MARCH 17

MARCH 17

so here goes!!! I am getting transferred to Huron, South Dakota!!! were we surprised. ya. but I am super excited!!!!! My new companion's name is Sister Dennison, she has been in Huron her whole mission so far (3 transfers) so I am excited to get to go and serve there. Sister Ransom actually went there after she left Grand Forks. So I am just following her around. :) When sister ransom and I  looked to see where Huron was on the map I teased her and told her she was going to the middle of no where south dakota. well I guess now I am heading to the middle of no where south dakota! :)

 

Saying goodbyes has been hard. I love the people here! I have tons of fun pictures to send home from all the goodbyes I have said. There are so amazing people here. I will for sure be coming back to visit someday! I mean Rapid City is in the same time zone as Utah, it's totally close enough to make a road trip to.

 

This week has been good. Hard but good. The last week of the transfer is always a little bit different. We were able to find a new investigator tracting so hopefully they will get to keep teaching him after I am gone. I have been thinking a lot about my time here in Rapid and I may not have seen any of my investigators get baptized but I have been able to watch two wonderful woman return to activity in the church. One after being gone for 9 years and one after 20 years! They are both doing so well! OH!!!!! Sister Haataja officially quit smoking!!!!!!!! I am so excited. we made cupcakes and threw a little party for her :) we were super stoked.

 

We also had our Relief Society birthday party dinner this past week and it was really cool. They had all the woman write a note about another woman who has touched their life, or been an angel to them. They asked everyone to not include their name or the name of the woman they were writing about. They read these experiences at the dinner and the spirit was so incredibly strong! I loved it!!!!! really great.

 ok. Dad's lesson :) So we have an investigator who's name is Linda and her father recently passed away at the age of 95. We went to her home to visit her not long after and it was comforting to know that I could look her in the face and tell her that I knew exactly where her father was. We were able to open up the scriptures to Alma 40:11 and read about how when we pass away we are all taken back home to the God who gave us life. I could look her in the eye and tell her that I knew where her Dad was and that he is learning the exact same gospel right now that she is. I think that this relates to family history because there are innumerable amounts of people in the spirit world who are learning the gospel. Many of them are just waiting for the opportunity to have their name taken to the temple. They long for those ordinances to be performed. I also thought of when Whitney died. I remember how important it was for me to be able to look at all those girls on the team who were not members of the church and tell them that I knew where she was. That I knew she was with God again and that He would help her. Family History work is important because the plan of salvation is important. The knowledge of this great plan brings a lot of comfort to souls who are searching for answers.

 

 oh goodness I don't even know what else to write home about. Life is good. This church is true!!! I love you all so much!!!! your thoughts and prayers are felt and much needed and appreciated. They help me out more than you will ever know. This past week I had the opportunity to feel the redeeming power of the Atonement in my heart and in my life as I was able to repent and change for the better. It took a lot of courage and strength to get on my knees and finally just give it all up to the Lord. To ask Him to forgive me for my selfish and judgemental thoughts. I have come to realize that how we think about other people has a great impact on our own personal happiness. When we have rude or hurtful thoughts about other people the only person that they really hurt is us. I realized the other day that if I ever want to receive mercy in the great and last day of judgement that I had better be more willing to show mercy to others. If I want to be judge fairly then I had better start changing the way that I think about others. The other day I was thinking about someone or something (I don't honestly remember what or who) but they weren't the most uplifting thoughts. not that they were horrible or anything but not the best. and the thought came to me, would you want your Savior to think that way about you? it was a harsh reality check. but one that I am incredibly thankful for. so that is my question for all of you. the next time a hurtful or judgemental thought pops up in your head take a second to ask would I want my Savior to think that about me? and then change the thought! re-think, re-examine. sometime our thoughts come without us wanting them to but we can always re-think them. We can always take a moment to say I don't really know what is happening in that person's life or I don't know why they are the way they are. I don't know what trials they are facing. but I do know that they are a Child of God just like me. I believe that if we can all work a little harder to think this way that we will all be much happier people. and the world would be a little bit better of a place to live in :)

 

well I love you!!! so much!!!

 

Love always your favorite sister missionary,

Sister Boudreaux :)