April 8, 2013 (pictures)

April 8, 1013

So as far as this week goes I am getting transfered for the very first time. That is pretty crazy for me cause idk its just new to me haha but i am so happy, it really is impossible to not be happy if your serving the Lord with all you got, your worries, fears, and even weaknesses turn into strengths. I do not know where I am transferring but I will get to tell you next week. We did not have general conference yet because we are 14 hours ahead on time so we will have it this weekened and I am so excited to listen to God speak to be personally through His ordained and called servants:) One thing that I have noticed this week is the power of integrity faith, by simply doing what you know and feel is right you will rise up to the next level of what the lord wants you to be and He will be able to trust you and give you the ability and capability to do those things even if you have never done it before or wether it requires a miracle. Miracles and the normal result of faith in the correct principles:) 

I must share that I love testifying of the atonement of Jesus CHrist:) A less active shared that he feels that his most is not good enough, but I loved to testify that our best is always good enough for the Lord, that the power of the atonement is infinite. then i ask what does infinite mean, it means without boundaries or compulsory means that absolutely nothing can stop it, no matter what, it means nothing is impossible, its not just infinite in time but also depth and height and space, we are never too low for the atonement to lift us up,  it is perfect and therefore we cannot say it does not work for me, because that is God's whole work and glory is for us to become like Him to be clean and overcome and endure to the end:) The atonement makes life perfectly fair, we have all the power of the atonement to overcome:)

Love, Elder Blackham

April 1, 2012 (pictures)

April 1, 2013

The city is so empty during Holy week. The traffic is usually bumper to bumper 24/7 but during Holy Week its an absolute ghost town. We were all quite shocked at how empty it could get. Not a single person car or anything in sight haha. It was crazy only a few homeless people there were even hundreds of less homeless people on the streets haha. 

But its pretty crazy what happens in the other places of my areas. On Thursday and Friday people walked around whipping themselves on the back and there are drops of blood everywhere on peoples houses and cars and streets. We made sure we were not in that part of the area at the time they do that, and in the other barangay they crucified a couple people. They really try to reenact the atonement here, so we were in the city to not be around that. 

It was a pretty amazing week this week and we got to teach a lot. We  worked our tales off to teach people even though it was so empty. One thing I learned this week is the power of a testimony and being sincere and transparent. When talking to people just letting them know why your there and what your plans are for them. Its so important that you be as transparent as possible so people can make a clear decision in their lives. Let them know the blessings and what its going to take and so and so forth. Many people when you show up at their door will shew you away but if you teach them right there some simple truths of the gospel and how it can change their life and what our plan is for them they open up. The spirit touches their heart and they say... well when can you come back. and then we set an appointment or teach more while we are there. 

I also focused my studies this week on the atonement and it was pretty amazing:) It is amazing the divine help from the atonement that we can receive, even just simply waking up in the morning can become a joy if we remember that Christ atoned for us and gives us the strength to live another day. We need not settle for living a normal every day mundane life, if we constantly keep our mindset on what the atonement makes us and our faith in Him, all those little things we do every day become a joy and a great light in our lives. As we recognize the little decisions that we have to make every day and then trusting the atonement and grace that we can be better than we are, and always choosing the better of all those little decisions we will become like the Savior and become so happy and everything in life will become a joy and a wonderful experience. We never need to be sad or bitter or mean, the Savior atoned for us and made it possible for us to choose the better always. There will be sad moments where we do mourn but our mourning will be accompanied by comfort, as we continually choose the right. 

Love, Elder Blackham

March 25, 2013

This week was awesome, a lot of growth and learning that I am so grateful to the Lord for the trials that are hand crafted for me to make me stronger:) I love testifying to people of the truth and this week I learned to be more bold and more zealous in my preaching and sharing of the gospel with others:) I also learned the powerful affect of testifying and I am  learning a lot more how to present the message of the gospel in a way that people can make a clear decision. In preach my gospel chapter 1 under a successful missionary it says that your responsibility is to teach clearly so that people can make the right choice.   

I also learned more how to trust in the spirit and to follow promptings with out delay. I am recognizing more the language of the spirit and how He speaks to me:) I always am making sure that I have a way to record prompting and when I end my prayers I wait and listen with a pen and paper in hand. Paying attention with extra effort and obeying all the commandments with more desire and striving has caused me to recognize that the spirit speaks to all of us so much more that we realize. When it says "constant companion" it doesn't mean sometimes. it means all the time and so long as we are keeping all the commandments we need not fear or worry that He is there. I found myself quite surprised at how talkative the Holy Ghost is, I testify He really does care about us and know all of our thoughts desires and weaknesses and is always sending messages to help us when we listen and allow him to be there by our righteousness:) I testify that as we obey with our all, continually repent and have faith in Christ, and it must be in Christ, we will have no worries and you will be able to be confident and be the person you want to be.You will have the Holy Ghost as your constant companion and you will wonder if life could ever be so amazing:)  With the spirit you need not wonder if your doing whats right or if your cool or if your in the right place or if your clean, with the spirit you know that you are and that this is whats right and that you are loved and, wow its just such an amazing gift, an unspeakable gift. If we always strive for this gift we will not go wrong because you can only have it if your doing whats right:) 

This week we found new less active members and many miracles and people bumping into us in the street and then giving us refferals. I know that is a natural result of praying and fasting and obeying to have miracles happen to us. 

I also drank milk!!!!!!!! Real milk!  They only have powdered milk here but there was a family that had real 2% milk and I almost cried,not really but seriously it was amazing.  The Lord gives tender mercies all the time:) 

It turns out I will have a scar on my eye but it does look really cool and I will be grateful for it and always remember my mission every time I see it.  

Love, Elder Blackham 

March 18, 2013

Dear Mom,

Just reading the letter was a roller coaster in and of itself. That's pretty crazy that all that happened just last week but if that's the will of God then so be it, come what may and love it:) IT is just so much better to love God;s will. 

Any ways this week was pretty awesome and fun:)!! Life is pretty much the greatest as usual. Lately I have been learning more about trials and about the Lords absolute love for all of us. Also about how the gospel is true:)!!! We talked to a Muslim this week and he totally explained a lot about their religion and it was super cool that it made my testimony of the gospel grow. The reason why it was so cool is that it was so unexpected that my faith would grow in the gospel as a result of hearing someone else share their beliefs. I learned truths about the gospel when hearing this man speak about it. Really everything testifies that this is the true gospel, even other religions as we are open and listen to them.  

I also learned about how important questions are that we ask to ourselves. Like, what can I do more? or What can I do to feel the spirit more fully in my life? What are some things I can do right now to serve the Lord? It helps us open our mind and the spirit touch our hearts and impress us on things that we can do better in our lives. How can we come closer to the savior today? It helps big questions like how can I become more like the savior, that requires life long goals be broken down into little daily questions that will help us achieve our big goals in life:) I know that as we ask little questions like this every day we will be impressed every day about little ways we can do better and grow:) The gospel is not complicated, there is not a billion things all the time its simple doctrine acted upon and then witnesses given to us by the spirit that cause us to learn, to grow and to become. It all starts with 1. learning doctrine by the Holy Ghost. 2. Acting on those principles 3. Then the spirit testifies its true and our understanding and testimony deepens and expands into conversion:) 

By the way I don;t even have a scar from the stitches on my brow.  I actually kinda wanted a little one, for the memory and it looked kinda cool. But I am still happy haha. Its kinda of incredible because my eye was swollen shut the first 2 days and stitches and now nothing. The injury was a an inch long which doesn't sound big; but to be above your eye it looks big haha. 

What's cool too is I learned one of my favorite ways to OYM (Open Your Mouth)  to people is by walking next to them at the same pace until it's so awkward someone has to break the ice. It sounds weird but it works really well, just walking with people, then they say hi or ask a question and then we start talking, next thing leads to another and we have an appointment to teach. It's pretty cool. Or sitting next to someone. All that good stuff:)

So nothing super new this week.  We just had lunch with two of the area presidency because they live in my area so might as well utilize their skills. Its just super fun trying all these ideas for finding because I have a peculiar area. I am kinda a guinea pig for the mission as far as trying all the finding ideas I can come up with, and ideas are a fun thing. This way I can say I tried absolutely my all in this area including all my ideas haha. I am learning more how to serve with my mind and not just my strength and might:) 

Love, Elder Blackham

March 11, 2013

(Note from Elder Blackham's Mom:I have decided that "ha ha"  actually means...."Don't freak out mom because I know you will!" )

Dear Family,

I got stitches this week,ha ha! 7 of them on the upper left corner of my left eye, haha.  Now that's a funny story, I didn't get home from the hospital till like 2 in the morning, haha.  But don't worry, it actually looks cool and nothing is seriously wrong.  I have no problems opening my eye all the way and it's totally fine :)  What happened was that I was trying to show my Filipino roommate how to do a cross over in our apartment.  Our apartment is a little longer than arms length wide.  Haha and it turns out my comp was doing the same thing the other direction and we bumped heads really hard. He got a huge knot on his head and I got stitches cause I am taller and was hit right on that soft area right under your eyebrow. After letting my roommates try to rap it several times with zero success, which was also quite funny, I said lets just go to the hospital. It actually looked pretty cool. 

This week was just quite an adventure looking in sky scraper offices and trying to meet with councils and heads to present the message to people. We didn't really have any luck but we found out a ton of information:) So I am excited to tackle this week with all I got and just teach like a ton of people the gospel of repentance and salvation:) This is so much fun. We have to be super creative to find those leaders and such. We can't just randomly talk to them it has to be with a reason. like playing basketball, or sitting next to them at a table or asking them for directions. :) Its really fun!!:) I am really just learning to love people! It's just so much better to ask about people's life and their family and spend time with everyone than anything else I could be doing.  Every single time you talk to them the gospel naturally comes out when you ask about their family or ambition or anything:) It is so totally a way of life:)

 

Anyways my stomach is miraculously better:) and its awesome:) Its funny because I accidentally ate plastic this week too, haha. It has been an accident prone week, but don't worry I am very protected. by the Lord. 

Mostly this week I have been learning about the beautiful Plan of Salvation and about how real our potential is to become like Heavenly Father, through the Holy Ghost testifying of it to me. Also I am learning in more depths about the family unit in the eternities. That the family is the social unit of all eternities, that Heavenly Father is a Father and we are his children and we are just following that pattern. Then it continues to eternities and eternities bringing immortality and eternal life to all. OH what a beautiful plan. All this I learned by the spirit:)

 

Love, Elder Blackham