New Area

Dear Family and Friends,

My new area, Fairview, Tennessee is great. The branch is strong and supports missionary work. This first week was fun and engaging. On Tuesday,  we gathered at the Sunset building and a member took us and the Madison Elders down to our areas. I was able to say goodbye to Elder Nez and Elder Brown as they left this past week, returning home having completed their missions and are home now. In the Fairview area, which is large, we are assigned a Jeep Compass and our apartment is a duplex. The duplex is okay because the building was just sprayed for bugs ...  so no bugs! Our district has four elders (very small) and it was a weird district meeting with just the four of us. We went to a china buffet after district meeting and a member from Burgess Falls paid for us.

In this area we do a lot of service. We help with meals on wheels every week, and also help members with their farm work. The LDS missionaries are infamous here so tracting is hard. Everyone knows who we are and what we are doing. It reminds me a little of Winchester.

Remember to be the best whatever you are. Have a good week and be happy.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21)

Love, Elder Blazzard

Confederate Military Cemetery

Highway 96

Carnton Plantation, built in 1826

Beginning at 4 p.m. on November 30, 1864, Carnton was witness to one of the bloodiest battles of the entire Civil War. Everything the McGavock family ever knew was forever changed. The Confederate Army of Tennessee furiously assaulted the Federal army entrenched along the southern edge of Franklin. The resulting battle, believed to be the bloodiest hours of the Civil War, involved a massive frontal assault larger than Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. The majority of the combat occurred in the dark and at close quarters. The Battle of Franklin lasted barely five hours and led to some 9,500 soldiers being killed, wounded, captured, or counted as missing. Nearly 7,000 of that number were Confederate troops. Carnton served as the largest field hospital in the area for hundreds of wounded and dying Confederate soldiers

Last Week in Goodlettsville

Dear Family and Friends,

This was a busy and good week. I am being transferred this coming week to Fairview, Tennessee. The Fairview Branch goes to Dickson, Tennessee for Sunday meetings and church activities. This week went well though even though we witnessed a crazy driver in the mall parking lot one night. This guy jumped over four mediums, hit a sign, and brushed a tree. It was crazy. This guy just gunned it all over. He was probably drunk. We did some service for a member helping him redo part of the foundation of his house and put gravel on the driveway.

I got almost everything packed up and ready. Fairview is in the country and I am excited to go back to that kind of area for Spring. Our investigators our doing well. We have a part member family and one of them that is ready for baptism and we are finding better quality investigators. The work is good.  I loved going to the temple Friday. I feel sad that I will not be able to return to the temple for another six months. We went to Chik-fil-A for lunch afterwards thus making it a tradition to go after each temple visit. I will miss Elder Maxwell, my good friend. Hope y'all have a good week.

1 Corinthians 2: 10-11

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of Godknoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.


Love,
Elder Blazzard

Working the Field

Dear Family and Friends,

This was a good week. On Monday we had a dinner at a member's house and then we went to Hendersonville to drop off a bible referral. We dropped of the Bible and a Book of Mormon and taught him a little bit, so that was good. Then we had a lesson with a less-active. That night we walked home. On Tuesday, Elder Maxwell was sick, however we were able to go tracting and get work done around the apartment. On Wednesday, we had district meeting where training was given on faith and hope.  I gave a training on how to use the area book application on the iPad.  That was fun and I got into it. We had taco bell for lunch and we then went to this bible referral and waited and waited for this member to meet us there because we set up a lesson with this investigator.  The member was late and I had to go to the bathroom so we decided to knock on the door. No one answers and so we call the number and he says is not home and to come back the next day. The member finally comes and we try some other contacts with him.

That night we had meetings, so I went on splits with a member from the Hendersonville Ward and we tried some YSA less-actives and I had a lesson set up with a investigator, but that fell through. The member took me to Center Pointe BBQ ... it was really good.  The best part was I missed most of the meetings. On Thursday we went up to Hendersonville and tried to some people up there. We also tracted some. Later that day we had a lesson with this really less active lady, it went well but her father in law was there. He is a Baptist preacher. We come in and he says right away that they were not interested. I was like well we just want to share a scripture. I shared Alma 7:11-13, and he says I guess I agree with that much. We say a pray and leave. I think we impressed the less active member as she was just smiling.

It was Elder Maxwell's birthday on Thursday so we went to Chilis with the whole district minus the Zone Leaders. On Friday, we had weekly planning and we got to talk to a lot of less actives. We had dinner at Famous Dave's a member took us out for Elder Maxwell's Birthday. It was really good BBQ. I had the Texas Smoked Brisket. We had a lesson that night with a less active and her kids, her nine year old wants to get baptized. It was a little scary going to that house because they live in the projects.

On Saturday we did service at the bishops storehouse. I went on a day exchange with Elder Wright. It was fun we had to help the Spanish elders get ready for their baptism. We switched back that night. Sunday went well. We had lunch/dinner after church with the member that live across the street from the street. They had saltine crackers and a lot of butter on top for a appetizer. It was hard to get that down with all that butter. We had a member take us out, then we went tracting. A really mean lady answered one door, She made us leave the apartment complex. It was a good week though and I had fun servings others. Hope y'all have a good week.

2 Nephi 25:8 Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own people; for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them.

Love,
Elder Blazzard

The Book of Mormon -

Dear Family and Friends,

It was another good week but a little rough with allergies and a runny nose. On Monday night we had a lesson with the church of god minster. The lesson was a tough but worked out as we talked a lot about reading the Book of Mormon to know if our message is true. We dropped a lot of investigators this week. Sad but necessary and it made the week even tougher.  We found a new family and got a lot of referrals from church headquarters to check on. We dropped off a bible to a guy that was fairly interested in our message. Our week was busy and our members are really of great support to us.  Support your full-time missionaries you will be blessed! We are going to the temple soon and I am so ready to go. Thanks for the support and happy birthday Dad.

2 Nephi 9: 19-20 
19 O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
20 O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.

Love,

Elder Blazzard

Spanish Exchanges

Dear Family and Friends,

This week we had BBQ for lunch at the bishop's storehouse. I went on exchanges with the Spanish elders, I got to teach some Spanish, well I really just sat there but it was fun. District meeting went well, we had Jimmy John's for lunch. I was still on exchanges with the Spanish. We had zone conference Thursday and that went well, we won the golden hubcap award, for the cleanest and for following the mission fleet standards. They got Chik-Fil-A catering for lunch, it was good. We went to Hendersonville that night and try some people, meet a couple new people and had a good lesson with one of our progressing investigators. On Friday we had some phone lessons, went tracting and a guy open his door with a gun, he slowly put the gun away as we talked to him. Saturday was good and busy we got a member out with us that night. On Sunday night we talked with a guy that thinks the Sabbath should be on Saturday, but he loves the Book of Mormon, however, he doesn't like our prophets. It was fun because as this guy was "teaching us" a stray cat ran into his house. It was a tender mercy. It was a good week, hope all is well.

1 Nephi 17:3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

Love,

Elder Blazzard

Clean Car Award - The Golden Cap

Possum

Elder Reyes