This is one you're gonna want to read...

HI FAMILY!!

Today's the day! The sun is shining!! It's transfer Monday! ... IT'S TRANSFER MONDAY!??!?!

Since it is MLK day, most libraries are closed. So instead of getting the transfer emails, we got calls from the Zone Leaders this morning!

AND ON WEDNESDAY IM GOING TO FILER!!

Oh man, I had so many mixed emotions. I was super nervous before the call came, but had so much peace when I found out what would be happening. Sister Merrell is staying here in Mountain Home with most of the district (which makes me kinda sad just because I love these kids and have major FOMO hahaha). I am sad to leave this area and the people here that have become my family, but I am really excited to start fresh somewhere! Filer is in the Twin Falls South Zone, but borders the Mountain Home district so I won't be going too far hahaa :) And we are going to be whitewashing (or pinkwashing haha) the area!! My companion is kinda new too. She was here for a while and then went home for medical reasons, but is coming back out! Her name is Sister Weiler and I'm not sure where she is from... But from what I've heard, she's super cool. So I'm stoked out of my mind. It will be an exciting transfer!!

Something's been on my mind a lot recently. We were studying the commandments and the laws that have been given to us by God, including the 10 Commandments, the Law of the Fast, the Law of Tithing, the Law of Chastity and the command to study the scriptures and pray everyday. To some, it may seem like a lot of restrictions or rules. But we cannot receive the blessings that God so wants to give us unless we are living the way He has commanded us. God's commandments are evidence that God has not abandoned us- evidence that He loves us and knows what is best for us. By living the way He has asked, we can have a greater portion of His Spirit which can help us to feel of His love more readily and more frequently. If we choose not to follow the laws He has set for us, we limit our own agency and deny His blessings.

That is why we as missionaries invite people to ACT. To come unto Christ by living the commandments that God has set for us. There is no other way to know for yourself!! If you are unsure if God exists, then try living as He has directed. Asking why we have to live a certain guideline established by Him will do very little for you until you try it out for yourself and experience the blessings that come. The Spirit will bring pure joy. It will bring peace of mind. It will help us to understand that we have a greater purpose in this life.

Remember that God loves you and He has a plan for us! He has set the way for us to live so that we can return to live with Him if we are obedient. God bless you all.

LOVE YOU! Thanks for reading and supporting me in all I do! Your constant prayers are needed out here!

XOXO
Sister Boyce (:

^^Here's a pic from our last district meeting. Imma miss these fools.

NEW YEARS REVIEW 2 - more pictures!

Ready or not, you get more pictures today:)

^^This was our quaint little street at Sister Parsons after the first snow... normally this is all they get for the year. BOY. WE WERE ALL IN FOR A TREAT.

^^We then all got an ice storm... I've never really seen anything like it. The snow was dusty and straight ice. but it wasn't dense so it stuck to literally everything. We were having a hard time seeing the divide between the sky and the trees.

 ^^And then we got more snow. (Mom I thought you'd appreciate this picture with the barn :))

 ^^The first weekend in December we were hosts for the Creche event!! They have nativities set, filling the cultural hall, and the chapel was open for people to listen to the musical performances. IT WAS AWESOME!! We definitely got into the Christmas spirit:)

 ^^This was one of my favorite nativities. We had them from ALL over the world, but this one was straight from Bethlehem. Pretty cool to see how people in every nation come together at this time of the year to worship the Savior and celebrate his birth.

 ^^Sweet Sister Parsons is so old. So we did some service and helped her put her Christmas tree up!! She wanted a picture of us and the tree but I think she got more of the ceiling than the tree hahaha we love her:)

 ^^MOHO DISTRICT 2.0!! Never a dull day with these crazies. This was our last preparation day before transfers and we always get together to sing the favorite hymns of the departing missionaries.

 ^^We went to the Sister's place for breakfast the last morning together. I LOVE MY MTC COMP. I miss Sister Miller a lot. We learned so much together and she taught me a lot. I will forever be so grateful for her.

 ^^Then we had to say goodbye to our favorite Poly neighbors. They did so much for us while we were at Sister Parson's house. They truly emulate selfless service and are such good friends. (Plus Brother Chung Hee makes some of the most BOMB food:))

 ^^MOVE OUT. man if Sister B's house wasn't just right down the street there is NO WAY we would have made it hahahaa

 ^^This is what we get to look at as we drive to Twin :) an hour and a half of so much beautiful Idaho scenery. This sure isn't Boston, but I guess I'll settle. :)

 ^^This was at the Mission wide Christmas devotional!! TOO FUN! This is my first district leader, Elder Leon from Peru!! He goes home this transfer and is SO AWESOME!! I feel privileged to have served with him my first transfer in MoHo. :)

 ^^And this is my trainer, Sister Anderson! :) Man, I miss her!!

 ^^So, hi. Sister Merrell and I are the same person... obviously we had to get a jumping picture for our Christmas card:)

 ^^This is Sister B's. She literally lives in a life size vintage doll house. I told her I'm going to come back and buy it from her:)

 ^^Sister Merrell after playing in the snow:)

 ^^Kay the next three are pictures of my current district which also happens to be my favorite so far:) We are somewhat dysfunctional so these describe us perfectly hahahaa

 ^^This was after we went caroling as a district on Christmas morning:)

 ^^hahahahahahahahahhahahaaa that's our district leader, Elder Lee in the middle of the parking lot. That's immediately what he did when we said we were going to do a funny picture hahaha. Oh my stars, I'm like crying laughing so hard as I write this hahaha

 ^^We got to spend Christmas dinner with Sister Parson's family and the Chung Hees. It was so fun to spend it with people who have become my family. Whenever we do dinner, Brother Chung Hee brings an extra uke so he can teach me and we can play:)

 ^^And we had to get a pic in our ugly Christmas sweaters we bought at a thrift shop here in town hahaha MAN I LOVE THIS SISTER:)

 ^^and this district is the chillest. We set up tables and chairs all over the gym and had nerf wars!!! These Elders turned into 5 year old boys real quick that day hhahaha IT WAS SO FUN!! (also don't laugh. I can't mug.)

^^and to end this crazy picture chain, THIS. IS. GRACE. She was baptized and confirmed this weekend. She's 14 and the sweetest girl. Her mom is a member of the church, and she has been waiting for approval from her biological dad to be baptized. This day was so special for her as she was finally able to make promises with Heavenly Father that would bless her entire life. She is a gem and has so much light about her. We love her and are so excited for what this means in her life!

^^THIS IS ON SUNDAY AT GRACE'S CONFIRMATION!! (ignore how tired i look... we had ward council that morning hahaha)

Love, Sister Boyce

NEW YEARS REVIEW - with LOTS of pictures!!

HI YALL!!

As promised previously, here are the last four months in review :)

MORE TO COME NEXT WEEK. stay tuned homies. its about to get real.

XOXO Sister Boyce

^^The original district, MTC family, and Sister Hajje's squad.

^^My very first picture once landing in Idaho. I couldn't believe how HUGE the sky was!!

^^FIRST DISTRICT. The original MoHo homies for Elder Flecks birthday on preparation day:)

^^THIS IS GRAND VIEW. I'm falling more and more in love with this country living.

^^And this is downtown GV (Grand View) on a busy day. HA. what is this town.

^^The mountains here are far away, but they are so beautiful. Especially in the Fall when the sun sets and they are purple.

^^This is my favorite lady. Sister Parsons was such a joy to live with the first couple months and I miss her dearly!! She taught me so much about having faith through trials and being positive about everything in life. Sure love her.

^^Celebrating 20 with brownie cupcakes for breakfast. Sister Anderson called Sister Dean to tell her it was my birthday. Man, the people here really are the greatest :)

^^This is definitely something you don't see in Boston... but a super common sighting in Idaho!! TRACTORS ARE EVERYWHERE!

^^Seriously. Celebrating your birthday on a mission is too fun. Had to get proof that I am now really old...

^^One of my favorite memories of Sister Anderson hahahaha She came running in the house one night and yelled SISTER BOYCE I CAUGHT A FROG!! Being from Vegas she had never held a frog hahahaaaa never seen her so happy :)

^^Man, my first district was dope. They made this sign for me and threw a surprise party at Sister B's. Can't say I was super surprised since im with the person planning it literally 24/7 hahaa BUT SO FUN

^^and then we played double dutch :) or at least attempted...

^^AND THEY BOUGHT A PINATA:) (reppin the Y)

^^The next weekend was Rebecca's baptism. We hit some bumps along the way, but it turned out to be perfect. The spirit was so strong and she was so ready and prepared to make sacred covenants with Heavenly Father through baptism. I LOVE HER:)

^^I have to throw this in there because I love flowers and the lighting at Sister Parsons was perfect. We were weekly planning and I looked out the back door and these roses were GLOWING. Man, this earth is so beautiful.

^^LOVE this picture because it's so dysfunctional and perfectly describes us hahaaa Last Pday with the homies:

^^FIRST PICTURE WITH SISTER MERRELL was a fail hahahaaa but I knew from the very beginning that she would be a friend I'd have forever and that we would be able to do a lot of good here:)

^^Found this beauty trekking around base. Had to.

^^In GV (Grand View). She's the cutest:)

^^we had to pull over and move this big guy. LIFE SIZE TUMBLE WEED.

^^My favorite place. Where earth and heaven connect. I am so grateful for the opportunity we had to attend the temple- God's house.

CHRISTMAS MIRACLES

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Man, this week has been one of the greatest. This whole month has been absolutely amazing to reflect on and see all of the little Christmas miracles. Listed below are just a couple:

-Christmas Eve we didn't have a whole lot of plans. We were driving to see a less active family, but on our way we saw Sister Rodney, an older investigator, out shoveling her driveway from the five or so inches of snow we got. We turned around and got out to help her. She was so grateful. We had come at the perfect time.

-We have been praying with all our might to find new families to teach. Two weeks ago our prayer was answered. We got three new investigators, two of them being a family. The other we have a baptismal date set for January 9th. God hears and answers our prayers!!

-We were also praying to know who to see for referrals. The day we were discussing that we went to a new member that had just moved across town and into our ward. That night we got two new referrals of people we could go visit.

-The Spirit of Christ is real. We have seen it so many times during this season. It makes us all want to be better. It drives us to do good and give. It brings true joy and peace into our lives because Christ is the author of that peace. Because of His birth, we can have a portion of His peace. "All things which are good cometh of Christ." (Moroni 7:22-26).

I love being a missionary at Christmas time. There is no other place I would rather spend it at this time. Remember Him as you reflect on your year and plan to center your lives more fully on Him this coming year. That is when we will receive the most joy.

I love you all!! and I love our Savior!

XOXO Sister Boyce

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

HEYO FRIENDS:)

Oh how I wish you could have all been there when 120 or so missionaries sang Christmas carols on Friday. Singing hymns is a way we praise God. Our Christmas devotional was so filled with the Spirit. We were uplifted and edified, especially as we sang.

I love the quote from President Eyring: "As we sing in choirs, families, and classes, and as we listen together, the carols of Christmas remind us of our shouts of joy when we learned that we could come to this world and be given a Savior to redeem us. Someday we will sing those songs with the hosts of heaven." I hope you are all singing and praising God this Christmas season to show gratitude to our Father in Heaven for sending His Son. He is the greatest gift we have been given.

Merry Christmas!! I hope you all can think about what it means to have a Savior this week! Look for the many blessings He has given each of us. They are there. You just have to look for His hand.

LOVE YOU ALL!!

xoxo
Sister Boyce

Lights at Christmas

Hi YALL:)

I love December and all it brings. It is a time of giving and sharing. I'm stoked out of my mind because I get to spend not only Christmas time, but every day as a missionary like Christ would- serving, uplifting, loving, and sharing the greatest knowledge I have: That Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. That each of us need Him. That because of Him we can all change and become new, that we can live together as families, and receive the deepest joy unimaginable. And what better gift to give than the hope that comes from the knowledge that we have a Savior. I am so thankful for Him- His miraculous birth, perfect life, and loving sacrifice for each of us. If you haven't seen it yet, (today was the first time I saw it...) watch this video-https://www.mormon.org/christmas/purpose-of-a-savior

The devotional, given by the leaders of our church, was amazing. I loved Bednar's talk. All of the lights we see at Christmas time are to remind of us the source of all light- Christ. He said that He was the "light and the life of the world" (3 Nephi 11:11). So when you pass all of the lights during this time, think of Him.

I have realized, this year more than ever, that this is a season based on families and gratitude.
I have chosen to be away from my family at this time so that I can help other families find the peace and joy that comes from building their homes on the foundation that is Jesus Christ. And sorry, yall- I've got the best family out there. Not even a question.

I love this quote put up in the lady's house we stay with while down in Grand View...

"Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God."

May we all live in an attitude of gratitude this season because of the great blessings we've been given by God. The ultimate expression of His love for us was sending the Savior to the earth.

XOXO Sister Boyce

The Spirit of Christ

MALO!!

Transfers are this week and Sister Merrell and I will be staying in MOUNTAIN HOME!! Hallelujah!! We are so excited to continue working hard!

This morning I was studying the story of Samuel the Lamanite in Helaman 14 when he prophesies of the coming of the Savior. I love this story. He testifies that in five years, a Savior would be born (discover why at Christmas.mormon.org). At the end of the chapter (verses 30-31), Samuel tells the people that because they have been given the gift of agency, central to God's plan, that we can choose for ourselves freely what we may, they can choose eternal life (living with God forever) or damnation (being separated from God and His influence forever). Each of us have that choice. What a great gift and blessing it is. And if we choose eternal life, it is made possible through Jesus Christ. None of us are perfect and we all need Him to be able to receive eternal life.

This one is going to be super short, but I want to share a quote I heard this week.

"Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable and it becomes the Spirit of Christ." -President Monson

I hope that we can all live in the Spirit of Christ this season. It is a time of giving, a time of hope, and a time of peace and joy! What a great opportunity it is to know we have a Savior and know that we can have peace and joy through Him our entire lives and into the next life. Conditional upon whether or not we choose to follow Him.

I love the Savior. I know He lives! I am so grateful for His birth and this time we get each year to focus on Him. Attached is a picture of one of my favorite Creches from the event last week!

I love you all!!

xoxo
Sister Boyce

Reason for the Season

Heyo family!!

The Missionary Training Center is now reverting to 3 weeks of training rather than 2 due to the influx of missionaries when the age change happened in 2012! My release date has been pushed back to March 23, 2017!! WOOOO sounds like forever far away, but based on how the first three months have been, it's gonna flyyyyyy.

As it is Christmas time, I've been thinking a lot about the Savior and all He has done for each one of us. It is imaginable. Keep Him in every thought, word, and action. HE IS the foundation of everything we have in this gospel and should be our foundation too. The gospel is perfect because EVERY portion of it is centered on the Savior Himself.

My ponderize scripture is Mosiah 7:33!! I will be more diligent in keeping Him in every part of this work because I know this is God's work!!

Sorry today is another short one! Check out Mormon.org/Christmas to see what we will be focusing on this season! Discover why we needed a Savior, as an individual and as an entire society.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

XOXO
Sister Boyce

Cassandra's Zone