"A Father's Love"

I'm sure y'all are waiting for the day when I say that it's been an awful week, but that just hasn't happened yet!

 

First let's start with transfers. So we got a text saying that they would be making calls starting at 8. We didn't go in till 9 but still hadn't gotten a call. We planned, got ready for bed, and still no call. I wasn't feeling very well so I told Hermana Wong that I was closing my eyes but that she could wake me up if we did get called. Well I ended up having a great night's sleep without getting woken up. We had waited all day for that call and...n.o.t.h.i.n.g.

So in the morning we texted the Elders and asked if they got called. They said yes. So then we called them and they told us to just be patient and wait it out and they wouldn't even tell us if they were being transferred or not!

We were also supposed to text the district leader about it so we called them and told them we didn't get called. In the middle of our conversation the assistants called so we told them we had to take it.

So the assistants said that they pretty much forgot about us. Awesome. But they proceeded to tell us that we would both be staying!!! We were completely shocked because President had pretty much already told us what was going to happen at our interview. But also kind of excited at the same time because that would mean another 6 weeks and working hard and getting stuff done.

We called the district leader back and told him the good news. Once again, our conversation got interrupted because the assistants called back. They said they had made a mistake and that Hermana Wong would be leaving and that Hermana Blackner would be staying. I guess6:45 in the morning is just a little too early for them to be thinking straight haha!

Basically, it was just a lot of unneeded suspense and confusion but it's all figured out now and I will be getting a new companion on Wednesday!

And until then, we have been/will be taking lots of pictures and saying a lot of goodbyes. I'm not ready for that day to come yet.

 

Nicholas got baptized on saturday! Yes, 10.12.13. and it was probably one of the most spiritual baptisms I've ever been to. Read 1 John4:19. It's all because of a father's love :) And in 366 days, we will be going to the temple with the M's. :) It's a dream come true!

 

 

One of the best ideas from our zone training this past week was baptism calendars! So pretty much you make a calendar and put important events like church, appointments, etc., doctrines you are going to teach, and homework. And it all leads up to their baptism date! So it really helps the investigators to stay on track and since we teach so many kids we figured we could give them a sticker every time they do their homework and accomplish something! Pretty awesome! It must be the teacher in my coming out, but I thought it was the best idea ever haha!

 

We got a mtc referral last week and it was sweet. It basically said that Linda wants to join the church. You better believe we called that one right away! So this lady has a niece that lives in Palmyra. And she has told Linda a lot about the church. When we go over there, it was not what we expected. Linda and her husband Gordon know the bible like the back of their hand. Seriously, we were getting into every little detail and I'm pretty sure they talked for 3/4 of the hour and a half that we were there. By the time we left, my head hurt. We only got through like half of the restoration but they were so excited to share all their knowledge with us and have been to jerusalem twice and all that good stuff.

My problem is that I can keep up with the conversation so I just want to share all the great knowledge that I have back with them and talk about the bible and everything. But that's not what I need to do. I'm supposed to be testifying and speak from the spirit. So there's our new investigators for ya :)

 

I learned this week that whenever you are feeling down about your life and how things are going...Just read Job and then be grateful for all the blessings you do have and then follow his example and never lose your faith in the Lord :)

 

So on Wednesdays we go and teach Alejandro in spanish and then the elders come and teach him in english. This past week we were teaching him lesson 5 and talked about missionary work and how he can share the gospel with his friends or the people he works with. Later that night, we saw the elders and they said that Alejandro went out teaching with them for like 5 hours! We're not sure how the whole language barrier thing worked out or how he really felt about it but it was awesome that he just jumped right in and we still think he's the most amazing person ever!

 

Two more things...

 

First, let's just talk about how lucky I am to have been companions with Hermana Wong. Seriousy, the longer we've been together, the better it gets. We are unstoppable and we know how to have fun! Our motto is GO AND DO. It's the answer to all our problems and is how we get stuff done. We have seen so many miracles and have experienced so much together. One thing that they don't really tell you about missions is that you have the opportunity to make some of your best friends! So even though our time together is coming to a close, we are already counting down the days till 1) we get to be at the sealing together 2) we get to be in utah together! Good things to come...

 

Second, I just wanted to say how grateful I am for the priesthood and also the influence that fathers have as the patriarch of their families! It seems like we've been learning a lot about the priesthood recently and how much it really blesses our lives. Also I've been thinking a lot about how essential fathers are to their families and how they lead and guide them. Yesterday I had the opportunity to hear two fathers pray with us and their families for the first time. One, who just got baptized and received the Aaronic Priesthood, and one who will not even read the book of mormon. Two totally different situations but it has been amazing to see the changes that both of these families have been making and that in the Lord's timing, miracles really do happen and these fathers understand how the gospel can help make their families even better.

 

I'm excited for what's ahead and as always...absolutely LOVE being a missionary :)

 

~Hermana Blackner