And a final volume begins!
Welcome to transfer week everyone! After 12 weeks of exercise, both of faith and thigh strength, our time here in Vicksburg has come to a close. Though my thighs rejoice, my heart can't help but weep. I've truly grown to love this area and all of the spiritual slopes that have come with it! However, there is hope and fewer hills ahead! On account of great diligence and endurance, the thighs have found their rest... for now. I can't wait to tell y'all about it! May this stand as a witness that the hills of your life do come to an end-- and through great faith and even greater thigh strength- there hope and happiness ahead... a lot of it! Welcome to all my hill homies, as we enjoy our final volume of the VICKSBURG VOLUMES: THE FINAL CHAPTER!
Well, first things first... as you can probably already tell...
I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED! 30 MILES DOWN THE ROAD.
So yeah, basically if I was super motivated and equipped with the spiritual gift of large-in-statureness, I could bike to my new area in CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI!
And my companion, Elder Sellers, is also being shipped to a new area in COLUMBIA, MISSISSIPPI! And we're both training!
Long story short, President Varner wants to start a Spanish Group here in Vicksburg and couldn't leave two gringos to handle the job, so he's sending two great Spanish speaking missionaries to carry the load with the Lord here in the promised land!
Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about how to cope with the crazy combination of nervous excitement:
No [thigh] pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God, … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire. - Elder Orson. F. Whitney.
As hard as transfers are, I can only imagine how much harder it was for the pioneers. I don't know if this happens with y'all, but sometimes the best way to make the most out of a situation is to think of someone who has it worse than you- haha. So, who better to relate to than our courageous compadres in Christ! Vicksburg has been a journey- a thigh wrenching, gear switching, heel-clicking good time- but I know that God has great things in store for those who endure to the end.
Sure, missionaries are sporadically and periodically moved against their will throughout their full-time service and sometimes packing, goodbyes, and change can be hard...
Trust me, I have the greatest testimony of transfer stress. I will be the first one to tell you that goodbye never gets easier-- but I was also be the witness that sometimes the hardest goodbyes can become our greatest, "hello's." Thankfully, we preach of an eternal Gospel- with eternal families and friends alike! If our lives are centered in Jesus Christ, nothing can ever go permanently wrong. When we say that there is no sorrow that heaven can't heal-- that means, there is no goodbye that can't be a hello! When Christ took upon himself our pains, afflictions, and temptations of every kind... that meant our, "goodbyes" too. We never have to say goodbye to Christ and because of Him, all of our hello's can be eternal!
I bet the pioneers understood this. Unlike the missionaries of our day, their transfers weren't so... luxurious. Yes, they were being transferred to a new area-- but no, it wasn't a three-hour car ride away from transfer point. Instead, they trekked by foot, for an undetermined amount of time, with no telling what awaited them or what laid in store in their new area. Sure, packing might be a struggle-- three suitcases is quite the load. But I can't imagine transporting my slacks and ties in an oxen-yolked wagon. Dang, biking areas can be tough at times... but at least I don't have to walk across the United States. Do we get the point here? No matter the difficulty, there is a great opportunity in pursuing the will of the Lord. If we, "know not save the Lord commanded-" that is enough. If he puts you to it, he'll bring you through it-- I have a testimony of that. Now I am preaching to the most melodious of gospel choirs here. If you're going through a change in your life, like every missionary and pioneer- to you I say: if you never change, you're never challenged- and if you're never challenged, you'll never change. And to quote those handcart pioneers they said, "they came to know God in their extremities and the price they paid to know Him was a privilege to pay."
I also quite love this quote:
Facing trials is not only a part of our earthly existence but also essential to our progression. It is how we become. Years ago a General Authority told me if I didn’t have trials in my life, the plan wasn’t working for me."
Embrace your trials. Embrace His plan.
The price to know God is one that Elder Boyd is willing to pay; no matter the transfer!
That doesn't mean the goodbyes of Vicksburg aren't hard though-- that's the thing about paying the price, it usually isn't an easy price to pay.
Vicksburg, Mississippi. Prison-temple. Mt. Vicksburg. The holy land of the hills. Hilltopia. A little piece of home.
This little piece of Mississippi will always have a place in my heart and in my thighs. I will owe a part of the man I am today to the hills and friends and family that I have found here. The locals will tell you-- Vicksburg is as mountainous as they come-- and I think that's a great metaphor for my time here in this promised land. No, it hasn't been easy. Pro tip: don't skip leg day-- God will definitely chastise you with a biking area. But it certainly has been worth every gear of the journey! I learned a lot about myself here; through revelation and perspiration. The trials of Vicksburg have helped me to realize that you don't need a position to feel important! Your conversion and success in the Gospel are entirely based upon your inner commitment to follow Jesus Christ. I've learned that the true Christian discovers who he is when preaching the Gospel becomes inconvenient. That in the midst of difficulty lies some of our best opportunities! That God truly does love those that he chastens.... and he blesses them with opposition to increase their capacity for joy! Satan is real- and as my testimony of the adversary has increased I have found myself closer to Jesus Christ than I have ever been in my life! The mountains of our lives stand to prove our discipleship; we should never stop before we reach the top! God is always there, he is always watching, and sometimes he loves us enough to cut us down so that we can be pruned and grow! This is His work, he is the gardener here, and I have been privileged to labor in his blessed vineyard of Vicksburg.
Elder Sellers, an eternal friend.
God knew I needed him. It is no coincidence that of all the people to be companions with, he blessed me with the one and only Elder Sellers. Not once, but twice. God knew Vicksburg would be hard, so he gave me a little hint as to how I could overcome the difficulty. What was the ONE constant in the whole transition? My companion. I promise all y'all that your companion will be the key to your success; both in the mission and in mortality! Not only is Elder Sellers a great missionary, but a great friend. The best missionaries are the best of friends. He has taught me so much. Everything is in God's plan! He [Elder Sellers] may seem chill on the outside, but deep down, his heart is as golden as his pipes #LBRMSingingSunday. He has not only taught me about charity and diligence but also to focus on the approval of God! He is a difference-maker, a life-changer, a lover AND a fighter. I know that he served at just the right time because one of the souls he needed to touch in the mission, was mine. He is a good man, an even better missionary, and an eternal friend.
We came into nothing and left with something-- and that alone is the greatest testimony to the fulfillment of God's purposes. Though we may be nothing, he makes something out of us!
Well y'all, I'm pretty sad to be leaving Vicksburg, but I know that this is His work, and with that knowledge, I'm not in my own hands. I've learned so much here and I'm excited to continue to learn in the supposed holy land of Clinton, Mississippi! For those of you who are going through any kind of change in your life... I'd encourage you to remember the pioneers! Remember the good that can come from the bad! Embrace the difficulty and you will receive opportunity after opportunity. I testify that the Gospel is true-- both in Vicksburg and in Clinton! That's one of the greatest constants there is. I know that we as missionaries are called to serve, not called to an area- and I am excited to serve the elect thirty minutes away. I hope that you all have a blessed week! Give yourself to God-- all of your fears, insecurities, goodbyes... give them all to him. I promise that he will make much more out of yourself than you can... even if it takes a few hills to get to that point. ;) HAVE A GREAT WEEK Y'ALL! ELDER BOYD LOVES YOU!
Clinton, here I come
Elder Boyd and the thighs of Vicksburg
This Week's Facebook Post:
When goodbyes are hard, it helps to focus on the happy things.
GENERAL CONFERENCE IS THIS WEEKEND.
Elder Sellers and I too, invite you all to come listen to a prophets voice. This weekend is an opportunity to have your questions answered, peace afforded, and your testimony strengthened. I encourage you all to tune in to the channel of revelation, and to come listen to a prophet's voice.
This Week's Pics:
The suitcoat Elder Boyd came to his mission with. I think he's grown a tad? What do you think?
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