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We got caught in the rain and had to go for alternative ponchos. Imagine us riding the bus home with these on...
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Happy Monday-after-Palm-Sunday, everybody!
In the spirit of trying to really prepare myself to understand Easter, I have been making a concerted effort to A) Understand the names and significance of events that occurred during Holy Week, B) Study the Atonement more in-depth, and C) Share my testimony of the Atonement as much as possible. Unfortunately, there is no "official" name for today. So I feel like kind of a noob :P
Quick thanks to Mom and Josh for letters this week! Y'all are great :) And I'm bummed to hear that Juanito (Alex's big black goldfish) has gone the way of all the earth. Of course, given that he was a goldfish, given as a white elephant gift, and lived over two years, I'd say that was success.
We haven't had any new investigators come from the Book of Mormon Musical contacting, but we're all having tons of fun with it. We are planting seeds that will hopefully come to fruition, sooner than later.
I just wanted to share a few experiences that I had this week. Most of them are pretty funny-breaks from the somewhat mundane-but they are the ones that stick out in my mind.
Elder Motes sprained his ankle pretty badly a few days ago, playing soccer. We have had to be really efficient with our activities, because his ankle just won't quite support his weight for hours at a time. We've had lots of members helping us with rides lately, so that's good. And plus, the Sisters in our district bought both of us J.P. Lick's ice cream-not a bad deal. Maybe I should sprain my ankle, too... hahaha
We have one investigator, R.P., who is going to be getting baptized in about a month (we set her date this last week!) It seems like every time we go over there, the Jehovah's Witness missionaries try to come over. (And I kid you not-they've knocked on the door when we're in a lesson, on like 8 different occasions.) We were waiting outside for Bro. V, our chaperon, and the JW's knocked on her door. R answered and being 13, couldn't really say no to them, but she was visibly uncomfortable. Then she saw us across the street and started waving. Elder Motes yelled out, "We'll be in in about 5 minutes with Brother V!" You could literally see the Jehovah's Witness missionaries give an exasperated sigh and hang their heads as they walked away. We got quite the kick out of that :)
We do service for this old folks' home, and this week, we helped with music time. One of the songs was "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," and instead of "the whole world" being in His hands, they started singing about how God has the Red Sox, the Bruins, the Celtics, and the Patriots in His hands. Especially because the Red Sox are terrible this year, and "they need some prayers." That really got all the old folks excited, and they went wild (at least as wild as you can go, while still in a wheelchair.)
Elder Motes and I got to go to Weston for a Jenny Oaks Baker concert this weekend. The musicianship was incredible! It was really good, because I got to see a member from the Cambridge 1st ward, and we had a nice chat about how things have been going since I left. I'm glad he remembered me, because it would have been awkward if he didn't... haha
On a slightly more somber note, after weekly planning at the Copley Library, we had the chance to go through the marathon memorial exhibit for a few minutes. It's funny how it sometimes takes a year for something to really sink into you. I was so close to the bombing and ensuing chase last year, but the seriousness of the events didn't really strike me in its' entirety. However, as I sat and mused about how that bombing affected me, I realized that it has changed me in more ways than I initially realized. As I saw bits of memorabilia, read supportive quotes, and saw what people did and said in the aftermath, I was touched at the kindness and support that was shown. In a time when it would have been easy to fall apart and become self-centered, the community banded together and helped each other. I feel inexplicably tied to this city and these people for so many reasons. I too, have adopted the mantra "Boston Strong." My desires to be empathetic and loving were increased, and continue to grow. There are about a million more thoughts running through my head, but to spare all of you some random, garbled meandering, I'll just cut it there.
As we all approach Easter, I hope we can more fully appreciate the Savior and His role in our lives. I know that without my testimony of Christ and His Atonement, I wouldn't be the hopeful person I am, and certainly wouldn't be on a mission. I love all of you, and hope that Easter will show all of us a glimpse of how much Jesus Christ loves all of us. Have a wonderful week!
-"Eldah" Boone
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