Goodness gracious me oh my, was this week a doozy. Now let me tell you- when I opened up my call to the promised land of Louisiana, I was expecting dramatically humid temperatures, horrendous heat, SCORCHED SIDEWALKS AND GINGER SKIN.. not the tyrannous tundra that was Chalmette this past week. My dear friends (sounding like Uchtdorf here), it snowed. Frozen flurries of flamboyant proportions fell from the sky this past week. I CANNOT MAKE THIS UP PEOPLE. The Savior's coming must be upon us, or we have a biological anomaly on our hands, or global cooling is a thing or something, cause GOSH IT WAS COLD. At least, cold for Louisiana. And lucky me and my rebellious immune system, one whiff of that frosty air, and my happy-go-lucky health was a goner. Yes- this week was full of miracles. I have officially been sick in this mission TWICE already, it snowed in the land down under with degrees of 22-26, and I have somehow survived the bronchoraidalicatitis and made it to another PDAY. Thankfully the Lord's hand is ever-present in our lives, and we have been delivered from the bondage of the Southern Antarctica. But, amidst all this winter wonderland, we got DOWN TO BUSINESS.
This week has been hecka spiritually awesome as if snow wasn't a miracle enough. Our week started off pretty slow. Tuesday was just packed full of tracting and finding and scavenging the depths of the Earth for the elect who are prepared for this message. But I have a sincere testimony that through great endurance comes even greater blessings. We have been meeting with our homeboy C. pretty regularly now. We showed up on Tuesday as he was trying to fix his grill with a broken broom handle, so we hooked a brother up with a fresh new broom-grill. We also FINALLY got invited into his residence this week, usually, he just walks around outside and we conversate within the bounds of the great outdoors. BUT we finally were let in, and we had a stellar lesson on the Plan of Salvation, super spiritual and all that jazz.. but just when I thought it was getting good.. the Spirit was like.. "hey, Elder Boyd, you should invite him to be baptized." And just like when mom tells you to unload the dishwasher, you don't disobey the Spirit. So I did- and homeboy C. is now on the date for the 3rd of February. OH YEAH. Just racking up that salvation! WOO. And we've met with him twice since then, and he's vibing the Book of Mormon and wants us to ask him, "really hard questions" so we know he's actually reading. What a legend.
As if C. wasn't sensational enough, our other investigator, T. B., has seen some spiritual progress this week as well. The Spirit is so amazing.
Alright, spirit rant for a quick minute: As we purify ourselves and are surrounded by the influence of the Spirit, we feel the power of God working through us for the blessing of others. So long as we remain worthy of his constant companionship i.e renewing our baptismal covenants each week, maintaining virtuous thoughts as well as actions, and create a spirit conducive environment within ourselves, the power of God is made manifest through us. We are mouthpieces. We are instruments. We are pens and pencils in the greatest story ever written in the history of mankind. We just need to self-evaluate: are we filled with ink, so when we are called upon, we are prepared and ready to write whatever the Great Author seest fit? Are we stationed in holy places, are we angled towards the paper, waiting to be utilized and accomplish His purposes? Have you ever thought: "why was I sent to the Earth at THIS particular time of the world?" Why were we not born in the days of Moses- in the times of Paul- in the beginning of this miraculous and final dispensation? It could've been just as easy for God to send you down to the world at ANY OTHER TIME- but why now? Trust in His perfect timing. Trust that the purpose you are endowed to fulfill is for the benefit of THIS time and THIS generation. It is no accident that you were born in the last dispensation of the fullness of times. So what are you gonna do with this, as Alma calls it, "remembrance of your duty?" As we remain fervent in the faith, live worthy of our covenants, and emulate the pure love of Christ- we will be in the right place, in the right time, with the right mind, to accomplish whatever the Lord asks us to do. There are no coincidences. Be the pen that writes the exclamation point in the happiest sentence this dispensation has ever written. Okay, rant over.
T. B. He doesn't have much. He has a son, who is conveniently ALSO named T. We found them via the area book as other missionaries had given up on T. after he couldn't sacrifice his gambling addiction. BUT we kept the faith, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, were lead to such beautiful potential.
T. Sr. is on the date for December 30th- and we met with him this week in the bitter cold. He actually drove up next to our car, and we had Brother H. inside, and we had a car lesson. It was epic. And cozy. ANYWAYS: we taught him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.. and suddenly that Spirit started whispering again.."Elder Boyd. Doctrine and Covenants 121" What a powerful suggestion. So I gave him my quad and he started reading. Previously he had questions about his copious amounts of trials and tribulations, and how we could muster the patience for endurance. I told him that he wasn't alone- and simply requested that he read. Not three words into it, T. starts balling. The Spirit knew exactly what he needed to hear. If I hadn't been confident enough to act upon it, T. wouldn't certainly have felt comforted and understood. Wow. It was AWESOME. T. and his son came to the Branch Christmas Party, and they EVEN came to Church. Truly, the Lord's hand is over all the faithful who strive to do His work. I feel blessed to be apart of such magnificent miracles.
The rest of the week was full of less active hunting (with no results) and a meeting with one of the Sisters' investigators named C.
C. has Lupus, had pneumonia, hadn't eaten for three weeks, and when we met with her she was barely on her feet. I felt prompted to offer to give her a blessing, so we did. Elder Orison blessed her with health and strength. We came back the next day to bring her some food from the Christmas party, and she was eating so much that she ate the strawberries we gave her WHOLE. The plant part and everything. It was a tad bit kooky, to say the least, but she totally recognized the power of the Priesthood in her life, and that was super humbling to see.
Okay yes, onto the less, "spiritual details." I don't know if y'all know this but my family is awesome. Everyone in the mission is incredibly jealous of how #blessed I am to be sealed to the ever so fantabulastic Brother and Sister Boyd. Yeah, be jealous, cause they're mine FOREVER and they ARE awesome.
Anyways. We had our Branch Christmas party this week. Thank goodness people bring meat to these sort of events, cause everyone kinda forgot about good ole' Opie ( as they call me here) and so I just eat a metric butt-ton of ham and turkey. Like an unhealthy amount. Like, my DNA may be slightly associate to the swine of the earth and fowls of the air at this point. BUT the members here are incredible, I love them.
I can't wait to tell y'all stories about Brother H. and Brother L. and the F. Family. They all make this little branch feel so special. I love them all so much. Our little branch family is so touching, although they can't even slightly compare to my WARD FAMILY BACK HOME, they truly inspire me to be a better missionary.
We've found some service at the local food bank this week! It reminds me so much of home, I love volunteering over there. This past week we were blessed to sort through a cornucopia of moldy strawberries and be the muscle of the group as we hefted away pallets and various assortments of beverages. I love serving out here. Everyone calls me, "baby" or, "honey" or, "child" or, "scrawny white kid" and it just makes me feel so appreciated. Truly a blessing.
We got to watch the First Presidency Devotional this week at the F. home! I LOVED it! I have such a firm testimony about the leaders of our Church. They are such Christlike individuals who motivate me to become more like them and Him. One of my favorite quotes from this year's devotional was,"it's not how much you have, but how much you love." Uchtdorf is such an epic human.
I also had my first interview with President Varner this week! He's SUCH a spectacular mission president. Such a gentle friend. He really knows how to help the missionaries and I'm so excited to spend my mission under his authority. We have Zone Conference this Thursday, and it's ugly sweater themed. Stay tuned for pictures of my exquisite Christmas conglomeration. Most of which is courtesy of those STUPENDOUS parents I talked about earlier. :)
Also, I got a haircut.
I don't remember much else that happened this week, but you can be for certain that I'm savoring each and every moment. I feel continuously guided and uplifted by all of your thoughts and prayers. Thank y'all so much.
I can sincerely say that I feel inspired by you all each and every day. I hope y'all are warming up to this Christmas season and harnessing that character of Christ as you serve and uplift those around you. He is the ultimate gift that we should always remember. I hope y'all have an impeccable week and feel the Lord's loving hand in your lives always.
I love you guys so much. I pray for you every day. I feel blessed to be apart of such an incredible life with even more incredulous people. You're some of my greatest treasures. So thank you. HAVE A STELLAR WEEK Y'ALL AND REMEMBER THAT ELDER BOYD AND JESUS CHRIST LOVE YOU SO MUCH!
With a surplus of appreciation, appreciation storage banks are being built across the globe,
Elder Boyd
