Hola mi amigos, Bienvenidos a mi Chronicles,
Well, apparently the Lord wasn't satisfied with what I opted to declare on this somber day because as I documented my adventures, my weekly was terminated.. so this will be a whole adventure itself, but hey, the comforter has benefits of remembrance, so I'll just pray for that.
Hello, my precious friend's acquaintance, family, and stalkerish bystanders alike! We have survived the great escapades of another week in the third transfer in the Holy land of Chalmette. Y'all, this was a week of miracles. Believe in miracles. The Polar Express and Prince of Egypt (dynamic duo) hit it right on the spiritual head- there can be miracles when you believe. You'll only hear the sound of the bell if you believe that the bell can make a sound. You'll only find the elect if you believe that they exist and are willing to search. Faith is a force of nature. We are a generation full of miracles. And I am a firm believer that this is God's work and he is hastening his work in his time- we have a master orchestrator at the head of us all. We are in better hands than we realize. I have a restored confidence in the manifestations of spiritual power in everyday work. And with that spiritual regurgitation, Y'all it's time for your favorite weekly chronicles... THE CHALMETTE CHRONICLES: CHAPTER THIRTEEN. *hollah atcha miracle.*
Well, the first miracle of the week is that by some miraculous series of fortunate events I have graduated from greenieship to discipleship! I do, however, with the utmost of confidence believe that my greenie fire shall not be extinguished... this greenie fire bender is about to scorch the nations with the fuego of the Gospel. No firefighter can extinguish the eternal flame that has been ignited because of the straight fire that is the restored Gospel. Common misconception: when one exits the gates of Provo or their respective MTC, they are entirely trained and qualified to thrash the nations with the POWER of the spirit. Rude awakening: such an apostolic work is never fully realized or experienced until the streets of the harvest is taken and the sickle warrants a little more sharpening. BUT don't lose faith! Maintain the confidence! Something I have found great courage in is: the bad days DO come to an end, faith always triumphs, and in the end, God wins. So if you're living righteously, have peace of mind knowing that you're on the right side. We know the result. As Elisha wisely said, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." So, enlist in the army. Fight the good fight. This war is rigged for good, and I don't know about you, but I'm excited to recruit some more soldiers.
Another miracle of this week, somehow, some way, by some grace of God, I'm becoming more comfortable with change. My new companion, Elder Carter, has been my first real mission alteration. All I've known is the illustrious Elder Orison. From chicken and rice dinners to Apostle Pump Up workout routines, all day every day, I have basically been a greener extension of him as a missionary. SO, naturally, receiving the tender mercy that is Elder Carter was a bit bumpy at first Y'all... Like, what? Passenger (if I even remember who that is anymore) really smacked this one on the noggin saying, "You only need the light when it's burning low.. you only miss the sun when it starts to snow.." You only know you love something when you let it go. I didn't truly recognize how frick frackin awesome Elder Orison was until he left. Yet another parallel between the mission and life.. do we fully appreciate what we have in the present? If one day... it's no longer there.. are we going to be in a place of regret or resolution? ANYWAYS, I feel like I'm trying to sound all salacious and whatnot but really this week was a time for epiphany and revelation, and I thought I would just share the glory that I have found in progression. Elder Carter is pretty awesome. He's got some incredibly unique talents- like the fact that his artwork is so effortlessly flawless- and he's certainly teaching me a lot. One thing I am grateful for is the comfort of the Lord in times of change.. As many of you may know, change and I are like an eager Ginger in the Californian sun... we don't mix. BUT gratefully, I find myself being strengthened in my weaknesses daily and have come to look at change as a strength. An opportunity for progression. God is a man of learning experiences, and I certainly see the learning that can come from this experience. Transfers are divinely inspired just like every change in our lives. There is no coincidence in the Gospel. Everything happens for a reason. I look forward to what I can learn from the grandiose Elder Carter and what the Lord has in store for me this transfer.
FIRST WEEK AS A DISTRICT LEADER DOWN AND OUT. This District is pretty bonkers Y'all. We have THREE natives, once again, and I've gotta say that I am becoming more fluenté in the language of the other side. Elder Hernandez and Elder Flores speak EXCLUSIVELY Spanish in the apartment.. sometimes they forget that I am white, and scream some sort of soap opera soliloquy in my direction in a language of which I don't understand. Let just say, I have another content companion: Google Translate. BUT in all seriousness, I feel very humbled to lead this District. I look up to each member- I know that I also have much to learn from each one of them, so there's a lot to look forward to this transfer.
Anyways, on to the missionary work! Adjusting to life with Elder Carter has been rather rewarding. We had an incredibly long day on Saturday, 15 scheduled appointments, but none of them were home with Mardi Gras in the midst. It was mid-afternoon, and we were exhausted.. so we decided to offer up a prayer for strength and energy. Our next appointment was with someone we hadn't seen in three weeks, so naturally, we were discouraged once more. BUT I know that the Lord truly visits his people in their afflictions because through the miracle of missionary work we had an incredible lesson and even extended a baptismal invitation, of which she happily accepted. The Lord knew we were gonna have that amazing experience.. he just wanted us to prove our faith through the previous 14. Missionary work is the same no matter who you're with, and I feel my testimony strengthened as a result of this great week. The miracles of the mission are plenty for those who are willing to work. I feel like, taking over the area, is helping me become my own missionary, and is allowing me to exercise my own personal faith and follow promoting with more exactness. I know that the more we put our faith in God, the more miracles he puts in our paths.
In other news, I had my first Stake Conference in the mission yesterday! DANG THOSE PEOPLE KNEW HOW TO SPEAK AND SING. A few quotes that touched me personally, "all one needs to return to the fold is a friend, an advocate, and a mentor." "My goal today is to connect you with the powers of heaven so that when things are hard, you will know what to hang on to, so you'll never have to let go." And finally, "don't violate your covenants in the very meeting where you should be making them. The recipe for miracles is to 1.) Honor sacred covenants. 2.) Make a foundation out of the Book of Mormon. 3.) Honor and hallow the Sabbath Day. " I felt so spiritually invigorated after that session LIKE I just drank inspiration juice or something. It was an out of this world meeting.. I truly felt spoken to from heaven. And the best thing to do is to ask a question in prayer beforehand... Elder Boyd guarantees that your question will be answered as you ponder throughout any spiritual gathering.
Well Y'all, this has been an adventure WRITING this email... BUT I think that will suffice. I'm grateful for all the new experiences I'm blessed with and for all of you wonderful people in my life. I know this church is true and I love this Gospel with all my heart, might, mind and strength. I love each and every one of you.. even though I may not know you.. I feel like I know you. We're children of God, and I look forward to meeting more of MY lovely and elect brothers and sisters. HAVE A GREAT WEEK Y'ALL, I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE ONE OF YOU!!
With the utmost kindness and appreciation,
Elder Boyd
No comments:
Post a Comment