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!

Oct. 12, 2015

Hi Fam,

This Week has had its ups and downs. Monday was good… I got a haircut from a member in our Ward - she works at a beauty salon. Honestly Mom I like your haircuts better. Also I had to go on exchanges with Elder Denny. He is in the other companionship in our ward. His companion, Elder Weller, wrecked on his bike and hurt his hand so he couldn't bike. Elder Weller went with Elder Sevilla in our area. It was cool to learn from another Elder and see how he was able to talk to people. Anyways…in the past week the other Elders have wrecked four times. I'm just glad I haven't had an accident. On Tuesday we went tracking and met a couple people. One was a family from Iraq and what was interesting was that even though they were Muslim they were pretty interested in Christianity. Also we had a lesson with one of our investigators S. It was good - I just hope she will keep the commitments she made. Wednesday’s are rough because we don't have time to find people because we have service midday and then our meetings with the ward mission leader that evening. Thursday was good - we had zone meeting, which was helpful learning different ways to be more effective. We also meet a man from India. He owns a small online company from his home and he actually wanted to give us job interviews - it was pretty funny. Friday was a little disappointing. We had been trying to get in contact with her but we couldn't until we finally dropped by her house. When she opened the door we talked to her for a minute and then she said she wanted to give the Book of Mormon we gave her back. We said she could keep it but she said she wasn't going to read it. It was a disappointing experience but we knew Lord was with us, because as we left the apartment we met a young man named S who was pretty interested and from what he told us about himself he really needed the gospel. I think Heavenly Father gives us those experiences to help lift us up and give us that hope because there are so many people out there that need the gospel we just have to find them. Saturday was fun because I was on exchanges. It ended up that I was on exchanges with another new missionary Elder Metcalfe. He had a back injury that stimulated a joint disorder, so he struggles going up stairs and his joints hurt in the cold, but his desire is definitely there and he pushes himself. I also got to drive which was a little weird because it’s been over a month without driving. Sunday we taught a man from Nepal - it’s difficult because he speak barely any English. Anyways the work is moving on and it is great. This week I have been ponderizing a scripture in 2 Ne 4:19 "And when I desire to rejoice my heart groaneth because of my sins nevertheless I know in whom I have trusted" I love this scripture because I trust my Savior and because of his Atonement I can let go of my mistakes through faith and repentance. It truly is the Miracle of the Atonement.

 

So the food situation is tricky right now because the ward made a real push to schedule meals for us and so we actually have a bunch of meals scheduled now but, the problem is they are with the other companionship in our ward, which isn't allowed by mission president mainly because he doesn't want the sets of Elders to talk to each other instead of the members. The thing is the stake president says its fine for the members to have meals with more than one set of missionaries. So we don't really know how it’s going to work out. But some of the members do drop by with some groceries which are fine. There is a member in the neighbor ward that collects food from food banks that the food banks were going to throw out and gives the food to all the missionaries from the stake. That's why we have a lot of canned food and our Cupboards are full with food.

 

Oct. 19, 2015

Hi Fam,

Monday- So I sent my shoes to a cobbler in our area and it only cost 10 dollars to fix them. We cleaned up our apartment, but for some reason it always gets messy in the middle of the week. We also taught a lesson today with the L’s. Sister L is a less active member but is trying to get back to church. Her daughter is 14 and wants to be baptized which is great so we've been teaching her daughter the discussions. This lesson we wanted to emphasize the importance of reading the Book of Mormon so we read 3 Nephi Chapter 11. I could feel the spirit very strongly as we read but it was difficult helping them recognize the spirit.

 

Tuesday- Today was my first Zone Conference It was a great experience and the theme of it was “character.” I have been working on changing my own character myself. Lately I have been working on Charity. As I am working on it I can see how important it is as a missionary to not worry about myself but worrying about others. It was also great to hear the departing missionaries’ testimonies. The interesting thing was there was a difference between the missionaries that had really worked hard during their missions and didn't want to leave their mission and some of the missionaries that were more disobedient who said that their mission was a great experience. One of our AP's loved his mission so much he had convinced himself he wasn't going home at the end of this transfer. It made me realize how much opportunity I have in front of me and made me have an even stronger desire to work harder.

 

Wednesday- We were very busy today. We found two new investigators, and we taught two part member families. For one of the part member families we taught from the “Family a Proclamation.” It was a great lesson and was great to see that this family really agreed with the principles.

 

Thursday- Elder Sevilla was dying to eat at a Pho? Restaurant so we ate there for lunch. We ate dinner at a member’s home. It was interesting because we found out they were both blind. But they are very faithful and have really great conversion stories.

 

Sunday- After church we had a lesson scheduled with a new investigator S. It was a really good lesson and she is interested in finding out for herself the truth. The only problem is that she doesn't understand the Book of Mormon.

 

I hope y’all are doing great. I just want to leave my testimony that missionary work is so great. I learned that even if people we talk to aren't very receptive our message sticks in their mind. We talked to a man we had seen a couple weeks ago and he said he had been thinking about us lately. I think that is so cool.

 

My Ponderize Scripture this week was Moroni Chapter 7:45  “And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

 

Have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Blackham

 

 

Sept. 28 & Oct. 5

Sept. 28, 2015

Hi,

So to answer your questions Elder Sevilla is from the Island Luzon North west of Manilla - Pangasinan Province, Alaminos. And of course I told him about our trip. It’s kind of funny because every time I ask something about the Philippines he says "Elder Blackham I thought you've been to the Philippines.” Also as far as how many miles I ride on my bike let’s just say my legs can get pretty sore. Anyways this week has been great.

Monday: In the MTC they always said just wait till Sunday and it will get better. In the mission field I would say just wait till P-Day because it is much needed. Also we were able to clean up our apartment and play our one and only game of ping pong before we put the table on the altar of sacrifice.  Elder Sevilla is crazy good at Ping pong but I guess that's what happens when buildings in the Phillipines don't have gyms just ping pong tables.

Tuesday: We taught a lesson to an older couple. They are very religious so it is hard to explain the priesthood authority.

Wed: Met an older lady who plays video games and taught her the first lesson. We scheduled an appointment but haven't been able to get ahold of her.

Friday: We had a meeting with all the trainers, trainees and Mission President in the morning - it was great.  One of the greatest experiences of this week was on Friday. We had our second lesson with B and the spirit was so strong. I know she was prepared by the Lord. The greatest part was that I invited her to be baptized and she said yes! It is so great to know that B is sincerely trying to make a change in her life and recognizes that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way we can truly change. Later that night we had two appointments that fell through so we went tracting. We met a guy who said he knew all about religions and was trying to tell us how to do our job. It was really frustrating because I knew he wasn't listening to what we were saying. Anyways we asked what religion he believed in and he said he believed in some sort of shaman religion where you separated your body from your spirit, but it was really just his excuse for smoking weed. That was confirmed when he said he was done talking to us because he wanted to go inside to smoke some weed. Sometimes it can be hard to look at people as children of God, but it was a good experience because it helped me realize I need to be bolder and testify of what I believe.

Saturday: Today is Elder Sevilla's Birthday he turns 23. I made him some pancakes and we put a candle and sang happy birthday. After we had a service project for a guy in the same apartment complex. The Elders next door talked to him and he said he was having a bad day because he didn't know how he was going to move his apartment. We told him we would help. We helped him move furniture and after that he asked us to move some plants in his house. I asked what kind of plants and he said he had been a child of the 70's and when Colorado legalized marijuana it had been in his bucket list to grow some so we found out he had been growing marijuana plants in one of his closets - it was pretty funny. Anyways we taught a man name P. He has been an investigator for a long time because he believes that if you ask God you shall receive. This makes it pretty hard to explain the priesthood because he believes you can ask and receive the priesthood. So hopefully once he gains a testimony of the Book of Mormon he will progress more. Also we were talking to a guy on the street and he seemed very interested so we gave him a Book of Mormon, but before we could get his info he had to run for the bus. I am praying every day that I will be able to find him.

Sunday: It was Fast Sunday and I bore my testimony. Another great experience was on Sunday, we were with our ward mission leader finding less actives in our ward. We had no success and then our ward mission leader's car broke down. We decided we would walk to our next appointment and when we got there it fell through so we headed back to our apartment and on our way we met a lady sitting by her tree and after we talked to her we committed her to reading the Book of Mormon and we set up an appointment at her home for later this week. The best thing was she didn't think it was a coincidence that we met and felt that we were supposed to meet. I was able to realize how the Lord puts us on other people’s paths.

My testimony has been strengthened so much over the last couple weeks I have seen the lord guide my path and help me throughout my mission even though we don't always understand why things happen they happen for a reason. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored and that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God.

Love,

Elder Blackham

Oct. 5, 2015

Dear Family

I eat once a week at a member’s house which isn't great. But we get a lot of food from a member in fact our pantries are full of food and our refrigerator is full. We cook pretty good meals for ourselves. Elder Sevilla is a pretty good cook. And honestly I'm not sure about packages.

This week has had its challenges. We taught the first lesson to L and her Husband M on Thursday. They are really great people and are very open to the gospel. They said they felt a little overwhelmed when we taught them but they could feel the spirit, and they wanted to find out for themselves. They are non-denominational so they feel we can come to Christ in our own ways. I felt that Elder Christofferson's talk really will help them understand the need for a church. Also our appointment with B was cancelled which was disappointing. She is trying to figure out for herself the truth. We are keeping her in our prayers and have an appointment scheduled for this week. General Conference was great and there are a lot of things that I can apply to my life to help me serve as better missionary. Even though we had our disappointments Elder Sevilla and I are going to bounce back this week and give our best.

Love,

Elder Blackham

Dear Mom,

This email is especially for you! In the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference Elder Holland gave a great talk about the role of Mothers. He compared the life-long sacrifice of mothers to the sacrifice of our Savior and that next to Christ's sacrifice the next greatest is that of our mothers. As he talked I was filled with the Spirit, there were tears running down my face as I honor your sacrifice for me. Mom I feel like you don't always get the credit you deserve because just like Christ you are always serving me, you are always there to turn to, and you do it all out of love. The one regret I have is that I should have listened to you more, I should have been quick to obey, and I should have turned to you for comfort. I love you so much and I am so grateful for your example and testimony.

Love,

Elder Blackham