Temple Photo Booth!

Yes. I am a dork. Haha but it was so fun to run in to the reception tent as often as I had time, and when there wasn't a long line for the photobooth. I sent every picture to my mom, as a little hello  every once in a while :)

Golden

This week was golden!!! It was the last week of my golden year (of being 22 since my birthday is the 22nd) and it was fantastic. Let me tell you why.

There is a young man who we met at church a few weeks ago, and he told us that he wanted to get baptized! But he wasn't ready to meet with us yet. He went to church for a few more weeks, and we kept asking him. Finally we texted him last week and we set up an appointment! He is SO ready! He has been reading the scriptures and praying and he wants to be baptized. We helped him to realize that he is ready to make this commitment! He has felt the confirmation of the spirit and knows that this is the path that he wants to take. We do not need to be perfect before we are baptized, but the desires of our hearts must be true and pure. We must change how we are living if it is not in agreement with God's commandments, but we do not need to be scriptural scholars to be followers of Jesus Christ! He decided that he would like to be baptized this weekend! It is so incredible to see how much the Lord is preparing people around us. It is such a gift to be able to help them make these incredible changes in their lives.

We also had the wonderful opportunity to prepare for the Ogden Temple re-dedication by setting up chairs all through the temple! They cleared out every room, and we set up chairs everywhere! The re-dedication took place in the celestial room of the temple, and it was broadcast to every room so that people could be in the temple for the re-dedication. I felt so lucky to spend so much time in each room, admiring the beautiful artwork, architecture, and the incredible chandeliers. Beware of the chandeliers! Some of them hang pretty low, and when you're unfolding chairs you are bound to get a little preoccupied and might end up smacking your head on a big crystal. Haha oops. But other than a small headache, it was great.

The next day we were invited to participate in the Youth Cultural Temple Celebration! It's a huge production where youth from all over the greater Ogden area sing and dance and put on this big show about the history of Ogden and the importance and blessings of having a temple. They did such a good job! There was a part where they sang about missionary work, and a bunch of the missionaries here in the Ogden mission walked down the aisles and we waved and smiled and sang with them. We sang the song "Called to Serve". I got emotional as I listened to the lyrics:

Called to serve Him, heav'nly King of glory,
Chosen e'er to witness for his name,
Far and wide we tell the Father's story,
Far and wide his love proclaim.
Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name;
Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name;
Forward, pressing forward, as a triumph song we sing.
God our strength will be; press forward ever,
Called to serve our King.

the Temple celebration!

Finally, Sunday came! The day that we had been working and waiting for ever since spring, when we found out that the temple would be completed by September. On Sunday morning, the beautiful Ogden temple became a house of the Lord. President Thomas S. Monson told us to love, appreciate, and attend the temple. I feel so incredibly lucky to have been so involved with literally everything leading up to the re-dedication of the temple, just short of getting in there and helping with the reconstruction! My testimony of temples and the wonderful gift that they are has grown so much. I am so grateful for the work that is done in these holy places around the world.

German chocolate cake!

Yes, I would say that this last week was a great way to end my golden year. For my birthday, our senior couple made us lunch and a delicious German Chocolate cake! It was soooo good :)

I am so grateful to be serving the Lord. Every day I feel His love, and I am learning and growing in so many ways. I am so grateful for all of your love and support!

I love you all, and I hope you're smiling!

xoxo

Sister Boman

Getting my hair done by my mini-me

Salvation Is Not A Cheap Experience

applesauce! and peach applesauce!

This week was so sweet. We have been given a ton of apples from members, and we made applesauce! It is so delicious. Then we had the incredible opportunity to have a mission conference in Logan where we heard from the legend himself, Elder Jeffery R. Holland! You would think that being in the Ogden Utah mission, so close to church headquarters in Salt Lake City, that we would be visited by general authorities often, but it has been a few years since an apostle has come to speak to the mission! I feel so lucky and honored to have had the opportunity to listen to his guidance and council. He told us that the mission will change us- we must let it change us. We should not return home to be the same person. The commitments that we make on a mission are for life! We are God's investigators. When we want an investigator to read their scriptures more, God wants us to read our scriptures a little more. When we want our investigators to prepare to make covenants and promises, God wants us to recommit ourselves to the covenants and promises that we have made with Him. He also talked about how important it is that we respect and honor the authority that we have. In the scriptures, missionaries speak with "such power and authority" (Helaman 5:18) and cause "great astonishment" (Helaman 5:19). He said that we must use the power we have been given; Go astonish someone! Cause a personal earthquake! This work is hard and exhausting, because "Salvation is not a cheap experience". The most important work there is to do on this earth is the saving of a human soul. What a privilege to be here in Utah doing just that!

After the conference we had lunch at The Crepery. Ohhhhh boy after having crepes every weekend for most of your life (thanks nana and dad!), then not having them for six months, that was sure a treat! It was the cutest little hipster crepe and coffee shop. We drove around Logan a little bit, saw the beautiful temple, and then went out to Mendon to see some people from Sister Nelson's old area. It is so quaint and simply idyllic out there in Cache Valley. The leaves are starting to turn and we were blessed with a warm sunny day. 

delicious crepe with fresh peaches!

Things are going well in our area. We met with a less active woman who has recently been struggling. She felt as if everything in her life was falling apart, and she had lost hope. Luckily, she said that she still had faith that things could get better, she just didn't know how. She has been afraid to go to church alone, and so she asked us if we would come with her. I am so glad that she felt comfortable to ask us, that she trusts us. I felt so bad talking with her, because I didn't know what we could do to help. We're not marriage counselors, we're not therapists, but we are representatives of Jesus Christ. She knew that we would bring the spirit into her home, and we encouraged her and helped her to know that there is hope. No matter what we are going through now, we can do it with the help of our Savior Jesus Christ. We all have dark days. When the Savior was killed on a Friday, it was a dark and devastating day. But He rose from the grave on Sunday, giving us hope. We all have Fridays, but Sunday will come. And Sunday came for our friend. We walked into church with her, and she was so grateful for the peace and renewal that she received from the sacrament. She told us soon after that things had gotten so much better in just the few days that passed. Everything was looking up, and she had now had hope!

we get the BEST sunsets!

We have been visiting so many sweet families. The people here are so kind and genuine and full of love. Just what we need when we're far from our loving families. I love seeing the power that the gospel has to unite families together. They work together to strengthen and uplift each other, and they do the same things with their friends and neighbors who do not have the gospel. It is a beautiful thing. I am so grateful to be here.

I love you all, and I hope you're smiling!

xoxo

Sister BomanS

Just Peachy

Last week we went to Wal-Mart because Sister Miller wanted to get her nails done. What we thought would be a half hour stop, turned into two hours! But I wasn't going to waste that precious time. I took advantage of the trapped people around me at the nail salon and I talked to them about the gospel! There was one girl who asked us a lot about what it was like to be a missionary. She is dating a member of the church but he is not active. She asked us some really good questions, like why do we go to church? We had the chance to explain the sacrament, the power of the priesthood, how the gospel had been restored on the earth, and that we have a living prophet on the earth today. I gave her a pamphlet about the gospel of Jesus Christ with the missionary's phone number in her area written on the back. It is so incredible to feel comfortable talking to random strangers about the gospel, to help increase their understanding, and help them to feel the spirit. I just love being a missionary!

My new companion is Sister Nelson, and she's from Portland Oregon! We have been swimming in the most delicious peaches! Every time we go to someone's house and they offer us peaches, we never turn them down! It's a main staple of our diet. One family made us homemade peach ice cream and gave us the rest to take home! The next day we warmed some up and cut fresh peaches and sprinkled cinnamon on top.... such a treat!!!! We are so spoiled. 

the beautiful Ogden Temple!

The Ogden Temple open house finally finished last Saturday! I can't believe it is over. I has been such a huge part of our lives! And I think we all got used to running around like crazy people and not getting enough sleep. But the blessings in store are beginning to pour from the windows of Heaven! We were able to go to the open house with the girl we met last week and her mom, who is  a less active member. We were waiting for half an hour at the temple, and were just about to give up, when we saw them walking towards us! It was a miracle! The whole time we were in the temple, her mom was oohing and ahhing and had the biggest smile on her face. Her daughter asked a lot of questions and we were able to explain more. It was so beautiful to be with them to experience the peace and beauty of the temple. In the introductory video before the tour, Elder Holland says, "I couldn't speak of Heaven in the traditional, lovely, paradisaical beauty that we speak of Heaven... I couldn't speak of Heaven without my wife, or my children. It wouldn't be Heaven for me". I have a testimony of the power of the priesthood, to bind families together for eternity. I know that my family is united because of the eternal perspective that we have of our relationships. I know that my family would not be as strong or as happy if we had not been sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. And I am forever grateful for that blessing. 

We are already seeing the fruits of our labors at the temple. Last week a member contacted us and told us that she took her friend to the open house. While they were there, her friend said that she felt her deceased son and father with her in the celestial room. She normally goes to Episcopalian church. Some days she feels good, but other days she doesn't feel like it resonates with her. She has been depressed the past year, and when she went to the temple, she felt like a piece of her that was missing had been brought back. We met with her yesterday, and shared the message of the restoration of the gospel. The spirit filled the room as I shared Joseph Smith's first vision of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Every time I share that experience, my testimony of this gospel is strengthened. I can not deny the power of the spirit! We invited her to be baptized at the end of this month, and she said that she wants to, and knows that is where she knows she should be, but she will need help to get there. Lucky for her, that is our job! We are so privileged to help people learn and grow their testimony. 

I love being a missionary. I truly love sharing my testimony with others. Sometimes we never see progress, or we don't see results. But each and every time I am able to testify, I am strengthened by the Spirit of God. Thanks to my mission, I will never be the same. 

I love you all, and I hope you're smiling! 

xoxo

Sister Boman

Give 'Em Heaven, Baptize The Hell Out Of Them

Busy days are the best days! One night last week we had back to back lessons every half hour, and boy we were running around like madwomen. We have been visiting a lot of members to help them to be more missionary minded and understand their role in missionary work. It has been so great to get to know so many wonderful families and see how they are being great examples to those they interact with. What we help them realize is that we need them to do more! The Lord is hastening His work, and it takes action and invitation! We must give others the opportunity to learn of the truth, because there are somany people "who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it" D&C 123:12. A great example of this was the other day, we went to find a referral that we were told works nights. We had a little bit of time before running to our shift at the temple, so we stopped at their house. We met her niece at the door. She said that she grew up going to a baptist church, but doesn't go any more. We talked to her about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and the power of the priesthood that has been restored. We invited her, if she prayed and learned that these things were true, to be baptized. She said yes! It was so awesome! She has been prepared by the Lord! We just had to be where He needed us. We were going to go to the temple open house with her but her mom and aunt got sick, and then she did as well. We stopped by on Sunday and asked if they needed anything, maybe some soup? And they actually said yes that would be so nice! So we enlisted our talented senior couple to make some chicken noodle soup. We dropped it off last night. They were so appreciative. Hopefully we can go with them all to the open house before it ends this weekend!

We went on exchanges again, this time my sister training leader Hermana Lawrence stayed in her area and I went to her! My second time in the Spanish program and now i know for sure I am asking president to switch. I saw a few of the same people i met last week. The same girl I met and taught the plan of salvation, we made cupcakes for her birthday. They were funfetti and we filled some with chocolate and then made chocolate covered strawberries and put them on top! It was a deliciously chaotic mess in their tiny kitchen. It was so fun. Then we went to the baptism of a young man, and they needed someone to help with the music. So Hermana Lawrence played the piano and I led the music in spanish! It was awesome! Then we had a lesson and I even read some of the pamphlet in spanish! It was so cool. The member that was at the lesson thought that I was hispanic! I guess they must just think that i'm really quiet haha.

On sunday at church there were a few people who came up to me and told me that they had missionary experiences, or that they had just gotten their mission call, and one man even remembered something I said from a talk I had given a few weeks ago! It was so neat to see the members getting excited about missionary work!

I saw a lady from my last area at the temple. She is an older lady, and the self proclaimed "queen of the ward". She would always quiz us on church history and make fun of us for getting answers wrong. When she saw me she said "Well, have you gotten any smarter?" Hahaha she made me promise to invite her to my departing testimony meeting. She said she'd stay alive for it. She is a hoot!

This week is transfers, and because of the temple open house, they let all of the sisters know what was going on early so that we could plan accordingly. We didn't get a call, so we thought that nothing was changing. But you should always expect the unexpected! We got a call yesterday and found out that Sister Miller is leaving and Sister Nelson will be my new companion! It will be crazy being the one who "knows the area" but I think i'm up for the challenge! Luckily we have a lot of help and support from the members. It will be so sad to see Sister Miller leave! She is such a sweetheart. The people here love her so much, and she will be missed!

I love you all and I hope that you're smiling!

xoxo

Sister Boman