The Last Letter

Zone Conference was incredible this last Friday. What an amazing experience to hear from Elder S. Gifford Nielsen of the Seventy and his wife, and from President and Sister Packard, of course. President asked me to play piano for him as he sang "Abide with Me, 'Tis Eventide" for the musical number at Elder Nielsen's request. We hadn't rehearsed it together at all...I told him to wait for the introduction, then an interlude and key change after the second verse - it came together VERY well, and was an awesome experience to be able to not only pull that off, but to invite the Spirit into the meeting in such a special way.

Remember Bryan from my email last week? We met with him this week, and he told us how badly he wants to change. He's never known God, and really wants to know more. I shared with him Alma the Younger's conversion story from Alma 36, and we discussed the Atonement and our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Spirit was so strong in that lesson. He later told us that this was the first time he had ever invited missionaries to come back, and asked us to continue teaching him. He said, "If you had been any older, or 'chicks' or something, I wouldn't have let you in." It would seem that he needed Elders to teach him - the Lord has been preparing him, and when he was ready, the Lord took the Sisters out of this area and sent us here. I felt amazingly blessed to be one of the Elders who the Lord sent to reach out to one of His sons who's ready to accept the gospel, and that I had the chance to help one more person before my time as a missionary is up.

This ward has been very, very kind to me as I prepare to return home. Encouragement and well-wishes, pictures, a lobster dinner from one family (maybe my mom will post the picture for me?), and many, many people thanking me for the impact I've made and the service I've given. It's been an indescribable blessing and privilege to have been on a mission for the last two years of my life.

Looking back on my mission, I see that through my service to the Lord and His children, I have been molded and shaped into a disciple of Christ. I spent far too much of my time and energy during the first year or so of my mission trying to be a good missionary, trying to be the best I could possibly be, and I didn't get too far. The minute I lost myself, forgot about my own problems and just served, I was transformed. I've come so much closer to both my Father in Heaven and my Savior than ever before. I see the world in a different light, and I see everyone around me as my brother or sister, and I love them. I have a peace, a hope and a joy that can only come from living the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have an eternal perspective.  I'm a new man.

It's hard to believe that my two years are already at a close...time truly has flown right on by. I'm going to miss New England terribly, but I know that I'm headed in the right direction. This is the last email you'll receive from me as a full-time missionary - I'll spend the next six weeks at home with my family for the holidays, and then head up to BYU for school the first week of January.

My first whole lobster dinner

I remember the first time it hit me that I would be going home, that I wouldn't be a missionary forever...that was about six months ago, I think. I was distraught, and I hated thinking about the future. Whenever someone asked about my plans or about how long I've been in the field, it just really bothered me. But now, I've not only come to accept that it's my time to go, but I feel calm and confident about everything. A few weeks ago, I came to the realization that the Lord still has a work for me to do. Since then, I've coined a motto that I now live by: "The work doesn't end when the tag comes off." My part in the Work of Salvation and my life of Church service is just beginning. I know that the Lord will continue to bless and strengthen me as I put Him first and seek to lift and bless the lives of others each day. I still have a lot of growing to do, but the changes within me have been significant and lasting.

I'm eternally grateful for the opportunity to serve as a full-time missionary, as a representative of Jesus Christ Himself. I'm grateful for what I have learned and for how He has transformed me through the Atonement. His enabling grace supports and succors me each and every day. My sorrows, pains, struggles and trials are lost in the light of His love. I'm not sure what the future holds, but I know that He is with me every step of the way.

"Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren [and sisters]; and on, on to the victory!" (D&C 128:22).

Love,
Elder DeLong

How is music a conduit for spirituality?

I often find myself stressed out and worried about any or all aspects of my personal life – there's so much to do and not enough time to accomplish anything. How can I help my friends with their problems? How am I supposed to overcome my own struggles? I'll never be good enough… the list of fears and doubts goes on and on. In these moments, I sit down at my piano and just play. My worries and cares melt away as my mind is filled with chord structures, harmonies, and various other intricacies of music. This process has become second nature to me, almost by instinct. I don't think; I just play what I feel, making it all up as I go. It's a therapeutic catharsis for me; you might even call it a form of meditation.

Some would say that it's only because I'm doing something I love, but I know there's more to it than that. Just listening to music helps me to cope with the trials and difficulties of life. Why is that? As I've spoken with fellow musicians and friends over the years, every one of them who is truly devoted to their music has agreed that when they sing or play, they feel like they are part of something larger than themselves. Each of them has felt a “Higher Power” involved.

While I'm happy to play piano for church meetings and I enjoy playing as a professional accompanist for others, music is most fulfilling for me when I use my talents for the glory of God. To me, that means releasing my cares of what other people think of my voice or my self-consciousness of how good people think I am at playing the piano, and performing solely for God. It's as though I'm giving my whole soul to Him. I can use the musical gifts that He has given me as a heartfelt prayer or an expression of worship and praise.

A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of being involved in a concert where we depicted the last week of Jesus Christ's mortal life, the Atonement, and the Resurrection through a cast of soloists, choir (which I sang in for this performance), and full orchestra. As I sang with the choir of my Savior at our performance, I felt God speaking to me through the music, bearing witness to me that Jesus is the Christ. It was a beautiful, indescribable moment. I had felt near to Him before, but it had been fleeting and left little impact on my soul. Until that moment I had never experienced a feeling so vivid and powerful. My heart seemed to overflow under His influence and I felt transformed. It was as if some sort of channel had opened up between me and the heavens. Not only love, but light and truth descended upon me. I came to know that Christ truly suffered for my sins, and He knows my every sorrow and pain. Through His enabling grace, I can overcome my weaknesses. Because He lives, I will live again. His promises are sure, and He is with me in every moment of my life as I struggle on in faith. I came to know exactly what it means to “sing redeeming love,” to use a scriptural phrase. I felt His love stronger that night as my soul learned these truths than I ever had before and I will never forget that experience.

For me, this moment defines the true power that music has to allow us to commune with Deity. As I continue on in my life, I seek to recreate that moment in each and every day. It happens when I listen to peaceful music. It happens as I allow the Lord to remove my sorrows and sufferings when I sit and play the piano. It happens as I sing for Him, whether on my own or in front of an audience. He speaks to me in these sacred, special moments when I seek His presence. Music brings us closer to Him and heals our weary and injured souls. Through it, our Father in Heaven can communicate with us and send manifestations of His love, letting us know that we are never alone.

EXCLAMATION POINT!

Elder S. Gifford Nielsen will be touring our mission this week, going to all of our zone conferences! I'm pretty excited for that - zone conferences are always great, but especially when a General Authority comes!

I had my last district meeting this past Friday...it's strange to think that in an all-too-short week and a half, I'll be headed home. My two years are nearly up, but the end of my full-time mission is just the beginning of a life of participation in the Work of Salvation! In fact, I discovered this week that I will be at home for exactly 6 weeks before heading off to BYU for school...I literally move into my apartment in Provo on the next transfer day! I'll be at home for exactly one transfer, and so that's how I'm going to look at it. I'm just getting transferred to Mesa, and then to Provo. I'll still be a missionary, just in a different capacity of service.

We've had the chance to tract a little bit in the past couple weeks, which has actually been pretty cool. I feel out of practice a bit, so to speak, but we did have a couple of great experiences. At one house, I felt prompted to knock on the door across the street...we did so, and no one answered. As we turned around to walk to the next house, a car pulled into the driveway - turns out that the mother of the family (who got out of the car to talk to us for a couple minutes) went to school at Weber State and has several LDS friends. She has a very positive impression of the Church and asked for our number and any information we have! The Lord will lead us as we trust in the promptings He sends us through the Spirit.

Yesterday, I sang in church with three other brethren from the ward. We did a quartet arrangement of "How Can I Keep from Singing?" and it turned out quite nicely. It's such a joy to be able to use the talents that Heavenly Father has given me to glorify His name and bless the lives of others. I've decided that that's what my life needs to be about; I want to be able to touch the hearts of others through music. I don't know if that's through playing piano, singing, or writing music, but we'll see what happens. For now, I have the privilege to reach out to others as a full-time missionary.   =]
We found out yesterday from our Bishop that we'll be getting a new ward mission leader this week. It makes me sad, since Brother Hampton has been great. We should find out who our new WML is sometime soon.

Cool story from this week! We have a list of inactive brethren of all ages who fall under the category of "prospective elders." We've been visiting them and working on helping them come back to the fold. One such visit from this week was seemingly unproductive - the man was in his 60s, has never really been active, and wasn't interested in coming to church. His 20-something year old, non-member son Bryan was there as well, and he seemed rather apathetic to our presence. He was friendly, but nothing in what he said or did would have said that he's interested. We had a nice but short spiritual thought, and left our number for them to call us if they decided to come to church or if we could offer any sort of service. Bryan walked us out to our car; once we were outside, he began asking us tons of questions about the Church, the priesthood, who we are as missionaries, and if he could take the lessons. It was amazing! He remembers getting a blessing when he was younger (his aunt is very active, and used to be the Relief Society president in this ward), and asked if we could give him one. It was an awesome experience, and definitely a lesson that you can find those who are prepared in the unlikeliest of places!

Keep making those gospel invitations to those around you, and pray for direction from the Lord on who and how you can serve today. I promise you that great joy comes through forgetting yourself and serving others.

Love,
Elder DeLong

THE BOSTON RED SOX WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!

It's pretty legit to be serving here when something like that happens. Granted, it wasn't as big down here in Connecticut since we're farther away from Boston, but still. I was pretty excited to hear they won! 

Can I just say how much I have come to love this ward? I was sitting in sacrament meeting yesterday and was just overwhelmed by a love for these people and a desire to help them come closer to Christ. It was a wonderful testimony meeting besides that; I took the opportunity to bear my own testimony from the stand, since it will be my last time as a full-time missionary to do so in a fast and testimony meeting. 

We've been getting more and more splits happening with the brethren in the ward, and we're really starting to help a lot of the less-active members here, which is exciting! We also had a couple of unplanned service projects pop up: we raked leaves for an elderly sister in the ward, and the other happened right at our apartment. Our landlady had a couple of trees taken down a week or so ago, and the older gentleman who lives next door came over to split the logs that were piled up. This was in the middle of the day, right as we were finishing studies...we noticed him out the window, and decided to change into "service clothes" (jeans and a T-shirt) and help him out. He really appreciated our help, and it was a great experience for us as well. It's awesome to see how the Lord leads and guides us each day in the things we do in His service. 

We did an exchange with the Southington Elders this week (the other companionship in our district). I went and served in their area with Elder Butters and Elders Gibson and Seaich served in our area. It was fun to be able to serve with Elder Butters again - it's the first time I've had any one-on-one time with him since I trained him in Lowell. 

In case any of you are wondering, no, we didn't do anything on Halloween! We were asked to be in our apartments by 6:00 PM to be safe that night. A friend of mine and his companion had to leave their apartment on Tuesday, and didn't get back until yesterday. They're serving in Salem, MA...'nuff said. 

This week, I did my MTC teaching evaluation video for my application to teach there. It was fun to do, but not so fun to try and figure out how to get a recorded cassette tape into a digital format...Brother Carlson to the rescue! He's our ward's technical and computer wizard. Huge thanks to him for his help! In my defense, I had planned on just using my digital camera, but the microphone was just not picking us up from the distance it was at in order to get all of us in the frame. 

We had the privilege of attending our ward's Young Women in Excellence program last night. The Young Women presidency asked me to sing for it, and I was happy to do so. I sang "Face to Face" by Kenneth Cope - sorry Mom, I forgot to record it for you. The thought honestly crossed my mind, and I had my camera ready to go and everything...but then I realized that I forgot to give it to Elder Gibson to press "record"...oops. At any rate, that went well, and the program as a whole was wonderful. FOUR girls had earned their Personal Progress award, which is really cool. It was incredible to hear them bear their testimonies - I certainly didn't have that kind of a testimony at their age. I've been very impressed with the strength of the Church's youth here in New England, but especially the youth in this area. 

This week, as we were teaching an investigator, I bore my testimony to him of the blessings of the gospel and of how the Atonement of Jesus Christ has changed me. He stopped for a moment and said, "You know, I can see it in you two." He went on to say how we were such kind, bright, and positive people...but what he didn't realize is that he was feeling the Spirit. Those words stuck with me: "I can see it in you two." I know that missionary work doesn't have to be handing out copies of the Book of Mormon or inviting your friends to be taught by the missionaries - it starts with the faith in your heart and the light in your eyes, because those around you can truly see it! As you be an example to others and let your light shine, so to speak, you will be taking part in the work of the Lord. May He bless you and guide you as you do so! 

With love, 
Elder DeLong

My First Time as a Chili Cook-off Judge

This past Friday night, our ward had its annual Chili Cook-Off and Trunk-or-Treat party for Halloween. We didn't have any investigators come, but a couple of less-actives we've been working with were able to make it! And of course, who else to judge the chili but the Elders? There were 23 different pots full of chili that people had brought, and we sampled all of them, and then went back to our favorites, having just a spoonful each time. I think I ate enough chili just in judging it to fill me up for the night! It was a great time though, and I enjoyed it.

We've been able to get bikes and helmets from members in our ward, and so we've used those a couple of times this week! That's been fun, and humbling...I'm definitely out of shape. Let's just say my mission has made me a little more "cushy" as I've only been in areas that have cars. My legs are still a little sore.

We went on splits with members of the ward twice this week, and have two more nights for splits lined up for this week! Lots of work to be done in this area, and lots of potential as well! A couple of weeks ago, President and Sister Packard went to a conference with the mission presidents and their wives in the region. Several general authorities were there, including Elder S. Gifford Nielsen ("EXCLAMATION POINT!" from this last General Conference) who will be coming to our mission next month, and Elder Russell M. Nelson. President and Sister Packard shared a cool quote from Elder Nelson: "The day of members and missionaries working in different orbits is over." What an exciting time to take part in the work of salvation as the Lord is hastening His work! 

I'll close with a wonderful experience from this weekend. We went on exchanges with our zone leaders on Friday, and I've got to say, I really love Elder Moat and Elder Carvalho. They're fantastic leaders, full of love and a desire to help each of us in the zone succeed in the work. Elder Moat especially has become a great friend to me as we cope with nearing the ends of our missions. I had let him and Elder Carvalho borrow one of my CDs that they wanted to listen to, and so he let me borrow a CD of his that he thought I might enjoy; it was a burned disc, with the title "Uplift" written on it. I figured it was probably a collection of inspirational and uplifting hymn arrangements, and I thanked him for it. That night and the following morning, I was more depressed and upset about our lack of success and about my inevitable return home (and all fears associated with that) than I had been in a long time. Elder Gibson noticed that I was having a hard time, but as he has said, he doesn't really know how to help people when they're struggling emotionally. It came time for us to leave the apartment for the day, and I thought maybe some beautiful music would cheer me up. I put in the CD that Elder Moat had given me to listen to, but to my surprise it was a collection of audio tracks from several Mormon Messages, quotes from prophets and apostles, etc, each focusing on a quality such as diligence, priesthood duty, patience in trials, feeling the love of God, and service to others. It was exactly what I needed to hear that day, and there's no way Elder Moat or I could have been able to tell I would need it. I felt spiritually revitalized, encouraged, and filled with a new-found determination to contribute to the work of the Lord. I'm grateful for Elder Moat, for the words of modern-day prophets, for the Spirit, and for a loving Father in Heaven who knows me and reaches out to me in my times of need.

Love,
Elder DeLong

The Not-So-Obvious Blessings

This week has been challenging in some ways, and rewarding in others. We may not have any progressing investigators, but progress is being made in other ways. We've finally gotten splits up and running with the priesthood brethren in the ward, usually once or twice a week. We visit less-actives, help the members with their home teaching, or take them to our own appointments with us. The reaction has been pretty positive so far, and we're putting in a lot of hard work. The Lord is working miracles here, even if they're not in ways one would expect. 

Quick sum-up of the major events of the week! We helped a family pack up their U-Haul and then worked at a local soup kitchen one of the days this week. We had a couple of really great visits with part-member families that are showing some real potential. We dropped off several invitations for the Primary program throughout the week to less-active families who have children. We helped out at a memorial service that was being held at the church this weekend (I was asked to sing for it the night before - it turned out well even without a whole lot of planning or practice). Yesterday was the Primary program, and the Spirit was beautiful and powerful. I was touched as the children sang and shared their simple, sweet testimonies. Through many personal spiritual experiences this week, I have come to learn anew that the Lord is mindful of me and of each of us in our times of difficulty as well as our times of joy and plenty. 

Working hard and loving every moment! 

Love, 

Elder DeLong

Elder Upchuck

Well, I have to say that I'm pretty excited about things for this area. I've got just over 5 weeks left and I'll be making the most of it! All of our current investigators have been "too busy" to meet with us the past couple of weeks, so we're going to try and get short appointments with them all to explain our purpose and see if they're really serious about going forward with baptism. Until that can happen, we're looking elsewhere and working hard to help the ward as well. I love this area, and I love the people. The weather is cooling down, and the trees are truly a magnificent sight every day.

Thursday was weekly planning day - while we planned I made banana bread, using my aunt's recipe. It turned out awesome! We also went down to the marina for lunch that day. They have this little shack by the water called "Lobster Landing." We got fresh lobster rolls, which were delicious.

We helped an elderly member of our ward move this weekend - she was living in the spare room of her brother's house for a couple of years, and never let her cats out of there. I swear, it was like the cat hair was another layer of carpet to the room. I've never known if I was allergic to cats or not, but by the way I was hacking and coughing (got close to puking a couple times!), maybe I am. Oh well, despite the physical symptoms and the smell, it was good to help someone in need. Now she's in her own space, but the members won't stop calling me "Elder Upchuck"...

After district meeting on Friday, we took our lunches and went up to Castle Craig to eat them. Castle Craig is located at the top of the highest point along the east coast (within 25 miles of the shoreline), from Florida to Maine. 967 feet, or something like that...it was kind of funny to think that THAT'S the highest we'll get. It was cool though, because you could see to Hartford in one direction and to New Haven in the other.

The Lord has been showing me His hand each day, helping me to build my faith and be more grateful for the little miracles that take place each day. Things are going well in the ward as we're working with the members, and I know that He is preparing people to accept the gospel here! We just have to find them. A less-active, single-mom member we've met with a few times came to church yesterday, and the Relief Society sisters "swarmed" her and made sure she was taken care of. It was heartwarming to see her making the friends she needs as she's dealing with some tough things in her life right now. It was awesome to see her in the right place, feeling the love that others have and that God has for her.

I'll close today's letter with an exciting announcement: today I received notification that I've been accepted to BYU for Winter 2014! I'm thrilled about that, because I know that the Lord has answered my prayers. For now, though, I'll have to show Him my thanks by my dedication in this sacred work. Time to get back out there! =]

Love,
Elder DeLong

Dying in Madison

Receiving my final transfer paperwork (coming home)

That's right, folks. Neither of us got transferred, so I'll be spending my last 6 weeks in the field in Madison! This makes me happy, because I see great potential in this area. I hope to help the members here to take part in this great work and find progressing investigators. We've had some difficulties in those departments this past transfer, but I can just feel that we're on the verge of something big! We've had some success with a few less-actives recently, and the ward is really starting to trust us. We had some great experiences this week, including getting caught in the rain after zone meeting in New Haven and having to walk all the way to the train station! Hahaha...we've really been having a blast here though! Working hard and giving the Lord our all. Elder Gibson and I are doing very well together. General Conference was awesome this past weekend! My favorite was President Uchtdorf's in the priesthood session: "You are stronger than you realize. You are more capable than you can imagine. You can do it NOW." I'm sorry that I don't have more to write this week - I could tell you more stories, but we don't have much time today. I apologize for a short email; just know that I'm doing well and that I love serving the Master each day. =]

Much love,

Elder DeLong 

I've always wanted to write one of my emails like this!

A lake in our area (love the leaves changing colors!)

The Book of Elder DeLong

Chapter 22

1. And it came to pass that on the twenty-fifth day of the eleventh month in the two-thousand-and-thirteenth year since the time of the birth of Christ, a gathering of missionaries did take place in the chapel in the city of New Haven, in the state of Connecticut, within the northeastern region of the land. Yea, we did meet together to be interviewed by the president of our mission.
2. Therefore, having journeyed long by commuter-rail train because of a lack of miles on our car, we did arrive in New Haven with much anticipation to see those of our brethren within this zone of our mission.
3. And it came to pass that we did greet our brethren and friends with much joy and love, rejoicing in their goodness, especially the leaders of our zone, for they are true friends and they doth lead us in the way that our Savior has set forth.
4. And it came to pass that after we did gather together, President Packard did speak unto us in the energy of his soul. Yea, he did express his love for us and his desires for our success.
5. And after my companion had been interviewed, I did make my way in to visit with President Packard. We did share much in the sincerity of our hearts and spoke together of trials, faith, and strength. Yea, he did counsel me in the ways of truth and happiness.
6. Wherefore, I did also speak much unto him of the struggles in the area of working with the members of the Lord's church, and he did advise me in the ways I should go. Yea, my difficulties at this time are great, notwithstanding the kindness and hospitality of the several members of this congregation.
7. Yea, they do invite us into their homes and do impart unto us of their substance in great abundance, which is most delicious above all that is good. Even they do share with us in the Spirit of the Lord, and we delight together in the truth of our God.
8. But it hath come to pass that the members, notwithstanding their goodness, doth not so easily engage in the work of salvation, which doth cause our hearts to mourn and sorrow. For verily, this is the work of the Lord and we need great amounts of assistance to accomplish His will.
9. Nevertheless, I know in whom I trust, and we do proceed forth in our work with great enthusiasm and expenditure of effort. And it came to pass that we did leave the city of New Haven, much uplifted and filled with the Spirit of our God, and did take our journey home through the wilderness by train.
10. And thus we did take the knowledge we had been given by the Lord and did establish an appointment with the Bishop and ward mission leader in our area, and we did speak unto them in much boldness and sincerity of heart regarding our desires to work in this ward. 
11. And it came to pass that we did set goals and make plans together, having our hearts knit together in unity and desire for the work of the Lord to progress on the face of the land. 
12. And it came to pass that two days later, we did trade companions with the Elders nearest to us for the space of one day and one night, and we did work hard in our areas, eat much pizza, and rejoice together.
13. Therefore, having learned much as the servant of these my brethren, I did thank the Lord for the ways in which He had blessed us and instructed me to be the leader He needs over this small number of His missionaries.
14. And it came to pass that after we had returned to our own areas that Elder Gibson and I did plan exceedingly for our week and did make many phone calls unto the members of our ward to attempt to find times to visit them. Yea, we did stop in a beautiful park, and as we admired the beauty of the land we did call all the members we could in the certain towns that we would be in for the next several days of our work. 
15. And we did also try to contact those of our investigators, who have not been showing the levels of interest that they have previously, which has given my heart great cause to sorrow and be troubled. 
16. And notwithstanding the difficulty of obtaining appointments, I did glorify our God for the multitude of His tender mercies, and did give thanks in all things. Now, I do not write all of the feelings of my heart, for they are sacred unto me, but suffice it to say that I do feel deeply blessed and do feel the love of our God with the utmost power and assurance. 
17. And it came to pass that we did also attend the funeral of a young man who did tragically pass away in a car accident last weekend. Yea, his family did request that the service also be focused on sharing the gospel with others, and the leaders of our zone did request for our presence to help them make their necessary preparations for the funeral. 
18. Therefore, we did travel to the land of Woodbridge to assist them in the funeral service. The people of the land were weighed down with much grief, and thus were the affairs of the people on this day. They did honor the memory of their young friend, who was only seventeen years of age, who did hope to serve a mission for the Lord's true church. Yea, we did pass out copies of the Book of Mormon to those in attendance who were not members of the church at the request of the young man's family. 
19. And I did thank our God again for the blessings of the gospel and the peace and joy that it doth bring into our lives. Yea, it doth light our minds and bring us hope in our Savior, Jesus Christ. 
20. And it came to pass that the Madison ward of the New Haven stake of Zion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did meet together for fast and testimony meeting on this most recent Sunday. And it came to pass that the congregation's most recent convert did bless the sacrament for his first time. We have been helping him to prepare, he being eighty-three years of age, and he did bless the bread with strength in his voice and faith in his heart. Yea, my heart was warmed at the sight. 
21. And it came to pass that there were many beautiful and wonderful testimonies born by the members of this land, and it did fill my soul with joy and love for them. 
22. And it came to pass that I did serve in the primary, along with many other brethren, on behalf of the women of the ward who were attending an important meeting of the Relief Society during the 3rd hour of our Sunday meetings. Yea, I did play the piano and did rejoice in the presence of the young children of the church. 
23. And now, I, Elder DeLong, do wish to close mine epistle with an experience of my week which did touch my heart most deeply, yea, above all that had come to pass in this week. 
24. For we did eat in the home of a certain family in the ward, and when they did discover how long I have been serving the Lord as a full-time servant in the Massachusetts Boston Mission, they did rejoice with me and congratulate me in my success. And now, when they did this, I was surprised, and thought in my mind upon the other members who had made remarks of me going home soon. Yea, for this purpose, I used to try and hide how long I have been serving. 
25. Nevertheless, this family did rejoice with me in the service of the Lord, and did thank me and my companion for bringing the Spirit of our God into their home. I did feel of their sincere love and appreciation, which did pierce my soul, yea, even to the very center. 
26. And it came to pass that as we left their home and did drive away after much speaking with them and sharing in the joy of the gospel, I did cry many tears of happiness and of sorrow. Yea, I did sorrow in the small amount of time that is left in my service as a full-time missionary, but I did find great happiness in the knowledge that our Lord doth lead me and guide me each day. 
27. Yea, we do each have an important part in the work of the Lord, for which we have great cause to give thanks and rejoice. He doth use each of us as His instruments to bring salvation to His children, and His work for me doth not start nor find an end with my full-time mission. 
28. And now, my beloved brethren and sisters, I do bid thee farewell. May God be with thee till we meet again, or until I may write further unto you. 

Developing the Talent of Pondering

Hello all! It's been a long week, but things are really starting to go well. We've met with a couple of more less-actives who have great potential of returning to the Church, we got a new investigator in a small community in the middle of nowhere on the very edge of our area, the weather has been cooling down and is perfect right now, we had a really great exchange with our zone leaders, and on Thursday, I had surgery!

...okay, so not really surgery. It was just a small procedure to remove a cyst on my neck. Everything's fine. The only reason I bring this up is because I had a great experience chatting with the nurse who prepped me for the procedure. She noticed my name tag and asked me all sorts of questions about who I was, what kinds of things I do, and why I chose to serve. She was very interested and was excited to hear of someone my age doing something so good. She believes in God and wanted to hear more about the Church. I told her the short version of my personal conversion and gave her a mormon.org card with my profile address on the back (http://mormon.org/me/5st7) - it was really great to chat with her about the gospel and about being a missionary!

This past weekend was stake conference for the New Haven stake, and it was a privilege to hear such inspiring messages from the leadership here. Everyone's pumped up about the Hartford temple, and it's exciting to be part of the effort to prepare this area for a House of God! We got to hear 4 conversion stories from recent converts who also spoke, as well as the story of a woman who recently returned from years of inactivity. There was a beautiful musical number from 3 women in the YSA branch - a gorgeous vocal trio of "I Need Thee Ev'ry Hour." They each have music degrees and sang very, very well. One of the things that one of the members of the stake presidency spoke about was reverence in sacrament meeting. In his talk, he mentioned the need to disconnect from the world, from electronics, and to commune with our Father in Heaven. He said that we need to develop the talent of pondering, and admitted to not being so good at it himself. It really got me thinking about my own relationship with my Heavenly Father and about what I need to do to improve it. I've been working on making my personal prayers more meaningful and on seeking revelation and asking Him questions while praying. It truly is a difficult thing to do with all of the distractions of life, even as a missionary. However, I know that the effort is worth it as we strive to discover His will for us and listen for the promptings of the Spirit. We can receive guidance from Him and may even be inspired to serve another or open our mouths to share the gospel. I invite each of you to "develop the talent of pondering" as I work on doing so as well! May the Lord bless each of you and strengthen you as we serve together in this great work!

With love,
Elder DeLong

"Behold, I will hasten my work in its time" (D&C 88:73)

The Lord is indeed hastening His work! What more can I say than that? Things are really, really exciting right now. Not only are the members super supportive and really starting to trust us, but new investigators and potential investigators are beginning to pop up where we least expected them. I don't have much time to tell all the events of this week, but I'd like to mention a couple of special highlights:

One non-member husband in a part-member family invited us over to help him split wood this last Saturday. We worked for about 3 hours, and then he fed us lunch and gave us a tour of his entire farm. Without us even bringing up the gospel, he asked us to teach him the lessons. 

A young woman who lives across the hallway from (and is good friends with) a young couple in our ward, agreed to meet with us at the suggestion of her member friend. We taught her last night; it was a long but very powerful and spiritually moving lesson. She accepted a baptismal date right then and there. It was an incredible feeling! I haven't been able to teach like that in quite a while. 

In PEC yesterday morning, we discussed the 67 prospective elders on the ward list, most of which are inactive. Our goal is to bring back 7 of them in the near future. This is an amazing work to be a part of, and although it saddens me to think that I only have a couple of months to be a full-time servant of the Lord, I know that the work will continue when I go home. I'll just play a different part. The Lord has a work for each of us to do, as He told Moses in the first chapter of the Pearl of Great Price. I love being a part of this! There's lots of work to be done. =]

Love, 

Elder DeLong

Of New Suits, Long Drives, and Off-Roading in the Work of the Lord

Justin's apartment in Clinton, CT

Shotgunning an area is really hard work. We are scrambling around, trying to meet as many of the active families as possible and help them with their missionary efforts, attempting to ascertain the less-actives with the most potential for reactivation, and desperately trying to find some investigators. Lots to do, which is good! I'm learning even more what it means to lose yourself in the service of the Lord.

Before telling you about this week's happenings, I'd like to share my awesome find from this morning! We did a little shopping (before coming to the library) to get a "side bag"/"messenger bag" for Elder Gibson to meet with the new dress and grooming standards for missionaries - no more backpacks! As he was looking at those in the Van Heusen outlet store, I happened across suit separates that were on sale. I got a brand new, perfectly fitting suit, entirely by accident, for only $55.00!!! Such a great purchase. I'm really happy about that!

It's been a busy week, that's for sure. Lots of work being done, but lots of stories to share, too! Something interesting and memorable for each day of the week:

We had a bit of an off-roading adventure on Tuesday...thanks to our GPS being set on "shortest distance" we were taken on a very small, very rocky, and very muddy path quite literally through the middle of the woods. We almost got the car stuck at a few different times, but we couldn't back up through a mile or so of forest. It was a narrow escape, but we made it...and made sure to set the GPS to avoid unpaved roads.

On Wednesday, we drove up to Weston, MA (there goes about a fourth of our monthly mileage allotment...) for a mission-wide district leader council. It was about a 3-hour trip each way, and I drove. We made it there and back safely, but it was physically more difficult than I anticipated it being. The meeting was wonderful though and has helped me better understand my calling as a missionary and as a district leader.

After weekly planning on Thursday, we went out with our ward mission leader to visit a few families. He's great, and I feel like things are going to skyrocket here in this ward!

Zone meeting on Friday, and we also met with our only investigator as well as with a prospective elder named Josh - we're helping him get on a mission! He and 6 other young men from ages 17 to 23ish are our highest priority right now aside from finding investigators. I don't believe it coincidence that Elders were put in the Madison ward at this time...we have the amazing opportunity to help these young men prepare themselves for full-time missions, and what a blessing that is!

Saturday morning was fun...we helped chop down a tree in someone's backyard, which was the first time I've ever done something like that!

On Sunday, I witnessed a 14-year-old, wheelchair-bound young man with cerebral palsy pass the sacrament. It was a special moment for me for two reasons: the first of which being that it made me think of my dear sister Keira, who also suffers from cerebral palsy. This young man's condition was mostly physical, whereas my sister has both physical and mental symptoms. The second reason is that no matter who we are or what weaknesses we have (or think we have), the Lord has a work for us to do. We can all take part in this "marvelous work and a wonder" in some way here in this, the "dispensation of the fullness of times." Each of us has something valuable and important to contribute. 

We haven't had much success here yet, but we keep pressing forward! The Lord has much in store for this area and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.

With love, 

Elder DeLong

Greetings from Connecticut!

Justin at the Clinton Marina which is about a mile from his apartment (see his new address in side bar)

Things are off to a booming start for Elder Gibson and I here in Madison. We're doing well, and we're super stoked to be serving in this part of the Lord's vineyard! Ever since we got here, we've been making phone calls to all of the ward members, trying to set up brief appointments for us to get to know everyone as quickly as possible. 

Transfer meeting was awesome, and so was trying to fit 10 missionaries  (and the current earthly belongings of 7 of them) into 3 cars. 3 areas in our zone here got "shotgunned" (meaning both missionaries were taken out and 2 new ones were put in), and the other two areas don't have a car. We had to leave some things behind, but we finally managed to stuff everyone and everything else in. And then came the 3-hour drive down to New Haven, CT...fun times. 

Yesterday, we got to go to the temple - which is one of the reasons why this email didn't come until today. This included getting up at 3:45 AM and meeting our ride at 4:30, so we could drive and make it to the temple by 7:00...and then we had to wait in line for about 2 hours to get into a session! There were so many people there, missionaries and regular members alike. Prior to our session, I had the opportunity to be baptized and confirmed for an ancestor of mine that I found a couple of weeks ago as I was doing some family history work to practice using the website. We left the temple at 1:15 PM, and didn't get home until 5:30! 

On Sunday, we got a VERY warm welcome from the ward! Our dinner calendar for the month of September filled up almost entirely, and the Elders Quorum president and our ward mission leader have been discussing setting up exchanges on a regular basis for us. Many fathers expressed their gratitude to have us in the ward as an example for their sons. The Bishop is excited to have us as well, and gave us the names of several part-member families where the husband is not a member as well as the names of quite a few prospective elders to work with. As I was praying to close our correlation meeting with our ward mission leader after church, I felt something very powerful that I will never forget. I know that the Lord is pouring out His Spirit upon this area, preparing it for the temple in Hartford. Big things are about to happen, and He needs us to give Him everything we've got! That's just what we'll do. =]

Love, 

Elder DeLong

**Just a side note from Mom, he was also made district leader.**

One Last Chance

Well, I won't keep you all in suspense longer than is necessary. I'm getting transferred tomorrow! I'm headed to Madison, Connecticut. Not a single person here in Worcester (no H in Worcester, Mom!) has known where it is, so I had to figure it out on a map...it's about 20 miles east of New Haven, right on the coast. For those of you who remember, it's where we had the mission conference the night before our Hurricane Sandy cleanup day! I already know my new companion, Elder Gibson - he served in Nashua while I was in Lowell. I'm glad to be serving with him. The most interesting part about this transfer is that both of us are getting transferred there, and both of the missionaries there are being transferred out. Some people call it "white-washing" and some call it "shot-gunning"...our mission calls it shot-gunning. The most interesting part? We're replacing Sisters. This is the first time I've ever heard of that happening! Sisters have replaced Elders several times since there have been so many new Sisters coming in and new areas being created, but I've never seen Elders replace Sisters...so I'm excited to see what happens! I'm really looking forward to my new area; this will be my first time shot-gunning and I'm ready for the challenge. When I read the T-text with my name on it, I felt the Spirit rest upon me similar to the way He did when I opened my mission call. I know God wants me to be in Madison, Connecticut and the call came from Him through President Packard. I feel as though He's giving me one last major assignment before I go home. This will most likely be my last area, and my last chance to give my all to the Lord.

It always seems like the work begins to pick up and things start coming out of the woodwork right before you get transferred...that's okay though. Elder Broadhead is a hard-working and capable missionary. This area is in very good hands, whether he agrees with my compliments of him or not! =]

It's been a good week. I enjoyed having a mini-missionary with us - he's very intelligent and very prepared for his mission when the time comes for him to put in his papers after his last year of high school. It was an honor to teach him and be a part of a great experience and fond memory for him. I went on exchanges with the zone leaders here on Wednesday, and had a great time with Elder Rushforth (he's also going to BYU in January with me and Elder Young). I actually got sick AGAIN and we ended up having to go back to their apartment so that I didn't puke everywhere...not a fun time. I was feeling better by the next day, so everything's fine. 

I'm actually doing really well, now that I think about it. I'm happy, I'm healthy, I'm loving my mission, and I can't wait to see what my new area has in store. It's been nice having everyone say goodbye to me, expressing their sincere appreciation for the work I've put in here, as well as their love for me. Four months here went by really, really fast. I'll miss it here, but Heavenly Father has need for me elsewhere. "Shall we not go on in so great a cause? ...Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!"

With love, 

Elder DeLong

An High Priest of Good Things to Come

What a week! It's been crazy. Things are picking up, and though we still aren't having as much success as I'd like, I can feel the hand of the Lord leading us along each day. We did some street contacting in Clinton this week, and it was great to be out in the beautiful weather talking to people. It's been a while since I've done that, and I really enjoyed it. I think we'll go again this week! We had a few great teaching experiences and spiritual experiences as well this week, and were able to give blessings to a couple of people in need of them. I read on LDS.org recently that the number of full-time missionaries has passed 75,000! What an incredible time to be serving a mission! 

This week, we have a mini-missionary with us! His name is Hunter, he'll be a senior in high school next year, and he got here Saturday night. He's from Mystic, Connecticut and will be staying with us until Friday. He's literally a 3rd companion and will be coming with us to all of our appointments, meetings, contacting efforts, etc. He gets to live the missionary life for a whole week and see what it's like! I wish I would have had an opportunity like this when I was his age. This is organized through the stake and through our mission president. Mini-missions, as they're called, can last from a couple of days to a week. This is the first time I've had the privilege of hosting a mini-missionary, and we're excited to have him with us. 

Sister Horman, one of the senior missionaries who works in our mission office, called me this week to confirm my departure date and schedule my plane ticket home. That phone call tore me apart. It bothered me and upset me more than a lot of things have, recently. A while ago, I had to start getting things figured out for school when I go home - I did all of that, got my application to BYU in, and couldn't do anything else. For the past month or so, I worked without much thought of going home...and then Sister Horman called me. This past Friday marked 99 days left on my mission, and as a tradition here in the Massachusetts Boston Mission, we went out to lunch at this restaurant called 99 that seems to be only in New England. Elder Broadhead figured out that 99-day mark, and announced it in our district meeting. This week has been rough for me in regards to these feelings of not wanting to go home and of time slipping away from me. Elder Hanberg reassured me, however: he told me that the Lord needs me in other places. There are other people who need me. I'm going to BYU for a reason, I just have to find out why. He's right! This work doesn't end when my tag comes off; it's only just begun. This is just like another transfer...only it's farther away and into the unknown as I take "one step enough for me" as the Lord lights my path just enough to go a little further (see Hymn #97, "Lead, Kindly Light"). 

Also on the theme of "endings" is the fact that we had our last musical fireside last night. I wept at the thought of this marvelous thing coming to a close, and felt the Spirit bear witness to me afresh as I bore my testimony through piano and voice. I'm so grateful to have been a part of this fireside - over the course of these 11 evenings, I have learned and grown more than I thought I could. This has been a major tool in the hands of God to change and shape me forever. Naturally, I'm sad that it's over, but I know that the Lord has more in store. I still have 3 months left, and I will serve Him with everything I've got. He guides me each day and will continue to guide me when I eventually return home. He is "An High Priest of Good Things to Come" (see Jeffrey R. Holland's talk of the same title, Oct. 1999), and I will forever trust in Him. 

With love, 

Elder DeLong

Child of Light

 My zone helping someone move (wearing my family reunion shirt)

 Me and Elder Thorn at zone conference

This was an incredible week. We got a new investigator (that was the first real investigator lesson we've taught in a while), we had zone conference on Friday, we did another musical fireside on Saturday...some unforgettable experiences, for sure. 

Last P-day, we hiked through Purgatory Chasm (not as scary as it sounds), which is a small, rocky canyon just outside of Worcester. Sorry Mom, I forgot to bring my camera...pictures will have to wait. We had a good time! Not sure if we have any monumental plans for P-day today...we'll see. 

I had the great privilege of substituting for the Primary Chorister this week (yesterday)! I loved it, and had a blast with the kids. Primary is a special place, and I'm glad I got a chance to serve there this week. It reminded me of when I was called to serve in that calling in my home ward - I cherished that time I was able to spend teaching those kids! 

More service this week! We continued helping Reg lay flooring downstairs, and did some yard work for two different elderly couples in the ward. One of those two couples has been out of town, and we did it as a surprise! We've done some work for them before, and they mentioned how badly some more things needed to be done...they'll get home this week to the surprise of those hedges being trimmed a bit, the lawn being mowed, the garden cleaned up and taken care of, and those HUGE rose bushes cut back. It feels good to help others in need, especially when they can't do those things for themselves. Same goes for family history and temple work. =] 

Zone Conference was amazing. I always love those, because of inspiring messages, seeing old mission friends, and getting trained on how to be better missionaries. This time, it was held at our chapel in Worcester, and our ward's Relief Society provided lunch for us. It was great to see some familiar faces from other zones, including Elder Langford! He was there to talk about the digital mission (he was called to be it's project manager), which was really cool to hear about. What they're basically doing is gathering articles and personal experiences written by members of the Church in our mission to a blog, and then "injecting" themselves into places where "religious" topics are being discussed. There's a search engine that was "built" to find these topics, used by those in the digital mission. For example, it could find an article written about the tragic death of a teenager and how his high school classmates are having a hard time coping. One of the missionaries could post a comment on this online newspaper article offering condolences, and saying how someone they knew went through a similar experience. "If you'd like to read a a blog post on how he dealt with it, click the link below. Stay strong!" and that link would take them to an article on RealLifeAnswers.org! It's a really cool concept. On that blog site that I gave, there's a chat link to speak with our digital missionaries, and they can then connect those people with the missionaries in their area! If the person doesn't live within our mission, then they will direct the individual tomormon.org and the referral system there. Pretty cool, right? Sister Bringhurst and I did a musical number: "Blessings," originally written and performed by Laura Story. I played piano and sang "backup" as Sister Bringhurst sang the main part - it went very well. The rest of zone conference after all the trainings was very spiritual. Each of the members of our mission presidency spoke, and it was wonderful to hear them. We closed by singing "The Spirit of God," and it was probably as powerful as I've felt that song be sung. 

In the musical fireside this weekend, we added a new number: "Child of Light," originally written and performed by Mindy Gledhill. Sister Jordan had asked me to write out the string parts as heard on the track, and to arrange things otherwise as needed. That took a bit of time over the past couple weeks in my spare moments, but I did it and felt good about it. For the fireside's performance of it, Sister Jordan played piano, Elder Jones played guitar, Sister Hoellein played viola, Sisters Rainsdon and Sorensen played the two violin parts, and Sister Bringhurst sang. It came together so beautifully, and I was deeply touched. The Lord worked through me to make that piece happen. I truly feel that He showed me a glimpse of my calling in life; I was filled with such peace and joy as I listened. The Spirit was so strong, testifying to me of the truthfulness of the doctrine that the song teaches, and also of the path that the Lord is taking me on in my life. I trust in Him, and He leads me along. 

May each of us learn to trust in Him as we take one imperfect step after another on our lifelong journey of discipleship. Godspeed! 

Love, 

Elder DeLong

Serving and Working Miracles in the Name of Our Savior

Apologies to everyone again for my short, detail-less email last week. It's a bummer when you're only allowed to use a certain amount of time on a public library's computer...anyway, I decided to write my group email FIRST instead of last this week. =]  

I didn't get to mention in my email last week that a recent convert in my last area got her mission call - she'll be serving in the Arizona Gilbert mission, right next door to my home town! How crazy is that? 

We got to do some family history work this week! I found a couple of names in one of my lines that are ready to go to the temple to have their work done, which is exciting! I took as many of the lines as far back as I could...the farthest I got back? Raphael de Podio, born in Rome, Italy in 1011. Cool stuff! I also found photos and stories on my ancestors on my mother's side of the family who were the first ones to join the Church: Mary Ann Huntley and her husband, James Lewis Burnham. They were baptized when Joseph Smith was alive, and then moved to Nauvoo. James actually worked in the quarries to help build the Nauvoo temple! 

We're doing a new musical number for the next couple of musical firesides: "Child of Light" by Mindy Gledhill. I transcribed and the string parts from the recording and arranged a few other things for the strings to play to fill in the gaps. I can't wait to hear it all put together!  

I got really, really sick this weekend...some sort of stomach bug. It was a nightmare. I'll spare everyone the nasty, gory details. Long story short, we stayed home and missed church yesterday. I'm feeling better today, but I'm still taking it slow as far as eating goes. Don't worry Mom, I'm doing just fine. =] 

We did a LOT of service this week. Painting, laying hardwood flooring, all sorts of things. I'm only beginning to see the power that service can have to soften the hearts of others. We have a potential investigator named Joe - we haven't even started teaching him yet, but he agreed to let us come and help him fix his brother's porch. We met his brother Craig, Craig's wife Stephanie, and their young two sons. They were very hospitable and Craig even ended up making us lunch. He had all sorts of questions for us about how missions work and who we are and why we're doing what we're doing. The entire time, I couldn't help but wonder if he would have even given us the time of day if we had knocked on his door in normal missionary attire. Now we have another potential family of investigators in addition to Joe, all because we spent a Saturday morning helping to fix their porch. I believe that as missionaries, we're doing what Christ would be doing if He was here: serving and teaching others. 

To close, I'd like to share a true miracle that happened this week. Most of the time you hear stories like this at general conference or in someone's sacrament meeting talk, but this one happened to us. A woman in our ward has had problems with her big toe on her right foot for quite a while, and had part of it taken care of but still needed surgery on it. The day before her surgery appointment she asked her home teacher to come and give her a blessing; he called us and asked us to assist him. I anointed, and the home teacher sealed and gave the blessing. The next day, this home teacher called us, saying that this sister had just called him. She said that during the blessing, she felt tingles from her head to her feet. When she went in for her appointment, the doctor unwrapped the bandages on her toe and just stopped what he was doing as he looked at it. He said that he wasn't going to even touch her toe, because it was healing perfectly. That was my first time being part of an instantaneous healing. I am truly grateful for the privilege it is to hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, to be made worthy to exercise it in righteousness through the Atonement of Christ, and to have been part of this sacred experience. 

This work is true, and our Savior stands with us. 

Much love, 

Elder DeLong

Birthday follow-up

Enjoying my raspberry cheesecake from Wholly Cannoli

 

 

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, especially to my mom for her amazing surprise! She ordered me a cake and a dozen cannolis from this famous place here in Worcester called "Wholly Cannoli" - I definitely had to share all those delicious treats. It was a good birthday, especially since I didn't get to focus on myself too much. Life is happier when you spend your time serving others.

 

Happy Pioneer Day, as well! What a great heritage we have. I'm thankful for those early Saints and for the sacrifices they made to pave the way for the Kingdom of God to grow on the earth!

 

We found out this week that the 4 visa-waiting sisters in our mission got their visas! Sis. Telfer and Sis. Goodrich, who I've met and come to know, are 2 of them. It's sad to see them go but I'm exciting for them to finally be going to Argentina!

 

There was another fireside this past weekend - it went very well. It's been a privilege to be part of these firesides.

 

The work is good. Slowly progressing! Not a whole lot of time today, sorry everyone. Much love!

 

-Elder DeLong

21 Years

Today is my 21st birthday! Thank you so much to those of you who have already sent me emails, cards, and gifts to wish me a happy birthday. Favorite part of my birthday so far: a T-shirt that my mom sent me. It says, "I live in Arizona but I love Boston!" =D 

One thing I thought of this morning...some people feel like turning 21 brings them more freedom with the opportunity to legally purchase alcohol. I realized today that true freedom comes with having this legal permission, and still choosing "liberty and eternal life, through the Great Mediator of all men" (2 Nephi 2:27) - our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have chosen Him and His gospel (including the Word of Wisdom!), and thus I have found true freedom. 

This weekend we had a MASSIVE activity: a BBQ with both Worcester wards! Many less-actives and non-members came, which was very exciting. We also had another musical fireside; this one was in Bloomfield, CT. It went very well, and I felt really good about it. The Spirit was definitely present! I sang yesterday in sacrament meeting as well, this time with Bro. Becker in a duet arrangement of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief," with Sis. Andros on the piano. It was ward conference, and so the stake president was there along with many other stake auxiliary leaders. We had the privilege to sustain the general authorities as well as local authorities and leaders. Our investigator, who was there, raised his hand to sustain each individual, including The First Presidency and Quorum of the 12 Apostles. Granted, this may have been because he didn't know what was exactly taking place, but all the same, it was awesome to see this manifestation of his growing faith. 

I saw a quote this week on a member's fridge that has stuck with me, and I really wanted to share it with all of you. "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" The author is unknown, but I'm grateful for this powerful, thought-provoking sentence. The Lord is with us, and through His power we cannot fail in this work. 

Love, 

Elder DeLong