February 14, 2017

I truthfully cannot believe that this day has come. I have been feeling like crying since I woke up. 

My companion had to go back home, and she left on Thursday. Her veins were swollen and that is kind of really dangerous and so they sent her home so that they can start her treatment. She is going to have to have like a month of bedrest. So, I was able to leave on Thursday in the afternoon and I kind of felt like I was starting my mission over again, getting used to walking. Haha. But it's all good. 

I just want you guys to be ready for anything. I don't know how I am going to take being home again, and all I ask for is patience. 

Te amo mami, y no puedo esperar para verte. 

Con todo mi amor,

Hermana Blackham

January 30, 2017

I have so many mixed feelings this week, it is kind of unreal. I can almost feel that time is running out. I have a feeling that these next two weeks are going to be some of the fastest weeks of my life and they might be full of tears of gratitude and stress and who knows what else. 

This week I learned a lesson that we need to trust in God and that everything turns out the way that they need to. on Saturday we had a baptism, and we also had a zone conference. The zone conference started at 9 and ended at around 2. Then we went and ate and leaving there we had to go to the church to clean and fill up the baptismal font. First I will tell the story of what went wrong. We started the day without the baptismal clothing for the young woman who was going to be baptized, without keys to the church, without keys to the baptismal font, without knowing how to fill up the baptismal font, without the programs made, without things to clean the font, and without people. The elders dropped clothes off at the church while we were eating, and we ate with the sister who is in charge of cleaning the chapel, so we had keys. We figured out how to clean the font, we opened the doors that show the font and the son of Sister Talamantes climbed in from there to open the door from the inside. We figured out how to fill the fon with the water and we ended up being able to clean it, also. The bishop arrived and we used the church computer to print and make the programs. Everyone came and we started only 10 minutes late. That baptism was a real miracle. 

We don't have much planned for this week. It has been cold, but not how it was last year. The elder from Canada speaks English and a little bit of French, about the same that I talked before the mission. I like going to church because it is the only time that I have to truly reflect on my personal goals and enjoy other people teaching. Although sometimes we have to teach a few classes because the teachers do not come. Casas Grandes was formed by the Mormons who came here because they were practicing Polygamy. It is kind of old. There is one museum, but it is closed on Monday so we can't go and visit it.

January 22, 2017

My typical day is that we walk a LOT. I think that is the only typical thing. And the time that we have to be able to study. The normal in the mission is that nothing is  normal. Haha :)

There are four missionaries in my district, and one of them is from Canada!!!!! Elder Noftle (Canada), Elder Gonzalez (Veracruz), Sister Alvarez (Oaxaca), and Me!!

This week I studied a lot about the Godhead, and how they are three different Beings. That was actually kind of really cool to study that, and I can see how so many people think that the Godhead is just one person. But it is Their unity that makes them one. One of the scriptures says that we can become one with Them also, and that is really cool. We truly have the ability to become like God, based on our desires and  on our personal conduct. Everything that we do needs to move us closer to Christ and to God so that we can become one with Them.

On pday we don't really do anything super fun. There really isn't anything that we can do for fun. Haha. It's just hand out and not have any lessons for the first part of the day. We always end p-day with our district meetings, and we start working at 5. 

My favorite part of the week is when we find someone new who wants to learn more about the gospel. But I also love going to church :)

January 16, 2017

The baptism did go through on Saturday and it was amazing. I feel like my mission was worth it just for this one baptism. The Spirit was SO strong and it was just amazing. I'll send you a picture of it:) It was a mother and her son that got baptized. Sister Martinez and Sister Creer found her at the house of her boyfriend who is an inactive member but who was talking to her about the church. I came in after she had two weeks being taught. From the beginning she has wanted to be baptized, and has wanted to follow Christ exactly how He asks. She had some things she had to leave a few things behind and that is why she waited so long to be baptized. But it was truly something very special to witness. Baptisms here are the same as back at home- that is the beauty of the gospel. Haha. Every church here has it's own baptismal font. The investigators choose who they want to baptize them. Patty and Leo chose the Elders to baptize them. In this baptism I played the piano and I sang Jesus Savior Pilot Me.  

The temple truly is something amazing to experience and sometimes you just can't explain what you feel. But they both look super happy and I am happy for them!

The gas prices have not gone down, and they probably won't. The president here is not a very nice, or good, man. Everyone wants him to leave.

January 9, 2017

We are knocking on doors, and yes we are allowed to do that. haha. It is very calm here in Casas Grandes. In Juarez they don't like it if we knock on doors but here, the people aren't usually out of their houses so we contact them if we don't knock on their doors! We usually go knocking on doors (or try to) every day. We need to contact daily.

My companion is Mexican and is from Huatulco, Oaxaca. She is 20 years old, well, turns 20 in two weeks, and is amazing. She is a convert and I feel like she came pretrained for the mission so it doesn't feel so much like a job, she is just a normal missionary! haha. She is super happy to be on the mission.

That is an interesting thought that the only label that matters in life is the label of "Child of God" and I love it. Label ourselves as children of God. When we label ourselves, we are mentally limiting ourselves to what we can become or what we can be. But if we label ourselves as a child of God, we have no restrictions or limits. We grow eternally.

This week I have been studying the life of David. It is an interesting life that he had. And he started out so good. But with one little thing, as he looked at Bathsheba bathe, he fell completely. And he didn't even know that he fell until the prophet Nathan told him. That is us, sometimes. We think we are doing good, we don't see our mistakes and then when we see them, we are already super far away from the right. Even though David doesn't receive forgiveness for kill Uzziah, he can still find comfort in the Lord. And I think that is cool. We can find comfort in the Lord as we work through our transgressions and return to Him. Christ is not a person who will put you down for what you have done. He will never accept your sin, but He can help heal you. And I think that is one of the most important things we can learn in life.

This week was interesting. There is something going on that is called the gasolinazo. They raised gas prices to the equivalent of about $4 a gallon, but here in Mexico they do not have a salary sufficient to be able to have gas prices so high. So they were protesting and it messed up the transfers a little bit and for like three days the stores didn't have any merchandise because they also closed the freeways so the trucks could not get from Juarez to Casas Grandes and then the gas stations also did not have gas and it was kind of crazy. But other than that, it was a good week! We are going to have a baptism this Saturday, and we are super excited for that. And we also put a baptismal date for Feb 11. Super exciting! We are working hard and having a good time here. 

January 2, 2016

I truly hope we get a bishop soon, too. I also have been praying a lot for the guy we have been teaching. He hasn`t been opening the door for us, or telling us that he is really busy and doesn't have time. My heart is breaking for him, but I still have hope that it will all turn out okay. I really truly hope that it all works out. Because it would just break my heart completely if he decides that he can't or that he isn't strong enough to repent. 

I have seen the Lord in the work in many ways. I think that the way most interesting and evident is that we were actually able to have lessons new years eve and new years day. We didn't have any these days last year. Also, I had a really interesting experience yesterday at church. We brought a less active family to church with us. It was only the mom and her two daughters, with the ages of 8 and 3. She doesn't have the best home life. She is separated from her husband and living with her mom. She works a lot and so she isn't home to discipline her kids, and one of her sons has gone wayward and is always out doing who knows what. She hasn't gone to church for a LONG time. But yesterday, my comp and I were sitting behind her, and I saw her potential as a mom and as a daughter of God. She has a long way to go, but I could see her as a faithful member of the church. I don't know if she will want to be a faithful member and make the changes necessary in her life, but I could see her as Christ sees us. Imperfect with a perfect potential. And I think that is one of the most important things that we can understand. That we, too, are imperfect. But we have perfect potential. It doesn't matter the mistakes we have made in the past. It doesn't matter who we are right now. If we trust in the Lord, and do what we need to do, we will progress into the eternities.

This week there was a lot of walking around and knocking on doors. But it was a good week. I am starting to feel the end of my mission and I spend a lot of time reflecting on what I have learned and what I have to learn still. My progress, and how I still have more progress. And I don't know. I'm excited for these last six weeks.

Speaking of, we have transfers!!! My companion is going to Juarez, and I am going to train!!!!! Crazy right?! Usually trainers are called to train for two transfers, but I will only be training for one. I'm excited for this adventure that I am going to have. 

Sisters at Zone Conference

Zones Colonia Juarez and Coloniz Dublin

December 26, 2016

I loved talking with all of your for Christmas, also. I think the hardest part now is getting used to the idea that it is going to end. At the beginning, the only thing I wanted was for it to end. But now I am happy being on the mission. Truly and completely happy to be here. Even when I am sad or stressed, I love being on the mission.

We are still working with Adán, he just has problems that are kind of strong. And so  he can't get baptized yet. However, he still has a desire to be baptized. so we are going to be working with him. One of the problems is that in the ward I am in, we don't have a bishop. One of the members of the Stake presidency is acting as bishop but he does not have the keys to work with the ward members. Adán is a little timid and we are trying to work with him with his repentance the best that we can right now.

The Apostolic Family is doing good. They firmly believe that God and Jesus Christ are the same people. They are also very sure of their religion. We feel like the father more so than the mother. But we are still working with them. They might progress, they might not. But we have not given up on them yet. 

Sunday was good :) We were actually able to have good lessons, and that was a Christmas miracle!!

Missionary work truly does come little by little. Those that are learning learn little by little about the gospel until they understand it all. There are many times when we don't understand what we are doing as missionaries, but with study and with the Holy Ghost guiding us, we figure it all out.