

We were walking down the street the other day, and we saw two boys on their skateboards. The first boy sped across the street as a car approached. His friend followed close behind, but hit a pothole as he went to cross. He fell to the ground, right as the approaching car sped by. The driver was texting, oblivious that she might have taken this young man's life. Sister Bartnik and I looked at eachother in disbelief. We witnessed the hand of the Lord reaching down and saving this boy's life. What an incredible testimony that miracles still happen every day!

We received a referral from a ward mission leader of a man who is ready to meet with us. He is engaged, and his fiancee is a member. We finally met him, and before we could even introduce ourselves, he said "So can we set up a time?" He is ready to go! It is rare that we have people eager to meet with us. It is awesome to meet people who are truly prepared!

We are also teaching another couple, the husband is a less active member and she is not a member. They met at a dump in Florida! They were both in abusive marriages, and they rescued eachother. We taught her about the restoration of the church. It was so powerful to bear my testimony of this restored gospel. The difference between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and other churches is that this is the fullness of the gospel, the same church that Jesus Christ established on the earth. Heavenly Father called a prophet in these latter days, Joseph Smith, to restore the gospel. He was given the priesthood, that authority to act in the name of God. This gospel is built upon the word of God. We shared Joseph Smith's first vision, when He saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. After, our investigator looked at us and said "Wow. That was powerful!" We helped her to recognize times in her life when she has felt the spirit, and she has had some incredible experiences! And she recognizes the Lord's hand in getting her to this point in her life, where she is happy. We are so excited to teach her more and help her to know for herself if this is true.

We had a training with the other missionaries in our district. Our district leader said something that really stood out to me- he invited us to live our testimonies! Every day we should be living what we believe. Our testimony will shine from within us, and we should also vocalize it! I am trying to shine that light as bright as I can.

Yesterday we were walking home, and we passed a little girl, maybe nine years old, on her bike. We waved and smiled, and she called from across the street "You both look really cute!" It's small and simple unexpected things like that that make the day a little brighter!

I don't know why there's a weird dot on Sis. Bartnik's eyelid but please ignore it! It's not there in real life!

I love you all and I invite you to look for the small and simple things that are all around you!

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." Alma 37:6-7

xoxo
Sister Boman