Hello everybody!!!
My new apartment address is 440 Meriden Rd, #322 Waterbury, CT. This apartment is noticeably bigger and nicer than the one in Somerville, and I'm enjoying it. The only problem is that everybody else likes the apartment to be cold, and so I'm pretty much constantly bundling up in warm stuff to keep from going freezing all the time. But other than that, it's great out here!! The area isn't really rural, per se, but more of a suburb with lots of trees and ponds and whatnot. It is certainly rural compared to Cambridge/Somerville, but overall, it's not bad at all. I'm actually hoping to go fishing some P-Day, and maybe even catch a possum. There will certainly be lots of fun stuff to do around here, and there is a lot of work, as well!
Elder Echols (my new companion) and I get along really well. As a matter of fact, for most of the car ride home from Belmont, we talked a lot about our favorite country songs. And yes, that went on for about two and a half hours. We seem to constantly be singing some kind of song and many of our brainwaves seem to be on the same frequency. Hopefully the rest of our time together goes as smoothly as this first few days has gone.
I don't think I told y'all about this, but for the past two weeks, I've had the opportunity to perform in 3 Musical Firesides in Rhode Island and Connecticut. I only sang in one song-a "Barbershop Quartet," if you will. We sang the song "Know This" from our hymnbook. I'll try to secure an audio file from one of the guys who recorded it, and send it as an attachment in a future email. Each time, the music performed and the testimonies borne reduced me and several others to tears. The Spirit was SO strong, and many were affected. One woman approached President Packard after the last Fireside, and simply asked him how she could go about getting baptized. Having had no other exposure to the Church, but seeing a "Free Concert at 7 pm" sign, she walked into the Church at 6:45 and felt God's presence and His love in the music and spoken word. Certainly a bit of an unorthodox way to come into the Church, but President Packard enjoys using the talents of his Missionaries to make finding investigators an enjoyable and unique experience. Unfortunately, I won't be able to continue performing in these Firesides because of travel difficulties and mileage limits on our cars, but this is an experience that I won't soon forget, and one that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of. (And I got to see Brother and Sister Okelberry at the last one; I got a picture with them, so be sure to ask Sister Okelberry if she could send that picture to you, Mom.)
I have yet to meet any of our Investigators, since all their appointments have fallen through. I have met one lady who has been excommunicated and is trying to get re-baptized. (We'll call her Amy.) We shared a lesson on the Atonement, and after a while, she asked us if God would ever just get sick of forgiving and loving us. Elder Echols and I had the opportunity to explain to her that no matter how many times we turn away, get lost, or even slam the door in His face, He will ALWAYS be there, waiting for us to return. We shared how we have been bought with a price-the blood of Jesus Christ and all the ensuing trauma that He underwent in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross-and that having bought us, we are His forever. We are truly graven on the palms of His hands and "dear to the heart of the Shepherd" as the hymn reads. We both felt the Spirit and didn't say a word for what seemed like 5 minutes as Amy absolutely sobbed and really took in what we were saying. Through her tears, she choked out (and I paraphrase), "I love this feeling right now! I want to have this feeling with me forever and ever! This is the most wonderful feeling I've ever had!" With tears in OUR eyes, Elder Echols and I explained that she was feeling a slight part of God's love for her, and that it was possible to have that feeling all the time, so long as she lived worthy of it. Her resolve to change and be better is evident, and I look forward to seeing her re-baptized in the not-too-distant future.
Love all of y'all, and hope this week is a good one!!
-Elda Boone
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