Miracles and Blessings

Quick tour of old Swedish church bell tower

Wow!  This week has been great!  I’ll start off with an awesome thing that happend… Well, you know how I lost my wallet about two weeks ago?  It's been hard not having that much money for food and It would have taken at least a month to get my credit and debit cards from the States and who knows how long it would be to get another drivers license.  We just cancelled my last card yesterday morning, and we were out tracting on a street that we usually don’t tract on but we both wanted to and we were going along when we heard, “Hey!  Can you guys help me with something?" Then he pulled out a black wallet and opened it up and there was my licence and all of my cards!! ~  Including my credit, debit, and missionary fund card!  It was amazing!!  So I hugged this guy.  God will answer prayers in mysterious ways even if it takes two weeks. 

Behind the clock

More Swedish church!

Oh! …. and we had some awesome lessons with different investigators and members this week!  Also had some intense service, digging MASSIVE trenches around this members house for drainage.  The dirt here is full of boulders and rocks so it was a good work out.  Also, I had my Greeny prank!  (a “greeny” is someone new to the mission) After zone conference, the two sisters in Borås, our district leader, and my companion talked together and set up this prank when we were on splits.  It consisted of them telling me the sisters were in big touble for moral problems and that they were going home.  I was so sad!!!  It went on ALL day, and our "mission president" was calling all day and "talking to our district leader" and I was so convinced!  I was very impressed with everyone's acting skills.  Honestly, the sisters looked SO sad and I was really upset that they were going home because they are awesome.  That night, our district leader called my companion and I at our apartment and told us that the sisters were going home tomorrow morning and that they wanted to talk to us on the phone before they leave.  Man, I felt so bad I cant even explain on the computer but they talked to us and were saying how much they will miss us and stuff and then it came out that is was all a prank!  hahaha … I freaked out with confusion and then joy…  hahaha.  It was an EPIC prank to say the least!  Ya, so that shook me up a little but but I’m glad they're not gone. 

Oh. Ya. I wasn't able to play it tho :(

We are teaching this awesome Icelandic guy who is super cool and loves God but is REALLY addicted to marijuana.  He hasn’t been able to move past that and this last time we met it was so spiritual and the lesson turned out so different.  He has a problem with stopping because he used to hate God for personal reasons and then he started really smoking and that helped him come to realize that God is there for him.  Going back to this lesson, I then asked him, “Do you believe that God puts things in peoples lives to help them grow and that he works in mysterious ways?"  and he said  "oh ya.”  Then I said, “Maybe the only way God could get you to come to him at this point in your life was through smoking and now that you are following him,  you are now destined for great things and can really grow into your full potential.”  Then it was really silent.  He said “Maybe I’ve just been stubborn…"  Something really clicked and it was a blessing to witness that.  

My Swedish is coming along and I can understand a lot more as well as speak a lot more.  I blessed the sacrament last sunday in swedish also which was cool.  I love this gospel.  

Love you all!

-Äldste Blackburn

Its important that you shave everyday