Una Semana de Dolor y Muchas Bendiciones

This week has been a crazy one. My companion crashed on his bike this week and hurt his leg. He has been laying in bed for a few days now doing nothing but sleeping. He sleeps for about 20 hrs a day. We are waiting, hoping, and praying he will get better soon. In the meantime it has been hard to work our area because he can't walk and nonetheless isn't getting out of bed for more than the bathroom. We are lucky to have two other elders here in the area that live very close by. We have been doing some half day exchanges so I will go work my area with one of them while the other stays with my companion and then I'll stay with my companion while they work their area. It has been hard work but it has payed off! We have seen many blessing from it and been able to teach those that need to be taught!

This week at church all of the stake leaders came and spoke. One of them that talked during sacrament meeting spoke about cleaning his garage. He thought his garage was clean but then when a friend asked him to get something for him he tripped and fell over some stuff in his garage. He then made the decision to clean it. After a few months he can now park a car in his garage. There are still a few old cans of paint that he needs to dispose of because you can't throw those away in the trash can. He then related this to the atonement of Jesus Christ. We all need to clean up our garage (our lives) whether we think it's clean or not there is always something to clean. And some of us may have old paint cans that need the help of a bishop to get rid of. I loved his analogy and how applicable it is to all of us! A lot of the time we think of repentance as a bad thing but truly it is a great blessing that we have! I encourage all of you to evaluate your garage and do what you need to clean it up! With cleaning your garage and repenting no bad things will come only greatness and a better you!

A view from the biggest building in Alice

A very confused alovera plant

Note from mom:  Elder Blackham and his companion seem in good spirits in spite of Elder Ferrin's injury and being stuck in the apartment for a large amount of time.  They were excited to be teaching a man named Ashton who has committed to baptism and has been attending church every week.  It has been a blessing that another set of elder's is in the area and can help with their needs while Elder Ferrin is off his feet.  Elder Blackham has also been able to do family history work and keeps all of us busy at home doing the temple work for the ancestors he has found (well over 100 now!)  Elder Blackham has been keeping up on his Spanish with Elder Blanco, one of the other missionaries in Alice, who is from the Dominican Republic and doesn't speak a lot of English yet.  He finds it strange to be attending an English speaking ward again and doing most of his teaching in English.