Chinese New Year is kinda the worst

Happy New Year, everyone! It's been another fun week in Heidelberg. Transfers have come and gone and I'm still in the same place. For those who are counting, that'll be a total of 40 weeks in one area. Fantastic. Elder Liu and I had the pleasure of talking to virtually nobody for the bulk of last week because everyone was celebrating in their homes. We met one guy on the street last Friday - he told us, "What are you guys doing? No one is out on the streets. You should go home."

But we don't go home. We keep looking. Because missionaries don't give in logically we should. We keep going, keep searching, keep calling. Keep waiting for the Spirit to guide us where He'd have us go and put our heart and soul in as soon as we do.

So, beyond that, not too much to report. I'll dig through my planner and see if there was anything worth sharing. 

*flips through planner*

(Liu, what did we do this week?

Not much.

Thanks.)

Okay, let's see.

Elder Liu likes experimenting in the kitchen late at night before bed. The other night, I come out of our studying room after making some last minute phone calls to find that he's got a pot of oil on the stove. He was trying to deep fry Tim Tams, which turned out to be delicious and horribly bujiankang. Anyway, we started deep frying everything we could. We starting putting Asian peppers in and gave them to our district at district meeting the next day. Great fun. 

I had some pretty powerful personal studies this week. There comes a point where your patience runs a little short when none of your investigators pick up phone calls or return texts and there simply isn't anything you can do to contact them besides wait. You start to wonder where the blessings are that are promised to us as we do our best to serve and work and prepare. As always, in our harder moments are when we truly find what we need. I found great strength in the words of Paul and Jacob and Helaman - the scriptures truly are magnificent. Read them, study them. They truly are the words of God. He is with us, guiding us. Preparing our path. He isn't going to answer every question - we don't need Him to. We just need to trust He gives us what we need. 

I am ever so excited to hear about mission calls starting to come out. Brazil and St. Louis are very lucky to be receiving the missionaries they will starting next June. I wish you all the best. Those of you working on your papers and waiting for your calls, please let me know - I'd love to be a part of your preparation. There is nothing like getting up and serving the Lord, each and every day. I love with a love I didn't know I had in me. I serve with a fire that I didn't have back home. Oh, I've got a long way to go. That's for sure. But I do know that the Lord is building me, each and every day. 

Have a blessed week, everyone. I miss you all. Keep up the faith, keep searching the scriptures. May God be with you every step of the way.

Elder Blackhurst