New Area--New Companion!

This week was pretty good. We had a really good lesson yesterday with a part-member family. The wife is a returning less active, and this is the first time that we have been able to teach the husband. We weren't sure how receptive he would be because the wife had told us he's super Catholic. But we talked to them about how the gospel blesses families. And the husband was really receptive. He said he wants to attend church with his wife next Sunday. I really think he will be baptized.

We also had a baptism for two of our investigators who are the children of a returning less active. It was the nicest baptism I have attended here in the mission. It was held in the chapel, and a lot of the members wore Sunday dress, and it was a really reverent atmosphere.

The baptism was for Brother J and Sister C. They are so cute. They were so excited to be baptized--especially Brother J. Even though he is only 14, he is super excited about the gospel. I am super impressed with him. 

So...tomorrow is transfer day, and...I'm being transferred to Cagayan, which is the province in the mission that is super rural, and super Ilokano. I'm a little nervous. I've never been more than 1 hour away from Laoag before. Oh, and I will have my first American companion...Sister Woahn. I've got to admit, I'm really sad to leave San Nicolas. I've been here for almost 7 months, and I feel like this is the area where I really learned how to be a missionary. I feel like I've been here forever. I'm really sad to leave Nanay A. She's still working toward baptism, and I've been working so hard on her for the past 7 months, and she has really progressed a lot.

I am so thankful to be a missionary. It is such a privilege to be able to use all my time to serve the Lord. I am so thankful for the opportunity to teach the gospel every day. Mahal ko kayo! Ingat lagi!

Sister Boekweg

 

We Got To Meet the Area President (Elder Nielsen)

Last Friday, we had the opportunity, along with one other set of sister leaders and a set of zone leaders and the AP's, to meet with Elder Nielsen (the area President) to talk with him about what's happening in the mission and so forth. It was pretty cool. We were chosen because our areas were closest to the mission home. He told us that when he is in Salt Lake, his office is right between two Apostles, and he sees them in the cafeteria every day. Cool, huh?

Two Baptisms This Week

This was a pretty good week. We had a baptismal interview yesterday for two of our investigators, Brother J and Sister C. They will be baptized on Saturday. It will be exciting. When we were filling out C's baptismal record, we discovered that we have the same birthday. :) We took a picture to document that monumentous discovery.

We have been trying to find investigators lately through part-member families. It's working pretty well. All of our appointments yesterday were with couples, where one of them is less active and the other is not yet a member. They seem really receptive.

Transfer day is coming up in one week. I'm not sure what will happen, so if you don't receive an email from me on Monday, do not fret, it will probably get to you on Tuesday.

Other than that, I can't think of anything notable about this week. It's been pretty normal. The gospel is true. Just keep choosing the right. I love you all.

Sister Boekweg

 

September 9 -- The Temple is Wonderful!

This week has been pretty good. I love our investigator, Brother F. He is so super receptive. He has an ipad, and every time we visit him he is excited to show us new church apps he has found, like the new testament videos, and the Book of Mormon where the voice reads it to you. He came to stake conference yesterday, and he really liked it.

Our stake conference yesterday was really good. There are 38 missionaries in our zone, and we all sang "I'll go where you want me to go." And President and Sister Barrientos spoke. And the theme was obedience. It was really good. We had a lot of investigators who attended, even though it was far away (in Paoay!--I saw my recent converts from Paoay there). I am excited for general conference. Conferences are so great.

I read from "Preparing to enter the Holy Temple" today during my personal study, and it made me really excited to go to the temple. I cannot even tell you how blessed we are to have so many temples so close in Utah. Take advantage of that, and go as often as you can. The temple is the most wonderful place in the whole world. I hope someday there will be a temple close to Laoag."

 

Sister Boekweg

 

 

September 1 -- Lots of Rain!!!

This has been a really good week, despite all the rain we've been having. We had so much rain on Tuesday and Wednesday that in flooded on our street so much that it looked like a river. We couldn't go out until 5pm on Tuesday and we didn't get to go out at all on Wednesday. And those were both days that we had exchanges, so they were kind of interesting exchanges, just sitting inside trying to find ways to be productive while not being able to go out and proselyte. But it was okay. We had story time on Wednesday with the gospel art picture book, and that kept us occupied for a few hours, and it was pretty fun. But I really have realized how much it feels like being in prison when you're a missionary, and you can't go out and teach. I used to think it would be fun to be stuck inside because of flooding, but I'm really grateful for the days when we can go out and proselyte. 

"This was a good week. We taught brother F, one of our investigators about the restoration, and about the Book of Mormon, and he was so excited to learn about it. He read his assignments and underlined the parts he thought were important, and he had lots and lots of questions. And he accepted to be baptized on October 19. He came to church yesterday, and I think he had a good experience. I'm so excited. He is such a golden investigator. I know he will be a great leader in the church."

I love teaching YSA. Especially when they have the potential to go on missions.

We've really been blessed. Even though we didn't have very much time to work this week, many investigators and Less actives came to church. We had 13 less actives there, and 7 investigators. It was a good Sunday.

Being a missionary is really a blessing. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve the Lord. I have learned more about the gospel than I ever could have in any other way. I am so excited to continue to do missionary work also when I go home. The gospel really is the best thing in the whole world. Words cannot describe how wonderful the gospel is.

Sister Boekweg

August 25 -- Too Much Rain Kept Us Inside

My spiritual highlight for the week was yesterday when we went to church. One of the investigators that I taught before with Sister Serrano, came to church. He is now in the area of Sister S and Sister M, but it made me really happy to see him there.  Yesterday when I shook his hand, he said, "it's good to be back." I am so excited about the change I saw in him because, when I was teaching him before, he wouldn't ever admit that he wanted to learn about the gospel. But now his pride is going away, and I really think he will be a great leader in the church. 

I am so thankful that there are 4 missionaries in San Nicolas 1 now. I am so excited about the progress I'm seeing in the ward. So many more people are progressing and coming to church than ever would have happened when it was only me and Sister Serrano here. I am so grateful to see the Lord's work progressing. It's very exciting.

Last Tuesday we had to stay inside all day long because it had been raining since Friday, and the area presidency didn't want the missionaries to go out because there were two missionaries who were injured from going out in the storm. So it was an interesting day. But I started reading the Book of Mormon in Ilokano, and it really helped me. So that was good.

Yesterday we taught the cutest family...well, the mother and children anyway. The mother is less active, but Sister C has been helping her to come back to church, and so we are now teaching her children.  All three of them have baptismal dates now, and they are really progressing. Before we ever taught him, he asked Sister C how he can be baptized. He is reading the Book of Mormon, and praying, and going to church, and now sister is starting to do that too. Yesterday was our first time to teach their other brother, but he wants to be baptized too. I'm excited about them.

The gospel is so wonderful. I never realized until I came on my mission how lucky I was to grow up with the gospel in my life. I'm so grateful to be a missionary. 

Sister Boekweg