Brock - September 26

Hi Everyone,

This week we worked with our recent-convert´s husband. We had set goals with him to stop drinking, and he was doing really well. A lot better than we thought. Refusing to buy more alcohol than he already had at home, refusing free drinks from his friends at the bar. It was going pretty well. Sadly, Friday night a close friend of his passed away. The whole family spent the night crying, and on Saturday he went out drinking. So he didn´t go to church on Sunday. We still think he can do it, though. We´ll be working with him this week. We also had another investigator that´s really good, but he lost his job and no longer has anywhere to stay. We put together a backpack of some things and bought him something to eat today. Other than a place to stay and work, he´s doing really well. He´s understanding everything. 

Being that Elder Jillard has very little time left, we´ve been making some trips to knick-knack stores trying to find some little souvenirs for his family. Except everything that they sell here is either from the northeast or the Christ Redeemer statue. (Which aren´t from São Paulo.) I did manage to get my shoes repaired. They were pretty rubbed raw on the bottom. I´ll send a pic. This shoe place did a lot better. 

Today is Elder Jillard´s last P-day, at least with me. Next week he´ll be in the capital for interviews and a temple session and the next he´ll be on the plane. It´s really weird to think about. I´ve kind of stop mentally keeping track of how much time I have, or how much I have left. I´m wondering if that will come back when he leaves or not. 

Hope you guys are all doing well. Love to hear from you all. 

Elder B. Blaylock

New soles - 

Parker - September 24

Hey Everyone! 

It's so great to hear from you, about all of the stuff that you're doing, its really great to hear. 

Guess what? I got my travel plans yesterday! And in total, from the time I leave the MTC until the time I get to my mission is like 30 hours. Wow! I know right? I don't have it on me right now, we did an early temple session and now, we're doing laundry.

So we did our last temple session today because next week is general conference. It's both terrifying and exciting to be a missionary when conference rolls around, because you are really excited to hear the words of the prophets and then apply them on your mission, but it's also terrifying because we're all worried they're gonna drop a big bomb on us and extend missions to like 6 years or something. (haha)

Something pretty interesting that happened this week was one day, we did this thing that the Hermanas (Sisters) called the "Compliment Hot Seat." Basically, it's where they put one person on the spot and then everyone else goes around in a circle and gives them a heartfelt compliment. And some of the things that people said about me was that "it was clear that I was a driven and hardworking person." .....Huh? I have never thought that about myself, and you guys all know me, I'm pretty lazy. But I guess here, in the mission, I guess we act differently. I haven't noticed a huge change in me, but everyone kept saying that I was the smartest in the class and that I knew the language the best, and that I was the most hardworking. It was weird to hear. 

Also a couple of other interesting things that happened was in Choir, I was sitting in the Tenor section with my friend, Elder Mclay, and he was actually friends with this guy next to him, his name was Elder Gauthier, and he's from France! We talked, he's a really nice guy, and I was able to remember some French and we had a tiny conversation, it was fun. But so yeah, Apart from all that, not much happened this week. I guess I just can't wait to get out into the field, it's gonna be so great. Yo amo a ustedes, y yo sé que ustedes seremos bendicido por Dios y Jesucristo por su fe, y yo sé que nosotros veremos nuestros mísmos otra vez. 

Con el más amor,

Elder Blaylock

Parker, meeting up with another elder from home. :)

Brock - September 19

So this week was okay. We worked a lot with our recent-convert this week, which was good until she got sick Saturday night and everyone else flaked because they were worried she wouldn´t go. She got back at like 8:00 in the morning and still went to church. So now we´ve been working with people all week that didn´t go to church and basically don´t want anything. Sunday afternoon was pretty hard. Elder Jillard is still doing fine, but he´s getting calls from the secretaries and emails about him going home, and which days he´ll be in the capital. It´s pretty difficult to have that kind of stuff going on nonstop. 

It´s also started to get hot again. Just like last year, there are rumors going around that this might be the hottest summer on record...again. So hotter than last year. I hope that I leave this area at the end of the transfer for somewhere a bit more capital, because the interior is way too hot.

Luckily, the ward is acutally really going at it with our recent-converts--really the first ward I´ve seen do this. They´ve been visiting them and taking them to the activities and just really been trying to help them. As hard as it is to get rides for them to and from the meetings on Sunday, the ward is doing really well. It´s good to see. 

I don´t have a whole lot to talk about this week. I´m sorry about that. But everything´s going fine with me. I love you guys, glad to hear from you all.

Elder B. Blaylock

Parker - September 17

Hola! Como Estan?

So you guys know how D. Todd Christofferson gave a talk last Tuesday Night? Well, guess what happened this Sunday and Tuesday night devotionals? We had M. Russell Ballard and Quentin L. Cook! So we had three Apostles in a row, it was pretty amazing. And also, last time on choir, my friend, Elder McKlay, was sitting next to me, and he's the only Tenor in a Bass Section, so I decide to try to help him out, and it surprised me that I could actually sing Tenor, it was awesome (although afterwards, my vocal chords were killing me). 

We've begun teaching real investigators here, and it's really amazing how we are able to teach the Gospel, last time, we taught Juilio about the Plan of Salvation, and even though it was a lot, he was pretty interested, we gave him a pamphlet and told him that we'd answer his questions about it next time. And with Erik, who we've been teaching for a little bit now, we taught about the Doctrine of Christ, and we were just going through the points: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, etc. etc. But then he tells us that "No siento que soy digno para baurizarme, tengo muchos pecados, no pienso que yo puedo llegar a ser limipio." (I don't feel that I am worthy to be baptized, I have a lot of sins, I don't think that I am able to become clean). And we told him that "No importa cuantos pecados tenemos, es los deseos de nuestros corazones que Cristo quiere," (It doesn't matter how many sins we have, it is the desires of our hearts that Christ wants) and afterwards he said he felt a lot better. 

It's just great to be here, learning about the Gospel. I'll just end by bearing my testimony that Yo se que este Evangelio es verdad, y que mediante fe en Jesucristo, podemos llegar a ser limpio para podemos regresar a Dios despues de esta vida, y yo testifica que Dios nos ama, y nos quiere ser el mejor que podemos ser. Yo digo estas cosas en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen,

Con Amor,

Elder Blaylock

Brock - September 12

So this week´s been a bit busy for us. We´ve been trying to focus on finding new investigators but because of several mission activities we didn´t have a lot of time. On Wednesday we had a stake service project (with only missionaries--no members) at an old-people home. I thought that people at old-folks homes were usually eighty-five and older. Most of the people here were around sixty-five. Then on Friday we had a Seventy come to our multi-zone conference for a mission tour. He was cool, but I was pretty bummed that it wasn´t an apostle, especially considering that Elder Holland passed through Brazil a couple months back and didn´t pass through our mission. The Seventy was friendly, though, and talked about some good stuff. 

Our recent-convert from last Sunday basically became our secretary. She´s been marking visits with all the people that she knows for us to visit this week. It´s pretty much the most help from a member I´ve had in the mission. Unfortunately, we weren´t able to baptize anyone, or bring anyone new to church this week. We´ll see how it goes this next week. 

So the other day I was reading through the Book of Mormon for personal study and came across a great passage that I really like. It´s from Helaman 5.

In the chapter, Nephi and Lehi (the sons of Helaman, the son of Helaman), are preaching unto the Lamanites. They are captured and taken to prison, "yea, even in that same prison in which Ammon and his brethren were cast by the servants of Limhi," and later many Lamanites and Nephite dissenters enter into the prison to kill them. They find Nephi and Lehi surrounded by pillars of fire. A voice calls unto them and commands them to stop seeking to harm His servants. The voice, while being like a whisper, shakes the earth and rends the prison walls. A cloud of darkness falls upon them. 

This is where the part that I liked comes in.

 35 Now there was one among them who was a Nephite by birth, who had once belonged to the church of God but had dissented from them.

 36 And it came to pass that he turned him about, and behold, he saw through the cloud of darkness the faces of Nephi and Lehi; and behold, they did shine exceedingly, even as the faces of angels. And he beheld that they did lift their eyes to heaven; and they were in the attitude as if talking or lifting their voices to some being whom they beheld.

 37 And it came to pass that this man did cry unto the multitude, that they might turn and look. And behold, there was power given unto them that they did turn and look; and they did behold the faces of Nephi and Lehi.

 38 And they said unto the man: Behold, what do all these things mean, and who is it with whom these men do converse?

 39 Now the man’s name was Aminadab. And Aminadab said unto them: They do converse with the angels of God.

 40 And it came to pass that the Lamanites said unto him: What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?

 41 And Aminadab said unto them: You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you.

 42 And it came to pass that they all did begin to cry unto the voice of him who had shaken the earth; yea, they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed.

 43 And it came to pass that when they cast their eyes about, and saw that the cloud of darkness was dispersed from overshadowing them, behold, they saw that they were encircled about, yea every soul, by a pillar of fire.

 44 And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.

 45 And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words.

 46 And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying:

 47 Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.

 48 And now, when they heard this they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; and behold, they saw the heavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them.

49 And there were about three hundred souls who saw and heard these things; and they were bidden to go forth and marvel not, neither should they doubt.

(Helaman 5:35-49, italics and bold added)

To me, this passage describes exactly our proccess of repentance. We often feel, when we have sinned, under a "cloud of darkness", and we wish to remove it. And Aminadab, someone we would call a "less-active" tells the Lamanites how to remove this physical cloud, simaltaneously explaining how to remove the spiritual one. We must repent, cry unto God, and have faith in Christ who has been taught to us. It also states that the Lamanites prayed "even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed. They had to continually cry and repent unto God until the cloud had been lifted. After the cloud lifted, then came the pillars of fire, representing the purifying power of the Spirit. And finally, God spoke peace unto them, confirming that it was by their faith in His Well-Beloved that had saved them. After this came more spiritual experiences, and they were bidden to go forth, and not doubt. Considering how vital repentance is, not just to my and Parker´s work but to our own everyday lives, I really liked this chapter. 

I love you guys, hope you´re all doing well. 

Elder B. Blaylock

Parker- September 10

Hola!

How's it going everybody? This week sounds like just another week for you guys, but some pretty amazing things happened to me this week. First of all, on Sunday, everybody in our district decided that they needed to have some Priesthood Blessings of Comfort, so we spent the night doing that, and it was just so powerful in the room, we could feel all of the people on the other side who all wanted us to serve missions in the room with us. And for Tuesday Night Devotional, I'm sitting in Choir, and then the director says "This needs to be perfect, because we're going to have a very special guest here tonight." And guess who walks in? D. Todd Christofferson! It was so cool! His message was truly inspired, and it was broadcast to all of the MTCs around the world, and guess what? He asked some audience members to read some scriptures on the screen or answer a question, and I got to read one of the scriptures! I was trying to answer a question, but still. He was asking about how Repentance and Baptism are the same, and I was going to say that I thought it was interesting how we use the same words to describe these things, about how they are a cleansing of our souls. And that's not all that happenned this week, though this next bit is kind of sad. So we have two districts in our zone, and one of the Elders in the other district was having medical problems due to his epilepsy, and he ended up having to go home, so they took one of the Elders in my trio to be the companion of the Elder who's companion went home, so he had to move bedrooms, classrooms, and everything, after all of that spiritual stuff that had brought us all closer together as a district. So now it's just me and Elder Robinson, and we're both trying to work hard on the studying. What I think is most interesting thing about this is that earlier that day, during Companionship Inventory, I shared something from mom's letter that she sent with me, about how worshiping the Lord is about what we are willing to give up at personal cost. So I think in the end, it will be good for him. 

That's all I really have to say generally, sorry I'm so late, me and Elder Robinson decided to go to the temple eariler today.

I love all of you,

Elder Blaylock

Brock - September 5

So this week I´ve seen everything. A goat, a dog with two different colored eyes, a stork, maggots in our house (like huge ones), a giant spider swinging around in our garage (which my companion made me kill), a foot doctor tear part of my toenail off, a giant McDonald´s sign, and weird scone type things that we made that ended up really weirdly shaped. The most important thing that I saw, however, was four baptisms! This lady (the one that hated church) has been the most persecuted investigator I have ever seen be baptized. Like, I´ve seen investigators with more opposition, but none of them were baptized. Her mom is a less-active from like twenty years ago who didn´t want her to be baptized so soon, her brother nearly strangled her sister-in-law to death the Saturday night before the baptism and she went to break up the fight and take the kids to her house. Her sister has been sending her anti-Mormon stuff for a week straight, like everyone from her old church is visiting her to try and get her to return, and her husband has be blowing cigarette smoke in her face nonstop, trying to get her to fall and smoke again. But, in spite of it all, she was baptized, with her three children. It was good. I got really sad though, because I just don´t know why she just has to get hit with everything all at the same time. A month ago, I would have never thought we would have visited her more than one time, let alone be baptized. She has a lot of willpower. I hope she is able to continue. 

We have been running around this week trying to get this to happen. Elder Jillard only has a few weeks left and he wants to go out working. It´s a really good attitude. I hope that I can be like that when I am at the end. 

Just a quick catch-up for maybe some of the more concerning things I mentioned. So today we were all in the other elders´ room talking about some scripture things that we had found in personal study. Then one of them went out of the room and knocked a broom over. Underneath the broom we found a bunch of maggots, about the size of a grain of rice. Going into panic mode, and being four elders, we decided the best way to get rid of them would be to make a torch out of a broken broomstick and spray deodorant at them until they stopped moving. Then we went into a cleaning frenzy. As I was cleaning the kitchen, I noticed a few more between the fridge and the wall. So we pulled the fridge out of the way and found even bigger maggots. Like, two of them were the size of maybe Ella´s pinky finger. Out came our makeshift flamethrower again. We also found a giant spider (not tarantula, but the biggest a non-tarantula spider can be) in our garage swinging around like a maniac. My comp made me kill it with a broken bed slat. We also made something called bolinha de chuva, which means rain balls. They were kinda like Grandma´s scones, but the dough wasn´t thick enough to form it into a shape, so Elder Jillard just drizzled it into the oil. It turned out really oddly shaped but good. My ingrown toenail came back with a vengeance and eventually I was forced into seeking medical attention. The doctor sprayed a few things and rubbed a few creams into it that did nothing and then straight up tore the whole side of my nail clean off. (Very fun, I can assure you. Also, I wil need to take money out of my personal account to pay.)

Anyway, that was our crazy week. It´s cool to see Parker going through the MTC. He looks like he´s having a much better experience than I had, and he´s already learned Spanish faster than I did. I love you guys.

Elder B. Blaylock

Parker - September 3

Hey Everyone! It's been great here, we're all doing so well, everyone's learning the language really fast, the gift of tongues is real, I see it everyday, Elder Phillips couldn't say a word in Spanish when he got here, but yesterday, he gave the prayer, and it was amazing. I was also able to memorize the Missionary Purpose, The Invitation to Baptism, The First Vision, and Moroni 10:4-5 all in Spanish, it's really great. It's great to hear from all of you how you're doing, starting seminary, getting cats, and having family adventures, its all really amazing. Being here is hard, but it is also really powerful, I've been to two devotionals now, there was one on Sunday, where we watched David A. Bednar's talk on the Character of Christ, and one of the Seventy came down to talk on Tuesday, and he talked about the worth of one soul. I did join the Choir, and it's really comforting to sing with all of these missionaries, I am also gonna be in the MTC for General Conference I think, so I'm really excited about that. I also think that my departure date from the MTC is October 5. Last week, I went to the Temple, and I'm going again later today, everybody goes to the temple on their pday, and last week, it was really comforting, just a kind of cleansing of the thoughts, I could also remember most of what I had to say! I was so excited. Also, one of my companions, Elder Robinson, says that his aunt and uncle are the mission presidents for Brock's mission, so that's pretty cool. I just want you guys to know that I love all of you, and I think that you are all hard workers and that you can do anything you put your mind to. I was telling some of my companions about you guys, about how Jameson is very skilled at whatever he puts his mind to, how Brock loves to be out doing things and seeing the results of his hard work, how Jack always tries to find the smartest solution to something, and how Ella is just so loving of everybody, and how my Parents are always working hard to teach us and help us have good memories, it just made me realize how much I love you guys, you all mean so much to me, and I want you all to know that every night in my prayers I ask "Por favor bendice mi familia a tener seguirdad y con paz" (Please bless my family to have security and peace). I love you all so much, and I can't wait to hear from you again,

Love,

Elder Blaylock

Brock - August 29

Once again, illness struck. Late Tuesday night, after tossing and turning for hours, I ran to the bathrrom to vomit. After our normal morning schedule on Wednesday, I threw up again. We called the mission office and they gave us the go-ahead to stay home. I rested in bed, eating some crackers and drinking bottled water. Elder Jillard read an entire religion course manual about Doctrine and Covenants in Portuguese in about eight hours. The next day happened to be basically our worst lunch appointment that we have, which is always microwaved sausage, microwaved beans, egg salad, and powdered juice, which I am one hundred percent sure is worse for you than soda. I struggled to keep any of it down. 

We also had baptismal interviews to do on Friday and Saturday, in another city. We were counting coins to pay for the buses. While we weren´t able to follow-up that well with our investigators, we managed to have eight people in church this week, including the woman who hated church last week. This week she loved it--because we invited her to see what the other ward was like. She went this past week from smoking a pack of cigarettes per day (about twenty) to a full stop on Saturday. She has a lot more willpower than I gave her credit. This could go in our favor or not, because if she lets God answer her, then nothing on earth will stop her from being baptized, but if she decides to be stubborn...anyway. She has her baptism marked for this Sunday, with her three children. Her kids loved church, and brought a friend as well. On Saturday night when we were in another city she (the mom) called us and said that no one could go to church the next day because the neighborhood had its water cut for maintenance. I talked her into at least her going and to plan to bring the kids. At midnight, the water came back on and Sunday morning everyone was ready and waiting when we came by to pick them up. She has such a better vision then almost all of the members in the ward. She sees the sacrifice that we make and how important our work is and said that members should be lining up to give our investigators a ride to church, instead of us having to hunt a ride with a member who´ll complain the whole time. We talked with the ward council about this (which was really hard, because the member who is the biggest problem is part of the bishopric, so we treaded topics carefully), and I really think the bishop is starting to like us and see that we aren´t just the same annoying elders that fight the ward and do things without permission. When we told him that our investigators weren´t feeling welcome at church, he out of his way after church to introduce himself to them and treated them very nicely.

Later that night we had our very rescheduled movie night with the ward. Since we´ve watched Meet the Mormons like four times this transfer with our investigators individually, we watched a different "church" movie. And when I say church, I mean made by church members, not the church. It´s a movie called "Charly", and when I saw the main menu I thought it would be really dumb like Home Teachers or Church Ball or Baptists at the Barbecue (I saw most of Home Teachers at a bishop´s house while they were finishing making lunch a couple transfers back) and in the beginning, it was. The acting wasn´t very good, it was a little dated and just weird. Then it actually got good, when the caricatures became characters. I liked it because it was the first movie that I´ve seen that treats religion, true religion, and a conversion story (albeit mixed with a romance). My companion got pretty trunky (meaning he missed home) because of several reasons.

1: He goes home in six weeks

2: The couple in the movie visit a restaurant called "The Roof", that overlooks the Salt Lake Temple, and it is also where his mom works.

3: The couple also visits the same supermarket chain where he worked (not the same building, just the same chain)

4: Also the movie is a freaking romance and the get married and there is a scene in front of the temple and everything!

So even though I totally was close to crying in the movie (I have no shame in admitting that. I like films and crying is a reaction desired by the creators), I thought it was good. So did some investigators who we found that day at lunch at a member´s house. They´re dating and they watched a movie about eternal marriage. 

Short side note, Jameson is like driving me crazy with his awesome vacation pictures! His cool hat and beard, horseback riding, hot air balloon, baby birds in the window, like freak man, trying to kill me? And I am a cat´s UNCLE now?! (ps that is the terrifying title he put for his email. from the main screen you can see the subject and a little of the body and all I saw was "You´re and uncle!" and "It´s a boy" and I had a heart attack and then opened to find a cat. It´s a cool cat.)

As for transfers, we´ll both stay here in Salto. Elder Jillard took it pretty hard. He had been wanting to leave the slow life of Salto for the capital for his last transfer, especially because he hasn´t reached the goal he set. I´ve been trying to help him stay and not ask for an emergency transfer. 

I´m super glad to see that Parker made it safe and sound to the MTC. He looks like he´s doing well, a lot better than I was. I like the pictures you guys took as he hugged everyone. I hope everyone´s taking to the adjustments easily. Love you guys

Elder Blaylock

Brock - August 22

There´s a strange, tight feeling in my chest as I write this letter. How odd it is, being so far away from you all, yet being right by you as we send Parker off. It´s strange as I see in my mind´s eye precisely that forever first day, the longest six weeks he´ll ever experience. Having to get used to new relation types, between companions, other elders and sisters, members and bishops. New food. And then, as it becomes old food after eating it every day. The first time he´ll realize he understood and participated in a conversation. His first holiday. I don´t know exactly what he´ll face--I can´t read his future--but I can tell his emotions, reacting to new things and his frustration and faith and pressure and obedience. I can´t imagine the large emptiness of the house, the smallness of our table. Just like the beginning of the mission, when everything passed so slowly, to now where everything is picking up speed, each of us leaving the house has started out slow and then began to accelerate. 

This week, as all recently, flew by. We had a division on Wednesday with the zone leaders. At some point after lunch, perhaps half an hour or more after, in the hot afternoon sun, I said alound jokingly, "I sure hope some kind of breeze picks up, or I´ll end up falling asleep walking." By six o´clock I had begun to reconsider my joke, because we had been getting hit by strong, cold winds since four and into the evening. 

What started out looking great quickly deterioted by Sunday. The man who had been to church the previous week ended up going out of town, and still hasn´t our phone calls. Another family that we´ve been teaching almost the whole transfer was doing well, finally. The mom had been preparing herself to be baptized in another church until some other churchgoers there "drove her away". This week we taught them the Restoration (again) and they seemed to understand it. She´s been very interested in the accounts in the Book of Mormon. She´s read right through ´til halfway through 2 Nephi, and has been able to recite back the stories to us. The problem this leaves is that she is too interested in the stories than to ask God if the book is true. She also had a few questions to ask us. Seeing that she didn´t have very many, she went online to find more questions, looking on anti-Mormon sites and videos. She left us a list of fifteen questions--most poor attempts and misconstrued interpretations of Joseph Smith´s words, some about temple ceremonies. Then on Sunday, the Gospel Principles class was about tithing. She doesn´t believe that tithing is ten-percent because "nowhere in the Bible does it say ten-percent", even though tithing means a "tenth-part", which any competent Bible dictionary (of which there are various) can tell you. So she´s pretty steamed about Church yesterday. We´re visiting today to try to see if the situation is salvable or if we should just bear our testimonies one more time and leave their names in the area book. 

Recently I´ve enocuntered a fairly new concept for me. People, by way of faith, obedience, and prayer, can secure blessings on groups of people or individuals, these blessings lasting up to generations after and beyond. An example of this comes from Enos.

 11 And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.

 12 And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith.

 13 And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation—

Enos prayed fervently--he was good at that--for the welfare of his brethren the Lamanites. Because of his righteousness, his "unshaken" faith, and the prayers of many of his forefathers, the days of the Lamanites were extended, that they might be convinced of the error of their ways, and repent. This great repentance did not come as soon as Enos asked--in fact, many Nephites dismissed efforts to convert the Lamanites, incredulously thinking that they were lost. But as testified by Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni, that many of the Lamanites were brought to an understanding of the truth. It has put a lot of perspective into my mission work. The reason for our strict obedience and faithfulness, and our constant prayer, is that through our righteousness the Lord will bless others--with willing hearts, with favorable circumstances, and with the Spirit. We have a great duty, not just as missionaries but as those who know the way and truth, to pray fervently, for the welfare of the world, that, as Nephi put it, "many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day." I love you all.

Elder Blaylock

you've got to start somewhere

“Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ” - Elizabeth Stone

As my little birdies have grown and flown from our nest, my heart currently walks around in Idaho, Brazil, and Utah (soon to be Argentina). My Idaho flock is doing well, and as they are able to communicate for themselves, I'll try to post the latest news from Brock and Parker in South America. Please send good vibes! As I have come to realize, all parenting stages have their own unique blessings and challenges. And people are generally doing the best they know how. 

xx 

jenny

Update - September 1, 2017

I can't believe it's been a year, and we are getting ready to send another missionary out. Pieces of my heart will now walk around in Minnesota, Idaho, Argentina and Chile. Brock returned home from Brazil in late July and we have been soaking up our minutes with him before he leaves next week to continue his schooling. Parker is doing well in Argentina and we miss him so! Jameson and Arianne have graduated college and are doing well, experiencing "real life" in the wilds of Minnesota. Jack leaves for South America this week and our hearts are both happy and heavy. Much love to any and all who spend a moment reading in this space.
xx
jenny


Update II - March 1, 2019

Time keeps us all moving right along. Parker returned home healthy and happy from Argentina this past August and has joined Brock at BYUI. They are very happy to be together again after three long years. Jameson and Arianne are still in Minnesota, but Jameson is now back in school preparing for a graduate degree. We miss them all so very much. Jack has a little less than six months to go! We can hardly believe it. He loves Chile and will finish out his mission serving as the mission secretary. We can't wait to all be reunited again this coming August.
xx
jenny