May 26
Hello my dear family!
So this past week was a little crazy. So we did not have a baptism on Saturday like we thought that we would. all week it was happening and then not and then happening and then not. Their parents are divorced but both less active members of the church. Their mom was okay with them getting baptized but their dad wants them to go to church more and learn more. So that is where we are at! It's okay. It will happen when it needs to happen. until then we are just continuing to work with them and help them to be truly converted to the gospel. They will make it there some day!!!
That was pretty much what the majority of our week consisted of. planning a baptism and then cancelling a baptism. but it's good :) oh!! so guess who came to visit Huron! (well her mission) Sister Ransom!!! Her and her parents are doing a road trip through the mission. It was so great to get to see her. She always just makes me smile that girl. It was fun to see her parents too.
my mind is like totally blank of what to write about. it was a crazy week!! it flew by. Before I knew it, it was over!
Things are going good here. We are slowly seeing our less actives begin to make progress and become stronger in the gospel. I have been able to make some great connections with people here. Love them oodles and oodles! Many good memories and stories to bring home with me. oh goodness this is like the most boring email home ever! I apologize. I will try to think of something exciting to write about. hmmm....
we did get to go help a lady in the ward put together her new table and chairs. and I even helped! and nothing fell apart. so that was a win! it was fun to sit and talk and put everything together. and it's nice to get to wear jeans from time to time :) but I have also weirdly grown fond of wearing skirts and dresses.
Last Monday we did get to go and review the baptismal interview questions with Sammy and Gabby and the spirit was super strong. It was amazing to hear the girls tell us their simple testimonies of what they had been learning. Every time that I review with people in preparation for baptism or even just to check their progress in the gospel it amazes me to see just how much the spirit can teach us! It's those moments that help me to see that I really just a tool in the hands of the Lord. That the spirit is the real teacher and it's the one who truly converts people to the gospel. Because even if you were the best teacher in the entire world you could never convince someone to live the gospel to it's full extent without the power of the Holy Ghost. He is the real teacher and the one who will ultimately convert anyone.
Home teaching. It's a simple way to do missionary work. There was a story that my ward mission leader in my last area told us about a man who would go and try and visit this less active every month. and the man would yell at him and tell him to leave. but every month this faithful man would try again. one day there was a bad storm and one of the church buildings was being damaged and they needed men to come and help move things and try and cover the whole in the ceiling. The home teacher was asked to go and gather up people to come help. He thought about the less active and thought no he won't want to come. but the spirit told him to try. So he knocked on the door and the less active started to tell him to leave when the home teacher said. wait. I'm not here for home teaching I need your help. after he explained the situation the man said he would come and help. The work was miserable and the home teacher thought "great. this is awful! He is never going to come to anything ever again." but much to his surprise a few weeks later the man came to church. and eventually became an active member again. He later shared his testimony and said that as he helped with the building that day he felt good inside. It was a feeling he hadn't had for a long time. He felt not only wanted but needed. (this is of course in my own words but it's the general idea of the story :) ) I love the idea of it though! people want to feel needed and wanted. I have shared this story with many members and it has touched many hearts :) hope that helps! if not sorry!! :)
This morning in my studies I was reading out of Alma 5-7. Last January President Anderson committed all of us missionaries to read the Book of Mormon before July 1st and to look for evidences that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was being taught. I decided to take a Book of Mormon (one of the ones that we give out) and highlight the different aspects of the Gospel of Christ (Faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end) I am also marking where it talks about justice and mercy and how Christ is able to help us heal spiritually and over come sin as we live the Gospel of Christ. Today I had a really great expierence as I read those chapters. literally almost every single verse was being marked for one thing or another. In chapter 7 he talks about the Atonement and talks about how Christ can succor His people and help them in their times of hardship. right after that in the next 3 verses he explains the entire gospel of Christ. In the 3 chapters I studied this morning the Gospel of Jesus Christ is simply and beautifully explained. In the plainest terms he can use he explains it. and it explains it multiple different ways! The Book of Mormon is true!!! anyone who reads it with real intent and an open heart will know it. It is truly the most amazing book that has ever been written. without it I don't know where I would be in my life. Definatly not here. but with it I know that I can return to live with my Father in Heaven again if I will follow what it teaches. I just love the Book of Mormon!!! If you are not currently reading it every single day then start!!!!! a single verse is a good place to start. it has the power to change lives. but only if we let it.
I love to study as a missionary! I feel like the spirit helps me learn so much!!!! well life is good. Missionary work is hard but if it was easy it wouldn't be nearly as worth it. I love you all!!! Thank you for all that you do for me!! I love you all dearly!!
Love always
Sister Boudreaux
June 2
well hello dear family!!!!
so this past week has been pretty much like all the others :) same old same old. we have been focusing on doing all that we can to talk to as many people as we can everyday. and with the weather being nice it's much easier to find people outside! I will be honest at first just walking up to people and talking to them was hard. when you go tracting you can mentally prepare yourself before they open the door. but as you street contact people they are just right there! they can see you coming! but we have had some really great experience's as we have been able to just talk with everyone that we could. On Saturday it was lightly raining and we were out walking. There was a man out on his porch with his little girl. They looked to be Karen but I thought well why not talk with them! so we went up and introduced ourselves and they invited us right into their home. He and his wife sat down and were so incredibly nice to us. They are from Burma and speak Burmese (which is a little different than the Karen language. they are from the same country but Burmese is more of the traditional language. I have been learning more about the people as I have been talking with Elder Zaw. He answers all my questions for me) They were Christian and spoke pretty good English. We were able to share a simple truth with them about the Restoration and then we got their information, set a return appointment and gave the information over to the Elders. I am excited for them to be able to teach them because they were such nice people and I know that the Elder's will be able to teach them in a way that I can't.
The second miracle we saw while out street contacting happened at about 8:30 on Saturday night. We had about an half an hour before we needed to be home and so we picked a street and started to walk down it talking to anyone we could as we went. Near the end of the street there were 4 woman sitting outside. At first it was super awkward when we went to walk up because they were like laughing and one got up and left and came back part way through and it was just an awkward situation. but I was like well we are already here! might as well just keep talking! so we did. and they told us they were Catholic (but I am guessing they are not super active... seeing as they asked us if there was a Catholic church here in town....) but we were able to bear a simple testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel and ask if we could teach them about it sometime. By this point in time they had all quieted down and they were honestly listening. You could feel the spirit. One of the woman looked at me and asked "well does it matter that we are Catholic" I could feel the spirit working though me as I answered. I told her No that we are all children of God and He loves all of us. That each and everyone of us are important to Him. After that we gave them our phone number and promised to stop by again sometime. I don't know if we will ever get in to teach them again but I know that while we stood there that night talking with them, they felt the spirit. and we bore testimony that God loved them and the Church of Christ has been restored to the earth. It may seem like a small thing but to me it was a miracle. The Lord blesses those who work diligently. And He will lead you along.
I feel like this week went super fast! (well they all feel like they go super fast) I don't know what else to even write home about. Last night I was able to talk with Sister Anderson over the phone for a little bit and at one point in time she told me that I would live a long life because I know how to smile and laugh. I thought that was a great compliment! Life is just too short to not laugh and enjoy it!! I have had times in my mission (well even just this past week!) when it is so easy to sit and complain about everything that is going wrong. that is what our natural selves tell us to do! and yet when we sit and complain there are always more things to complain about. the list never ends!!! but then we just get all grouchy and grumpy and it is so much harder to see the blessings. I would much rather just try to be happy and see the good! (not that I am perfect at it but I am trying!! :) )
I am contemplating cutting my hair again. maybe bangs this time. I don't really know. I have also started to do Yoga (I bought a yoga DVD) and I am really enjoying it! I have also started to BUY vegetables. and eat them all by myself! I keep having experiences on my mission where I am like oh my goodness if my family could see me right now they would be shocked!!! and I am trying to be humble enough to admit that I was wrong about a lot of things :) but it's been amazing to see how the Lord has helped me to see those things but done it in such a loving way.
I don't know what else to write home about. Sister Maisey and I are doing well! I love her :) it's been funny because the longer we serve together the more we realize that we are very much alike. we are very different in some sense but very much alike in others. it's been a good experience to be around someone who is so much like me though because it has helped me to see things about myself that I would like to change. things that will make me better. it's funny because there have been moments when she will say or do something and I am like ah! why would she do or say that?? and then like a second later I am like oh my goodness! that is totally something that I would have said or done! and then I have to swallow a huge humility pill and get over it! and see that I am not perfect so why on earth would I judge others. I don't know if that all made very much sense.... but it does to me!! :)
well I love you all!! thank you for the letters and support! they totally brighten my days :) this week is the week of transfers. I have no idea what is going to happen but just to be safe if you are planning on sending anything send it to the mission office or wait till next week to send it directly to me :) Glad to hear everyone is healthy and happy!!
Love always your favorite sister missionary
Sister Boudreaux :)
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