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