Winslow Week Sixteen

Hello, friends!!

ALISHA WAS BAPTIZED THIS WEEKEND!!!

It was so perfect and beautiful. Honestly the whole family was glowing with happiness the whole time. The entire time I couldn't stop thinking THIS IS WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO. Seriously. Seeing this whole family moving along the covenant path back to God was the happiest thing. Alisha and Jordan will be life-long friends and I love them with my whole heart. The whole process of teaching them and preparing Alisha for baptism has been the greatest, most joyful experience of my life so far. Couldn't be happier honestly.

You know I keep saying that and then somehow God figures out a way to make another incredibly happy thing happen. He is so good.

And another way He is so good is because He allows us to experience hard things too. Here's what I wrote in my journal during sacrament meeting after we got some pretty heart-wrenching news. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't spend a little bit of time crying in the bathroom of the church yesterday morning, but here's some reflections that came from it.

"It is so hard to be a missionary. It's so hard. I feel the weight of the choices that others make and it hurts. I want so badly for everyone I meet to recieve the gospel and keep it, but that just doesn't always happen. They drop you. They make promises and then turn away. They make you cry. They think they know what's best. I have felt a glimpse of Heavenly Father's love for His children and the pain He feels for them because of that love. I feel that I have walked a tiny bit of the path that God walks every day. It is a painful path.

But is is also joyful. I've been hurt so many times in these past 18 months by the wrong choices of others, but I have also rejoiced in the amazing steps of faith I've witnessed. Alisha Payne was baptized yesterday and confirmed moments ago and I could not feel more joy for her and Jordan. I will take the heart break if it also means I get to take the joy. I feel so much because I'm getting more and more of an idea of how my Father feels about all of His children. It is hard, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'll take it."

And then we sang a very timely hymn. I had never paid attention to the words of "How Gentle God's Command", but here are a few that stood out to me yesterday.

"Come, cast your burdens on the Lord
And trust His constant care...
Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your Heav’nly Father’s throne
And sweet refreshment find.
His goodness stands approved,
Unchanged from day to day;
I’ll drop my burden at his feet
And bear a song away."

Isn't that a beautiful song? Yes, God allows us to feel pain and heart break sometimes, but He never said we have to do it alone. He is always there for us! If I've learned anything on my mission, it's that. He is so good.

Love,
Sister Bohman