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