Elder Jeremy Ashton Boyd: GONZALES GAZETTE: CHAPTER TWELVE

If my mission was a relay, it's time for the last 100 meters.

This reminds me of a scripture:

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. -Hebrews 12:1-2

I, too, am encompassed about with too many witnesses to deny the reality of the Savior's sacrifice. It would be as if I discredited my feet for my ability to walk-- or if I had denied the need to respire in running the mile. He is and has been in every detail of this great race-- as I have inhaled his blessings and exhaled in service, I have confidently taken the baton from his nail-scarred hands, "and run with patience the race that [was] set before [me]." Learning to run is an experiential process-- and so is learning to be a missionary. Through spiritual conditioning and and a celestial camel-bak filled with hydration from the living waters, "He has supported me and is preserving [me] from day to day, by lending [me] breath, that [I] may live and move and do according to [my} own will, and even supporting [me] from one moment to another." And the beauty of this relay is that although He is the finisher of my faith... he wasn't waiting at the finish line. He was with me, every step of the way. He has been my support, my strength, my song, and my salvation. To Him, I give all the glory and praise forever! When I fell down, he picked me back up. When I was weak, he made me strong. In my weakness, His strength and grace were made perfect. He didn't make up the difference... He made ALL the difference-- and together, yoked eternally, we are enjoying our way to the end. My beloved friends, I come to you in the words of Paul:

For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we're perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;. -2 Corinthians 4:5-9

And with that, I invite you to join me in another gazette, even the GONZALES GAZETTE: CHAPTER TWELVE.

Lessons learned from this week: (meaning, this week was a revelatory feast of godly goodies; so much so it warrants a bullet point list to enumerate its' magnificence)

Personal revelation is the essence of reverent confidence. It is a learned and earned relationship, that strengthens our assurance in God's ability to use and to trust us.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the natural eye. For, "God looketh not on the outward appearance... but on the heart."
We shouldn't try and save ourselves, answer our own questions, make our own decisions, or even preach the Gospel of Christ... with Jesus as the adviser. He is called the Savior for a reason-- of course we will fail at a celestial level. Our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ means that we can access a perfecting power in our relationships. We are literally yoked with him-- and need not, "trust in the arm of flesh" to confront or overcome any obstacle placed before us. We can, and should, do it together. This covenant relationship is so sacred, it could be considered a marriage; he is the Bridegroom after all. We become one with Christ and work together for our salvation and exaltation Then, our liabilities and our assets flow into each-other; we do all we can do and He does what we yet cannot do. Together, we are perfect. He, is our finishing touch. The yoke of the law, is perfection, but the yoke of Christ is easy and light.
How about this nugget from Elder Spencer on our exchange this week: "life is lived looking forwards, but understood looking backwards."
When we live worthy of the Spirit, we can make our own decisions, trusting that what we want, is what God wants, and he won't expect us to ask of anything that is contrary to His will.
The difference between praying and talking with God. The most important thing we can do in the communication process, is to understand who we are and where we stand in our relationship with God and to learn how to sincerely talk to Him. Wouldn't you like to so live that when God spoke, you'd be able to hear it, or to be able to be worthy to have a visitation from an angelic visitor, or perhaps to be ready to go into the presence of the Lord? Then, learn how to talk to God.

Now I could've coupled each of these individual, "nuggets" with the typical metaphor, analogy, deep commentary combo; but someone very wise told me... the most profound way to teach is with compassion. SO, instead of likening doctrine to dogs or propitiating the general population through principle-like puppies-- how about I just say, I love you guys. I love *y'all.* I really do. I pray, morning and night, that the true essence of charity can be expressed through me as a worthy vessel. In the words of Nephi, "For I ^bpray continually for [you] by day, and mine ^ceyes water my pillow by night, because of [you]; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.My earnest supplication is ALSO in the words of Paul (who I seem to be referencing quite a lot lately), "having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you." The pure love of Christ is abundantly instilled within my heart for the saints and sinners alike. I love you all. And I share these elements of wisdom, not to boast of myself, but to boast of an all-knowing Heavenly Father. This truly is enough to make a grown man cry... yes, even this grown man. Stay down there, tear.

Well, as far as the work in Gonzales, my beloved companionship with Elder Jones, and the fruits of this ward, I have only one word; seminal. That is to say, strongly influencing later developments. I love my mission. Yea, with an everlasting love, have I served the Lord and my dear friends of Louisiana and Mississippi. I have, this week, witnessed miracle after miracle, witness after witness, and tender mercy after tender mercy. I am surrounded by the influence of the Lord, what a humble feeling this is. We were able to attend court with the people we were teaching, the convergence of the twain-- secular and spiritual-- in a comeback effort to retrieve that which was once lost. A battle for the eternal, a conquest for the celestial, to mourn with those who mourn, and to stand in comfort of those who needed comfort. One of the great rewards of conversion, is the revelation of divine will. Our friends fought, we sustained, and in the end, as He always does, God won. They have truly changed, and in reviewing the 12 steps to Addiction Recovery program with them, we have found the unsheathing of testimony. Like a bronze plated sword with a golden handle, decorated in the finest gems and jewels... the true beauty of a testimony isn't found in a sheath, but is revealed in the very use of it. You can't measure the sharpness of a sword without experiencing the blade. Similarly, the power of a testimony is revealed through authentic, hands-on, unsheathed experience. That, we experienced as they bore testimony of the power of Gospel principles in their lives. In other news, our Bishop invited us to live the Gospel intentionally on a daily basis, and to do so by praying for charity and entertaining a personal interview with the Lord. This ward is CELESTIAL. Gonzales is the land of milk and honey, and through exchanges and interactions with members, I have kindled the fire of my faith. I can truly say that the fruits of this church and enough to know that is the Lord's kingdom on Earth. Period. So the moral of the story is, if you wanna get slapped by the Spirit, or splashed by a celestial super soaker, or power wash the "satan's moss" off of your spirits, or even consecrate the cajun fibers of your seasoned being... live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have been working alongside some amazing people in harvesting some of the most delicious of fruit. And MOST EXCITING... we are preparing for the open house of the Louisiana Baton Rouge Temple! There were temples anciently, there are temples now. As we are inviting our friends to, "come and see" we feel the grandiose spirit and holiness of the Lord. If any of y'all are in the Baton Rouge area from October 26th-November 3rd... hit me up and we'll flood the temple with the South. ;)

Well y'all, that should be it for this week. We have learned how to walk on water and burn in the fire. We have treasured the deepest of waters and the most incarcerating of temples. Sure, we feel inadequate daily-- but that is only when we forget whose work this really is! I love representing Jesus Christ. I know that He is the Savior, I know he loves us, and I know that he lives for us. I invite you all to yolk up with Christ, to run the race that is set before you... with him. To finish with the finisher, to give authority to the author... take a chance on revelation! Call upon the powers of heaven by talking with God and experimenting upon his word! I testify in the words of an Almighty answer-er, that he does listen, he does inspire, and he WILL keep his covenants to sustain you. Faith in God is not just knowing that he can, but believing that He will. He is a covenant-keeper, will you be the same? Do you just make covenants, or do you keep them? Accept his daily breath and his daily bread and you will remain on that precious path that leads to eternal life. I know this is His church-- His kingdom on the Earth today. And I know these things, because of the love I have for the Lord, and for all of you. May we always choose to be compassionate, I pray. HAVE A GREAT WEEK Y'ALL! ELDER BOYD LOVES YOU!!

Compassionately yours,

Elder Boyd

This Week's Pics: