Elder DeLong Pukes on the Chapel Floor

...yeah. I did. It wasn't very fun. Storytime! Monday evening, I made dinner for Elder Johnson and myself. I think there may have been a bad can of cream of mushroom soup, but whatever the cause, Elder Johnson woke up Tuesday morning with food poisoning. He had bad diarrhea and when I asked him how he felt, he staggered back into the bathroom and threw up. I felt fine, and we had zone conference that day, which I didn't want to miss. The Spirit prompted me to stay back and take care of my companion, but I rationalized myself out of it. The APs had asked me to play the piano, plus, I love seeing old missionary friends and being spiritually fed. So, in a moment of selfishness, I called our district leader and asked for an exchange so that I could go. He and I went to zone conference, and his companion stayed with Elder Johnson as he slept. I was doing well, played the piano for prelude and everything, but towards the end of the first speaker, I felt a light wave of nausea. I panicked, realizing that I was probably sick, too. But again, my selfish desires demanded that I NOT miss this meeting. I fought it down, and was fine for a few minutes. A second rush of nausea came, and I again triumphed over it with will power. The third time, though, the Spirit nudged me as if to say, "You should probably get up now." I finally humbled myself and listened - I got up and calmly walked out of the chapel...but didn't make it to a trash can in time. I was behind the last row of pews, on my way out the door, when I vomited the contents of my stomach onto the floor...twice. A fellow Elder jumped up and grabbed my arm, yanking me down the hallway to the bathroom, puking as I went. Several senior missionaries cleaned up my mess and one of them (the mission doctor) helped me clean myself up. Let's just say that my suit had to get dry cleaned, but only after it got "wet" cleaned. I was more embarrassed than anything else, to be honest. The meeting went on after a brief pause as if nothing happened, and I laid down on the couch at the request of Dr./Elder Aldous. My district leader and zone leaders gave me a blessing, and then took me back home, where we switched back and the 4 of them went back to the meeting after giving Elder Johnson a blessing. He was amused by what had happened to me, and I got over the embarrassment. However, I was greatly humbled that day. Not only had I puked in front of my mission president, his family, the chapel's ward's bishop, and about 100 other missionaries, but I ignored a prompting from the Spirit and instead followed my own selfish desires. I knew they would have someone else to play the piano, but I wanted to do it. I knew I would be able to hear about the zone conference later, but I wanted to be there for it. I knew I would be able to see my fellow missionaries another time, but I wanted to go anyway. I didn't listen, and I paid the price for it. Elder Johnson forgave me, and we spent the rest of that day and part of Wednesday sleeping. We recovered enough to eat toast and then later some Ramen noodles in the afternoon on Wednesday, and felt better by 5 or 6 PM, so we went out to our appointments. The Lord will always find ways to humble us, even if it has to be through food poisoning. =P

That all being said, we actually had a really great week after the "gastrointestinal illness" episode. We had a fantastic lesson with Sopheak on the Plan of Salvation, and we got a brand new investigator for the YSA ward. Her name is Meredith, and she's been coming to church with a couple of her friends in the ward. She's definitely one of those "gift" investigators! She's been so prepared and is very ready for the gospel. I'm very excited to be teaching her, and I'm happy for the changes she's already making in her life. She expressed her excitement to read the Book of Mormon, she prayed at the end of the lesson, she accepted a baptismal date, AND she showed her faith by asking us for a blessing. It was an awesome experience. I've said it before and I stand by it still: feeling the love of our Heavenly Father for another one of His children is a life-changing thing. =]

This weekend, we moved the Portuguese Elders into our apartment, so now, there's 4 of us living there. It was comfortable with 2, but with all 4 of us there, it's cramped. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be, although my snoring (which hasn't bothered the heavy sleeper, Elder Johnson) has driven Elder Maldonado to buy ear plugs. I've also developed a cold within the past couple of days, which doesn't help with the whole breathing-through-my-nose thing. I'm not about to let some sniffles and sinus headaches hinder the work of the Lord, though! =D

As of Friday, I've been in the mission field for an entire year. I can't decide if it feels longer or shorter than that...either way, my time in the mission field is slowly dwindling away. However, I still have quite a bit of time left, and I'm determined to give the Lord all I have and more in that time. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to serve as a full-time missionary, for the chance to help others, and for the transformations that are occurring in my own life.

With love,
Elder DeLong

Our Heavenly Father can speak to us through anyone or anything...including dish towels. Yes, dish towels.

The Lord always teaches us in the most interesting ways. We had a lesson on receiving personal revelation with one of our investigators this week, and we each shared examples from our own lives. One of the stories our investigator shared with us, actually, had to do with something very unexpected - dish towels. She has dish towels that say "Faith, Hope, Love" on them, and there was one day when seeing those towels was an answer to her prayers. I wouldn't have ever thought that dish towels could be that special and sacred for someone, but we can't limit the ways in which God will speak to us. It was a very good reminder of the answers I've received in my own life.

While on the investigator note, I want to tell Sopheak's story (pronounced so-pay-uk). He's a Cambodian man in his 20s, and is the grandson of a member of the Lowell ward. He moved to the United States from Cambodia in October, and is in the process of learning English. He's doing a great job at it, and most of the time we speak English in our lessons. He's had an interest in the Church ever since he moved in with his grandparents (who are both members), and even though it was initially an intellectual interest, all conversions start somewhere! We've taught him 3 times now, and we're taking it slow, since Christianity is vastly different from Buddhism. This last week in our lesson with him, we watched "Finding Faith in Christ" and talked about following Him as our Savior. The Spirit was so powerful, and Sopheak accepted a baptismal date! He then prayed for the first time in his life, and it was incredible to me how real it was to him. He's not sure yet if he believes, but he has real intent to find out for himself. It was an amazing lesson! I can't wait to see how he progresses.

We had the chance to go to the temple this morning. I always love going to the temple, even if I'm utterly exhausted. There's always, ALWAYS a special Spirit that permeates every inch of these sacred buildings, and each time I seem to gain some sort of personal revelation or at the very least a manifestation of my Heavenly Father's love for me. For that, I am grateful - I definitely needed it today.

A couple of days ago, the city finally starting trucking away all the snow. It's been sitting around since Nemo hit, just mounds of frozen snow everywhere. Bulldozers have been loading the snow into the beds of dump trucks, and those trucks have been taking the snow somewhere else. Good riddance! Hahaha.

We're ALMOST done with the YSA contacting project...it's been a work in progress for a couple months now, and we only have 30-something names left to contact. I'm pretty happy about that! There may not be a whole lot of reactivation that comes from that, but I know it's part of what the Lord wants us to do for this ward at this time. He's preparing people here to receive the gospel as well, and I know we'll find them as we look for them according to His will.

That's all I've got for this week, I think. I love being part of this great work! Godspeed, everyone!

Much love,
Elder DeLong

Last Minute Transfer Changes and the Reign of Winter Storm Nemo

Justin found a stuffed Nemo in his apartment- how fitting!

"Where's the car??!!!"

My new companion, Elder Johnson

I have never seen this much snow in my entire life. For those of you who aren't aware, a blizzard hit New England this weekend, and it hit HARD. Winter Storm Nemo took its toll, and Lowell now looks completely different. In short, the city is practically buried. It snowed a good 2 feet or so, and then with the plows clearing the roads, there are monstrous piles of snow everywhere. I took plenty of pictures, no worries. Maybe my mom will put them up on the blog she's keeping up about my mission once I can get this memory card sent home. I don't think I've ever experienced anything like that blizzard in my entire life. Digging the car out afterward was its own adventure!

The four of us Elders here in Lowell bunked together for the storm in our apartment and had a great time. We were under lockdown and weren't allowed to leave the apartment from noon on Friday until 8:00 AM on Sunday. It was a good opportunity for the four of us to get to know each other better, since both of the companionships have changed with this transfer. We hung out, studied the scriptures, talked, played tons of board games, wrote letters, took naps, etc. It was a fun couple of days, but I'm glad to be back out and about, tending to this portion of the Lord's vineyard.

Transfer meeting was this last Thursday, and I've missed Elder Butters, but my new companion and I are getting along well. Here's the surprise part...it's not Elder Ban. On Thursday morning, Pres. Packard made a last-minute change in transfers. Elder Ban is now in Franklin, MA. As the APs (assistants to the president) read the "mission adjustments" (basically, how the entire mission will be with leadership, companionship assignments, designated drivers, etc.), they go by zone, and typically in alphabetical order of the zones, from what I've noticed. The 11 zones are Boston, Cambridge North, Cambridge South, Hartford, Hingham North, Hingham South, Nashua (my zone!), New Haven, Providence North, and Providence South, and Springfield. Franklin is in the Hingham South zone, and when they read off Elder Ban's name in that area, I was VERY confused. I was sitting in the front row, and Pres. Packard must have seen my puzzled look. He got my attention, and signaled me to come and sit next to him on the stand as the APs continued to read the list. He whispered to me, "That happened this morning." I later found out, as the Nashua zone was read, that my new companion is Elder Tory Johnson, from West Point, Utah. As I talked with Elder Johnson on the ride back up to Lowell, he told me that he got a call from Pres. Packard at 7:00 AM that morning, telling him that he was being transferred. He had about an hour or so to pack, and still made it to transfer meeting on time.

I was also asked to sing at this transfer meeting, and I wanted to share with you an inspiring story about choosing the piece I sang. It's called "You Have Nothing to Fear" and it's by Rob Gardner. When Elder Reber (one of the APs) called me and asked me to sing at transfer meeting, he asked that I sing "Make Me Whole," the song I sang at the mission's musical fireside last week. I was very happy to do so, but it occurred to me to sing "You Have Nothing to Fear" instead. My mom had emailed me last week about that song and I indicated to her that I had been thinking about it also and wanted to sing it for something. Sister Jordan played the piano for me (she played "Make Me Whole" for me at the fireside) - she's very talented and this was a simple piece. We only practiced once beforehand, about 5 minutes before the meeting! Of course, she played perfectly, and I felt really good about my singing. I wasn't sure why I wanted to sing that song so bad until after the meeting - many people, youth missionaries and senior couples alike, came up to me and told me how much that song touched them. Several people asked for the name of the piece. One non-missionary sister, a member from the area, who was in attendance told me that her friend was battling cancer, and that my song really meant a lot to her. She wanted to know the name so that she could share it with this troubled friend. Her eyes shone with gratitude and emotion, and it then hit me that the Spirit had gently prompted me to change the number I'd be singing. I'm grateful for that direction from my Heavenly Father to do so, and to have been able to touch the lives of others as an instrument in His hand, through the Spirit and through music.

Elder Johnson and I are excited to get to work now that the storm is past. Our companionship is off to a great start, and he's already proving to me that he truly is divinely called to be here in Lowell at this time whether he realizes it or not! He's contributed fantastic ideas to help a couple of our investigators who just can't seem to progress. I'm excited to see what this transfer has to hold.

Love,
Elder Justin DeLong

Another transfer in Lowell for Elder DeLong

Shaham and Dan DiRocco (She is Cambodian, but grew up in America- she speaks and cooks Cambodian!!)

Elder Mitton, who is going home this week

Well, transfer texts came in - I'll be in Lowell for another transfer. Elder Butters is going to Oxford, and Elder Griffin is going to the young single adult wards in Cambridge. Elder Ban is my new companion - he's from Cambodia (Justin told me he was called to the Boston mission to speak English). I'm sad to see Elder Butters being transferred, but I know that he is going on to greater things. He has grown so much since we've been together, and he's gained experience, confidence, and a joy for this work. I'm grateful to have been his trainer and to have taken part in his journey of becoming a powerful servant of the Lord.

We got our car back on Friday, which we were VERY grateful for. We also found out this week that the Portuguese Elders will be moving in to our apartment with us after transfers...it's going to be packed in there! I can't even imagine it, but I won't have to imagine soon enough. =P

This past Saturday, we had the first of several musical firesides that the mission will be doing, and which I am honored and very happy to be a part of. I really loved this weekend's "performance" - I felt the Spirit so strongly, and as a whole the program went very, very well. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to bear my testimony of the Atonement and of my Savior's love through song. There are about 10 participating missionaries who sang or played, and about 8 who bore testimony. It was almost like a "Music and the Spoken Word" format. I had a couple of very special and meaningful spiritual experiences while there that evening. That fireside wasn't just for the members and investigators of the Boston area, but it was for the participating missionaries as well. Pres. Packard and his 12-year-old son Michael sang "A Child's Prayer," and the Spirit hit me like a sack of bricks. I cried because of the strong emotion I felt as I thought of the simple truth of the song, but also because I couldn't help thinking of me and my future children. I saw myself singing with my future son or daughter, and I think that's how that song should be. That's what it really means, that's what it's about. There were many other musical numbers and testimonies, all of which were very inspiring. I played piano for Pres. Packard as he sang "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul" (by Rob Gardner) with his daughter Natalie, and I played for Sis. Jordan for the song she sang. I also sang a piece myself: "Make Me Whole" (also by Rob Gardner). I felt the Spirit testify to me of the truth of the words that I sang, it was a very powerful moment for me. Pres. Packard came up to me after the fireside and told me that the Spirit was with me that night. He also said, "You have a gift, and you magnified it. Or rather, the Lord magnified you." Life as a missionary is beyond difficult, but the Lord knows me and is helping me along the way. He supports and sustains me in every thought, word, and deed, and I truly do feel my Savior's love each day.

Also on Saturday, we had the baptism of Dan DiRocco, the newest member of the Billerica ward. I'm so excited for his family - they're well on their way to entering the House of the Lord to be sealed for eternity together.

Speaking of sealings, we had a lesson with an "etern-igator" this week that was incredibly spiritually powerful. Her husband is a member, as is her daughter. Her husband is in jail right now for a crime he committed prior to his baptism, and his wife (our investigator) began taking lessons shortly after her husband and daughter joined the Church. We felt prompted to talk about why the Restoration was important, focusing on the restored priesthood authority. Our discussion turned to eternal families and temples, and our investigator commented that she had heard about "being sealed" before, and asked her daughter if she had been sealed to her father yet. The member-present we had with us responded with just the right amount of boldness and love: "No - she can't. Children must be sealed to a parental unit. The mother and father must be sealed first." Our investigator simply said, "oh," and you could practically see the Spirit testify to her heart. She got emotional and the Spirit filled the room. I feel like she finally realized why we've continued to come over and see her. She loves having lessons, but she lacked the understanding of why the priesthood is so important. Our member-present went on to bear powerful testimony of the Restoration and of temple ordinances. It was a "perfect" lesson, and I'm excited to see where things will go for this investigator!

With love,
Elder DeLong

No car, and temperatures below freezing.... nice

Sorry in advance - this week's email will be short. Lots to do today, and we don't have much time here at the library!

As the subject line suggests, we will be losing our car today. I'm not sure if I mentioned this in past emails or not, but someone backed into our parked car a couple of days after Christmas...really unintelligent of that individual, but we forgive and forget, right? Except that we have to deal with not having a car this week while it's getting the small scratches buffed and re-painted at the local autobody shop...and it's below freezing here, all the time now. We'll try and be as productive as possible this week - I'm not letting the lack of a car keep us down! It's actually supposed to "warm up" to the 30s and 40s this week, so for that I am truly grateful. Tender mercies from the Lord help to keep me humble, but most of the time He has to use other means to make sure my pride is in check. =P

We have been busy, since we're technically now over 3 wards...the third ward (Billerica) is only one investigator, but he's getting baptized this Saturday! I'm grateful to be such a small part in his conversion. He's been investigating on and off for 8 years (his wife is a member), but about a month ago he called the elders and told them of his decision to be baptized. He's a great guy and has a lot of faith - we've just been reviewing the lessons with him and helping to prepare for his baptism. After that, though, Billerica will be shut down for a few months.

Most of our zone came down to Lowell a couple days ago, and we did another "blitz" to contact the inactive YSA members here in Lowell. About 95% of them have moved, some are there and not at all interested, and the remaining few (seriously, maybe 3 or 4 out of the list of 500 or so) have agreed to meet with the missionaries again. We're slowly but surely cranking through it!

We had an amazing lesson with one of those YSAs...his name is Raymond, and he opened up to us and told us about the difficulties he's had in his life. We've met with him a few times in the last 3 weeks or so, but this is the first time he's ever really talked with us. He's had a lot of issues in his family, and he cried as we tried to talk to him about it. He eventually told us that he couldn't "do this right now" and asked us to leave. We said a prayer together as a companionship in the car before we left the parking lot, and I think that's the hardest I've ever prayed for another soul. Our prayers were answered - he came to the Church basketball game at the stake center the next day. He's not ready to come to church just yet, but he's on his way.

I'm so grateful to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in this great work. May He bless you and your loved ones in all you do (especially missionary work!). Godspeed!

Love,
Elder Justin DeLong

My 4th time being in a trio. . .

I'll start this week's email with some interesting news - Billerica, a neighboring area to Lowell, has been shut down mid-transfer. Elder Butters and I now have a third companion, Elder Griffin, one of the Elders who was serving there. They have an investigator who is getting baptized in a week and a half, and so we'll continue teaching him and preparing him for baptism. But after that, no more missionaries in Billerica. Nothing bad happened, no missionary was drastically disobedient - an area needed to be shut down to make room for a new position and companionship of Elders serving in the mission office, and after praying about it, Pres. Packard felt to shut down Billerica and that the change should happen immediately. And so, here we are in a trio for the next two weeks. Trios are more difficult than a regular two-by-two companionship for a variety of reasons, even if you enjoy both of your companions.

Lots of exciting things are happening in the mission! I mentioned the new office assignment, and we're getting 66 new missionaries over the next couple of months! To top it all off, we're starting the traveling musical fireside, which I'm a part of, and the first performance is in Weston on Feb. 2nd - I'm really looking forward to this chance to bear my testimony through music.

Last Monday, the weather was PERFECT. Upper 50s, no wind chill...an all-around beautiful day! Then, it got cold. REALLY cold...and it's only getting colder. Wish me luck.

Elder Butters and I had the great privilege to speak to the youth of the Lowell ward this last Wednesday evening at their joint activity. The young women's president invited us to come and speak on how we decided to serve a mission, how we prepared, the things we've learned, and the experiences we've had. It was a wonderful opportunity to bear my testimony to those future Elders and Sisters. I hope and pray that something in what I said will inspire them and instill in them a desire to serve the Lord. My mission has changed me, and continues to change me, and I encouraged each of them to pray and ask our Father in Heaven is they should serve a mission so that they can take part in this "marvelous work and a wonder."

The Elders in the Nashua 1st, Nashua 2nd, Littleton, and Billerica wards came to Lowell this last Thursday, and together, we "blitzed" the city for these young single adult names. We all split up as companionships and were able to contact about 85 people, with another 20 or so that we need to go back and follow up on. It was an exciting few hours, knowing that those Elders were helping us to be more productive than we could ever be on our own. I'm so grateful for their help and for the zone leaders' idea and help in organizing this effort.

The Heritage Park ward has started a mission prep class that meets during Sunday School, and is taught by our ward mission leader. We have people from other wards joining our ward for this pre-mission time, and that's an exciting thing! There are 2 sisters in the class as of now - one with her call already, and another working on her papers. We also have a young man who is joining in next week, who just submitted his papers. It's exciting to have these individuals here in the Heritage Park ward and I'm thrilled to be able to help them prepare to serve!

We had an amazing lesson with one of our investigators this last week. She's been investigating for quite some time, and still isn't sure if she's ready to be baptized. The lesson itself was good, but I'll never forget how I felt as our member-present bore testimony to her. It was his first time coming to a lesson with us, and he testified not only of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but also of the divine power and authority which Elder Butters and I hold. He testified that we are not only servants of the Lord but also representatives of Him, and that he knew that we were powerful missionaries. The Spirit was so strong in that lesson, but especially in that moment. It really hit me right then how sacred my calling really is, and I was humbled to know that he thought so highly of us. I'm glad that our efforts and obedience shows through, but I'm more grateful for the knowledge and witness that came to me from the Spirit, telling me that Heavenly Father is pleased with our work. 

Miracle of the week! Story time: Bro. Xiong is a member of the Church from Laos who hasn't been active for several years. He has served in branch presidencies and as the Elder's Quorum President in the Asian branch that used to be here in Lowell. The Elders in this area have been working with him for about 10 years or so, trying to get him to come back. In that time period, he has attended church 3 times, with the most recent time being in 2007...until this week. We've been trying to help him come to a testimony of the gospel again, and something was different this last week in our lesson with him. The change of heart that he had was incredible - and then, he came to church on Sunday! He walked in the doors of the chapel, and my mouth literally fell open. I was so happy to see him there. What's even better is that he came in a nice suit, stayed for all 3 hours, and looked happier than I've ever seen him.

1 Cor. 9:16

Love,
Elder Justin DeLong

The Nashua Stake Conference, January 2013

This last weekend was stake conference! There was a leadership training meeting for all members of the ward council (including full-time missionaries) on Saturday afternoon, an adult session on Saturday evening, and the general session on Sunday morning. The adult session was cool - each ward presented a musical number (solo or small group number) and a spiritual thought to accompany it...it was almost like our stake's rendition of "Music and the Spoken Word" that airs each Sunday morning. I enjoyed that, and actually played the piano for the Heritage Park ward's number, "This is the Christ." Translating for the general session was difficult (2 hours long!), but a growing experience for sure. Pres. Packard spoke at the leadership training meeting, and both he and his wife spoke at the general session. I love hearing them speak, especially Pres. Packard. He's an incredible man, and every time he speaks, it's inspiring, powerful, and deeply moving. We actually had interviews with him this last week as well, and mine was really great. I honestly believe that I'm not only here to be with the companions I'll have and to serve the people where I am while here, but also to be under his leadership, influence, and guidance. My life has been altered and strengthened from having him as my mission president, and I am forever grateful.

This week has been pretty great! We had dinner for the first time at Bishop Sears (of the Heritage Park ward)'s home with him and his family. I truly feel like we have a good working relationship with him now, and that he trusts us to do the work we say we will do. I'm grateful for the chance we had to associate, discuss what we can do to help the ward, AND "coach" their family in their missionary efforts.

I am also happy to report that our new investigator from last week, Josh, is rapidly progressing, and has already committed to quit smoking! He's been reading the Book of Mormon, praying, etc. Unfortunately, he didn't make it to stake conference, but he's super open to us teaching him on a regular basis. He has already told us that we are his friends and that he trusts us. He also accepted a baptismal invitation this week, with a date of February 24th. =]

I am NOT so happy to report that I was pulled over by the police for the first time in my life this week. I had just barely missed the yellow light at the previous intersection by a fraction of a second, and it just so happened that there was an undercover cop in the next lane. He pulled me over, charged me with running a red light, gave me a ticket, and told me to be more careful. I know that it was my fault and I do drive safely, but we were late for an appointment and I thought that I was in the intersection before the light turned red. I admitted my fault though, and paid the fine. That's the last time I will ever pull a move like that - an infinitesimal fraction of a second cost me $150, but I learned my lesson.

We had a really great experience this week with an inactive Cambodian member, and I'll close this email with that. We were leaving a member's home in downtown Lowell after dinner, and as we began to drive down the road, we passed a street - Chapel Street. Instantly, my mind flashed to a member who lived on that street that we had tried to visit on two separate occasions, and I felt a strong prompting to go visit him right then. At first I pushed it away, thinking that he probably wasn't there, and no one would answer the door, like the past times we tried, but the thought persisted. So, I flipped the car around (safely, of course) and we drove to the house. I explained my feelings to Elder Butters and we went up to the door. Someone answered, let us in, and we were finally able to meet this member we had been trying to track down. It turns out that he goes back and forth between here and Cambodia, that he has been in Cambodia for the last several months, and that he had just arrived back here in Lowell a day or two before. He told us about when he served a mission in Cambodia (he was the first Cambodian member to serve in Cambodia), expressed his desire to come back to church, and bore his testimony of the Book of Mormon. I felt like a true missionary that night, knowing that I was on the Lord's errand. I am honored and humbled that He trusted me with the prompting to assist one of His needful children.

I hope you all are healthy and doing well - I certainly am! If you want a further measure of the peace and joy that the gospel brings to your life, then share it with others. I promise that the Spirit will be more richly abundant in your life as you do so. =]

With love,
Elder DeLong