September 26, 2011

Hello Family,

This was a good week. I didn't really spend any of it with my companion. We were on two exchanges and last week we were on 1. But the honeymoon period doesn't last long because he is still getting use to taking correction well and I don't sugar coat it. No, not even for a trainee. I am nice, don't worry, but I am still me and I am a blunt person when I am in need of accomplishing important things. People should just not do stupid things. We all make mistakes but it should really only be a one time thing.
Here are some of my big one time mistakes this week.
1. I lost the phone.
2. I ripped the stick/valve part off of our bike innertube when I should have just taken out the valve. ( LACK OF DETAILS PEOPLE! DON'T LAUGHT!) haha
3. ummm no, just 2 for that bit lol!

But yes, we are picking up our new phone today. We found 5 more new investigators and the Bulgarian ones from last week have already read about 70 pages of the Book of Mormon so we are really really excited! Danny is great. Just need them to not go to work on Sunday and I am pretty sure they would progress to baptism in 2 weeks or less but we all have our Faith testers or else we wouldn't need Faith.

This week is Training camp (for new missionaries) and then next week is Transfers so you won't hear from me until Thursday and I may have a new address but doubtfully...

I love you all,

Lilly is cute,

Elder Blackburn


General Conference—No Ordinary Blessing
By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Second Counselor in the First Presidency

We all know how hard it is to remember every message of general conference, and I’m confident that we need not be embarrassed if we don’t remember everything. Nevertheless, there are messages in each general conference given as a gift and a blessing from heaven specifically for our personal life situations.

In preparation for general conference, let me suggest three basic concepts that may help us to better receive, remember, and apply the words spoken by the Lord’s servants.

1. Members of the Church are entitled to personal revelation as they listen to and study the inspired words spoken at general conference.
2. Don’t discount a message merely because it sounds familiar.
3. The words spoken at general conference should be a compass that points the way for us during the coming months.


Ponder the questions you have and write them down. No need to tell others unless it is a group question and seriously pray about the answer starting today and so on until you receive it all. Then listen intently for the answer as the Lord's chosen servants serve it to you in a silver platter. You just have to lift the lid. He loves you. He KNOWS you. He will answer you in the ways he has provided for us in these the latter days.

I love you all,
Elder Blackburn

September 19, 2011 Hello Ye Blessed!

Alma 26 Anyone? no? yes?

The blessings are amazing this week. If you do not see, hear, FEEL, and acknowledge those blessings I do not know another way the Lord can try and get your attention you stubborn family! I call you stubborn because I can and because I know the Walton/Blackburn blood runs through your veins whether hereditarily or by marriage you acquired some of it! How have your prayers been this week? Have you marvelled at the blessings the second the Lord chooses to intervene? How his timing is more perfect than all else? If you are really wondering how it all happened maybe you feel like Enos.

"Enos 1:5 And there came a ^avoice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are ^bforgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
6 And I, Enos, knew that God ^acould not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.
7 And I said: Lord, how is it done?
8 And he said unto me: ^aBecause of thy ^bfaith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee ^cwhole."

Because of your Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ whom you have never before heard nor seen. Go To, Your Faith has made you whole. Go To? What does that mean. Well, in Enos' case it could be Go and start actually hunting before you die, but I do not think that is the case. More or less it means go and start progressing. Don't just stand here and be in awe, but go and better your situations! BECOME what God would have you BECOME. Begin now enduring with a new resolve to not make the same mistakes or to take these blessings and talents and gifts that he has given us and improve on them. Continue from this point Enduring to the End.

The Gospel we teach, live, and love, is FAITH, REPENTANCE, BAPTISM, GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST, ENDURE TO THE END. Well, what happens after we are baptised and confirmed and try our best and fail? Well guess what, its necessary that you fail at SOMETHING in this life or else you would never humble yourselves to need Christ. Why will every knee bow someday? They will understand their need for Christ. Enos was already a member. His path and our path is now FAITH, REPENTANCE, SACRAMENT, OBEDIENCE...That is ENDURING TO THE END.

So, my brothers, sisters, mother, father, grandfather, cousins, aunts, uncles, and NIECE- GO TO, Thy Faith hath and WILL make you whole.

I love you,

Elder Blackburn

PS: Some blessings I saw this week here in Wrexham.

1. 12 new investigators...our goals are normally 4.

2. Bike is fixed

3. Theory Test is passed for my UK drivers license. ( I am almost a left road master)

4. Understanding Authority of a District Leader a little more even though I should have known this 6 months ago...

5. Elder Gordon is almost not scared of talking to people. I think it may just be nerves and now we can actually start being excited! WOO! haha

6. Dana sent me AdvoCare and I am officially doing a hefty diet this week! LOVE WEIGHTLOSS GOALS! PMG chapter 8. Learn how to reach our goals! =D

7. Lilly is beautiful.

8. House is sold.

LOVE ALL OF YOU

Elder Blackburn

September 5, 2011

Hello Everyone!

I thought about what I would write you this week and I figure I will report to you what I sent to President Preston as well as give you a taste of the accents here and in the rest of England. Elder Kearon is a little more dignified sounding than 98% of the people here, but the accent is about right. Elder Webb, my last companion was his home teacher as a Deacon, so he hasn't been far from us here. This is a video depiction for the youth website about his talk about the scorpion. It drives home the point.

https://lds.org/youth/video/sting-of-the-scorpion?lang=eng

We saw a great miracle happen this week. We found a man that had been here for just over 3 weeks from India. He is from one of the higher classes. His name is Amit Singh. We taught him at the chapel after walking with him for 30 mins to show him where it is. His English is "something poor" or at least that is how he describes it. Amit said the he would come to church so we organized him a ride with one of our faithful members, but then Amit said he wanted to walk. I was unsure about it, but said ok. He called us 5 mins before church started and said he was lost but he did get close! Our faithful member and Elder Gordon went out for the search and rescue party. He got there just in time for the sacrament and the rest of testimony meeting. He was the only one with us and our Ward Mission Leader in Gospel Essentials and so we broke down everything about the Gifts of the Spirit. After that class he went outside and made a call. I didn't know what it was about. Then after priesthood we went out and he pulled me aside away from other people and told me in his broken English, "I call my family. To ask if ok to make me a Christian...They say ok. You make me Christian?" We had explained baptism in our first lesson with him by going to the part of John the Baptist baptising Christ. He understood as we read from a Hindi Book of Mormon as well. He has a calendar and is dated for the 8th of October.

That was a long paragraph but it was all the same topic. Elder Gordon however has made amazing strides this week. Something clicked in his prayers and he was able to use that as his motivation in speaking to people. He has been learning a lot about doing and not just about observing. I am grateful for this because I was not sure how else to motivate him. Our numbers have been lower in finding, but luckily we have the Lord on our side and the miracles are still happening as we put our best foot forward.

We have also seen some great successes in our working with the members efforts. Our Ward Mission Leader finally let us help him in his kitchen and I have been asking for 2 months now. We had a tea appointment at our RS President's house and she and her husband are both such a strength to the ward. They have 4 boys and they are all Less Active. The youngest 2 are still at home. Last time we were there 1 ate with us, but then left for the spiritual thought. This time they both ate with us and then both sat and listened and Participated in the spiritual thought which was about the Family Proclamation. Also, a non-member sister of Brother Bullock was there! She has always thought her brother was a religious nut because he went to church every week, but she was finally able to see why it was so important to do those things. After the lesson, Sister Bullock asked us on the drive home if we adapted the lesson we had planned the night before and we told her no and that we had planned to do the Proclamation to the Family no matter what. She was amazed because of how well it fit for the people that were there. Revelation during Nightly Planning.

And For myself, I am almost done with my back to front reading of the Book of Mormon. I have learned a lot from it and I am glad I followed the idea!

I love you all and hope to hear from each of you. I cannot wait to be an uncle Logan and Liz! Take pictures for me!

Love,

Elder Blackburn