And just like that my fellow sheep in the flock, we have surmounted Satan, and hoisted the flag of salvation- I think that was the nerdiest way I could have possibly introduced another PDAY. But like, the good nerdy? Like, YEAH I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and I make gospel applications wherever I can BECAUSE I can. Go, Team Jesus. ANYWAYS, it hasn't even been a week since I talked to Y'all, and yet so much spiritual spectacular-ness has occurred, I just can't wait to amuse you all with the happenings of this ever so enthusiastic Elder. MISSIONARY WORK ROCKS. And with that statement of truth.. we enjoy the world-renowned CHALMETTE CHRONICLES- involving the eighth chapter of our righteous installment. *yeet*
Straight up, this Gospel is true and the book is blue. I have oft pondered this week, a question of the soul, "what is success?" And more applicable to my personal and present situation, "what is success as a missionary?" Well Y'all, I ain't claiming to be your everyday Isaiah, but I think success is truly summed up in these beloved steps: 1. Establish principles to guide your life. 2. Don’t make exceptions to your standards. 3. Be loyal. 4. Live so that the Lord can guide you. 5. Serve others. 6. Smile. 7. Don’t complain. 8. Always have a Church assignment. 9. Worship in the temple. 10. Follow the Savior’s example- Elder Richard G. Scott. See? It's that simple. Haha, "simple." Some of you may be thinking, "GREAT, another ten things I have to remember?? Weren't the commandments enough?" Well, as a representative of Jesus Christ, I can tell you that this stuff works. 10 steps to ensure your salvation. Its just a blueprint, an outline of sorts. But according to our spiritual origin, this is the guaranteed pattern to achieve, "success" in the Lord's standard. That's the secret to success- there is no secret. This really helped me this past week- love and obedience are the key ingredients for a successful spiritual recipe.
Alright Y'all, we had an experience and a half this week. We traveled on a magic school bus of sorts as we flashed back into the historical whirlwinds of grandiose supremacy. We volunteered at the Chalmette Battlefield this weekend, and needless to say, I feel more like a founding father than I did before. Father Boyd has a nice ring to it, don't ya think? Anyways, it was the 203rd commemoration of the Battle of New Orleans- and so naturally, being the APUSH graduate that I am, I seized the opportunity and took my position as volunteer extraordinaire, guardian of the monument. Yes indeed, they trusted us to guard the 122 steps to Orleanian ecstasy. It was truly an honor if I do say so myself. Although the uniform wasn't as, "colonial" I feel like I fulfilled my calling as an integral player in the history of the bodacious bayou. It was awesome. I love the history down here- it isn't exactly like Princess and the Frog, but some parts get pretty dang close. See the pictures attached- the cemetery is just as gnarly, and I just couldn't believe my eyes. THIS IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT LOUISIANA. REPRESENT.
In terms of our proselyting efforts this week, our investigators are still being less than cooperative, so we've been blessed to find a new teaching pool this last week. We had a plethora of tender mercies as we embarked to achieve our lofty goal of EIGHT new investigators this week. I felt the Lord's hand guiding us CONSTANTLY this week. Elder Orison and I went tracting ( the sentence of the week) and as we walked through the valley of death, Elder Orison and I simultaneously received the strongest prompting that we needed to direct our efforts to the mega-ghetto on the other side of the road. The coolest thing was, before my mission.. Elder Boyd would've been all, "HECK NO. YOU WOULD NOT SEE ME WITHIN FIVE FEET OF THAT GRAFFITI" but I feel as though I've developed such a firm trust in the Lord, that graffiti is only an obstacle in the way of salvation.Long story short: we found the most bubbly and expressive woman who just, "LAHHHVES the Bible" and sneakily read her a scripture from the Book of Mormon, and when she said she loved that Bible scripture... BOOM PLOT TWIST LADY, MODERN REVELATION. She accepted the Book of Mormon and we shall visit the bubble this coming week. And we went to this apartment complex to search out the lost sheep (less actives) and ended up talking to like 70 people at once, and set up an appointment with two of them? Despite the worldly chatter, the spirit penetrated their hearts and made his presence known. It was gnarly.
ANOTHA ONE: Yesterday we decided that the most effective use of our time was tracting.. typical, I know. So we tracted this street for an hour, with less than fruitful results concerning the playoff game- but we decided it wasn't time to wrap up just yet. We were inspired to travel a few streets down, and lo and behold, not only did we find this excited investigator, but we gave a card to this sweet bystander, and after a few minutes, she came BACK and asked if we could pray for her. Apparently, her grandmother had recently passed away, she recognized our spirit, and asked if we could offer up a prayer for comfort. So we went to a nearby field prayed. A FIELD I TELL YOU. IT LITERALLY SAYS IN ALMA 33 THAT WE CAN PRAY IN FIELDS. I LIVED A SCRIPTURE. It was the coolest experience ever. Because we were setting a worthy example, she recognized us as representatives of the Lord. And I'm sure you all will be proud to know, we met our goal this week. Great diligence brings great reward, and although this week was hecka hard and grueling at times, the Lord blessed us immeasurably. Dang, I love this Gospel. WE ALSO got our first three referrals this week- bless up. Thought I'd include a big mama paragraph about missionary work so Y'all would know that I'm just living it up out here and feel so humbled to serve a mission and be apart of such interesting experiences. :)
In regular news, the people are going nuts for the Saints out here. Makes proselyting a bit difficult..but hey, wouldn't you wanna be a LATTER DAY Saint? Oh yes, Elder Boyd is still dishing out the puns like its nobody's business.
The weather has been rather bipolar lately.
We had like 30 people at church yesterday which was sincerely SUPER SICK. It's crazy what things bring you so much happiness when you're on the Lord's errand. Above all else, I can tell y'all that what brings me most happiness in life is this lovely Gospel and my loved ones. I am privileged.
What else.. we ate couscous this week- yes, I am the next Iron Chef thank you.
All in all, it was a pretty good week- hard, but a good hard.
Thank Y'all so much for being the best children of Israel there ever was. REMEMBER TO READ THE BOOK OF MORMON. This coming week is getting prepared for MLK Day, which they celebrate pretty hardcore down here, so I'm pretty pumped for that. I'll be singing in some interfaith, interracial, choir of sorts, so tune in next week for more on that. I know this Gospel is true. I know Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, and I know he LOVES YOU. AND I DO TOO. SO KEEP ON BELIEVING, KEEP ON TRYING, HEAVEN AND I ARE CHEERING YOU ON YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER. Lots of Louisiana lovin' coming your way!
With substantially significant and spectacular amounts of sincere appreciation and love,
Elder Boyd
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