Oiii, My new area is ridiculous and beautiful. It is the bigger brother of Madeira. It is a cute little, actually huge area, but a small branch. Irmã Palmer and i have a lot of work to do. Our branch president is from Brazil and he brought his family here to Vila Real because he knew the church needed growth and sacrificed everything to come here and serve. He is an incredible man. Branches are a blessing to serve in.
Last week we ran into many challenges, miracles and blessings of course because you can´t have one with out the other.. We passed by João Paulo´s house.. He was a former investigator years ago and found the Irmãs on the street a few weeks ago so we passed by to visit him. He told us when we walked in the door that he wanted to be baptized.. He said i know i need to change my life around but i need your help. Can you help me? Clearly we can João Paulo. We taught him about the Word of Wisdom and that he needs to come to church with us and he said, yeah no problems.. We marked to meet with him again this week and wanted to invite him to be baptized with a date and he said he was in Chaves.. another city kind of by Vila Real.. So we waited until he came back to visit him.. When we went by he wouldn´t open the door and his sister started telling us that we were annoying and should leave their home. She swore at us in english and it is really weird.. Her sentences didn´t make sense. It was so sad to see that satan had gotten a hold of João Paulo and his sister. I know Heavenly Father is preparing the hearts of his children here in Vila Real but sometimes they face hard times to learn and get super ready for baptism ha ha.. I have faith that João Paulo will come around. Pray for him.
This is the torgan´s last week in the mission and we are getting ready for the Fluckingers.. I don´t if is spelled it right but i already love them and i can´t wait to meet them. Pray for the Torgans and the Fluckingers. They are incredible people with willing hearts to serve. I am so blessed!
I am sorry this is short like always but i am doing the work of the lord.. I know we are preparing for the second coming and we do not have room to wait and repent later.. the time is now to stay stronger than ever! If you are struggling, the time will pass and know that the Lord loves you and is aware of you. You are not forgotten!! I love you and hope the best for all of you this week. Take care.
Beijos!
XOXO
Irmã Boshard
Monday, June 25, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
VILA REAL "I'm up North" June 19, 2012
Hey fam fam...
Sorry i didn´t email you yesterday.. I was on a bus ride TO THE NORTH.. I got transferred to Vila Real. It is about 30 minutes outside of Porto.. It is beautiful up here. I miss Almada.. I was there almost 6 months and i saw miracles.. Irmã Barlow is going to stay there and tear it up.
I am serving with Irmã Palmer. She is from South Jordan and seems like she just blows this work out of the water. I am excited for this change and new area.. I don´t have much time but i want to share a really cool experience that Irmã Barlow and i had last week.
We were walking in the street doing some contacting in Cova de Piedade and ran into an old investigator Rosa. We taught her about 4 weeks ago and the first and last time we were at her house, she yelled at us in our face and told us that we were being deceived because there is only one bible and when Christ comes again he will not judge us.. We thought of here as a cafeteria bible reader.. Like she reads what she wants to hear.. so after that lesson Irmã Barlow and i left a book of mormon with her and the restoration pamphlet. We then decided that we were not going to return, unless it was with a member and it ended up being that we never returned to her house. Anyway, We ran into Rosa again and she said, "where have you been? You never came back to my house." We told her we were sorry and yadda yadda.. She then said, I read the book you left with me. We said oh the pamphlet? and she said, no the Book of Mormon. I read it in a week. Our mouths dropped open. She said, I know that that book is true. I said did you pray about it? she said, I don´t need to pray about it. God already knows our thoughts and he knows what i think about the book.. When are you coming back to my house? Yeah- It was pretty amazing. Heavenly Father is preparing the elect for us and we don´t even know it! I felt horrible and so god after we talked to Rosa again. AH I LOVE TEACHING AND SHOWING PEOPLE THE TRUTH!
Sorry i´ve gotta go, I hope you are all well.. Happy Fathers Day and Birthday DAD!!!
LOVE YOU.. Take Care.
XOXO
BEIJOS
Com amor,
Irmã Boshard
Sorry i didn´t email you yesterday.. I was on a bus ride TO THE NORTH.. I got transferred to Vila Real. It is about 30 minutes outside of Porto.. It is beautiful up here. I miss Almada.. I was there almost 6 months and i saw miracles.. Irmã Barlow is going to stay there and tear it up.
I am serving with Irmã Palmer. She is from South Jordan and seems like she just blows this work out of the water. I am excited for this change and new area.. I don´t have much time but i want to share a really cool experience that Irmã Barlow and i had last week.
We were walking in the street doing some contacting in Cova de Piedade and ran into an old investigator Rosa. We taught her about 4 weeks ago and the first and last time we were at her house, she yelled at us in our face and told us that we were being deceived because there is only one bible and when Christ comes again he will not judge us.. We thought of here as a cafeteria bible reader.. Like she reads what she wants to hear.. so after that lesson Irmã Barlow and i left a book of mormon with her and the restoration pamphlet. We then decided that we were not going to return, unless it was with a member and it ended up being that we never returned to her house. Anyway, We ran into Rosa again and she said, "where have you been? You never came back to my house." We told her we were sorry and yadda yadda.. She then said, I read the book you left with me. We said oh the pamphlet? and she said, no the Book of Mormon. I read it in a week. Our mouths dropped open. She said, I know that that book is true. I said did you pray about it? she said, I don´t need to pray about it. God already knows our thoughts and he knows what i think about the book.. When are you coming back to my house? Yeah- It was pretty amazing. Heavenly Father is preparing the elect for us and we don´t even know it! I felt horrible and so god after we talked to Rosa again. AH I LOVE TEACHING AND SHOWING PEOPLE THE TRUTH!
Sorry i´ve gotta go, I hope you are all well.. Happy Fathers Day and Birthday DAD!!!
LOVE YOU.. Take Care.
XOXO
BEIJOS
Com amor,
Irmã Boshard
Monday, June 11, 2012
11 June, 2012 - 36 Sisters serving Portugal Lisbon Mission !
Boa Tarde Queridos, (Good Evening )
Vou tentar e escrever minha carta em Português hoje. Pode ser?
( I'll try and write my letter in Portuguese today. Can it be? )
Naaah just kidding.. I really do need to work on writing more in Portuguese. I´m freaking out that i only have the gift of tongues for 6 more months.. eeekkk alright not important but still.. It freaks me out.
Last week was AWESOME. Irmã Torgan put together an irmã conference and ALL THE IRMÃS in the mission got together in Lisboa and we talked about nails, hair makeup, families.. jk we really didn´t. Apostasy. There was about 34 or 36 of us. We discussed doctrine and missionary work and i LOVE it. Irmã Torgan put so much work into the conference and i can´t say how wonderful she is. She is a powerful woman that has a testimony that can punch you in the face, like president Torgans testimony can. Seriously. She is incredible. President and Irmã Torgan only have 4 weeks left and they are outta here.. whoa.. Change is good right? yes.. it´ll be fine.
We had another 2 irmãs move into our house this week. Its blissful chaos and i love it. Irmã Nelson, from Arizona and Irmã Patricio, from Cape verde. They are amazing. I´ve got so much to learn from them. Irmã Barlow is progressing so well.. It makes me feel better when i can see my little greenie applying what i am trying to teach them.. Oh this email will be short. I am sorry.. I love you all. Next week is transfers, so if i don´t email on Monday it will be on Tuesday. The work is continuing.. We are really trying to work with the ward and we are seeing progress.. I love it. I love this ward. I love the leaders. I love our investigators.. Even when they take like 4 months to be taught..
Misael.. i´ve talked about him before.. I met him in February and i am still teaching him.. He is making sweet progress and i hope he is baptized before i leave this area. Pray for him :) I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. Beijos.. ( kisses ) XOXO
Com amor, ( with love )
Irmã Boshard ( Sister Boshard )
Vou tentar e escrever minha carta em Português hoje. Pode ser?
( I'll try and write my letter in Portuguese today. Can it be? )
Naaah just kidding.. I really do need to work on writing more in Portuguese. I´m freaking out that i only have the gift of tongues for 6 more months.. eeekkk alright not important but still.. It freaks me out.
Last week was AWESOME. Irmã Torgan put together an irmã conference and ALL THE IRMÃS in the mission got together in Lisboa and we talked about nails, hair makeup, families.. jk we really didn´t. Apostasy. There was about 34 or 36 of us. We discussed doctrine and missionary work and i LOVE it. Irmã Torgan put so much work into the conference and i can´t say how wonderful she is. She is a powerful woman that has a testimony that can punch you in the face, like president Torgans testimony can. Seriously. She is incredible. President and Irmã Torgan only have 4 weeks left and they are outta here.. whoa.. Change is good right? yes.. it´ll be fine.
We had another 2 irmãs move into our house this week. Its blissful chaos and i love it. Irmã Nelson, from Arizona and Irmã Patricio, from Cape verde. They are amazing. I´ve got so much to learn from them. Irmã Barlow is progressing so well.. It makes me feel better when i can see my little greenie applying what i am trying to teach them.. Oh this email will be short. I am sorry.. I love you all. Next week is transfers, so if i don´t email on Monday it will be on Tuesday. The work is continuing.. We are really trying to work with the ward and we are seeing progress.. I love it. I love this ward. I love the leaders. I love our investigators.. Even when they take like 4 months to be taught..
Misael.. i´ve talked about him before.. I met him in February and i am still teaching him.. He is making sweet progress and i hope he is baptized before i leave this area. Pray for him :) I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. Beijos.. ( kisses ) XOXO
Com amor, ( with love )
Irmã Boshard ( Sister Boshard )
Monday, June 4, 2012
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Almada Portugal, May 2012
JUNE 4, 2012 ~ Oiii, Tudo bem? I love you all...just so you know. Hugs and kisses for all!
Oiii, Tudo bem? I love you all.. just so you know. Hugs and kisses for all!
This week we had our last conference with President and Irmã Torgan.. It was so uplifting and sad and emotional and so many other emotions. I am truly going to miss them. They have left a HUGE imprint on my life. They are a power couple. They speak with power and i have never known people like them. Don´t get me wrong i am really excited for our new mission president and his wife.. i just know it will be a transition. At the end of the conference we all got hugs from President Torgan.. It was just like hugging dad. It was tender. I´ll miss them.
Irmã Barlow and i have been trying to make a difference in the ward. We have made plans to visit at least one member everyday because our ward is in need of some union. We are hoping that through our visits we can strengthen the members and help them to stay active and get their friends to church.. Pray for us. We need prayers.
This week we met a woman named Carla on the sidewalk. She saw the Book of Mormon in our hands and said.. is that a book of mormon. Are you mormons? We said yes.. Have you talked with our companions before? she said yes.. I talked to them months and months ago. I loved the lessons and you message. She then pulled out "Our Legacy" from her purse and said i need you to come to my house and teach me. I really miss your presence in my home. We got her information and tried to pass by the other day but she wasn´t home. Pray for Carla.. We need to catch her again and help her get to church. Everyday i see miracles. Heavenly Father is preparing his children for Irmã Barlow and i 24/7. kind of like when we met Marlena this week too. We stopped to talk to her for maybe 2 minutes in the road, got her number and said we´d call her later.. Yesterday we called her and she said i am so sad today. Can you come over and visit me.. OF COURSE! When we arrived at her house she had some bruises on her arm and a black eye. I was worried. Marlena told us that her boyfriend got mad at her the other day because he wants her to stop going the the Evangelical church. She said she won´t give up her faith for him so he hit her.. She said the last few weeks she has felt so alone. She felt like God has abandoned her. But the moment we contacted her on the road she knew we were an answer to her prayers. She said i know god knows me and loves me and he sent you to me that day because i felt suffocated. We read with her some verses in the book of mormon and LOVED it. We explained how authority has been restored to the earth and she believed that as well.. So towards the end of the lesson we invited her to be baptized and she said.. i was already baptized in your church many years ago as a child but when i grew up i never returned. I never the doctrine or your teachings but all of this feels right.. I want to come to church with you this week. Can i?.. Seriously.. i thought these things only happened in dreams.. But they happen in real life.. Real life.. oh my.. this is real life, real people and salvation. I love being guided by the spirit. These miracles happen and sometimes we don´t realize they are miracles for at least a few days. The church is true. I know it. Everything testifies to me that it is truly Christs church and he directing it today. Here in Portugal and everywhere else in the world. It´s pure bliss.
Oh we marked a cute young girl for baptism next week. She has been attending church in Setubal.. another city here in Portugal and she moved to our area.. We met her and started teaching her the lessons and she accepted to be baptized next Sunday! Pray for Beatriz that she will stay strong this week and avoid all temptations of the world. She is one of the elect!
Funny story: Irmã Barlow and i were standing in front of an investigators house this morning waiting for to come to church but he was definitely ignoring us, our phone calls and he wouldn´t answer the door.. so as we were waiting Irmã Barlow said, i am going to throw up. I said ugh.. go over there by the dirt because there wasn´t a trash near by... just as she made it over there she threw up ALL OVER her hands, the cement wall, and on her skirt. The poor thing. We had to run to a public drinking fountain in the park so she could wash her hands skirt before church.. We died laughing all they way to church and basically for the rest of the day.
Okay, Time is up. I love you all. Go read the talk The profile of a prophet. It changed my life this week. It will do the same to you if you haven´t already read it. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of god and today Thomas S. Monson is our prophet who speaks with Heavenly Father.. Carry on and keep calm. LOVE YOU!
XOXO
Com amor, Irmã Boshard
This week we had our last conference with President and Irmã Torgan.. It was so uplifting and sad and emotional and so many other emotions. I am truly going to miss them. They have left a HUGE imprint on my life. They are a power couple. They speak with power and i have never known people like them. Don´t get me wrong i am really excited for our new mission president and his wife.. i just know it will be a transition. At the end of the conference we all got hugs from President Torgan.. It was just like hugging dad. It was tender. I´ll miss them.
Irmã Barlow and i have been trying to make a difference in the ward. We have made plans to visit at least one member everyday because our ward is in need of some union. We are hoping that through our visits we can strengthen the members and help them to stay active and get their friends to church.. Pray for us. We need prayers.
This week we met a woman named Carla on the sidewalk. She saw the Book of Mormon in our hands and said.. is that a book of mormon. Are you mormons? We said yes.. Have you talked with our companions before? she said yes.. I talked to them months and months ago. I loved the lessons and you message. She then pulled out "Our Legacy" from her purse and said i need you to come to my house and teach me. I really miss your presence in my home. We got her information and tried to pass by the other day but she wasn´t home. Pray for Carla.. We need to catch her again and help her get to church. Everyday i see miracles. Heavenly Father is preparing his children for Irmã Barlow and i 24/7. kind of like when we met Marlena this week too. We stopped to talk to her for maybe 2 minutes in the road, got her number and said we´d call her later.. Yesterday we called her and she said i am so sad today. Can you come over and visit me.. OF COURSE! When we arrived at her house she had some bruises on her arm and a black eye. I was worried. Marlena told us that her boyfriend got mad at her the other day because he wants her to stop going the the Evangelical church. She said she won´t give up her faith for him so he hit her.. She said the last few weeks she has felt so alone. She felt like God has abandoned her. But the moment we contacted her on the road she knew we were an answer to her prayers. She said i know god knows me and loves me and he sent you to me that day because i felt suffocated. We read with her some verses in the book of mormon and LOVED it. We explained how authority has been restored to the earth and she believed that as well.. So towards the end of the lesson we invited her to be baptized and she said.. i was already baptized in your church many years ago as a child but when i grew up i never returned. I never the doctrine or your teachings but all of this feels right.. I want to come to church with you this week. Can i?.. Seriously.. i thought these things only happened in dreams.. But they happen in real life.. Real life.. oh my.. this is real life, real people and salvation. I love being guided by the spirit. These miracles happen and sometimes we don´t realize they are miracles for at least a few days. The church is true. I know it. Everything testifies to me that it is truly Christs church and he directing it today. Here in Portugal and everywhere else in the world. It´s pure bliss.
Oh we marked a cute young girl for baptism next week. She has been attending church in Setubal.. another city here in Portugal and she moved to our area.. We met her and started teaching her the lessons and she accepted to be baptized next Sunday! Pray for Beatriz that she will stay strong this week and avoid all temptations of the world. She is one of the elect!
Funny story: Irmã Barlow and i were standing in front of an investigators house this morning waiting for to come to church but he was definitely ignoring us, our phone calls and he wouldn´t answer the door.. so as we were waiting Irmã Barlow said, i am going to throw up. I said ugh.. go over there by the dirt because there wasn´t a trash near by... just as she made it over there she threw up ALL OVER her hands, the cement wall, and on her skirt. The poor thing. We had to run to a public drinking fountain in the park so she could wash her hands skirt before church.. We died laughing all they way to church and basically for the rest of the day.
Okay, Time is up. I love you all. Go read the talk The profile of a prophet. It changed my life this week. It will do the same to you if you haven´t already read it. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of god and today Thomas S. Monson is our prophet who speaks with Heavenly Father.. Carry on and keep calm. LOVE YOU!
XOXO
Com amor, Irmã Boshard
BOYS ON BIKES - May 28, 2012
Goooood Afternooooon... We are hitting up summer here in Portugal and i am really working on my farmers tan. It´s looking really good. It takes absolutely no effort. ha ha It´s unfortunate to hear that you are all still suffering in the cold... eeeekkk I feel for ya.. but we are still suffering from fleas in our house and we are trying to get them out of our couch.. we may just have to throw it out.. it´s pretty nasty.. Fleas here are so annoying and so easy to catch! Every dog has them and i swear they just jump on our skirts when we walk by because i refuse to touch them. This is the 4th time i have caught them out here. Anyways..
Yesterday we had the sweetest baptism.. William is his name and he rocked the baptismal suit!! He was so prepared by heavenly father to take this step and follow Christ. As we were teaching him during the week about prophets he said, if there was something i could ask a prophet i would want to know how i can be faithful in this church for the rest of my life?.. I don´t know anyone, Investigator wise that talks like that.. He accepted every commandment we taught him, loves the book of mormon and is excited to come to church and grow spiritually!!! I don´t know what i would ever do in my life if i never met such incredible people out here. They strengthen my testimony everyday.
For Williams baptism i made a cake.. obviously.. Irmã status.. and SOMEONE ATE HALF OF THE CAKE DURING THE BAPTISM in the kitchen.. I was so sad, so frustrated that no one respects other peoples things.. This is not the first time this has happened you know, but i just continue to have so much trust in others. So i think the next lesson in the ward will be honesty. yeah? yeah!
Ha ha i am already laughing before i even tell this story because it is so funny... First thing.. I love training.. I don´t know if i have already said that like 500 times but i do.. It makes me so happy and makes the work fun. Especially during lessons when things are not being taught correctly.. Irmã Barlow was teaching William about the celestial kingdom and she was trying to explain that Pai Celestial and Jesus Cristo LIVE in the Celestial kingdom but she said they DIE in the celestial kingdom. William was a little confused and said what?? I was laughing so hard i couldn´t explain what she meant to say.. ha ha To live and to die sound really similar in Portuguese and can be easily mistaken.. It so easy to make a mistake but you just laugh it off when everyone laughs at you.. ha ha
oh, annnd Irmã Barlow totally had a squirrel moment and i just about wet my pants.. ha ha we were teaching Misael about family history and the temple and it was really spiritual until Misaels daughter pulled out a chocolate egg and in the middle of Irmã Barlows sentence, she says.. ohhhh whats that?? and then returned to her sentence about the temple and Misael was laughing so hard that he was crying and we couldn´t really get back to the lesson.. It was hilarious though.. it totally was a "boys on bikes" slash squirrel moment.. Thanks fam for the memories and thanks mom for always being our "boys on bikes" ha ha ha I love my greenie..
Keep chugging along my little sweeties! I love you all. Boa Semana :)
BEIJOS XOXO
Com amor,
Irmã Boshard
Yesterday we had the sweetest baptism.. William is his name and he rocked the baptismal suit!! He was so prepared by heavenly father to take this step and follow Christ. As we were teaching him during the week about prophets he said, if there was something i could ask a prophet i would want to know how i can be faithful in this church for the rest of my life?.. I don´t know anyone, Investigator wise that talks like that.. He accepted every commandment we taught him, loves the book of mormon and is excited to come to church and grow spiritually!!! I don´t know what i would ever do in my life if i never met such incredible people out here. They strengthen my testimony everyday.
For Williams baptism i made a cake.. obviously.. Irmã status.. and SOMEONE ATE HALF OF THE CAKE DURING THE BAPTISM in the kitchen.. I was so sad, so frustrated that no one respects other peoples things.. This is not the first time this has happened you know, but i just continue to have so much trust in others. So i think the next lesson in the ward will be honesty. yeah? yeah!
Ha ha i am already laughing before i even tell this story because it is so funny... First thing.. I love training.. I don´t know if i have already said that like 500 times but i do.. It makes me so happy and makes the work fun. Especially during lessons when things are not being taught correctly.. Irmã Barlow was teaching William about the celestial kingdom and she was trying to explain that Pai Celestial and Jesus Cristo LIVE in the Celestial kingdom but she said they DIE in the celestial kingdom. William was a little confused and said what?? I was laughing so hard i couldn´t explain what she meant to say.. ha ha To live and to die sound really similar in Portuguese and can be easily mistaken.. It so easy to make a mistake but you just laugh it off when everyone laughs at you.. ha ha
oh, annnd Irmã Barlow totally had a squirrel moment and i just about wet my pants.. ha ha we were teaching Misael about family history and the temple and it was really spiritual until Misaels daughter pulled out a chocolate egg and in the middle of Irmã Barlows sentence, she says.. ohhhh whats that?? and then returned to her sentence about the temple and Misael was laughing so hard that he was crying and we couldn´t really get back to the lesson.. It was hilarious though.. it totally was a "boys on bikes" slash squirrel moment.. Thanks fam for the memories and thanks mom for always being our "boys on bikes" ha ha ha I love my greenie..
Keep chugging along my little sweeties! I love you all. Boa Semana :)
BEIJOS XOXO
Com amor,
Irmã Boshard
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