Fall is here but not for long!!

Okizay, 

Last P Day hike and fire!

We got to be a part of the Skellefteå district meeting! These are some good missionaries.

This last week was just a blast as well.  I will start off by saying how this last p day we went and decided to find a trail and just hike and build a fire!  It was way fun but the only problem was that we didn’t really have any dry wood or tinder to get the fire going. So after several failed attempts and many pages ripped out of the back of our planners, we got the fire started! It was a nice p day! 

Elder Jämsä and I from splits last week chasing the Northern lights playing our guitars during dinner.

Our very own President and Sister Beckstrand! They love their Max Burger

Other than that it is getting colder and darker everyday.  We got the first snow last week, but it quickly melted.  We should be getting more snow this week and next. The sun is now setting around 4 o'clock as well. Time to break out the winter jackets! We had to go hard at the beginning of the week because we would be traveling for the weekend going farther north to stay with the Skellefteå Elders for the weekend.  It took about an hour and a half to get up there, and we made it in time for their district meeting.  Our mission president, President and Sister Beckstrand were there to be a part of the meeting as well. They then took us all out to lunch which was nice!  

After lunch, we drove out in the country to do some service for a less active member.  We dug around some rocks finding electric lines for her and then we left her with a good message.  She told us she would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it again. 

Later that night we split up and trackted/swung by some people and taught some good lessons.  We then spent the night at the Elders apartment and were there for church the next day.  There were a total of 4 active members there.  It was an experience! They don’t have a pianist so my companion, Elder Jensen, volunteered to play the piano.  He rocked it and then we had a musical number together.  I sang a song called "Helig är Jorden", but It is only in the Swedish hymn book.  So that was fun! 

Its fall! (not for long)

Skellefteå Branch! Elder Jensen and I were there to visit this last Sunday. They have a total of 4 member...

Back in Umeå, we had some really cool spiritual stuff that happened earlier in the week.  We were on our way to the city to contact right before another appointment and Elder Jensen was in the passenger seat.  He looked at me and and said, "I feel we should tract that green apartment building" as we were passing by.  I strangely felt like I wanted to as well, so we drove over there to find parking.  Nothing super close… (**remember, it’s COLD)  But we parked and tracted one half of the building with no success.  There were only like 5 people that opened the door then just shut it right after.  

As we got to the other half... We said a prayer in our hearts that there had to be a reason why we came here, and there could be someone that would open the door who wanted to talk to us. The second door we knocked on, this man answered the door with a very interested look on his face and we continued to talk with him telling him about the power of our message and how it brings one closer to Christ.  He then brought up how he wants to meet again and we gave him a Book of Mormon and taught him what it was about.  We switched phone numbers and set up an appointment a few days later.  

Worlds largest cheese slicers!!

When we went back, he had totally cleaned up his house and himself and let us in.  He is very interested and said he has been wanting to learn about mormons and that he has only heard good things. He explained how he is religious but something is missing and that he had been thinking about it recently when we knocked on his door.  We continued to talk and teach him about the restoration and it just made sense to him.  We told him about the experience of us feeling we needed to come and talk to someone in this apartment, and his face lit up.  We will be working with him more and more. 

The spirit is real!  The fun thing is learning how you can follow it and see the direct results in doing so.

Hope you all have a killer week!  

Love you :) 

Äldste Blackburn

The Skellefteå Church building.

Got to fix a flat tire for a member! Good memories.. :)

Reindeer herders and the power of persistence...

Jojojo! 

This week was one to remember! We started off the week by driving to a place called “Lappland”.  It’s where some of the "native Swedish" tribe are from. They are called Sami and there main job is to herd Reindeer and they travel around the north doing this. They are similar to the Native American Indians, or the Alaskan Eskimos.  We drove a few hours to get there on P day because we would be teaching a bible class that night for a group of investigators. 

On the way we came across one of the largest river rapids in Northern Europe. So we took a pit stop on this P day and got some awesome pictures. We went with the other Elders here in Umeå so it was a good time and the Bible class went well!  We taught them about our church and how the Book of Mormon is the Word of God together with the Bible and they loved it! They all accepted a Book of Mormon and agreed to read and pray about it. 

The area is so pretty as we drove up there, as well as the area where the meeting was.  That was the first time I have seen legit mountains on my mission and it was gorgeous!  These huge trees surrounding big bodies of water, pretty much like Umeå where we live but more intense out in this place because we were out in the middle of no where! 

As the week continued Elder Jensen and I had some more good things happen, but before that we went on splits with the Örnköldsvik Elders (Elders Jämsä and Hawkins) Elder Jämsä was my old companion on Gotland and it was fun to work with him again!  They are about an hour and a half drive a away south of us, and the drive is equally as beautiful. That night Elder Jämsä and I were teaching one of their investigators and she wants to be baptized next month! wohoo!  Then after the days work, Elder Jämsä and I were driving home for some dinner, and got a text from my companion who was still up in my city (Umeå) saying the Northern lights where way strong!  We looked out our window and there was nothing yet but a haze of light in the sky because the lights hadn’t made their way down to our city yet.  So we found a really dark place in a field and brought our guitars. We took time out of our dinner to look at the Northern lights and jam some sweet hymns with our guitars under the northern lights.

As the week continued.. One really cool thing that happened was that there is a man that we have been trying to teach who has had it really hard in his life.  He was a member a while ago and a bunch of stuff happened with his family and he then got heavy into drugs and alcohol. Elder Jensen and I swung by to see him about 3 weeks ago and we met with him for a bit and it was a very spiritual lesson.  He is almost always drunk but has stopped the drugs.  Our last visit a few weeks ago ended with us saying we would come back and go to church with him.  He stopped answering our calls for a few weeks but Elder Jensen and I both had a very strong impression that we needed to help him and how now is the time he needs to come back. 

So we went by his home last week and knocked on his door. No answer ... And then 3 more times spaced out, no answer.  We were about to walk away when I felt we should say a quick prayer.  I asked Heavenly father to bless this man with the strength he needs to overcome his trials and that he would open the door for us, asking in the strongest faith we had.  We told God that this was in His hands. 

Puppies of some investigators!!

When we finished the prayer, we knocked again and we heard a raspy voice from the other side of the door.  He asked who it was and we said, "The missionaries!" and he said "What?" and we said, "your friends!"  So he opened the door and we said we would come back the next day because he said he was busy.  We came back the next day and he had a friend there.  We began to talk to him about how through Christ anyone can be changed.  We then asked the friend if he would like to sit down and talk with us as well and he did.  We taught him about the Book of Mormon and he wants to learn more! So we are going back tonight to teach them both. 

Winter is coming....

The thing is.. Both of these men think that they are of no worth because of the things they have done in their lives or because of what they have been through... But they don’t fully understand the love of God...  No one really can, but we can do our best to help them understand that Christ is always there and wants to help us and for us to be on his side.  Not tomorrow or the next day... But today.  This church is true and we are in the right place. :)

Love you all and have a good week!

Äldste Blackburn

(This picture cracks me up... This is inside an Old Swedish church)

Beauty, Northern lights, and the blessings of Google maps!

Hello er´body!! 

I’m in Umeå safely!  It’s way colder up here and it’s getting darker everyday.  It’s so pretty here and I saw the Northern lights my first night!  They were so bright and strong with white, purple, and green pulsing through the sky.  The branch up here is amazing and general conference was awesome as well. 

Flying into Stockholm for a training last Monday.

Also... Sorry about the lack of email last week.  My new companion Elder Jenson and I had a training down in Stockholm so we had to fly down Monday morning.  That was trippy being on a plane!  The last time I was on a plane was when I flew to Sweden over a year ago, so when we took off as we left the ground it felt like "this was it” .... leaving Sweden for good because my mission was over.  I didn’t like that at all!  It was a good reminder to continue giving my mission everything I have because I only have a certain amount of time to do it.  

Hey! Back in Stockholm!

There was actually a few fun things that happened during this trip.  When we got to Stockholm Monday, we spent the day there walking around the city.  I got to see some old missionary friends from the last area I was in.  As the day came to an end, Elder Jensen and I made our way to the mission office in a city called Enebyberg.  We had about no charge left on our phone to find our way but we kind of remembered.  We had to take a few different trams and subways.  After getting lost for a bit…. and having to actually stop and charge our phone in a restaurant to get Google Maps. (google is a life saver) we found it.  

Saying goodbye to Elder Bailey for the last time!

The next day, Tuesday was a training called MLC, or MIssion Leadership Council, where we discuss and receive training on what we want to focus on in each Zone for the transfer (next 6 weeks).  We grilled some good burgers and it was a good time!  Elder Jensen and I could then start the preparation for the Zone training which would be on the up coming Friday. 

Second harvest here we come

Tuesday night, we had to fly home and there's this one cool/funny thing that happened this last week.  So were sitting in the airport waiting for our flight, and Elder Jensen recognized a guy sitting a bit a away from us that he used to teach. He decided to go up and walk by him to see if it was him and it was!  They talked for a little bit and then it was time to board the plain.  When we got on the plane we wanted seats not next to each other so we could talk to people.  We ended up in the same row but he was just on the other isle.  Two people came and sat down next to me and they were a young  Swedish couple who ended up being way interested.  They had really good questions, and I ended up teaching them for the full hour flight. ~ Teaching them about the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. It was funny because I dont think I will have many opportunities to recite the First Vision and break out my Plan of Salvation pictures on a plane.  BUT during this time, Elder Jensen was talking to everyone around him, and by  the time the flight landed, we said goodbye to about 7 people.  Literally all the people sitting around us haha.

Norrland Zone training!

The next few days were spent on preparation for the training on Friday.  It was focused on Motivation and Accountability.  What is so cool is that this time we are using as missionaries is not our time.  It’s the Lords.  Something that has always hit me, is that the fact that the Restoration is still moving and it’s moving fast.  This work is true and it’s moving at an incredible pace.  We either have to jump on and move with it... or stay and get left behind. There is no in between! 

Love you all och ha det bäst! 

Äldste Blackburn

View from our balcony.

Big news with transfers!

Hejdå!

So, Big news with transfers!! 

My time is Stockholm is done (or at least on pause) and I'm going somewhere magical and extremely cold.. Umeå!!  I have the opportunity to go all the way up to the top of Sweden and serve with my new companion Elder Jensen as a Zone Leader over the Norrland Zone.  I'm so excited for all the good stuff I am about to learn from my new companion and the Zone.  I'm also excited to experience a real Swedish winter!!  It is about to get cold, *says the guy from California*  but seriously though, we have to cross country ski around.  No, just kidding but that would be sweet. :)  We actually have a car, fortunately, AND I have the option of taking a plane or a 6 hour direct train up there. I'm choosing to take the train because there are some baggage issues I don't want to go through.  I'm leaving tomorrow at noon (Wed, Sept 27) from Stockholm T central for the long journey that awaits, but I am excited for this opportunity! 

Viktor, probably the only guy I have met in Sweden who appreciates cycling as much as me.

Elder Hatch and I have had a good last week together.  Some cool things that happened this week was that we had a Zone conference!  It was about "Testimony."  President and Sister Beckstrand taught a good training along with the Assistants.  They actually gave notes to each missionary that were written by our parents with a picture.  The letters were their testimony of the gospel and how happy they are for us that we are on our missions.  Thanks mom!  I thought that was awesome.  I also sang a song during the conference there with the three other missionaries I usually sing with.  It was a cool arrangement of "Brightly Beams our Fathers Mercy."

 

Elder Harrison! long time no see!

ELder Jämsä!!! My old companion from Gotland :

We also had something really cool happen.  If you remember that guy Elder Hatch and I met in the Pizza place.. I talked about it in last weeks email.  One of them came with us to the YSA center in Stockholm, for Family Home Evening on Monday night and he loved it.  He went around and met and became friends with everyone!  We then committed him to read the Book of Mormon.  We went back to his restaurant to say hi to him and he said he has been reading, and then he gave us two free big pizzas!  So we ate them and they were so good.  We are going back with him tonight to FHE.  Today for our Prep day we are going to chill in Stockholm for the last time before I take off.  

Our last district meeting and "funeral" for Elder Bradshaw who is our assisant going home!

Remember, I know this church is true!  I'm so pumped with the time I have left to go hard and find those people that are ready to hear this message. 

Love you all and have good week! 

Äldste Blackburn

Having fun with the new iphone update

My Chileen family here in Jakobsberg <3

This guy is a stud. Lars!