Email:
tyler.blanchard@myldsmail.net


Address:

Julio Velazquez-Elder Tyler Blanchard
Po. Box 1486
Presidio, TX 79845

Monday, January 25, 2016

Week 75 (Parral, Mexico)



This week we were looking for the house of some less actives and while looking, we contacted this lady. The lady wanted us to pass by to visit her husband who has problems drinking and smoking. Later this week we actually contacted the husband. We were walking down the street and passed him. He was a bit drunk so we didn’t stop, but we ended up going back and talking with him.


We walked with him to his house then we made the connection and realized that we had contacted his wife a few days earlier. We passed by for him on Sunday morning to bring him to church, but he wasn’t ready yet needed like 10 minutes more. The less active we were looking for lives across the street so we went to invite him while the other dude got ready.

We stepped inside and invited the less active to church, but he insisted on coming the next week because he wasn’t ready. Then the other dude came from across the street and entered the house and convinced the less active to go to church with him. So we all went to church. 

This week we had the worldwide training meeting for missionaries. We learned about commitments and about the role of the spirit.

Love 
Elder Blanchard

Monday, January 18, 2016

Week 74 (Parral, Mexico)



The week went well and went really fast. Me and my companion get along really well. He is a great leader too. Hopefully I can pick up a thing or two. 

The weather here isn’t too bad. Just crazy cold at night and in the morning and hot when the sun is out. We have a little heater that says it is 9 to 14 degrees Celsius. 

In the zone we have 16 missionaries, it was 18 but one missionary was sick and got his mission changed. Then we were down to 17 but the one that was a trio with us got changes. We all get a long really well. No problems. The majority are newer missionaries.  There are quite a few with less than a year. But there is one with 20 months my companion with 22 and someone else with the same time as me 17.

Lots of contacting right now, we don’t have that many interviews to do. Lots of contacting or we will go on divisions. I think the hardest part right now is getting the investigators of the zone to go to church. 

There was a guy in one of the areas we taught that was full of great questions and grasped the restoration really well. When we got there he didn’t even let us get through the usual small talk he hopped right into "who is Joseph Smith?" 

We had a zone inventory yesterday and we ask if people had problems with us or with anyone else in the zone. It all went really well and not really any problems. It was more of a good time and everyone laughing and joking around. Just one person said that they feel like my companion is too tough on him and that my companion could make the rocks bleed. 

This week I was studying a talk that is really great it is called the Grace of God is Sufficient. It talks about how grace isn’t about filling gaps it is about filling us and changing us. That Jesus didn’t pay the debt in part, he didn’t pay it all except for a few coins. He paid it all.
But that doesn’t mean that nothing is required on our part. Jesus Christ requires stuff from us not to repay him for paying the debt and not even to pay the debt but he requires stuff for the result of a change.

If Jesus didn’t require faith and repentance then there would be no desire to change.  If he didn’t require that we make and keep covenants and receive the holy ghost there would be no way to change. And, if he didn’t require us to endure to the end there would be no internalization of the changes and they would be superficial, cosmetic and would not become part of us.

It says that a life impacted by the grace begins to look like Christ’s life. Instead of us trying to earn heaven we are trying to learn heaven, practice and prepare for it. Sometimes people are too excited that the debt is paid in full that they forget why the debt existed in the first place. 

And, today I have started studying a bit about the importance of understanding the trinity and the importance of helping our investigators understand it. A talk that came in the new Ensign by Jeffrey R. Holland. 

Love 
Elder Blanchard

Monday, January 11, 2016

Week 73 (Parral, Mexico)



Everything is going well here. This last week we did some service and cut some wood for some members with a power tool. We have been going around as a companionship of three this last week because the other elder’s companion went home because of health issues. His name is Elder Sanchez and he is from Mexico too. 


Love Elder Blanchard





Monday, January 4, 2016

Week 72 (Parral, Mexico)



Everything is good here. New Year’s Eve went well. Not too much different, just went in earlier and got to stay up later. Here at midnight they don’t just bang pans together they shoot guns.
 
This last week was kind of slow work wise because of the holidays and vacations, the streets have been kind of empty.

It is pretty cold here. In the house you can see your breath.

We spend a lot of time running around the city for interviews and helping out the zone and don’t have a lot of time to sit down and teach people or have our own investigators, a lot of time the teaching we do is in the interviews.

Not a lot of time to write because the cyber store is going to close, but just wanted to get something off quick.

Love Elder Blanchard