Monday, March 28, 2011

Week 42

I didn't get an e-mail from Elder Blackburn this week other than HAHAHA I love you... If you did, please send it my way so I can post it!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Week 41

So a couple people asked for things about PMG or mentioned it to me in their letters this week so I thought I would send my thoughts on it.

Alright, well PMG is great just cover to cover.
Chapter 1 is a really good chapter and takes a couple times reading it over for it to fully sink in but what doesn't right?
Chapter 2 is effective study and so it is good, but don't spend too much time on it the first go around.
Chapter 3 is the lessons and that yeah, you need to learn. Every member should have chapter 3 memorised.
Chapter 4 is THE SPIRIT. Julie B. Beck says, "The single most important task in this life is to learn how to recognize and respond to the Spirit".
Chapter 5 is the Book of Mormon and that is really good too. It was placed in there to stop Bible Bashing I think =D. "When all is said and done, every man is backed up to the wall of Faith and there he must make his Stand."

CHAPTER 6 is Christlike Attributes. Seek to develop an attribute one at a time and build. That is the only way to do it. Chapter 6 should be a continual study alongside the rest of your studies. One of those attributes should always be in a Daily Goal. Charity being the toughest and the one that most often alludes me =/.

Chapter 7 is learning a language. (Not too important for most (except Dana =D) but read over it anyways.)
Chapter 8 is goal setting. "If one masters this chapter, they will be at least 3X more successful and double their income later in life." -Bishop Pattenden England MTC.
Chapter 9 is Finding People. (read it so you know what missionaries have to do and how important members are!)
Chapter 10 is Teaching Skills. (Ask. Listen. Adjust.)
Chapter 11 is making and keeping commitments. It is a really good one as well.
Chapter 12 is Baptismal Interview...yeah not sure how to apply this to y'all...
Chapter 13 is sort of the government of the church up through the stake level and will be helpful to better understand the church and how it is run.

I originally sent this to Anna, but I felt as though other people needed to hear this last sentence too:
PMG will definitely help you turn the gospel from doing to becoming and that change is really what helps people make decisions that create the progressive feeling in life.

"Preach My Gospel was written on the other side of the veil and compiled here"-President Boyd K. Packer

Along with that, I have been thinking a lot about the build up of catastrophe's over the past couple years. Just off the top of my head I can see:

Haiti, Chile, Oil Spill in Gulf, New Zealand, Japan, all while an Iraq War is going on, then North Korea as well, and now I hear people talking about government leaders in Paris to talk about a war with someone else. Egypt is in overturn and also Libyan government is going nuts.

There are numerous signs of the times and it is only a matter of time until something lands on Europe whether Natural Disaster or man caused war. A lot of people wonder why God lets all of these things happen if he actually exists. We see many answers for these questions in the scriptures. The Book of Mormon has countless stories of how people were too prideful to listen until something bad happened. In a small way...I think our family was too busy and self centered in our lives until Dad was diagnosed with Cancer. It turned us back towards each other and made us more faith focused. Something that clicked however for me and I do not have any official doctrine for this besides PoGP and Apocryphal writings of Enoch, but it is this.

We have a body. So does the Earth. We have a Spirit. So does the Earth. God gave us Agency and will not take away that Agency even when we do things wrong that will effect and harm others. Why do we expect God to take away the "Agency of the Earth" as it growns under the weight of our sins it is carrying and cries every moment for God to end everything? Know that God is in Control and that he deals mercifully and justly in all things. He chooses the right.

"Moses 7:24 And there came generation upon generation; and Enoch was high and alifted up, even in the bosom of the Father, and of the Son of Man; and behold, the power of Satan was upon all the face of the earth.
25 And he saw angels descending out of heaven; and he heard a loud voice saying: Wo, wo be unto the inhabitants of the earth.
26 And he beheld Satan; and he had a great achain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with bdarkness; and he looked up and claughed, and his dangels rejoiced.
29 And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst aweep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?
30 And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of aearths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy bcreations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever;
32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own ahands, and I gave unto them their bknowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his cagency;
36 Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the acreations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great bwickedness as among thy brethren.
37 But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?
39And athat which I have chosen hath pled before my face. Wherefore, he bsuffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in the day that my cChosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in dtorment;
40Wherefore, for this shall the heavens weep, yea, and all the workmanship of mine hands.

AND HERE IS WHAT IT LEADS UP TOO:
48 And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the aearth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am bpained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I crest, and be dcleansed from the efilthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?
49 And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth? Wilt thou not bless the children of Noah?"

Ponder these things and then link them back into what is happening in our day:

59 And Enoch beheld the Son of Man ascend up unto the Father; and he called unto the Lord, saying: Wilt thou not come again upon the earth? Forasmuch as thou art God, and I know thee, and thou hast sworn unto me, and commanded me that I should ask in the name of thine Only Begotten; thou hast made me, and given unto me a right to thy throne, and not of myself, but through thine own grace; wherefore, I ask thee if thou wilt not come again on the earth.
60 And the Lord said unto Enoch: As I live, even so will I come in the alast days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil the boath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah;
61 And the day shall come that the earth shall arest, but before that day the heavens shall be bdarkened, and a cveil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I dpreserve;

I know all of the words of God must be fulfilled. Every decree, every covenant, every jot and tittle must be fulfilled.

I love you all!

Elder Blackburn

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Week 40

So we just had transfers yesterday and Elder Sandor is gone, I am here and Elder Peavler from Bliss, Idaho is here with me. He has been out quite some time and it is great to have his experience here helping me out. I haven't had much help in the teaching process recently so I will have to adjust the way I have been teaching. Elder Sandor was great, but he was a recent convert himself so we had some funny teaching styles...So Blackburn will be at least a 6 month area for me. So I am happy about that!

Last week we had a baptism of Barry so I hope you like the pictures. It was definitely a new experience, being the one in the water with him...I was thinking back and I think I used my priesthood more this past weekend in ordinances/setting aparts/blessings than I have since I received it. It got me thinking while I was passing the sacrament of the importance of the priesthood and the words of the Saviour in 3 Nephi about Priesthood, Baptism, and Sacrament. After church we were called in to help set people apart in their callings. Barry is already excited to get in the temple.

Since January I have been doing a study of PMG cover to cover and reading/doing/studying every scripture reference and activity inside its pages. I am only on page 67, and something I have learned is that PMG is jam packed full of information. I have read through the Gospel of Jesus Christ over the past couple of days and have felt really impressed by its words under Faith and Repentance. PMG is modern day scripture. It is the wording and teachings of modern day Apostles and Prophets. They approved every page. They accepted and stamped their testimonies all over it. If you go to LDS.org you can read an internet copy, but to be completely honest, you should all have one for yourself. There is no reason really not to own one. Make it apart of your EVERY DAY study. And if you are not studying as much as you should have, start with this. It will help you get started.

The power I have felt in PMG during the DMs I have had to conduct at is incredible and I am so greatful that I do not have to rely on my own understanding because while informative, I know it probably would not be exactly what the missionaries needed to hear.
I love you all! Keep up the good work!
Elder Blackburn


The first one is Barry and I obviously.
The second is Elder Sandor, Barry, Andrew (recent convert who gave us Barry's referral), and myself. The third one is the same, haha Andrew does not like his picture being taken.

The fourth one is Ben Sandham who is being baptised this Saturday. He is great.

love you all!
Elder Blackburn

Friday, March 11, 2011

Week 39

Hello,

This week was interesting. We were able to teach our two dated
investigators this past week. 1 is being baptised on saturday the 12th
and then the next is being baptised on the 19th. Barry is a referral
from a member who was recently baptised. I will definitely send you
pictures. I am excited for him. We were able to start teaching him
when he needed it the most and Andrew (the member) hadn't seen him in
20 years. Thank goodness he still lived in the same house! haha. It
just shows me that God knows all of his children...The work is moving
forward.

I got these from the josephsmith.net website. It is under the title "A
LEADER OF LOVE". check it out!

What set Joseph Smith apart from other dynamic leaders was the source
of his teachings: the God of Heaven. "The best way to obtain truth and
wisdom," he taught, "is not to ask it from books, but to go to God in
prayer, and obtain divine teaching."1

Joseph led with love. He recognized the worth of every soul as a child
of God. When asked why so many followed him, he replied: "It is
because I possess the principle of love. All I can offer the world is
a good heart and a good hand."2

The Prophet refused to place himself above others. Rather, as he
humbly said, "I love to wait upon the Saints, and be a servant to all,
hoping that I may be exalted in the due time of the Lord."3 Bereft of
pride, Joseph personified the Lord's counsel: "Whosoever will be great
among you, . . . shall be servant of all."4

In relation to the power over the minds of mankind which I hold, I
would say, it is in consequence of the power of truth in the doctrines
which I have been an instrument in the hands of God of presenting unto
them, and not because of any compulsion on my part.
History of the Church, 6:273; capitalization modernized.

A brother who works in the St. Louis Gazette office . . . wanted to
know by what principle I got so much power. . . . I told him I
obtained power on the principles of truth and virtue, which would last
when I was dead and gone.
History of the Church, 6:343.

I am at all times willing to give up everything that is wrong, for I
wish this people to have a virtuous leader.
History of the Church, 6:412.

In his journal for 1842, Joseph reflected: "Many were the
reverberations of my mind when I contemplated for a moment the many
scenes we had been called to pass through. The fatigues, and the
toils, the sorrows, and sufferings, and the joys and consolations from
time to time [which] had strewed our paths and crowned our board. Oh!
What a co-mingling of thought filled my mind for the moment, again she
is here . . . undaunted, firm and unwavering, unchangeable,
affectionate Emma."
Journal Extract, Aug. 16, 23, 1842, in Personal Writings of Joseph
Smith, comp. Dean C. Jessee (2002), 560, spelling modernized.


The first 4 are the sunset that was so crazy colored for england and
then the souls of my Jos A. Bank shoes that I just took out and then a
picture of Oscar and Nyasha Matapo. Yvonne and Peter's little
siblings. Nyasha is a Less-Active member and Oscar is a lazy 10 year
old kid...haha we are working on him though.

love you!

Elder Blackburn

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Week 38

These are some excerpts from Section 12 of "A Strange Thing in The Land" by Hugh Nibley

It is mostly centered on Zion today and Enoch. Combine that with the Priesthood and the History of the Church and your testimony will be strengthened.

I love you all!

Elder Blackburn


Zion is a glorious ideal, albeit a rare reality, in the world’s history; it is “the Holy Order that God has established for his people in all ages of the world when he has had a kingdom on the earth. We may call it,” said Brigham Young, “the Order of Enoch, the Order of Joseph, the Order of Peter, or Abraham, or Moses, and then go back to Noah …” who, of course, takes us to Enoch.

“They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory; And are priests … after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son. Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God.”“And when all the people in the region about heard that the Lord had chosen Enoch, they took counsel together and said: Let us go and acclaim [tsyelyim] Enoch. … And they hailed Enoch, saying, Blessed art thou of the Lord the King of the eternities! Now bless thy people and glorify them before the face of the Lord, inasmuch as the Lord has established thee as one taking away our sins.” (Slav. En., Vaillant, pp. 60f.)


Above all, Zion is the community of the Saints, the Elect, “the pure in heart,” who are “of one heart and one mind” so that there are “no poor among them.” (Moses 7:18.) This is the Zion envisioned by the prophets; the book of Moses, the Doctrine and Covenants, and apocryphal works all expressly call it the Zion of Enoch:

There the Saints live without discord or dissension; they are angelic beings, wise and gentle, without malice or deceit, constantly visiting each other. There is perfect agreement among the worlds, each having its particular glory and rejoicing in the glory of the others as all share their treasures of knowledge with each other. They are vast distances removed from each other, but through their common Lord and God they all share a common glorious awareness of each other.

Each of these worlds is a Zion, having no law courts, no hunger or thirst, no cold or heat, no hatred or fear, no war, no slavery, no harmful creatures or plants. Magnificent buildings stand beside tranquil seas; flowing springs give life-giving water. Everything vibrates with joy.

It was natural for the church in every age to identify itself with the Order of Enoch if only because that order is the only one acceptable to God at any time:
“The Lord spake unto Enoch [Joseph Smith, Jun.] saying: Hearken … [ye] who are ordained unto the high priesthood … who have assembled yourselves together. … The time has come; … it must needs be that there be an organization of my people … in the land of Zion—Or in other words, the city of Enoch [Joseph], for a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church … to the salvation of man. … If ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things.” (D&C 78:1, 3, 6.)
For “Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself.” (D&C 105:5.) “If my people observe not this law … it shall not be a land of Zion unto you.” (D&C 119:6.)
The presence of such a society is a standing rebuke to the rest of the world. As Brigham Young puts it, “We are following the customs of Enoch and the holy fathers, and for this we are looked upon as not being fit for society. We are not adapted to the society of the wicked, and do not wish to mingle with them.” (JD, 10:306.) Enoch was hopeful that his Zion, “a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God” (D&C 45:66), was here to stay; the Lord indicated to him that this was not to be:
When the sectaries of the Dead Sea labeled their society the Yahad (lit. unity, oneness) it was a reminder that unity is the first law of Enoch’s society by which the Saints are expected to live in every dispensation.
Moses 7:18. And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, … and there was no poor among them.
Though communities aspiring to the glory of Zion have been on earth a number of times, it is the final return of Zion in the last days toward which all the prophets have looked. And while the church in every dispensation had certain aspects that resembled the Zion of Enoch, the closest parallel will be the Zion of the End-time.
The Latter-day Saints have been taught to view their own dispensation as the ushering in of the final restoration of Zion. The Church itself, never again to be taken from the earth, must ever more closely approximate the Zion of Enoch as those “which have been scattered shall return to … build up the waste places of Zion … to be established, no more to be thrown down.” (D&C 103:11, 13.) It is the same work under the same auspices: “I am the same which have taken the Zion of Enoch into mine own bosom; … even as many as have believed in my name.” (D&C 38:4.) The Latter-day Saints “are they who have come … to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn. …” (D&C 76:67; italics added.) “The Lord spake unto Enoch [Joseph Smith, Jr.], saying: … it must needs be that there be an organization of my people … in the land of Zion—Or in other words, the city of Enoch [Joseph], for a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church.” (D&C 78:1–4.)
Zion is the common designation of the Church established in the world: “the land of Zion” being “in other words, the city of Enoch.” (D&C 78:3–4.) Even though the work is still in its preliminary stages, one is justified in saying, “this is the new chapel,” when only the foundations are in. Thus the Church can be called Zion even though its work has barely begun: “My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory … of Zion” (D&C 136:31), and if they are faithful “they shall have power after many days to accomplish all things pertaining to Zion” (D&C 105:37). The Saints are told not to despair: “Concern not yourselves about Zion, for I will deal mercifully with her” (D&C 111:6), and “Zion shall be redeemed in mine own due time” (D&C 136:18), “although she is chastened for a little season” (D&C 100:13). Brigham Young constantly reminded the Saints of the preparatory nature of the work in which they were engaged:
“We have commenced to organize, I will say partially, in the Holy Order that God has established for his people in all ages of the world when he has had a kingdom on the earth. We may call it the Order of Enoch, the Order of Joseph, the Order of Peter, or Abraham, or Moses, and then go back to Noah, and then step to our own position here, and say that we will organize as far as we have the privilege … under the laws of the land. Many branches of industry have been organized here to help to sustain each other, to labor for the good of all, and to establish cooperation in the midst of the Church in this place.” (JD, 17:113.)
“We are not yet prepared to go and establish the Centre Stake of Zion. The Lord tried this in the first place. … He gave revelation after revelation; but the people could not abide them.” (JD, 11:324.)
“Are we fit for Zion? … Could we stay in Independence? No, we could not. … Can the Saints see? No, or a few of them can.” (JD, 15:3.)
“Then do not be too anxious for the Lord to hasten his work. Let our anxiety be centered upon this one thing, the sanctification of our own hearts, the purifying of our own affections, the preparing of ourselves for the approach of events that are hastening upon us. This should he our concern, this should be our study, this should be our daily prayer, and not be in a hurry to see the overthrow of the wicked.” (JD, 9:3.)
“Joseph could not have been perfected, though he had lived a thousand years, if he had received no persecution. … You may calculate when this people are called to go through scenes of affliction and suffering, are driven from their homes, and cast down, and scattered, and smitten, and peeled, the Almighty is rolling on His work with greater rapidity.” (JD, 2:5, 7–8.)“While we were in Winter Quarters, the Lord gave to me a revelation … I talked it to my brethren … but with the exception of one or two of the Twelve, it would not touch a man. … I would have given [millions] if the people had been prepared to then receive the kingdom of God according to the pattern given to Enoch. But I could not touch them.” (JD, 18:244.)The spectacular departure of Enoch’s Zion will be matched by its no less astonishing return. There are things here beyond the scope of men’s everyday experience: “The redemption of Zion must needs come by power.” (D&C 103:15.) Once established in her place, Zion serves as a sort of bridgehead, preparing the way for the return of Enoch’s Zion, when the two shall fuse.