May 28, 2013
Hello all!
The short-sleeved shirts have been SO NICE!! We've
had days in the low 80's, but there are 3 or 4 days this week that are supposed
to get up to 93* (plus the Boston humidity :P) It's getting warm and I
feel like I'm breathing a LOT of water out here!!
Another really cool thing happened this week-this time, in
a meeting with our Ward Mission Leader, Julio. Julio took us out to
dinner, and we got talking about how the ward is progressing, what's holding us
back, etc. Julio opened up to us and said something to the effect of,
"Elders, I'm not Ward Mission Leader-quality material. I'm just a
guy struggling to come to Church, read my scriptures, and do all that kinda
stuff. I'm not some wonderful this or that; I'm just an average
guy." Elder Beck and I had the opportunity to share with him one of
God's truths-that we don't need to be mighty to do great things.
"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are chosen: But God hath chosen
the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base
things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and
things which are not, to bring to nought things that are" (1 Corinthians
1:26-28). I told him that honestly, I feel like I'm floundering a little
bit, too. If there's not some sense of struggle, are we really pushing
ourselves and progressing? If we don't feel like we're coming up just a
bit short, we're not truly stretching ourselves. We are complacent,
stagnant, and probably proud to boot. On exerting such efforts, and their
accompanying failures, Theodore Roosevelt said, “It is not the critic who
counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the
doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is
actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who
strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is
not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do
the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends
himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high
achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring
greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who
know neither victory nor defeat.” The Book of Mormon addresses such
similar concerns in Ether 12:27- "And if men come unto me I will show
unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble;
and my grace is sufficient for all men that
humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and
have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto
them." As we struggle and strive each and every day, coming up short
over and over again, and always feel that success is JUST outside our
reach-close enough to touch, but far enough away that we just can't quite touch
it yet-and consecrate our every action to God, He will make our weaknesses
strong. Surely, God can help us with our weaknesses. I have seen
Him helping me with mine on far too many occasions to not know for an absolute
fact that He can make ALL things strong to us on the condition that we remain
humble and keep trying. As President Packard always says, "We
are happy, but not satisfied!"
One other Cambridge 1st example of this devotion
is found in Emily, our Elder's Quorum President's wife. I mentioned
earlier about her water breaking at 28 weeks, and she has pretty much
been in labor for about a month. However, 2 days after giving
birth to her baby boy, she was at Church. TEN. MINUTES.
EARLY. We asked her how she was feeling, and she said two things: sore,
and happy to be out of bed. She missed Church and knew that she had
an example to set for her kids, so she came to Church, even after all
that. That is truly an example of devotion, dedication, and conversion.
Transfer Texts are on Saturday, so you'll know on Wednesday
of next week whether or not I'm actually getting transferred! My
clock here in Cambridge 1st is certainly ticking, but I hope to stay here a
while longer to really get this ball rolling!!
I love you all and hope everything is going well!
Love,
Elder Alexander
Boone
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