p i c t u r e s

"the church right now is as historic as the book of mormon coming forth"

Hola mi familia!

 

Well it´s been another fantastic week at the CCM! Thanks so much for all the dear elders. They are the BEST! It's always a good day when you get some mail :) And I love hearing about what's going on at home. I seriously am clueless as to what's going on in the world. But I don't feel like I'm missing anything either.

 

I guess I'll start on last friday. We got to meet our mission president!!! We met with all the missionaries in our mission. There are 11 of us here at the CCM right now. 9 sisters and 2 elders, all spanish speaking. There are 250 missionaries in the mission and only about 40 of them are spanish speaking, only 10 are elders. I already love President and Sister Hanks SOOO much! They are amazing and so much fun. They were cracking jokes the whole time and we so nice to all of us. They were shocked when they opened their call as well and kinda feel like they're in the same boat as the rest of us, they have no clue what's goin on haha! Our mission scripture that President Hanks wants us to memorize is 3 Nephi 5:13. It talks about being disciples of Christ. The other two scriptures he shared are 2 Nephi 31:20 about being steadfast in Christ and having love of God and all mankind and 1 Chronicles 28:20, be strong and of good courage. Just do it. I am super excited to get to Alabama! 

 

It has been amazing being here with all the mission presidents and having general authorities and apostles on campus all week. Being a part of the broadcast was an absolutely amazing experience and I'm so glad we got to sing in the choir. Watch the broadcast and look around 2:40 and you'll be able to see me. Sister Page is on the end with her short hair and a green shirt on and then I'm the fourth person in with a blue shirt on. I've never been so close to all the apostles before and it was so fun to have them wave at us. The spirit in that room was overwhelming and I will never forget that day. We met a mission president going to Australia and his wife. They were telling us all about their family. Whenever we talk to a mission president they always testify to us about something and start to get emotional. It is such a blessing to be a part of this historic time. Also yesterday on the way back from gym, this mission president stopped me and asked if I was in the choir. I said yes and then Hermana Torgersen stopped to wait for me and he asked her as well. He then talked about how great it was that we were able to do that and that at their meeting that morning with Elder Perry he said that the time in the church right now is as historic as the book of mormon coming forth. Can you believe that?!

 

Because of the mission president's seminar we have been having all our meals in the gym. I might have to say that it's better than the cafeteria. The other night we had steak, baked potato, salad, roll, and corn on the cob. Right up my alley for sure! And I love getting BYU creamery ice cream! It's the best :) We've been playing volleyball outside every day for gym and it is so much fun! We have gorgeous weather and it's a blast to be with our zone. We lost a district this week and we also gained a district of 8 elders.

 

The spanish is coming along. I understand mostly everything now and can get by in a lesson without notes but there is still so much to learn! And we need to practice speaking more. But it's funny how some words just come naturally especially when we're writing in our journals and stuff haha! We just met our new teacher who was on vacation, Hermano Ralphs. Definitely felt like I was back on day one at the MTC but that's ok. It will all be fine! He just speaks super fast and isn't as loving and forgiving as Hermana Eyring haha! Plus, I don't think I've heard him say one word in English. And he won't let us speak any english either. He doesn't "understand" us. But I know it will be for our good and that it will really help us to progress.

 

It sounds like you've been having a lot of fun at home! Jealous that you got to go to the mariners game! And I love the idea of writing your testimonies in the book of mormon and giving them to people! I thought it was so awesome how the whole broadcast was exactly what I was talking about in my farewell talk! Have the members keep our schedules full haha! And it was awesome that we've already been doing church tours, no one else had really heard of them before. And I hope that maybe I'll get to write on a blog in the mission. I miss writing on mine a lot!

 

Oh, another thing about the broadcast. Remember when Elder Nelson interviewed Neill F. Marriott? She came to speak in relief society my first sunday here! She is so funny and we absolutely loved her conversion story. And she has a southern accent so that's kind of fun too :) For devotional on tuesday this week, Janice Kapp Perry came to speak. She seriouslly wrote all my favorite primary songs! We sang this awesome medley of them and I loved it! Her and her husband are quite spunky and it was an awesome devotional. She also just rewrote the lyrics to As Sisters in Zion that we sing a lot here at the MTC. It's all about sister missionaries. I'm going to try to learn all the words before I leave. But it's now a part of the new efy medley and so we sang that at the end. It was beautiful!

 

Hermana Torgersen and I have started making a list of everything we have in common. We are also already invited to each other's weddings. I just love her so much and I am so grateful to have a new best friend! We really want to stay together in Alabama! Our district is amazing and we have SO MUCH FUN together! We really are like family and have grown so much over the past two weeks. Hermana Eyring said she has never laughed so much with any of her other districts. Basically that means we're the best :)

 

I have been taking lots of pictures recently. Thanks for the reminder mom :) So our temple time is at 7 am on p-day which is so fun because it's the very first thing we do when we wake up. I absolutely love the temple but the sad news is that it's closed the whole month of july so this was our last time :( But basically our whole zone was in there together and we took some pictures aftwerwards so that was good. I learn so much every single time I go and am grateful we get to go!

 

Thanks for all your love and support! Till next week!

love, Hermana Blackner 

"i love being a missionary"

Woo-hoo! It's finally p-day! Last week, we thought it would never come but this week has gone by so fast! I feel like there's so much to tell you but I absolutely LOVE the MTC! It has been an amazing experience so far! Thanks so much for the DearElders! They are the best because they are same day delivery. Our district leader checks the mail at lunch and dinner so send a quick one if you ever have time.

 

To answer some of your questions...

Eating has been good. Super similar to the Cannon Center at BYU. Not bad at all! It is kinda weird eating 3 meals a day though. I'm not really used to that haha! And our meal times are super weird. Breakfast is at 6:45...yeah whoever said missionaries wake up at 6:30 was kidding themselves. We've been waking up between 5:40 and 6 E.V.E.R.Y morning! Lunch is at 11:20 and dinner is at 4:20 so right around bedtime we get hungry again haha!

 

I definitely feel like I'm getting enough sleep but that might just be because I'm being blessed. We get so tired throughout the day and then when we're finally in our beds it's hard to fall asleep. But if we finish journal writing or whatnot sometimes we can go to sleep at little before 10:30.

 

It was SO nice of the Hartman's to let us send the picture on Father's Day! We ate dinner by them and it was fun to see them. So my companion is the tallest one, Hermana Torgersen. I absolutely love her! We have so much in common and we get along so well. She is from Gilbert, Arizona and is the oldest of 4 girls. She went to a year at ASU before her mission so she's 19. She's a dancer and took two years of spanish in high school which has helped us out a lot. The Elders say that we'll be able to get into any door because we just stand there and laugh when we don't know what to say. Our teacher said they'll probably just think we're crazy.

The blonde is Hermana Huber from Idaho. She went to 3 years at Utah State and is 3 months older than me. She is the most sweet and friendly person you'll ever meet! She is super motivated and has us do these really intense workouts with her during gym. We have a goal to be able to do 100 pushups by the end of the 6 weeks and then challenge the elders. After one week, we can do about 30.

The one with the short hair is Hermana Page originally from Wyoming but her family lives in Provo now. She also went to BYU and she is an adventurer. She is like the definition of living life to the fullest. Whenever she wants to do something, she just goes and does it! She went to Spain like last month for a week just because she wanted to. She has done everything from skydiving, to having a pet cameleon, to going to the ER 9 times. We love listening to her stories!

 

We get 60 min to email which is super nice and I'm trying to hurry because I just have so much to tell you! So fun that school's almost out! I bet the boys are thrilled! Did the band decide where they want to go next year? I wish I could have been there for the concert! Also look for me at the Broadcast on Sunday! I will be in the choir and I am so excited to sing right in front of the prophet! They have some really intense rules for what we can wear that day so I think I'm gonna wear my pink short sleeve shirt and my black skirt. And I'm gonna curl my hair. It's gonna be awesome!

 

I don't really remember what I told you in my letter from the first day but I'll share a little bit about my first week. So our teacher is Hermana Eyring, President Eyring's granddaughter. We love her so much! She is so kind and patient and loves to laugh with us and is a fabulous teacher. She went to Argentina on her mission and is going to be doing her student teaching internship this next year teaching first grade! We have class every day for like 6 hours so we spend a lot of time with each other. And 90% of it is all in spanish! It's amazing how much Heavenly Father blesses us with learning the language and how we are called to a spanish speaking mission for a reason. On friday, just two days after we got here we taught our first lesson in SPANISH. It was a very humbling experience. There was just a lot of awkward staring and silence but it's all good! We taught the next day too and I thinkSaturday was maybe the hardest day yet. I came back to the classroom after we taught and felt so awful. Our investigator was talking about how he didn't want to be with his family forever because they aren't normal and they aren't happy and how he feels lost and thinks it's too late to change. It was the most frustrating thing to sit in that room and understand everything he was saying and knowing exactly how to help him but not knowing how to say it. But he invited us back and we just think that the only reason is because he must of felt the spirit. So when Sunday came, it was just the thing we needed.

 

Everyone says make it to sunday and I didn't really know why, but it is so true! You don't have to worry about language or teaching or anything. Just about being spiritually uplifted and remembering why you're here as a missionary. And since then time has just flown by! Those first few days were long and really every day is long, but the week goes by so fast!

 

So our branch is pretty much THE BEST! Our branch presidency is absolutely amazing and I am so grateful for them! They run a tight ship but it really does help us to be the best missionaries we can be and to mature and grow while we're here. All the other missionaries in our zone are awesome too! They are so nice and helpful. Probably the best thing about being a new missionary, everyone wants to help you haha! So sacrament meeting is all in spanish. I led the music and I had no clue what I was singing, but I did know how to keep time haah! Sunday school is just with your district and relief society is with every sister in the MTC! It is so awesome! We watch Music and the Spoken Word which was on Father's Day. It really made me think about what an awesome dad I have and how grateful I am for him! Seriously, you are the best and I am so grateful for your example! Then there is a guest speaker. This sunday it was a counselor in the new Young Women's General Presidency. She has a southern accent and she gave a great talk. We went to choir and were so lucky to snatch a spot to sing at the broadcast! Devotional that night was awesome as well and was broadcasted for the first time in history from the west campus. We then went to watch The Character of Christ. It was a devotional given by David A. Bednar at the MTC a couple Christmases ago. I don't know if it is available, but if it is you need to watch it! It is seriously life changing!  This week we have just been learning a lot and teaching and practicing spanish. It is so awesome to be here!

 

It kinda feels like I'm still at BYU but it's wonderful. I have seen SO many people I know. An elder that was in my ward has taken pictures with at least 35 other people from our ward that he's seen since he's been here. I see Kadyn sometimes too which is fun! Provo summers are gorgeous and I am definitely coming back to do another summer term at BYU haha! Sometimes looking at the mountains and the beautiful blue sky, I just want to go play! Hike the Y or go rock climbing and just lay out in the sun.

 

I am doing so well and am just so excited to be here! It is honestly everything I hoped it would be and I know that I'm doing the right thing. I love being a missionary and love sharing my testimony. I have learned so much about my purpose and the worth of souls. We are all children of our loving Heavenly Father and he wants us to return to live with him! I love you all so much and miss you lots!

 

Adios!

Hermana Blackner

MTC Drop Off

Well, Sister Blackner's journey to Birmingham Alabama began this week! Matt, Mikelle, and the kids were able to drop her off at the MTC. They had a little Zupas (her favorite)  for lunch before she headed in and then said their goodbyes at the curb. She is so excited to start her mission and we look forward to getting her first email! 

My Missionary Plaque

Alma 13: 28-29

But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;

Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.

So Long, Farewell!

I had wanted to serve a mission my whole life but never knew when it would become a reality. The verse in Doctrine and Covenants Section 4 that says if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work became so true for me on October 6, 2012 during general conference. Ironically, I didn’t even hear President Monson announce the age change for young women because of some technical difficulties so when my mom called me to let me know the big news during the opening song I was in complete shock. My entire world had turned upside down and I had some big decisions to make. Part of me wanted to start my papers immediately and leave in January and then the other side of me thought that it would be more rational to finish out the school year and leave in May. There were so many factors that played into it and I was overwhelmed to say the least. So even though serving a mission was something I had wanted to do, I still had to take the time to make that decision and figure out if was not only the right thing for me to do, but also when. And it wasn’t easy, and I went back and forth about it for a long time. I weighed the pros and cons and did lots and lots of pondering and praying. I doubted myself a lot and even came to the point where I wasn’t going to go anymore.  I was taking a Doctrine and Covenants class at the time and as part of our supplemental reading we read a talk by Elder Holland. I had read the talk before, but never had it had such a huge impact on me.  He says, “I wish to encourage every one of us regarding the opposition that so often comes after enlightened decisions have been made, after moments of revelation and conviction have given us a peace and an assurance we thought we would never lose. Don’t panic and retreat. Don’t lose your confidence. Don’t forget how you once felt. Don’t distrust the experience you had. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don’t give up when the pressure mounts. Certainly don’t give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. Face your doubts. Master your fears. Cast not away therefore your confidence. Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you.” And the scripture that goes along with the title of this talk reads, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Hebrews 10: 35-36. Worries of difficult companions, unusual food, disappointment with the work, and inability to be an effective teacher all seemed to dissipate as I realized that I could not doubt anymore. I had received my answer and I knew that the Lord would provide a way for me to be successful. Reading this talk truly was the turning point for me and I’ve never looked back. I raved about this talk and encouraged everyone I knew to read it, especially those who were making big decisions which happens to be quite often on a college campus. Not only that, but anytime missionary work is brought up, or there talk about sister missionaries and the effect they can have, or the future of the church is discussed, the spirit overwhelms me and I get a feeling of peace and confidence and I am so grateful to be a part of this exciting time. I often think to myself,  “nothing can stop me now because there’s no way I could deny what I’ve felt.”

This leads me to talk about the hastening of the work. Elder Johnson of the Seventy said, “All the changes move the church to where it needs to be, where it’s prophesied to be. The Lord knows what the future is, and…this is just one of the many things He is doing to advance that kingdom, to help it roll forth.” Elder Pieper said that all that happened during general conference last October is an invitation for you to come and get engaged in this work. It is the Lord’s time now. We all know that. We all felt it. The Church is feeling it.

These leaders couldn’t have said it better. I got to witness this firsthand being down at BYU. The day the announcement was made girls were already calling their bishops to set up interviews. They were trying to sell their housing contracts, mission prep classes for winter semester had waiting lists of at least 100. And the number of applications submitted to church headquarters each week went from 700 to 4000. It was incredible to be a Resident Assistant in the freshman dorms this year where there is already such an excitement for all the boys that receive their calls. But never before was there such an enthusiasm for the girls as well. About ¾ of my ward already had mission calls by the end of the school year and on my floor of 48 girls, over half made the decision to serve a mission. The bishops and stake presidency were working long hours trying to accommodate all those that we ready to submit their papers. In my building, we even made a Called to Serve map and put it in the lobby, something never done in a freshman girl’s dorm before, and it was so fun to see where all the sisters would be serving around the world.

 This all coincides with Elder Nelson’s talk from this April’s general conference entitled Catch the Wave. “Now an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm for missionary work is sweeping the entire earth. It comes from the Lord, who said, “I will hasten my work in its time.” This wave is empowered by a divine announcement made 193 years ago. It consisted of only seven words: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”…Those seven words launched the Restoration of His gospel.” How exciting that this wave that is rolling the gospel forth started with the first vision and the restoration, the exact message that we, as missionaries, are teaching across the world. He also touched on the role that each member of the church has to be a part of the wave. Young men and young women are preparing to serve missions by participating in the new youth curriculum, parents and teachers are preparing the youth in their homes and at church, stake presidents and bishops are interviewing prospective missionaries, adults provide help for the spiritual, physical, and financial preparation of future missionaries and by serving missions themselves with their spouses, and the ward mission leaders work hand in hand with the full-time missionaries to lead missionary work in the ward. I was just thinking the other day how they often talk about the WML helping fill the missionaries planners with appointments and I was said to my mom, “How awesome would it be if missionaries never had to go tracting because they just had people lined up to teach!” She said “It would be a missionary’s dream!” We each have a part to play in the spreading this gospel.

Elder Zwick said, “The message to parents is ‘Church leaders trust you as parents and trust these young men and young women who are being raised in your homes.’” The new MTC is the home. And I definitely found that to be true in my life. Recently, there has been a lot of council on what parents can do to help prepare worthy missionaries and almost every single one of those things my parents have instilled in us. The most prominent being our daily scripture study where we sit down and read at least a chapter a day regardless of how late it is or what has gone on that day. Also, while I was away at school my parents were studying preach my gospel with my little brothers. How awesome that they are already getting familiar with the manual even though the time for them to serve is still not for a couple years. My mission prep teacher often said that some of your greatest converts will be your own children. I think that definitely speaks to the importance of teaching in our homes. Statistics show that in families where just the dad served a mission the percentage of young men that also serve is 45%. But when both  parents have served missions, that percentage jumps all the way to 97%. I will never forget my stake president stating this and then asking if mothers have an important role and influence in the teaching of their children. I would say they definitely do and I want to be a mother someday that prepares her children to be worthy to go on missions. In addition to the preparation I’ve had in my own home, my life has been filled with opportunities for me to learn more about the gospel and for my testimony to be strengthened. This has come from efy, girl’s camp, Sunday school, my callings, religion classes at BYU, and seminary. In all these places, I have learned gospel truths and been able to grow as a member of this church.

After my papers were submitted I knew that it would be about a week and half until I got my call. Mission calls usually come on a Wednesday but because of the extreme number of calls being assigned it was taking a little longer. I had planned a little get together at my aunt and uncle’s house but when it didn’t come that day, we just decided to do it on the weekend. So on Thursday, my busiest day of the week when I had class from 12:30-2 and then from 4-7, I thought I would still go check the mail on my way to class and I was talking to my dad on the phone and I walk into the building and I see a guy holding a white envelope. So I told my dad I would call him back. I asked the front desk if mission calls had come today and they said yes! I just saw yours. Keep in mind that there was a huge stack, and one like that got delivered to Heritage Halls every single week. So I have it in my hand and I have no clue where I’m going and I have to sit through an hour and a half long class. I immediately called my dad back and he’s like, so…and I’m like it’s in my hands! And I’m pretty sure I was shaking haha so we decided that I would open it at 3 because that’s when the boys would be home from school and I said I would just have to talk to him later because there was no service in my class. So I’m sitting there trying to pay attention, and trying to text all my friends and family that I wanted to be there, sitting my phone on the corner of my desk trying to get as much service as possible and it was working! Seriously the only time I could ever send texts in that class the entire semester. I came home and had a whole hour to wait with it just sitting there. I printed out some maps for people to guess where I was going and then just waited. And there was never a time that I believed more in the tender mercies of the Lord than now because there is no way that everything could have just worked out by itself. We had my family on skype, a friend from Washington on a different computer, and then all the friends and family I invited in Utah could all come. It was a miracle! I wouldn’t say it was the most spiritual experience but it was definitely exciting and my dream of going to the south is coming true!

And so, because of all of this I couldn’t be more excited to go serve the people in Alabama. It has been confirmed over and over to me that this is the right thing for me to do and I found the song I chose to play today extremely fitting because I never would have guessed that this is where I would be called, but I’ve accepted that call, and I know that there is a reason I need to be there.  And because I have this knowledge it’s been easy to dismiss the fears and misunderstanding of coworkers who don’t get why you would go be in the heat and humidity instead of being in the pool with them all summer, or a grandpa is who is worried that you won’t finish your education, or all of your RM friends in Provo who feel there aren’t any girls left to date down there.

 I’ve been thinking a lot about the purpose of missionary work and how bringing others to Christ and sharing the gospel is one of the most amazing things we can do in this life. All that I am and all that I’ve been blessed with in my life is because of the gospel and if I can make a difference in just one other person’s life, then it will all be worth it. How awesome will it be to see change in those I teach and to find success, even if it’s just planting seeds. And even if it doesn’t feel like there’s much success, you can always find comfort in your own growth. My mission prep teacher also reminded us to be our best selves on our missions and for me, that is the joy that is a part of my everyday life because I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’ve heard the saying that it won’t be the best 18 months or 2 years of your life, but it will be the best 18 months for your life. Yes, missions are hard and it’s called work for a reason, but the effect of it will last through the eternities. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity that will prepare me to be a better wife, a better mother, and a better teacher and to use my talents to bless the lives of others. I have a desire to serve, to grow closer to my Heavenly Father, to strengthen my testimony, to gain more knowledge of and become more converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, whose name will be right alongside mine on that black nametag.

The scripture I chose to put on my plaque is Alma 13:28-29 which reads… I chose this scripture because to me it really signifies what a mission is all about and that as we humble ourselves and have faith we will be able to receive eternal life. I really internalized it and decided that this is what I want to become while I am serving the Lord. There are so many blessings that we can receive if we obtain humility and create a relationship with our Heavenly Father through prayer. And I am looking forward to accomplishing this more fully while on my mission. I have had so many great examples of missionaries in my life both family members and sister missionaries in this ward that I looked up to as a little girl, and more recently, all of my friends from school that left on missions last year. It has been so fun to see their growth and to hear their testimonies and to hear about their experiences and to get letters from all around the world which really testifies that the gospel is universal and that the message is the same regardless of where you live, what language you speak, or the culture you belong to. It has been so influential in my life and I want to be a part of this great work because I know this church is true.

I know that the Lord has a plan for each of us individually and for His gospel. I know that families can be together forever. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet that brought forth the restoration of the gospel. I know that strict obedience and being worthy to teach by the spirit will bring the most success in the mission field. I know that the temple is the house of God and I am so grateful for the opportunity to make covenants there and to feel the peace that comes only from being in the temple.

Church leaders agree that the Lord is hastening His work and that the youth of the Church have been called to action. I hope that we can all rise up as members of His church and do our part to take the gospel to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Call

Dear Sister Blackner:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Alabama Birmingham Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. Your assignment may be modified according to the needs of the mission president.