Another week... another email.
Time seems to be flying and I can hardly believe that there's only a little more than two weeks left in this transfer! Crazy. Today we don't have any plans so it's sort of a day were I can relax a little bit and write letters that I'm so behind in writing! It's also a holiday here in Italy... the day when the Americans saved Italy from the Germans! Yeah, thats right! hehe. So we had to do our shopping last night because all the stores are closed! Anyways, non importa.
Things are going... I'll just share some of the highlights of the week...
Thursday is always fun because there's english class. Ever since Sorella Roper left I've been teaching for the whole hour. I like it a lot although it's a little overwhelming to have to answer questions etc. I'm learning lots of grammatics I never knew about...both in english and italian!
Saturday we had "Zone Blitz" here in Prato. It was really fun. Some of the Florence districts came over and we did finding work all day. I got to do exchanges with some other sisters and I really liked that. We all ate lunch together and then went out doing park and house. I was really tired afterword from being out in the sun all day but we got some referrals and hope to contact them soon.
Monday sort of a downer day. I just wasn't feeling too motivated. We were trying to find this inactive and didn't know which bus to take etc etc. But then we got invited to the Branch Presidents house and had a good family night with them. We taught the lesson and that made the day. I've really noticed, and I've probably mentioned this before but the days that we teach a lot always make me happier.
Tuesday, yesterday, was "tender mercies from the Lord" day for me. After just sort of the blah monday, tuesday was great and I was so happy. We had an appointment fall through in the morning so we just did house. We taught a couple lessons at the door. I just love talking to people only if it is for a few minutes. It's so cool being able to share brief gospel truths even if the people don't really get it. Later in the afternoon, after lunch and language study, we had some less active appointments. Then, the coolest part of the day. We again met with Rossella and Salvatore. Oh man, they are just the coolest. I think I make a bigger deal of it than it really is but it's just cool for me because they are investigators that WE found doing house. Most of the other investigators I've worked with up until now have been investigators that were investigating even before I got here to Prato. But these guys we found and have been able to teach. The thing that kills me... in more ways than one... is that they totally tried to come to church! At our last appointment, last tuesday, we invited them to come. They said they would try... but any missionary knows that lots of people say that. But they told us they drove around for almost an hour trying to find the church and just weren't able to find it in time! MAN, dang! It made me sooo happy to hear that they made the effort to come but I felt sorry that they weren't able to find it in time! Oh well. We straightened out where it is and now he understands. The only problem is is that this Sunday is district conference in Pisa and Florence, so we won't be holding regular sacrament meeting. But it's okay because they'll be in Rimini this sunday and then somewhere else the following sunday. Anyways, it might seem like such a little thing but it really just made my day. We had a little lesson with them about the Book of Mormon. We read some of the intro and then the promise in Moroni 10. They really believe that the first vision and the joseph smith story is possibly true. We invited them to read a chapter in the book of mormon and pray to know of the truth. One of the coolest moments was when Salvatore asked me why I was serving this mission. They know we don't get payed or anything and that its a service. He asked me..."did you want to meet people, or just see the world or what. What's your motivation?" Wow, the perfect opportunity. I was able to tell him the true reason I am here serving. Maybe it was more for me than them... thinking back to monday and how I really maybe sort of lost the vision for a day. I thought and just told them the truth. That this gospel is the best thing that's ever happened to me and that's its changed my life and that I want to share it with others. Probably one of the coolest experiences on my mission so far... just being able to bear pure, simply testimony to people whom I have come to love. These people are amazing and I'm looking forward to what lies ahead. They're very busy but make time for us. They offered to give us a ride home and were just so genuine and said that we really need to be careful as young girls in Italy. So that was the best.
Okay, an hour's up.
I love you guys and thank you for all you do.
Love carrie, sorella b.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
18 April 2007
This week has been a great one!
Last Thursday and Friday we were down in Rome for 3 month conference. It was fun to see all the people I was with in the MTC. We got there and had some lunch and then just had trainings from president and sorella rhien and the assistants until dinner. After dinner we watched the mountain of the lord and then went to bed. The tranings were absolutely amazing. It was fun because we got to evaluate ourselves and see how much we've grown within the past few months. We then had more triainings in the morning followed by lunch and then had a nice testimony meeting and then it was back to my beloved Prato! Man I love this city...so calm and tranquillo! It's going to be hard to leave!
Saturday we had to make up our weekly planning which is always a pleasure. Who doesn't love 3 hours of planning! hehe. We went and taught in the park and also went and passed back by a women who Sorella Roper and I had contacted before. She was busy at the moment but said we could come back! Vediamo. She's really cool and I've got high hopes for her!
Sunday was pretty normal. We went to church and then got invited by an older women, Licia, to have lunch. She's so amazing. She's about 70 years old and was baptized a year and a half ago. She's the best! We had some pasta and then some meat. It was good when I was eating it but then afterword Sorella Lederer told me it was DUCK! SCHIFFO! It was good but just the thought of eating duck made me sick afterword! Whatev...it's a good story.
Sunday night we had an activity in the church where Sorella Lederer and I did a training on Preach My Gospel and introduced it to the members. Then the Elders did a training on how important members are in the work. It went well although it was a little intimidating standing in front of all these italians and trying to speak and make sense!
Monday was great. We had our district meeting as usual at the church and then afterward we had evaluations where we had to teach a 3rd to the district leader. With Sorella Roper we'd always prepare for a week. But this time we prepared the morning of! Between the 3 month conference and the activity in church, there was no time to prepare for the evaluation! But nevertheless, it went really well.
Yesterday was really a great day. We had NO appointments fall through and that in itself is a miracle! We taught a french lady in the park in the morning which was neat. We did some service in the afternoon teaching english to this pakistani family. And we had an inactive member visit with sorella lombardo. We are trying to get her in church. In my whole time I've been here she had never prayed when we visit her. But yesterday she totally prayed after I asked her! It was amazing and she said she wants to reactive herself! Cool...we'll see. We also met with this family again... Rosella and Salvatore... the people Sorella Roper and I found doing house in January and then accidently knocked in to three weeks ago! We watched the restoration video with them. They were asking about the book of mormon and where it came from. The husband... Salvatore totally answere the question perfectly and we didn't have to even answer the question. They are amazing and are still pretty stuck in their catholic ways but we have high hopes for them! They would be such good members! They are so kind and I just really want the best for them!
Okay, better be off. Thanks for all everyone. Like always, I love this work!
Sorella Boynton
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NATE, PORTER, and Cousin KATY this month!!! Sorry if I missed anyone else!
Last Thursday and Friday we were down in Rome for 3 month conference. It was fun to see all the people I was with in the MTC. We got there and had some lunch and then just had trainings from president and sorella rhien and the assistants until dinner. After dinner we watched the mountain of the lord and then went to bed. The tranings were absolutely amazing. It was fun because we got to evaluate ourselves and see how much we've grown within the past few months. We then had more triainings in the morning followed by lunch and then had a nice testimony meeting and then it was back to my beloved Prato! Man I love this city...so calm and tranquillo! It's going to be hard to leave!
Saturday we had to make up our weekly planning which is always a pleasure. Who doesn't love 3 hours of planning! hehe. We went and taught in the park and also went and passed back by a women who Sorella Roper and I had contacted before. She was busy at the moment but said we could come back! Vediamo. She's really cool and I've got high hopes for her!
Sunday was pretty normal. We went to church and then got invited by an older women, Licia, to have lunch. She's so amazing. She's about 70 years old and was baptized a year and a half ago. She's the best! We had some pasta and then some meat. It was good when I was eating it but then afterword Sorella Lederer told me it was DUCK! SCHIFFO! It was good but just the thought of eating duck made me sick afterword! Whatev...it's a good story.
Sunday night we had an activity in the church where Sorella Lederer and I did a training on Preach My Gospel and introduced it to the members. Then the Elders did a training on how important members are in the work. It went well although it was a little intimidating standing in front of all these italians and trying to speak and make sense!
Monday was great. We had our district meeting as usual at the church and then afterward we had evaluations where we had to teach a 3rd to the district leader. With Sorella Roper we'd always prepare for a week. But this time we prepared the morning of! Between the 3 month conference and the activity in church, there was no time to prepare for the evaluation! But nevertheless, it went really well.
Yesterday was really a great day. We had NO appointments fall through and that in itself is a miracle! We taught a french lady in the park in the morning which was neat. We did some service in the afternoon teaching english to this pakistani family. And we had an inactive member visit with sorella lombardo. We are trying to get her in church. In my whole time I've been here she had never prayed when we visit her. But yesterday she totally prayed after I asked her! It was amazing and she said she wants to reactive herself! Cool...we'll see. We also met with this family again... Rosella and Salvatore... the people Sorella Roper and I found doing house in January and then accidently knocked in to three weeks ago! We watched the restoration video with them. They were asking about the book of mormon and where it came from. The husband... Salvatore totally answere the question perfectly and we didn't have to even answer the question. They are amazing and are still pretty stuck in their catholic ways but we have high hopes for them! They would be such good members! They are so kind and I just really want the best for them!
Okay, better be off. Thanks for all everyone. Like always, I love this work!
Sorella Boynton
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NATE, PORTER, and Cousin KATY this month!!! Sorry if I missed anyone else!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
11 April 2007
Ciao,
Spring has sprung once again here in Tuscany. Today it is really warm... almost too warm for my liking! We spent the afternoon in Florence just walking around the Duomo area and ate lunch at a burrito place near the duomo. It was really good because I've had a major pasta overload this last week!
Lets see... this past week...
Saturday was Zone Conference in Florence. As always, it was amazing. Sorella Rhien always gives the most amazing addestramenti (talks). She has a way of looking into the Book of Mormon and getting so much out of just a couple verses. She talked about the importance and the meaning "fleeing" has had throughout the history of the church, even all the way back in biblical times....how there's usually a leader that the people follow, the Christlike attributes that are developed as people flee etc. She related it to us and how we as missionaries help people flee in hopes for them to find hope and find a better place. Anyways, it was really amazing and she got it all from the book of Omni! President Rhien gave an great addestramento on motivation and passion for the work and how we need to find ours. After the Zone Conference. We had a sisters meeting. All the sisters in the Zone got together with President and Sorella Rhien and we were allowed to ask any questions we wanted. One of the sisters asked about how he got called as a mission president; brought back memories of how Mom and Dad got called! Then to end it off they took all of us (probably about 6 or 7 companionships) out to eat! It was really fun...especially because I got to see Sorella Roper again! We talked all through dinner and just had a great old time. So this was the beginning of the eating fest.
Sunday morning.......PASQUA....EASTER.....yeah Happy Easter by the way...hope is was good for you all! We woke up and were waiting for the bus.....and then it occured to me that maybe they wouldn't be running because it was a holiday. So yep, I was right. I tried to call a member that lived nearby but she had already left so we had no other choice but to walk! An hour later we arrived at the church... only half an hour late.....mama mia. Oh well, what can you do! In gospel doctrine we always have one of the missionaries translating the lesson into english for our african members. Usualy Sorella Roper would do it in this class and one of the Anziani would do it in Sacrament meeting for them. So... with her being gone... the cup has been passed to me! I translated the gospel doctrine class! It was fun for me. It helped me realize really how much I know and words that I don't know at all! Good times. We got invited by the Ogunleye family to have a pasqua lunch. We ate more pasta with them. They are so great and it was so nice of them to have us.
Monday the ward had planned a pic-nic thing for pasquetta up at the branch presidents house. So we spent most of the day up in Vaiano. We had ANOTHER pasta lunch. For those of you counting that's three big pasta meals in 3 days! Lets just say I'm on a salad diet now! It was nice to visit with the branch president and his wife. They told us their conversion stories which are always fun for me to hear because they are always so amazing. We got home in the afternoon and finished some studies and went and tried to find some inactives.
Tuesday we had our district meeting at the church. It was great. We then went and visited an inactive and then went and tried to contact some people I had met a few weeks earlier doing house. No one was home. The city has been kind of empty lately because of the Easter holiday but now things are getting back up to speed. Tonight we have an apointment with Petra. I talked with her member father on sunday because they were all in church. He said that Petra is almost ready to be baptized! So I'm excited about this appointment tonight and hope that we can help her get ready to make this important step in her life!
Tomorrow we are headed to Rome for a thing President and Sister Rhien call "3 month conference." They hold a conference for all the missionaries who have been out for about 3 or 4 months. So, as me and sorella lederer have both been out less than 4 months we'll be going together! We'll be there wednesday and thursday. I've heard it's really great so I'm excited.
Things are keeping busy and I'm learning a lot. Patience, charity, and all those good things! I love sharing this gospel with people. I decided as I hit my "1 year left" mark in the mission on the 9th of April, that it's going to be hard for me to come home. I love these people who I've met and worked with and I love sharing with them the most important thing in my life... the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for this time in my life to dedicate 24/7 to the Lord, it's an amazing ride!
As always, thanks for all you do! You're all such great examples and I feel the power of your prayers. I miss you and love you!
Sorella Boynton
p.s. Thanks for writing me all you maud members...i promise i'm working on writing you back so just you wait! oh and aub i sent you a letter a while back but it got returned to me : ( I'll try to send it again.
Love you grels.
Spring has sprung once again here in Tuscany. Today it is really warm... almost too warm for my liking! We spent the afternoon in Florence just walking around the Duomo area and ate lunch at a burrito place near the duomo. It was really good because I've had a major pasta overload this last week!
Lets see... this past week...
Saturday was Zone Conference in Florence. As always, it was amazing. Sorella Rhien always gives the most amazing addestramenti (talks). She has a way of looking into the Book of Mormon and getting so much out of just a couple verses. She talked about the importance and the meaning "fleeing" has had throughout the history of the church, even all the way back in biblical times....how there's usually a leader that the people follow, the Christlike attributes that are developed as people flee etc. She related it to us and how we as missionaries help people flee in hopes for them to find hope and find a better place. Anyways, it was really amazing and she got it all from the book of Omni! President Rhien gave an great addestramento on motivation and passion for the work and how we need to find ours. After the Zone Conference. We had a sisters meeting. All the sisters in the Zone got together with President and Sorella Rhien and we were allowed to ask any questions we wanted. One of the sisters asked about how he got called as a mission president; brought back memories of how Mom and Dad got called! Then to end it off they took all of us (probably about 6 or 7 companionships) out to eat! It was really fun...especially because I got to see Sorella Roper again! We talked all through dinner and just had a great old time. So this was the beginning of the eating fest.
Sunday morning.......PASQUA....EASTER.....yeah Happy Easter by the way...hope is was good for you all! We woke up and were waiting for the bus.....and then it occured to me that maybe they wouldn't be running because it was a holiday. So yep, I was right. I tried to call a member that lived nearby but she had already left so we had no other choice but to walk! An hour later we arrived at the church... only half an hour late.....mama mia. Oh well, what can you do! In gospel doctrine we always have one of the missionaries translating the lesson into english for our african members. Usualy Sorella Roper would do it in this class and one of the Anziani would do it in Sacrament meeting for them. So... with her being gone... the cup has been passed to me! I translated the gospel doctrine class! It was fun for me. It helped me realize really how much I know and words that I don't know at all! Good times. We got invited by the Ogunleye family to have a pasqua lunch. We ate more pasta with them. They are so great and it was so nice of them to have us.
Monday the ward had planned a pic-nic thing for pasquetta up at the branch presidents house. So we spent most of the day up in Vaiano. We had ANOTHER pasta lunch. For those of you counting that's three big pasta meals in 3 days! Lets just say I'm on a salad diet now! It was nice to visit with the branch president and his wife. They told us their conversion stories which are always fun for me to hear because they are always so amazing. We got home in the afternoon and finished some studies and went and tried to find some inactives.
Tuesday we had our district meeting at the church. It was great. We then went and visited an inactive and then went and tried to contact some people I had met a few weeks earlier doing house. No one was home. The city has been kind of empty lately because of the Easter holiday but now things are getting back up to speed. Tonight we have an apointment with Petra. I talked with her member father on sunday because they were all in church. He said that Petra is almost ready to be baptized! So I'm excited about this appointment tonight and hope that we can help her get ready to make this important step in her life!
Tomorrow we are headed to Rome for a thing President and Sister Rhien call "3 month conference." They hold a conference for all the missionaries who have been out for about 3 or 4 months. So, as me and sorella lederer have both been out less than 4 months we'll be going together! We'll be there wednesday and thursday. I've heard it's really great so I'm excited.
Things are keeping busy and I'm learning a lot. Patience, charity, and all those good things! I love sharing this gospel with people. I decided as I hit my "1 year left" mark in the mission on the 9th of April, that it's going to be hard for me to come home. I love these people who I've met and worked with and I love sharing with them the most important thing in my life... the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for this time in my life to dedicate 24/7 to the Lord, it's an amazing ride!
As always, thanks for all you do! You're all such great examples and I feel the power of your prayers. I miss you and love you!
Sorella Boynton
p.s. Thanks for writing me all you maud members...i promise i'm working on writing you back so just you wait! oh and aub i sent you a letter a while back but it got returned to me : ( I'll try to send it again.
Love you grels.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
4 April 2007
Buongiorno tutti,
Mama Mia!
It's been a great week but also a sort of hard one. Only hard because I've been going through "Sorella Roper" withdrawls. Next time I talk to President Rhien I'm going to give him a hard time for putting me with someone I grew to love and respect so much! Just kidding... I learned a lot from her and we really had too much fun.
This weekend, being general conference, was great, although we didn't get to watch Sunday afternoon session yet. We got to go to the church and watch the sessions. Also, all the missionaries from Florence, Pistoia, and Siena were there. The Florence sisters, 4 of them (including sor. roper), came and stayed the night in our apartment. It was a lot of fun. It was so weird for Sorella Roper to be back....for her and for me. She didn't want to leave and I didn't want her to leave either! Oh well, we have to get over it. Ahh, it's just hard because now we have zone conference on Saturday in Florence and we'll see each other again! I sort of wish she just went somewhere far away and maybe it would be easier to get over it!!! It's been an adjustment getting used to my new companion and sort of being the senior companion; taking the phone calls, planning who to go see during the day, etc. BUT change is the way we learn, the way I learn. It's always hard at the beggining but know that it's all for the best. My language skills are being tested because now it's me who knows the members and our contacts. I've got lots to learn and am excited to put forth the extra effort in the language! My companion, Sorella Lederer from Austria is a real fireball. She opens her mouth like none other. I'm going to learn a lot from her. We'll learn a lot together since she's only got 4 months in the mission and I've only got 3! Crazy, sometimes I wonder what president was thinking putting us newbies together! haha.
We finally had a visit with Adoriana, the buddhist, this week. We gave her a second lesson on the plan of salvation. She listened but really doesn't have a desire to learn more. She's happy with her buddhist ways. We challenged her to read and pray to receive an answer but who knows if she'll do it. We pray that she will! It's hard to get people to understand that they can really receive a specific answer to a specific prayer. I really LOVED Elder Scotts talk on prayer during conference. I know that we can turn to our Heavenly Father anytime and he'll always
be there to listen. I can't wait to get the conference talks in the ensign and re-read them. Wasn't elder Hollands talk the funniest! The work is going well and we have a goal to see some baptisms this transfer. Vediamo!
What else... I love Prato, I love the mission, I learn new things everyday, it's hard work but important and worth it, I miss all you friends and family and thank you for your prayers. Know that I love you and pray for you too!
Vi voglio bene,
Sorella Carrie Boynton
Mama Mia!
It's been a great week but also a sort of hard one. Only hard because I've been going through "Sorella Roper" withdrawls. Next time I talk to President Rhien I'm going to give him a hard time for putting me with someone I grew to love and respect so much! Just kidding... I learned a lot from her and we really had too much fun.
This weekend, being general conference, was great, although we didn't get to watch Sunday afternoon session yet. We got to go to the church and watch the sessions. Also, all the missionaries from Florence, Pistoia, and Siena were there. The Florence sisters, 4 of them (including sor. roper), came and stayed the night in our apartment. It was a lot of fun. It was so weird for Sorella Roper to be back....for her and for me. She didn't want to leave and I didn't want her to leave either! Oh well, we have to get over it. Ahh, it's just hard because now we have zone conference on Saturday in Florence and we'll see each other again! I sort of wish she just went somewhere far away and maybe it would be easier to get over it!!! It's been an adjustment getting used to my new companion and sort of being the senior companion; taking the phone calls, planning who to go see during the day, etc. BUT change is the way we learn, the way I learn. It's always hard at the beggining but know that it's all for the best. My language skills are being tested because now it's me who knows the members and our contacts. I've got lots to learn and am excited to put forth the extra effort in the language! My companion, Sorella Lederer from Austria is a real fireball. She opens her mouth like none other. I'm going to learn a lot from her. We'll learn a lot together since she's only got 4 months in the mission and I've only got 3! Crazy, sometimes I wonder what president was thinking putting us newbies together! haha.
We finally had a visit with Adoriana, the buddhist, this week. We gave her a second lesson on the plan of salvation. She listened but really doesn't have a desire to learn more. She's happy with her buddhist ways. We challenged her to read and pray to receive an answer but who knows if she'll do it. We pray that she will! It's hard to get people to understand that they can really receive a specific answer to a specific prayer. I really LOVED Elder Scotts talk on prayer during conference. I know that we can turn to our Heavenly Father anytime and he'll always
be there to listen. I can't wait to get the conference talks in the ensign and re-read them. Wasn't elder Hollands talk the funniest! The work is going well and we have a goal to see some baptisms this transfer. Vediamo!
What else... I love Prato, I love the mission, I learn new things everyday, it's hard work but important and worth it, I miss all you friends and family and thank you for your prayers. Know that I love you and pray for you too!
Vi voglio bene,
Sorella Carrie Boynton
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