Men are that they might have JOY.
And Elder Boyd has been, that he might have joy. A paramount revelation that I have received this week, nearing the end of my full-time missionary service and sacrifice to the Lord, is that the way the Lord has communicated success, conversion, and acceptable sacrifice in my life-- has been through the fruits of JOY that come from the Spirit. To each of us, the Lord communicates His support, strength, and love; usually in very unique and personalized ways. Some of us might channel the power of the Lord through the spirit of emotion-- or others may resonate best with the spirit with a resounding peace. However, in my life, and something I haven't always noticed, is that the Lord communicates to me through my capacity to feel joy. Exalted happiness and holiness have overcome me in these last few weeks as I have reflected on the joy I have felt in the service of the Lord. I felt JOY when I was called to confront my fear of big cities in New Orleans. I felt joy when I was called to feel inadequate in training and leading missionaries. I felt JOY when beloved brothers and sisters made Christ the focal point of their life and made the decision to follow Him on the covenant path. I also felt joy when our message was rejected. I felt joy in riding/driving the Lord's vehicles, and I felt joy as the fibers of my inner thigh collapsed under the frosty weight of Mt. Vicksburg. I felt joy in pain, in sorrow, in mourning... and in relief, success, and triumph! I've felt joy in the small and simple things and in the greater miracles of my mission. In all of my difficulties and tribulations and trials and obstacles... I have felt JOY. And to me, that is evidence that the Lord has been with me every step of the way. No, he has not been tangible, but His joy has been irreplaceable. In, "walking by His Spirit" I have been able to recognize his ennobling power. There have been several moments on my mission where I have taken a step back, and softly whispered, "I feel joy." It is as if my body and my spirit are remembering the premortal promises, happiness, and joy that we experienced long ago with Father, in volunteering to endure the crosses within us for the joy that was set before us. It is this same joy we felt when we witnessed the selfless hand of the Savior, hoisted in faith, as he became the One to restore us to the fullness of His joy. As I've witnessed friends progress, lives changed, commitments kept, covenants made, and the hand of the Lord in my life-- I feel for a moment that I have entered into my first estate yet again, in being overpowered with joy divine. Now take the number of times I used the word joy, multiply it by the caliber of the Savior's love, and quantify it into a comprehensible emotion-- and that is how I feel being a missionary. A resurrected archetype of feeling and happiness-- I have felt JOY. And JOY we will continue to feel as we inscribe the more, "joyful things" upon these, the plates of Boyd. Welcome those of sorrow and joy to the GONZALES GAZETTE: CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
Jeffrey R. Holland has said:
If we constantly focus only on the stones in our mortal path, we will almost surely miss the beautiful flower or cool stream provided by the loving Father who outlined our journey. Each day can bring more joy than sorrow when our mortal and spiritual eyes are open to God’s goodness. Joy in the gospel is not something that begins only in the next life. It is our privilege now, this very day. We must never allow our burdens to obscure our blessings. There will always be more blessings than burdens – even if some days it doesn’t seem so. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Enjoy those blessings right now. They are yours and always will be.
And JOY we have felt this week. This principle has carried me through my mission. Sure, it's easy to look at the doors to knock before you, and to be intimidated by the inadequacy of your talents and the awkwardness of your spirit-- OR you could focus on the gift of eternal life you are bringing to the doorsteps of those who need it most, with His strength being made perfect in your weakness. His adequacy trumps our inadequacies-- and His joy will turn the awkward into ONWARD! We can move past the obstacles placed before us because of the blessings all around us. And when we leverage our blessings to help us to bear our burdens... we become invincible in Christ.
Take this week for instance: we had five exchanges, an area to cover, people to invite to the temple, friends preparing for baptism, missionaries to minister to, a General Authority to prepare for- all while battling the inner conflicts of doubt and fear and inadequacies and awkwardness. And yet, in trusting in, "how merciful the Lord hath been to the children of me" and that, "his arms are outstretched still" we were able to still be blessed in burden and strengthened in weakness! We were able to accomplish every righteous endeavor we undertook and feel joy while doing it. Exchanges with former companions reminded me of how blessed I have been to fulfill premortal friendships in serving with the best Elders. Shoutout to Elder Orison, Elder Carter, Elder Sellers, Elder Spencer, Elder Cox, Elder Jones, Elder Tauraa, Elder McEntire, Elder Paul, and Elder Jones Jr.-- these brothers have truly carved Christlike character into the marble I used to be. The lessons I have learned from these gentlemen will forever leave indelible imprints on my actions and in my heart.
I was able to witness Elder Wise in an "out of the MTC" experience as we boldly testified of the Book of Mormon to the LSU campus. We've both changed so much, but one thing that has stayed the same is our love for each other. Elder Wise is an incredible biker (left me in the smoke when I found out after the fact that my brake pads were pressing against my tire the whole time) and an even more incredible teacher. He taught with power and authority and the converted countenance of those we testified to was evidence of His fruits and love for them. I was inspired as we ministered to the individual, pedaling without allowing the inhabitants on either side to perish in unbelief. God doesn't look at your past but at your potential to become! I KNOW that for sure-- and together, we have gone from MTC to a celestial degree. 😊 Not to mention the love and stalwart friendship I felt from Elder Spencer in our time together-- who would've known someone could make a friend so fast-- and the lessons I learned in New Orleans with new trainees or the flashbacks and joy and miracles we saw and felt in the promised land of Slidell.
To list a few lessons and experiences...
ON LSU, I felt verified in a lesson I have treasured in my time here in the South... that everyone has a story and an experience that prepares them to accept the restored Gospel. We heard so many stories and experiences, that when resolved through the Book of Mormon, brought joy to the face of the believer... I am certainly going to miss the stories of the South.
In NEW ORLEANS, we went to Wendy's for dinner, and this beggar was asking for a dollar to buy a meal for the night. After I gave him what I had, he bought his hamburger, ate the extra nuggets we had given Him, and went along his merry way... the worker at Wendy's happened to approach us and inform us that he was infamous for stealing others' bags. The companion I was with, relatively new to the mission, looked at me and said, "I bet you feel bad now..." And I can say that I honestly looked him in the eyes and said, "Elder-- we chose to serve and to be like Christ-- there is no feeling bad in feeling like Christ." Similarly, the Lord blesses us beyond what we deserve- that's what we call mercy. It's up to us to determine what we will do with those blessings and if we will allow them to change our character.
We also took a detour through the French Quarter on our way home... and learned a valuable lesson on the Spirit. There is a particular.... absence of such.... in the city of New Orleans on account of the harsh iniquity and competing voices of the world. As we drove and listened to the Tabernacle Choir, as we missionaries do, we noticed a striking difference between the voices inside the car, compared to those outside. When we rolled down our windows, the uproar of the world drowned out the soft, melodious tune of the spirit.... but when we rolled our windows up, we were secluded from the competing sounds, and felt comfort in the peace and joy we felt. Similarly, we too must choose to roll up the windows on the world-- the Spirit will not compete with the French Quarter... but if we choose to listen... we can be safe in our own spiritual bubble despite the loudness of the world around us.
And finally, in SLIDELL, I was able to feel yet another confirmation of the acceptable sacrifice I had offered there. We learned great lessons in celestial relationships on either side of the veil, the power of the Book of Mormon in resolving concerns and declaring the truth, and the authority of the Lord's errand. We were able to reconvene with those we once loved in the promised land and experienced the pure love of Christ through their welcoming arms. We also had a very unique experience in the latter end of our proselytizing time... as with great happiness, we went to visit a family formerly taught when I had served in Slidell. The conversation had escalated to such incredible heights, and everything was so good... a true miracle... they had been married, baptized, and were making decisions to follow Christ... but all of a sudden the tone of our visit changed when we opened the Book of Mormon. As quickly as we entered, we quickly left. Apparently, the nerves and anxiety that distilled upon this young couple because of our confidence in "Another Testament" (aka THe Book of Mormon), forced them to lead us out the door of opportunity we came into. Before we left, I looked at this young man in the eye and said, "I love you, whether you stay on the covenant path or not," and then we parted ways. Elder Ladle and I felt sorrow... godly sorrow...in the fulness of its definition...and after offering our gratitude prayer, we couldn't help but wonder why the Lord lead us this way. We felt SO good about this appointment and reunion... and now we feel sorrow. That sorrow led us to the last appointment of the night. My friends, I know I have testified of it a lot in this email, but in this last appointment, I felt true JOY. A young man truly understood the essence of the Gospel and was willing to go the extra mile to know if Jesus was the Christ. He was so willing, prepared, and worthy to be on the covenant path and oh, what joy filled my heart! Suddenly, the connection made sense... the sorrow we felt had increased our capacity to feel the fullness of JOY! Which reminds me of a little ditty from General Conference:
Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.I have a testimony of this principle, and I know that for every sorrow there is an equal and opposite joy in store. I felt joy in Slidell.
You can tell that we're sprinting to the end, huh? I've never been so busy in my life nor have I felt as much happiness! There is a direct correlation between the happiness we feel and the amount of ourselves we give to others... at this, the most selfless part of my life, I have felt the most happiness. I love my mission y'all. I really can't use enough words in these weekly's to relay the eternal truth. Nevertheless, I do my best. 😊 (you wonder why these have always been so long.)
WHAT ELSE CAN I EXPOUND? The miracles of health have been upon us as we've been preserved from day to day, breath to breath... I was able to witness a judge of Israel in action as Bishop ministered to one of the spiritually sick and afflicted we brought to church. The same spiritually unhealthy individual who said, "I'm all in." As we laid our hands and bestowed the power of the priesthood upon Him, the only thing more emotional than his reaction, was the primary program that Sunday. As the children sang, He Sent His Son, I could not deny Christ. I felt His love and His approval. What a special Sunday...
AND THAT WAS OUR WEEK! I testify that we can feel JOY...
President Thomas S. Monson said:
So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment. … We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude.
I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know that He lives. I love His work. And I love being His servant. I know that God has a plan for each of us and that he loves us infinitely. GO AND BE HAPPY. CHOOSE THE HAPPY LIFE AND MAKE IT. We all deserve to feel a little more joy. Joy in companions, joy in the Lord, joy in truth, and joy in the small and simple things. And I feel joy in being a missionary... I love the Lord and I love being a missionary! I can't say that enough! AND I LOVE Y'ALL! HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE... We are finishing strong.
JOY,
Elder Boyd
This Week's Pics
(there's LOTS of them!)
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