ZL Responsibilities

So I've gotten to the point on my mission that I'm not sure what to write any more.. things are going really well tho.My companion is super cool. He is so good at singing!! He knows theory super dooper well, the names of scales and chords and all kinds of crazy stuff.. We were learning how to do 'barber shop singing' today. He was teaching us about something called 'overtones' and we were trying to make them while we were driving around today. It was super fun.

My new area is good.. but I really miss San Francisco, I really did love it there.. but I'm really happy to be in this area - I'm working hard to make a difference in the zone and do all i can to help the missionaries progress and improve.

What does it mean to be a zone leader??

Basically, as a zone leader we are pretty much like any other companionship. Our main purpose as zone leaders is training. We are called to train the missionaries through 24 hour exchanges. As part of our responsibilities, we model our area for the other missionaries to learn. So that means exact obedience, applying Preach My Gospel skills in all areas of missionary work and correcting missionaries if needed. Our main training happens in 24hour exchanges. It is really important to keep up to date on all the investigators with Baptismal dates in the zone. We also keep track of all the 'Progressing investigators' in the zone. We are very aware of each missionary and especially the new missionaries and their progression (teaching skills, obedience, etc..) During the week we account for each district. Example: Tues. Marsh Creek district - Wed. Antioch 1 district - Thurs. Pittsburg 2 district etc.. We call the district leaders and counsel with them and they give us a better idea of what is happening in the area and ways they can improve. We also analyze the 'key indicators' from the current week and weeks previous and with these tools we are really given a good idea of what is going on and how effective the companionships are working. Then at the end of the week we account and report to the Assistants to the President and give them a report of the entire zone.Throughout this entire process we have a whole ton of paper work.. So that's basically it.. I think the thing I like best about being a zone leader is being able to recieve revelation for the zone and getting to know and work with so many awesome missionaries

I know this work is the work of the Lord. I am really grateful for the oppertunities I am given to learn and grow.

I LOVE YOU!!

Love

Elder Blandon

Yay for Babies!

It's so great to hear that Christina had her baby!! I am so excited to have new cute little nieces when I get home!

So things are going well here. My new area is way out in the sticks - very American working man family kind of community. The work is a bit slower than in San Francisco but it's still the Lord's work. We are being very diligent in doing all we can to find more people to teach. My area is two small towns about the size of Payson and Salem. Maybe a little smaller.

I live in an apartment with roomates so that has been nice - I haven't had roomies in a while so it has been really nice to get to know some of the other missionaries well. We cleaned the house and found some Christmas stuff in an old box so our appartment is all christmas decorated.

If the family wants to get me a christmas present - my camera got stolen in San Francisco. if you sent me nothing else but a cheap camera I would be super happy with that. Just something to take pictures with. Anyways I love you all

I am grateful for the blessings of the gospel. God knows all of us and He cares. It's been so wonderful to see His hand in this work. The other day we were talking with some ward members to see if they knew anyone that we could teach. The member told us no. We asked again just using different words and the Spirit prompted the member to tell us about a sister that lived down the street. We went and visited her and she invited us back! We were able to have a wonderful lesson and she was really prepared to hear the gospel.

Anyways things are good. Just working hard. I know I am on the Lord's errand.

Love Elder BLandon

New Zone But Still a ZL

Well it looks like my time here in San Francisco is finished. I didn't quite accomplish my goal if Baptizing the entire city.. but we had quite a few! By the time I leave this area I will have had something like 7 Baptisms. In the mission we call San Francisco "The City of Miracles". It really is a city where miracles happen. The people here are beautiful. Even though there is so much turmoil and destructive things happening in the world (especially in San Francisco!) I know that God lives and that He loves all of us because we are his children. In the midst of this worldly city there are humble people who hunger and thirst for righteousness. I have been so blessed to be a part of the lives of so many wonderful people.

So it's on to the next area of the vineyard. I will be serving as zone leader in the Antioch Zone. I am super excited to see the new area and begin serving. I'm really excited for the missionaries I get to serve and help. I will miss the zone here. We have had some stalwart missionaries in this area! We have been able to achieve our goals as a zone many times and we have been blessed to see a lot of people step into the waters of Baptism in the San Francisco West Zone.

This last week I had the opportunity of participating in quite a few priesthood ordinances. I had the opportunity to Baptize Lilly Liang and perform a Confirmation for Mindy Lew. We also gave multiple priesthood blessings and ordained one of our recent converts with the Aaronic Priesthood. Over and over in my mind I gave gratitude for the Atonement. I thought about how it was that I was able to be a part of those peoples' lives and how I was placed in a position to exercise the Priesthood authority. I thought about the choices that I had made that allowed me to be worthy of the priesthood and how grateful I was to be ready willing and prepared to perform such sacred ordinances. I know that it is only in and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that makes it possible for us to be worthy of the blessings and opportunities that God has in store for us. How grateful I am for the companionship of the Holy Ghost in guiding me and protecting me in the choices that I make. How grateful I am for the blessings of the Priesthood.

Love, Elder
Blandon

Life's lessons

How goes it? So missionary work is crazy... this week went by really really fast. I'm really grateful for the opportunity I have to serve. My companion is super cool. He is all business, super smart successful kind of kid. I'm really learning alot about accomplishing the goals that we set. I am still serving as a Zone Leader in the San Francisco West Zone. We are seeing alot of success as a Zone! The mission president told me that he uses our Zone as a model for the other missionaries and an example of what we can accomplish. But it has little to do with me.. the missionaries in our Zone are working very hard and the Lord is really blessing the area. I'm just grateful that I get to be a part of it. So this last transfer has been a struggle for me but I feel like I am just now overcoming the trials and learning what the Lord is trying to teach me. SO now it's on to the next lesson and set of trials.

There are two main points that really stuck out to me this week. First: the blessing of serving others! I am really grateful for the opportunity I have to be a part of peoples' lives, I know that I am here for only a short time and I have realized that the greatest impact I can have on these peoples' lives is to help them live the Gospel. I have a firm testimony of the power of commandments! As a missionary and Representative of Jesus Christ we have the authority to invite others unto repentance. When we seek out opportunities to serve those around us, to help others in their righteous ambitions we will be blessed. There is nothing like service.

Secondly the thing that I have come to better understand is the principle of 'Accountability.' We are accountable for our own actions. When we realize that we are personally responsible for our own lives no matter what the situation or circumstance, it will change the way that we think. As I pray to our Father in Heaven and ask for people to teach or ask for a blessing that I will be successful I am asking for responsibility. When opportunities are given to me by my Father in Heaven I must do all that is in my power to ensure the safety and success and well keeping of that opportunity. And if there is failure I must acknowledge and accept that it was the level of my commitment and choices that I made that led to the failure.

I invite you to seek out an opportunity to serve someone this week. and next time something goes wrong try not to blame anyone else - just say " it was my fault" "I will repent and do better."

One last thing - always remember there is always room for improvement. No matter how well things seem to be, you can always improve. So many times in life we become complacent with the way the things are. We say "well I have worked pretty hard.. thats good enough for me" - we can work harder, we can do better, there is more that can be done. So many times we here the words "Good job" as to imply that we have completed the job or that we are satisfied. We should be in the mind set of "Good effort" implying that there is still potential to progress and that there are still possibilities to improve. We need to be in a mind set that - when given the proper resources we can accomplish anything. We are eternal by nature we have endless possibility and potential. My companion is never happy with the result. At first it was really hard on me. I thought "wow, how can you please this kid??" After hearing a talk from Elder Wilson from the 70 it really hit me. What more can we do?

Anyways thats the personal insight from this week. I hope all is well

Earthquake

Dear Family

So things are going good here in the mission. First crazy story - well not so crazy but pretty cool, we were in the middle of a lesson and I was teaching then I noticed the church building was creaking.. like a lot!.. we all stopped and sat quietly and we were all wiggling back and forth - it was an earth quake!! it was pretty cool cuz my entire mission I wanted to feel an earth quake! sooo it was pretty cool, different than what I thought it would feel like but still really cool.

Anyways we are teaching some really cool people right now. We invited a few more people to be baptized this week so now we have two baptisms this weekend and two baptisms in November! its pretty awesome.

I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be obedient to the commandments and how that's a choice that we all make. We choose whether or not we want to follow God - something that I have notice is that even though we might make that choice to be obedient, Satan will still tempt us. There are things in my life that I must avoid, thoughts that I can not allow myself to think, places that I cannot let myself go. The world is filled with all types of temptations and I know that I must protect myself. I have really come to know and recognize that the Holy Ghost will give us strength and he will warn us away from sin and guide us to that which is pleasing to the Lord. BUT we must first make the choice - then we must do all that we can to avoid that which tempts us. Here in San Francisco there are temptations all around me everyday, even as a missionary, but I know where I stand. I am aware of my surroundings and I know the Lord will protect me as long as I am willing to do that which the Lord asks of me.

I don't even know what's happening in the news or really much about the challenges that the family might be going through, but the one thing I do know is that God loves us and He will protect us. We will face challenges in this life. We knew that we would face these challenges before we even came to earth. We cannot face these trials on our own. We are not capable of doing so, we need the help of our Savior. We need the lifting power of the Atonement. Obeying the commandments is simple, you just have to do it. I know that as we Repent and renew our covenants each week, read and pray the Holy Ghost will enter into our lives. With the power of the Holy Ghost we will endure.

I have a huge testimony of the Book of Mormon - if you are not reading it everyday I invite you to read it. I have seen the power of the Book of Mormon, it changes lives. - Within these pages God speaks.

Yesterday my companion and I had a lesson with a sister named Mindy Lew - she has been meeting with us for about two months now and she has had a really hard time making the decision to be Baptized. Her lessons were always filled with the Spirit but she didn't trust her self enough to make the decision. We had a really long discussion about many different principles of the Gospel. We wanted Mindy to see that God has given her the answer but that she just needed to act upon that prompting. We invited her to be baptized and she said that she couldn't answer at that time. Sometimes in life we are faced with choices that we are unsure about. Sometimes we really just want God to make the Choice for us - or maybe we will ask a loved one or someone that we trust to tell us what choice we should make. We don't trust ourselves enough to make that choice. In this life we are given the ability to choose for a reason, there is a purpose to agency. God cannot choose for us. When we are worthy and humble and receptive to the promptings, when we place our trust not in ourselves but in God, He will guide us. But we must show our faith and our love for Him through diligent scripture study. Feast upon his words. We must pray ALWAYS and we must repent. My dearest family, I love you all and I want you to have the comfort of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is real. In that lesson we had with Mindy the HolyGhost came upon us. We all felt it. After we helped Mindy recognize that God allows us to make choices for ourselves we invited her to be baptized again and she could not deny the way she felt. Mindy will prepare herself to be baptized on the 12th of November.

I am grateful for all that you do for me. I am really grateful for the blessing of the Gospel that our family enjoys. OUR FAMILY IS FOREVER!! Let's prepare. We are really blessed you guys.. sometimes we forget but there are people in the world that are really suffering. Let us be strong.

Have a wonderful week.

Love Elder Blandon

The Blue Angels

Well things are going really well here in San Francisco. This week was pretty cool.. so every year in S.F. they do this air show called 'Fleet Week.' There is a Navy base here and a few ships and air craft carriers come in and dock for the week - down town there is a bunch of sailors walking around. Anyways, the Blue Angels come and perform over the bay!! So for three days in a row there are jets flying all over the place!! It's way cool! We timed it just right. We were taking an investigator to the temple over in Oakland so we were driving over the bridge during the Blue Angels performance. There was tons of traffic so it was pretty cool. The jets just kept flying right over and around the bridge! There are a ton of sailboats that go out into the water also, so while the jets are performing they do a bunch of fly-by's just skimming the tops of the sail boats!! It's crazy!! After my mission I really want to get a sail boat and come for fleet week. That same day we saw another crazy thing happen - there was a huge group of skaters maybe 100-150 people all in a huge group cruzing the hills in San Francisco. They just took over the road it was way cool.

San Francisco is a really crazy place. Basically, you can do anything you want besides kill people and hurt small children and it's acceptable. There are so many philosophy's on life and different ways of living and thinking. The moral standard has degraded so much in the world today. Now days the lifestyle that people live and the rules and guidelines that a person follows is all personal preference. People don't even acknowledge the fact that God has set guidelines and commandments for our protection. I have a really strong testimony of commandments when I think about life and what happens when there is no direction, guidance or warning. It really scares me to see some of these young kids that think they know better than God about what's right and what's wrong. The adversary is very real. Anyways I feel good about helping people find happiness and direction :)

Right now we are teaching a kid named Sunny. He is awesome. Right now he is going to school to compose music. He plays the coolest songs!! It's really awesome. I love being a missionary 'cause we get to meet so many wonderful people and we learn from one another and we share experiences with each other. So we have really be praying hard for Sunny in helping him gain a testimony of God. His parents are from China and they never really had religion as part of their life.

Things are great. I'm loving life. I know the Church is true especially when I live the commandments and see the blessings that come from it.
Have a wonderful week!

Conference

Yeah I really loved Conference this week, I'm really excited to go back and study all the talks for the next six months. there were a few really good talk that focus on full time missionaries so that was pretty neat. on Sunday we had the opportunity to watch conference with 3 of our investigators. so it was really special.

We are really blessed with wonderful people to teach. this weekend we have a baptism with a girl named Brianna. she is going to school in the area. we found her street contacting out side the college campus one day, the Lord had really prepared her to receive the Gospel in her life. we are also teaching a really great person named sunny! sunny is super smart. hes American born chinese and right now he is going to school to learn to compose music!! he plays the piano like super duper good, hes one of those kids that has played the piano since he was like 3 years old. anyways we are trying to help him feel the spirit and gain a testimony of God. our lessons with him are really good

I dont remember if I told you but I gave one of your books to Sister Berry - she loved it! there is a testimony meeting for new converts and she shared her testimony and she used the scripture that you had in your book (helaman 5:12) she said it really touched her heart. she gave such a solid testimony, it was really neat for me.

SKYPE fhe!? that sounds awesome maybe you could let me know a week in advance and I can write a small report about what is happening in the mission field that you could read to everyone. anyways everything is going pretty well.. oh yeah I almost forgot, our car was broke into and my wallet and camera were stolen.. sooo I have my birth cert. with me, so im going to see what I can do about getting a new license and I.d. the only problem is I don't have a s.s.card.. so we will see what happens.

I just want to tell you that I know God lives. and he loves all of us. since I've been on my mission I have come to realize that God allows us to make choices freely, He will never FORCE anything upon us. If we want to know about God we must seek after Him. God and Jesus Christ 'Invite' - the invitation is there, we just need to accept that invitation and the way we accept the invitation is by reading scripture, praying and keeping the commandments. We show God we accept Him through our actions.

I love you all

Love Elder Blandon

I have really been thinking alot about the purpose of this life and what gives me the motivation to live. there is a difference between 'being alive' and 'living life'. there are two words that often come to mind when I ponder upon this subject - Eternal Life - if we truly believe there is life after this, if we really understand the plan of salvation we will recognize that - This Life Matters - living life means that we recognize we are Gods children, we know where we came from, we know where we are going, and we know how to get there.

Christ said 'Take no thought, saying what shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewith shall we be clothed? For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you'

I am motivated by a firm belief that I have made sacred promises with God. I know that I will live with Him someday if I am willing to uphold those promises to the best of my ability. As members of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ we all have that choice. We make mistakes, we break promises, and that is one of the hardest things to accept. but God loves us and our Savior and Redeemer has paid the price. - They want us to be happy - I know in my life I must accept the Atonement. we can't rewind time, we cant take back our actions. But we can follow Christ. 'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not you heart be troubled neither let it be afraid

have a wonderful week!!

Love Elder Blandon

Meeting with a General Authority

well the mission is going really well, I got to interview with Elder Edwards from the quorum of the 70 this last week! it was such a spiritual experience, he was so intune with the Spirit! so I asked him about the eternity's and what I can do in this life to prepare myself to have everlasting life - he told me the most important thing that I could do in this life would be to get married in the temple. he told me that the purpose of this life is to prepare to be husbands and fathers in eternal families. so meeting with him is something I will never forget, esspecialy the feeling of the spirit I had as we visited.

Yesterday one of my recent converts (myrna berry) spoke in a fireside for new members of the church, she got to bare her testimony about her faith in the Savior, it was such a wonderful thing for me to see because I got to watch sis.berry make changes in her life that made her closer to Christ and made her happy.I feel so blessed that I got to be a part of that. there really is nothing greater than to see someone find happiness in life.

The work is supper busy not time to stop, tons of paper work and lots of meetings especially around the first of the month and transfers. but I really love helping the zone progress and teaching the new missionaries how to do missionary work.

An Interview with a 70

This week has been crazy!! in a good way tho.. so we have been working really hard in this area for the last two transfers and its been hard to really see the fruits of our labors, I was getting really frustrated for a while but just kept working through the trials. SO this week there was alot of faith building experiences, we found 4 new people to teach, one of them is super awesome!! her name is Brianna we were street contacting at the state university, it was really awesome because we only had 15 min. before we had a another appointment so we thought we would use our 15min as effectively as possible. we talked to one person Nate and the second person we talked to was Brianna, we got her information and after that it was off to the meeting! she came to church the following Sunday and we had a wonderful lesson afterwords. the Spirit really guided us and we were in the right place at the right time! we have another investigator, her name is mindy. she really has a desire to know if the church is true. it has been really stressful for us because she is doing everything we are asking her but she hasnt received an answer. she is a really special person and I know God has a plan for her. it has really built my faith to see the effort and desire people put into the gospel and finding Christ in there lives..

So im pretty sure im having an interview with a general authority tomorrow.. if you had personal time with a general authority for 15min what would you ask him???
his name is Elder Edwards from the 70. he has requested to interview all of the zone leaders in the mission, so i get the opportunity to sit down and talk with him. its really awesome.

My companion is pretty awesome, elder shipley.. we are working really hard. san francisco is CRAZY but i love it.

I really love missionary work!! its the best..

Love, Elder Blandon

Zone Conference

Things are going well. My companion and I only have two or three people to teach right now so we are in super finding mode. We are doing everything we can to find new people to teach. It's really nice when you have lots of people to teach because then you can spend most of the day in peoples home sharing the gospel.. when we dont have people to teach it's all out on the streets talking with people and knocking those doors. I really love missionary work tho - also all the responsibility of being zone leader keeps us really busy. Part of our responsibility is to train the missionaries how to be effective and help them develop their skills.. so I really enjoy the training aspect as well.

Nothing too much to report on this week. I'm just really working hard and trying to stay focused, I'm in the book of Alma now reading in ch.10 and 12.ish.. my studies are going really well. We have a zone conference and a mini zone meeting coming up that I'm preparing for, we have a general authority for the 70 coming to tour our mission.. and guess what! I GET TO HAVE AN INTERVIEW with a general authority, so I'm really looking forward to that experience. Then for the mini zone meeting my companion and I are training on 'revelation through the Book of Mormon' so we are just doing preparation for that for the next few weeks.

Thank you for your testimony. I also have come to really know for my self how important this gospel is in my life.. I'm really grateful for the knowledge that I have.
have a wonderful week.

It's Foggy in San Francisco

I really love scouts. After my mission, I really want to get more involved with scouting. Camping sounds really fun right now!! The lightning storm sounds fun, too. For me it's the fog!! San Francisco is SUPER FOGGY! I thought is was just the season.. nope it's foggy all the time. I had no idea. I'm pretty used to it now. It's perfect temp. mostly all the time.

This weekend we had Myrna Berry's baptism! She is such a wonderful woman!! I have been so blessed to be a part of her life. She asked me to perform the baptism, so that was the first baptism I actually performed. The Spirit was so strong!! Everything turned out really nice! Anyways, I'm sure you will have the chance to meet Sister Berry some day.

Can you believe I have been out almost a year now.. my half way mark is this week.. (not that I'm counting) really most of the time I have no idea what month I'm in or how long I have left :) Just focus on working hard, the best I can.

I have a new companion, his name is Elder Shipley from New Mexico. He is a super cool missionary. We get along well. This transfer we are really looking forward to seeing the success of the zone! Transfers just happened and we have alot of great new missionaries in the zone so we are looking at a great transfer.

Change is Good

Well alot of changes in the last few days, and alot of new things going on. Transfer calls came, I will be staying as a zone leader in the San Francisco West Zone. Both my companions are leaving. I'm really grateful for this last transfer, I have really learned alot about my purpose in helping others. Right now we are teaching a sister, her name is sister Merna Berry. She has made huge changes and sacrifices in her life. She has a testimony of the Restored Gospel and will be Baptised this weekend. I will most likely be performing the Baptism.. so thats exciting!

I just want to say my companion Elder Lin has been a huge influence on my life. I have learned so much about how to really push myself to improve each and everyday. Yesterday I had the opportunity to conduct my first meeting. It was terrifying. The entire meeting under my direction, President Wade was presiding at the meeting so I sat next to him. He kept giving me directions for the meeting and how he wanted to go. It was really neat, but I was super nervous.

I have been thinking about the freedom to choose and how we all make the choice in this life of who we want to be. I'm really trying to focus on having a good and uplifting attitude even when things are the most difficult. I believe that is the attribute of hope. just knowing that there is a better time, a better day, and by enduring through our trials we will gain knowledge and understanding. I have really come to understand the importance of really making CHANGES, really recognizing things that I can DO to change, by setting goals and identifying specific skill and attributes associated with those goals. One choice at a time, I can achieve the goals that I have set. Christ was the ultimate example; our goal should be to become like Him. we must evaluate ourselves continuously! "how did I handle that situation?" "what could I have done better?" "what Christ like attribute could be applied here?" By asking myself these kind of questions and asking others to give me feed back on different situations I can recognize areas I can improve. Writing things down is essential to this process. Setting goals and making plans is vital to our improvement. We choose who we want to be.

I love this Gospel so much. I am so grateful for the direction and guidance my Father in Heaven gives me each and everyday. I am grateful for the sweet loving comfort of the Holy Ghost. The Book of Mormon is the Word of God and testifies of the reality and divinity of our Savior Jesus Christ. I know these things to be true. in the name of Jesus Christ AMEN!

-the church is true!!

I love you all and miss you dearly.
Love.
Elder Blandon

The New Area

So I love my new area. I really love my new area a lot. I love being in the city, we talk to so many people everyday. The work is non-stop. I have to be careful to not over exert myself. I'm living the mission dream right now. I have progressed so much just in the past few months. It's so wonderful how God works and how he helps us grow in life. About a month ago I was struggling pretty hard. The Lord needed me to learn how to rely on Him and I still need to rely on Him and I'm still learning how. But once I made the choice that I would be submissive and I would do what the Lord asked He really gave me opportunities to exercise my faith.

This area is thriving with people to teach and work to do. we don't even have time to think. We literally are running from one appointment to another. Exact obedience is a blessing. Not just being obedient because I don't want to get in trouble but exact obedience because I love my Father in Heaven.

One thing that I have come to love and understand more fully here on my mission is; the Gift of Free Agency. We are given the ability to freely choose for our self in this life. What wonderful opportunities we are given to learn and grow and progress in this life. However, sometimes the choices of others bring grief and sorrow in this life. But that's why we have a Savior. Through Christ we can be free of the feelings of guilt and shame and our pains and sorrows can be washed away. In order for us to be forgiven we must forgive others. Here is a talk that I want you to read.

http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/what-manner-of-men-and-women-ought-ye-to-be?lang=eng

My companion taught me how to apply the doctrines that we learn here. To motivate others we need to praise their righteous attributes. Elder Jensen from the 70 told us something once. "Our faith will never over-ride some one's free agency." People are going to be free to choose no matter how much Faith we have.

Following the prophets is real. When the things we learn are applied, when we are submissive to what the Lord teaches us, things will happen.


Love
Elder Blandon

Transferred... Already?

So Martinez was short lived. I wasn't ready to leave. I feel like I never quite had the momentum that I wanted in this area. I really wanted to find some solid investigators before I left but it looks like God has other things in store for me. I have learned a great deal about my self and my relationship with the Savior these last few months. At times I struggled pretty hard and I know that the challenges ahead of me are going to be even greater, but I feel like my attitude towards the work has really changed. I always felt frustrated with the responsibilities I have been given, not because I don't want to work but because I don't want to fail. I have the type of personality that if I do something I have to be good at it. And if i'm not good at it, I don't want to do it. So when I fall short of greatness I become pretty distraught... but that's the point. Of course we are inadequate; of course there is no way we can do all that we have been asked. We are in a fallen state, imperfect creatures full of mistakes. That's why we need the Savior so much. That's why we need to be obedient in keeping all the commandments so that we can have the cleansing power of the Holy Ghost in our lives and partake of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that after all that I can do Christ will make up for the rest. He is my Redeemer. I have to look at every challenge with enthusiasm and look for ways to Improve. This has proven to be pretty difficult.

Anyways, so as of tomorrow I will be serving in the San Francisco West zone covering the Sunset Singles Ward and the San Francisco 1st Ward. It's going to be a lot different than any of my other areas. I have been praying a lot and I will need your prayers as I take on these new responsibilities in my new area.

Thanks for everything!!

I know this Work is the Lords work. This mission has been great to me. I think it's blessing me even more than I realize. I'm grateful for the lives I have been able to be a part of but most of all I'm grateful for our Father in Heaven and for the sacrifice of Christ that makes all things possible. I'm very grateful to you mom and the rest of the family for all your love and support. have a wonderful week! thanks!!

Love Elder Blandon

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July! I hope you all are having a wonderful summer. It's been very hot here.. but there is a nice cool breeze off the water most of the time so that's really nice.

My companion is from Tonga. It's interesting having companions from third world countries. He can open a can of tuna with a big knife! It's awesome! We are very different tho and I think he feels lonely...I feel really bad sometimes. I feel like this life style of America really takes away from his roots and the ways of the islands.. they are a simple loving people and California is so opposite of that. As the Senior companion I try to be as obedient as possible. ..exactly obedient.. so he gets frustrated sometimes cuz he doesn't understand the rules. He told me he's gonna try not to beat me up (260 pound Tongan) so that's comforting knowing that he is exercising self control. lol

For the 4th of July we set up a booth in downtown Martinez. We had a big display we got from the mission home. It says in big letters "I'm a Mormon" and it has three big pictures and testimonies of people that live in the Bay area. We passed out like 5 copies of the Book of Mormon and a bunch of DVD's and pamphlets and we talked with a few really cool people. We had some members with us down at the booth that were helping us talk to people so it was fun. Martinez is a small town tho, just a about the size of Spanish Fork, but their 4th of July celebration is weak compared to any of the Utah towns. We went to a big birthday party, (the Clelands) they had a bounce house and BBQ and sister Cleland set up a picture taking-booth with tons of dress up stuff for the the kids and such. At the end of the day we were going to meet up with our ward mission leader and head up to his mom's house (Less Active) but we ended up talking to guy named Mike just down the way from the house. He's not sure where he was born, super smart guy - just not sure what direction to take in life and ended up with out a home.

Anyways I hope all is well, I hope you got those pictures sister Cleland made. Make sure you give her a thank you letter! I have like three or four CD's full of mission pictures I need to send home...... but i will only send them home on two conditions..1) if they don't get lost 2) you have to send me printed copies of pictures of all the family activities that have been happening....... cuz I need more pictures to look at when I'm at the apartment.. i got nothin..

Life is Good

This week we had a really neat experience. It's amazing how the Lord
places us as missionaries to help others. We got a phone call from a
chaplain at a vet.hospital saying that a man had requested a visit from
church members of the LDS faith.. We had a little extra time and we
were close to the hospital so we made our way over shortly after we
got the message. We parked the car and made our way into the building.
This hospital is different than most in that it's only for war veterans.
As soon as we walked in the door I felt a calmness that you just don't
normally feel in hospitals. I felt so much peace when we started making
our way down the hall, I know that was the Holy Ghost telling me that
we were supposed to be there at that moment. It felt as if time has
slowed down while we were there at the hospital. We asked a woman
about the name we were looking for and she pointed us in the right
direction. We finally made it to the room we were looking for. Kenneth
Walter Flanagan was his name. He was so happy to see us! He was weak
and could only whisper very quietly so to hear him we had to get very
close. we sat and talked with Kenneth for a while, he held my hand
tightly as I asked him about his life and told him about mine, he told
us 'I was hoping it was you' and then asked if we could give him a
blessing. We blessed him and read scriptures for a little while. In his
his faint whisper he thanked us and we made our way back to the car.
The spirit was so strong when were there talking with Kenneth. He
looked me right in the eyes as I spoke with him and I could feel his
gratitude right down to the center. I could truly feel God's love in
that moment. As we were walking back to the car I reflected on life
and how short it really is, and that is why it is so important for us
to do all that we can in this time that we are given.

Anyways life is good thank you for your love and prayers! I hope all
is well have a wonderful week and tell everyone I love and miss them.

LOVE Elder Blandon

Transfer

So things are going really well, alot of changes in the last few
weeks. I like change tho so its been really nice. Julian had his
confirmation in church last Sunday. Bishop Sapiga gave him the
blessing. The ward has done a wonderful job at fellowshipping Julian.

This week my testimony of missionary work has really been growing
alot. I've seen alot of miracles this week! I'm really grateful for
our Father in Heaven and his love for me. I have been able to feel the
peace and comfort that comes from the Holy Ghost so much in these past
few weeks. I love missionary work and seeing the changes that people
make in their lives as they grow closer to the Savior.

So anyways it looks like I'm in a new area. Transfers happened
yesterday. It was really weird driving away from Hayward. As I was
driving away, it didn't really dawn on me that my work as a missionary
was done in that area. I had been there for over 7 months! as I got on
the free way it kinda hit me. I mentioned it to the others in the car
as we were driving "woh I just realized i'm leaving Hayward!" my
companion said "yup you're driving away right now." I felt good about it,
I heard the missionary that is replacing me is really good. I left the
area in really good shape! there were a few baptismal dates set up and
a good number of investigators. I knew I had worked hard and that the
missionary work would continue after I left.

A new chapter in my missionary work begins, I'm now serving in the
Martinez ward on the north eastern side of the mission, its about
45-60min drive from my last area, its alot different! I really like it
alot. I could almost live in this area.... maybe.. I have a new
companion Elder Sekiguchi from Tokyo Japan. He's AWESOME. he kinda
reminds me of a japanese version of Michael sometimes.. anyways I
really like the area alot. and I am grateful for the opportunity to
serve.

This week will you pray and ask Heavenly Father to give you
opportunities to serve!!??
I know the Lord will bless you as you seek for those opportunities

I miss everyone. The work is going wonderfully. Thank
you for all your prayers--keep praying

Love, Elder Blandon

Still Here

Blog,
Well Everybody looks like I'm going into my 5th transfer! I've been out just over six months now!! life is really good. I love missionary work. So I'm still in Hayward (my first area). The Lord still has work for me to do here so I'm really excited about this coming transfer.

We (Elder Bryant and I) had a Baptism this last Saturday: Lupe Conela. It was really nice! The Spirit was so strong! Lupe's family is Catholic and they weren't able to make it to the Baptism, she is really good friends with the Rohner family(members). the Rohners gave really nice talks and a song. Lupe is a great example of exercising Faith, she has a wonderful testimony of the Gospel. We are super excited to have her as a member of the Church. Right before Lupe's Baptism we got to sit in a Baptism for the Castro Valley 3rd ward (Tongan!) I love Tongan Baptisms they are really cool. they sing so good!

So my Saturday was filled with the Spirit. It helped me reflect a lot on the importance of Baptism and the Covenants we make and renew.

I really Love the Hayward 1st ward. The members are so great! They really take good care of us. this last Sunday was fast and testimony meeting it was so good! the topic was quickly turned to missionary experiences that members have had. it was so good to hear the different ways that the members were sharing the Gospel. I've been here long enough now I know a lot of the members well so that's been really cool.

Anyways things are going well. I'm learning alot about my self but most of all I'm learning so much about the Savior and his love for me.

I love this Gospel I love missionary work I hope everyone is doing well. have a blessed week. HANG ON summer is coming.

I love you all.

Love Elder Blandon

Dear so and so

This week was great. we got to teach a lot. it was way better than last week thats for sure! everything seems to be going well. I getting a new companion this week. so that means we are going to be in a trio! YAY! three is a crowd, but its really fun. I'm still going to be seinor comp. and i will be training elder Hurst until he gets his Visa to Brazil. but yeah things are going great.

We started teaching a family that was referred to us by a member, the Beverly family. I'm so excited to see how the Gospel is going to bless them in their lives.

Helen Beverly is the mother of three girls, her girls are ten, five, and a little baby I think about 8 months. Their family is so special. They've had a really hard life.

Rayeal Beverly (the daughter that is five) was diagnosed with Leukemia. She is such an amazing little girl. Helen and her family have such a great spirit and love even tho they have such a huge trail in their life. because of medical bills from the daughters leukemia, the Beverly family was force to move out of their home. Right now they live in a shelter.

I feel the Saviors love so much when I serve and teach them. We had a lesson in a members home with Helen and the girls on saturday. We tought them about the Plan of Salvation, the Spirit was so strong! at the end of the lesson we asked Helen if she would like to pray, she said she didnt know how. So Elder Barria (the missionary I was with during the lesson) asked if he prayed if she would follow his prayer and repeat what he said. she agreed. shortly after the prayer started all three little girls joined in the prayer. it was such a special moment to her their little voices praying along with Elder Barria. Helen excepted the lesson and said she believes it to be true, she commited to come to church the following sunday. Elder Hurst and I waited for the Beverly family at the doors the next sunday, it came time for church to start and she didnt show. I thought "just a little longer" We waited until the sacrament was about to start and then went in and sat down. My heart was broke, I wanted them to come to church so bad. I said a little prayer and I felt calm. Sacrament meeting was great. After the meeting someone told me there was a family that come in late on the back row, IT WAS THE BEVERLYS!! they all went to primary and we joined them as well.

We are so blessed in our life. We dont even know. We have the Gospel and we have our families.

I love everyone. have a great week

P.s. please write me back. :)

Things are going well, trianing is still going - its about that time that I start helping Elder Hurst really step out of his comfort zone, but in the most loving way possible of course! :) He's great tho, he is a really good missionary. So I've been under a bit of stress making sure all our responsibilities are taken care at the same time giving Elder Hurst opportunities to do things on his own. It's small things really, but everything we do is important. Even the smallest things like returning someones phone call or stopping by to help someone with a small chore, small things like this can make the biggest difference in building trust with people. I'm trying my best to help Elder Hurst realize these things but its harder done than said.

We have seen a lot of miracles this week. We went to visit a referral we had been given from temple square - we just happend to show up at this persons house at just the right time. Everything fell together for this person's heart to be softened to let us come back for another visit. In the ward we have 3 youth that come to Church every week and attend early morning seminary, they are not baptised members of the Church because they don't have consent from there guardian. Its really sad to see when people harden their hearts and deny another person (or child) the blessing of the gospel, it really hurts me to see that happen. Payton is one of these kids, this week we got to sit down with him and talk about how he can help his mom see how the gospel has changed Payton, we told him if he wants to be baptized the Lord is going to make him work for it. We told him he needs to be obedient to what his parents say, he needs to get good grades in school, bring the Spirit into his home by serving others and praying and reading his scriptures. We are praying for Payton and his Mother that her heart my be softened and that Payton can take the lessons and be baptized.

Things are going well tho. Over the holidays our numbers dropped (we weren't teaching very much) but thing are on the rise! so thats great for us and for those we are teaching..

I'm not sure if I told you about Randy Childs? An investigator we are teaching. He's about 30 and has two kids. When we first started teaching at him one of the lessons he started telling us about how he wanted to stop drinking, thats funny cuz we never even said anything about drinking or even the word of wisdom, we asked if he had any alcohol in the house, he was like "yes I do" "well lets poor it out!" Elder Canova said, we all went to the kitchen and watched as Randy poured out his drink. The spirit was so strong! Randy has been going to Chruch with us for three weeks now, we've been helping Randy take that next step in getting married to his his girlfriend.

I love this Gospel. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to serve others, for this time to serve the Lord.

Love,
Elder Blandon