Email from Catarroja

Hello, my wonderful family!

How are you doing???? How is everyone there? Happy birthday to Lucy and Melba and Luke this week! I hope Lucy's birthday was good and that Melba and Luke, you have a wonderful day! I hope everyone is doing well and happy :)

Things here have been so crazy but so, so good! This week was so fun! We were just running from place to place cause we had so much to do, and we were just blessed so much! It was amazing. The Lord is seriously pouring out blessings on us and we have so many people to teach. It's so fun! I just love it. 

-We are teaching Maria Angeles and she is doing really well, loves everything about the Church, but she's not getting baptized this week cause she is still working on not smoking. But she's doing great!

-We are teaching Kelly, the girl from Brazil, and will teach her husband this week too. They are so nice and such a cute family!

-We were visiting a less-active woman and her daughter was there, and we got talking and became good friends, and she asked us to come teach her English! It was exciting because this woman is the only member in her family and is so excited that we are teaching her daughter! The girl's name is Naomi and is my age. We are super good friends and are going to teach her the lessons. Yay!

-We are teaching a less-active family and one of the sons' girlfriend isn't a member, so we are teaching them and they are coming along! It's so exciting! The best part about teaching all these people is that when we invite them to be baptized, they say yes! Almost all of them have a baptismal date! It's so fun. I am so excited about it. The Lord is just pouring out blessings on us.

-Yesterday was concilio! That´s the meeting with President and Hermana Pace and zone leaders and STLs. It's so fun cause we go up Sunday night since we are so far away, and we get to stay in the mission home. It's so fun! we just get to hang out with President and Hermana Pace that night and I love it so much. Also, Hermana Shake is there and I love it! It's so fun to see her. The meeting was so so good. Our mission is just on fire right now! It's so exciting. I love it! Everyone is so excited and the Lord is blessing us so much. It was such a good meeting and the Spirit is always so, so, so strong. It just gets me so, so pumped! I love it! I feel so privileged to be there, it's such an amazing opportunity to serve these hermanas. I just love it. I did an intercambio with an hermana from Valencia and we just had so much fun! It was so good.

-While I was gone at concilio, Hermana O´Neill and another hermana were here, and they taught a woman named Marcia we have been teaching for a long time but hasn't progressed a ton. She is the mother of a 16 year-old who got baptized the week before I got here. She is so, so cute. But Hermana O´Neill asked her to be baptized and set a date with her for the 14th, and Marcia said yes!!!!!!! It was such a miracle! Hermana O´Neill is a miracle worker, I'm telling you. That girl is amazing. I am so excited! It´s the biggest miracle and she is so excited to get baptized. The only problem is that she works every Sunday. But we are going to pray and fast with her so that she can come to church! It´s amazing. Such a huge miracle!

- Hermana O´Neill is the best. She is seriously one of my dearest friends. Transfers are on Tuesday and we are so sad about it. We are praying we stay together even though the odds are really against us haha. But she is so amazing. She's so strong and such an incredible missionary but also so funny, and we just laugh all day every day. She's been such a good friend and I just love her!

- Funny story this week. So we decided to take Cristobal and Susana brownies and just drop them off on their door with a note that says we love them and are thinking about them and stuff. Something all cutesy. So I was thinking we should put the scripture Moroni 8:3 on the card, which is really sweet and says that we are praying for them and stuff. But I got mixed up and thought the reference was Mormon 9:3. Before we dropped them off, Hermana O´Neill decided to check the scripture just in case. OH MY GOSH! If you have time, look up Mormon 9:3--you will seriously die. We laughed so hard we were crying. We were so close to accidentally putting that on their doorstep with a cute card and brownies haha! Oh my goodness. Look up the scripture, it's worth it haha. Oh man.

Well, basically the Lord is just pouring out blessings on us. I feel a lot of emotions, just cause my mission is ending and there's millions of emotions with it, but mostly I'm just happy and stoked. I have never been more motivated to give everything I have. President Pace shared some insights from 1 Nephi 18 in concilio with us, and one thing he said was that when Nephi and his family got to the promised land, they planted ALL their seeds in the earth. They weren't afraid there would be a drought or that the earth wouldn't be good, they just went for it. They put in ALL the seeds they had brought from home. Isn't that such an act of faith? I just loved that. They could have totally reserved some seeds out of fear or doubt, but they gave it all and trusted the Lord with all of them. I decided I am putting in ALL of my seeds, not holding back anything for fear or doubt. Just going to give it all to the Lord so He can make them grow and do what He wants with them. I trust Him and His timing and I know He blesses every single effort we make, no matter how small :) 

This work is so amazing! I read Jacob 5 this week, and it has never meant so much to me. How lucky are we to be the servants called to work in the vineyard for the last time! We are so lucky to be part of this incredible work and work alongside the Lord of the Vineyard as we bring souls to Him. There is no work more beautiful, more exciting, and more fulfilling. I love it with all my heart, and I feel so incredibly lucky to be part of it. Up close, on the front lines :)

I love you all so, so, so much! Thank you for being the most incredible family in the whole world! I couldn't do it without you! I love you so, so, so much and hope you have the most wonderful week!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Hermana Boyer :)

P.S. I will write on Tuesday next week cause of transfers :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

How are you all? I hope you are all doing well :) Huge Happy Birthday to Lucy and Sam! I hope you had and will have happy birthdays!!!!

Things here are really good! Wow, we have had an amazing week full of miracles!!!!!!!!! The Lord is blessing us with so many amazing people to teach. Okay, let me tell you about them :)

Maria Angeles--She is the funniest woman from the south of Spain, and she's hilarious! I just love her. We found her knocking her door. We have been teaching her for about a week and she's amazing! She loves the Book of Mormon and is so excited about the Church! While I was gone, Hermana O´Neill and another hermana taught her the Restoration, and she said when Hermana O'Neill was saying the First Vision, her body was full of chills and she felt the most amazing sensation. She said she knew that God was telling her it was true. Wow! She can't stop talking about it haha. So she´s getting baptized on the 28th! We are so excited! She is amazing and so funny, we just love her. She has a big smoking addiction, so we are working on that. But she has so much faith, I know it will be okay :)

Alfonso--He is the amazing guy we found last week! He is amazing! Seriously, we had the most incredible lesson with him this week. He had read a ton, then asked US about baptism, then WANTED to say the prayer and said it perfectly--the first prayer he´s ever said! We taught him the Plan of Salvation and he just loved it. He has hardly any religious background, but he just loved it. He said it was so perfect and he couldn't get over it. Wow! The Spirit was so strong, it was just thick. We invited him to be baptized for the 28th and he was all for it :) The only problem is that he couldn't come to church yesterday, so he lost his fecha for that day, but he will get baptized soon; he is amazing!!!!!! I think he is the most prepared person I have ever taught. He came to English class and the ward FHE and NOBODY CAME! For the first time in the history of ever. But both times he was soo chill and cut paper hearts with us four missionaries and had the time of his life haha. He is so cool.

Another miracle: We hadn't found many investigators this week, so on Saturday night we were super busy running from cita to cita, but we prayed and just begged the Lord He would put someone in our path. The next person we contacted was from Brazil (oh my, Brazilians are the BEST, Melba and Joe and Spence :)) And she was amazing! She was so excited and offered for us to come teach her right then, but we couldn't, but we are going tomorrow! She is amazing! The Lord hears prayers. That´s all. There´s no doubt about it.

So things are really good :) Here´s some sad news: Cristobal and Susana have asked us not to come over anymore. They said they are really overwhelmed and have too much going on and don´t have time for the Church right now. We had a cita with them the day after we fasted with Cristobal and he was really weird in it. I actually cried while we were with them haha; it was embarrassing. But yeah, they asked us not to come back or talk to them for a while. I can say it's been the biggest heartbreak of my mission. But I actually feel a lot of peace about it now, I think because I have done literally everything I can for them, and now it's in the Lord's hands. But I know there's a reason for it, because since we stopped visiting them we've had more time and the Lord has opened SO many doors (literally) for us, it's just amazing. I think we needed time to focus on other people, and I know they will come around sometime, it's just on the Lord´s timing. So anyway, it's heartbreaking, but I feel peace about it knowing I've done everything I can and the Lord will bless our efforts.

So things are good! Super, super busy--this week I went an hour down south to be with an hermana in Gandia, and it was so fun. It's on the beach and there are mountains everywhere--it´s gorgeous! It was really fun to be with her. Then I was in Valencia for a day with an hermana who is really homesick and was trying to go home. I spent the day with her and we had a lot of fun and she's doing a lot better, so that was a good opportunity to be with her :) So we are super busy, don't even have our feet on the ground, but we're super happy and loving life :)

This week I have been learning about patience still and mostly about God´s promises. God is a god of miracles, an unchanging god. If He could part the Red Sea for Moses, why can't he part our red seas? I´ve been noticing recently how most miracles came at the very last minute: it took Nephi a bunch of tries to get the plates, Joseph Smith lost the plates and went through an awful repentance time before he started translating and restored the Church, Moses got right to the edge of the water before the Lord parted it. Over and over again. The Lord's timing is perfect. Just because He doesn't do the miracle right when we want it or how we imagine, it certainly doesn't mean it's not going to happen. God is a god of miracles. Every day. Every hour. The only limit to His power and the miracles we see is our faith. So that's why I pray every day, every hour, for more faith :)

I love you all so much! Thank you for being the most supportive and loving family in the world. Seriously. I am so grateful for you; you are what keep me going when it gets rough. You are everything to me! I love you SO much!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Hermana Boyer :)

P.S. Next week is concilio so I won't write until Tuesday :)

Frozen :)

I think I´m so clever using that title even though I've never even seen the movie haha! How are you all??? How is everyone there? I hope everyone is happy and healthy!

Things here are super good and super COLD!!!!!!! I seriously truly can't remember a colder week in my entire life. So crazy! It's so cold that you just can't even stand it--and no matter how many layers you put on, you're still freezing, cause we´re right next to the ocean haha. It's wild! I feel like I will never thaw out after this haha! But it's good, we are having the best time in our little Catarroja :)

This was an amazing week! We saw so many miracles--it was amazing. We met so many amazing people in the street--so many people let us in their doors when we knocked--it was awesome.
On Tuesday and Wednesday we had a conference with President and Hermana Pace, and it was SO good! I learned so so much. It was so spiritual and made me want to be such a better missionary! I got the chance to speak about companionship unity, so that was fun :) It was such a good conference. I love, love, love, being with the Paces--they are absolutely incredible.

So on Monday night President and Hermana Pace came with us to see Cristobal and Susana again! Wow, two visits from President--that is really something. It was so good. We read 3 Nephi 11, and President just worked his magic of bringing the Spirit so, so strongly that you could just cut it. He´s amazing! Susana was so attentive and just loved it and said she feels so much more peace about it and her fears are just melting away. Cristobal said he knows he needs to get baptized, he just has to get the courage to do it. It was such an amazing cita--the Spirit was so strong.

Then we talked to them about fasting and Cristobal really wanted to fast with us, so we fasted with him yesterday. He loved it! He said it was such a good experience. We are going over in like an hour to see how it went and get him committed to a real date :) He is getting baptized this month, we just feel it 100%.

Another huge miracle this week was Alfonso! We really tried after lunch to be out exactly on time--to the minute--and the first person we contacted was Alfonso! We testified to him about the Restoration, and after he was like, "Wow, how do I sign up to know more about this? I really want to know more!" It was amazing--he was so excited about it. So last night we had a cita with him and it was so good. He has lots of doubts and questions but is so ready to learn and so sincere about it. We feel so good about him and we're so excited :) It's amazing how the Lord puts the prepared people in our path when we are being exactly obedient.

So we are doing well! We have lots of people progressing, we are finding amazing people, the members are so wonderful, and we are very happy. Hermana O´Neill is so wonderful. She is so funny but so dedicated and works so hard. We have so much fun together, while literally giving everything we have. We come home so exhausted, but happy and just loving life :)

This week I have been learning so much about patience. This week I started losing patience, because I feel like I've never worked so hard or been so obedient and tried to have so much faith, but I haven't been seeing the results and success I want. But as I was praying about it and reading my scriptures, the Lord gave me the strongest manifestation I think I have ever had from Him that He is aware of the work I'm doing, and He will fulfill all His promises to me--in His own time. It was such a strong feeling and ever since then I have felt total peace, knowing that He is there with me and He will bless my efforts. I am learning to put all my trust and faith in HIm and know that in His time, He will bless me, and I just have to do my part and have faith in Him. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have my faith and patience tried, even though it's hard and frustrating at times. But truly, right now in my life I can say I have never been closer to the Lord than in the past two months. It's amazing. He´s there at my side and at each one of yours. I know He blesses us in His time and in His way, we just have to give Him everything, then leave it in His hands and have faith in His promises.

Sorry that was a long schpill haha. But thank you so much for all you do! I love you all so, so, so much! Have the most wonderful week!

Love, Hermana Boyer :)

P.S. Another amazing miracle! Remember Ari and Ricardo that I was teaching in Zaragoza??? I worked with them my whole 6 months there. Well Ricardo was baptized this week, and guess who baptized him???? Alexander!!!!!!!!! The oldest of the 3 kids that got baptized while I was there : )SO AMAZING. Also. Diego, Alexander´s dad and Tatiana's husband who wasn't doing so well while I was there, is now active, with the priesthood, has a calling, and they´re working to the temple :) I am so happy, I cry every time I think about it :)

Happy Groundhog Day! :)

Hello my wonderful family! How are you doing???? It sounds like such a fun time with all the baptisms! I love seeing the pictures; they are just adorable!!! Man, we have the cutest family in the world :) How is everyone? I hope you are all doing well and happy! :) Happy birthday, Sam! Tell him I love him and hope he has the best day ever!!!!

This week was really, really crazy, but so good! Our feet didn´t even touch the ground, we were just running haha! It was really good though! We had a conference one morning in Valencia and it went really well. I got to speak about diligence, so that was fun! :) Then we had an intercambio in Valencia and I went with two hermanas there, and Hermana O´Neill hung out with some other hermanas and followed them around--she is such a trooper! It was fun--I was with two brand-new Hermanas. This mission did something crazy--they had an hermana who is halfway through her training TRAIN!!!!!!! So they are training each other! But they are doing amazing! So I went with them for a day and it was so fun! They are just awesome. It was so fun--we got to set a baptism date with a wonderful lady, and they are so excited about it! It´s been so fun to get to know all these amazing hermanas! I´ve loved it. :)

So we were out of our area a lot, but the Lord made up for it so much! We were praying so hard to have lots of lessons, and we worked hard and the Lord blessed us so, so much! We had so many miracles. One was a family we are working with--the mom and son are less-active and the girlfriend is not a member. We've been working a lot with them and they all came to church this week! It was the best. Also, we got a reference from a member of a family of 6!!!!!!!!!!!! We are so excited to teach them! They are so wonderful, and we can´t wait to teach them. Such a miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, we had the most amazing lesson with Susana! A member came with us who is incredible. He had to leave early but he was like, "Susana, I just have to bear you my testimony before I leave." And BOOM!!!!!!! It was honestly one of the most powerful testimonies I have ever heard. He told about how he was really strong Catholic, but was always looking for the truth. The missionaries told him to read the BOM and pray, and he did. He said he got his answer so strongly, and ever since his baptism has been so strong and sharing the gospel with everyone. Susana finally got it! Something finally clicked! She was like, "This is what I´ve been missing! I haven´t really read and prayed sincerely about the answer!" We were like YES!!!!!!!! We´ve been telling you that for 3 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha We didn´t really say that but we were thinking it :) But finally it got to her! So she is so excited to read and pray and get her answer because she is Catholic. AND. . . . . President and Hermana Pace are coming to see them again in like 2 HOURS!!!!!!!!!! We are so excited. President asked me how they are at concilio and I told him everything and then he was like, "Okay, we´ll be down there on Monday the 2nd--they´re getting baptized." Woohoo! We are working so hard to get them baptized on Valentine´s Day! Wouldn't that be so magical!? So I will tell you how it goes :)

Everything else is really good! Just loving life, working hard, teaching lots of people, and having the time of my life with Hermana O´Neill! We are always laughing and it´s so fun. I realized that my emails have gotten pretty serious lately, but know that I am always laughing and we have the funniest stuff happen. Like the other day, we were walking really fast with the elders somewhere and I was walking fast, looking to my left at Hermana O´Neill. All of the sudden, BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hit a pole SO HARD!!!!!!!!! So hard that my arms and legs wrapped around it and my face was totally squished against the pole and it totally knocked the wind out of me and I made the loudest "OOF!" noise haha! Before I gathered my sense and realized what happened, Hermana O´Neill was just dying laughing. Oh man, it was so funny. The best part is that the elders didn´t even laugh haha. Oh gosh. So we have a lot of fun :)

Life is really good! I am so grateful for my mission. I have been thinking about it a lot lately, and seriously, my mission is one of the very biggest blessings I have in my life. I wouldn´t trade it for anything. I feel like I have changed so much and the Lord has just molded me into who He´s trying to get me to be. I still have so much to change and learn, but I´m so grateful for what He has already taught me. It´s amazing how He knows exactly how much we can stretch and He knows exactly how to push us but is always always at our side. A little child has to fall to learn how to walk--but just because we let them fall, it definitely doesn´t mean we don´t love them. We are right there at their side, loving them and experiencing every step with them. Our Savior does the same. He holds our hand and watches us stumble but is right there with us and will never let us fall if we trust Him. I have definitely felt that hand every day of my mission, and I know He is there at our side in every moment, no matter how happy or sad we are. He loves us so much. I love Him so much and am so grateful for the chance to wear His name and be His servant for this time.

I hope you all know how much I absolutely love you! Thank you a million times over for your love and support and all you do for me! I love you and always pray for you!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Hermana Boyer :)

P.S. To answer your questions--I am better!!!!!!!!!! Way better! We have worked 100% this week and I feel great! My lungs still hurt when I cough, but I feel really good and I am completely better. SO DON'T WORRY :) I am totally good and have energy and am healthy! I know it´s cause of all your prayers! Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!