Its snowing here. (week 74)

We have been having a great week here in Wenatchee Washington. It snowed so now there is a bunch of white stuff on the ground and it got all slippery. Hopefully it doesn't snow too much more. They say it used to snow a ton, but the weather changed and now they don't get as much. Thankfully the fact that there is snow on the ground means that it doesn't feel as cold as it actually is. 

This last week we had our Christmas gathering down in Quincy. That was a ton of fun and I'm glad I got to see a lot of familiar faces. I got to see Elder Adams and Elder Steadman as well as Elder Buchanan. There were many more, but I think I'll hold off on making a list. We got to sing Mary did you know and that was a lot of fun. I'll have to get the video from Brother Clive her some time soon. After I do that I'll share it with you. There were so many great stories shared and the spirit was so strong as we shared our testimonies of the Savior. We got to watch Ephraim's rescue and I loved it. I think I've seen the movie before, but there were parts that I don't remember. It was still a good reminder of the importance of always being worthy and being prepared to serve the Lord in a moments notice. I'm so thankful for this gospel and the amazing blessings we are able to see because of it. The movie also reminded me that all the stories and miracles that happened in the Bible and Book of Mormon are possible today as well if we have the faith to make them happen. 

This past week I was also able to go on exchanges with Elder Aguirre. We had three lessons and got to find some really great people. Starting with the night before in planning Elder Aguirre asked me where he though we should go tracting the next day. We took out a map and started to look at all the possibilities. My attention kept getting drawn to a part of their area that was a fairly English speaking part. I kept putting it off and thinking of other places that sounded more productive to me. The feeling that we should go to that one area kept coming and so I deiced that that was where we would tract. So the next day while we were going about our plans we made it to the part where we would tract in the more English area. I wasn't expecting there to be anyone who spoke spanish on the street. When we got to the third door to my surprise we found a spanish speaking family. They let us right in and we were able to teach the restoration to the father. He was very interested and we set up a return appointment. The spirit was strong in the lesson and I am so glad that I listened to the spirit's promptings from the night before. I love the experiences like that!

We have been having a great time here and I'm thankful for all the experiences I have that teach me how I can improve. I hope everyone is enjoying this Christmas season and that everyone has a fantastic week. 

With love,

Elder Boren

                                                                     Snow!!

                             Some cool lights on someones porch when I went on exchanges with elder Aguirre.           

We got our stockings up. We all ended up having the same stockings except for Elder Enderton.

having fun in Wenatchee (week 73)

We have been having a great time here in Wenatchee. The area is great. Our area is relatively fat and has a little bit of a hill as it gets closer to the river. It also goes a little into the mountain, but not by much. Our area is very residential and is just full of a bunch of houses. We tend to stick closer to the river since that is where most of the Spanish speakers live. Most of the people in the area are pretty nice and will at least take a moment to talk to us on the door step. We have also met plenty of people that are willing to share some food with us. It must be due to the fact that it's getting colder. I do however love the fact that we are in a walking area. Gets rid of the hassle of having a car and we are always out in public and we can talk to everyone we see on our way to and from things. My only challenge will be staying warm as it starts to get colder. 

We had a really good week. There were so many chances to learn more things. I'm so thankful that we have time to study each morning and learn new things. Every morning I spend time reading and studying the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible. I wanted to start the New Testament so I can learn more of Christ's life and fill that well so the spirit can draw off the things I learn in the bible. Right now I'm in Matthew 24 and Alma 27. I've been loving how easy it is to apply the experiences of Ammon and his brotheren to myself and missionary work. One scripture that stood out to me as I was reading this morning was Alma 27 verse 4:

"for they were treated as though they were angels sent from God to save them from everlasting destruction—therefore, when Ammon and his brethren saw this great work of destruction, they were moved with compassion"

This verse helped me see the importance of the role I play in bringing the gospel to others. There are so many people facing trials and challenges in this life. They may not be facing the life threatening destruction that the Anti-Nephi-Lehis faced, but they do face problems. I'm glad I get to play a part and help share this gospel which brings joy and provides a strong foundation on which to build. Our role is to be those angels. A great way we can do that is by being examples to those around us. This is emphasized is an excerpt from an email from President Lewis to us. 

"I thought you would all love the exact quote for the information shared in zone conferences about the three things that attracted people to investigate the Church. It's taken from "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" by Clayton Christensen. Here's the excerpt from pp. 26-27:

"In 1975, the Church did an extensive survey of new converts to determine what it was about the Church that had initially interested them. These were the results, in order of frequency of mention:

1. The feeling of closeness to God that they wanted to experience because they could see this closeness in the lives of Mormons they knew.

2. Happiness and a sense of peace, which they wanted and which they saw in the lives of Mormons they knew.

3. They wanted a better sense of purposefulness and direction in their lives. They tended to see this in Mormons they knew.

Only 9 percent of new converts said that doctrine was the main thing that attracted them to the Church. For all who are baptized and remain active, doctrine becomes much of the glue that cements them in the Church. But it typically isn't what they were looking for at the outset.""

We must be in example in how we live our lives. People are watching and when they see the joy we have they will want to know how they can find it for themselves. One way we can do that in this season is by participating in the Light The World Initiative. If anyone can find the time I'd love to see pictures and ear stories about how everyone is putting into action the initiative. 

This week we are going to be having a great time. Tomorrow we have our Christmas Gathering in Quincy and it is going to be a lot of fun. After the gathering I'll be going on exchanges with Elder Aguirre. Then later in the week we will have district council. Saturday we will have our transfer calls and in no time the transfer will be over. It's crazy. I hope everyone has a great week!

With love,

Elder Boren

                                            Doing some service on the worldwide day of service

                            Elder Miles took down Elder Enderton and Elder Aguirre took the moment to pose

While we waited in the drive-thru to get some food.