Return With Honor

I have been trying to think about what would be the best thing to say in my last email. This is my last week as a missionary, and it is a surreal feeling. There are so many things that have happened on my mission. I have changed and learned so much! And I have met so many incredible people. I know that it was Heavenly Father's plan for me to serve a mission. What is funny is that I never saw myself serving a mission. It just wasn't in my future plans. But thanks to the promptings of the Holy Ghost (and my Grandpa), I actually took some time to think about it, and more importantly, to pray about it. When I finally did that, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and calm. I knew that this was what the Lord was planning for me. 

I know that there have been a lot of people I was meant to meet, lives I was meant to change, but the one life I know that has changed forever is mine.

In Doctrine and Covenants, section 18 verses 13-16 it reads:

And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!

Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people.

And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

That one soul that I have brought unto God is my own. I never truly knew what this gospel was all about. I lived it, I made mistakes, I repented, and I got myself here on a mission. Somehow they trusted me, with my simple testimony, to represent the church. But I now can say with conviction that I know my Savior lives. I know that He loves me. I know that He suffered the Atonement for each of us, individually, and it was out of love, not obligation. That sacrifice gave us the chance to start again. I know that He lived a perfect life so that we could have an example to follow. I know that His church was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, that he translated the Book of Mormon so that we could each know of God's plan for us. I know that the priesthood of God has been restored to the earth, and that we have a prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson. I know that this is the true church, and I know that because the Holy Ghost has testified of that truth to me each and every day. I have had the privilege of representing my Savior Jesus Christ, and I don't want to ever stop. When I take off my name tag, my calling will still be written on my heart. I have covenanted to stand as a witness of Him, of His everlasting love and eternal grace. I am forever grateful for this gospel. 

I love you all, and I hope that you will continue to smile, even when i'm not reminding you :) 

xoxo

Sister Boman

It's Never Too Late

Hermana Estrada and I with our mission president's wife, Sister Jaggi! We made posters talking about ourselves and our mission vision. Hermana Estrada is an incredible artist!

We had zone conference this week with our new mission president. He is truly inspired! He is just what the mission needs. It is interesting to see how the Lord qualifies the called. We could tell at first that President Jaggi seemed a little nervous and overwhelmed, but he is truly rising to the call. Our mission is learning "line upon line, precept upon precept" as it says in 2 Nephi chapter 28. With each mission president, we are able to learn and progress a little bit more. I am excited to see what I can apply for the last few weeks of my ministry. 

We had a really hard lesson last week. We met with the young girl we have been teaching and her mom. Her mom is really concerned that the 25th is too soon for her baptism. When we talked to her about it, her concerns came down to the fact that she still needs to invite everyone and make sure they can be there. But they have known about the baptismal date for a few weeks now! That is what is so frustrating. They want to wait a whole month before her baptism now. It is so sad. I know that there are blessings waiting for her that she can receive when she makes this commitment to the Lord. And she wants to get baptized, but she is so sweet and really doesn't want to upset her mother. She respects her so much. We will continue meeting with her, but I will have to skype in to her baptism, since I will be home then!

Even in these last few weeks, I see how much I still have to learn. Missionary work is hard, but so worth it. I am so grateful for how the Lord is changing and shaping me into the person He knows I can be. 

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

It's Good To Be Alive

One of my favorite parts of the mission is going to the temple with recent converts! The 16 year old girl who got baptized a few weeks ago went to the temple to do baptisms without even telling us! Haha she was so excited she went the very next week. We were able to go last week with her to do more baptisms. She loved seeing us in the jumpsuits. It was so fun to do work for people who have passed away, and feel the special spirit that is in the temple. 

We had interviews with our brand new mission president last week! His name is President Jaggi. He was born in Salt Lake City but his family lives in southern California. He and his wife are in their early 40's (watch out dad! Next calling???) and they have four kids, 9, 11, 15, and 17! They are an active, dynamic family that loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ. President Jaggi is so full of energy and light. I have been inspired by his humility and diligence already. 

I was reading old journal entries this morning. It was so funny to look back and see how enthusiastic I was, how every little thing was a miracle. I think being out so long has almost dulled my sensitivity to how awesome this work is, because it's so normal! But reading those journal entries helped me to see that I need to remember that perspective I had when I was starting out. There are so many miracles I witness every day, that I am a part of. I know that I will definitely feel the difference when I go home. I have been so lucky to be so close to the spirit, to truly be an instrument in the Lord's hands. I don't want it to end when I come home!

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

Let Freedom Ring

4th of July Parade!

Happy belated Fourth of July! I am so grateful for this beautiful country that I live in, that I am able to practice my beliefs freely, and that we are so blessed in this land. We continue to see the miracles here in our work, and I am getting used to working on a bike! It is hot and my farmer tan is glowing haha. We had a fun fourth, we were in two parades! That night we were able to watch the fireworks from inside our front room so we were safe from the mosquitoes.

our landlady and her miniature horse!

We met with the young girl who has been coming to church on her own. She has such a sweet spirit. She is excited for baptism, and knows so much already! It always blows my mind how Heavenly Father prepares people, and then we step in for a short time to help them make the step of baptism, and then He continues to bless and guide them. 

There is a recent convert we have been visiting, but he hasn't taken the steps to receive the priesthood or go to the temple since he has been baptized. We took some time to talk with him and get to know him better. He told us all about his youth and how he met his wife, who passed away six years ago. He was so in love with her, and has struggled with her loss. It was so neat to see him light up when he talked about her. He is excited and feels the promptings of the spirit, telling him that these steps he is taking are right. He is grateful to know that he can be with his wife again. 

We met with the family who has the less active dad and nonmember wife and daughter. They are such wonderful people. They are really opening up and asking questions. It is so strange to break things down so simply, but they recognize how this gospel can bless them and they really want to learn more. When we said the closing prayer, I asked if we could all kneel together, and the mom asked "Is this what you guys do?" Haha it was so funny. She is helping me to really thing about every little detail of the gospel. 

We are meeting with a young man who has fallen wayyyyy off the path, but has had some incredible experiences to help him have a desire to come back to church, but more importantly, to turn back to God. He has been reading and praying and his whole countenance has changed. He is being filled with the spirit. It is so awesome to listen to him talk about the things he is feeling. He is so humble and honest. The joy and peace that he is feeling now is exactly what I picture when I think of the word freedom. And boy is it ringing through him. Anything is possible through our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

If Ye Have Desires, Ye Are Called To The Work

Hey everyone! This week was such a blessing. We had a baptism for our 16 year old investigator! It was so spiritual. She had so much support from family and friends, and she really was excited to make this commitment. We talked to her about the steps she would take after her baptism, continuing to learn and serve in the church, and doing work at the temple. She is so excited! This girl has been a huge example to me, and I am so grateful for all that she has taught me.

My new companion is Hermana Estrada! She was born in Guatemala but moved to Oregon when she was 6. We are a lot alike, and we are having a ton of fun. She is helping me adjust to doing missionary work on bikes! They took our car away and I was a bit nervous, but besides the sore backside we are doing good! People see us out more, and we are more thoughtful as we go from place to place because it takes a lot of energy to ride in this heat! But we are seeing miracles because of our diligence.

don't be fooled, that smile isn't always on my face! ;)

We met with a family this past week. The dad is less active and his wife and daughter are not members. They have had basically no exposure to religion in their lives so we're starting at square one, explaining who God and Jesus Christ are and what this gospel can do for their family. They have been hit with some hard things in their family recently, and so they are very open to the peace and happiness that the gospel can bring to them. We could feel it as we taught them; they had so many questions. They really wanted to know what this is all about.

We met another young girl who's mom is less active and doesn't come out to church, but her daughter wanted to go to a church, so she was going to a Christian church. She ended up not liking that one so she started going to the LDS church, and has been coming by herself for the past few months! She walks all alone in her heels down the street and around the corner (you don't have to go too far in Utah to find a chapel). She wants to get baptized and we are going to start teaching her!
I am so grateful for all of the incredible miracles I have been able to witness here on my mission. I feel so blessed to touch people's lives, even for a short while. I know that Heavenly Father is giving me the strength that I need to stay strong and "endure to the end" of my mission.

The gospel is true. I love you all and I hope you're smiling!

xoxo

Sister Boman

Bittersweet Symphony

This week was bittersweet. We had our send-off testimony meeting for our mission president who will finish his mission at the end of this month. He has been an incredible support to me throughout my mission, ever since day one. He is easy to talk to, and always smiling. One of his strengths is positivity, and it's no question why. He is such a spiritual giant, and if we ever have questions, he counsels us to take it to the Lord. "Go pray about it" he says. He has helped me to strengthen my relationship with my Heavenly Father and to rely more on my Savior Jesus Christ. He will definitely be missed!

We had an awesome lesson with our recent convert who was baptized last weekend. It is so neat to see how her relationship with her husband and son is strengthened, and how many blessings they are seeing because of her choice to join the church. They still have hard times, but they are able to handle them with so much more faith and hope. 

This last Sunday was almost a big scare. Our investigator getting baptized this weekend needed to come to church one more time before she can be baptized, to show her commitment to the Lord. With a family camping trip and father's day weekend all in one, we were so nervous that she wouldn't be able to make it and we would have to push her baptismal date back. I called a family up in Hyrum near where she was camping and asked if she could sit with them in church. Later that night they were texting and making sure they would be able to find each other in the morning! The morning came, and she texted us and said she was at church!!!!!!! Unless you have served a mission, you have NO IDEA how big a deal this is!!! It is SO HARD to get people to church. The fact that she left from camping, with her parents questioning her decision to go to church on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning proved to us and to her Heavenly Father that she is committed to this decision that she has made! Needless to say, a happy dance was in order. 

A big shout out to all the fathers in my life! I love my dad, grandpa, uncles, priesthood leaders, and all of the wonderful men who have been surrogate dads out here on my mission. Still, no one compares to my awesome dad! I made a delish father's day breakfast for our landlords, you would have loved it dad! We ate it all gone ;)

Transfers are this week and i'm staying in my area. I will die here. Hopefully not of heat stroke (they took our car away) but it will be the last place I serve on my mission. I'm trying not to count down! I know there is still so much work for me to do here, and so many things to learn. But, I am excited to see you all when I come home!

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

here's a picture of a beautiful sunset in Hyrum, I went on exchanges up to my old area! 

He Knows

Something that I have been learning recently is that Heavenly Father always knows. He knows what we really want, He knows what is best for us, He knows what needs to happen, He knows what we need to learn. He always knows! And how incredible it is that He cares enough to help us out. 

It is tricky being a missionary. I love this work, I love the people we meet, and I know that Satan knows a thing or two as well. He likes to bug me! He knows how important this work us, just as much as Heavenly Father does. Every day I pray for help to fight him off, 'cause aint nobody got time fo that! Thankfully i've got someone even stronger on my side, Jesus Christ! I could not do this work without His help. He has been with me every step of the way and i'm going to need Him up until the last day!

We had a baptism this past weekend! The sisters before I came in were working with her and she was finally ready to take the step into the waters of baptism. She was really nervous because her parents and grandparents were both there, and they are not members and not very supportive of her decision. She didn't think they would show up. It was so cool to share the message of the restoration with our captive audience lol. The spirit was really strong and we are excited for her to continue to grow close with her husband and son. 

On Sunday we walked into a sacrament meeting and saw one of the less active members that we are working with sitting in the back! We were so thrilled! She said she felt prompted to come to church and she got ready in fifteen minutes to come!  The entire sacrament meeting was about finding joy in our adversities. It was exactly what she needed to hear. He knew! What was funny was that the speaker was supposed to speak a few weeks ago, but they moved her to this Sunday and gave her this new topic. Heavenly Father knows each of us and exactly what our needs are. 

I've been trying to figure out how to stay strong until the end of my mission, to keep the fire burning, and I realized that service is my key! We did some more weeding this week and some vacuuming and dusting for an older lady. It's the best way to make the least productive hours of the day more productive and fulfilling. As I serve these people I realize how much I have been blessed with and how grateful I am to be able to do this work. 

We saw a really neat mormon message on LDS.org. It's called Lift. It's a really touching story and helped me to gain a greater perspective for why i'm doing this work. You should all watch it!

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

Persistence

I keep writing about miracles in my emails, but I can't stop because they KEEP HAPPENING! We met SO many people this week who are prepared to receive the gospel.

We met the young girl who a young woman called us about. She is sixteen and has wanted to be baptized since she was ten! Her parents didn't want her to when she was younger because they thought she needed to be older to make her decision. She has been coming to church activities ever since, and thanks to her friend she has started meeting with us! She was kind of quiet at first, but finally she opened up and told us how badly she has wanted this. She knows it is true and she is ready to take this step! The best part is, her parents are supporting her decision!!! We prayed and fasted that they would be ok with it, and the Lord granted us a miracle! She has been reading the scriptures and praying and doing everything she can to prepare for her baptism!

The other family we met yesterday. A few weeks ago we had stopped by because we knew the dad was less active and the wife and daughter were not members. We met the husband at the door, he didn't let us in. He said his daughter wasn't feeling well, and we asked if we could come back another time to meet them. He didn't sound very interested, and told us that he's pretty sure his wife and daughter don't want anything to do with the church. Still, we were persistent and tried them again last night. As we were praying before we went to their door, they pulled into their driveway! They let us inside and we met them all. The wife didn't grow up with any religion, and the daughter hasn't learned about any church. We testified of the power the gospel has to change lives, to bring peace and comfort, and to give us a path to follow to find happiness and lasting joy. The spirit was so strong, and when we asked if we could come and teach them more, the wife said yes that would be wonderful! We are so excited to get to know them and help them to feel of the love of their Heavenly Father.

A bunch of missionaries were able to do some service at a homeless shelter. They were serving dinner and we were the entertainment! We sang hymns and people had brought guitars and ukuleles. I sat with a few people and chatted with them. I love to sing but I figured they would rather have some conversation. I met one guy who is getting baptized this weekend! He has been meeting with some elders that work down in that area. The other guy at the table had just come from Philadelphia, thinking his cousin would have a place for him to live but turned out it was the homeless shelter! Me and the other guy getting baptized talked to him about the church and how it could bless him. He had a lot of wild ideas about religion, but he said that he was praying for a girl! HA! We told him boy you're praying for the wrong thing! Heavenly Father will bless us if we are obedient and seek after righteous desires. We told him he might meet a nice girl if he came to church haha. We'll see what happens. It was so fun to just chat with everyone and help them to feel the spirit. They are so humble. Their needs are so basic. It is incredible what the gospel can do to help us find peace and hope for the future.

look at those missionaries sing!

I LOVE this gospel. It is such a privilege to share it with everyone I meet. At the homeless shelter, a young girl came up to me. Her parents were helping serve the dinner. She said "I just wanted to let you know what an awesome missionary you are!" She must have seen me talking to everybody. It made me so happy! Fifteen months ago I would not have had the guts to sit down at a table with homeless people and start talking about the gospel. I am so thankful for the trust I have put in my Heavenly Father, and for all of the incredible people He has placed in my path for me to meet.

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

Who Do You Love?

We are working hard to see changes in our area, to see changes in ourselves, and to see changes in the people we are working with! I am grateful for the strength that Heavenly Father is giving me to keep working hard!

A member of one of our wards spoke to us on Sunday about teaching a lady who is in his neighborhood. She had a few questions, and he figured it would be a good time for us to come and speak with her! She is Methodist, and her husband passed away last year. She is struggling to cope with the loss, but she has a lot of faith. We taught her about the restoration of the gospel and told her about the plan of salvation that our Heavenly Father has for us, and she really liked what we were talking about. By the end, she said "Well i'm not interested in changing religions..." BUT, she said she would start reading the Book of Mormon! If she reads it prayerfully with an open heart, she will know, by the power of the Holy Ghost that this church is true!

We met a young couple, she is less active and he is not a member. They have been going to some other churches, trying to find a place that they like, but nothing feels right. We were able to share our testimonies with them, and we could really tell that her husband was feeling the spirit. Hopefully we can help them to find true peace and happiness! 

We got a phone call late Saturday night from a young girl who said her friend is interested in taking the missionary lessons! We love when people call us with people ready and willing to be taught! We are excited to meet her this week!

We had interviews with our mission president yesterday and received some really great training. We talked about the difference between the Law of Moses and the higher law that Jesus Christ taught. The people needed a little more help to be obedient, so they were given the Law of Moses. Unfortunately, they kind of missed the point and focused too much on the technicalities and actions involved in the law. When Christ came He helped them to realize that it can be boiled down to the two greatest commandments found in Matthew chapter 22 verses 37-40:

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Everything we do can be brought back to these two things: Do we love our neighbor? Do we love the Lord? I have come to know that when I truly love God, I am willing to do anything He asks. And when I do what He asks, that is when I find real, lasting happiness.

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

The Miracle of Yardwork

This week, we found success in service! We helped one less active man weed his yard and cut back his raspberry bushes. We talked with him after and even showed us his old Hudson he takes to car shows! It is rusted brown but he said people love it so he's not going to change it. He is a kind man, so it was good to help him out and get to know him better.

check out the hula girl!

We had another encounter with a less active sister. She opened the door and immediately said, with an upset look on her face, "You know what, I really don't want missionaries." Uhh... ok! We'll just leave then... Haha we said "Ok, no worries! Take care! By the way, nice plants! Do you need help weeding?" She said oh sure. So we left. A few hours later our lesson had cancelled and I turned to Sister Gaastra and said, we should go pull her weeds! So we ran home and changed into pants and went and got to work. After a few minutes she came outside and was so surprised! She didn't think that we would actually do it! She chatted with us while we worked and eventually she apologized for what she had said. She said she doesn't want the lessons, but we are welcome to come over and visit. Ha! It was so awesome to see what a little service could do to soften her heart.

The next day we stopped by the sister's home who's husband is not a member. We were going to invite him to church, but he was at work and she was working in her yard so we changed again and helped her (we've taken to leaving a pair of pants in the car just in case). We were able to talk with her and learn more about her and her relationship with her husband. She has been so brave to stay strong in the church, even without her husband's support. She has so much faith and trust in Heavenly Father. Hopefully we can help her out!

This week, look around you for simple acts of service! You would be surprised how happy it will make someone, and it will make you happier too! Remember the scripture in Mosiah 2 chapter 17:

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

Westward Ho!

Last week was transfers, and I moved up north a bit, near one of my old areas! It is farming community, but has been developed a bit. The people are kind and always willing to help, and they have really caught the vision of missionary work! They love their neighbors, and want to share what they have been blessed with. 

My companion is Sister Gaastra, she is from New Zealand! She has been out for just three months, so I am what we call her "greenie buster". In the first three months of your mission, you are considered "green", another term for "fresh off the boat". So the companion after your trainer is your greenie buster, because they bust you of being a newbie! She and her trainer were building member trust and helping the members know that we are there to help them, and that we will work hard to help their friends come unto Christ. Now that the members are on board, we are working hard to find, teach, and baptize people!

We had an incredible lesson yesterday. This man's wife is a member and has gone through the temple, but he has not been baptized. He said that he used to be a mean man, but finally he found Christ. He joined a Christian church when he was in his 20's. He has changed so much over the years and has seen many miracles brought forth by God's hand. He believes in the Bible, and has had so many good examples in his life, especially his wife, who taught him about the gospel. He made a promise to an aunt that he would join the church, but he is not sure that it is the right step for him now. He is afraid that being baptized again would discount all that he has learned and understood in his own journey, and he is not sure that the Book of Mormon is true. We told him that the whole reason why he went on that journey and invited Christ into his life was to prepare him for this day, to be baptized into His true church. We told him that we don't want to take anything away from what he has already learned, we just want to add on and increase his understanding. 

His friend and neighbor, who came with us to the lesson, asked him if he has prayed when he reads the Book of Mormon. He said no! We explained to him that we can not know of spiritual truths without prayer, we need to ask God if these things are true! The Book of Mormon is not a fictitious novel we read for fun, it is the word of God spoken by prophets. If we want to know that it is true, we need to ask God himself! He said that no one had ever told him that! He prays when he reads the Bible, but has never done it for the Book of Mormon. It was so crazy to think that this one little thing has been hindering his progress. We are so excited to help him learn and gain a testimony and understanding for himself that the Book of Mormon is true and that this is the true church of Jesus Christ established on the earth. 

I love being a missionary, and I am so grateful to continually see the change in people's lives as they make a place in their heart for the word of God, and then they help that seed that has been planted to grow. It has been my favorite thing about my mission, to see people change. 

I love this gospel! I know it is true, and I want every one to have a chance to feel the joy that I have experienced as I follow my Savior Jesus Christ.

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

A Mother's Love

I love my family!!!

This was an awesome week full of loving moms! I was so lucky to be able to skype my family, you guys are the best! How did I get so lucky? It was just the boost of energy that I needed. Sister Pitt and I sang a song together in sacrament meeting called "A Mother's Eyes Reflect the Love of Heaven". It was hard not to get emotional! I am so grateful for my mom and for all of the love that she has shown me. I have been so blessed to call her my best friend. I have been so lucky to have so many incredible women in my life, shout out to all you lovely ladies!

In the April 2010 General Conference, Bradley D. Foster said:

"Perhaps the reason we respond so universally to our mothers’ love is because it typifies the love of our Savior. As 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”"

I have been so blessed to meet so many incredible women on my mission who have been mothers to me. I know that Heavenly Father knew I would need the support of these women while my own mom is so far away. 

baptisms at the temple!

This past weekend we were able to do baptisms at the temple for our recent convert's family! She was baptized for nine of her ancestors. It was so fun to see her do the baptisms, knowing how nervous she was at her own baptism, she is a pro now! All of her friends were there and they had a blast. 

We had a lesson with her family, her mom that grew up catholic and her dad that is less active, and really what it got down to was the importance of family and being united together. That is the main focus of the church. We are so blessed to have our families here on this earth, and we are sent to them for a reason. The gospel can bring us closer together and help us to have an eternal perspective. Our families are precious gifts to us, and I know that it is by following the example of Jesus Christ that we can find true joy and happiness in our lives. 

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

Angels To Minister

Me, Lexie, and Sister Pitt!

Hey everyone! I am so grateful to be a missionary and I know I say that every week but seriously I have felt the spirit so strong this week. Even through trials, I would even say especially through trials, the Lord has lifted me and strengthened me and helped me to feel of His love. 

In Moroni chapter 7 verse 22 it says:

For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.

I am so grateful for the power that our Heavenly Father gives us to endure trials and to become better people. It is the most incredible feeling to know that you are not alone. To be a missionary and to constantly feel the spirit and help the people around you is not easy, and when you find joy in the work you know that it is not happening on your own! 

Last night we had an awesome lesson with our recent convert's family (the little girl with the mom that is catholic and dad is less active). We were talking about membership record numbers (each member of the church has a record number just so the church doesn't loose track of them) and her mom said oh I guess I don't have one of those! And we said well we can fix that! Haha. She laughed, but then she said "well, I've been praying about it!" I thought oh my goodness did she actually just say that?! So I took her aside and spoke with her. It has been hard to help her and answer her questions because we had been actively helping her daughter to prepare for baptism. I spoke with her for a long time, and she is conflicted because she has been Catholic her whole life and is afraid to change, and doesn't want to hurt her relationship with her mom. But she said she just doesn't know enough about the church to make a decision. I helped her to understand more about the major differences between the catholic and LDS church, and answered some of her other questions. She said a lot of it makes sense, and I gave her a few things to do to help her resolve the conflicted feelings she has had. 

A lot of what it boils down to is the Book of Mormon. It is another testament of Jesus Christ, and it was translated by the prophet Joseph Smith. So if the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, and there was a need for a restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why the Book of Mormon is called the "keystone" of our religion, for without it, the entire religion would crumble. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon. I just finished reading it through and I can testify that it is the word of God. It has strengthened me and given me peace and hope for my life, as well as the people I have been able to meet and teach. 

I love you all, and I hope you are smiling!

xoxo

Sister Boman

Baba Yetu

Musical Fireside!

This week we had the Ogden Musical Fireside! It was such an awesome experience. I was asked last minute to join one of the special musical numbers, called Baba Yetu. It is the Lord's prayer in Swahili. I was still recovering from a cold, but luckily it was gone by the time of the performance. As soon as the music started a rush of adrenaline flowed through me, and I sang my heart out! It was so much fun. We had the Ogden tabernacle packed full, there were people standing! So many missionaries were involved and there were some incredible special numbers. I was so grateful to be a part of it. 

dinner with our mission president and wife, the Hiers!

We have been teaching a young girl who is 14. She has come to young women's activities forever, but has never come to church or met with missionaries. We have taught her a few times now and she came to all three hours of church last Sunday! If you have ever been a missionary, you know what a big deal that is! It is so hard to get people to church. We had a wonderful lesson with her at the Bishop's house, and it was awesome to see how open and receptive she is to the gospel. We told her to really give it her all and test it out, to see if this is right for her, and she is doing just that!

This last week we had Zone Conference. It was super spiritual and the trainings were awesome. In our mission we have the opportunity to take the Gallup Strengths test, and we discover what our top five strengths are. Mine are input, developer, connectedness, empathy, and activator. We did an exercise where we each thought of a problem that we have that we want to work on, and then we looked at other people's strengths and found someone we thought would have good insight to our problem. It was so neat to see how we are each blessed with different individual strengths, and we can help each other so much with our varying personalities and perspectives. 

I wonder what the Savior's strengths would be? Maybe empathy, belief, includer, activator, and connectedness? He always knows how we feel, He knows what He stands for, He makes things happen and takes action, and He feels a deep love for all of us. I know that He is real. I know that He is helping me each and every day. I know that I could not do this work without His help. I am so grateful to be a missionary. My time is running short, but I know that I can make the most of it with Him by my side. I know that we can all find true joy and happiness by relying on our Savior Jesus Christ. He is our brother, and He loves us. 

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

xoxo

Sister Boman  

 

Make A Change

This week we had some changes! We moved into a new apartment, we're living with a family in their basement. They are super fun and we love them so it has been great! Also they have a dog and a trampoline so what more could we ask for??

We were planning on having a baptism this coming Saturday for the young girl we have been teaching since January, but due to family schedules it happened last night!!! It was a bit hectic trying to get it organized so quickly but luckily missionaries are pro at being flexible and it was an awesome night. She was excited and nervous and said she felt like an astronaut in her baptismal jumpsuit! Haha that girl cracks me up. Her friends gave the talks and said the prayers, and they did such a good job! They have been so instrumental in making this happen. If she didn't have their example and support she probably wouldn't have made the decision to be baptized. At her baptism there were quite a few members of her family who attended who are not members of the church. We shared the message of the restoration of the gospel while she was changing back into her dry clothes. This is one of my favorite parts of baptisms because we get to teach so many people all at once! I boldly promised that if they took the time to search, study, and ponder the things we had told them about, that they too will have a desire to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. I feel so honored to share this gospel with everyone I meet. The spirit was so strong in the room. I love it!

We have found a few more people to teach, unfortunately it doesn't work out immediately with all of them, but sometimes it does! We met a young girl who is 10 who comes to church with her grandparents every other weekend when she is with her dad. She has been dying to get baptized! We finally met her, and when we asked her why she wants to be baptized, she started crying! Her heart is so full and she wants it so badly. She recognizes the spirit when she is learning and wants to have it with her always. We are so excited to help her in her journey.

I never thought that I would be teaching so many young kids on my mission, but I am so grateful. They are so bright and full of light, and I can see the need that they have for the guidance of the spirit. The world is getting harder and harder to live in without it, but I know that there is a way to find joy and happiness in this life, and it is through our Savior Jesus Christ. He knows and loves each and every one of us!

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

It Isn't A Sin To Be Weak

Hey guys! Hope you are all doing well. This week we found a lot of new people to teach! the Lord knows that we are ready to work hard and make the most of our missions while we are still here! We finally contacted some people that we have had on our radar for quite a while, and many of them are interested in learning more about the gospel. One young girl has come faithfully to the weekly young women's activity, but she is not a member! She has a lot of member friends and is the sweetest girl. We finally talked with her and asked her if she had ever thought about joining the church. She said "Well i'm not against it, but I just don't think I know enough to make a decision." Good thing we showed up! We told her that that's exactly what missionaries are for. We help people to know if they would be interested in joining the church. We teach and invite them to learn and to test it out. It was so exciting to see her accept the invitation. We really think she is prepared! 

We had the Logan musical fireside this weekend and it was great! Everyone did a wonderful job, and I even got to spend some time with my baby, Sister Matheson! 

good times with my baby girl!

Something that I have been blessed to learn and understand more is the difference between sin and weakness. There is an article in the church magazine the Ensign called It Isn't a Sin to be Weak. Something that I have struggled with a lot is punishing myself and feeling unworthy because of my weaknesses, but in reality, there is a big difference between sin and weakness. Sin is willingly disobeying God's commandments, but weakness is a result of our own humanity. The Atonement gives us the opportunity to repent of our sins, but our Savior's grace makes up for our weaknesses. This knowledge has helped me so much, and I was able to share my new understanding with one of the less active sisters that we are teaching. It was so awesome to see the light come to her face. She is SO hard on herself, and I was able to help her realize that all things are possible through Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer. 

I am so grateful for the time I have here in Utah as a missionary. My testimony has been strengthened more than I knew it could or would. 

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

xoxo

Sister Boman 

Words of a Prophet

CONFERENCE!!!

This was one of the best weeks of my mission!!! Conference was so incredible, I was so blessed with revelation and with light. I was able to go to two of the four sessions! On Saturday morning, we went with the young girl who we have been teaching since I came into the area, her fellowshipping family (the mom and daughters), and then we had our recent convert, the 9 year old boy, and his 17 year old step brother who is not a member! It was so neat to see their faces in their first experience at the conference center, and especially at Temple Square! We showed them the Salt Lake temple, and after conference we went and showed them the Christus. I sat next to our recent convert during conference, and he took notes in his notepad while I took notes in mine :) How special to see such a young man, filled with the spirit, and able to receive revelation. Of course, two hours is a long time, so we all got a little antsy toward the end.

Because it is my last conference while I am on my mission, I was able to choose another session to go to. I chose Sunday morning, so that I could see Music and the Spoken word, a broadcast by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and I knew that the Prophet always speaks on Sunday morning! I went with Sister Lewis, her and her husband were my senior couple in Plain City and they have become adopted grandparents. We went down together and had a wonderful time. Our tickets were so good! The choir sang like angels, and the Prophet spoke all about the power of the temple, and then my favorite apostle (I know I shouldn't have favorites but I do), Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke! His talk was so powerful. He spoke of the fall of Adam and Eve, and how without that fall, without our humanity, we would have no need for a Savior. But because of that fall, Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice is essential in our lives. Throughout the conference I learned a lot about trusting the Lord, strengthening faith, and being obedient out of love. President Uchtdorf made an analogy, saying that if we think that we buy our salvation with obedience, it is like buying an airplane ticket and thinking we own the airline. Our Savior's sacrifice and grace makes it possible for us, after all we have done, to gain eternal life.

Did you watch conference? If not, it will be available soon online at lds.org! I want to hear what you guys thought!

Last night we had a great lesson with the young girl who we brought to conference. We had asked her last week to pray about a day to be baptized, and when we asked her, she immediately said "I already decided, I want to get baptized!" We were so surprised! Her answer showed us that she is truly ready. We asked her how she decided and she said "I don't know, I just felt good about it!" That is exactly what the spirit does! It doesn't overpower us, we still have our ability to choose, but he gently whispers the right thing to do, and helps us to feel good about it. We are so excited for her!

I got a new companion last week, her name is Sister Pitt and she is from Oahu, Hawaii! She is full of life and energy and I am excited for this BUSY transfer ahead of us.

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

Sister Pitt! My new companion!

Endure

We met a lot of new people this week. We finally contacted some referrals that we have been trying to meet for a while, and had some really good lessons. One lady, she is not a member of the church, but her husband is. He hasn't gone for a long time. She grew up with her mom telling her bad things about the LDS church, and so she really did not have a good opinion of it. After a lot of soul searching and pondering, she finally found peace in Christ, and decided that she is not going to judge people because of what they believe. She has since married her husband, who's family is active in the church, so she has come a long way. She was really sweet, and it was so neat to hear about her journey in discovering the love of our Savior Jesus Christ. She said that her husband has been struggling with his faith, and we offered to come and help with some of the questions he might have. We set a return appointment, but we're guessing the husband is not quite ready to come back, because she texted us, cancelled the appointment, and said no further visits were necessary. Bummer!

Then we met a young girl who is not a member but her mom is. We had a lesson and talked to her about the church and baptism, and she seemed on board. The mom, although she didn't participate much, seemed ok with everything, until the weekend when she texted, cancelled the appointment, and said they did not want to reschedule. Double bummer.

It would be easy to look at these events and say what is the point of even meeting them?! But I have learned in my time in the mission field, that success is measured by our commitment. Because we are committed to the work, we gave these people an opportunity to learn. They might not be ready at this time, but we have planted a seed. When Heavenly Father leads us to these people, He wants to see if we will keep working, even when it is tough. He wants us to learn to turn to Him, to trust Him. I have seen that with many things in my life. If I am going through something hard, I try to turn around and say ok, what am I supposed to be learning? It doesn't all make sense at once, but the more I counsel with the Lord, the easier it is to have hope.

This weekend we have the incredible opportunity to hear the Prophet of the Lord, President Thomas S. Monson and other apostles speak to us at General Conference! I invite you all to watch or listen to it, it is on the BYU channel, but you can also stream it live online at lds.org. There will be two sessions on Saturday, and two on Sunday. I can't wait to hear what guidance and counsel they have for us!

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

p.s. sorry I have had no pictures! not much to document, next week will be different :)

Real Love

I have found renewed faith and love for my Savior Jesus Christ this week. We are still searching for those who are prepared to hear the gospel, and with each day that we are fruitless, I know that the Lord is working us to see if we will keep going, even when the going gets tough. 

I was able to go on exchanges with Hermana Orchard, and we tracted most of the day, going door to door looking for people who are willing to listen, specifically hispanics (she is in a spanish branch). We met a man who has been working in the United States for 14 years, and hasn't seen his family since he left mexico. It is incredible to meet people who are going through real struggles, to see the sacrifices they are willing to make for their families. It makes me incredibly grateful for all that I have been blessed with. We went to a Relief Society activity that evening, and it was so fun to listen to the sisters speak to each other in spanish. I can understand a good amount, maybe i'll go to a spanish ward when I go home :) 

We had a lesson with a young girl that we have been teaching for the past two months. It has been difficult trying to help her learn, she is suuuuper shy and easily distracted by her friends that come to the lessons. We had the lesson last night at her home with her step-mom who grew up catholic. It was all about Jesus Christ, His life and death. It was neat to help her step-mom realize that a lot of our beliefs are similar. We invited the girl to be baptized on a specific date, to which she was unsure (typical answer, she does not like being put on the spot!). We told her to pray and ask Heavenly Father if she should be baptized. We promised that the Holy Ghost would testify to her and help her to know that it is right. The spirit prompted me to ask her step-mom as well. I said "If you came to know that these things were true, would you be baptized?" She said "Yeah, possibly..." WOW! I wasn't expecting that! She said that there is a lot that she doesn't know, and that she has been feeling conflicted. We told her that we would love to help her learn and find some peace. I am so excited! If I hadn't acted on that prompting, we would have never known how she was feeling, and that her heart was open and ready to learn about the gospel. 

In preparation for Easter, I have been focusing my studies more on Jesus Christ. The more I learn about Him, the more I love Him. He truly is my brother. He suffered every pain I would ever go through, and knows exactly how to strengthen me. I am so incredibly grateful for His love. As a little girl recently put it, "That is real real love!". 

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

Words of Wisdom

hiking on pday!

We met some pretty cool people this week. We met two women, one is 100 and the other is 103 years old! Needless to say, they are incredible women. Both are members of the church, and one had met every prophet since Heber J. Grant! We asked her what wisdom she had for us, after her years of experience, and she said this: "Be obedient to the principles of the gospel". I don't know why, but I was surprised at her answer. It showed her testimony and the perspective that she had gained throughout her years on this earth. I thought of what my response would have been if I was her age. Would I have learned the same lesson?

I gave a talk this Sunday on how we can find joy in keeping the commandments. Our perspective can change when we realize the purpose of the commandments. Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to be happy, so He gives us commandments so that we can. If we truly understood that our Heavenly Father loves and cares for us and knows what is best for us, then we would not only be willing, but anxious to keep His commandments. We would know and understand that obedience brings blessings. President Uchtdorf said:
 

"Part of our challenge is, I think, that we imagine that God has all of His blessings locked in a huge cloud up in heaven, refusing to give them to us unless we comply with some strict, paternalistic requirements He has set up. But the commandments aren’t like that at all. In reality, Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us."

By keeping the commandments, I have found peace and happiness, and also protection from the adversary. It is when I have strayed off the path that I have been more susceptible to his snares. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father cares about us so much to give us so many ways to be happy and safe in this life.

I know that it can be difficult, but we will never feel of the peace and true joy that comes from obedience until we try it! And the 104 year old sister said it's the most important thing that she learned, so I think i'm going to take her advice :)

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

Mountains To Climb

This week... I'm going to stop classifying weeks as good or difficult because they all have a little bit of everything! I'll just say that sometimes when life gives you trials, you wonder if you are going to make it. Can I do this? The answer: probably not. But the wonderful truth that we try to teach people (and ourselves) is that we are not alone.

In the Book of Mormon in Moroni, chapter 7, verses 19-37 and 40-42, it talks about how we are not alone in our journey. The Lord will send angels to minister to us. With His help, we will be able to see miracles. In verse 25 it says:

"Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ."

We need not suffer alone. Through our faith, we will be lifted up and have the strength to endure. The hardest struggles I have had were times when I tried to get by on my own, with my own knowledge and strength. When I finally put it in the hands of my Savior, I was able to see miracles. That is one way that I know this gospel is true. It has helped me to climb mountains that seemed insurmountable. And that is why I am a missionary, to help others to find that faith and hope, to be able to climb those mountains with the help of their Savior Jesus Christ.

Last week I celebrated my 1 year anniversary of coming on my mission, and it was bittersweet. I was so grateful to look back at all of the good times I had, but even more grateful for the trials that I endured and the hard lessons that I have learned. I can look forward with faith, and say, "give me mountains to climb, give me rivers to cross, give me something that's going to make me better than I was".

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

xoxo

Sister Boman