Elder Jeremy Ashton Boyd: SLIDELL SCROLLS: CHAPTER FOUR

Happy belated 4th of July Y'all,

I have never spent a 4th of July quite like I did here in Louisiana. Let me give you a little insight of the blessing of spending holidays on a mission. If you have ever wanted to feel oh so humbled and thankful for everything you have in life.. serve a mission. Did God find it suitable that we spend our 4th at a barbecue? No. Watching fireworks? Not exactly. Out partying with the family and friends 'til the midnight oil burns dry? Nada. INSTEAD, we were blessed to spread the Gospel. And instead of gorging out with hamburgers and American delicacies alike.. we helped an investigator remove carpet from a cat poop stained floor, and reorganized her bookshelves and children's bedrooms. I think that is EXACTLY what Christ would have done if he were to celebrate Independence Day... So I feel so blessed to be counted worthy to remove cat poop for his name. Missions are radical, Y'all, and as strange as it is to say.. there was no other way I would've rather spent a holiday. :) WELCOME, MY FRIENDS, TO A very humbled, very grateful, SLIDELL SCROLLS: CHAPTER FOUR.

This week flew by like an American airline in hyperdrive. We enjoyed our first OFFICIAL Zone Conference as a combined mission- woot, woot! It was awesome to meet the Mississippi Senior Couples and Assistants and to see many a friend from the New Orleans Zone. Our leaders instructed with a great emphasis on recognizing our personal nobility and becoming Preach My Gospel missionaries. One of my favorite quotes from the day was, "Studying the Book of Mormon makes us more spiritual missionaries. Studying Preach my Gospel makes us more intellectual missionaries. And studying the two together makes us more perfect missionaries." I know that I am far from perfect, but I'll be darned, I came away from that instruction feeling hyped out of my mind to be more diligent in studying our missionary manuals! This Zone Conference was also the first one where.. the go home testimonies.. were given by actual missionaries that I had grown close with and become friends with. I'm getting to that point where I am watching all of my friends grow up and go home and change the world... it's hard, but I count myself grateful that III still get to be on the mission and take the time to become as awesome as them! I also FINALLY met a familiar face.. for all you Washington peeps back at home... (insert picture of Elder Gordon).. It feels so... divine.. to make friends who care. To meet people that you KNOW were with you in the pre-existence, and were equally set apart to spread the Gospel on this Earth. My mission has definitely taught me the true and simple definition of, "a friend" and I am forever grateful for that and for the people I have met.

We had the most amazing lesson with a woman who said she had such a bad experience in her former church.. and has been pleading with God that he will send her a sign of a, "better church for her to join." That's where we come in, and that's where we knocked on her door. We were even a tad wrapped up in another appointment and a little late to our one with her.. and she said the Spirit whispered to her- "patience, they are coming." And we DID, and we had the most amazing lesson! You know the Spirit is there and has taught the goodness when she says, "what time is church on Sunday?" I was reflecting with Elder Spencer and thought to myself.. how GOOD God has been to us, to allow us to be apart of something so wonderful. It is truly humbling to be entrusted with these people.. to be apart of something so much bigger than myself.. and to be the one God allows to be excited and to embark on this journey with these wonderful souls as they taste of the goodness of the fruit of the Gospel. I get so emotional when I think of a "soul so rebellious and proud as mine" and how God forgives and endows me to be included in his miraculous work. Our God is good, Y'all, our God is good.

Well, Y'all in closing I'd just like to shout-out, my awesome family... Happy Birthday Mom and Dad and Happy Anniversary. I love my family. I love this Gospel and this church and I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT this is Christ's church on the Earth. BE a more intellectual and spiritual person by reading the Book of Mormon. We are so blessed to be children of a loving Heavenly Father- I know he loves you and I do too! Thanks for all the thoughts and the prayers.. they are appreciated more than you know. HAVE A GREAT WEEK Y'ALL! GOD LOVES YOU! AND ELDER BOYD LOVES YOU!!

From a cat poop cleaner extraordinaire,

Elder Boyd

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