Salvation Is Not A Cheap Experience

applesauce! and peach applesauce!

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

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

delicious crepe with fresh peaches!

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

we get the BEST sunsets!

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

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

xoxo

Sister BomanS

Just Peachy

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

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

the beautiful Ogden Temple!

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

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

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

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

Give 'Em Heaven, Baptize The Hell Out Of Them

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxo

Sister Boman

Hola, Yo Soy La Hermana Boman

Last week we went on exchanges! It's where you trade companions for 24 hours to help each other out and to learn. I was with Hermana Ramirez, and we started the day working at the temple. We were in the reception tent, where we normally stay in the introductory video rooms in the tabernacle. Although it was rough standing the whole time, it paid off! There are so many opportunities to share your testimony and help people to feel the spirit there. One woman (who I don't think was a member of the church) walked by, and I asked her how she like the tour. She said oh it was beautiful. I felt prompted to ask her how she felt while she was inside. She looked at me, her eyes swelling with tears, trying to speak. Finally she said "I just can't describe what I felt there. And i'm a writer!" It was so incredible to see how the spirit had touched her, and to have helped her to recognize that! What a blessing.  

Hermana Ramirez!

Then we moved over to the tabernacle to help in the Spanish video rooms. I introduced myself, "Hola, yo soy la Hermana Boman, y no hablo español!" It was so funny. They also use that room to show the video in American Sign Language, and we had two deaf groups come through. They taught us how to say "Thank you for coming to the temple today". Then we sat in the back of the room and tried to learn the whole video in sign language. Hermana Ramirez is so fun, we goofed around a lot. 

SOPES!

Then we went to her area (Spanish speaking) and worked! We met with a woman and we talked to her about the Book of Mormon. We explained it with the pictures that are in the front of the book. It was awesome to bear testimony of the truthfulness and the power of this book. I have been studying more about it, and I learned that when the gospel was restored by the prophet Joseph Smith, translating the Book of Mormon was the first thing that he did- before the restoration of the priesthood, before the organization of the church! That shows how important it is. The woman felt comfortable enough to ask us some questions that she has had about the church. It was great. Then we went to another lesson, and the only person that spoke english was their daughter, so I taught her the Plan of Salvation. We drew it together on paper. She asked a lot of great questions and I helped her to understand where we come from, why we're here on Earth, and what happens after this life. Then we went to our dinner, and we had sopes! Hand made delicious mexican food. It was at that moment that I decided that I am abandoning the English program. I'm going SPANISH!!! Hahaha it was so good. Then we had another lesson and we stopped by a member's house who was going to come to the lesson with us, and he came up to the car to get in! We yelled NO! Men are not allowed in our cars. Unfortunately he thought that we were giving him a ride, and he doesn't have a car, so we had to go to the lesson alone. It was pretty funny though. 

Then it was back to reality (English speaking). On Sunday we sat in a sacrament meeting and I thought to myself, "Hmm we haven't spoken in this ward yet, we should talk to the Bishop about that!" Then after two youth speakers, the Bishop stood up and said "Well, our main speaker is sick, so we have three options: the back row, our High Councilman, or the Sister Missionaries! I don't think everyone has had a chance to meet Sister Boman, so let's have our Sisters come up and speak to us". I was grinning ear to ear as he spoke. The Lord had answered my prayer! Unfortunately, someone had to get sick in the process, but I was able to speak and let the members know how much we love them. I told them all that they are like super heroes- they have so much potential, they just haven't discovered their super powers yet! I was able to bear my testimony of the gospel. I am so grateful to be able to help others to know of the truth! 

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

xoxo 

Sister Boman

Speak Light

We are so busy with the temple, I know I've said this the past three weeks but time is literally FLYING by on a jet plane.

Sisters of Group 2! 

We had an incredible lesson this week with a young man who is 16. He has been interested in the church for the past two years, and is currently communicating with a missionary who is the elder brother of a girl he has taken out on a few dates.  His dad was the drummer in a Protestant church band, but they didn't need him any more so they stopped going. This kid said that he has always liked how the LDS church is organized, very centered on Jesus Christ. He said he feels there is more that he could be doing with his life. He wants to live a happy, peaceful life, to serve others. He said that he doesn't want to have any regrets. He recently toured the ogden temple open house, and when asked how his experience was, he responded "I felt peace, and warm." We excitedly told him that was the holy ghost, letting him know that these things are true. We invited him to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God.  He said yes, without hesitation. He was very thoughtful throughout the whole lesson, very open and honest. The only problem is that he hasn't told his parents. They have harbored hard feelings toward members of the church; on one instance his stepbrother had an LDS friend, and the friend's parents stopped letting them hang out because he wasn't a member of the church. His dad also has other hesitations. We encouraged him to pray for his parent's hearts to be softened. We invited him to say the closing prayer, and he said "Dear Lord, give me a way, any sort of way, to talk to my parents."  It was incredible to see his faith exercised in that simple prayer. We walked out of the lesson floating on a cloud. We don't know what the outcome will be, but to see the power of the spirit work on someone, and to see how God has prepared them, that is what we live for!

Last night we had dinner with a new bishop, it was so much fun! He has five daughters. I told them about my story, how I ended up on a mission. He texted us later that night and thanked us for coming, and that all of his girls want to be missionaries now! I love getting to know people and helping them to realize their potential. I have been so blessed to serve a mission. It has changed me completely. I know that my life will never be the same. I have realized my Savior's love for me, and I am so lucky to share that with everyone I meet!

I am so lucky to be serving here in the Ogden Utah mission. Especially helping with the Temple open house! And in what other mission do you get free food? You can catch us at the cupcake shop downtown every Tuesday...

I love you all and I hope you're smiling! Sorry my letters have been shorter, half of the time is spent working at the open house, so not much is changing. 

xoxo

Sister Boman

Succor His People

photo credits to Sister Campbell!

Last week I complained a bit about working at the temple. It is hard work, but then I heard the awesome experiences that other sisters are having while working, and I thought why can't I have those same experiences? So I've shifted my mindset. With each group of people that we speak to, I ask, "Raise your hand if this is your first time going inside a temple!" (Thanks to Hermana Tolman for this idea!) Usually it is a bunch of little kids who raise their hands, but then a few adults timidly raise their hands as well. That is my favorite part. To see the look of curiosity on their face, and to know that the Lord has prepared them to be here at this moment. We let them know how excited we are that they are here, and assure that this is going to be a special day. Then we press play, and the introductory video starts. It begins with different shots of temples all over the world. All of the little ones are oohing and ahhing and exclaiming "IT'S A TEMPLE MOMMY, LOOK!" What a delight to see that these children recognize the House of the Lord, that they are mindful of how special and sacred it is. Then we spend the next ten minutes making faces at all of the cute babies, because at this point, we have the video memorized.

Sometimes we think that life is so hard and that nothing is going our way. But we must stop and think- how is my attitude effecting my outlook? I know that my service at the temple has become more of a blessing as I recognize that power I have in helping others to feel the spirit. My wonderful Nana sent me a quote a few weeks ago from President Gordon B. Hinckley.

"Tremendous happiness and peace of mind are the results of loving service to others.  Nobody can live fully and happily who lives only unto himself or herself"

I know that this is true. We taught a less active couple this past week, and they have been dealing with so much. But we were able to help them recognize that Heavenly Father gives us trials to help us to realize our potential. He also gives us hard times to open an opportunity for us to rely on Him. We cannot do it alone. He knows that, and so He sent His son Jesus Christ.

"And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." Alma 7:12

We can not live this life on our own, and we can not live it solely for ourselves. I have been blessed with this opportunity to serve the people in Utah, and the sacrifices that I am making now, are helping me to find, like President Hinckley said, "tremendous happiness and peace of mind".

I love you all and I hope you are smiling!

xoxo

Sister Boman
 

This is my house... a big red barn converted into a loft! That is Sugar the horse in the background.

I Need Thee Every Hour

Welcome to the Ogden Temple!

Another week has passed, and yesterday was my five month mark! I honestly can't believe i've been out that long. Days are long with our six hour shifts at the temple. We work every day except sunday. It is tiring! We work at the temple part of the day and then go back to our area and teach. A full time job plus another full time job. Needless to say, we will deserve a foot massage after this transfer. Working at the temple is different than what I expected. We are not allowed to proselyte, so mainly we just smile, be friendly, and invite them to fill out a comment card. It's hard when we are used to teaching and testifying! But I know that the Lord will bless us for our service. We are helping His work, in whatever form that may be.

Bountiful Temple

On Saturday we had the chance to go to the temple with a recent convert to the church. I had not worked with him, but I was invited as well. It was a beautiful experience. His family and in laws were all so proud of him. You could tell that he had been touched by the spirit. The next day we had family home evening with them all, as well as his son who is not a member. We taught the restoration of the gospel. When we came to the end, I asked the group, what is the point? Why do we do all of these things? Why do we learn? Why do we want to find out if it is true? Why do we care? And the recent convert answered, "It is so that we can be with our families forever in the Celestial Kingdom. We do it all so that we can feel that peace, that joy, that happiness. That is what this life is for- to prepare us for that day". It was so incredible to me to see someone who had previously never had this understanding, to have become enlightened. He has gained a testimony of the truthfulness of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

I had an experience on Sunday during Sacrament Meeting. I had had a rough morning, stressed out, frustrated, and discouraged. I sat in the meeting, grumpily singing the sacrament hymn. It was hymn 185, Reverently and Meekly Now. I came to the third verse, which says:

Bid thine heart all strife to cease;
With thy brethren be at peace.
Oh, forgive as thou wouldst be
E’en forgiven now by me.
In the solemn faith of prayer
Cast upon me all thy care,
And my Spirit’s grace shall be
Like a fountain unto thee.

I knew, at this moment, that the Lord was mindful of my needs. I had been fasting that day for strength and peace, and He knew that He could answer my prayer through the words of a hymn. I know that as I do as He directs, and cast upon Him all of my cares, He will pour out His spirit unto me. Not just a little bit, but "like a fountain". I need my Savior every hour. In joy or pain. Good times and bad.

I know that this gospel is true! Our Heavenly Father loves us so much. He wants us to be happy, and he has given us times of trial to make us stronger, to help us realize our divine potential.

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

xoxo

Sister Boman