Pretty eventful week (week 103)

This week has been pretty eventful. We had the Fourth of July and many other random things that kept us busy and moving about. It hasn't been too hot but, it's been up there. Thankfully we still get a good amount of wind every once in a while. And it's not humid here too often so we can escape the heat by getting in the shade. We'll see how this week treats us with heat.

The Fourth of July was fun although it was nothing like a normal day in missionary work. Our morning schedule was normal and then at 10 the four of us in our district went out to the fair in George. We watched their parade and then started going around and talking to people. The idea being that we would be out in a very public place and that we'd be seen. We saw lots of members there from all sort of different cities in our area. Later in the week our zone leaders were having dinner with some members and they told our zls that they saw us at the fair and it really meant a lot to them to see missionaries out getting to know the community. At about one o' clock we headed back to Quincy and visited some families and then had dinner with the Hodges. We then had to be back in at 6 and we just did some studies and watched the fireworks that all our neighbors set off. There were more fireworks set off by the people living around just than I'd ever imagine would be in city limits. 

We have been doing a good amount of work trying to find new people to teach and we have really been able to see that the Lord is blessing our efforts. We have been able to find some really great people and even some of the people we had decided to give space to have show a little more interest. We have been working to find the part-member families and really establish good relationships with them. It has been worth it and we get to meet some really amazing people. We hope to keep looking for some more people and really build up this area to be a very strong part of the mission. Elder Bonny and I have been doing some brainstorming and have discussed ways that there can be improvement and it is exciting. 

I hope everyone has a great week and keeps doing their best. 

Love Y'all,

Elder Boren

Week 102

We had our selves a pretty good week here in Quincy. It was exciting and went by really quick. I can't believe that it is once again Monday. We'll this week has been pretty good. Thankfully it hasn't been too hot. And just about every one offers us a water bottle for us to take. It gives them and opportunity to serve us and us more time to talk to them. 

So on Wednesday we had zone conference here in Quincy. We took a good amount of time to set up for it on Tuesday and we made some final touches Tuesday night when the assistants to the president got to town. It made for a fun night because they got to bunk at our apartment so they could be ready for the conference. It was a great meeting. We got to celebrate the 2 year birthday of the mission with some fun trivia. Most of the meeting was focused on finding new people to teach and all the different sources we can turn to to find those people that are being prepared to receive the gospel. We discussed a lot on how we can work with less actives and part member families to find success in our areas. It was a great conference and I enjoyed it much. It was a little stressful afterwords trying to get everything quickly put away and cleaned up but, it got done. 

A cool story we got this week happened while Elder Bonny and I were tracting. The first people we talked to while tracting opened the door and invited us in. Turns out that they have only been here in town for less than a week and are hoping to be moving to a small house out in the boonies this week. They are currently living with some family and the just moved from St. George. (Elder Bonny's stomping ground) They met many members there that gave them a great impression of the church and everyone in the house is interested in learning more. They already have their own copies of the Book of Mormon and  they even have a picture of the St. George temple hanging in the living room. It was such a miracle to lead to them at that specific time. We look forward to the opportunity we will have to teach them more and help them progress toward baptism. We have already been able to meet with them two times since finding them and it has gone great. 

We are looking forward to another great week and plenty to time to keep busy doing missionary work. 

Love Y'all,

Elder Boren

Week 101

We had ourselves a pretty good and hot week. Thankfully it should be cooling of for the rest of this week. At least we got to enjoy some nice wind while it was hot. We have been keeping busy and trying to make the most of our time. 

A nice chunk of this week I was on exchanges with Elder Black in Ephrata. We started the exchange Wednesday after our district council here in Quincy and then ended the exchange Thursday evening. It was a bit longer than most exchanges that I've done but it was a good time. It was a bit odd leaving my area and my apartment. That was the first time I had done that in a year. We got to teach one of their investigators that is so prepared to receive the gospel. From what I know she met with them just about every day this last week and they had just found her on Monday. Our faith really can lead to some really great miracles. We are always looking for those things that Heavenly Father does to help this work progress even more.  Coming back from exchanges was great because it was so long. It makes me really appreciate my area and the people I know here and especially that I have such a great companion. He really makes sure I'm keeping focus and that I have the opportunity to really make the most out of this last transfer. 

We have been trying to really work with the investigators we have but, we haven't been seeing the progress that we have been hoping for. We will keep working hard to show Heavenly Father that it means a lot to us and to also show our investigators how important this gospel is. We have some really good plans that we want to put into place to really help the work move along even more here in Quincy. This area has so much potential and we just have to find a way to really get this area blazing. 

We are looking forward to a great week as we will be having zone conference this week and great opportunities to share the gospel. We are also hoping to keep finding more wonderful people to teach. I hope everyone has a great time back home. 

Love Y'all

Elder Boren

Week 100

We had a great week here in Quincy. This is such a great town and there are some really great people, both members and non-members. The weather has been perfect this week. We had just enough wind that the heat wasn't too much of a problem. 

We have been working with some really great youth and we have been able to really see the lord playing his part in helping them receive this wonderful gospel. We have two investigators that live just down the street from each other and we had the thought during weekly planning that maybe we could teach them both at the same time. Then at correlation that same day our ward mission leader gave us the same suggestion. Then last night we stopped by one of them and they mentioned that they were best friends with our other investigators and that she had told her that she was also talking to the missionaries. So now we set it up to have a lesson with both of them at the same time. And thats not even all of the amazing plan that is unfolding. Both those investigators are pretty good friends with a less active girl who lives not far from them. So we talked to her and we plan on having her there for the lesson too. And we found out from the less-active girl that they are good friends with Anabel our recent convert. We don't think we can get Anabel to the lesson but at least we have one member fellowship for it. We also plan on getting them to mutual this Wednesday where we will be as well because the young women's president invited Elder Bonny to teach the young women some sign language for mutual activity. Heavenly Father really does look out for his children and he has a plan to make sure that they all have the best opportunity to return to live with him. 

We are looking forward to a great week with me getting to go on exchanges to Euphrata with week. I hope y'all have a wonderful week. 

Con Amor

-Elder Boren

Week 99

It has been a great week here in Quincy. The weather has been getting a little cooler as of recent but, it is still pretty warm. We had transfers and now we are getting into what is going to be a great transfer. Elder Bonny is great and we are having a wonderful time already. He is from St. George, Utah. He has been out for about a year already. It is also going to be his birthday tomorrow so we get to celebrate him turning 19. Elder Richardson and I happened to let our member dinner for Wednesday know that it was his Birthday so they will probably do something for him. 

We have just finished having such a wonderful spirit filled weekend. It started with our combined mission conference with Elder Anderson. The things they shared with us were so great. We got to take a mission picture with the general authorities and we also got to shake hands with each of them. Our two missions filled up the whole chapel and overflow in the stake center. That is a lot of missionaries in one place at one time. Elder Koch talked to us about the importance of working with less-active families as well as part-member families. He talked a bit about how we need to make sure we also work on strengthening the roots of the church in the places we serve. He also touched on acting rather than being acted upon and how we need to have a good essence and a good appearance. Elder Hallstrom spoke on being edified in the meetings we attend. He shared the scriptures D&C 43:8-9 and D&C 44:1-2 and talked about the promised that are listed there. Elder Bonny and I talked about how it is very likely that his talk was to help prepare us to hear from Elder Anderson. Elder Anderson also talked to us on working with less-actives, part-members and youth. He talked about how us as missionaries need to make a push to do more personal contacting because if we do so we will able to increase the success that we are seeing in our area. He told us that he sees our missions baptizing about 30 more people a month. The second part of his talk was how we need to use these two years of our mission to really know who the savior is. He exhorted us to learn and memorize 10 scriptures that we really believe and are meaningful to us from the New Testament and another 10 from the Book of Mormon.  I'm going to try and do it before I finish my mission. 

On Sunday we had our missionary fireside and that was a treat as well. We didn't have the turnout we hoped for but, it was a great experience for those that we able to attend. They both spoke on the gospel of Jesus Christ and I could really feel that what they shared really spoke to each person individually. Sister Lewis spoke on how all of Gods creations help show each of us that there is a God and how they help us grow in faith to grow and progress. Then the musical number right after was perfectly fit to that on Gods creations and it was so cool. Being able to hear from President and Sister Lewis is always a privilege. They have such a strong spirit and share such wonderful insights. 

Elder Bonny and I are looking forward to an great week and we have high hopes for this transfer. It is going to be a wonderful time. I hope everyone has a great week. 

Con amor,

Elder Boren

Week 98

Transfer calls came and things are gonna change. I'm going to save what happens to me for last so if you want to know that you can skip ahead a little and read it. Elder Bown is going to be made Zone Leader and will be serving in the Yak Valley zone. He is excited because he gets to return to the branch he came from before here in Quincy. Elder Richardson is going to be receiving Elder Wunderlich. Elder Klossner is going to be transferred to Moses Lake serving with Elder Bergman. I'm going to be receiving Elder Bonnie and I will also be made district leader for this last transfer of mine. Elder Richardson is excited because Elder Bonnie was his trainer. It is going to be a blast in our little Quincy district. 

This last week has been going really well. On Sunday we had one of our investigators come to church. He didn't stay longer than sacrament meeting but, he said that next week he might stay longer. It is great to be able to see our investigators keeping their commitments and seeing the outcome of their choice. It was also great because he came in a shirt and tie with some nice polished shoes. We are planning on seeing him again on Wednesday and helping him understand a little more about who Jesus Christ is. We also have some other really great people we are teaching but, they haven't been able to come to church yet. We are going to keep working with them and help them see the importance of it. 

We are looking forward to this week and the great things we have planned. One of those being able to hear from and Apostle of the Lord. On Saturday we are going to drive down to Richland and hear from Elder Neil L. Andersen as he speak to both our mission and the Kennewick mission. We are also going to hear from Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elder Joni L. Koch of the Seventy. It will be such a great uplifting experience and I really look forward to the things we will be able to learn from them. And on Sunday we will be holding a fireside here in Quincy where President and Sister Lewis are going to be speaking on the doctrine of Christ. We are looking to have a really good turn out and be able to see lots of new face in the church. It is going to be a great event. 

I hope everyone has been enjoying their week and that y'all have some great plans. 

Love y'all,

Elder Boren

We just had a baptism this (week 97)

 We went on another hike this last week. It wasn't as great but, we got a great view of Quincy. Sorry we're out of focus

There is good o'le Quincy

We had a pretty killer week. The weather was at a pretty good point. Not too hot and defiantly not cold. It was also a pretty busy week. We had plenty to do and it went by pretty fast. There were to baptisms that we went to over the weekend and that made for a great time.

Anabel got baptized and it was the best thing ever. Here baptism was on Friday and President and Sister Lewis were able to make it to the baptism. Hence sister Lewis taking the pictures. The day before President and Sister Lewis were actually in town for interviews with us and the decided to go to dinner at Tijuanas which is where Anabel works. They ended up meeting her with out even knowing who it was. So that made for a pretty great greeting when they saw her at her baptism. There were some great little talks on baptism and the Holy Ghost and it made for a great night. Later Anabel thanked us for helping her make such a great change in her life and help her find so much happiness. I'm so thankful that the Lord guides us to those that are ready to receive the gospel. Her confirmation was on Sunday and she has been welcomed so warmly by the ward. She is also excited for the YW activities that they will have this summer and the ability she will have to go to the temple her soon. 

On Saturday the other Elders had a baptism and we went to that with them as well. We gave a spiritual thought with they were changing and talked about how the restoration has given us the ability to be baptized and enjoy all the blessings the gospel has to offer. The baptism started a little late but, it wasn't much of a problem. After the baptism we went out to get pizza and we found out that the family who's kids just got baptized had decided to do the same.

This week we are going to be getting transfer calls and seeing what changes will be coming our ways. I hope everyone has a great week. 

Love Y'all

Elder Boren

Having a wonderful time in Quincy (week 96)

We have been having just a wonderful time here in Quincy. The members have really good trust in us and really take care us us. The weather has been warming up and the wind has been less of a nuisance. We have however been getting a good amount of rain and it usually comes out of nowhere. On Saturday we had a really good down pour that only lasted for 15 minutes. It did a pretty good job of flooding the streets in that little time. It was great to break out the rain coat for that short time.

Our investigator is really progressing well towards baptism. We had her baptismal interview this past week and she did well. We could see that Heavenly Father is really helping in the process and that he is aware of all his children. The members have also been doing great with extending a hand of fellowship. The young women are doing great at helping her feel welcome. This week for Wednesday they are going hiking and our investigator is going to be able to go with them. We are looking forward to the baptism this Friday and all the doors it is going to open for her. This ward has really been a testimony builder for me on the importance of working with the youth. It is such a critical time and they are so much more willing to accept the gospel. Then in turn it affects so many people and helps spread the gospel even more. Our investigator is thinking of doing the mini missions that our mission is offering in august. That would be such a great experience for her. 

On Saturday we went to a ward dinner held by the young women and it was a blast. They has a silent auction for desserts and it was funny watching all the members go around and bid on what they wanted. One of the members ended the night going home with close to ten different desserts. We ourselves ended up with three. We were also given two big plates of fresh donuts but we drove by a park and shared them with some kids that like to play basketball there. After the dinner we went to Brother Erikson's house and had correlation. We are getting everything set up for a fireside we are going to have the 11th of June where President and Sister Lewis are going to speak. This is one of the things we are working on to allow the members to do missionary work and invite their friends to learn more. We are looking forward to the results that it will bring. 

This is going to be a great week and I hope everyone has a great week as well.

Love Y'all,

Elder Boren

Day after Mothers Day (week 95)

So this has been a good week. I'm sorry if I don't include much this week but, thats how it will be with it being the day after mothers day. The weather is alright. We got another little bit of cold but, nothing like what we got in the winter so I'm fine. So some upcoming stuff is that at the beginning of next transfer we are going to be having a combined mission conference with the Washington Kenewick mission and we are going to be visited by one of the twelve apostles. Originally it was just going to be the other mission but, President Lewis made it possible for us to attend the conference as well. It is going to be a lot of fun and we are going to be able to learn so many new things.

This past week we also had out zone conference in Moses Lake. It was a great time and we got to learn a good amount on having a good attitude and being obedient. I love being able to go to those meeting and learn new things and add to the things I already knew. Sister Lewis taught us about how Mosiah chapter 4 has a list of things we can do to always be happy. It take a bit of studying to figure out what those things are. 

Our investigator is still working hard towards baptism. She is very committed to keep the commandments and has shown already that nothing is going to get in her way. We have been really working to involve the members and it has helped a lot. She has started to develop some great relationships with the members and it helps at church because those members are able to extend a welcome and even invite her to sit with them. This will help a ton after her baptism as we start to make it where the ward is more and more involved because we aren't going to be around forever. Her baptism got moved to May 26 and she is really looking forward to it. 

I hope everyone has a great week out there. 

Love Y'all,

Elder Boren

                                                          Part of our hike last p-day

                                               Elder Richardson making his way down

having a great week (week94)

This week has been great. The weather has started getting warmer and it is so much more enjoyable. As long as we don't have humid days here it's nothing I can't handle.The wind is still going but, it seems like it is going to be dying down soon. This past week we also had a thunderstorm. I think it was the first one I've seen here on my mission. We heard from the members that the storm took out power over in Idaho. Luckily nothing bad happened here in Quincy. In Quincy the wind is more dangerous than the thunderstorms. The wind this past week knocked over some trees in the other elder's area and they helped clean it up.

Our investigators are doing great. One of the young women we are working with has a baptismal date set for May 20th. She is really working towards it and has a strong desire to do what is right. She asks some of the best questions and has been reading and praying every night. She came to church this past Sunday for her third time and was able to stay all three hours. It may have gotten her a little confused but, I think that is going to lead to her having a desire to know more and better understand the gospel. The ward has been helping quite a bit with teaching. We had our ward mission leader to a lesson with us Saturday and he really helped put everything into a real life perspective for her. I have seen that it really is true that the youth are so much more prepared to receive this gospel. It also helps a bit that we can better relate to them since we are the same age. A lot of the people we have been finding are younger. They are more open to talk to us and are curious to learn more. We have noticed that most of them know about Christ and what he did but, don't really know why it was necessary. That usually gives us a great opportunity to teach and help them apply Christ and his atonement to their lives. I love when we have that opportunity. I've also noticed that many of the youth are great at fellowshiping their friends. We have one of the laurels working with another investigator of ours and she really works to make sure that she is learning and understanding. She even called her friend and invited her to the church to have a lesson with us. Member missionary work is amazing.

Quincy has been great and I love this place. We decided that this transfer we are going to take all our p-day time and explore the area and do the fun things the place has to offer. We got bored of p-day in Ephrata.

We are looking forward to another great week and I hope all y'all have a great week too. 

Con amor,

Elder Boren

letter to Mom, some of it is a repeat from above

Mom,

Our investigators are doing great. One of the young women we are working with has a baptismal date set for May 20th. She is really working towards it and has a strong desire to do what is right. She asks some of the best questions and has been reading and praying every night. She came to church this past Sunday for her third time and was able to stay all three hours. It may have gotten her a little confused but, I think that is going to lead to her having a desire to know more and better understand the gospel. The ward has been helping quite a bit with teaching. We had our ward mission leader to a lesson with us Saturday and he really helped put everything into a real life perspective for her. I don't hear too much from other recent converts but, I do hope to get into better contact with them once I get home. Letters are just a bit of a hassle. Quincy has been great and I love this place. We decided that this transfer we are going to take all our p-day time and explore the area and do the fun things the place has to offer. We got bored of p-day in Ephrata. I'm not to sure if it will be my last area. I want it to but we will see when the next transfer comes around. Either Elder Klossner or I will probably leave after this one. I think the area I've enjoyed the most is a choice between Royal Camp and Sunnyside. I'd have to say Sunnyside because I had more opportunities to interact with other missionaries and there were so many great members there. The weather has started getting warmer and It is so much more enjoyable. As long as we don't have humid days here it's nothing I can't handle. There will defiantly be things that I miss about Washington. Like all the fresh produce. 

I'll make sure to talk to him about it. I'll even include it in my email to him this week. I think our next interview is Wednesday the 24th.  (Mission President to give him an all clear for BYU so I can sign him up for his class for fall semester)

It's good to hear that you are finding out what has been messing with Riley's stomach. I'd imagine that having chipotle all the time wouldn't be good for you. I think he'll do fine not being able to eat spicy for for a while. If he is better when I get home I can make him a big batch of some homemade salsa.  (3rd son had stomach issue's thinking it is ulcers as for now)

Does our stake have a YSA branch or do they all just go to the one in Allen? I have to agree that reading scriptures really does help us focus on God and truly trust in him. 

That must have been a cool experience for the sister. Last year Elder Sanchez tried to let the member family know without me knowing but, I over heard him when he told them.  (about celebrating and surprising missionaries on their birthday's.

Why did they have a buyback on the jetta?  (VW scandal that our car was involved in)

I did get the Easter package. Sorry that I forgot to mention that. 

Love you,

Elder Boren

(week 93) week into transfers

Another transfer has started and we are almost a week in. It is crazy to see how fast time flies. This past week was great. We have still been doing quite a bit of service and that is always a great time.

So on Tuesday we took some time to go and help a WW2 vet with his yard. He needed some holes dug and we got that taken care of for him. We went back again on Saturday and watered his yard for him. We'll see what other things he'll have for us to do in the next coming weeks. On Thursday we went to the local Habitat for Humanity and had a good time helping moving things around for them. There are some really cool things you can find in a thrift shop and it's never really anything expensive. 

This past week we have been able to have some really great meals with the members here in Quincy. On Saturday one of the members finished building their brick pizza oven and they invited us over of the inaugural pizza. It had to be some of the best pizza I've had. The member cooking them is also a chef so that added to the greatness of the food. We have also been blessed recently with lots of opportunities to have lunch with the members. That always makes it easier for us. 

We have also been working a bit with the members and it has been turning out rather well. We have an investigator that is laurel age and her member friend has been helping out a lot in fellowshiping her. She was able to bring her to the mutual activity this past week and they really enjoyed it. It was glow in the dark volleyball and we were able to be at the activity to support our investigators. Our other investigator came and was able to spend some time with her member friends. We have found that the younger people are very prepared if they are open to listen to us. They ask great questions and have been pretty honest and upfront with us. It makes things a lot better. It also helps when the investigators have a member friend that can reach out to them and invite them to activities. We take a good amount of time trying to find people our investigators know. Lucky for us the members in the area are rather well known. Our bishop has also been pushing for us to get referrals from the members. In this last ward council as we were finishing up with our report the bishop asked everyone to think of people to refer to us and then he gave us the name of a friend of his that we could try by. Missionary work is so much better like this. 

We look forward to another great week and I hope everyone else enjoys their week as well. 

Love y'all,

Elder Boren

This happens to be my only picture for the week. We went to a members house and played basketball for our last p-day. Elder Bown made a shot from where I was standing to take this picture. Dude Perfect. 

Transfer week (week 92)

So this past Saturday we got our transfer calls and Elder Klossner and I are going to be staying together for another transfer here in Quincy. Elder Davis one of our flat mates is going to be transferred to the Selah area. This is his first time getting transferred. We are looking forward to some more great fun this transfer and lots more people to teach the gospel to.

This past week was great. We had plenty of opportunities to go and provide service for people. One Tuesday we went to the food bank and the the assisted living place. Then Wednesday we went to go work on pulling a stump out of the ground. Thursday we went to habitat 4 humanity and helped a member build a chicken coup. On Friday we finished the chicken coup and on Saturday we went and helped a non-member with cleaning up their yard. And it looks like we might have even more opportunities for service this upcoming week. I love being able to do service for people especially when I get to work with my hands. 

We have been having a great time working with our investigators and they are progressing really well. We make sure to keep in good contact with them and really make sure the understand the purpose of everything we share with them and everything we commit them to do. Most people will not keep their commitment if the don't see why they should. We have taken a good amount of time when we first meet these people to set expectations and help them see that it will take effort on their part. We also make an effort to invite them to be baptized in the first lesson so they can see where all of this is leading. We have seen that it has had a great outcome. 

We had a great Sunday and we had two investigators at church. One of them even brought a friend with them. It was great being able to have them there. It would have been great if they could have stayed for the classes but, I'm sure they had a great time and really felt the spirit. After Church the Relief Society had us translate for a meeting they had on visiting teaching. They had a great lunch there and we got to have some of it. Recently we have been getting fed really well. We have somehow ended up with lunch a lot of days this past week. 

We are looking forward to having another great week and I hope you do too.

Love Y'all,

Elder Boren

                                               After we had dug the stump out of the ground.

                                                              the tree stump

                                             

 Going down to the Colombia river. That little bit of land by the cliffs is where we golfed

Orchards by the golf course 

                    The course was surrounded by construction but, we still had a good time

                                                  Elder Davis found himself in the rough

                                               Elder Bown chipping onto the green

Beginning our round of golf. I'd add pictures of me but, those are on the other elder's cameras.

week 91

We have had a pretty good week here in Quincy. The weather has been getting a lot warmer and we have been more consistent with having sunny days. The wind is still a bit strong and we have still been having some pretty cloudy days. Thankfully we had a very sunny weekend. I can't wait until it starts really warming up.

We have been keeping pretty busy here in Quincy. We have been working with one of the members here and her friend. It has been a great experience so far as we have been teaching her. The member is also really good at helping with missionary work. We have the lessons at her house and she has been taking time to make sure that there is another man in the house so we can teach. Working with the members is great fun and We are trying to find more ways to get involved with them. Missionary work is just so much more effective when we work with the members and we are able to teach their friends. Most people are willing to talk to the missionaries when introduced by their friends rather than having the missionaries knock on their door. 

We have been able to quite a bit of walking in our area. We have decided to let the other Elders have the car more frequent. It gives us time to talk to some of the people we see as we go places. It also gives us the chance for a few more adventures. One of those being us trying to find a short cut from one neighborhood to a little trailer park on a country road. We crossed a little canal and though that we just needed to walk over a little hill and we'd be there. We were wrong and it turned out that the hill we were climbing was the main canal for the area. So we had to walk down a bit before we got to a bridge we could cross. Thankfully it was still faster than taking the usual way to get there. 

Elder Bown and I had a great exchange this Thursday. We went out to a little town called Sunland that one of the members told us that we should try. It wasn't what we expected and turned out that only a third of the house were owned by regular residents. The other percentage is people who come during the summer for vacation. Later that day we got to visit the Williamsons and talk to them about Easter. We had another member and his son with us to help fellowship the the Williamson boys. 

Today for our p-day we have some great plans. We are going to go golfing close to the river. We had some members that lent us some clubs and Elder Bown was able to buy some lefty clubs at the thrift shop. Then one of the members is going to get us into the Gorge amphitheater for a tour. We also plan on doing some other sightseeing around the area. We have discovered that Quincy is more of a tourist attraction than we though. 

I hope everyone has a great week. I know we are going to.

Con amor,

Elder Boren

One exchanges with Elder Bown we went down to one of the towns on the Columbia river. Turns out it isn't much more than a vacation community. 

                                                        A cool river side tennis court

                                                               Leaving Sunland

poem was shared form a member (week 90)

Quincy is great and I'm really glad I get to serve here. This week it got a little chilly again with all the wind that comes through town. It will probably be another month before all the wind dies down. It looks like we might be getting a bit of rain this week but, hopefully we don't get dumped on too much.

This weekend we had a great zone training meeting where we talked about the importance of helping our investigators keep commitments. It was great as our zone leaders lead a discussion on how we can better help our investigators understand the commitments so they will be better prepared to keep them. Our main goal should be helping them to see for themselves the blessings that come from doing what we are inviting them to do. We also need to make sure that the promises that we are extending correspond to the individual. We had some great role plays where we were able to practice extending invitations that were tailor fitted and then following up and getting a good understanding of why they didn't keep the commitment. I loved the role plays and they really got me thinking about how I can take it and apply it to my own missionary work. I look forward to being able see how it affect the work these coming weeks. 

Here is a poem that was shared with us by one of the members. 

Invictus 

"Out of the night that covers me

Black as the pit from pole to pole

I thank whatever Gods may be

For my unconquerable soul

"In the Fell clutch of circumstance

I have not wined nor cried aloud

Under the bludgeoning of chance

My head is bloody but unbowed

"Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the shade

And yet the menace of the years 

Finds and shall find me unafraid

"It matters not how straight the gait 

How charged with punishments the scroll

I am the master of my fate

I am the captain of my soul"

-William Ernest Hemmingway

I like this poem because it shows that no matter what we decide what becomes of us. 

There wasn't anything else too exciting this past week. I hope the pictures I sent will make up in the lack of writing material I have. I hope everyone has a spectacular week and enjoys their time.

Con amor,

Elder Boren

                          We went and did some service walking dogs at the animal shelter.

                                               Elder Klossner being walked by the dog

I've decided to take time and make a good breakfast every morning

                                                            Our sleeping quarters

Our Kitchen

                                      This is the what we see every time we come in

                                  Maybe I'll add pictures of our study rooms next week.

                Elder Bown, ELder Klossner and I with other members of the zone behind us

                                                            Elder Klossner and I

Another of the two of us

                                           Everything set up to watch General conference

                                            Elder Davis even brought some muffins to enjoy

Elder Bown played the piano before it started

We had a blast (week 89)

This past weekend was a blast. Who doesn't love all those great general conference talks? Before I go too far into my email I'm going to apologize for not including pictures these past few weeks. Some of the computers here don't want to accept my card and I haven't been the best at taking pictures. I'll do better this next week.

I loved all the general conference talks this weekend. I loved the Sunday afternoon session and maybe thats a large part due to the talk given by Elder Joaquin. The four of us elders here were not expecting a talk like that. I also loved President Monson's talk in the Sunday morning session. I loved the way he lovingly extended a commitment as simple as reading the Book of Mormon Daily. It carried so much power and I hope it plays a great effect in helping people gain a testimony of this gospel. I think that talk will be a great one to share with others. I also really liked the talk given by Elder Quentin L. Cook to close out the conference. I thought about the importance of gaining experience, practicing and putting in those 10,000 hours to become and expert. I though it would be amazing if we could put in the time and effort to become experts of the gospel or better yet one specific principle of the gospel. I look forward to the time we have in the coming months to study these talks and truly ponder the meanings. 

This past week we started working with this great investigator. She is a senior in high school and really wants to make sure she finds the right path and is able to draw herself closer to God. We were able to get her invited to the home of some members for the Sunday afternoon session and she loved it. She told us that she got her questions answered. We are going to meet with her tonight and we are looking forward to the progress we get to make with her. 

This past week was also our trip to the temple. That was such a sweet experience. Like always I was able to find members there from previous areas and that was a blessing in itself. I also found so much peace being able to attend the temple. I love being able to take time and have great prayers there. I look forward to having the opportunity to attend more frequently. 

We are looking forward to another great week and I hope everyone has a great one as well. Que les vayan bien. 

Con Amor,

Elder Boren

Elder Klossner my new companion (week 88)

We had ourselves a pretty good week here in Quincy Washington. Transfers were Wednesday and now I'm with Elder Klossner. I also found out that Elder Enderton got transferred up to Oroville and is in a tri-pan. His second area. Elder Bergman got transferred to Moses Lake and Elder Sanchez got transferred to Yakima. It's cool being able to see everyone at the transfer site and hear where everyone is getting moved to. A cool fact while we are at it is that Elder Klossner and Elder Enderton went to the same High School. This is going to be a great transfer.

Elder Klossner is a work horse and I am glad to work along side him. Elder Klossner is from Holiday Utah, which is a suburb of Salt Lake city. He loves to play rugby and is hoping to play in college. He has been out for 6 months now and is doing great. 

So we had zone conference this past Friday and it was great. We had the opportunity to learn From Elder Uceda of the 70. One thing that he taught about was the meaning in Matthew 28:19-20:

19 ¶ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

He taught about the meaning of the words teach in these two verses. He taught us that in verse 19 the word teach comes from the Greek word Matheteuo which mean make disciples. So that verse of scripture is teaching us that we need to go forth and make disciples of the people we meet. The word teach in verse 20 comes from the Greek word Didasko which means to instill. So there is a lot more than just teaching people. We need to make disciples and instill the gospel in their lives. A large part of the conference was Elder Uceda giving deeper meaning to scriptures that we use frequently as missionaries. He taught us that our invitations need to be exhortations. He told us that we need to Talk less and Do more. In conference we also made a list of tools to use in scripture study to give the verses more meaning. Here is the list from our conference:

Di-sect/Define/Analyze words -> Dig Deeper.

Cross Reference

Ask, "What were things like back then?"

Give yourself examples

Notice your feelings

Apply it to yourself

Look for words of action

Stop frequently

Ask why there is a specific word

Be worthy to receive revelation

Find repetition

Ask others, get their input

Be passionate

Don't Be Satisfied with the first answer

Find something you can do now

Read over again

Stop and Ponder

Have real intent

Love what you learn

Find ways to repent

It was a great conference and now we get to go and apply all those teachings to our missionary work. 

Something I forgot to write about last week is how this cool Mexican guy made Elder Wright and I fish tacos. They were really good. And yesterday investigators of the other elders made us some goat for breakfast. That was pretty good as well. 

We have had a great week and we look forward to having another great week. Hope everyone back home does as well. 

Love Y'all

Elder Boren

Baptism and Transfer week (week 87)

I don't know how but, Washington threw even more snow at us. And then it all melted in a couple days. Almost as weird as the snow in Texas. The weather here has been rather good other than that freak snow. It has been off and on cold. What comes next is the crazy wind that the members are telling us we need to watch out for. 

I almost forgot to tell y'all about transfers. So Elder Wright is going to be transferred to the Mission Ridge Spanish area. My old area. He is going to be replacing Elder Enderton and serving with Elder Palacios. I'm going to be recieving Elder Klossner who is coming from Othello 3rd and 4th. My first area. Other than that there aren't really any changes. I'm looking forward to another transfer. 

So before I move on I want to extend a shout out to the awesome sisters serving in the Melissa 1st and 2nd wards. They sent me an email asking me who I knew that they could invite to learn about the gospel. You have some great missionaries serving back home. 

I am so grateful for the ability I have to serve as a missionary. There may be days where it is harder than most but, it is all worth it when we get to see the difference it makes in the lives of others. I am so thankful for the opportunity we had to see that this past Saturday at the baptism of the Williamson family. I was able to see that change in Derek and it was great. As we met with them I could see the repentance process working in him and ultimately the great joy he felt at his baptism. The baptism went really well. When everyone was first showing up the bishop didn't think we'd all fit in the relief society room where the font was so we went to the chapel. Then we moved back to the same room and like magic we all fit although it was a little more cozy than the chapel. It was such a great baptism and it is really going to bless the lives of that family and the many more people they influence. They are already shooting for a goal of getting sealed in the temple and it is exciting to hear. I love being able to see that change. 

We have been doing really well here in Quincy and we are working on finding more way to get more involved with the members and help them become more involved in missionary work. We have been thinking up ways to work more with the youth and we have seen some success already. We are going to continue doing so and we hope to see the Lord's hand in it.

This week is going to be awesome. We have transfers Wednesday and zone conference with Elder Uceda Friday. I hope y'all have a great week as well.

Con Amor,

Elder Boren

 The Williamson Baptism Saturday (Left to right; Me, Derek, Sylvia, Dave, Ken, Elder Wright)

                                         Dinner at the Hodge family farm. They have horses.

                We went and walked dogs at the animal shelter. Elder Davis loved this dog.

Slowly warming up (week 86)

Quincy has been doing great. It is ever so slowly getting warmer. Although every once in a while it gets cold as a good amount of wind blows through. I'm ready for when I'm able to just have a short sleeve shirt on. 

We have been able to find some wonderful people that have great potential and we look forward to being able to help them move towards a lasting conversion. With our recent zone conferences I have been able to see that the mission is being greatly affected by the increased focus on our purpose as missionaries and the importance of teaching repentance and baptizing converts. We have been able to see more people progressing towards conversion and we are doing better at reaching our goals for helping people to enter the waters of baptism. I am looking forward to the many more blessings that are in store for us and we keep that focus through out the mission. I have noticed that I have been able to understand at a greater level the importance of our purpose and how it drives us to do what we do as missionaries. Everything we do as missionaries should and needs to be focused around our purpose to help others. We need to ask our selves what we can do to help those we are teaching to progress. Then that affects our studies and how we prepare to teach. It can also greatly affect how we teach. When we understand our purpose we will better be able to discern the needs of our investigators. We will be able to see what it is that we need to teach so they can feel the spirit and be guided through that repentance process.

This week has been pretty great. Lets see if I can think some of the highlights or at least some of the things I can share with all y'all. 

Tuesday is usually a day with lots of service for us. We go to the food bank for a couple hours and we usually help bag things that they have there. This week was a lot of fun there. We went an hour earlier than the other companionship and we started talking to one of the other volunteers as we worked. He started to show a great interest in knowing more about our church and we were able to share with him the answers to his questions. His wife is also very interested in doing family history so we are going to hook here up with the family history consultant here in Quincy. After we had some lunch and tried by some investigators we went and did some service at an assisted living center. We usually play a board game with them and get to know them. Later that day we got to visit a wonderful member family and talk about missionary work with them. It went really well. Then we went with another member to visit some members that live out a little far. It was a good day. 

Wednesday we had district council which was great as well. Thursday we did service at Habitat 4 Humanity. We many did some cleaning and helped bag some clothing. Later that day we visited the Williamson family and they are doing great. They are all ready for this Saturday and have their interview this Thursday. It is going to be great since he has a lot of family in the area and just about all of them are members. It helps a lot with getting fellowship for them. 

Saturday we had the adult session of Stake conference. We didn't have a dinner set up that night so we decided to go to a burger place in Euphrata before the meeting. 

                                           Doing some service at the local Habitat 4 Humanity

 Sister Williamson is from Indonesia and she gave us some cools shirts from over there

                                   Driving our to George, Washington on a nice sunny day

A beautiful day and a nice field with almost no snow. (From Left to right; Elder Bown, Elder Davis and Elder Wright)

tentive baptism set for "w" family March 11th (week 85)

So this week has been pretty good out in Quincy. It may have snowed for a large part of Sunday but, thankfully it didn't stick to the ground. We are also ever so slowly moving towards the warmer weather which I will be thankful to have again.

This past Saturday we had a great ward Fiesta. The turn out was phenomenal. We had 147 people show up for it and we still had more than enough food. Although I don't think we would have been able to fit too many more people in our little gym. It was a great activity as we were able to get a lot of the Spanish speaking members there. There were many people who came who hadn't been to church in many years. We were also able to get a good amount of left overs to enjoy. 

Elder Wright and I have decided that we are going to work with Elder Bown and Elder Davis to try and do a weekly family home evening at the church to extend some fellowship to the members that haven't been to church for a while. So any ideas of things to do for family home evening would be appreciated. 

So update on the Williamson family. They are the ones that we have been working with towards baptism. As of this past week we set a baptismal date with them. We are shooting for the 11th of march. It is really exciting and the whole ward is looking forward to it. I'll make sure to keep you updated.

Sadly we weren't able to find any new investigators this week. We've been having trouble being able to return to teach these people we meet. It is a little rough but we have plans to get back in with them and find even more people to work with. I know there are plenty here in Quincy even though it may seem like a little town. This week I thought a little about how missionaries at times will say that they have knocked out an entire area. I don't really think someone can knock out an entire area. There is just too many people to talk to. Even if we talk to someone at every house we still haven't talked to the other people who happen to live there. I think once we understand that it makes it a whole lot easier to go and knock doors that have already been knocked.

 I really enjoyed the zone conference we had. This time around we talked a lot about the importance of teaching repentance and baptizing converts. It seems as if there is some sort of theme in all the meetings we have been having lately. I can see the need we have to learn more about the importance of teaching repentance and baptizing converts and also our purpose as missionaries. When we understand that we will better be able to see where we can improve personally and how we can better help those we teach progress. This past zone conference made me see the importance of Chapter 1 of preach my gospel. No wonder it is at the beginning. I look forward to being able to learn even more and applying it to our missionary work. We already decided that we need to be better at helping people know our purpose so we are going to do that. There was lots to learn in our zone conference as there almost always is. One thought that I loved was this "Changing behavior without involving the Savior is not repentance". That was a thought that really made me think about the importance of our purpose as missionaries. That being to invite others to come unto Christ through his gospel. We can invite people to change but, when we don't help them involve the Savior it doesn't have as much of a lasting effect on them. Another comment that was made is that, "we need to record the things that have not been said but, that we've felt". That is an important part of taking notes during meetings. We can get a lot more out of our meetings when we do so. 

After this zone conference I thought a little about what someone would need to do to be prepared for their mission. I know that I've suggested reading and studying the scriptures but, there is much more that we can do to be ready. The one thing I though about was the importance of understanding the gospel and applying it in life. And more specifically understanding repentance and working to do so every day. It helps having a better grasp of that as we go and invite others to repent and involve the savior more in their lives. Another thing that I think is important for being prepared is gaining a testimony of the gospel and its restoration in the latter days. We need to go through the same process that we invite others to go through. That being read, ponder and pray. With that greater conviction it is a lot easier to share the gospel. 

Also this past Friday after our missionary correlation with Brother Erickson, our ward mission leaders, he loaded us up with a bunch of little toys from the dollar store. Now we have pop guns, lots of metal puzzles and some candles. Who knew you could have so much fun with the stuff you can buy at the local dollar store. We will never be short of things to do in our apartment. 

I have one request from everyone who reads my weekly email. I'd like for everyone to send their favorite scripture. It would also be appreciated if you add why it is your favorite. If you can't pick one send many. 

I hope everyone has a great week and we will be working to make sure ours is as well.

Love Ya'll

-Elder Boren

Look at all the oats

                                     We filled up bags of oatmeal at the food bank this week