January 31, 2023

 Mission Accomplished.

January 29, 2023

Surprise! Bet you didn't see this one coming! ;)

Since I knew I'd be doing a whole lot in my last week as a missionary, I figured it'd be a shame not to let you all in on the adventure! 

On Friday, President took all of the missionaries who are leaving to the temple to do sealings! It was quite the experience. We spent a lot of time reflecting on everything we've been through these last two years, and President shared a few thoughts with us about some of the important things to come. It was a special moment, and a nice way to round out our time here.

On Saturday, we had a Baptism! One last one before I hit the road. And pretty much the best way one can expect to finish their mission, to be honest. Plus, we had some carne asada afterwards, which was great. 

And lastly, I spent most of today cleaning, packing, and saying goodbye to members and old companions/friends here in the mission. To be completely honest, it's still hard to wrap my head around the fact that I won't be here anymore after tomorrow. I'll miss this place, that's for sure. 

Anyway, just thought I'd like to share some last minute thoughts. See you all (very) soon! 

- Elder Blankenbiller 

Photos:

- Hermano Eduardo's Baptism

- The tacos we ate after the Baptism

- Temple trip to do sealings with everyone who's leaving 

- I went to get my haircut (as requested by President Staker) with some old friends from another ward

- My mom asked me to buy a Nativity scene, so here's that too 

January 24, 2023

Alright everyone. This is it. The last one. And so, breaking from tradition, I'd like to focus on absolutely none of the things I did this week. Instead, I'd like to share with you a few of the most important things I've learned over the past two years. Let's get right into it, shall we? 

First and foremost, I learned that God knows us. Personally, individually, He knows who we are, and who we can become. And He loves us. That's why He does everything He does. I learned that the best thing we can do when we are going through something hard is remember that this is part of what God knows that we need to continue to grow. It's really hard sometimes. We can feel like it's too much, like we'd rather just stay the same than go through it all. But if we can overcome that fear, and trust in Him, He will show us the miracles that the prophets have promised us; Miracles greater than the world has ever seen. 

Secondly, I learned about the necessity of the Holy Ghost. We really enjoy quoting President Neslon, that it will not be possible to survive in the coming days without the guiding influence of the Holy Spirit. And for good reason. He is absolutely right. 😅 After two years spent constantly striving to have the Spirit with me, and many difficult moments where it wasn't, I can assure you, it's not only much better with the Spirit, it's impossible without it. We need to make it a priority in our lives to live worthily of the Holy Ghost, at all times. Period. End of thought. 

And lastly, I learned that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for me, personally. I don't mean that it's only for me. But I have finally come to understand that I, me, can use it in my life. It's not just something that's nice to think about, or good for other people. It's something that I need. And it's something that Jesus Christ did for me. Isn't that crazy? The most important person to ever live decided that I was worth trading His life for. And He did the same thing for every single one of you! There truly is reason to stand all amazed. 

So yeah. That's what I've learned. Also, I'll be home next week, so if you've got questions, or want to hear some fun stories, hit me up. 

¡Los amo muchísimo!

- Elder Blankenbiller 

Last zone conference:

January 17, 2023

Heyyyyy so this email is gonna be a bit short, I'm sorry 😅 We had our trip out to visit the pyramids with all the missionaries who are leaving, and to be honest, I'm no longer built for road trips. :P I got very carsick, which is never fun. Especially when you're on vacation. And especially when you have things to do afterwards. Oh well. XP

But, to make a long story short, I got to go do more touristy stuff today! We got a cool guided tour of the pyramids, and our tour guide was a member who explains a bit about possible connections in symbolism between the Book of Mormon and the pyramids / civilizations of ancient america. Very thought-provoking stuff. Definitely worth the trip if you ever come down to Mexico City. 

Anyway, for lack of time, I'll leave it there. Sorry for the short email, I'll try to make next one better. It will, after all, be the last. 😳

- Elder Blankenbiller

Photos:

- Pollution makes for wonderful sunsets 

- Pyramids and stuff

January 10, 2023

Hi everyone! Another week, another email. Hope you all had a good week! 

So, on my end, we had a pretty solid week, lots of little miracles going on in our area at the moment. For one, the sister we baptized last week got confirmed this Sunday! So that makes at least one person baptized and confirmed in every area I've been in. (Not to flex or anything. ;) And, another little miracle, the ward secretary actually got the membership record created that same day! So as soon as the temple opens back up, we can go do baptisms for the dead! Which, funny enough, will be the first time I've gone in my entire mission. XD 

Also this week: We got a whole bunch of referrals from the ward, from other missionaries, and from random people on social media deciding that they wanted to meet with us to learn more about God. Having people to teach is always nice, so definitely no complaints from me, haha. Still, it's always really cool to see how the Lord makes everything work out when we're putting in the effort He's asked of us. He takes care of things. 

And to finish things off, we had a nice time today hanging out as a zone, and playing board games. I smacked a few people in chess, and we got pizza. Good old fashioned fun. Except for the game of Monopoly we played. I'm realizing now why nobody ever plays that game, haha. ;P

That's all from me, have a good one!

- Elder Blankenbiller

No photos this week. Yes, I get it, I'm a bad person. :P 

January 3, 2023

Hey everybody! Happy New Year! 

Thus ends my only full year as a missionary, and thus begins my ability to see my return date on the calendar. A strange feeling, to be sure. Some examples, for context. Last Tuesday, we had the mission Christmas party, where I was confused, but not surprised, to not see anyone with more time in the mission than I. 

And today, I went to visit an old area of mine, along with another missionary from my generation who served there. Quite the fun time, reminiscing about old times, and catching up with some members I hadn't seen in a while. I officially have another invitation to come back and visit Mexico. Suppose it's just a matter of time. 

Also also, we had a baptism this week! There might be a few complications though, so I'll avoid mentioning much about the person until a later date. Still, baptisms are always a great experience. :) Especially since this was my companions first one in his mission! They grow up so quickly, haha. 

Anyway, just wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who's stuck around to read all these emails. I hope you got a kick out of it, at the very least. ;) And who knows, maybe you even learned a thing or two. Until next week! 

- Elder Blankenbiller 

Photos:

- Elf?

- A fascinating restaurant where they serve boneless and fries... in a cone 

- Baptism mirror selfie 

December 26, 2022

 ***Elder Blankenbiller’s mission has a mission-wide activity Tuesday, so they had their p-day on Monday.***

¡Feliz Navidad! 

Christmas was definitely the highlight of this week, so we'll just get right into it! 

So on Saturday, being Christmas Eve, we had tried to get lots of appointments set up to go visit people. And wouldn't you know it, it worked! We had three family home evenings and two lessons that night. And we probably ate enough for a week between the two of us. :P 

It was really cool to see all of the different ways people celebrate Christmas here! One of their traditions is called 'pedir posada', and they sing a whole song about Joseph and Mary looking for room in an inn. Sort of a call and answer thing, with half the people outside, and the other half indoors. Kinda cool, I hadn't seen it last year, so it was new for me. 

We also got a lot of Ponche, which is a sort of hot fruit punch? I think that's the best way to describe it. Imagine Apple cider with a few more fruits and spices, and you'll have it pretty spot on. It's very good. 

Church on Sunday was a bit under attended, but that's just how it goes. :P I did get to play a little musical number though, an adaptation of 'Angels we have heard on high'. And I got to open presents from my family on Christmas morning, so no complaints from me. :) 

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas! Don't forget to take advantage of the season and keep spreading the message of the Gospel! 

- Elder Blankenbiller

Photos:

- Christmas Sushi 

- My family sent me a countdown chain, so I can keep track of how many days I've got left. Time to be trunky, I guess :P