¡HOLA!
First off, before we begin, I hope you have read the subject of this email and have adequately prepared yourselves. Because you muuuuuuuuuust have the proper level of hype to be able to handle this week. Normally, my email subjects relate to something funny that happened this week and then I tie something spiritual in with it. Well lo siento, this whole week has been amazing and spiritual and funny so therefore, the warning exists. 
Listo?
This week has been full of MILAGROS! Seriously, like one after the other. Also, this week has been really hard and Hermana Hollingsworth and I have worked so hard. With the current situation, we can't go and knock on people's doors only to have them slammed in our faces. But the Covid equivalent of that is people just leaving you on read. And you try and you try for hours, days at a time with no luck to get people to respond to you. And that's hard. This week has been full of what has just felt like constant rejection. Whole days of technology doors slammed in your face. But I am hear to testify that the Lord loves effort. If we keep our heads up and just keep trying, he will bless us. So I want to share with you guys the milagros of this week!!!!!
1) Rosie and Aleah!
So this one really has to do with the power of prayer. Aleah us a young girl in our area who's mom, Rosie, is less active. She's been taught almost all the lessons and we really think that if we could just teach her and finish up, Aleah would be baptized. She's said before that's something she'd like. But Rosie constantly ghosts us. So we had drafted up a pretty BOLD text to send to her the next morning to try one last time. The next morning we sent the text and then decided to say a prayer. In the middle of this prayer, for the first time in weeks, Rosie answered and said we could teach her daughter on Monday! Tonight! We were so excited. Guys, Heavenly Father answers prayers. It was amazing.
2) Daniel y Filiberto
So both of these are potential investigators we've been really trying to get in with and teach the lessons. But neither of them have been super responsive. But Daniel had a total change of heart on Saturday and texts us all the time asking questions about when he can come to church with us and loves all the videos we send him. So we are really going to try to teach him the first 2 lessons this week. Yay!!!
And Filiberto is the same way! We sent him a video we had made yesterday and for the first time in a month he responded!!!! We had a super amazing conversation and Hna Hollingsworth and I cannot believe he answered.
3) La familia Campos
So this is an interesting story. So we were planning this week and for some reason, this family kept coming to mind. The son is an RM but the only member in his family. And for some reason the spirit would not leave me alone on this. I sat there, looking at his name in my phone, almost like triple checking with the spirit that thus is right, when mi compañera sighs and says, "Just get it out. What's bothering you." I looked at her and said, "The spirit thinks we need to visit this family."
So yesterday we took a gift over to them and met the son and the mom, Maria! And she was so kind and wonderful! Long story short, we're going over on Saturday to do service for her pulling weeds and she's offered to feed us!!! And the whole zone is welcome to come over and play volleyball in her backyard!!! Guys, the last time missionaries met with this family was in November. And they were a bit stiff then. But something has happened and Maria opened her home to us with ten minutes of us talking to her.
So I don't know what that prompting was for. But I am so grateful that I listened and at the very least, I need to serve this family. Which I am more than happy to pull weeds for hours to help her.
4) Temples!!!!
Guys, I received some exciting news during the devotional with President Rasmussen on Sunday. The Columbia River temple is just now opening up for phase 1! But even more exciting is that the first presidency has released information about those of us missionaries who because of Covid were not able to go through. In my area, as soon as the temple receives clearance to go to phase 2, all of us missionaries with be the first to go. Also, my parents, if they are able to, are also welcome to come up and join me. If not, either Sister Rasmussen or mi compañera will go with me.
Guys, this is such a direct answer to prayers and fasting for months! I was almost leaping for joy when I heard that news. And I look forward to that day when I can experience that. But for now, the Lord has given me a huge blessing just by letting me know, "I am aware of you and your struggles. There is a plan, be patient, it's coming."
5) Deborah! (Hna Hollingsworth's mom)
Oh my goodness, there's a reason I saved this one for last because just thinking about it fills me with so much happiness. We have been teaching Deborah with the help of the elders in her area and it has been an amazing, incredible experience. But nothing quite describes the joy I felt as I sat next to mi compañera and watch her invite her mom to be baptized. And she accepted!!!! AUGUST 15TH EVERYONE! And we have been so thrilled all week. Hna Hollingsworth has been so overjoyed to see her mom make that commitment. And I am so grateful to have been a part of the last post of her journey. I just can't believe it, she said yes!!!!!!!
D&C 123:
17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.
This week has been incredible and I absolutely love being a missionary and getting to see the Lord's hand in everything and every miracle He works.
Cuídense mucho!
Hermana Blackburn
Fotos:
1) Okay, so I did not really realize how large my area is. We take part of the tricites but also way out into farmland! Eltopia is in the middle of nowhere!
2) The other Hermanas had exchanges this week so we got to be in a tripan with Hermana Dixon! Love her!
3) Guys we made a game for Johnny and his kids! Spiritual chutes and ladders, all in Spanish.
4) Yield to cows!
5) This is the stinker that was larger than me when he jumped up. So I'm holding a present with food in it above my head and he's jumping around and wiped his boogers all over my dress! It was disgusting!
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