Week 23

15 November 2010

Hello!

So, there is not much else going on right now here in Blackburn. This is the best ward I have been in so far and I think it has the fact that it is the first one with lots of youth. I want the youth of our ward to know that they are a huge strength in giving diversity to the ward. If not for anyone else, you are definitely to the missionaries.

So I have been sharing my favorite scripture getting to know the members here in simple pop-in lessons I guess you could call them and so I figured I would share it with you all as well.

Alma 5:45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I aknow of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
46 Behold, I say unto you they are made aknown unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have bfasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of crevelation which is in me.
47 And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God.
48 I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name.
49 And now I say unto you that this is the aorder after which I am called, yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren, yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them that they must repent and be bborn again.

I really do have a testimony of these things in this passage. I know Christ lives and will come again and has come. Heavenly Father gave His Son for us, and His Son gave his Life for us. Please, I pray, remember the feelings of your own conversion throughout this week and you will be able to take those feelings and apply them to the weekly focus of CHARITY.

And something that shows our Charity is our Character. Something I was able to make up from a talk that Elder Bednar gave about the Character of Christ which I shared with you a couple months ago is this phrase:

Character is Charity in Action.

So as you go about your week, focus on showing your Character and you will be able to show Charity. I believe this phrase connects us with what Moroni was trying to convey in his words when he said- in Moroni 7:48
-that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true bfollowers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall cbe like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be dpurified even as he is pure.

We will be like him, because our Characters endowed with Charity have become as His Character and I know this to be true.

I love you all,

Elder Blackburn
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So i have read through to Ezekiel 13 and am trudging through the last 150 pages! =P I finished the Book of Mormon on Friday for the 2nd time and have started D&C.

So ya there is a lot of things going on here except with teaching anyone. We have some recent converts that really need our help with just support because they aren't quite firing on all cylinders and things like that. We are going to be working with some former investigators hopefully and get the ball rolling that way. It is a pretty dead area to put someone who is just beginning to be senior but we are working closer with the members or at least trying to than I have in the past 2 areas...We shall see.

It is the best ward I have been in yet...=D

Love,

Elder Blackburn