Back in the Othello Stake week 33

Back in the Othello Stake. It is crazy to back in this area again. I know where most this are and I've actually been up in the Royal city area for a few things when I was still in Othello. What is even better is that I got to go to the Othello Stake conference again. It was great being able to see members I met and get to talk to them again. We were a little surprised when we got to the stake center and one of the members from 3rd ward told us that our zone was singing for a number in the program of the adult session. We got to practice some before conference started but I was not expecting it. It was a really enjoyable conference. The adult session was focused on the theme of Why Do I Believe? They had a bunch of people bear their testimonies on why the believe. They then had the Zone leaders share their reason why right before the stake president spoke. They helped us focus on the fact that we believe because of Joseph Smith and the Restoration. The stake president then elaborated on it's importance and how without the restoration we wouldn't have all the things that we now have in the church. 

We had a pretty good last few days in Omak as well. P-day was rather normal other than the ton of soda we tried out. There were some pretty wacky flavors in there. I would't suggest swamp pop cream soda. That night when we got back to the apartment the other elders got a call telling Elder Flamm that he needed to be ready to leave the next morning. It was a little crazy for him. He had to leave early because he was going from the northern most part of the mission to the southern most part. So they had him leave a day early and stay in Yakima for the night and head to the dalles the next day. So Tuesday we were a tri-pan with Elder Jeffs. We had a really great day on Tuesday. We taught the Hernandez family and also got to put them on date for the end of March. It was a little hard having to leave Omak after that ,but I trust the zone leaders that just got put into that area. Especially Elder Turley. Then on Wednesday we got to drive from Omak to Wenachee which is always a fun drive. This time with the car filled with luggage. 

We got into Royal City and hit the ground running. The sisters that were in the area before us left us a bunch of note and even left us a schedule of things to do up to Sunday. So we got in and started the work. It's a little hard since no one really uses addresses and all the directions are a bit confusing. I think we are finally getting down where everything is. Cool thing is that we live with a member and his house is right in front of the church. So we can never get lost on our way to the church. The members here are already a great help. The ward mission leader has helped us find a few places and meet a few of the members. Both of the wards here are looking for us to be finding some new investigators and really focusing on teaching non-members. This is going to be a great transfer working here in Royal and being able to work with such great members. Also really exciting to have a Spanish branch and Spanish speaking members who can help us out for member present lessons. 

Gonna answer a few questions here. The move to Royal was great and everything is all in order now. Royal City is a lot smaller the Melissa. This past Sunday was great. Looking forward to next Sunday and having all the regular meetings. And yes it is a bit warmer down here than in Omak. Although we get a lot more wind here.

I hope all is going well back home!

With love,

Elder Boren

                                             
                                 For our last p-day we went to a local soda pop store to try new flavors

Add to the collection from other Elders

Back to farm country

Transfer week (week 32)

Transfers are upon us and things are crazy. We have learned to expect the unexpected as there is still a lot more missionaries coming into our mission and President Lewis has to do some pretty crazy stuff to accommodate. So to get to the point Elder Sanchez and myself are going to be doubled out of Omak and doubled into Royal city 1st and 3rd wards. This is going to be a crazy change and a new experience for the both of us. My first time doubled into an area. There is also some other fun news that comes with this transfer. Omak is becoming a ZONE! The zone leaders are going to be in the Omak Spanish area and the zone is going to cover Oroville, Omak, Coulee Dam, Brewster, Bridgeport, and Chelan. It is an awesome new change that shows the progression of the lords work. A fun fact is that Elder Turley is going to be zone leader and taking over our area. Elder Flamm is going to move down to Hood River in Oregon and Elder Jeffs is going to be staying in Omak. Transfers are so much fun and very exciting. Here comes another great six weeks of missionary work. I'm also looking forward to going to Othello Stake conference this Saturday and Sunday and seeing all the people I worked with in Othello.

We have had a pretty awesome past week here in Omak. We have had some really awesome lessons and found some really awesome people. The hand of the lord really is in this work. Wednesday Elder Jeffs went on exchanges with Elder Sanchez so I got to go with Elder Flamm in his area. It was a really good time and we were able to meet some pretty cool people. We got to teach this guy that Elder Sanchez and I actually found. We went and talked to him and got to know where he stands and what he expects out of meeting with missionaries. Just a little hard coming out and having my jacket smell heavily like smoke. We then went and did some tracting in the area. We got to talk to some super interesting people and some not too interested people. There were these two people that have really strong faith in Christ and we were able to talk to them about why it is so important for them to share it with others and stand up for what they believe. It's great being able to meet all these people that share beliefs and understand how important this message truly is.

Then on Thursday we had our district council and the Zone Leaders had exchanges with Elder Jeffs and Elder Flamm. District council was great and we were able to have a great discussion on using the Book of Mormon more in our teachings and interactions with others. A lot of the time we can find ourselves relying more on what we know or what the pamphlets say than the scriptures themselves. If we make sure to use the Book of Mormon more and apply it to our investigators needs it will teach them the things they need to know and they will be able to feel of the spirit of it. With the Book of Mormon being the key stone why would we not use it. It bears such strong testimony of Christ and is what will help other come to gain a knowledge of the truth. With the zone leaders here we had to figure out how to work dinner. We called the family who was feeding us and they were willing to have all six of us over for dinner. It was a great dinner and there was still plenty of food left over. Firday morning we had a sort of group companion study and we were able to discuss the role of the holy ghost and how we can identify its promptings. Thinking about which good choice is the prompting from the spirit can be hard some times. I think one way to look at it is to think which one would stretch us the most. Which choice or which action will help us grow and progress. The Holy Ghost is trying to help us in our eternal progression as well. We need to remember that and have faith in the prompting of the spirit.

We have had a really good weekend. Singing in church on Sunday was awesome. We were able to sing "O Thou Rock of our Salvation" to the music of "Brightly Beams our Fathers Mercy". Then when we went to dinner the family had us sing again at their house. Missionary work is the best and their are plenty of ways we can use our talents to help it progress.

Time to answer some questions: I'm pretty sure I haven't put on any weight yet. Still skinny as ever. We usually do most of our exercise inside since it has been so cold outside. On P-day we usually stay at the apartment and play cards.

Hope all is well back home. Remember to follow the promptings of the spirit and put your trust in the Lord.

With love,
Elder Boren

                                                        Elder Sanchez

                                                   Elder Boren

                                            Elder  Sanchez on the piano

making some head way in Omak (week 31)

This past week has been great! We have decided that we are just going to start tracting out our whole area without worrying whether the people we meet speak English or Spanish. They blessings that have come from it have just been amazing. 

To start off this week I guess it would be somewhat important to point out that Tuesday night I got a little sick. It wasn't too much but enough that we came in for the rest of the night because I wasn't sure of myself. I then spent the rest of the night resting due to Elder Sanchez and just about everyone else telling me I needed to get to bed. I felt a lot better in the morning and got over it really quickly. Thankfully so because being inside due to sickness is super boring. I'd so much rather be out doing missionary work. 

This week we have also been able to work a lot more with one of the families we have been teaching. On Monday we were able to have one of the members out with us to the lesson. The lesson went really well and we found out that they know that the church is true and they don't have to look anymore. They just feel uncomfortable with there not really being anyone else that speaks Spanish. We are working on getting English classes here so they and many other people have an opportunity to learn the basics. Having the member out was great also because he was easily able to befriend them and he even invited them over for family home evening later in the week. We were also able to go to the FHE with them. It was a great way for the family to get to know some more members and also learn about family home evening. Even with their being a language barrier they were able to relate and share the things that mattered most to them. They are again going to get together as families this Saturday so they can teach each other some recipes. It is awesome when we are able to work with the members because it allows the investigators to get more comfortable around the members. It also allows them to see the blessing that come from the gospel. 

Wednesday we went out and started doing some tracting in Okanogon. We found a trailer park and decided to knock around in there. Most of the people were not interested ,but the last person we talked to turned out to be a former investigator. He invited us in and we were able to share a small lesson with him. He spoke English and we had to hand him to the English elders. Even though we aren't able to continue teaching him it was a blessing to see that our efforts are yielding and that we are helping progress the lords work.  And later that night we were able to finally find one of the former investigators that we had been trying to find. We sat down and talked to her about the power of prayer and how it will really help her in time of need. She works every Sunday so she isn't able to come on Sunday but her son is interested in coming with us. 

Thursday we had our district council and talked about how we can help our investigators come to church and feel comfortable there. We discussed the importance of having the members invite so that they have a familiar face when they go to church. It also helps having the members invite because the investigators can have someone that isn't going to be changing out every few months and can become a great friend to them. Most of the rest of our day was then spent studying and preparing for lessons. Then in the evening we went over to Lyles' house to have family home evening with the Lopez family. It was a great time and I think they really enjoyed it. They were able to share some fun experiences with one another and Brother Lyles shares a thought on how our actions affect others. We also had a really awesome Mexican soup made by sister Lyles. Elder Sanchez said it was the most authentic Mexican food he has had here in the States. 

Friday we had our weekly planning as normal. This time however we tried our best to stick really close to preach my gospel and how it suggests we should go about it. We were able to do it all within three hours and I felt that it was a whole lot better and our plans really mean a lot more. When we stick to the guidelines and do things the way the Lord has asked us we can see a lot more success. And even better is that when we went out afterwords to tract the first people we talked to let us in and have become a solid referral for the English elders. The blessings from being diligent are awesome and this work is the best. 

On Saturday we went up to concunully with the English elders. We spent the time knocking doors while they went and tried by some less active members. It is super beautiful up there. I can't imagine what it looks like during the summer when the lakes are all thawed out. Not too many people interested but it was a fun time. We are looking forward to another amazing week here in Omak.

I hope all is well back home.

With love,

Elder Boren

Dylan was sick this last week

Elder Sanchez learning English

Really hard week (week 30)

We had a bit of a harsh week to be honest. We weren't ale to see very many of our investigators and one of the families we have been teaching for quite a long time has decided to stop receiving the discussions. We had been trying to get in contact with the family and we just weren't getting any response. So we decided to stop by their house and see what was up and maybe find out why there was a loss of contact. We stopped by and sat down talking with the father for a while. He explained that the last time we stopped by to teach they thought that we had record the discussion. We explained that we hadn't and expressed our apologies for the appearance. They had still deiced that they did not wish to continue in their investigation of the church. We invited them to continue looking for an answer and keep reading their scriptures to know if it is true. It was a hard night having been told that. As I really thought about it I understand now that it easily could be all in the lords timing. Maybe they need some time to really think of the things we have shared with them. As time passes they will be able to better distinguish the spirit that they felt when they were reading in the Book of Mormon and hearing of the gospel. We aren't perfect teachers and we make mistakes. Sometimes we offend others. But the Heavenly Father loves all his children so much and will continue to work with them. I know that it is so important to trust in the timing of the lord and the plans he has for each one of us.

We have been really working to find some more Spanish speakers to teach. It's a little hard to do in the winter since a lot of them move away during the off-season. We have found a few new places to meet people and it has been great. We are slowly getting people to teach. The only problem is them allowing us to come back or even finding them at home again. It's hard but that's the point. None of this was really made to be easy. I was again able to read through "The Atonement and Missionary Work" by Elder Holland. I love how he explains why life and missionary work isn't easy. Christ didn't have it easy. He had to overcome huge obstacles and suffer great pains. Sometimes I find myself wondering why it isn't easy and why people don't just flock to the church and the truth. And just as Elder Holland says "Salvation isn't a cheap experience". I think it can be a hard concept to grasp. The concept however is so very important. As I have really thought about it and what it means it helps me when times get rough. I know that if I put my trust in the lord and just keep at it things will get better. It may not seem so at first but it will. We were given this earthly life to learn and progress. We can't do those things if we don't get stretched and tested. Us not being able to teach very many people and having a hard time finding others is just one of those many tests. I'm not sure what exactly I'm getting tested on right now but, I do know that it is to help me become better. I know that if I keep doing my best Heavenly Father will bless me and help me in his work. 

We had an awesome Zone conference this past Saturday. We went over goal setting and how important it is to the work. We need to make sure we set goal and involve our Heavenly Father in that process. If our goals are coming from him we will be able to better follow his will. We also need to make goals that are achievable and also make more goals to helps us achieve what we have set. I still haven't gotten completely used to setting goals for myself. Now I realize the importance of goals and giving your self a road map so you can get to the destination. Without goals we are just wandering on a path with no where to go. Even if we happen to have a big goal; If we don't set little goals and make plans to reach it we won't know how to actually get there. Setting goals is an act of faith. It is the spiritual creation of what we want to happen. Actions and plans of action are how we actually set the ball rolling. It's how we make dreams reality. 

Elder Sanchez and I are looking forward to another great week here in Omak. I hope all is still fine and dandy where you are. Keep being awesome!

With Love,

Elder Boren

                                                      Dylan's Zone

                                   ​Found a place that said Grange so I had to take a picture for Elder Grange

Elder Sanchez eating a sandwich??

week 29

This past week has been a bit tougher trying to find people to teach. We have been able to find a few that are willing to listen when we first talk to them but just disappear when we try to come back for a return appointment. We just keep trying and make sure we don't give up on the people here. They all need to receive the good news of the gospel and it is our job to share it with them. If we don't bring the gospel to people how are they supposed to progress and use their agency to return to live with Heavenly Father? This work is amazing and a great opportunity to be the lords messengers. 

We had an awesome opportunity to view the Mission Broadcast they had this past Wednesday. we got to hear some some members of the Quorum of the 12 and some of the others members of the missionary council. It was a great broadcast. The focus of it was Teach Repentance, Baptize Converts. It helps us see that our true purpose isn't just baptizing people and racking up a bunch of numbers but rather teaching people about repentance and the atonement of Jesus Christ. That's the good news. The gospel is centered around the atonement and Christ. With out him the plan wouldn't be possible. At church this past Sunday we talked a little more about that and the three pillars of the gospel. Those three pillars are; The Creation; The Fall; The Atonement. All of them being things that needed to happen for us to be able to progress in this life and in the eternities. We have an important charge to bring this news and this knowledge that we can progress and return to live with our Heavenly Father. We can help people see that they can be forgiven of all their sins and that they can start a new life a new slate. And in this process we can also work on our own progression. We can improve and learn as we help others. Elder Bednar talked on the role of the Holy Ghost in conversion and what we need to do. He talked on how we need to bring the gospel unto the hearts of those we teach and the spirit is the one that will help bring it into their hearts. We can't do it all and we defiantly need the help of the Spirit. There are so many blessings that come from having the companionship of the Holy Ghost in this work. If we didn't have the Holy Ghost people wouldn't be truly converted. They would just be converted by our words and our knowledge. The Holy Ghost will help them receive the light of Christ and help them grow their seed of faith. 

After the Mission Broadcast we got to have our District Council and be joined by President Lewis. We had some good discussion on how we can best work with our members. It seems like it is something they are trying to focus on a little more as it was also something that was covered during the broadcast. When we involve the members people feel more comfortable coming to church and having more discussions with us. Most people don't want to go to church if they don't know any one. People tend to stay away from things that make them uncomfortable. When we have members inviting friends to church they will be more likely to go because their are familiar faces there.  Then after our District Council we had interviews with President and then President and sister Lewis stopped by our apartment to take a look. That means we got some pictures of us put up on the mission blog by Sister Lewis. Good thing we took some time to clean up the apartment and make sure it looked nice. 

When it comes to self reliance there is probably a lot of different ways to view it. I think the best reason to be self reliant is so that we can help other people. If we are not self reliant we are needing to lean on others for help and usually puts us in a tight spot. But we have the ability to work. We were given bodies and minds. We have been given many gifts and talents that we need to use in this life. Part of self reliance is developing those talents. If we don't develop them we lose them. But when we do what we can to build them and strengthen what we have we can use that to bless the lives of others. As a missionary it is very important. I don't know if I would exactly call it self reliance as we have to lean on the lord for guidance and help. But as missionary we have to do all we can to gain knowledge so we can then share it with others. If I didn't read in the Book of Mormon and sturdy my scriptures how would I be able to help others answer their questions. We also have to put in the work for it. I think back to the Stake conference where President Jones spoke on work. I can't recall to much of what he said but it is such an important thing. Work brings a sense of accomplishment which we can't get from freebies. We also tend to take better care of the things we have worked for. Thinking about it we can apply that to the gospel as well. If we were just granted all the knowledge and didn't have to study to gain it we would give it no worth. But when we take time and really study and ponder the scriptures they become a great treasure and a great tool to us in this life. The Book of Mormon has become so much more than a book to me. It is a fountain of knowledge and a trove of treasures. If I never studied and never worked to understand and learn it the scriptures would mean nothing to me. I don't have too much  experience with work and self reliance as I haven't had many experiences to pull on. I hope the little insight I have shared will help. 

We have a fun week planned ahead with Zone Conference and some exchanges. The Spanish is going along a bit better since mostly all I speak during the day is Spanish. Awesome being able to have Elder Sanchez as my companion. He is a great elder and has a great desire to serve and also to learn the English language. All is well here in the Great Northwest and I hope all is well at home.

With Love,

Elder Boren

His companion calls him Frito

email to Me:

This week was better. Zone conference will always be a highlight. It's hard for the members to really help us in finding new people because we work with the Spanish speakers. If we had some Spanish speaking members I'm sure they would be willing to help us out. Training is coming along great. Elder Sanchez is great and it's like he came to the field pre-trained. I am blessed to have him as my companion. 

That is an awesome cake. And I did not know that Grandma had started working at Lowes again. I don't know if I ever told you about this album but there is a really great musical/album on the atonement. It is called the Garden. The music is really cool and it has great doctrinal background. Good to hear about how everyone is doing back home.

Love you,

Elder Boren                                 This is the cake he is taking about.

The cake I made for my Mom