Happy 11 month mark!!

Elder Alexander Boone

9:26 AM

To: Cheryl Ekins Boone

October 28, 2013

Happy  11 month mark!

Yup... today is my 11-month mark. It kinda freaks me out, and I'm experiencing a bit of a mid-life crisis. haha-it's always a time to reflect on what you did the last month, who you've become, and all that you left un-done. It's weird to think that I've only been in two areas in almost a year, but I wouldn't trade the memories and friendships for anything.

That's awesome to hear about Anthony!!! Be sure to tell him to keep up the good work and that I'm proud of him! (People are giving me funny looks, cuz I'm just grinning from ear to ear right now.) So what about Jesse? Any breaking news there?

About the potatoes: there are Idaho potatoes out here, but they're kinda the small, leftover ones. So we'll see how Jay likes these ones :)

Being a District Leader has been tough. I love it and the opportunities it gives me to help others, but it's a LOT of responsibility. Basically, we're responsible to make sure that our Missionaries are happy and busy. We keep track of Key Indicators for everybody and report those to the Zone Leaders, too. The mental strain is pretty significant, because we have to know our people and everybody else's people. If our Missionaries don't do what they're supposed to do, it's partially on our heads. Lots of pressure, but lots of rewards, too. 

The other night, Elder Pulsipher and I taught a lesson on the Word of Wisdom to Gene (he has a baptismal date). He said, "No coffee? That's going to be tough!" We promised him the blessings, and he walked into his kitchen, unplugged his coffee machine, gave it to us, and said, "You'll pass a dumpster on your way out. Wanna take care of this for me?" It was SO COOL! He went on to say that we were saving him $25/month, so he'd just find a "strong herbal tea" to take coffee's place. hahaha-Waterbury is just a crazy place :)

Good job, Maddie! Keep working hard! And remember that if you don't end with a 4.0, it's OK. Just do your best :) "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, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; 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 fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." (Theodore Roosevelt) You succeed when you try and give it your all. Or in Missionary terms, "We succeed when we invite." haha ;)

How is Josh doing with his concussion and everything? Still OK?

Glad to hear that all is well with you guys! I love all of you, and can't wait to hear back next week!

-Elda Boone

You're a little more country than everybody else

Happy Monday!

       This last week has been pretty great :) In our first full week together, Elder Pulsipher and I taught 20 lessons, extended two baptismal dates (one accepted), and set up lots of footwork for the work to continue for the foreseeable future. We had 14 less-active members at Church, too! We've gotten along well and been able to do a lot of work! He's only been out for 5 months, so his Greenie Fire is great to have around :)

       We (the English and Spanish-speaking Elders in Waterbury) had dinner with our Bishop last night, and when we were there, he mentioned that he was making pecan pie for dinner. He saw me smile and said, "Yeah, I thought you would like that, Elder Boone. But not just cuz you're a little more country than everybody else.... Yeah, actually. That's exactly why." We all got a good laugh out of that (and the pecan pie was DELICIOUS!!)

         All of us Waterbury Elders are growing concerned with our growing midsections. It's a real tribute to the dinners and members who've been feeding us, but we still decided that we're gonna do something about it. We tried cutting sweets after like 8:00, but we caught Elder Hermosilla eating some chips at like 9:45. He was just scarfing 'em down at his desk, and we started to give him a hard time about it. He just said, "Why fat is so good?!" (He meant to say, "Why is fat so good?" but his English is still a little iffy.) We all laughed for probably 5 minutes about that.

             It's great to hear about Anthony and Jesse!  You'll have to let me know where they're going :)

           One more cool thing about Steven-he went to the Temple last week! Since we're allowed to go with recent converts, Elder Pulsipher and I abused that and went. We got to watch Steven do baptisms (Elder Pulsipher was a witness and I recorded) and then got to do initiatories and an endowment session. It's amazing what the Lord reveals when you're earnestly seeking for answers.

            Life is going well here in Connecticut. We've seen the Lord hastening the work (a combined 5 referrals in the last week alone), and as we keep busy, we're seeing so many miracles-both large and small-in the lives of the people we've been working with. Since I've gotten here, our sacrament meeting attendance has increased by an average of 15 people per week, we've had baptisms every month, and we've seen members get more and more active in the Church. Bishop says that the growth has been even more since the beginning of the year, and he's excited to be a part of it. It's a great time to be a Missionary, and especially here in Connecticut! 

        I love alla y'all and hope this finds you well!

-Elda Boone

PS-One of our members wants a legit Idaho potato. Like a BIG one. Any way we could make that happen?

Elder Pulsipher

This is a picture off of Elder Echols' Facebook page.  He came home last week.  

Hello friends and family!

I'm so sorry to hear about Josh's concussion!  Our family just doesn't have great luck with horses, do we?  Bruised ribs, broken ribs, a concussion... :P haha

So Steven (a recent convert) wrote Elder Echols a letter (which he said should have been to both of us, so I stole a copy, and take the liberty of saying it was addressed to both of us).  It was INCREDIBLE!!  *backstory* One day in Ward Council, Bishop asked us to visit the Schriver family.  He said they're super friendly, but their Dad is the only member.  So we went and started leaving 3-5 minute versions of the discussions as "spiritual thoughts."  Well, Steven was baptized and has been SUPER solid.  In his letter to us, he said that the timing of us coming to him was an answer to his prayers.  He'd left the Catholic Church for the Congregational Church, but still felt that there were unanswered questions.  He continued studying the Bible and came to much the same conclusion as Joseph Smith-that he would do whatever God showed Him was the way to truth.  About 2 weeks later, we call his family and started coming over.  Then he took Moroni's challenge and knew it was what God wanted him to do.  He said his devotion to God, sense of purpose, and desire to be better has never been this strong.  He also said that "If we would have told him 2 months ago that [he'd] be a Mormon, [he] probably would have scoffed at us.  But now, here [he is], watching 10 hours of General Conference." It was amazing because this experience showed how inspired our Bishop and Preach My Gospel really are.  

It kinda tripped me out for a second-Elder Pulsipher (my new companion) and I were just getting into the apartment, and someone pulled up behind us and said, "Hey, Elders!"  All I thought was, "Who the heck knows that we're Elders...?" and it took me a little bit to figure out that it was Calie.  I was absolutely shocked!  Brother Norton, Calie... I'm gonna have to get transferred soon! :P haha-just kidding :)  Also, please tell Grandma Boone that I'm worse than her at writing letters, cuz there's just not enough time in the day.  So don't get offended if it takes me FOREVER to get back to hand-written letters.

A brief bio of Elder Pulsipher: he's 19, from Avon, UT (in Cache Valley).  He has been out for 4 months, and he's pretty legit!  More to come when we've spent more than 4 days together :) haha

Love all of you, and hope this finds you well!

-Elda Boone

Transfer week and DISTRICT LEADER

Alex's cousin, Calie Hill, was back East and she went by Alex's
apartment to see if she could meet up with him.  She pulled up to
his place the same time he did.  Said he look great and is happy!!

Transfer Week is here!

This is going to be weird, because for the first time in 4-1/2 months, I'm going to not have Elder Echols with me.  It's been a long, fun, and great time with him, but life goes on.  My new companion is named Elder Pulsipher, and I'll meet him Thursday.  I've only heard good things about him-he's been out 3 transfers, loves basketball, and is (quoting a phone conversation with President Packard) "intelligent and hard-working."  Why was I on the phone with President Packard?  Because I made the jump from District Mom to District Leader.  I'll be the first to admit, I have NO IDEA how to run this District! haha-but I know that with the Lord's help, and some help from my companion, things will work out :)

Sidenote from mom:  Here is a little clip from a letter that we got from Elder Alex Boone’s  mission president, “Your son was recently called as a District Leader…This is a sacred calling that will require him to be at his very best.  He is expected to lead the missionaries under his direction in all phases of the work… a district leader sets the spiritual tone for his part of the Lord’s vineyard…He will benefit greatly from your prayers and encouragment while he carries these extra responsibilities… I know Elder Boone is worthy to serve and I have trust and confidence that he will move the work forward to new heights and that many more souls will come unto Christ during his leadership…We love your son…Sincerely, Pres. Packard” 

We were able to watch Conference at the chapel, and it was a very special experience!  I think my favorite talks were Elder Holland's, Elder Scott's, and Elder Bednar's.  Those were the 3 talks that I got the most personal revelation and revelation for others from..  There were also several talks about Missionary Work and I thought it was so cool to see that the Lord really is hastening His work!  

Overall, my migraines have gone down significantly.  I've only had one since the chiropractor visits, but that was from lots of stress and TONS of humidity that came in really quickly.  I'm sure there will be more, with the stresses of running this District and making sure I do everything I'm supposed to do, but God provides a way, right? 

One other thing-one of the members here was roommates with Taylor Shumways' mom in college!  How cool is that?!  Speaking of small worlds, where was Elder Ward?  And how did he know me? 

Time is short, so I'll have to say goodbye for now.  Sorry that I don't respond to hand-written letters very well; there's just not enough time to write the thoughtful responses that I'd like to.  Look for emails for Parker, Spencer, and Josh next week :)  Also, remind me to tell you about the absolute PAYDAY Elder Echols and I received this week (I need the letter in front of me to fully explain it.  And more time...)  

I love all of you, and hope everything is going well!

-Elda Boone