CHALMETTE CHRONICLES: CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Aloha Ohana,

My friends, my friends, I feel like the CEO of a high-class hospital- t'was CONFERENCE WEEK. Not in like the "yay, it's time for the apostle smackdown of pure revelatory awesomeness" but like a low-key, "wow, Stake leaders exist and this mission is full of some of the most debonair disciples." However, not even crazy conferences can stop these elect-finders- it was a wonderful week for sure- and on that note, welcome one and all to your favorite weekly... CHALMETTE CHRONICLES: CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

I suppose a chronological recountenace will suffice- ZONE CONFERNCE.

So, this past Tuesday happened to be my first "normal" Zone Conference- meaning, a general authority wasn't blessing our lives, and the white elephants were kept in the kennel. However, that didn't prevent the day from being a totally uplifting and edifying experience. There is certainly a special spirit that is felt when righteous disciples congregate together- I am sure you can delineate and identify the Spirit of God as it is present in sacrament meetings around the world- but I personally feel that feeling magnified when surrounded by covenant keeping saints in close proximity. Like, it may sound weird, but being around other missionaries exhibits a collective spirit. A spirit that testifies and validates, "yes, these are my children.. yes, this is my church.. yes you're in the right place." There were some incredible instruction and counsel given that I think we could all really benefit from. "Faith does not exist unless coupled with the impossible." "Failure should always be an option." "Reprove privately- praise publicly." "Joy is not about our circumstance but our focus." "Fill your mind with truth, your heart with love, and your life with service- this is the guide to a successful life." I personally had quite the participation in the said conference. I gave a wee instruction on Doctrine and Covenants 121:43 (which is essentially the pattern for heavenly discipline). 

"Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy." 

Sometimes, we feel like the spirit of criticism and contention are inevitably unavoidable. However, there is a sacred way to reprove that invites the spirit- as is indicated in this scripture. Some of you may wonder whether or not it is in your court to be the reprove-er.. well, fear not little flock- we need not wonder because the Holy Ghost is the qualifier. But, what is most important in this process of discipline? Love. Simply, love. Love is the motivation- love allows us not to increase our relationship with the one we reprove, but their relationship with the Savior. If we do not prioritize love, we become victim to the rationalization of our own self-caused contention. Think of it as a doctrinal marriage- with reprovement should always come love. 

In the wise words of our former prophet:

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." 

No compromise should be made- without love, we lose the essence of the Gospel. I also was privileged to participate in a select choir of the most elite singers as we serenaded the congregation with, "How Great Thou Art" (see the LBRM Mission Page for a recorded performance of such melodic magnificence.) All in all, Zone Conference was well catered to every question I had. Like I have said previously, we should make a habit out of asking questions.. before scripture study or meetings of any sort.. if we're listening for answers they will come. SO yes, Zone Conference- would recommend for any missionary looking for a good time.

BRANCH CONFERENCE-

This is the first official Branch Conference I have attended since our time in the vivacious foothills of Plentywood, Montana. I love this branch. The people down here have adopted a sort of familial quality to them, and however wacky, I love each of them individually. 

Something I look forward to in the millennium, however, is the absence and abolition of fiddling with time. Yes, Daylight Savings has its benefits- no longer can the home-bodies of Louisiana hide under the umbrella of, "quiet- time" when we knock their doors at 4:30 in the evening. With the postponed New Orleanian bedtime, I can see great opportunity in finding the nocturnal elect. 

Anyways, when we showed up for our early morning meetings on Sunday, an entire platoon of Stake troopers scurried out of their mini-vans, crock pots in hand, and into the Lutheran pre-school we congregated in. When I say a plethora of the platoon showed up, I mean like.. tripled our branch size. I didn't know if we even had enough chairs to sit the spiritual squadron- but when there is faith, there is always a way. The Spirit has a loving way of testifying to me personally of divine leadership- and I know that each and every member of this celestial army was ordained of God. 

The topic of our conference was ministering- uplifting the individual, and seeking out the, "one."When Christ ministered, what did he do? As one of our recent converts put it, "he made house-calls!" He went TO the lost sheep, whether it be in the streets or in their homes, Christ was the epitome of home teaching. Not only did he seek them out, but when they sought HIM- he distributed complete and unconditional attention to the singular soul- one by one. We likewise can follow his example and abandon the ninety and nine to care for the "one." It was a perfectly catered message for sure. This branch exemplifies ministry- countless experience have I seen someone sacrifice personal time for the salvation of another. The reason we have such early church meetings is so that the leadership can be on time to pick up less-actives and investigators. Quite the Christlike bunch is found within the humble walls of the Chalmette branch. And to top it all off.. randomly, our Stake President, President Stock (who if you remember the MLK march, he's one of the noble and great ones for sure) beckoned me up from the congregation and requested that I sing his favorite song in the ensuing Sacrament Meeting. He's a rather, "interactive" speaker, and so he just periodically calls up select members from the audience to join him at the stand. He's an inspired man for sure, but I really wasn't expecting to sing, "If You Could Hie To Kolob" on this Sabbath Day. However, I am never one to turn down authority, so I sang some wonky arrangement of the beautiful hymn and went along my merry way. I think it allowed members of the branch to see me as a person.. and not just a missionary.. like, we are capable of more than just preaching the Gospel (but that is our number one priority.) It was a completely uplifting experience, very well needed for this beautiful branch we have down here. Just one recommendation: never make eye contact with the presiding authority, five minutes before the meeting starts. :)

Well, that concludes the conference section of this week- now, on to finding the elect!

Elder Carter and I have formed quite the bond. Something acquired and something that makes tracting streets whole heck of a lot easier. We kind of get into this habit as missionaries, of knocking doors when all else fails- I'd say its in part because of our, "aDOORable" personalities... ANYWAYS, in short, we went finding for a good minute. Whether it be blistering hot or cryogenically cold, we exposed our knuckles to the metal gates of the East, and put our faith in the fact that some tender-hearted soul would be receptive to our exciting message. Now, I will say, you have variety in recpetion.. not everyone is going to recognize you as a sent disciple of the Lord with the keys and authority to preach the Gospel and claim to Christ's restored church. If we lived in a world where everyone accepted the message.. would faith even be necessary? Would we have the opportunity to appreciate acceptance when we encounter rejection? To increase our own testimonies as we share with others our own personal conversion? No. God made missionary work hard because he knew it would be exactly what we need to become completely converted ourselves. Even if no-one listens to your message, if you come out better because of it.. that will be the success of your mission. So, that is exactly what Elder Carter and I did. We knocked.. and rang doorbells.. and knocked some more, and no, not even half of the people we met were interested.. but the margin who were, made the previous rejectors that much more worth it. 

We met a guy who went on this boisterous rant about vitamins. We're pretty sure he was going for a metaphorical application but forgot about why he was so passionately discussing our essential nutrients, so he just continued to scream about B12 with no conscious awareness of why he was so invigorated in the first place. We met the loveliest lady from out of town who has been searching for more scripture; she has the most radiant smile and contagious laugh- and she was more than willing to meet with us again and accept a copy of the Book of Mormon. We met a guy who just got off work, and only gave us the time of day because I guaranteed him that it would MAKE the day.. well, the spirit is a miracle worker, and he really enjoyed the message of the Restoration. He wants us to come back to teach his family because the feelings he felt reminded him of something indescribable that he has surely felt before. See? Variety. But what do they all have in common? The need for the Gospel. These are the elect; God is no respecter of persons- especially when it comes to preaching the Gospel. 

Every door is an opportunity to share the happiness we have found- and with God's glasses, and when we envision each individual dressed in white and prepared for baptism.. the motivation of love becomes the achievement of salvation. I love tracting because it gives the preacher the opportunity to share happiness and create conversion... even if the most important conversion and happiness found is for the preacher himself. Finding is a great tool in our repertoire for repentance, so don't knock it til you try it (actually do knock it AND try it. 😉

I also went on exchanges with Elder Flores this past weekend, and though I was not able to showcase my newfound gift of tongues, we had a mucho bueno time together declaring repentance and baptizing converts. It's so cool to me that each missionary has a different, "style" of sorts.. a different emphasis on gospel principles when teaching lessons, a unique testimony, and a particular approach to recruit converts. Isn't that just so cool? 

Perfection has variety- God has enabled us with a multitude of ways that we can share his good news. We are each individually moulded out of the stuff of eternities, and I can really see the divine potential and capacity in every Child of God.  We are not sent here to be like one another.. but different, and like our Savior Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter if you're not like anyone else.. you are sublime and idvine creation.. and the only thing you need to strive for, is perfection- eventually. :)

Well y'all, that's our week. I conclude this briefing from our crazy concoction of catastrophically cool conferences, with my testimony:

I KNOW this church is true. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Lord's kingdom on the earth. Jospeh Smith is the prophet of the restoration and through divine inspiration and guidance, he translated the word of God- the Book of Mormon. Coupled with its companion volume, the Bible, these books are the instruction manuals for eternal life. Likewise, the words of our dear prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, are the necessary counsel that we require to return and live with our Savior. I look forward to hearing his words and the words of modern day apostles in the coming weeks. I know that Jesus is the Chirst- I have an undeniable conviction that he suffered for our indivual souls and lives again. I know His Gospel is the way of life. I live it and Iove it. And I love all of you. 

This week's FB post:

Happiness does not depend upon our circumstance. We can choose to be happy no matter our external influence. We can choose to sing away the darkness and smile away the clouds.The power of choice gives us complete dominion over the radiance of our attitude.

If we internalize optimism, even the cloudiest days can be smiled away through sunshine in the soul. ☀️

#LBRMSingingSunday

Don't just take my word for it, a modern day apostle has some thoughts of his own that can really help us all channel our inner sunshine.

https://www.lds.org/general-confer…/…/songs-sung-and-unsung…

Thank you for your kindness, your prayers, and support. Transfers are next week y'all, so by the time you hear from me next- my fate will be decided. Pray that i'll have the eternal perspective to accept and embrace whatever comes my way. Y'ALL ARE THE BEST. ELDER BOYD LOVES YOU!

With quite the awesome amount of arduous love and appreciation,

Elder Boyd

CHALMETTE CHRONICLES: CHAPTER SIXTEEN

My dearly beloved friends and associates in the work - how are we all doing? I hope the answer is nothing less than a fantabulastic frenzy of fantastic fortitudes- for if it isn't, consider yourself written up and reported to the adjective police. 

This week was, as you say, AWESOME. Not because it was easy, not because the whole world got baptized and realized the reality of Christ's restored church on the earth today, and not even because I have found dairy-free churros.. sadly... BUT BECAUSE WHEN THE GOSPEL WORKS, IT WORKS!  I saw a splendid surplus of the Gospel working in the lives of others this week. The Gospel really does bless families and the Book of Mormon really wasn't kidding about the whole, "mighty change in heart" mumbo jumbo.  Someone must have dumped a healthy helping of heart softener in the adjacent laundromats down here in NOLA and the spiritual chiropractors must be in BUSINESS loosening the stiff necks of America because I have seen the Gospel in action this week. Truly. Honestly. Wholeheartedly. With every fiber of my biological and celestial make-up, I know that this church is true. And on that note, welcome my friends... TO CHALMETTE CHRONICLES CHAPTER SIXTEEN *warning, surprise ahead*.

Hmm, how to start a week of such magical proportions... ah yes, let us start with the Christian rock concert- that's right, I said, Christian rock concert. Not only did I not realize what I was getting myself into, but I definitely had the time of my life doing so. A little preface for you people back at home: the Sisters signed us all up to do service at an adoption agency.. ya know, humble, quiet, of course, we were down to help out... but somehow they forgot to mention the fact that the adoption agency was working at WinterFest 2018 at the SuperDome. Details people, details.

You know how they say God is in the details of your life? Well, the sisters aren't. ANYWAYS, yeah, we show up, and apparently, we had to pay to park as volunteers for this event? Well, Elder Carter and I weren't having that, so we deemed it worthy to walk the extra mile by parking at the nearest CVS Pharmacy- and then mosied our way over to the SUPERDOME. It was a pretty sweet gig, honestly- we were only needed for, "post- preacher pamphlet handout" and an intermission campaign where we handed out pamphlets and envelopes for the surrounding Christians to adopt adorable children. The rest of the time was ours to rock out to smooth Christian vibes. 

My favorite phrase of the night was, "Y'all ready to have church tonight? We're gonna have church tonight if that's okay with you New Orleans.." Personally, I love church, but hey if it ain't the sacrament, it ain't church, so sorry worship group but I think a referral to the Topical Guide, "Church" might be most necessary- haha. It was a rather smashing evening! The artists of the night, in case your Pandora station fancy is, "We Having Church Tonight" were, Westover, Mallary Hope, Dan Bremnes (one of my personal favorites, he's basically Ed Sheeran with a testimony), Jordan Feliz, Newsong, KB, John Crist, Kari Jobe, Building 429, and Skillet. With a combined display of epileptic spotlights and speakers that defy the decibel threshold. I felt pretty metal being involved in the whole thing. I think the only thing that prevented me from achieving my full hardcore rock and roll status, was the apron placed upon my shoulders- with a matching fanny pack. Now I am not saying it is impossible, but it is indeed quite hard to, "go ham" when you're wearing an apron. Point made. It was a great opportunity as well to share the Gospel. I met many a Christian who asked if we were, "believers" and walked right into the Restoration lesson. The comedian of the night even made a CLEVER comment about Mormons and polygamy which subdued our guilt in including pass along cards in every preacher pamphlet. :) Seriously though, it was a riveting evening, and as my first, "real concert experience" I would say I'd do it again. But only if aprons are included. 

Something that really hit home this week was the reasoning for bad days. Friday was a DAY AND A HALF LET ME TELL YOU, BROTHERS AND SISTERS!  Every appointment. Every Door. Every opportunity. Empty. The fields of East New Orleans were essentially the red sea after Moses was done with it- dry. Ironically, we even tracted Dune Street- not a single moist soul. It felt like discouragement brought his brass knuckles to the ring and all we had to defend ourselves was a Restoration pamphlet- or a pool noodle-  whatever develops the imagery best. And just when our prospects were looking up, it was all for naught, because the one person who listened to us ONLY wanted to listen to us because they knew they would waste our time. In times like these, what would I have done back home? What would you have done? 

A testament to opportunity for maturity in the mission came to me as we coped with the scriptures in such a trialing time. Instead of reading Percy Jackson, I found great comfort in the journeyings of the sons of Mosiah and their spectacular endurance and optimism in the face of trial. These men wouldn't have let a metal gate or a satanic shih-tzu stop them- for they would let nothing come between them and their divine mission for the salvation of souls. No prison, no bondage, no stoning, no spitting, no NOTHING could discourage these men. For with God, we like Nephi can find the greatest courage. "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. For I the Lord God am with thee whitersoever thou goest."  As we likened the scriptures, we found that the reason the previous day was so challenging was in order that we could appreciate the following day. And let me tell you, the following day was SO WORTH IT!

Nothing compares to the sincere smile that radiates from the face of someone who recognizes and appreciates their covenants. *SURPRISE: This past week I had the pleasure of sinking my drawers in the celestial waters and baptizing one of the elects that God prepared to receive the restored Gospel. We've been working with her for quite a while, and through test and trial and doubt, she fully exemplified how faith overcomes doubt. As a matter of fact, one of the turning points in her precious decision came when I came up to her in church and remembered her name. Something as simple as calling her by name was enough for her to set this church apart as Christ's restored church. She said she had never experienced that before.. and that alone gave her the final push to make the leap of faith and enter the waters of baptism. And due to special circumstances, both Brother Hatcher and I had the chance to baptize her together. And on a side note, someone had the bright idea to ask me to play piano for the whole shebang.  It was just incredible to see missionary work in action. It makes every door that much more worth it, and every yes, that much more meaningful. Because missionary work, works- don't ever demean your individual influence on the life of someone. For all you know, all an individual may need is a friend. Someone who knows their name. To feel welcomed.. and that alone could be enough. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a lifestyle for families. Salvation is a personal matter, exaltation is a family matter.

In other news...

If you ever have the chance to meet a shih-tzu- don't. When one labors in the vineyard, it is not expected to be utterly mauled by a carnivorous creature. You know how the Book of Mormon speaks about the terror of gnawing and gnashing of teeth for those who inherit eternal darn-nation? I am a firsthand witness that this harsh reality is real, and manifest in the devil incarnate that prances around Warner Drive. I guess my, "machisimo" attitude was not enough for this dynamic duo, because I was not expecting to tell a story of this magnitude- but for comedic perspective, I comply:

It was a crisp spring afternoon, the faint aroma of toast and the hardworking middle class filled the air- it was a hard knock life on this particular day, not a single soul answered the door. As we neared the end of the first side of the neighborhood, the dissonance of a high pitched yelp clashed with the middle class as the offenders came into sight. Not only that, but they CAME UP TO US, quite the guts for such a tiny creature. Elder Carter also has an innate fear of the four footed hooligans, so he was anxious about the whole situation. When we transfered sides, I decided, missionary minded of course, "fear no man, fear no dog" and courageously approached the door guarded by the two pesky pooches. Well, in no time flat.. the barking escalated, and before I knew it, the pain of two incisors sinked into my shin and up into my cerebral cortex. This dog was a fighter, and I am pretty sure his, "pal" was just a hype dog, egging him on to lacerate my shin. Naturally, surprised, I proceeded to exclaim my confusion and made my way towards Elder Carter so that he might pry the little stinker off of my lower leg.. well, as you remember, Elder Carter doesn't quite appreciate this particular one of God's creations.. so he ran away, and grabbed a stick in hopes of relieving me from the excrucitating enigma that was the shih-tzu experience. I don't what his plan was, "no survivors" and all, but I am grateful that the dog detatched himself before Elder Carter had the time to execute his master idea. In short: dynamite comes in small packages- just because something is smaller than you, don't mean he won't sink his molars into your rock hard hamstrings. 

Moral of the story: there's a difference between faith and stupidity... fear exists as a warning from God that we shouldn't mess with shih-tzu's.

I've always heard about the feud between dogs and missionaries but I guess it took a flesh seeking carnivore in my lower region to acquire the humility to never fear dog more than God. 

And as a side note: this past Sunday was record-breaking for our branch: 30 in attendance (half were investigators).  A cute Idahoan family was among the visitors. After the, meeting I went up to thank him for his testimony and we got talking.. well, I ended up saying I was from Washington and he was all like, WHAT PART?? Very startling. Was not expecting that from a 6'9 soccer dad. Well, I said Bellingham (usually, people haven't the slightest idea where Ferndale is, so I settle for the bigger of the two.) and he was all like, dang, bummer, I used to live in Ferndale. LIKE, WHAT?? ARE YOU KIDDING? YOU WERE A GOLDEN EAGLE? Well, I was pretty jazzed.. and he didn't remember much, but when I mentioned the Hoyts, he was like, "Oh yeah, they were my best friends." So yeah, one of the infinite benefits of this church is that you literally come to know everyone. It felt nice to brag about how radical my home ward is. :)

Well y'all, tis the recountenance of the week of dreams- with lots of pictures too, might I add. I hope you are all appreciating the millions of tender mercies that are afforded to you each and every day. I know this church is true, and that is in part because I see the Lord's hand in my life, helping me execute righteous decisions that lead me closer to him through his restored Gospel. I love the Book of Mormon and know it to be the word of God. I know that there exists a modern day prophet and apostles on the Earth today, and that greatest comfort can come in this life through the Holy Ghost and living and loving this Gospel. I live and love it, and I know my life is eternally better because of it. I love y'all. If you're not grooving with the Gospel I say to you.."if not you.. then who? If not now.. then when?" I know you can do it! Heaven is cheering you on.. yesterday.. today.. and forever. Your number one fan lives in Louisiana and will go to great lengths to make sure YOU KNOW God loves you and has a plan for you. It's true, and the best way for you to know that is to ask the man himself- I know if you do, he will tell you.

May you all have the best week and may you all know how much I LOVE YOU. Y'ALL ARE THE BEST, DONT FORGET IT. 

With soo much sweet anti-shih-tzu loving,

Elder Boyd