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

Drive For Show, Putt For Dough

how's my form?

That's what my dad always says. In golf, it's easy to show off your skills by hitting the ball far. But when it comes down to it, crunch time is on the putting green. We went golfing today- which was totally awesome, and my companion enjoyed herself as well! But I was thinking of that saying- drive for show, putt for dough. It's really true for missionary work. Often missionaries get caught up in how many baptisms they get- this is where they "drive for show". The "putting" comes in when we take the time to really help people develop a testimony, when we help members to realize that they can share the gospel with the people they love. So much of the mission consists of those shorter strokes. They may not seem like much, but they add up! And the reward is eternal salvation! Does it get any better than that??

such a fun p-day!

Daisy!

There is a house that we always pass on our way home, and the sweetest little cat named Daisy comes and greets us at the fence. Last week we spoke to the lady who lives there. She had once been a member of the church, but she started reading some anti-mormon literature and asked to have her records removed from the church (basically she didn't want anything to do with the church anymore). We have run into this before. It is so sad, because while we were talking to her, she said she was still searching for the truth. How sad that she had the truth, but the adversary has persuaded her otherwise- making her doubt what she knew and believed. She was a really sweet lady, and told us that we better read these things to know the truth about the church, but I bore my testimony to her. I told her that I don't know everything. There are things that have happened in the church that I don't know everything about and some things that I don't understand. But I have felt the Spirit of God burning in my heart- and it has testified to me that this gospel is true- that this is Jesus Christ's church. I have prayed to know for myself, and through prayer and study, I can never deny the truth that I know. And I am so grateful for that confirmation! Anyways, she is now Baptist. She told us that her church does a food bank every Friday, and she invited us to come and help. We went and took the Nelsons (our favorite older couple/adopted grandparents) with us. They had shopping carts and we would take people around and fill up a shopping cart for them, and help them load the food into their car. They were so grateful that we had come to help, especially because they were short handed. It was so wonderful to help and serve people who were in need. And how great to work with people of different faiths- all with the same purpose of loving others and following the example of Jesus Christ!

We had dinner the other night with a young family, and when we were getting ready to leave, the little boy grabbed Sister Bartnik and I by the arm, pulled us close, and said, "I'm gonna keep you!" It was the sweetest thing! It really made me miss working with kids. And that makes me happy, because I know that I will love my job for the rest of my life!

We are still working with the young less active couple, and they are doing awesome! He downloaded the scriptures onto his phone, and is already well into the Book of Mormon! And all of that was his idea! We met with them the other night and he is already seeing parallels between his life and the teachings in the scriptures. It is so incredible to see the growth and change in people- and so exciting to see their understanding and happiness increase!

I love you all so much. I hope you are happy. And I hope that you know that there is so much happiness that we can find through faith in our Heavenly Father, and in His Son's atoning sacrifice.

Keep smiling!

xoxo

Sister Boman

Because of Him

I guess y'all liked the stories from last week, so i'll try to include more things like that!

our beautiful mountains!

We are teaching an 11 year old boy with aspergers and he is SO SMART. It is amazing. His dad was baptized about a year ago, and that was an incredible journey. He is divorced, and so before his son can be baptized they need his mother's consent. They want to make sure that he really knows why he wants to be baptized before it happens. Last time we met with them we asked him to pray about his testimony so that he would be able to talk to his mom about why he wants to be baptized. We went into our lesson this week ready to teach about the word of wisdom, but after talking with him, he said that he had prayed but hadn't received an answer about his testimony. We talked about how the Lord speaks to us in different ways. His dad needed a direct and straightforward answer to help him overcome his addictions and change his life to follow Jesus Christ. But we explained that he might not receive his answer in the same way. The Lord trusts us to make decisions for ourselves. Elder Boyd K. Packer said "A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it!" We asked him why he reads the scriptures, and he said "They make me feel joyful." We asked him why he comes to church, and how it is different that the Lutheran church he used to go to, and he said "because it actually makes me happy." Then we asked him why he wanted to be baptized, and he said "Well, it's not really even about me, it's about Jesus." At that point he started to cry, and said "I don't even know why i'm crying!" It was so sweet. When he said the closing prayer, he thanked Heavenly Father for helping him to find his testimony. It is amazing to see these young children learn and grow in the gospel.

We are also teaching a young couple who have not beet to church since they were young teenagers. They saw the elders walking home one night, and he contemplated picking them up the whole way home. Finally when they arrived home, he turned around and went back to get them and give them a ride home. They met and taught them a lesson, but soon realized that they live in our area! They had to give them to us, and boy are we grateful because they are an awesome couple! He grew up being forced to go to church, but when his parents divorced, he stopped going. He served in the Navy, and never really thought about coming back to church. They moved into the area a few years ago, and never really felt welcomed into the area. It is so hard because so many member assume that everyone is a member, and so there is no need to be kind and extend a hand to their neighbors. It is so FALSE! We all need help and love and support, no matter who we are or where we come from! But now they feel the desire to learn more about the gospel and develop a testimony for themselves. Some of his hesitation is that he feels that it is too late to change. The beautiful part of this gospel is that it is never too late to change. The Savior died for each of us, and He will never abandon us. In Moroni chapter 7 verse 33 it says "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." It is so hard for us to take that leap of faith, but when we trust in the Lord, He promises that we can do anything! I am so grateful for that promise.

We have been sharing this video recently and I just LOVE IT!

Because of Him

I love that they show so many different people, because the Savior died for each and every one of us! I love that personal connection that I have with Him. He knows exactly how I feel, what I am going through. And of all of the incredible advances that have happened here on Earth- flight, travel to space, technology- there is nothing greater than the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us, and because He died, we will all live again! And if we follow His commandments, then we can live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for eternity! What amazing hope that gives me.

We had a musical fireside last night with the missionaries in our zone. It was awesome! There were quartets, duets, ukulele and guitar, testimonies, and I sang in a trio and also sang a solo. I sang the hymn "Lord, I Would Follow Thee" acapella. It was so fun! But my lung capacity isn't the same up here in the Utah air!

It was so funny, we had dinner with a family on Sunday and when we came home, we realized that the 15 year old boy had slipped his email address into Sister Bartnik's purse!!!! We were dying laughing!!!!

It is so important to laugh, smile, and sing! It keeps us sane and stress free! It has been warming up and the sunshine is so nice, but in typical Utah fashion, it will rain tomorrow.

I love you all so much and I hope you are well!

xoxo

Sister Boman

There Can Be Miracles, When You Believe!

Hey hey hello my loved ones! I hope you are all smiling! I thought I would share a few experiences with y'all.

sometimes we leave little notes to passers by :)

Last week we saw our next door neighbor out in his yard. We stopped to chat with him. Turns out that he grew up in the church, but left after he divorced his first wife because of the way people treated him and things that they said. His second wife was against the church, with a similar story- she also left because of things that people said and did. So they never went back to church. She passed away a year ago and he has really been struggling without her. He is an older man, and is just fine taking care of himself, but he really misses her terribly. The next day, we came by and sat in his driveway on some camping chairs and just talked. We learned all about is life, his family, and he told us that he still believes in the church. He believes everything it teaches, and he still prays, but he has never gone back to church. We talked to him about the importance of the sacrament, and that the only way that we can partake of that blessing, which renews our promises that we have made with God, and makes us clean from the mistakes that we have asked forgiveness for, the only way that we can do that is to come to church. We invited him to come to church, and he said maybe. When Sunday came, we scanned the room, and sure enough, he was there!!!! We were so excited!!!! So many people were greeting him, saying how nice it was to see him there. It had been thirty years since he had been at a sacrament meeting. My heart was so full when I saw him take the sacrament. He cried the whole hour. It was awesome. So often we are too afraid, or too comfortable in the place we are. All we had to do was give him the opportunity to make a change, and he came! Miracles can happen if you act!

We are also teaching an investigator who's wife is a member. They have a crazy story. They were married, divorced, and then married again. He went to jail, and was there for 12 years, and half way through, his wife and oldest son met the missionaries. They decided to be baptized, and when his son called him in jail to ask for his permission, that was the moment that the spirit touched his heart. His wife had even had a dream of them together, wearing white, in the temple! She knew that they had a future together, and that it was bright! When he was released from jail, he started meeting with missionaries. Meeting him today, aside from the tattoos, you would never believe that he had done time. He is so kind, so loving, and it is incredible to see the change that the gospel of Jesus Christ has made in his life! We had nachos with them on Sunday, and his wife's mom and grandparents were over as well. We taught a lesson on the word of wisdom, which is God's law for our health. He was addicted to many things, but he can see the change in his life since he has been clean. He says that he is a real man now. He is dependable, not only to his family, but to himself! While he was talking, his grandmother-in-law reached over and held his hand. To see this woman show love to a man that has caused her granddaughter so much pain and sorrow, that was true Christlike love. She knew that he had changed. She knows of the truth of this gospel, and she wants it for him just as much as she wants it for her own family. We are so excited for him to be baptized, and to start on his journey to follow Jesus Christ!

M&M, Candy's sweet cat!

Last week was Sister Bartnik's, as well as Candy, one of our recent convert's birthdays. We celebrated on Saturday night by making a cake and watching a movie together. We watched Ephraim's Rescue, about the Martin and Willy handcart companies. It is such a great movie, all about having an open heart, having faith in the power of God, and the miracles that still happen in our day. Candy is so wonderful, she is so much fun to be around. She is mentally handicapped, but she has the most hilarious sense of humor and love of life. We said a closing prayer, and when I finished, she said "Oh I just got one more thing to say, Jesus Christ, bless my missionary sisters that they will have everything they'll ever want and that they'll be safe. Amen!" Her love is so sweet! We never stop laughing when we are with her.

The weather has been warming up and spring is bringing out it's blooms! We were having too much fun taking pictures with the flowers.

We shared them with the Elders, and this was their response:

Elder Alsterberg

Elder Henderson

I love you all and I hope you are doing well! Remember that miracles can happen, if you have faith in the Lord! 

xoxo

Sister Boman