Monday, January 28, 2013

New area, new companion, the work continues...

"Hello! So transfers happened I moved one ward directly south. Different zone and stake. My area is pretty happening and is a big town, the area is much larger than my last, it is the Har-Ber Ward in Springdale, Arkansas. My new companion is Elder Hughes from Nampa, ID. He is super pumped about the work and is just fresh out of the MTC he is a runner so we have started running in the mornings now...(I'm gonna die...ha ha) Being "shotgunned" or "white washed" into an area is not very fun...like starting from scratch...my GPS helps so much. We are targeting our less-actives and part-member families because I feel that is where success in our mission comes from, helping them out is the best I love to visit people and help them remember how wonderful the gospel is. The ward is big but only about 1/2 come to church. It was really tough saying all of my goodbyes... it was tough but I gotta move to where the Lord needs me. I never thought that there were families out there waiting for me in Arkansas that I would come to love so much...crazy. 

So lately I have been studying the principle of praying specifically to Heavenly Father...
Think about praying specifically like this-----
If I were to ask you to go get me some food, your going to ask.."what kind?" Same with prayer we can't just say thanks for a nice day and for all of our blessings and expect him to give us what we need. We must be specific like when you order food you are specific, now I'm not comparing praying like ordering food but just to show how we must pray specifically and have a deep conversation with Heavenly Father. Joseph B. Wirthlin said that a prayer that does not demand much of your thought will hardly merit much attention from our Heavenly Father. It is definately an aquired thing to learn how to pray. It is embarrasing to say but I just barely started to understand how prayer works and why we pray, it is so much more than just saying..."thanks for a nice day and for our blessings..." it is a conversation that is guided by the Spirit. Latter day saints that have grown up in the Church I think take for granted prayer and become dissensitized to its power because we do it so much. Prayer is such a powerful tool and it says in Preach My Gospel that "No one can know of Spiritual Truths without prayer." Very interesting that by prayer so much happens,
>by prayer Lehi/Nephi were able to have visions and be led to the promised land
>by prayer an Angel stopped Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah
>by prayer King Lamoni and his father were struck and converted
>when Christ came to the Nephites he, out of everything taught, emphasized the principle of Prayer
>while performing the Atonement Christ "...prayed more earnestly..." and was in prayer throughout the process
>by prayer Joseph Smith saw the first vision and this dispensation was opened

Prayer is so often, I think, overlooked but has many, many dimensions to it and I think is more powerful than we will ever know or fully understand. My challenge is for you guys to start praying more specifically and more sincerely. Miracles will happen."

Elder Blackburn

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