February 8, 2016

This week was one of those up and down weeks. Monday we dropped by two potentials that we had scheduled appointments with - both fell through and then we decided to go try another potential. On the way we met a lady named J. She was just sitting on the stairs outside her apartment and we started talking. We found out her ex was a member and she knew a little bit about the church. She was fine with us dropping by and sharing a message with her family. It is pretty amazing how the Lord puts people on our path. Tuesday we had a lot of snow - like 16 inches, which provided a lot of service opportunities. We helped a couple people shovel snow which was great. One of those was a Less Active. When we saw his drive way wasn't shoveled we grabbed their shovel and shoveled it. As we finished Brother G walked out to shovel the snow and he was so grateful that we helped him - it was pretty cool to see the joy on his face when he saw what we had done. Afterwards we dropped by E’s and we taught him part of the first lesson before he had to go. We dropped by L’s, a less active we had been trying to schedule an appointment with for a while, and we were able to teach him and schedule another appointment. Wednesday we got to go to the Temple which was a really great experience. We dropped by a couple less actives and were able to teach them. Also, later that night we dropped by Brother C’s and we were able to teach him and testify of the truthfulness of the Gospel. Brother C wants to strengthen his testimony and he says he is able to feel the Spirit when we teach him - it is pretty cool. Thursday, I gave training during district meeting and it was centered on extending invitations. When we extend invitations to people it allows them to progress in the gospel. We've been finding a lot of Less-Actives that were not even in the ward directory lately. Sunday, we had a couple appointments cancel so we dropped by a Less-Active we had tracted into. After talking to him I found out he is from Pasadena, Texas and also he is a hip-hop artist. He said his Rap name is BIGSAINTJAMES. It’s pretty cool - you meet all kinds of people in Denver. By the way, the Super Bowl was yesterday, which kind of halted the work for a day. We couldn't tract during the game or go into homes that were watching the game. It is kind of ridiculous how crazy the fans are here. We asked a member to go with us to a lesson and he told us that he couldn't because of the Super Bowl. It didn't matter because that lesson canceled - probably because of the Super Bowl. Anyways, all we could do was street contact, which wasn't very effective because the streets were empty. But at about 8:30 we found out the Broncos won because there were fireworks going off. People were driving in trucks waving flags. We got to an intersection and there was a truck driving around the intersection with people in the back. It was kind of crazy. Anyways My GOTO scripture this week is John 15:5 "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." I know I can gain my strength from Christ and that through him can I bring forth fruit.

 

February 16, 2016

This past week has been pretty great! For the past couple weeks we had been facing a barrier where we had been finding quite a few potential investigator but we weren't able to meet with them. This week we crushed that barrier and 5 of those potentials turned into new investigators!

 

Monday: We had a zone P-Day and went bowling. We bowled as pairs, so I bowled with Elder Mork from Sacramento, California. It was probably the best I have ever bowled. I got 3 spares in a row and ended with a strike. Afterwards we had an appointment fall through and then we met a kid named D. We talked to him for a bit and he told us to come back tomorrow to meet with his whole family.

 

Tuesday: After we got back from running in the morning we found out we didn't have any power in our apartment. We had some pretty cool experiences though. We had a lesson scheduled with Sister M’s but she canceled, so we left a voicemail to let Brother Hampden, the member coming with us, know it was canceled. We decided to tract around Sister M’s home. So we parked our bikes in front of her home. Brother Hampden didn't get our message and so when he got to her home he thought we were inside because he saw our bikes. Well, when he knocked on Sister M’s door she let him in and we headed over to teach a lesson. Later that day when we were on our way to D’s we met a lady named S, who asked us to help her get to her car - she was in a wheel chair. After helping her she wanted us to drop by and teach her some time later. When we got to D’s home his mom did not want to meet with us at all. It is amazing how the Lord puts us on people’s paths. Later we were getting our mailbox popped open by one of the maintenance guys and a man named C talked to us. We had actually knocked on his door that night before but he was not interested. Anyways, C apologized for being rude the night before and he wanted to meet with us. We also dropped by Brother V's because we have not met with him for a couple weeks. He wasn't there but we talked to his wife and found he has been working 7 days a week and that his schedule is really busy for the next month. We also taught E the rest of the restoration. He isn't the most solid investigator but he is willing to listen to us. We also tracted into a less-active family in the ward.

 

Wednesday: We had a Zone Meeting and there was some really good training - one was about getting out of our comfort zones and experiencing growth. As we get out of our comfort zones it’s important to have a good attitude and be cheerful because it will make things easier. We taught a part member family but they are not willing to keep commitments that we extend to them. Our mailbox got jammed so I used a butter knife to open it.

 

Thursday- Saturday: Set up an appointment with S but she ended up cancelling on us. Taught Sister M. We are trying to help her gain a testimony for herself. It was a powerful lesson though. We taught Z, he is a potential we tracted into last week, he has only lived here for four months. Before he lived in New York but he was born in the Congo. It was a powerful lesson - he wants to find out for himself that these things are true. We taught L and his wife T. - they want us to teach them the missionary lessons. Also the tenants in our apartment complex have been posting complaints at the mailboxes so it looks like we aren't the only apartment being ignored.

 

Sunday: Elder Wohlrab and I gave talks in sacrament meetings we were originally told to give ten minute talks but right before we found out we were supposed to finish a couple minutes before the hour so I ended up giving a 25 minute talk. The topic I spoke on was Christ-Like Love. The two main points I made is we have to understand God's love for us to have Charity and that as we serve and give of our self our love for those around us will grow.

 

Monday: It was Presidents Day so we played sports the whole day and now I am pretty sore.

 

This week my GOTO scripture is Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Christ suffered the Atonement for each of us because he loves us.

 

Feb. 22, 2016

So I've got to go sorry I didn't have time to email you about my week. I am doing well. Next week we have transfers so we'll see what happens. We found a new investigator this week! Most of our appointments canceled but we just kept working. My GOTO scripture this week comes from my Call Letter. President Monson says "The Lord will bless you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among his children. We place our confidence in you and pray that the Lord will help you become an effective missionary." It is humbling to know that the Prophet and Apostles put their trust in me as I serve the Lord. Hope you have a great week I'll tell you some of the highlights next week.

 

Feb. 29, 2016

So I just found out transfers and they are sweeping our ward. That is really frustrating for me because we have one person on date and three other investigators that will be baptized. Any advice would help. I am getting transferred to the Brighton Zone to a ward that won't be created for another two weeks and I am in a trio. My companions are Elder Demerit - he is currently in my District and I have been on exchanges with him, and Elder Ah Nee - he was a zone leader in West Minster, and Elder Mourino - really loved serving with him so it will be exciting.

 

Anyways, our week was awesome! It is amazing what the Lord has done for the work in this area. Monday, Elder Wohlrab and I tracted into a man named D. He has gone through some real tough trials and after a week my love for him has grown. We taught him half of the Restoration and we met with him again on Friday. On Wednesday the mission tour was great - Elder Soares of the Presidency of the Seventy was there and I learned a lot of things: like that I need to never give up, that my faith can prepare people to receive the gospel and that I need to have Faith to achieve the goals we set. Later that Day we taught at Bro. V's, but he was doing school work, so we taught his wife R. We taught her about faith and she wanted us to start teaching her the missionary lessons. I was so excited to start teaching her because I know that she will be baptized just like Brother V was. Thursday we taught the W’s. They are a part member family and we taught them the restoration. After we taught them, the father who is not a member, told us that we helped him answer a lot of questions he had. The son who is not a member either, started asking questions about the plan of salvation and wanted us to keep teaching him. We were very excited. Friday we taught D and he wanted to be baptized, so we put him on date for the 26th of March. Saturday we had exchanges and I was with Elder Mourino. We went over to do service for a part member family and he invited us in for us to teach them. We taught L and his wife T and it was very powerful T has bounced from a lot of Churches in her life and she seems to be one of those people that searches for the truth but knows not where to find it. I have a really strong feeling that she will be baptized as well. We met with a less-active K. H. and he wants to come back to church and his wife wanted to start taking the lessons as well. We were supposed to have three investigators and three less actives at church but they all had things come up, which was a little frustrating, but I know they will be there the next week. It is amazing to see how far this area has progressed. When I first arrived we only had one investigator - now we have one investigator on date right now, and we have three other investigators that will get baptized as well. I have been focusing a lot on Charity and my GOTO scripture is Mosiah 28:3 3 “Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.”

Love, Elder Blackham

 

March 7, 2016

This week has been crazy. It feels like I am in a different world and there has been a lot of change. Monday our appointment with D cancelled I was devastated after that. The funny thing was when we knocked on his door he asked who it was and we told him the missionaries and then he said he wasn't home. In my head I was like nice try D, but I know it is you, so I had a short conversation with him to see if we could try again. Tuesday was really hard -we saw almost all of our investigators. We had a really cool experience though, we taught the G's. They hadn't made it to church so we shared a message about how the apostles slept through the hour of the Atonement. Honestly, it was a little gutsy, but we were leaving so if didn't go well - oh well. Anyways, we shared this message and it was what they needed to hear. I got a little worried when Sister G started crying, but I could really feel the spirit so I knew it would be all right. The message helped them realize that they needed to come back to Church and it was really powerful. We got to teach L and T one last time which was so great. It is amazing how much I have grown to love them in such a short time. We also got to teach Brother V and it was so powerful because of the connection we have. So, Wednesday we had transfers. I really am going to miss Elder Wohlrab but at the same time I am excited for the work we have to do. Here is the run-down of our assignment. We will be opening up two brand new wards The Buffalo Run Ward and the Barr Lake Ward. Both were created this Sunday and we will be in a trio for this whole transfer. Elder Ah Nee is great - he is from Hawaii and Elder Demeritt  is from Vermont. So when we got to our area it was a brand new apartment with no furniture, so we had to get furniture and stuff from the Mission. It took some time, but now we are all settled in. We also didn't know our boundaries since the wards hadn't been created and the Stake President didn't want any information leaked out. So we were Wardless. Elder Ah Nee served in the Brighton Ward for 6 months so we went to visit a lot of people. Now most of the Brighton ward was shifted into the Barr lake ward. It will be pretty crazy now trying to get the work started in these brand new wards. It has been pretty fun so far. One cool thing is it seems like people are really easy to talk to which is great for missionary work! My GOTO scripture this week is 2 Nephi 11:6  “And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish.”

 

Love,

Elder Blackham

January 11, 2016

 

This week was not the easiest week but it ended really great! This week we had quite a few appointments cancel which was a bummer. We kept busy though through finding and service. It snowed on Thursday so we had fun shoveling people’s driveways. We found three new investigators. C was a former investigator who is from Samoa. We taught her the first lesson and she wants to investigate the church more. R, we found tracting last week and we were able to set up an appointment for this week - and D, he has been living with some members in our ward for the past month and has showed a lot of interest in the Church. This week ended really great with Brother V's baptism. I had the privilege to baptize him. I had to dunk him twice because the first time his legs shot strait out of the water, but it was amazing to listen to him as he told me he felt clean. His confirmation was also really great. I was getting a little worried because he didn't show up to sacrament meeting until sacrament started. We performed his confirmation after sacrament meeting. Elder Wohlrab gave the confirmation and it was really awesome. He was a little nervous because the congregation was about twice the size as normal because there were two homecoming missionaries. But as Elder Wohlrab gave the blessing you could feel the Spirit very strongly. Afterwards Brother V said he felt different and he couldn't describe it. That was the Spirit and a testimony that the priesthood is real and that this Church is true. It was great because his whole family was able to come to church and we are really excited to teach the rest of his family. My GOTO scripture this week is Mosiah 3:19.  I especially am focused on the part that says "willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." I know I can be more submissive to the Lord just as Christ is submissive to the will of the Father.

 

Jan. 19, 2016

 

I didn't email yesterday because all libraries are closed in celebration of MLK Day. So, first things first - we got Transfer Doctrine and I am staying in Aurora Highlands with Elder Wohlrab. It’s going to be a great transfer and it will be awesome to keep building up the Ward. So last P-Day we went bowling and I realized I am not a great bowler, but I got 3 strikes after 3 games! We were able teach quite a bit at the start of the week. One of the less active families we taught, we told them that the Church time had changed to 1:00 and he was really excited because he was going to be able to make it. We have also been trying to get the members more involved in missionary work and we shared a message and had them choose a couple families that they could share the Gospel with. We definitely learned a lot from that lesson on how we can better invite members to look for missionary opportunities. Wednesday we taught two of our investigators. One was a young man named D. As we taught him he asked us to bear our testimonies and as we did the spirit was really strong. Also, Elder Wohlrab was getting sick but he continued to push forward and teach the lessons that we had scheduled to teach. On Thursday we had a district meeting and I was asked to give a training on “How to Begin Teaching,” - that was the first training that I had given and it was cool how much I learned from it. Elder Wohlrab had a fever so we had to stay in. It was hard to be inside and it helped me realize how precious time is on my mission. Friday we gave Elder Wohlrab a blessing and he was able to feel a lot better. So after we planned we were able to teach the C Family. I really love teaching them but I want to help them progress further in the Gospel. The rest of the week was rough because we had a lot of appointments cancel on us. But we started this week off great with three lessons last night. We taught a less active and her son, so I had to teach simple - it was really cool how teaching simply allows for the spirit to take over. So my goto scripture this week is 1 Nephi 3:7 – “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”

 

January 25, 2016

 

This week was pretty great! It started off great with the Missionary Broadcast. I was able to learn a lot of great insights from the General Authorities. What was really cool was that missionaries from all over the world were watching this at the same time - there are about 75,000 of us missionaries in the world it is a great work to be a part of. They had transfers right after the broadcast and even though we weren't getting transferred we had to wait for our District Leader to arrive at the building because we had to get a ride from him. After the Broadcast we were able to teach a couple lessons. One of those lessons was with our investigator D we challenged him to prepare to be Baptized and he said he would. When we told him the date, he said he was moving to Texas in a couple weeks. Our plan is to continue to teach him to help him have a strong desire to be baptized. Thursday's District Meeting was really great. Elder Mourino is pretty awesome and he is really emphasizing finding, which is something that would really help our area. We later met with C and we read from the Book of Mormon with her. We are really trying to push her to attend church but she doesn't know if she can because she works on Sunday. Sunday we taught another Investigator R he was able to read and feel that there is truth in it but he doesn't want to commit to any religion just yet, but he is willing to continue to search for himself. Sunday was pretty funny because Denver people are crazy about their Bronco's. It was pretty easy to find out that they are going to the Super Bowl. Biking around you could hear people yelling from inside their house "WHOO BRONCOS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL.” So far I am not a Bronco's fan - you cannot get into people’s houses while the Broncos are playing, which is why I am really excited to go tracting in two Sundays. Anyways, we met with Brother V's wife and she is  going to start taking the lessons once she starts feeling better, we just have to be patient. This week we were focused on teaching a lot of lessons and I realized that is not the best approach. Instead I am trying to focus on finding new Investigators, because ultimately that is where it all starts - where someone is able to be taught the gospel of repentance and be converted to the gospel through baptism. My GOTO Scripture this week is in Doctrine and Covenants Section 50:13-14  - “Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question—unto what were ye ordained?  To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth.” Elder Wohlrab pointed this scripture out to me on the Cover of Preach My Gospel I had never realized the title came from Doctrine and Covenants. I am really excited for this week.

 

Feb. 1, 2016

 

This week kinda flew by. It was tough but still a great week because I can't really complain I am serving the Lord. The reason why it was tough was because just about every appointment cancelled except for two of them, but hey that didn't stop us. We ended up tracting a lot this week instead. Tuesday was a pretty crazy day. We had an appointment with a Less-Active that night - when we walked into her house you could smell the marijuana really strong and when we sat down I noticed a pipe and a lighter on her table which explained the smell. We still taught her a lesson about faith and how we can strengthen our faith. It was really powerful as Brother Hunt bore his testimony that God loves her and you could feel the spirit really strongly. After that on our way home we saw a lot of cop cars on the street searching for some one. When we got home a member called us and asked if we were alright. We weren't sure what was going on but it turned out that earlier there was a shooting in our apartment complex and that they were searching for the shooter. No one told us we couldn't go out, so we went tracting in our apartment complex. We met a guy named S. He had met with missionaries before, so we are going to start teaching him. As we were walking home we talked to a man outside who was just watching the commotion outside. His name is E. He asked if we knew what a "Ghetto Bird" is?  I said no. Apparently that's what they call the helicopter flying around. We started talking and while we were talking an armored truck drove by and then a couple foot soldiers with dogs walked by. Anyways, E told us we could drop by and share a message with him which we were pretty excited about. The rest of the week was filled with tracting and finding a couple potential investigators. We did find two new less actives that we will start teaching. The one thing I am a little sad about is this week we are losing three of our investigators. The C’s will be moving to Castle Rock and D is moving to Texas. This week is going to be really exciting though - we are going to be finding a lot of new investigators!  My GOTO scripture this week is Alma 29:1-4 specifically when it says "for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me." Sometimes I wish I could just convert everyone I speak to but I have to respect their agency. I can do my best by carrying the spirit to their hearts they have to take it in though.

 

Love,

Elder Blackham

Christmas in Denver

Catching Up to a New Year

Dec. 7, 2015

This has been a really fun and exciting week. Elder Sevilla and I set a goal to finish to the end of the transfer, because a lot of missionaries use the last week of a transfer or "P-week" as an excuse to be more laid back. That wasn't the case for us - we were so busy.  I got transferred from Bible Park to the Aurora South Stake, Aurora Highlands Ward, biking. My new companion is Elder Wohlrab - he is from Daytona Florida and this is his fourth transfer. It was sad to leave Bible Park, because Sister M's baptism is Sunday Dec. 13th. President said that we would have to either give a talk or a musical number to go to the baptism, so we are doing a musical number. We had another investigator J on date for the end of December, but I know this is where I need to be. We had a really fun P-Day last week. Elder Sevilla is kind of obsessed with Sushi so he dragged me to a sushi place. Don't get me wrong - I like sushi, but it is so expensive. After, we played Laser tag with our Zone Leader's. It was really fun.  We also got a car for the week. This week I was able to see the importance of service in missionary work because the lady we helped really wants us to come and share our message with her. We had a great District Meeting. It was focused on Diligence and I've realized that is one thing I could definitely work on. It's the small things that really make a difference. Saturday was great because we went as a zone downtown to the 16th Street mall and caroled and shared “A Savior is Born”- it was really fun. Sunday I bore my testimony for the last time in Bible Park. It was really sad I'm going to miss the members there. As I was packing last night I washed my towel and the hose to the washer busted, so our bathroom was filled with water and it took forever to clean it up. Because they are closing our apartment we had to clean out our apartment which meant clean out the oven, cleaning spots on the carpet, and cleaning of the marks on the wall - there were a lot. We were also cleaning out an outdoor closet that had junk left by old missionaries and as we were cleaning, two big rats ran out of the closet. It was a little frustrating this morning packing and then cleaning the whole apartment even though most of the stuff was not from us. I'll just leave with one of my favorite parts from the Christmas Devotional. I loved Elder Bednar's description of the Nephites during Christ's birth. Jesus Christ really is our light and as we look for him we will see that even in the darkest of times his light continues to shine bright.

 

December 14, 2015

This week a lot of cool things have happened. My new area is really different from Bible Park. There are a lot of homes, whereas my last area was mostly apartments. There are a lot of families here that have been in this area for a long time. So this week we had a Zone Meeting and one of the trainings was about having a vision for ourselves. I realized I never created a vision for myself and who I want to become as a missionary. So I've been working on creating a vision for myself. One of the things that really helped was a talk called “The Fourth Missionary.” The talk describes four different missionaries and the fourth one surrenders himself to the Lord and consecrates everything. We also had our Christmas Devotional. It was fun. We had skits in the morning from all of the zones. Some of them were pretty funny. Then Santa came and we did some fun activities. I got to read the letters you sent. They were really great - I really appreciate all of the letters from all of you. Afterwards we had a guest speaker because we had to move to a different building because there was a funeral taking place. Our guest speaker was Paul Anderson - he is the director of the Piano Guys. That was really cool and he shared some really inspiring stories. We also taught our investigator V. He is from the Congo and is really excited to be baptized. He is scheduled to be baptized on the 9th of January. Sunday was really great because I got to go back to Bible Park for Sister M's Baptism. I could feel the spirit really strong because Elder Sevilla and I taught her for two transfers and we know how much she has changed and how strong her desire is to follow Jesus Christ. I am really excited for her family in a year when they will have the opportunity to be sealed in the temple. Seeing how much the gospel changes other's lives has really strengthened my testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel.

 

December 21, 2015

This week was pretty crazy. Monday was pretty fun. Most of the missionaries in our zone met up and we played basketball, volleyball, and soccer. Later that night we taught a recent convert family. Tuesday was I woke up and there was a lot of snow and it was still snowing and it didn't even stop until later that night. In total, we probably got about a foot. Also, the heat in our apartment doesn't work, so it was really cold, but now we have space heaters so that's good. And the hot water in our apartment wouldn't work. So, for two days I took a shower with a bucket and boiled water. It was pretty fun. I felt like I was in a third world country for a couple days. Tuesday we had to walk because there was so much snow. We went around and helped shovel people's snow. Biking was really fun the rest of the week because there was still snow left on the sidewalks that people didn't shovel. Biking in the snow is a pretty awesome skill I acquired this week. Wednesday we had a really great district meeting and it helped me remember when I teach to make it personal because it is. We have also been picking up old investigators from the area book so it will be great to see them progress. Friday was really cool we were contacting some referrals from church headquarters and we met a really cool young couple. The wife has a cousin serving a mission and some other family members who are converts. We are really excited to teach them. On Saturday we taught V and we are very excited for his baptism on January 9^th. It is amazing how much he loves the gospel and it will be really exciting once his family starts taking the discussions. This week my studies have been really centered on being a consecrated missionary - it is something I am really trying to work on because I know that is what kind of missionary the Lord wants me to be. I am really excited for this week because we will be really busy. The bishop gave us a lot of families that could use an uplifting message. I think that is one of the greatest things about this Christmas season - there are so many opportunities to lift people up. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and I look forward to talking to you guys on Friday.

 

Dec. 28, 2015

This week was super great. We had a white elephant thing for our zone. It was funny because all of the gifts were pretty bad, but what do you expect other than canned food from a bunch of Missionaries on super cheap budgets. My gift was pretty good. A member gave me it because he got it as a white Elephant gift - the gift that keeps giving, it was a Star Wars toy shaving kit with tattoos and bath foam. This week was pretty busy we were able to share the message of Christ's Birth with a lot of families. It is so good to be able to bring the Spirit of Christ with us. We had the opportunity to give two priesthood blessings and what an honor it is to carry the priesthood and be able to bless people's lives. Elder Wohlrab and I took a member who had just gotten back from his mission to visit a less active who is struggling with an alcohol addiction. We shared with her the message of Christ's Birth. It was a very spiritual experience. Elder Wohlrab shared that Christ suffered for all of our pains and afflictions and you could feel the spirit so strongly. Christmas Eve we had dinner with a part member family the T’s - they are from Samoa. They are really great people and it was nice to spend the evening with them. Christmas Day was really great. I enjoyed talking to you guys and it is good to know how you are doing. We ate at a member’s home for lunch and she is from Laos. She cooked homemade PHO - it was really good. Our Mission President let us watch two movies - from a list I picked “Forever Strong” and my companion picked “The Nightmare before Christmas.” We had dinner with our investigators the C Family. They are really great and it was fun to get to know them more. We also taught Brother V on Sunday and he is very excited for his baptism on January 9th. We are really trying to get him to invite his family to take the discussions and he said he will invite them to Church this week. I also had a realization this week that has helped me a lot. For some reason I got stuck in a mindset of doing things to help me become a better missionary or better person, but I realized that when I have the mindset of doing things to help others it make things so much easier to accomplish. It is true when Christ says "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." This has been a really memorable Christmas I hope we all strive to feel the Spirit of Christ in our lives.

 

Jan 4, 2016

This week was a really good week. Every week Elder Wohlrab and I are getting better. This week even though we had quite a few lessons cancel on us we still made the most of it and found people to teach. Tuesday I went on exchanges with Elder Demerit - he is from Vermont and has been out just as long as I have been. It was a great day. We did service at a place called Stepping Stones - it is a place for Mentally Handicapped people and it was fun to help lift them up. Afterwards we taught a less-active that has been struggling with a smoking addiction. It was sad to see how much it affected his health but hopefully we can help him overcome it. When we were tracting we met a man named R, he is a really nice guy, and would have let us in if his girlfriend wasn't sick. He shared with us a miracle that happened in his life. The thing he didn't realize is that he was a miracle for us, because he is a really solid potential and we are going to try to meet with him this week. Later in the week we met D. He was on break from College but we were able to share the first lesson with him. Even though he wasn't going to be in town much longer it was great to share our message with him and help him come closer to Christ. On ChristmasEve we had a Mission meeting that was really great. We launched our Goal for 2016, which is 501 souls. A couple really great topics were taught as well. Our mission president always says to make it personal because it is. Also sanctify yourself, remember who you represent. One thing that really stuck out to me is that Our Saviors goal was always higher than his reality. Our Savior's goal was to save all of us and he suffered for each one of us even though not everyone chooses to use the Atonement. I am really excited for this year and to surrender all of 2016 to the work. I am trying to improve on the small things so I can be exactly obedient and give everything I have to Lord. It iss hard and I don't expect it to come all at once but I know it is achievable. New Year’s Eve we ate at a members and he cooked alligator. After that we had to stay home so I made the ginger bread house you guys sent me. We taught the C family the Restoration this week. It was really powerful and I felt the Spirit especially strong as Elder Wohlrab shared Joseph Smith's First Vision. We invited them to be baptized and they wanted to find out if it is true through the Book of Mormon. They are an awesome family and I have faith they will be baptized. It is just a little frustrating because they are moving to Castle Rock on February 6th. I am just grateful to have met them and to be a part of their conversion. We also taught Brother V and prepared him for his Baptism this week and we are really exciting, and I hope that his family follows his decision. My scripture this week D&C 11:12 “And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. As long as I put my trust in the Savior and his Spirit than I can know that I am doing good.

 

Love,

Elder Blackham

November 30, 2015

Hi Family,

 

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, I know I did. This is the last week of the transfer and then I will have a new companion. This week was really great we were working really hard and it has been awesome to see the fruit of our labors. Elder Sevilla and I have found a lot of joy in serving the Lord this week. Elder Sevilla has been watching and quoting the New Testament videos a lot and it is kind of funny because it seems like he is addicted to it. Monday was a really great way to start the week. We first taught Sis. M and it was really great to teach her and it is amazing how much she has progressed. She shared a personal spiritual experience with us and I knew without a doubt she has a testimony of this gospel. After we taught JS, he was a referral from the Heather Ridge Elders. He is Liberian and is huge! The fist thought that went through my head was who is going to baptize him? He has a really strong desire to follow Christ. He promised to attend church and he was able to attend for the second hour and then he had to leave but he felt bad and told us he would be at church the full time next week. Tuesday we saw a man we had street contacted and so we gave him a Book of Mormon and taught him on the side of the road. We also taught a family that is Seventh Day Adventist. It was difficult to teach them because they kept on bringing up the Sabbath. Wednesday we had a lesson with a former investigator we found in the area book. Tracting that day was tough - we had some harsh rejections. One lady opened her door. I said "Hi we're your missionaries," and she said "Well good for you!" and then slammed the door in our face. Rejections are hard, but I've felt like they strengthen my testimony because if tracting was easy than it would mean the adversary isn't working. Thanksgiving was really great! President Mendenhall wouldn't let us play in the Turkey Bowl probably because he wanted to keep the teams even because he knows I would have torn up the competition. Actually it was so his missionaries wouldn't get hurt. We had dinner with a family. One of the things I am really thankful for this Thanksgiving is my trainer Elder Sevilla. He is really a great example, and he really shows his love to our investigators and I one thing I have really learned from him is to be bold and loving when extending commitments. Friday thru Sunday we were very busy teaching investigators and less actives. We also had O's Confirmation this Sunday it was really great. Sunday night was crazy, we were looking for less actives and none answered their door but it lead us to take a different route home on our way we saw a car stuck in the mud in a school parking lot we went over to see what was going on and it was an 87 year old lady without a phone that had stuck her car in the mud. We were there a couple hours trying to help her and finally one of the members showed up and helped tow her out with his suburban. Even though we got back late it was a really great opportunity to serve and help someone and we hope this turns into a great teaching opportunity. This week I've learned the importance of being anxiously engaged and when I am the lord can use me as an instrument in his hands. So I hope you are getting excited for Christmas and don't forget to watch A Savior Is Born. I will leave you with my ponderizing scripture. Alma 53:20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. It is great to be part of the Lords army

Love,
Elder Blackham

 

November 23, 2015

This week has been a tough week, but I definitely learned a lot from it. I realized I need to stay humble and rely on the Lord. This week we were really excited for O’s Baptism and it kind of detracted from the rest of our work. We had some really great experiences. Wednesday we went to the temple. I love going because the spirit is so strong, but it is a sacrifice because we have to wake up at 4:30 to make it in time to the 6:00 am session. Afterwards our Zone Leaders took us to Kneader'.s. The last time I ate there was the morning before I left to the MTC. Boy have I been out in the field for a long time. Thursday we had Zone Meeting we had some really great trainings. One that really stuck out was from our Zone Leader Elder Hodson. He talked about how we are children of God. It's amazing how profound and divine that statement is that the creator of the universe is our loving Heavenly Father. Later that day we had a lesson with our investigator Sister M. It was really cool - during the lesson the member's  shared about ponderizing and later that night she texted us and told us after reading 3 Nephi Ch. 11.  There were two scriptures that really spoke to her and she wrote them down and stuck them on her fridge. She also texted us last night and told us she had a testimony building experience last week and wanted to share it with us in our next lesson. We had O's Baptism on Sunday and it was really great. The spirit was so strong. We played Mormon messages while she was changing and she walked out in the beginning of Dare to Stand Alone. It was really powerful because as she is starting a new chapter in her life she is going to stand out but also be blessed. I am so grateful for this experience and am so excited for this week. Missionary work is easiest when you give everything to the Lord. I only have two weeks left with Elder Sevilla and I am ready to make the most of it. My ponderize scripture this week is D&C 76:22-24 I stand with the Prophet and testify that He Lives!

 

Love,

Elder Blackham

 

November 16, 2015

Hi Family,

 

This week was really great but it had its trials. We had 6 appointments cancel on us this week. But besides that things went really well. Monday we went to this Asian market it was pretty cool and Elder Sevilla loved it there! Tuesday we met again with the trainers and trainees. It was really great to meet up with the missionaries that came out with me. It’s funny because even though we only knew each other for a week, it is really cool to see how they are doing. Wednesday was really great - it snowed a lot! The thing about Denver is even though it snows it melts quickly. Also I learned I have to be a little careful biking after it snows because I was trying jump onto the sidewalk and well my bike slipped out from me luckily I didn't hurt anything. Friday was good we found a new investigator and we have a solid potential investigator that we will teach this week. Saturday some really awesome things happened. We were teaching Sister M and we committed her to be baptized it was a really awesome experience and we are really excited for her. Also we taught another investigator Brother P and he committed to attend Stake Conference on Sunday. Also we attended the Stake Adult meeting that night and President and Sister Mendenhall spoke. When Sister Mendenhall spoke she had all of the missionaries come up and we recited our purpose together it was really cool. President and Sister Mendenhall are so great. Sunday was really cool because we had three investigators at Stake Conference, Sister M, Brother P, and O. It was really great and what was so awesome was that at the end Brother P jumped in and helped out take down all the chairs in the gym. Afterwards we taught O at the M family’s home. We are so excited for her Baptism this Saturday although we found out last night we have to teach her lesson 5 so we are going to have to squeeze that in this week. I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed with these really great experiences and I love every moment of my mission. My ponderize scripture this week is Mosiah 2:17 it helps me remember who I am serving.

 

Love,

Elder Blackham

 

 

 

Oct. 26, Nov. 2 & 9, 2015

Oct. 26, 2015

I can't believe I am already done with my first transfer. The thing about transfer weeks - there is all this excitement built and nothing really changes. So Elder Sevilla and I are still in Bible Park. In the other set Elder Denny finished his mission and Elder Weller got transferred to Parker. The new Elders replacing them are Elder Christiansen and Elder Mcbride. Elder Mcbride was actually in my MTC zone so we are pretty good friends. We were able to go to the temple this week which was awesome. It rained all day Wednesday and Thursday which wasn't that fun to bike in. Saturday was a Zone Blitz in the City Park Ward which was down town. We were looking for less actives which isn't the most exciting but it was needed. The cool thing was that we crossed the Colfax Street which is the longest street in the United States. Sunday was cool - we had a man walk into the Church, so we taught him the first lesson - although we don't think he is in our ward boundaries so we may have to refer him to another set of missionaries. We also taught an investigator (although he is turning into an eternigator) the lesson started off great but ended not so great. My companion may have turned it into a bible bash because the lesson did not end great anyways. that's all for this week.

 

Nov. 2, 2015

So this week was pretty great. Elder Sevilla and I set some great goals that will really help us both become better missionaries. We have had a lot of success from using “The Family a Proclamation” because people have been very receptive and its helped us find a lot of potential investigators. Elder Sevilla is pretty funny. Wednesday morning I walked into our kitchen and saw Elder Sevilla was cooking tilapia and salmon for breakfast - not to mention he cooked his fish with allspice and he was baking a steak he was going to eat for lunch. One cool experience was that we had been teaching a less active whose husband was not a member. We had never been able to meet him. But we called on Wednesday and were able to teach him a couple hours later. On Friday I taught my first law of Chastity lesson. It was a great lesson because we first taught self-worth and used that topic to transition into the law of Chastity. Halloween was actually pretty fun. We had to be in our apartments by six unless we were at a members home. One of the members invited us and the other elders to their house so we handed out candy and even snuck a few pass a long cards in their buckets.  Sunday was fast and testimony meeting and I convinced my companion to bear his testimony because I bore mine last month. Then my companion kept nudging me to bear my testimony and since not a lot of people were bearing testimony I went up and bore mine. Sunday we had 3 appointments cancel but we found a new investigator at dinner with a member. We had dinner with Sister V, she is an old lady from Liberia who was baptized a couple years ago. She cooked Liberian food for us which was really good. Who knew I would be eating African food in Denver Colorado! Sister V’s nephew ate with us and after we were able to teach him the first lesson. We really have been blessed by the Lord this week and I am so excited for this week to see what the Lord has in store for us. I was able to read D&C 31:3-5 today and it reminded me of how great it is to be a missionary and to be able to declare the message of the restoration of the gospel. There is nothing in the world I would rather be doing right now!  I want to leave you with my ponderize scripture this week D&C 104:82 “And inasmuch as ye are humble and faithful and call upon my name, behold, I will give you the victory.”  I bear my testimony that this is the Lord's work and that Jesus Christ is our Savior.

 

November 9, 2015

Hi Family,

This week has been one of the best weeks we've had. There have been a lot of cool experiences and the Lord has definitely blessed us. Monday night we met with a less active part member family, the M’s, and taught the Plan of Salvation. It was great and we were able to commit them to attend church this Sunday. Tuesday started rough but my companion and I were able to work some things out and we finished the day with a great experience. We were with our ward mission leader and knocked on a less active's door and no one answered. As we walked to our ward mission leader’s car the less active walked up to us. He had just gotten home and normally would be working at that time, but he didn't have to take the shift today. His name is Brother C. He has had some really tough trials he was going through but things had been getting a lot better for him. Wednesday after tracting and finding some potential investigators we were a part of a miracle. On our way home we chose a different way to travel home. On our way Elder Sevilla asked a lady if she needed help. She said “no” but asked if we knew Sister C. Sister C is a member of our ward and passed away that day. This had been very hard for this lady because Sister C had a huge impact on her. But it was great that we were able to comfort her and pray with her. This lady had first been introduced to Sister C by missionaries.  She felt that we were a sign from Heavenly Father and that Sister C was in good hands. This is one of the great joys of missionary work being able to lift someone up. Thursday it snowed! It wasn't a lot and was all melted by twelve, but my companion and I had a great time exercising during our snow ball fight. We had our district meeting. During district meeting we talked about barriers and one of the barriers that every companionship brought up was working with members. Honestly that is one of the hardest things as a missionary - working with members. Friday we taught O and it was great. We had the young women’s president Sister D sit in as we taught her about following the prophet and obeying the Word of Wisdom. Saturday I was reading in “Our Search for Happiness” by Elder Ballard and one of the phrases that really stuck out to me was that "The Heavens are Open." That is so true and I felt it so much today. We went to knock on a less actives door and no one answered, so we knocked on her neighbors door and we met a man named R. We were able to give the first discussion and commit him to read the Book of Mormon. He is a really promising investigator. He is from the Dominican Republic, I guess the only bump in the road for him is that he wants to get into the Marijuana business, which is weird because he hates smoking. Also, as we walked to our bikes Sister O, the less active, saw us from her balcony and we were able to meet her and invite her to church. What was funny about sister O was that we actually met her my second day out in the field. When we were at the library she ran up to us and took some pictures to post on Face Book. That's the good thing about Sister O she loves missionaries. Anyways… Sunday was great because we had two investigators at church and quite a few less actives. Also we had three dinners (a first). We had dinner with Sister V again, although this time she made more authentic Liberian food because it was so SPICY!!! No exaggeration. It tasted really good it was just hard to eat because of the heat. What helped me eat it was that it just made Sister V laugh as I ate it. Also because Sister V's husband is not a member, but he has really appreciated the fact that Elder Sevilla and I Love the food they make. We also taught her nephew J and he is really promising because he is looking for a church right now. We also taught the D-S family from Nepal they are getting better at speaking English. The funny thing was after our lesson they had Nepali food for us - it was really good! Then after our next appointment fell through we went to a less active that we had been trying to schedule an appointment with. It was great to meet Sister S and what is even more amazing is her desire to keep the faith even though her husband isn't the best example. Also, that was our third dinner because her husband offered us pigs in a blanket - yeah we ate all over the world today. It has been amazing how much the Lord's hand is in our life and confirms my testimony that God is our loving Heavenly Father and he wants the best for each of us. Remember the Heavens are Open!

 

Love,

Elder Blackham

It snowed last week in Denver! It's been a while since he has sent pictures home - doesn't he look good! Love this Elder!