August 15, 2011

Well, I felt REALLY loved this week. I got FOUR letters on one day this week!!! THAT NEVER HAPPENS!!! haha But it made my day! So thank you! thank you! thank you! to everyone who sent me love and encouragement by mail this week!! And thanks a ton to everyone who sent them via prayers on my behalf. They are really making a difference. Thank you!!!

Well I had some few exciting events this week:

1) Exchanges with Hermana Schegel!! Do you all remember my trainer, Hna. Kiewra? Well Hna. Schegel served with Kiewra for 6 months, so they are really great friends, and I met her a couple times during my first transfer and loved her. She is super bubbly and easy-going, and a really hard worker. I've had the chance to work in a trio with her a couple times over the last few months, but this last Thursday she and I had an exchange together here in my area. And it was AWESOME. We taught 5 lessons in 1 day. It was really so so great. It was nice to feel like I could be myself for a few hours with her. It was definitely a BIG blessing in my life!

2) We had a combined district meeting (with the whole zone) at The Rock... which is this place in Calabases, CA... just at the very edge of our mission where you can look out and see the ocean... on a clear day. haha Well, it was far from being a clear day, but some of the smog burned off as the day went on. It was a really awesome day and I was able to help Hna. Williams self-discover a little bit more, which was good.

3) Yesterday, Tanner turned 19. Holy mole [moe-lay], Batman! (haha... get it... mole...? ok Logan is probably the only one who will get that. nevermind. just a dumb Latino joke...haha) But I digress. NINETEEN. WOW MOM!!!!! I can hardly even believe that...

4) Guess what else happened yesterday? That's right! A BAPTISM!!!!!! Well TWO BAPTISMS!!!!! A part member family that I was teaching up in Canyon Country. The two kids--Jenny and Daniel (17 and 15) got baptized yesterday and I got to go. It was so great to be there! The parents are getting married on Aug. 27th and then their father will be baptized on the 28th. I probably won't get permission to go up for that one, but I was so excited to get to be there for Jenny and Daniel. This family is so great. What brought them mom and her daughter back to activity and got the rest of the family interested was the fact that the parents just had a little baby a couple months ago, Jocelyn, who has down syndrome. She is so precious. It is amazing what miracles God works even through His tiniest children. It's so interesting to me that I'm teaching all these families with special needs children. I'm trying to gird up my loins for whatever that might mean for my future... :).

5) Hna. Williams and I sang "Dearest Children, God is Near You" in Spanish for the baptismal service. It actually went really well. I don't think I've mentioned my singing at all... but it turns out that in general, Latinos are terrible singers. And I definitely don't have a spectacular voice, but well, better than anyone else here. So I've even sang in Sacrament mtg. And almost every lesson we have I'm asked to sing with or for people... haha I bet you never thought you'd see the day did you Mom? I guess all it took was for me to become a missionary and serve in Latino wards... hahaha.

6) Lucia is still getting baptized this coming Sunday, despite everything that Satan is putting her through right now. She is ready and knows she's ready and is not willing to back down for anything. Pray it stays that way! haha I am so happy for her and so proud of all the changes she's made in her life. Seriously, it's been an incredible blessing to observe in participate in at times. It is moments like this that make everything else you deal with as a missionary completely worth it!

7) I had an experience last night when I was filled with so much anguish on behalf of someone else. I was so worried and sad and yet I knew that there was nothing I could do to help this individual except pray for them. I grabbed my scriptures to find peace and solace, but I didn't know where to read, so instead I just prayed and prayed and prayed. This calm, peaceful assurance washed over me and I knew everything would be ok and that this person was known and loved by God and that the situation was in God's hands. Then, a scripture came to my mind. Jacob 2:3. Now, I'll admit that I'm normally pretty good with scriptures, but I had NO IDEA what to expect from Jacob 2:3. haha Well I decided that if it was just a random idea that it certainly couldn't HURT anything to look it up anyway... And it didn't necessarily answer or remove any of my concerns, but I knew that other missionaries before have experienced similar situations and suddenly I realized that it is just part of my calling to feel anguish on behalf of other people. And that it's a GIFT to help me love them and to help motivate me to serve them with everything I have. God knows each of us. He knows our circumstances. Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to find true and lasting happiness on earth and in eternity, but He will always love us, know matter WHAT we choose to do. He loves us for WHO WE ARE. So remember that. :)

I love you all and I hope you have a great week!! The Gospel is true! This is God's work! Let's DO IT!

Love,
Hermana Blackburn

August 8, 2011

Ok, well I just have to thank everyone for all the LOVE and PRAYERS on my behalf the last couple of weeks. Thanks for the packages, the letters, and the emails! Seriously, they have all helped me so much!! It's a shame that as usual I only have a few minutes to write. But let me just say that the last week has been so much better in a LOT of ways. Mostly with my companion. She is finally accepting that I love her and letting me show her that. PHEW. :) It's a lesson Heavenly Father continues to show me over and over again: LOVE ALWAYS WORKS. When in doubt, just love. I'm really grateful that He helped me stick with it because I know that it has the power to change her life forever if she lets it. Love is JUST that POWERFUL. :)

Also, we are teaching all of Lucia's family right now and have been having some great experiences with them. Lucia is getting baptized on 21 August, and we hope that with her example, the rest of her family will follow in a couple months. :)

Well, that's all I really have right now. Thanks again for all the love and prayers and support! Keep them coming! ;)

Ether 12:6, 27--words to LIVE BY :)

Loves loves loves,
Hermana Blackburn

Thanks to Uncle Tim and Jan for sending me those excerpts from Grandma's journal!!

Also, Logan, do you know an Elder Michael Boswell who's serving in Riverside-Spanish speaking right now? He's about to go home, so I thought you might know him. And I reread one of the letters you sent me from YOUR mission that you had written all in Spanish... so fun to be able to read it on my own now! haha

August 1, 2011

Ok Well this week has been one of the slowest weeks of my mission. And this transfer is definitely the slowest, too... But I think that perception is because we've lost almost everyone we were teaching so we're pretty much starting from scratch here in Sylmar. Lots of finding. Lots of knocking. Asking everyone for referrals. Trying to make use of all the resources which we have, like the Family History Center, church tours, the Temple Visitors Center, etc. We've found a few more people, but I feel really strongly that we haven't yet met the person or family we are supposed to... I don't know if that makes sense, but it's how I feel.

I wish I had something really inspiring or uplifting to share with you all, but this week was just a week that I can proudly say I survived, even if I didn't thrive. Did any of you read that article in the Ensign a few months ago about the Dandelion and the Prison? It was about how dandelions can thrive in even the harshest conditions, like a crack in the sidewalk. Well, I think for much of my life I have been transformed from a fragile orchid into a hearty marigold... but I'm definitely not yet at the stage of being a dandelion. haha I'm working on it. And I'm trying to allow this transfer to help me out with that... but being squeezed between two cement slabs so to speak is rather uncomfortable, even for a dandelion, don't you think? haha Ok well that's pretty much all I have to say...

Although I did an activity this last week that I STRONGLY encourage all of you to do. Go through your Patriarchal Blessing specifically looking for all the things that Heavenly Father expects or requires of you. Wow... yeah I took 4 pages of notes, and my blessing is only 2 pages long... I've always read my blessing looking for the things that I've been "blessed with" but just this week did I realize that most of the time when my blessing says "You are blessed to be..." that it really is listing an expectation that Heavenly Father has for me. WOW. Talk about mind-boggling. And Uplifting and encouraging. And a bit chastening... Well you should all do that this week. It took me a few days, but it was totally worth it.

God is good. I love you all!!

Love,
Hermana Blackburn

July 25, 2011 Cucarachas

Well I have A LOT to say, especially since I didn't get to say anything last week. But I have about 5 minutes left to write, so we'll see how it goes... haha

1) I REALLY hate cockroaches. And I really HATE living with them. I stopped counting my kills... haha. Gross. I especially hate at night when you turn on the lights and you see them scurry. *Shiver* EW. But we're becoming better friends. I think it will help our living situation if I stop hating them so much... haha

2) God saved my life this week. Fer rills. I don't have time to tell you all the details. But let me just say that thanks to angels preventing my companion from turning when our light turned green, we weren't creamed by a truck going about 45mph that decided to run a red light... God is SO good to me. I literally have replayed that scene in my head over and over again and I am convinced that we were protected by angels. There is no other explanation for why I am not at least in the hospital right now. So you should all say a prayer of Thanksgiving. :)

3) The Martinez family was baptized yesterday!!! All four of them!!! And I'm SO happy for all of them! I wanted to send a picture home today, but I don't have time. But I'm SO SO SO SO SO happy for them! And what's more, I got to go! What a tender mercy in my life!

4) David and Julio both came to the baptism yesterday, so I got to see them, too! And the Alanis family! David accepted a baptismal date for Aug. 28th, so we'll see. And the Alanis family are planning on being baptized sometime in September. I love all of these people so much and I'm so glad I was able to see them again!

5) We had dinner with the Monrroys last night after the baptism. Oh my heart was going to burst I was SO happy to be with them again! Guess what? Sergio got the priesthood and passed the Sacrament last week!! AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! SO SO SO SO SO SO HAPPY!!!!

6) I forgot to mention that we went to Wendy's on dad's birthday. :)

Well I love you all so very very much!!! I hope you have a great week!

D&C 64:33-34

Love
Hermana Blackburn

July 18, 2011

Well so I only have 5 minutes to write but I love you all so very much. I'm learning. A LOT. Probably more personally than as a missionary, but sometimes that is what Heavenly Father wants. So I'm ok with that. :) Um the week has been long and rocky, but Heavenly Father is giving me the personal tender mercies that I need most. My predictions from last week have been pretty accurate... this transfer is bound to be a very humbling one... but I'll be a much better person and missionary because of it!

John 16:33
John 13:17

Just some food for thought this week. :)

I hope you are all doing well!

Love,
Hermana Blackburn

July 12, 2011

So sorry I didn't get to write yesterday! It was transfers, and I moved! Not gonna lie, it was completely unexpected, and therefore slightly devastating, but I'm taking it like a champ, if I do say so myself. Turns out there is a sister who has been having a rough time here so my amazing Hna. Garcia has been given the special assignment of taking care of her and helping change this girl's life/mission... It has been an incredible privilege for me to work with and learn from Hermana Garcia and I hope that we'll get another chance before she goes home in November, but if not then I'll at least always know that God loved me enough to bless my life with her, even for a short time! And my district... it was hard to leave Elder Camacho and Elder 'Otuafi also... not going to lie there either. They have become like my brothers, just like all my elders in the MTC. We made a great team but now it's time to make new friends and love and teach and serve people and missionaries in another part of the Lord's vineyard!

So guess where I am? Yeah... you'll never guess. So I'll just tell you: Sylmar/Pacoima, which is basically the ghetto of San Fernando. The situation here is entirely different in every aspect of living. We live in one room of an apartment with a member family living in the other. Cockroaches. Pollution. City. Mexican gangs. Requirement to carry pepper spray wherever we go. Entirely Latino. Established Spanish ward in an established Spanish stake. Yeah, REALLY different. haha But in time I'm sure I'l come to love it for what it is just like I have everywhere else I lived. I'm grateful for my experiences in the Middle East and Mississippi especially right now, because it's kind of a good mix between the two. And my companion? Her name is Hermana Williams and she is from Portland, Oregon. She is 6 ft tall. So that takes me back to the good old days of walking with Eryn in downtown Indianapolis! So far I think she's a lot like me, so this kind of seems like Heavenly Father's way of teaching me what it is like for others to live with me... I'm sure it's bound to be a delightful, eye-opening, humbling experience for me and I hope I can learn as much as possible from her! Also, she's only been out one transfer longer than I have, she's only served here, and her trainer left today... so I am her first real change in the mission field so far. But for me, she is my 3rd companion and this is my 2nd area in just 3 transfers... I think I'm one of the newest missionaries with that many changes already in the whole mission. Do you think maybe God is teaching me how to deal with change? hahaha... My move here to San Fernando is my 24th move in the last 5 years... I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. Here's what I know so far:

God ALWAYS knows what is best for me. God has a plan for me. God is going to use me WHEREVER I am if I am willing. I can learn to love and serve wherever I go. Growing pains are good for the soul. There is someone HERE that I am meant to teach and love, and there's something that I'm meant to LEARN here, too!

So it was really hard to leave... but I'm ready to dig in and get to work here in Sylmar! I'm ready to love and serve and testify of Jesus Christ to my brothers and sisters here in this area. And now I have the opportunity to get to know so many other members, investigators, and missionaries here in the San Fernando Valley!

So here's my new address:
10943 Laurel Canyon Blvd. #B5
San Fernando, CA 91340

I love you all and hope things are going well for you there! Godspeed!

Love,
Hermana Blackburn

July 5, 2011

So the Monrroy family was baptized and confirmed on Sunday. We met them, taught them, and they were baptized all within 5 weeks. Why? because they are 1) incredible and 2) prepared. They are seriously so great. I can't imagine heaven without them and now I know that I don't have to! The baptismal service was really great. President Martin even came for part of it! The Spirit was so strong as this incredible family made their first promises with Heavenly Father and began down the path to being an eternal family. No words will ever be able to describe how happy I am or how much I love them! I had very little to do with the process of them receiving their own witness from the Spirit that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and that His church really HAS been restored again to the earth. But I'm so grateful I was able to witness this process with them! I know I've never actually ATTACHED photos to my emails before, but I thought I could make a special exception for this occasion. :)

I don't really have any more time, but I guess that's ok because I could write all day and never be able to adequately describe in words how happy I am--for the Monrroys, for my calling as a missionary, for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life--or how much I am filled with love right now--for my Heavenly Father, for my Savior Jesus Christ, for my family, for my dear friends, for the Monrroys... everyone. This gospel really IS the only way to find lasting joy in this life or the next, because it is GOD'S way. And He's in charge...

Happy Belated Fourth of July!! Not going to lie... I was a little homesick yesterday as I was watching the fireworks. But now today I get to go back to work inviting others to come unto Christ and be healed (3 Nephi 9). I love you all so very much! Pray always, that you may come off conquerors!

Love,

Hermana Blackburn