1) My companion runs a lot of yellow/orange/red lights. And well, my life has flashed before my eyes a couple times this week as other cars try to go at the same time she is still going. Thank goodness Dad is doing his job up there as my guardian angel!! I couldn't ask for a better one, that's for sure! I know Skylar probably thinks that he has dibs on dad as his guardian angel, but I'm pretty sure that daughters always win out, right? haha ;)
2) While in a lesson this week, one of those huge 4ft box speakers "fell"/jumped off the wall BARELY missing me. There was also a bunch of glass on top and all the glass shattered at my feet but I wasn't hurt at all. We had all just been sitting there. NOTHING happened to provoke it from falling. WEIRD. But I guess one time when this same family was learning about the word of wisdom, the coffee pot in the kitchen just randomly shattered into hundreds of pieces without anyone around. So... I'm not sure how talking about the Iron Rod and the Tree of Life has anything to do with a speaker, but I'm really grateful I wasn't seriously hurt!
3) Satan was doing EVERYTHING he could this week to prevent Lucia from being baptized. But she is amazing and way stronger than Satan. :) She was baptized yesterday in one of the most beautiful services I've been to. The Spirit was so strong and everyone there felt it, but especially Lucia. Hna. Williams and I played "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" on the piano and flute as a special musical number and it went pretty well. Just after that, Lucia went to be baptized and she just hugged us for several minutes because she was sobbing. The Spirit was incredible. And I'm SOOOOOO happy for her!! She is a part of my family now and I'm so grateful that I get to be here and teach her!
4) So from the beginning of this transfer, I knew that there was one person I was supposed to teach, one person I was supposed to find, but that my primary responsibility was to help my companion through her hard time. Well that being said, every time we were going tracting I kept feeling impressed to go to Chatsworth Ave. but nothing really has ever come from it. Until last week when the Elders gave us this address on Chatsworth and all they would tell us is that they "received further revelation about our impressions to look on Chatsworth." So we went and knocked on this house that was just beyond the last place we'd stopped knocking last time. Well, as we knocked on the door, this girl gets out of a truck and comes up to us and invites us in, without even asking who we are. So once we're inside we introduce ourselves and who we are and what we're doing there and she starts telling us how she's been feeling impressed the last few days like she was going to meet someone new that would really help her but she didn't know with what. (Coincidence? I THINK NOT.) So we share a little bit of "How to Begin Teaching" and How to recognize the Holy Ghost and His role in testifying of Truth with her and she is so excited because she's realizing that what she is feeling is the Holy Ghost. Her name is Arianna, and turns out that she used to date this boy in our ward who is preparing to go on his mission (which is why they stopped dating), but she has come to church a few times to the English ward and she really liked it. He had given her a Gospel Principles manual and she found it a couple days before we found her and she said she felt like she should read it but didn't know why... hmmmm. I KNOW!!! PICK ME!!! PICK ME!!!!! haha Anyway, we sing "Our Savior's Love" for her and she was crying because the Spirit was SO strong. It was great. When I left her house I knew that I had found that person this transfer that I was supposed to. Don't worry, she ended up giving us a ride to the chiropractor the next morning for my appointment (30min away)... not even 24hrs after meeting us. haha She's awesome. The tragic part of it all? She doesn't speak Spanish. So we can't teach her. But the English elders here are great so it will be ok... just sad for me... pero asi es en la mision...
5) We have transfers today. Hna. Williams is going to North Hollywood and I'm staying here. My new companion will be Hna. Erickson who came out at the same time as Hna. Williams... 6 weeks before I did. She has been serving up in the desert since she came out, so Sylmar is going to be VERY different for her. But she's from Boston, so I think she can handle it. :) haha I'm excited to have a companion from the East Coast! Anywhere east of the Mississippi river is RARE... haha. So on to my 4th tansfer, my 4th companion, and my 3rd area. Finally ONE thing stays the same for me! haha
6) TANNER!!!!! You're GOING TO SOUTH DAKOTA!!!!!!!! I'm SO excited for you!!!! I'm bummed you have to wait so long to leave, though at least November isn't 5 months away like Skylar had to wait! It's going to be crazy to have all three of us out for 7 months, but just think of all the blessings that mom and our family will receive because of us! I'm so proud of you! Congratulations!!
Ok, well that is all the time I really have. I love you all!! Have a great week! Know that I love you all so very much and pray for you continually!
Love,
Hermana Blackburn
Picture 1: The Martinez family that I taught up in Canyon Country, baptized 24 July!
Picture 2: Jenny and Daniel Alanis that I taught up in Canyon Country and their step-sister Marlena Carillo. They were baptized 14 August! Their father is getting baptized the 28th of August because their parents are getting married on the the 27th! :)
Picture 3: Lucia with Beverly (8) and Bridjette (3) along with Elder Verive who baptized her. He learned some Spanish just so he could baptize her!
I tried to send more but it was taking way too long!
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