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