merry christmas

To all family and friends, I wish the most sincere Merry Christmas to all. I hope you are all with family enjoying fun traditions and a special few days.

To my family, I can't wait to talk with you tomorrow. It will truly be the best gift of all. Jo, Hyrum, Lizzie and Summer, be sure to go to bed early because Santa won't come if you are still awake.

Also, next week is transfers, so mail is going to be iffy this week. If you send it to me to get here by Tuesday, make sure it will actually get there by Tuesday, or just send it to the Mission Office: 1871 E. Del Rio Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282. I will let you know if I have a new address next Wednesday in my email. Love you all!

-Elder Sam Bostwick

wet christmas

Weather reports turned goofy at some point last week as they predicted coming rain. We ignored the possibility and were caught surprised. We are now in Day Two of consistent rain, something I have seen or even heard of in Arizona. The rain that comes here normally falls intensely, but quickly, which is exactly the opposite of what we are currently experiencing. This slow drizzle has been a welcome blessing, as I really do love the rain, and it is always nice to have a little bit of change. And somehow, rain seems to make the "cold" so much easier to handle.

We tick down to Christmas and all of our missionary activities show it. People are more willing to listen to our message during the Christmas time, and it is always a blessing to be able to touch somebody's heart that would normally be quite as receptive. There is a spirit in the season, and I pray that missionaries all over the world benefit from it.

Yesterday we had yet another road trip. There was a Tri-Zone Christmas Zone Conference yesterday in Casa Grande, about two-and-a-half hours from Yuma. We left early yesterday morning and arrived with only a few hours of proselyting left. The day was great, spent with some of my very favorite missionaries and enjoying the company immensely. It is always good to see President and Sister Craig, and this week, due the the interviews schedule and Zone Conferences, we saw them twice and that was also enjoyed greatly. I feel so blessed to be a missionary, as the life of a missionary is just a happy one. I hope I can find the same happiness in service in the rest of my life.

In my interview with President Craig this week, it seemed hard to explain to him how I feel about my testimony. My testimony is growing more and more every day and it is due to the grace of God in seeing His work in action. I know that the gospel is restored in our day through a prophet, and I cannot think of any other way to believe. I am happy, in a way I didn't even imagine before, but I know that feeling can go away. What I had a hard time explaining was my dedication to my testimony, not just that I have one--but what it means to me. I know what I have to do for the rest of my life, and it is very simple. All that is expected of us is to do everything as our knowledge of the gospel dictates to us. I cannot explain that with the justice it deserves, but I hope you can all feel the spirit of what I am saying. What is most beautiful is that I can help others gain the same change in their lives. I am a better person, and everybody will be, because I have acted on pure faith so many times--indeed sometimes I have wondered when I won't need just blind faith anymore. It is hard for me to not know why we do things, and to not understand God's purposes, but what is most important is that we just do it, and then the understanding comes. I testify that our faith is confirmed only after we act on it, only after we have actively demonstrated it.

I pray that you are all well, and that you are happy in this Christmas time. I love you, and I'm grateful for all who read my email/blog who give me an audience to rant at. Merry Christmas and enjoy the snow!

-Elder Sam Bostwick

adjusted

All last winter, I had to laugh at my companions and the people here in Arizona because they would all talk about how cold it was …. In Utah, I felt like I had become somewhat familiar with the feeling of cold and it definitely was not cold in Arizona. I would tease people and continued to wear a short sleeve shirt without a jacket the entire winter.

I am ashamed to announce that this year I am adjusted to the weather in Arizona and I am most sincerely cold here! Last night was just under 60 degrees and my hands were in my pockets the whole night, I wanted the heater on in the car and I just wished I had brought a jacket. From the way my body was reacting, you might have thought it was low 40s, literally, it was that silly. I've adjusted.

Last week I had a whole great email typed out, well written and thoughtful on the entrance of the Christmas season. A mis-calculated stroke of the fingers deleted it all in an instant, and my email was unretrievable. Hopefully, over time, I will let you all know how I feel about Christmas and you won't feel bad about the mistake.

This week has been more complicated than I would like. I like focusing on being a missionary and not having other things to worry about. I like being dedicated to the task at hand, and I like giving my all where I am at. Due to the requirements of a video audition I am preparing for the BYU Music Theatre department, I have been torn in my attention. Of course, all missionary time is completely dedicated to missionary things, but it is the free time--lunch, time before bed, and P-Day time--that are no longer as focused as I am used to. Hopefully all this hectic activity will end soon as I work to wrap everything up before the new year. With a lot of help from really charitable members from Yuma who I had never even met before, everything is coming together.

With more time in San Luis, I just love it more and more. I love working with our investigators--even the ones who progress very very slowly--and it is a joy to teach them as well as inactive members in our Branch. Christmas has brought a special urgency and energy in doing the Lord's work amongst the members and I have loved, even more than before, the "spirit of the season." Christmas lights have decked the streets and, though San Luis isn't your picturesque Christmas village, it has transformed into a festive place. It is comforting to know that people can still celebrate amidst so much trial and difficulty.

Recently, after it became known that I am "musical" through playing the piano for the branch's Christmas choir, my real life has started to intrigue people. My interests and goals out of the mission keep getting brought up by various members. Our branch president just can't get over the fact that I am actually going to go to college to study acting. It feels strange to have people get to know me after spending so much time in my whole mission focusing on getting to know other people. A real skill I have learned on my mission is how to get to know people: how to connect with others or relate to others. This skill is based on knowing their interests and talking about them, a lot. To have the table turned now makes me almost uncomfortable. But even still, it is nice to let people know who I am. It brings us closer together and strengthens the work.

I am so blessed to be here on my mission. I wish I could articulate how grateful I am for all the people who influenced me to do good things, and who helped me avoid destroying myself. The mercy of our Heavenly Father is a marvel to me and is definitely something I need to develop more of. I have a testimony that He is so ready to forgive us, He wants us to be clean and happy. He has created this plan for our benefit and He is so pleased to bless us with all that we need, as long as we are faithful in asking and doing His will. I hope you all find many of the wonderful mercies God extends to us each day incredible, as I find them. I hope you all are well and happy and that you have the chance to serve others this holiday season. Take care, I love you all.

-Elder Sam Bostwick

welcome christmas!

I had typed a nice long message, and just accidentally deleted it. I'm sorry, my time is up.

Send my love to everyone. Thanksgiving was good--more details pending. We are glad to now welcome in the Christmas season.

Until next week...

-Elder Sam Bostwick

thanksgiving

In San Luis, many of the members and investigators are new to the United States. They celebrate all the Mexican holidays with vigor and traditional exactness, but sometimes the American holidays seem strange to them. I admit, Halloween is stupid- I don't like it, much like many of them. St. Patrick's Day- who was St. Patrick anyway? We have several holidays that are very strange with a purely analytical outlook.

As time has been coming into Thanksgiving, there have been plans in Branch Council for the dinner we had for "el dia de pavo": Turkey Day. They were sure to make arrangements for a strictly American meal with turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy. They even almost bought pumpkin pie for dessert, but then decided to stick with pastel de tres leches, a very good Mexican cake. All to stick with the strict celebration of the holiday. But they kept talking about Turkey Day this and Turkey Day that, until even I was referring to it as "Turkey Day." Elder Snyder, before he was transferred had started to joke about how in America, we worship turkeys and that's where turkey day comes from. That, of course, is ridiculous. But it gave me a good opportunity to think about what we are celebrating. I would never call Thanksgiving "Turkey Day" in English, but it just became so habit in Spanish. The routine of it all caught up to me so quickly. The food, the decorations, the dessert- it all required so much of our focus that it was easy to lose touch with the point. I wanted all of the members to know what we celebrate.

As times get harder and harder, we often see all the things that aren't right with life. We see what we lack and what is not going well. We see economic struggles, and suffering around the world. We remember how we sometimes feel lonely or unloved and how we don't meet our own expectations. We feel how far away we are from family and friends, and wish things could be different. But these do not come from God. Even to His children suffering afflictions of great measure, our Father in Heaven has declared peace, joy, and comfort. A positive and grateful attitude bring us closer to God, whereas we will drive ourselves downward by putting our focus of the negative aspects of life. When troubles get so high we feel we have been forgotten by our Maker, let us remember the words given to Joseph Smith when he was despairing at the tragedy of his situation. All things will be for our experience and benefit. Even the Savior suffered greatly, how is it that we would be exempt from the hardships of the world. In it all, let us "be still, and know that [He] is God,"(Psalms 46:10) and remember that Elijah endured thunderings and storms and earthquakes before he could hear the voice of God.

I am grateful for Thanksgiving. What a wonderful time to look at our lives and identify our blessings. We will find great blessings, of course, being thankful every day of the year, but it is fantastic to have a day set apart just to be thankful. Is that really how we feel on Thanksgiving? Do we focus our thoughts on our blessings, raising a voice of gratitude to our family and our God? Do we lose focus and begin worshipping turkeys? I am continually amazed at the lessons life throws to us every day as we are watching for them, and grateful to be able to share a few with you readers. Thank you for reading my thoughts. Thanks for supporting me by taking time to think about me. That means a lot that I would be worth your time. I feel like every day gets busier and busier and time is a commodity of higher and higher value. Thank you for lending a bit of time for me. My greatest blessings have always come in the meaningful relationships I have been given. Thank you for sharing your lives with mine, and being good to me. I love you all--God bless you on this Thanksgiving day. Enjoy the food and family, and be thankful.

-Elder Sam Bostwick

P.S. The Tempe postmaster is finally tired of forwarding missionary mail. The Mission President has asked that our families and friends send mail to our current address, rather than the mission home. Jay, [will] post my current address on my blog in a very conspicuous way [...]. Each six weeks, the week before transfers, mail is then to wait if possible until the new or continuing address can be confirmed. Thank you.

transfers

This week contained several special occasions. Elder Snyder and I were able to end our time together with some very memorable experiences. On Saturday and Sunday particularly, we were able to participate, through broadcast, in the rededication of the Mexico City, Mexico Temple. The cultural celebration on Saturday night was fantastic and so much fun, but also President Monson and President Eyring, who were both present at the event, both gave powerful messages to the Mexican Saints. I loved listening to them! It was such a special thing for me. Then Sunday, we went to see the dedication itself. Even more moving messages and testimonies were given within the Celestial Room of that beautiful temple. All in all, with our temple trip at the beginning of last week, and the rededication, the temple took a big highlight for the week. I find it hard to not have tears begin to well in my eyes in thinking about the great blessings available to us in the temple in our days. In no other time has man been so openly privileged to enter into the presence of God, and it is honoring to think that we somehow merited a mortal life in this great time in the history of the earth. It is incredible to realize that we literally have no idea who we are!

Then, ex-Elder Wood paid us a visit with some friends from Queen Creek. They were on their way to Mexico and stopped in town for the night to stay with some of the recent converts that were baptized while Elder Wood was here. I was very happy to see them, and we were able to go out to lunch with them the next day. It was fun for me.

Time going up to transfers was intense. There was no way Elder Snyder and I were going to stay together, but the speculation of all the possibilities became a constant topic of talk. We rushed home on Monday night to wait for the calls. In the end we both had to go to Tempe on Wednesday morning. Elder Snyder went to Mesa, where he is very happy as a senior companion. I went to pick up a new missionary. Transfer meeting was a treat after having not been there so many times in a row. I was able to see some of my favorite missionaries who are getting close to finishing their missions. I loved it.

The Yuma Zone fared very well and we have a great group of missionaries for this transfer. Did anybody know that Isaac Owens got his mission call to the Tempe mission? Well him and I are both serving in Yuma together now and I'm very excited! Another missionary in the zone is from Draper and knows a lot of the people I met with Draper community theatres. My companion, Elder Villasenor, is from San Antonio, Texas. I'm so excited to be his companion. Both his parents are Mexican and his family all speaks Spanish. He was prayed here to the branch--the members have wanted a Mexican missionary for a long time. At last he arrived. He's a good teacher and we'll get along really well. After so long with Elder Snyder, it is almost weird to have a new companion, but I'm adjusting quickly.

I'm happy, and everything is going well. We are excited for the progress that is coming in San Luis and hope it results in big success. We get to start from the beginning to teach ourselves the right things we can be doing with our time as well as teach the members their responsibilities in missionary work.

I hope you are all well, especially as the holiday season approaches. As times get harder, we can better appreciate how much we are protected by our obedience to the commandments of God. I love you all very much. Take care.

-Elder Sam Bostwick

a great week

This week has been great. Particularly for the past few days we have had pure good things, back to back to back.

After Wednesday of last week, Elder Snyder and I both continued on a little sick. We had to stay close to the bathroom, and just as we were worried we would have to see a doctor, some members brought us some Immodium and our problems were solved. Monday we had our time for weekly planning in the morning, and a brief afternoon of work, and then we drove to Yuma to meet with the other missionaries for yet another trip to Tempe. Elder Snyder and I, along with Elder Carlson (our zone leader) and his greeny Elder Robinson, and Elder Appel (the district leader) and his companion Elder Elton all stayed with the APs in their apartment for the night. It was a great night, and then in the morning we left for our half-mission zone conference with Elder Christensen of the First Quorum of the Seventy. It was a great conference and we were literally filled spiritually. It is always a treat to get to see other missionary friends from around the mission and rejoice in the progress we are all making. I definitely feel like the least of all in big meetings like that. As if our zone conference wasn't good enough, all of our Yuma Zone then drove to the temple and I personally had an intensely wonderful experience there. It had been over six months since the last time I had been able to go to the temple, and I was in need of a reminder. I loved it, and am so grateful that we were given permission to take a bit of time to go and recharge our batteries. I stayed in the celestial room after the session and just cried, feeling truly in the Lord's House and in His presence. It filled me.

Then we drove back to Yuma and Elder Snyder and I stayed the night with Elder Carlson and Elder Robinson so that we could be up here for a 10:30 birthday bowling party for Elder Carlson. I got to test out my recent acquired bowling shoes, and it was a blast (and a member payed for us, which was the greatest part of all). And now, after what feels like a very long time, we are back in San Luis, kicking around for the rest of our P-Day.

I would love to tell you more, but my time has run short. I have such a strong testimony of this gospel and wish you could all be sharing in my experiences in Arizona. I love you all, and wish for the best for you. We are in the Lord's hands, and as long as we obey every commandment, we have literally no cause to fear. I am full of hope, as I desire you to be. Keep on in this cause, it is the greatest we can do.

-Elder Bostwick