Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Where did everyone go? Anyone do anything out of the ordinary or was it the regular eat tons of food and chat? I can remember last Thanksgiving at the Taylors where afterword, we played one of the most intense games of mafia I've ever played! he he. I'm sure some of you remember that crazy game!

Well, lots has happened this week so let me fill you in...

Thursday was a regular day. We worked on the 3rd lesson. Our investigator also needed to be taught the law of chastity so we worked on how to teach that.

While we're in class, and I guess just anytime, we try to say prayers in Italian. There's a really funny Anziano (Elder) in our district from Wales, Anziano Gibson. He's only 18 but cracks me up all the time. So we all knelt down to say the last prayer of the day and it was his turn. When we don't know how to say words in Italian, we say them in English. The last thing he said was... "ti chiediamo per a nice, prolonged dormire" ha ha. We pretty much all bursted out laughing. He said it so funny but we all knew it was true. It's tiring work here and I'm glad he asked for a "nice prolonged sleep."

We went to the RC on thrusday as well. For those who don't know what that is... it's the referral center where people call in about church commercials to get DVDs, Books of Mormon, or best of all, to have the missionaries sent to them. So we were making outbound calls; checking up on people to see if they received what they wanted. Most of the time we get answering machines. I talked only to a few people who didn't want us to call back. But I also called a number and the person's ringtone thing was none other than the song "crazy" by Gnarls Barkley! ha ha. So I had a little dance party in my chair and remembered the good times at Rod and Jos. wink wink.

Friday was just another day of learning in the classroom. We continue learning the language and it continues to be a review for me. I learn words every once in a while. I'm trying to SYL (speak your language) as much as I can. We also started trying to learn the 1st lesson in Italian so that's pretty neat.

Saturday morning we were taught by Sorella Cramer. She is such a great teacher and always has the best things to say. We also got to take a walk around the MTC, that's always nice when we've been inside all morning. I don't think I've ever said anything about how my district was struggling at first for awhile. The two Anziani in it, Gibson and Horst, are pretty sarcastic and think everything is lame. They complain a lot. Sometimes I wonder why they're here. But apparently everyone noticed. Our teacher then, Fratello German, told us that the spirit wasn't in class. So that made us all sad. The Branch President, President Marcov talked to those Anziani and now they've gotten quite a bit better. They still complain a little about having to sing 20 times a day and pray 40, but heck, so do I, the trick is just to not vocalize it!

Sunday was great. We always have such great speakers for Relief Society. Sister Bonnie D. Parkin came and gave an awesome talk on gratitude. She made us all write thank-you notes to someone. I wish I could've written you all one, but sorry, Mom and Dad got it! She gave us 5 minutes to write them and by the end I could hear many sniffles. I have to admit a few were mine. I guess it was a mixture of gratitude and homesickness. After the talk, we got to go and give her a hug. What an inspired lady.

We had sacrament meeting in the afternoon. It was the older two districts last Sunday so that was sad. After that we took our Sunday walk up to the temple. It's always so pretty because we're up there just as the sun goes down. The Sunday evening fireside was amazing. This guy, Ted Gibbons, gave a talk as if he were Willard Richards. He stayed in character the entire time. It was amazing to hear the Joseph Smith story told from his point of view. It was very personal and made me so grateful for Joseph Smith. He never did anything except the Lord's will. Praise to the Man!

Monday came and that means teaching in the TRC. We taught the 3rd with the law of chastity. We had this really old lady who was asleep half the time but the older guy was great. We are good at teaching in unity but we still need to work on personalizing our lessons. This next week we'll teach the 1st again and then it's Italian! Monday night we said goodbye to all of the older Sorelle and Anziani. I sent a note for you, Mom, Dad and Andy so hopefully Sorella Birdsall gave that to you. About 4 Sorelle went to Milano and the others (3) went to Rome. I was so jealous that they were going to see you Dad and Mom! I wanted to get into their suitcases and visit you. So now it's pretty quiet around here. It's just our two districts, 11 people.

These first three weeks we've been all together in the same classroom. But yesterday we got spilt into our 2 districts. Us Sorelle are with Anziano Hurst and Gibson and then there's 6 Anziani in the other one. The other district keep Fratello German and Fratello Fife as their teachers and we had to get new ones. We are all pretty bummed because we love those teachers and they know where we are in our learning. But now we have Sorella Knott and Fratello Warren as our teachers, they both served in Rome. Sorella Knott is okay but we like Fratello Warren a lot. Change is good, I guess.

What a day yesterday was. Sorella Winslow has been having sort of a rough time. I guess she hasn't been sleeping too well and I think she's a little overwhelmed and homesick. Aren't we all! Her Mom sends her a card everyday. She's also gotten many packages. One of them had her stuffed dog in it. I guess she can't sleep without it. Jourdan, you better tell Milo right now that Quack has to stay at home when he goes on his mission! She broke down yesterday at lunch when she got caught trying to sneak into the lunchroom without her blue card. I guess the lady gave her a guilt trip. So all that was adding up and she was weeping all through lunch. I didn't know what to do. I was sort of rolling my eyes, but yeah, that's probably not the most Christlike thing. The Zone Leaders and District Leaders gave her a blessing of comfort and she seems to be doing well today. Mama Mia!

Elder R. Conrad Schultz of the Seventy spoke at the devotional about obedience. It was great. We met with the Branch Presidency afterward and discussed the devotional. One of our Counselors, Brother Naccarato mentioned how it always amazes him how these general authorities give up their whole lives to the gospel. It's total selflessness. He said that's how we need to be on our missions. We have to give it our all, and it's true. It's so hard but it's definitely possible. When I was on the swim team I remember Coach Dan Miller telling us that "we stand on all the shoulders of all who have swam before us." He would tell us that when we step on those blocks, we have the suport of all those who have ever swam for Orem. And I think that's so true about the gospel as well. There have been so many great missionaries who have gone before me: Ell and Paul, Marg and Nate, Rod, Steve, Tom, and Dad and Mom. I'm so grateful for that and for your support. We stand on the shoulders of Joseph Smith, the true prophet of the Restoration. The Book of Mormon missionaries such as Alma and Amulek were some of the best. And Jesus Christ is, of course, the ultimate example. It's humbling to think that we are just as important to this work. If all these people went through the things they did to bring people to the church, I know we can as well! It brings on new determination when I remember this. So, many thanks to you all.

The laundry is done and this has been, yet, another long letter. Unfortunately the temple is closed today for the holiday so we won't get to do that today. But I think we'll walk up there anyway.

I hope you are all doing well. I just got letters from Tom and Rod and Jo but haven't had time to read them yet. Thanks! Also thanks to Marg and Aunt Lynne and the Hillmans for letters and cookies! Be looking for letters soon! Aub, I wrote you a letter but I guess I put the wrong address so I'll try to send it again.

I love this work. I'm so excited to go to Italy and teach this true gospel to those I find! Grazie mille for all of your prayers! They help!

Love,

Sorella Boynton

Wednesday, November 15th, 2006

Hey there,

Well, it's p-day and that means laundry and writing letters while we're waiting. We'll also go to the temple later this afternoon which will be great. I had a good time there last week as well.

The new front to the Provo Temple

I was going to bring my journal so that I could write about the last week thoroughly but I forgot so I'll just write what I remember.

The whole last week we pretty much just prepared to teach the 2nd lesson on the plan of salvation. We just study it lots and lots and practice teaching the seperate principles in class. When we teach, we don't use notes or anything so that's why we have to study it so much. We have to know it like the back of our hands, including good scriptures to use. So we taught the 2nd lesson on Monday. It went pretty well. One of my companions started giving commitments before we had taught the whole lesson so we sort of had to back track. She was mad at herself for that but it really wasn't a big deal. We just need to work on being more simple and direct in our teaching. Now this week we'll focus on the 3rd lesson.

The classic shot.
Sor. Sarsozo, Sor. Winslow, Me

Language study continues to go well. I haven't learned very much new stuff but I'm trying to study some more advanced stuff. Wow, that was a bad sentence. I really can't wait to teach the lessons in Italian... which will be in about 2 weeks! I've heard that Dale Bowman a.k.a. Ciccio Bomba volunteers so I'll teach him maybe! That would be rad.

What else? Yesterday was the devotional. Elder Robert S. Woods of the Seventy came and gave an awesome talk on happiness and giving everthing we have to the cause of the church. I love the devotionals. After we get in our districts and discuss our thoughts. One of our Branch Presidency counselors, Bro. Naccarato sat in with us. He's funny but a great guy. He made us read about how Lehi and the Nephi were all willing to give up all they had to follow the promptings of the spirit. That's the whole purpose of preach my gospel. I love it.

All of the missionaries that are leaving next week are soooo excited. They are they ones that are going to Milano and are excited to meet you Mom and Dad! It'll be funny to see what you think about them cause I've been around them a lot and think I have a pretty good idea of who the awesome ones are going to be and who might struggle a little. Pretty judgemental, but oh well. I sort of wish I was leaving with them! But I still have lots to learn and really am enjoying the learning here.

Being goofy. Hanging onto the back of a cart. Anziano Newbold peers.

My companions are good. Sorella Sarsozo keeps me laughing. We were all playing pictionary and someone drew a dog. So she yelled out "weiner cane!" (cane is dog in Italian). Anyway, probably not funny to you but I guess you had to be there.

Me and Sor. Sarsozo running alongside the biking missionaries.

We are usually waiting on Sorella Winslow. She has to get her hair just right and eyebrows plucked before we leave. But it's all good. None of us fight or anything so that's a blessing.

The 3 Sorelle

My teacher Fratello Fife told us that there's going to be a stake made in Torino? That's so cool. That means Italy would be able to have a temple if I'm not mistaken! That got us all really excited because who knows, maybe we'll be there when they break grounds or something. Especially us Romans got excited because that's where the church has land for a temple. So good work, Dad!

Thanks for your letter Mom. Andy, Good luck with your widom teeth! Are you going to be awake or put out? Thanks cousin Katy, Steve, Jenn and Aub for your letters also. I'll try to get other letters out soon!

Also, Mom, if you wanted to make Fratello Fife's day, send me some duplos. You know, Kinder Duplo bars. He loves those and it would be cool if I could give him one straight from Italia! Send 12 or 13 if you want and I can give them to the district!

Some of our district

Anyway, that's all I can remember for now. Hope everything is going well with you all. I miss playing with little Milo and Elliot and talking to Rod and Jo all night. I miss calling Ell and Marg whenever I need. I miss seeing cute little Porter. Tom, hope your jeep's doing well. Did the zippy car mess ever get taken care of? What's Cash's latest new trick?

Love you all!
Sorella Boynton

First week at the MTC

Hi all!

I can't remember what details I told you last week so sorry if I repeat anything.

First week at the MTC down, about 8 to go! It seems like this first week has flow by with all the stuff we've done but it also seems like an eternity since Rod, Jo, Steve, Shirley, Tom and the kids dropped me off. Anyway, here's a recap of what's happened since then.

Thursday we dove right into Preach My Gospel, in preparation to teach it in the TRC to a "fake" investigator on Monday. We studied and studied all of the principles and practiced teaching it to others. It's been a little bit hard to get used to teaching with 3 of us. At first we were dividing sections up but didn't really like the idea of that because we don't learn the whole lesson well. So one of the teachers, Sorella Cramer, came in and taught the most awesome lesson on teaching in unity. That's really the only way the spirit can be there when you teach. So I was really grateful for her lesson and from then on we've all been studying the whole lesson so that we can take turns teaching no matter where the last companion left off.

Friday was filled with more studying and also study of the language. To me, it's pretty slow moving, but I've learned to be patient while the others learn. I learn new little things every once in awhile that I never knew, like grammatical stuff, so that's good. I'm really blessed to have such a head start on the language. We watched a series of videos that told this story of missionaries and converting investigators. It was so awesome. That's what I love about being here. Before, at home, I'd get a "spiritual high" (for lack of a better word) maybe on Sundays or as I read the scriptures and then the week started and I'd get caught up in other things and forget to act on that high. But here, I get those highs at least once a day and am able to keep having them everyday and I am also able to put all my effort 24/7 to the work. I don't know if that made any sense but maybe those who've been on missions know what I'm talking about. Whatever.

I've seen so many people here that I know, it's crazy! It's like at the end of the movie "Big Fish" where people from all of his life are there at the edge of the river! I saw a girl I knew in high school, Liz Cannon who was in London with me, Jackie Larsen who I lifeguarded with, 2 girls that I worked at Aspen Grove with (Maggie and Kip), Miriam from when I lived at the Brittany Apts., Dennis and Tiffany (and of course titi) who were all in Hawaii, and a kid who always used to come into the Deli at Thanksgiving Point! So crazy! I've also seen the Hawkes and Aunt Kris a number of times. It's so fun to see people I know.

Fratello Fife is my teacher, Dad. I can't remember if I told you or not. He's really good. Also, I told Fratello Garlick that I'd say "Hi" to you so... Hi. Sorella Clayton isn't teaching right now, she's doing something in the TRC. But I got to see her the other day and gave her a big hug! She's the best!

One of the highlights of my days are gym time. We are free to do whatever we want and we don't have to stay in companionships. The first time I ran around the track. But the track here is small and you have to run around it 10 times to get a mile. I got discouraged because as I ran around for the 15th time, I would look out the windows annd I just wanted to go running outside wherever I wanted instead of in dumb circles inside. So I went downstairs and played 4-square instead. (ha, ha, I pulled my unified 4 square skills out! he he!)

Saturday was a regular day in the classroom. Sunday was filled with meetings and conferences and firesides. We had a little break so our branch got to go up and walk around the temple! It was so pretty and a good break. It was dusk so the lighting was awesome and they're finished re-doing the front so it's really pretty. We took some pictures so I'll try to send some in next week's letter.

Monday we pretty much just prepared to teach the 1st lesson on the restoration. The time came and it was a little nerve-racking! We taught this older couple and it went pretty well. I was able to remember scriptures to use and didn't really have any mind blanks so that was good. Our teacher said we did well, but of course there's room for improvement.

Yesterday, Tuesday, we started on the 2nd lesson and will study that this week in order to be able to teach it on Monday. Tuesday is devotional night at the MTC so yesterday we got to hear from Elder Tingey of the Quorum of the Seventy. It was awesome. He spoke on setting goals to baptize and opening your mouth when in the field. Lots of good insight.

And today is P-day. We'll do our laundry and also get to go to the temple which I'm really looking forward to.

Things in general are going fine. It really does take some getting used to to be with companions 24/7. I really like my companion Sorella Sarsozo. I get along better with her. It's easier to laugh with her and we just have more in common. She's funny. I love her. But I'm having a little bit of a hard time being the same way with Sorella Winslow. She's just different and sometimes that's hard. She's a great missionary though. She's just sort of high maintenance and everybody knows that's not me at all! They both are pretty quiet. I'd say I'm the most outgoing one. I remember Katy saying in one of her emails that she always found herself walking in front of her companions and having to slow the pace down so they could keep up. Ha ha. That's sort of how I feel. I guess it's the "London spirit" in us! But it's also only the first week so hopefully things will get better and there won't be so much of that awkward silence like when we're getting to bed, etc.

Dad, here's a question for you and I need an answer pronto! Like, within the next week. Say a missionary was really into Harry Potter. Would you let them read just a couple chapters a day on a P-day? Maybe in Italian? There's a really big Harry Potter fan coming to you in a couple weeks and she wants to know because the 7th book comes out in May or something, he he. I won't tell you which Sister cause she'll get mad. You'll just have to figure it out when they come! This next group coming to you are a great group. Especially the Sisters! So watch out!

Tom wins the prize because he was the first one to write me! Just like every other missionary, I've come to find how great it is to get mail. It's a big event when mail comes and sad when none is for you! So I'll say this once... WRITE ME! All you bloggers should print off your blogs so I know what's going on outside this chamb... I mean MTC.

I love you all and am so grateful to be here. It's crazy and sometimes lonely but most of the time it's way good. The spirit is always present and ready to teach me so much. I'm so grateful for this gospel and know that it is true.

Love,

Sorella Boynton

Jessie Woods: I saw your friend Lyndsay who went to Zion with us! Oh how it made me miss you Big T! :)

p.s. Maud Squad, I don't have any of your addresses so you'll have to write first!

That goes for anyone really!

November 1st, 2006

Wow, what a place the MTC is and it's only the first day!

After saying goodbye to the fam I followed the line of new missionaries and we turned in our medical forms and there I saw Sister Forsyth. It was fun to see her and talk for a bit.

They asked if I wanted a flu shot and I thought that'd be a good thing to do since I'll be around a lot of people in tight quarters for the next 9 weeks in the MTC. So I got the shot (Mom will be glad to hear this I'm sure!) and then went and got all my Italian books and then went to my room. I was the 1st one there so I got to choose my bed, bottom bunk!

Anyway, I have 2 companions. Sorella Sorsozo from Denver, Colorado and Sorella Winslow from Ogden. They are both going to the Milano mission! They seem to be great people and I think we'll all get along well.

We've had lots of meetings today. They've all been very spiritual and it's neat to be here with all these missionaries. We met our branch president tonight, President Marcov. He and his wife are very kind and have lots of good advice. It's so funny because they call us Sorelle, "Sorelli"! Like because plural for Fratello is Fratelli, plural for Sorella must be Sorelli! Ha ha. I get a kick out of it!

We met with our district tonight and all introduced ourselves and told where we are going. I'm the only sister in my district going to Rome along with 2 Elders. All the others, my comps and about 4 or 5 Elders, are coming to you Mom and Dad! Give me a couple weeks and I'll let you know whether to be worried or excited! Just kidding, they all seem like hard working missionaries. The Sorelle and Fratelli that leave in about 3 weeks are a good group so you can look forward to them. I told them they can ask me any questions about you they want!

Looks like I'll be super busy for my stay here. It's a bit overwhelming right now trying to figure out schedules and where everything is, but I'm sure that comes with time.

I'm so happy to finally be on my mission. There's a great spirit here and I'm looking forward to giving it my all in order to be ready to teach the best I can. I know, and something they've stressed a lot today, is that with faith and through obedience anything can happen. I can't wait to learn more here and then be able to go and teach in Italy.

I love you all! Thanks again for all your love and support.

Love,

Sorella Boynton
MTC Mailbox #178
ITA-ROM 0102
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604-1793

(A note from Ell: Carrie does not have access to this blog, I'm just typing her letters in. So if you want to "comment" or write to her, use the above address! You're more than welcome to comment, just know that she won't see it!)

Ci Vediamo Fra Poco!

Just wanted to say one last FAREWELL! Ell is going to be typing my letters for the next couple months and posting them on here.

Godspeed!

Sorella Boynton