Brrrrrr. Soul- chilling!

Here is a picture of Elder Boone and Elder Brimhall (or Brimhulk as he is called in the mission).  They went to AFHS together.  Now they are serving in the same mission.  How cool is that?Add caption

MOM: I am plenty warm, promise.  So long as I wear a scarf, I'm just fine-it really DOES make all the difference.  Christmas was good, and the presents were much appreciated, so thanks to you and everyone else for sending them :)  I'm going to be with Herbie for New Years' Eve, so I'll be sure to tell him thanks for ya.  And more contacts would be nice, but not necessary just yet.  Maybe send me another XD Card so I can send this one home when it's full and then keep taking pictures??

DAD: Thanks for your email-I really do appreciate reading it.  How long did it take you to type it? (haha-I'm a terd, I know).  Assure Mom that I'm fine unless I tell you guys otherwise.  The actual cold isn't bad, but the wind is SOUL-CHILLING.  So long as none of that gets in, I'm fine.  Hence a scarf and nice jacket ALL THE TIME. 

FAMILY:  Thanks for all of your letters!!  I'll be sending a package with my Christmas Gift for the family and a New Years' one as well.  All the letters will be in that.  I'll try to finish up all of your letters here in the next couple of days.  Sorry for the delay, it's just busy out here!!

All right, everybody-

It's picture week!!!  So the library computers are kinda ridiculous as far as attaching pictures and stuff, so I'm gonna just send these for now.  There are SO MANY MORE, though!!!  Oh well....

This week has had its ups and downs for sure.  I've had days where I've felt great and enthusiastic, and one where I woke up feeling like I got hit in the head with a sledgehammer.  And of course, the day I felt terrible, we had to help Sister Jody Burks move.  As it would happen, moving heavy TV's and couches and stuff is actually not as bad as I thought with a pounding headache/body aches everywhere.  I think it has something to do with the service aspect of it... It HAS to, or else there's no logical explanation as to how I made it through that experience alive.  We've also had 5 cancelled appointments this week, which has been rough, and led to a LOT of street/bus/train contacting.  It's such a different experience-you just kinda walk up to people, say hi, and ask if they want to learn about Jesus (there's obviously a little bit more than that, but that's the essense of it).  I've almost placed two Book of Mormons this week, but sadly, nothing has come from it.  I'm a little bit upset that neither of them ended up coming to fruition, but I know I've just gotta keep trying. 

And the SNOW!!!  It's more like rain with some frozen-ness to it!!  Six inches of snow here in Massachusetts is more like 12 back home (although, for the record, we've only got like 4 here).  It seems like everybody told me about this "bone-chilling" wind that's prevalent here in the Boston area, but nobody quite told me about the wind that chills you to the absolute core.  I've had more than one occasion where I've gotten a brainfreeze headache from a particularly cold gust of wind.  Needless to say, every time I go outside, it takes like three minutes just to get everything on-coat, gloves, earmuffs, hat, scarf (who would have EVER thought I'd wear a scarf?  Certainly not me!!)... the list goes on and on.  The difference in being cold versus being warm is exactly that-a scarf.  It keeps the wind from getting down into your coat, so thanks to scarfs, I stay nice and warm :) 

Let's focus on a little more of a positive note, shall we?  Elder Kilgore and myself have had relative success this week-he placed a Book of Mormon and gave a referral to the Haitian Missionaries in the area.  I've continued to get better at contacting and even headed a few of our discussions.  The members here are great-they simply love Missionaries for being Missionaries.  I've made more friends and met more people here as a result of that little black nametag than I could have ever hoped to on my own.  

Spiritual thought/conundrum for the week: in Doctrine and Covenants 130:20, we read that "There is A LAW, irrevocably decreed in heaven... upon which all blessings are predicated." (emphasis added).  What exactly is that one law?  The singularity of the word 'law' is repeated in the next verse, which says that "when we obtain any blessing, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated" (D&C 130:21).  I've studied and gotten to everything around that law, but not what that Law is in and of itself?  Thoughts?  Insights?  Write me and let me know, cuz this is a tricky one....

I hope all is well and that you all have a Happy New Year!  Best of luck with all of your resolutions-remember, "with God, all things are possible" (Luke 1:37) so prayerful work towards your resolutions can make them happen!!

Much love,

Elder Alex Boone 

Here is a picture of Alex and a salmon that was given to them by a food pantry.  They love the missionaries and send them home with food all the time.

December 26, 2012

So I guess we kinda answered all your questions on Skype yesterday... :P  But here's the FULL update of life in Somerville.

Hey all-

NEW MAILING ADDRESS!!!  31 Walnut Street, Apartment No 10, Somerville, Massachusetts, 02144. 

        There's a LOT that has gone down this last week-leaving the MTC, my first flight, and a taste of Boston in the meantime.  Everything is so different here-the sights, the sounds, the people, EVERYTHING.  I'm still a little culture-shocked,to say the least.  There is literally NO grid, and all the streets just have names.  No numbers.  I'm constantly looking at/studying my maps so I can know how to get around this place.  This is the only walking area in the Boston Mission, so public transportation has become my best friend.  I've been on more buses and trains than I think I've ever been on in my life.  Elder Kilgore's been patient with me as far as knowing which train/bus to take to get to various places, but I'm slowly picking it up.  Even the CURBS are different-6 inches of cut granite.  Everywhere.  I've stubbed my toe twice and I don't think I'll ever do it again.  Everything is bigger and faster here: 19-story buildings seem to pop up EVERYWHERE.  The pace is faster, and it's just crazy!!!  People rarely sit and talk to anyone about anything, much less religion.  I ALMOST placed my first Book of Mormon this week, but as I was pulling it out, the gentleman realized he almost missed his bus and took off.  I've met so many people from so many different backgrounds: students at Harvard or MIT, Haitian-Creole immigrants, a couple from Ghana (yeah-AFRICA), native Bostonians, and everything in between.  The accent isn't that hard to understand, though.  You just have to ignore some random 'r's at the end of a word.  Like coler or pizzer.  (Coke & pizza).   

       The seafood here is AMAZING.  Everything is just...fresher.  I actually took it upon myself to buy a live lobster and cook it that night.  That was one of the best dinners I've had here.  The members and community are generous, so it's hard to go hungry around here.  For most of my dinners, I've had salmon, lobster, shrimp, chicken, or roast beef.  The "lesser" dinners have consisted of pizza, rice, Ramen, etc.  Our little Missionary kitchen is full to bursting with food of various sorts.  So much, in fact, that we can't eat it faster than we get food!!  It just keeps piling up!!  Because of the MTC food and this stuff out here, I've put on 9.5 pounds-which, for the record, is quite the feat for me!!  

       My roommates are great-there's Elder Kilgore, my "Dad," or Trainer.  He's from Bountiful, Utah and has been out 6 months.  He's already a District Leader and halfway trained another Missionary (He finished the last 6 weeks of the other Elder's 12-week training).  I'm proud to say that I'm his first FULL "Son" :)  He plays basketball and while he works hard, is always a great guy to go to for a laugh or a good time.  We've gotten along really well and I hope that it continues for a while.  Elder Brinegar (pronounced like 'vinegar' but with a 'br') is the other "Son" in the apartment-we actually roomed together in the MTC, so we're already familiar with each other.  He's from Glendora, California and LOVES longboarding.  He has so many stories of wrecks and records and everything in between.  Then there's Elder Quackenbush from Delta, Utah.  And yes, that's his REAL name.  He's the oldie of the group-if you combine how much time Elders Kilgore, Brinegar and myself have been out and DOUBLE IT, then we're still not equal to the amount of time he's been out.  (Our combined 8 months, times 2, is less than Quackenbush's 21 months in the Mission).  He is quite near to "Death," and he sure acts like it. He had a suit that he's never worn, so he traded the entire suit for one tie of Elder Kilgore's-the legendary "Indian Princess."  It's a skinny tie made in Peru with this little outline of a girl on it-truly and honestly handmade, one of a kind.  But the suit was doing him no good, so he just traded his suit for the tie.  Old Man Quackenbush is always the first one to hop on a chance for brevity.  When I got an apron from my Grandma Boone, he was the first one to wear it.  Yup.  He made brownies wearing my apron.  And ONLY my apron :P  This is the dynamic of our little apartment.  Quite lovely, isn't it? haha

           The members here are SO good to us Missionaries; it's unbelievable!!  My first week in the Ward, 4 different members gave me Christmas presents, just for being a Missionary.  I was truly humbled that these people, who never knew me, would introduce themselves to me, wish me a Merry Christmas, and give me a gift.  They may think that their small offerings of pens, flashlights, and light gloves were somewhat generic or impersonal, but they truly meant the world to me.  These people so wonderfully embody the charity that I am trying to obtain on my Mission.  My favorite member is Herbie-he's an 81-year-old blind man who absolutely LOVES the Missionaries.  He's a convert, and he believes that it's his calling to feed the Missionaries.  So we go over every Wednesday and Saturday to do his shopping and run errands for him, and in return, he feeds us.  He gives us our choice of foods from the restaurants menus that he keeps in his apartment.  We just order it, he pays for it, and then we all sit down to a lunch.  I asked him why he does this, and he just said (and I paraphrase), "You guys saved my soul-this is just my way of trying to give back to you guys."  That may be the most spiritual thing he's ever said.  He reminds me of a Maureen Beagley-comparable to a burnt apple pie (Thank you, Mother, for the analogy; it fits PERFECTLY).  If you can get past the crunchy edges, there's nothing but sweet, soft filling at the core.  He's a crusty old man with a bitter sense of sarcasm, but he loves the Church and the Missionaries.  He's always got a story to tell and a lesson to teach.  I can honestly say that I love Herbie to death (and not only cuz he feeds me).  

              So on a more spiritual note, I was able to do an Endowment Session in the Boston Temple, and that may just be my new favorite temple.  It's so beautiful and serene-set on a hill in the woods.  President Packard challenged us to keep in mind throughout the session what kind of Missionary we would be through our Missions and once we were in the Celestial Room, to tell the Lord exactly what He could expect of us at the end of our two years.  I took the opportunity to do that and as I sat there pondering, the song "Abide With Me" started going through my head.  Not just the hymn, however-a version that we sang in Ward Choir.  The words to the added verse that were running through my head are as follows: "I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight and tears no bitterness.  Death hath no sting, the grave no victory.  I triumph still if thou abide with me."  As the last line played, the sun came out from behind the clouds and the Celestial Room was filled with such a bright light that (not to be sacreligious or anything) defied all description.  It was just... bright and white and wonderful.  This feeling of peace and confidence filled me as I realized that so long as I have Christ with me, I can truly triumph and be exactly the Missionary that He needs me to be and the Missionary I promised Him I'd be.  Truly, through Christ and the enabling power of His Atonement, we can all change and triumph-always progressing and becoming better as we draw closer to Him.

             That about wraps up my week-I hope you know how much your letters and prayers are appreciated.  We can all feel the prayers of people at home, and they mean the world to us.  I look forward to hearing from all of you and keeping in touch!!  Love you all!!

Love,

Elder Alex Boone

                       

I got these 2 pictures from a lady who friended me on Facebook.

        Alex had not sent any pictures yet and I was looking through pictures that her son Elder Homer 

sent to her and LOOK who I found. 

MY MISSIONARY BOY!!

Alex at the MTC.  The guy in the center (I think) is his companion, Elder  Garrett Sutherland.

Elder Homer is on the left in the blue shirt.

December 12, 2012 Last Email from MTC

December 12, 2012

Answers for Mom's questions: if you could send me some of my ties-specifically the polka dotted one.  We can trade ties and even the ones that I'm not allowed to wear, I can trade for some that I can.  (Tie trading is AWESOME, by the way).  And my alarm clock.  The one you sent me with is sporadic as far as actually working.  Possibly a pocket watch?  Like one from Wal-Mart.  The watches I have kinda hurt my wrists when I'm writing, so it'd be nice to have something I can just pull out like I used to do with my phone.  Favorite package...?  Not sure.  They've all been great :)  There are 10 people in my District.  Schedule is packed.  Always.  Elder Sutherland is actually much better.  I'd argue that he's actually completely better.  And his address is the exact same as mine, just put "Elder Garret Sutherland" as the addressee instead of my name :) Thanks for the prayers-they were much appreciated.  I shared the greatest thing that I've learned so far-that Patrick experience was profound!!! :) haha  And the hardest part of serving a Mission has been just that-learning to love EVERYONE.  My flight departs at 9:55 on the 18th, and I'll need to be at the travel office by 6:00 in the morning that day.  And I did find the locks for my suitcase.  So we're good.

 

HAPPY 12/12/12!!!!

 

...and final greetings from the MTC!!

 

You're never gonna believe this-I'm a Zone Leader!!!  Elder Sutherland basically did such a great job at being District Leader that when our Zone Leaders left for the Mission field, he got promoted.  But joke's on me-it's a companionship thing.  So I just might be the youngest Zone Leader in the history of the Church.  To date that is.  That's prone to change come January, but I hold consolation in the hope that I've got the record for the time being.  I just might have the record for being Zone Leader the shortest, too.  I'm only gonna be in until Sunday after Sacrament.  So a week :P  Tonight is the orientation for all of the new Elders and Sisters of our Zone.  Elder Sutherland and I are going to get to show everybody their dorms, make them feel comfortable, and hopefully make them feel as loved as possible for the week that we're here.

 

Only one real problem thus far: I was playing basketball and caught a deflection funny on my finger, so now I've got some ligament damage in my right pinky finger-I just have to keep it immobilized until further notice, but the swelling and bruising has gone down significantly.  The only time I play basketball and not volleyball or something like that, I wreck my finger.  I think it's a sign to focus on other things... *DEJECTED LOOK*   But maybe that's exactly what I need.

 

This week has been truly one of the most humbling experiences of my life.  I've come to a realization of not only my own flaws and inadequacies, but how great God is.  I have been humbled beyond many of my wildest dreams due to leadership callings, Firesides we've received, and the lessons our teachers have taught.  The hope is that God has brought me low so that He can lift me higher at some point.  Not to stop me from being totally humbled, but slightly less overwhelmed with the enormity of my task.  My District has been challenged by four different teachers (we only have two that are assigned to our class) to step up.  We've been told in several different ways that now is the time for greatness; that we are not here to be mediocre.  This is the "offseason" of our training, if you will.  This is where we will grow, work, and get better.  Hopefully we start some good habits for the duration of our Mission.  I have been humbled through all of this, but also seen miracles happen in the lives of myself and all the members of the District.  It is wonderful.  Truly, the Lord "qualifies the called" and I have seen that in my life. 

 

Thank you all so much for your love and support of me and Elder Sutherland-the prayers and love has truly been felt as we strive to live this Gospel more fully and grow closer to Christ.  The letters have all meant SO MUCH and I can't wait until I'm actually in Boston to serve the Lord's children there!  Speaking of Boston, my next e-mail will be from Boston, in about a week and a half.  Also, if any of you are writing me other letters, either mail them NOW or wait until next week when my new mailing address is posted on the blog; otherwise, we could lose some mail and I'd feel terrible.  Know that I love all of you and cannot express fully in words how much I am grateful for your love, support, and influences in my life. 

 

Love,

 

Elder Boone

 

PS-Sorry this one's shorter.  I'm technically typing without my finger brace on (BAD juju), and my pinky's hurting me quite a bit.  Luckily it's been a slow-ish week-still working on loving others like last week.

Our first Email

12/05/2012
Hello family and friends!

Mom-for the record, yes.  I am receiving all of your packages (thanks, by the way) and my boots got here two days ago.  All is well in that regard.  Your many treats have been a morale boost for me and my entire District, as well as some very lucky people in my Zone.  Everybody knows that Mama Boone loves them :)

Wow... I've just gotta say that this experience has been positively wonderful!  I feel myself learning and growing in ways that I had never thought I would.  Being here, surrounded by the Spirit all the time and living the rules has led me to experience some truly wonderful moments.  The food is pretty good, and the chocolate milk in particular is AWESOME.  I've officially put on 2 pounds since I've been here-which is a testament to the food in and of itself.  The schedule is pretty rigid and there's not a lot of free time, but it's good.  Otherwise, I'm pretty sure that I'd just be chilling around the apartment and not doing a whole lot.  But they've put enough in to stay busy and productive.

My companion's name is Elder Sutherland.  He's from Centerville, Utah and he's just a great guy.  He's a tall, skinny guy with glasses-reminds me of someone else I know... haha-He's our District Leader and there's a reason for that.  He has a positive attitude and a sense of humor that nothing can damper.  He's been sick since before he came into the MTC, and yesterday, he took a turn for the worse.  He was given an executive order by our Zone Leader, Elder Price, to just sit in bed and get better.  He was throwing up and had a slight fever.  I had to just stay in the room with him to make sure he was OK and to help him in any way possible.  In the few times when he was actually awake, he was cracking jokes about how he's gonna get me sick if I'm not nice to him.  We get along so incredibly well-we're best friends already.  Please include him in your prayers, cuz this illness is really taking it out of him.  It's honestly a miracle that he's been able to do the things that he has so far, and with any help, he'll be an even more incredible Missionary once he's better.  So PLEASE pray for him.  

As a matter of fact, they already have us teaching "investigators" (role-played by our teachers).  My particular favorite is Patrick, role-played by Brother Chambers. He's a single, 74-year old man who has been seeing Missionaries and going to Church for a while, but has been an "eternal investigator" for a while.  Elder Sutherland, and I went in to teach him the first time, and it was a struggle.  We had no flow, the Spirit wasn't there... it was just AWFUL--So bad, in fact, that Brother Chambers had to stop the role play and give us a teaching moment.  We had to rewind to the beginning and try again.  He opened up to us and told us about his family relationships and how they weren't where he wanted them to be.  He's divorced and wants nothing more than a relationship with his son.  Elder Sutherland and I had to totally scrap our lesson plan and tell him what he needed to hear.  Once we did that, the Spirit was there and the lesson went smoothly.  We challenged him to pray for his son every day until our next visit.  For the next few days, Elder Sutherland and I learned a lot about effective teaching by the Spirit, and two Sisters in our Zone (Sister Johnson and Sister Bauer) helped us to realize the power of genuine caring.  They gave us a mini lesson, and Elder Sutherland and I tried to pinpoint what made them so effective.  When the word "genuine" came up, we stopped.  That was it.  They genuinely cared about EVERYONE.  Elder Sutherland and I decided to try that out: we prayed for Patrick and his son, that they could share a better relationship.  We studied for Patrick and tried to learn something in our lessons to help Patrick specifically. On our next visit, we started by asking him how he did with our challenge.  He said he had been praying for his son every day and that he continued feeling a longing for something more.  This was wonderful, because it led us right into a discussion about the Plan of Salvation and how he could be with his son forever.  Patrick stopped us partway through and gave us a quizzical look.  He asked us, "Not to come across as rude or anything, but... why do you care?  What's so important about me and my son that would lead you to tell me these things?"  *ENTER HALLELUJAH CHORUS, SUNG BY HEAVENLY ANGELS*  Elder Sutherland started by telling Patrick that we are his brothers, and as such, want him to be happy; we also know that families bring happiness, and we want nothing more than for him to experience the happiness that comes from strong families.  Furthermore, I added, as messengers of Jesus Christ, we are here to bring His love and to express how much Christ wants him to be happy and to grant his desire to have a fulfilling relationship with his son.  The difference this time: we meant it.  Every single word.  Patrick sat there, amazed that these two boys would care.  The Spirit was so thick in the room that I'm not sure that just a knife would cut it-you'd need like some kinda machete.  I then said, "Patrick, if you pray to know that what we're telling you is true, and you receive that confirmation, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding His restored Priesthood Authority?"  HE ACCEPTED.  Through the tears of my unadulterated joy, I saw Patrick smiling too.  We then closed with prayer (offered by Patrick) and left.  Elder Sutherland and I just sat there for a while.  We were both crying, and we just gave each other a HUGE hug.  That joy, that love-that's what Missionary work is all about.  It's not teaching the best lessons.  It's not knowing the Gospel perfectly.  It's being able to love everyone unconditionally and to use that love to draw them to Christ.  It only took me almost 19 years to realize, but I'm glad that it happened now.  This Gospel is truly amazing and I know that I'm where I'm supposed to be.  As a matter of fact, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.  I love you all and appreciate and can feel your prayers on my behalf.  Again, I love you all and hope you all know that and feel my prayers for you.

Love, 

Elder Alex Boone