November 28, 2011

Hello Family!

 

Well this week was THANKSGIVING!! WOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo....right? it was wasn't it? o...I am in England...where...they don't...show gratitude...I guess...darn......siiiiigh.

 

Well It shouldn't surprise me. Last year we had a sports day so it distracts us, because we are still playing a turkey ball of sorts, but with more rules and not as exciting. This year though we had an extra 30 mins for tea! WOOP WOOP! I enjoyed it. Except my companion has been having some really bad headaches that basically make him pass out for a couple hours so I didn't get to much out of it. He is a hard worker. He is extremely intune with the Spirit. But we basically were disabled besides trying by potentials and lessons this last week after Thursday.

 

I have been reading Jesus the Christ again and I am up to page 410 or so and have really been refreshing my mind on what it is that Faith can do in unlocking the power that Christ desires to bless us with.

 

I gave a talk on Hope this week to introduce myself to the ward. It was specifically on "How do we react when our Hopes are not Realized"...I thought it was pretty fitting for Bishop Walsh to give me that. The ward seemed to enjoy it. It wasn't my best, but it was ok. I am enjoying the car and the absence of the bike, but my leg muscles are starting to turn back into mush already.

 

We went back to Bolton which is about 25 miles away for a baptismal interview of the District Leader there and as Elder Hughes went to go with him, I stayed behind with his companion. I wanted to stop by Marianna and Joseph Horvatt from last year. They were the couple that got baptised with Elder Merl and I. So as I knocked on the door, Marianna opens and just sees a missionary in the dark. Joseph hears me say hello and from the other room yells, "Blackburn?!" thump thump thump, pops his head around the corner and lets us in. It just showed to me the importance of staying in contact. We did not have a lot of member support at the time while meeting with them last year and so after Elder Merl and I left, they had Marianna's family and that is about to help them out. There was no spiritual anchor. They have been coming off and on and still want to be married in the temple, but I told them and they understood that it takes work and they need to start preparing now so they can do it. They are techinically allowed because they have been married and members more than a year, but they need to be fully active and obedient before going. I hope last Thursday and this exchange in Bolton this week will be able to set goals and make plans on the day they can go to the temple so they have something to work towards just like a baptismal date. I want to get Bishop Knights approval for this as well, so hopefully we can work quickly this week. I will let y'all know how it goes.

 

Sometimes, being here in England I like to put on a nice thick southern draaaaaawwwwwwllll to help get the point across that I am from America. I enjoy seeing people's reactions to it. I hope you are all doing well.

 

I love you, Take care.

 

Elder Blackburn