Elder Jeremy Ashton Boyd: THIBODAUX TALES: CHAPTER FOUR

[Due to Memorial Day and Zone Conference, here is this week's letter from Elder Boyd- a little later than usual.]

Ciao Children,

I invite you to join me for a primary rendition of a familiar song,

The wise Elders built their shack upon the bayou...

And the rain came tumbling down...

The rain came down and the humidity rose up

And the shack on the bayou stood still.

Praise the Lord. I feel like we're fixin' to see a monsoon season because home is calling and the sky is crying. Singing in the rain, and dancing in the swamp.. we've had a soggy tale this week, my friends. SO WELCOME ONE, WELCOME Y'ALL TO THIBODAUX TALES: CHAPTER FOUR.

It's been 10 days since our last entry and in that time you would think a hardworking Elder would have a PLETHORA of experiences to boast jauntily about.. alas' Satan works in mysterious ways, and this week he played with the rain- HOWEVER, not even precipitation could stump the motivation or the dedication of these Elders as we baptized nations. We had some jaw-dropping moments over these past few days.. so get your lower face muscles ready.. because that floor is about to be smacked with these Thibodaux miracles.

Before we even get this rolling...

Remember the itchy baptism and the Skyrim addict? (Oh my Lanta, that sounds like one weird conference talk.) Well, we met up with Brother for a final hoorah this past week... Sadly, his caretaker will no longer permit the missionary visits..but get this, in consolation... HE TOLD US HIS NAME. Of course for all-inclusive confidentiality purposes, I will not include it.. but my goodness, I have never felt so blessed. The mystery of Brother has been uncovered- and his legacy will forever live on as the mysterious itchy guy with the baddest dragon Lord in the Elder Scrolls galaxy.

STORY TIME:

One of the many facets of missionary work is known as referral contacting. If you are someone who wishes to investigate, or has interest in the church, you can request a visit from the missionaries through several means of media or advertisement. When you do this, we as missionaries, get an email or an immediate notification, that gives us whatever information you provide.. and as soon as possible, two guys in the coolest floral ties show up on your doorstep. Quite an efficient and effective process, really. So, with our background out of the way...

We went to contact this referral, and we were told that she was out of town but will be coming back for the fair, so they asked us to check back again.. well, when we came back, she made the decision that the fair wasn't worth it and decided to move to Baton Rouge. Rather rash, really. ANYWAYS, her sister was there, and upon inviting her to listen to a message, she invited us back.. well, we show up, as you do, and she's not home. This was about, three weeks ago? Consequently, through a prompting of the spirit, we go back to visit her three weeks exactly after our initial meeting, and when we arrive, BOY WAS SHE STOKED ABOUT US WHITE GUYS. She anxiously invited us in, questioning why we hadn't shown up before and called her husband inside to listen to a message about Jesus Christ. As we start into the message, the Spirit is already so strong.. and as missionaries, we could've taught for days on end and said as much as we wanted, but nothing would compare to how powerful she, herself, brought the spirit. Her story is where this experience gets crazy.. and mind you, we didn't know any of this when we intended on coming back...

She's already met with the Elders.. not once.. not twice.. but three times. Over the span of fifteen years, our girl has been investigating and attending the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. AND IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH... The Elder who found her was also named Elder Boyd. She said that she loved the mixed congregations and the family element of the church.. she just didn't know we had missionaries in Louisiana. She said it was a sign from God when we knocked on her door because she had been praying to find missionaries and find that church that once made her and her family so joyous. Y'all, I feel so blessed to be apart of experiences like this... Only Jesus Christ's church would have such a profound effect on people like this did on our girl... The Spirit of God is a glorious gift afforded to anyone who is willing to allow God to make their happiness everlasting. I am just a happy little tool in the shed of our heavenly father, who just JUMPS FOR JOY at the opportunity to be used how he sees fit. It feels so nice to be out in the field and not stuck in the shed. And hey, I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but your shovel ain't gonna get any stronger by collecting dust in the warehouse, and neither will we if we don't get out and get used! Wow, never thought I'd say that before. But seriously.. God was so generous to lead us to this beautiful family... I'm excited to see what he has in store for them... You know what they say, third times the charm. :)

In other news, one of the blessed responsibilities of living that Zone Leader life, is lots and lots of exchanges! This past week I was pleased to participate in a two-fer.. one with Elder Peterson in Houma and one with Elder Woody in Thibodaux. I'd say the best part about being in leadership is getting to serve other missionaries.. and there is no greater joy than having fun in a new area with a new companion, just spreading the Gospel and having the time of your life. Elder Peterson and I broke some ankles in street ball with a bunch of really cool guys who actually were super interested in the Book of Mormon. "Any guy who can shred a court like Y'all, must be knowing what he's talking about." We had some good fun with the members too- which was a tender mercy for me, getting to know the ward better. Elder Woody and I were just dipping our toes in the miracle waters all day... but certainly, the highlight was doing some inspired tracting.. and as we pull up to this door we give him the good ole missionary approach.. and he looks us straight in the face.. and says:

"I'm a Mormon"

I kid you not, it was the longest thirty seconds of my life as we just... stared at this guy. I didn't know WHAT to say. So we stared. Awkwardly. For a prolonged period of time.

Could you imagine how absolutely embarrassed I felt in that moment, not recognizing a member? Well, fear not. Cause here's a story for Y'all...

For the past six months in the Thibodaux area, every single missionary has been trying to tract down this infamous RM. I've heard the stories of Elders knocking on his apartment over twenty times in a transfer.. with no answer. Heck, even Elder Sellers and I gave it an old-fashioned knock.. but nothing... We'll call him Waldo. Y'all. we found Waldo. He broke the silence and said...

"I'm Waldo"

And fun fact, Elder Woody used to serve in Thibodaux.. so here's been a huge participant in the search for this guy too... and randomly, on an exchange, on a brisk spring evening.. we find him. We found Waldo. So yeah, our bishop was IN AWE thinking we're like master tracters or something, and now we have a return appointment to get him to church!

So yeah, exchange magic is real. I love exchanges.

In other news, we had Zone Conference this past week, and that was a dream. The go-home testimonies were my personal favorite part. Those Elders and Sisters could thrash nations with the Spirit in that room. It could not be denied- this is an inspired work that changes people. Thank goodness I'm not there yet. :)

And, the final highlight we have for this week... I had some authentic Mexican food from this majestic family in the ward.. and my food baby is still growing. If I have learned anything on my mission... it's that an empty bag can't stand. So fill those tummies and get to work.

WELL, Y'ALL, the miracles of this week are not exclusive to Louisiana.. you can have your very own limited edition miracles right where you are. The blessings of God are ENDLESS and he's just waiting to bless you. May we all follow the words of one of my former investigators and say to God.. "I dare you to bless me." HAVE A GREAT WEEK Y'ALL!! ELDER BOYD LOVES YOU.

Ciao Children (isn't it funny how this works both ways),

Elder Boyd

This week's Facebook Message:

We can learn alot from soldiers.

Sacrifice. Selfless service. Bravery. Consecration. Dedication. Loyalty. Honor.

The lessons are endless- and through their example we can take courage and be lead through the war we are all enlisted in- the war against sin.

Every single person is a soldier in their own way, fighting their own battles every day. However, in the cause for Christianity, we can fearlessly trust that our God wins his battles. The battle is his. And his battles are won.

So we too can sing, "Onward Christian Soldiers" as we march on to war. And take heart if your battles seem hard- God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.

#LBRMSingingSunday

John 15:13