Hello!

Hello to my wonderful family!

I'm sorry to hear about Grandpa. Isn't it wonderful to know about the plan of salvation?

I am so grateful to be a missionary! I love it so much! It's hard, but it's so wonderful. I am learning so much about the plan of salvation, and about repentance, and about how everything in the gospel fits together so perfectly. It really is such a perfect plan that Heavenly Father has for us! I was reading in Alma 29 this morning, where Alma says, "Oh that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people! Yea, I would declare unto every soul...repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth." When I read that, I thought, wow, that's so true. Repentance and the plan of salvation are there for us so we can be happy--so there won't be any more sorrow upon the earth. I used to think repentance was a sad word because it means you are bad, so you have to repent. But now I know it is the happiest word in the world because it gives us a chance to change who we are, and to have peace in our hearts. I am so thankful for repentance! I don't ever want a day to go by where I don't use it. I love this gospel so much! I want everyone to have the gospel so they can feel how very very happy it feels to use the Atonement!

This week was the baptism of Shiela. I've only taught her for the past 2 or 3 weeks, but it was so special to see her be baptized, and to hear her testimony about how the gospel has changed her life. The gospel is true! I love it so much!

Love, Sister Boekweg.

This is a good week!

Hello, my wonderful family!

This week has been a good week. I still don't know my area very well, but we're slowly figuring things out. We're teaching a really sweet, nice family, the Guillermo family. They are less active, but the mom really wants her family to be active again. I'm excited to keep teaching them.

On Saturday I had a really cool experience finding new investigators. I've been kind of shy up to this point about finding new investigators on the street, but we had some teaching appointments fall through, so we decided to try it. We found Wendy (17), Sheryl (21), and Ivy (11) sitting at the side of the road, and we decided to ask if we could share the gospel with them. They said okay. We started teaching about the restoration. Then when it was my turn to teach about the apostasy, I felt very strongly that I needed to bring up that the gospel helps us become clean from our sins. So I did, and I explained that the gospel is the way that God has given us to become clean from our sins, and that was what was lost during the apostasy. I was really amazed because at that point they started seeming really interested in what we were saying, and at the end of the lesson they seemed like they really did want us to come teach them again. That was definitely a new experience for a first lesson because usually people will allow us to come back because they are nice, but they don't really seem to understand the importance yet of what we are teaching. I really feel like it was the spirit that told me to take the lesson in that direction. And I guess it's also because I related the restoration to them in a way that they could really understand why it is important for them. It really taught me how very very important it is to always make sure we always teach the gospel to people in a way that very much relates to their lives. Sister Cabato and I walked away from that lesson saying, "wow." It was a great day.

I love my Companion, Sister Cabato. She is really good, especially in interacting with people and teaching them. She worked with the missionaries a lot before her mission, so she's basically already been trained quite a bit. In fact, sometimes I feel like she is training me, rather than me training her. It's great! I'm really glad she is Filipino because I have no idea what's going on a lot of the time while we are out proselyting because Laoag is kind of a big city, and I'm still not familiar with everything. I think if she wasn't here to guide me, I would probably walk out into the street and get hit by a tricycle or something because there are not very many cross walks, and I have no idea when to cross the street. We've been jogging to the palenke (market) on p-day mornings. I didn't really do that with Sister Asuro--we just bought at the little grocery stores. It's a different experience, especially when we are buying meat because it's not refrigerated or anything; it just sits on the counter and then you buy it, and they put it in a little bag for you. We buy all our vegetables and meat there because it's cheaper than at the supermarket.

I am so grateful to be a missionary. I've definitely had some challenges, and it's definitely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life--it's definitely not a job for anyone who isn't willing to work and to sacrifice. But I have learned so much about the gospel, and I feel like I am becoming a lot better than I was before. I'm really grateful I decided to go on a mission before getting married because I definitely feel like it will make me a better mother someday. I'm so happy that sisters can now serve at age 19 because it means so many more will have a chance to go.

I love you all! Thank you so much for your letters, emails, and prayers! You have no idea how much they help me.

Love, Sister Boekweg

Transfers...dun dun dun!

Hello Beloved Family!

Thank you so much for the package you sent me. I recieved it earlier this week. Thank you sooooooo much for the chocolate, and gummy bears, and alfredo, stroganoff, and brown gravy mix, and for the pudding mix, and the SEASON ALL!!!!! and the t-shirt! (If you can't guess, I am pretty excited about the season all). It was just like Christmas! And thank you for all the letters from the baby shower. I received those this week too.

So, tomorrow we have transfers, and today we found out what's going to happen for that. So...I'm being transferred to Laoag city...and I'm going to train. It's the goal of President Barrientos for every new missionary to train after 12 weeks, and so I guess this proves he's serious about that. I don't really know how it's going to work, training in a new area, but I guess if it's what the Lord wants me to do, I can do it. 

Tonight we are teaching Marlon, and Dave Ashley, and Harlene, Christy and Jessica. I'm really glad because I want to say goodbye to them. I'm glad Sister Asuro will still be here in Paoay to take care of the area and make sure Marlon gets baptized. I REALLY want him to be baptized, and I'm kind of sad I won't be here to see that happen. Oh well.

I love you all! Have a fantastic week!

Love, Sister Boekweg

This is a happy week!

Hi Family!

Yesterday was the happiest Sunday of my entire mission so far! We had 13 less actives at church and 6 investigators! Marlon came to church!!!!! You have no idea how big this is! this is not your everyday neighborhood newspaper headline. This is front-page-of-the-New-York-Times material! We have been trying for so long to get Marlon to come to church, but he was too shy. We were trying to get Ryan, one of the less actives we're helping come back to church, to go with Marlon to church becuase they are friends, but things kept coming up that kept Ryan from going to church. So we got Franklin, one of the other YSA in the branch to go with him instead. On Wednesday we taught Marlon, and he said when he prays he feels that what we've taught him is true. We also taught him about the Sabbath day, and he said he really wanted to follow that. We committed him to go to church with or without Ryan, and he did!!! And I think he had a good experience! And he will be baptized on November 3! 

We also taught Dave Ashley this week, a 12-year-old investigator from a part member family. We've been teaching him with Jackielyn becuase he's really shy and he prefers not being taught by himself. But we taught him with his mom (who is less active and hadn't been to church in a long time) on Saturday. After the lesson he told sister Asuro that he wants to be baptized! And he and his mom both came to church the next day!! 

Life is happy! the church is true!

Love, Sister Boekweg