Sunday, April 24, 2011

Letter From a Missonary Couple

Dear Blackburn Family,

Your dear missionary son has just left our area and we wanted you to know what a great leader he is. He has been our district leader since we were transferred here from the Newcastle-under-Lyme/Stoke-on-Trent area. We have known your son since he first came out as we were serving in the same district when he arrived. He has always been very on top of things in the ward and area in which he serves, covering a lot of ground with less actives in the ward and bringing in new investigators. He is a hard worker and totally obedient and dedicated to the Lord's work. We marvel at how he leads in all the meetings and makes sure things are getting done. He has a great sense of humor as well. We like how he firmly suggests what needs to be done, but never acts more important than anyone else. He is humble and teachable. We are sure you are very proud of your wonderful son and we thank you for bringing up such a fine young man who in confident in his testimony and is fearless in sharing the gospel with others. He has certainly been loved by the ward members here and will be missed. His new area will love him just as much. It is impossible not to love Elder Blackburn! He is a sacred missionary.

Have a Happy Easter!!

Love,

Elder and Sister Blain
Senior missionaries

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Cool Coincidence

That is Sister Genelle Willis and she is serving in Temple square. I had tea at her families house last week and I almost choked to death cuz I didn't chew the chicken and laughed! I literally thought I was going to die for a second! haha. It was really funny afterwards though. I played it off cool =P.
Elder Blackburn

Week 45

I do not have a lot of time but I wanted to share this with you. I love you all. The remedy to your's, your friend's, and your families' problems have a remedy in these words. Find the remedy that you need this moment and apply it. "Just like people will not seek medicine until they know they are sick, so too, will [we] not see Christ until [we] know [we] need him." Don't wait until it is too late.

I love you

Elder Blackburn


President Thomas S. Monson-Power

Now, I have thought a lot lately about you young men who are of an age to marry but who have not yet felt to do so. I see lovely young ladies who desire to be married and to raise families, and yet their opportunities are limited because so many young men are postponing marriage.

This is not a new situation. Much has been said concerning this matter by past Presidents of the Church. I share with you just one or two examples of their counsel.

Said President Harold B. Lee, “We are not doing our duty as holders of the priesthood when we go beyond the marriageable age and withhold ourselves from an honorable marriage to these lovely women.” 6

President Gordon B. Hinckley said this: “My heart reaches out to … our single sisters, who long for marriage and cannot seem to find it. … I have far less sympathy for the young men, who under the customs of our society, have the prerogative to take the initiative in these matters but in so many cases fail to do so.” 7

I realize there are many reasons why you may be hesitating to take that step of getting married. If you are concerned about providing financially for a wife and family, may I assure you that there is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save. It is generally during these challenging times that you will grow closer together as you learn to sacrifice and to make difficult decisions. Perhaps you are afraid of making the wrong choice. To this I say that you need to exercise faith. Find someone with whom you can be compatible. Realize that you will not be able to anticipate every challenge which may arise, but be assured that almost anything can be worked out if you are resourceful and if you are committed to making your marriage work.

Perhaps you are having a little too much fun being single, taking extravagant vacations, buying expensive cars and toys, and just generally enjoying the carefree life with your friends. I’ve encountered groups of you running around together, and I admit that I’ve wondered why you aren’t out with the young ladies.

Brethren, there is a point at which it’s time to think seriously about marriage and to seek a companion with whom you want to spend eternity. If you choose wisely and if you are committed to the success of your marriage, there is nothing in this life which will bring you greater happiness.

When you marry, brethren, you will wish to marry in the house of the Lord. For you who hold the priesthood, there should be no other option. Be careful lest you destroy your eligibility to be so married. You can keep your courtship within proper bounds while still having a wonderful time.

Now, brethren, I turn to another subject about which I feel impressed to address you. In the three years since I was sustained as President of the Church, I believe the saddest and most discouraging responsibility I have each week is the handling of cancellations of sealings. Each one was preceded by a joyous marriage in the house of the Lord, where a loving couple was beginning a new life together and looking forward to spending the rest of eternity with each other. And then months and years go by, and for one reason or another, love dies. It may be the result of financial problems, lack of communication, uncontrolled tempers, interference from in-laws, entanglement in sin. There are any number of reasons. In most cases divorce does not have to be the outcome.

The vast majority of requests for cancellations of sealings come from women who tried desperately to make a go of the marriage but who, in the final analysis, could not overcome the problems.

Choose a companion carefully and prayerfully; and when you are married, be fiercely loyal one to another. Priceless advice comes from a small framed plaque I once saw in the home of an uncle and aunt. It read, “Choose your love; love your choice.” There is great wisdom in those few words. Commitment in marriage is absolutely essential.

Your wife is your equal. In marriage neither partner is superior nor inferior to the other. You walk side by side as a son and a daughter of God. She is not to be demeaned or insulted but should be respected and loved. Said President Gordon B. Hinckley: “Any man in this Church who … exercises unrighteous dominion over [his wife] is unworthy to hold the priesthood. Though he may have been ordained, the heavens will withdraw, the Spirit of the Lord will be grieved, and it will be amen to the authority of the priesthood of that man.” 8

President Howard W. Hunter said this about marriage: “Being happily and successfully married is generally not so much a matter of marrying the right person as it is being the right person.” I like that. “The conscious effort to do one’s part fully is the greatest element contributing to success.” 9

Many years ago in the ward over which I presided as the bishop, there lived a couple who often had very serious, heated disagreements. I mean real disagreements. Each of the two was certain of his or her position. Neither one would yield to the other. When they weren’t arguing, they maintained what I would call an uneasy truce.

One morning at 2:00 a.m. I had a telephone call from the couple. They wanted to talk to me, and they wanted to talk right then. I dragged myself from bed, dressed, and went to their home. They sat on opposite sides of the room, not speaking to each other. The wife communicated with her husband by talking to me. He replied to her by talking to me. I thought, “How in the world are we going to get this couple together?”

I prayed for inspiration, and the thought came to me to ask them a question. I said, “How long has it been since you have been to the temple and witnessed a temple sealing?” They admitted it had been a very long time. They were otherwise worthy people who held temple recommends and who went to the temple and did ordinance work for others.

I said to them, “Will you come with me to the temple on Wednesday morning at 8:00? We will witness a sealing ceremony there.”

In unison they asked, “Whose ceremony?”

I responded, “I don’t know. It will be for whoever is getting married that morning.”

On the following Wednesday at the appointed hour, we met at the Salt Lake Temple. The three of us went into one of the beautiful sealing rooms, not knowing a soul in the room except Elder ElRay L. Christiansen, then an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve, a General Authority position which existed at that time. Elder Christiansen was scheduled to perform a sealing ceremony for a bride and groom in that very room that morning. I am confident the bride and her family thought, “These must be friends of the groom” and that the groom’s family thought, “These must be friends of the bride.” My couple were seated on a little bench with about a full two feet (0.6 m) of space between them.

Elder Christiansen began by providing counsel to the couple who were being married, and he did so in a beautiful fashion. He mentioned how a husband should love his wife, how he should treat her with respect and courtesy, honoring her as the heart of the home. Then he talked to the bride about how she should honor her husband as the head of the home and be of support to him in every way.

I noticed that as Elder Christiansen spoke to the bride and the groom, my couple moved a little closer together. Soon they were seated right next to one another. What pleased me is that they had both moved at about the same rate. By the end of the ceremony, my couple were sitting as close to each other as though they were the newlyweds. Each was smiling.

We left the temple that day, and no one ever knew who we were or why we had come, but my friends were holding hands as they walked out the front door. Their differences had been set aside. I had not had to say one word. You see, they remembered their own wedding day and the covenants they had made in the house of God. They were committed to beginning again and trying harder this time around.

If any of you are having difficulty in your marriage, I urge you to do all that you can to make whatever repairs are necessary, that you might be as happy as you were when your marriage started out. We who are married in the house of the Lord do so for time and for all eternity, and then we must put forth the necessary effort to make it so. I realize that there are situations where marriages cannot be saved, but I feel strongly that for the most part they can be and should be. Do not let your marriage get to the point where it is in jeopardy.

President Hinckley taught that it is up to each of us who hold the priesthood of God to discipline ourselves so that we stand above the ways of the world. It is essential that we be honorable and decent men. Our actions must be above reproach.

The words we speak, the way we treat others, and the way we live our lives all impact our effectiveness as men and boys holding the priesthood.

The gift of the priesthood is priceless. It carries with it the authority to act as God’s servants, to administer to the sick, to bless our families, and to bless others as well. Its authority can reach beyond the veil of death, on into the eternities. There is nothing else to compare with it in all this world. Safeguard it, treasure it, live worthy of it. 10

My beloved brethren, may righteousness guide our every step as we journey through life. Today and always, may we be worthy recipients of the divine power of the priesthood we bear. May it bless our lives and may we use it to bless the lives of others, as did He who lived and died for us—even Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. This is my prayer in His sacred name, His holy name, amen.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

New Address

Elder Blackburn
18 Sheldon Court
Ashton-under-Lyne
OL7 9PU

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Week 44

Hello Everyone,
It was a great week here in Blackburn. We had 4 new investigators and 3 of those are accepting and willing and ready to read. I feel strongly that they have been prepared. The ball is now in their court as we turn into the coaches on the side lines. I know and have confidence in the converting power of the Book of Mormon. I am so thankful for it. Ever since, however, I heard "waiting on the road to Damascus" come out of President Uchtdorf's mouth it has been on my mind and I skimmed through and picked out the parts of his talk that have made the greatest impression on me.
What I hope you understand is that we all somehow in someway get stuck or ARE stuck on the Road to Damascus in all or parts of our lives. But look down at the first line of the talk. The most remarkable events come when we are sitting on that road, because those remarkable events that change our life are the ones that get us moving forward. We know many who in accepting the gospel sense are stuck on this road whether it be because of doctrinal issues or merely social issues. I know as we do our best to help them overcome the obstacles placed in their path, we can be their strength. We can be the source of someone else's courage. Serve diligently and put a smile on the Lord's face that will bless your name sake for eternity. Let us keep moving forward on our own roads so we can show others how to step forward.
Waiting on the Road to Damascus
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Second Counselor in the First Presidency

One of the most remarkable events in the history of the world happened on the road to Damascus.

We know that manifestations such as this happen. In fact, we testify that a similar divine experience happened in 1820 to a boy named Joseph Smith. It is our clear and certain testimony that the heavens are open again and that God speaks to His prophets and apostles. God hears and answers the prayers of His children.
Nevertheless, there are some who feel that unless they have an experience similar to Saul’s or Joseph Smith’s, they cannot believe. They stand at the waters of baptism but do not enter. They wait at the threshold of testimony but cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the truth. Instead of taking small steps of faith on the path of discipleship, they want some dramatic event to compel them to believe.
They spend their days waiting on the road to Damascus.

There are many others who, for different reasons, find themselves waiting on the road to Damascus. They delay becoming fully engaged as disciples. They hope to receive the priesthood but hesitate to live worthy of that privilege. They desire to enter the temple but delay the final act of faith to qualify. They remain waiting for the Christ to be given to them like a magnificent Carl Bloch painting—to remove once and for all their doubts and fears.

The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him.

My dear brothers and sisters, let us strive to be among those whom the Lord can rely on to hear His whisperings and respond, as Saul did on his road to Damascus, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” 6

Our Road to Damascus
I testify that the Lord speaks to His prophets and apostles in our day. He also speaks to all who come to Him with a sincere heart and real intent. 12
Do not doubt. Remember, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” 13 God loves you. He hears your prayers. He speaks to His children and offers comfort, peace, and understanding to those who seek Him and honor Him by walking in His way. I bear my sacred witness that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is on course. We have a living prophet. This church is led by Him whose name we bear, even the Savior Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, dear friends, let us not wait too long on our road to Damascus.
Instead, let us courageously move forward in faith, hope, and charity, and we will be blessed with the light we are all seeking upon the path of true discipleship. For this I pray and leave you my blessing in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love you!
Elder Blackburn

Friday, April 8, 2011

Week 43

Hello Everyone,

General conference was great. It still urks me that I cannot see the Sunday Afternoon Broadcast because it goes from 9-11 here and apparently that is too late for us =/. But besides that, we are able to see everything else and it is/was amazing! We learned from Elder L. Tom Perry that not only is the sacrament important to keep the sabbath day holy, but actually GOING to the house of Prayer is apart of worship and worship is a part of the Keep the Sabbath Day Holy. "That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, Thou shalt go up to the House of Prayer upon My Holy Day." Why do we go? To worship. To offer up our oblations and our sacraments.

We learned a lot about service and also about overcoming trials. We learned in more detail how Faith, Hope, and Charity are a trifecta all centered on Jesus Christ. We learned about light and revelation from Elder Bednar. We learned about the Plan of Salvation from Paul V. Johnson. We learned about marriage from our beloved prophet. We learned about a lot and I didn't even get to see Elder Holland.

It was really great and if you missed it...well to your own destruction...You can still catch up. Your Choice.

I love you all!

Elder Blackburn

PS: I found a WW1 Memorial with a man on it named Blackburn, T. From Accrington, England which is where I live outside of Blackburn. I took a picture of it, but for some reason my connecter isn't working =[