Service in the Branch

Dear Friends and Family,

This week we did a lot of service. On Tuesday we worked all morning and then we had a member take us all over the area. This member testified a lot during our visits. Afterwords, he took us to a Mexican restaurant. On Wednesday we had district meeting down in Jasper, TN. We had a lot of members working with us that day too and they treated us very well. I know your prayers are working. We are talking to this guy that dislikes Jews and he believes that Jesus Christ is just a story that was made up. However, he will listen to us about the spirit world; he loves the idea of the spirit world. On Saturday we had a service project with some of our local branch members out in the country and it was fun. Hope you all have a great week.

Revelation 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

Love, Elder Blazzard

Baptism

Dear Friends and Family,

This week went well. I will be staying in this area, Winchester another 6 weeks. On Tuesday we had a great lesson with our investigator who was baptized this past Saturday. On Wednesday we had district meeting in Jasper, TN. We played jeopardy with the Pikeville district. Our district leader got us district shirts, very cool.
We got the member who owns the gas station to take us out and it was great fun. He is from India, moved to Canada to manage a multimillion dollar company, then moved down here for a less stressful job. We had a great lesson with a lady from Virginia. Her father worked in the mines and he was in some mine accidents. Very interesting stories.
On Thursday we had the car so we tried a lot of people and contacts. We had a good lesson with an investigator, he committed to not buy anymore vapor stuff. On Friday we did service of moving and spreading gravel into a driveway. Then we did weekly planning. On Saturday we had the baptismal for the dad of a part member family and the service and spirit was good.  The baptism took place in Tullahoma, TN because there is no font in Winchester. That day we went to a gospel concert called Singing in the South. The funeral home put it on and they did a great job and it was live on the radio, so that was cool. Sunday was good we had a member take us out all day, he is very nice to us, and he fed us dinner at his house with his wife. This week was good with a baptism and all and hearing that I will be in Winchester another 6 weeks making it six mouths here, love it here. Thanks y'all for the support. Well I gots to go.

John 14: 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Love,

Elder Blazzard

No Building Yet and GA visit

Dear Family and Friends,

This week went well. On Tuesday we had service in Trenton, Georgia so that was cool. On Wednesday we had district meeting in Winchester and I helped make a survival game to play.  The meeting went well and then a member took us out that night to work. We had a couple of good lessons with him. On Thursday we had a member take us out again after working and riding bikes all day. We met a lot of people and an investigator had us mow his lawn.  We taught with a member that night and the lesson went very well.. On Friday we had a lesson with a guy that is getting baptized this coming Saturday. Our discussion went well and he passed his interview on Sunday. This past Sunday was Branch Conference, in the funeral home :-), and all went well except that some of the members really want their own building. So there was a little tension.

Thanks for all the support and prayers. Love u'all
Love, Elder Blazzard

Funeral Home = Church Building

Dear Friends and Family,

This week was great. We ended up teaching over thirty lessons ... hard work pays off. Next Sunday is branch conference and we are hoping to convince the stake to buy the funeral home and make it into an actual church building. It is hard to hold church with funerals every other Sunday. We had a lot of great lessons on getting answers from God. Teaching this concept was great because my understanding now is a lot better. I sang at church this last Sunday. ... I know, what!! It went okay though. I guess I will do anything for the sister missionaries, ha. A future from Kansas went out with us Tuesday and Thursday this week and he drove us to district meeting in Jasper, Tennessee. We had a lesson Tuesday with a family, the dad is going to get baptized. He had been going to church for ten years now and thinks it is time he makes the plunge. This Monday the Jasper missionaries came up to our area because we gave the car to the sisters because one of the sisters is being emergency transferred. It has been a great summer. Hope you all are doing well, best wishes.

Love,  Elder Blazzard

Food for Thought

Dear Friends and Family,
 This was a good week. Monday's pday was boring however a member bought us some groceries. Be nice to the missionaries and you will be blessed. This week we went to the temple in Nashville. A member drove us missionaries and it was a great experience. Later that night while sleeping, I had a dream about the temple in that I was working in the temple throughout the night and I just felt great. It was sad to wake up.
On Thursday we had district meeting in Altamont and then went to the only restaurant in town, a Mexican one. I then started my exchange with Elder Tuita down in Jasper. That day was his birthday, so we ate and ate ... Pizza, Mexican food, fast food, and shakes, I was dying slowly, my stomach was hurting so bad. My companion was glad to have me back in Winchester. I know Winchester like the back of my hand. Church was good but it was just sacrament meeting again, so it was short. Thanks for the support and prayers! Oh, yea, our car got backed into but the accident just a dent.

 Love, Elder Blazzard

Tracting and Meetings - All for Experience

Dear Family and Friends, What a week ... it was great but a little slow. We had two road trips this week, but first let me start with Tuesday. On Tuesday we had the car and we had a good lesson with this investigator. We brought a young man with us and we contacted a ton of people. It was a good day. On Wednesday much of the same, but on Thursday we had zone conference up in McMinnville, TN it was a good meeting and lasagna for lunch so..., we didn't get home until 5:30 p.m. ... a long day. On Friday we biked all over, we got a lot of lessons in and the weather wasn't terrible but still super sweaty. On Saturday we tracted at 10:00am and it was fruitful. We met a nice old lady and she said her grandfather had the missionaries stay over on the weekends. It was interesting to hear about how long missionaries have been in the South and in these areas. On Sunday we had three hours of church, yay it has been awhile. We also had a Priesthood meeting up in Cookeville. It was a two hour drive in a cramped car. The the meeting was good. Remember why you are going all these hard things ... it is for the Lord. Thanks y'all for the prayers. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Love, Elder Blazzard

Building Character with Change

Dear Friends and Family,
This week was a whirlwind of changes including Tuesday which was transfers. I received Elder Brown. He has been out about 17 months out and is from the San Francisco, California area. A member took us to a nice deli and then when we got back to Winchester and this member took us to Walmart.  We had a meeting with our branch mission leader. On Wednesday we had district meeting here in Winchester. We have a new sister and her trainee in our district. We talked a lot of folks this week and came away with nine new investigators. It was great. Members here help us so much.
On Thursday we stopped by Taco Bell and the lady who took my order payed for my food. Her mother is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon :-). We talked to a old black guy that was super nice we taught him the restoration. He liked it and we invited him to get baptized he said he would if he received an answer. On Sunday we just had a hour of church. Unfortunately,  I developed a bad headache while tracting in the sun, probably because I was fasting. It was a good week and we saw many changes but change is good for building your character.

Thanks for all the love, love y'all

D&C 78:18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

Love, Elder Blazzard