Family History

Guess who I found!! :D

​I also learned my 22nd great grandfather was brother to Braveheart William Wallace. Pretty darn awesome. ^-^

So the choir tour was fantastic. I'm having a blast, and have really enjoyed it all! Had some great spiritual experiences, got to share some of what I've learned about the higher and lower laws, which I really enjoyed.

:D Cheers! Love you all! 

– Elder William Kevin Black

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Choir Concert!

Whelp. I have  no time. But know that all is well. :) I am so excited to see everyone, and make beautiful music. 

cheers! :D

– Elder William Kevin Black

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The Seed of Abraham

My new companion, Elder Clawson, is absolutely stellar. :) We both have a very strong testimony of "Ask and ye shall receive" - not in physical things so much as spiritual - if you ask God a question, the thoughts that come to mind are really answers from Him. Something Elder Luna taught me - if you put a pencil to paper before/durring/after your prayer, you're showing God your desire to treasure and follow the inspiration He has for you - it also increases your faith you'll get answers, and shows Him you desire them.

I really know that it's literal, that we can know the truth of all things by the power of the Holy Ghost - not just big, important things. God can reveal anything to us through the thoughts and feelings that come to us as we pray to Him.

Here are a few cool things I'm copying you all on:

Want to hear a miracle story? Our polish investigator Roman came to church. (in my shirt and tie - he would have come last week, but didn't enter the church when he saw everyone in a shirt and tie, being out of place) He said he had prayed about the book of mormon, and had felt a "little yes" :D :D Even though his english is broken, he's so excited to learn! He's so solid!

This was an epiphany I had, in thinking about me training other missionaries:

I haven't trained yet, so I may die without fruit... :c 

Well, I just realized the fruit I also have is in the times I've helped other companions, so they're sort of grafted in to the tree. Sort of like the Abrahamic covenant - if you follow the promise, you're grafted in, even if you're not part of the family by blood.

So any time we get to lift or inspire others, they're tied to us, so we're all lifted and saved together in a big web of life!!

 

 And a fun fact about my mission:

I've nearly always had more dead than live companions:

Dixon Luna

Walker Luna | Dixon

Goldie Walker Luna | Dixon

Wilberg Goldie Walker | Luna Dixon

Ward Goldie Walker | Wilberg Luna Dixon

Schippers Ward Goldie | Walker Wilberg Luna Dixon

Miller Schippers Ward Goldie | Walker Wilberg Luna Dixon
Moller Miller Schippers Ward | Goldie Walker Wilberg Luna Dixon

Clawson Moller Miller Schippers Ward | Goldie Walker Wilberg Luna Dixon

So I've pretty much always been about half and half. XD ahahahah

 

Love you all! Hope you're enjoying life as much as I am! :) 

Love,

– Elder William Kevin Black

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The two fastest moves of my mission

I have loved serving with Elder Møller - his desire to be obedient and diligent have struck me so much, and I've changed my nature some towards his. I'm so grateful we've been able to serve together, and I look forward to my next companion: Elder Clawson - who I already know - in fact, I hugged him yesterday in Dublin Stake Conference! xD I don't know him that well yet, but I really look forward to serving with him!

I've had heaps of great studies recently - I love morning studies - I could study all day! But that's not what God wants us to do - he wants us to go out and serve. I smile, thinking how much I've changed - at the start of my mission, the thought came to me: if I were able to change so I desired to study, it would be so easy! I'd never feel forced into it, never find it a chore. So I began praying to have more hunger for the word of God, and oh, was I given it. I love to feast upon the scriptures, ancient and modern, and love the light that comes to my mind from the Holy Ghost therefrom. Ha ha, speaking of which, I am so grateful that the Lord has helped me become more in-tune to the spirit - at the start of my mission, I wished so desperately to be able to be in-tune to the spirit. Bit by bit, God put thoughts into my mind about how to become more in-tune, and inasmuch as I follow those Ideas, I really can recognize it better.

In fact, I had a revelatory moment just yesterday - if I'm doubting whether something is a prompting or not, it usually is. If it's Satan putting a thought in my mind, it's pretty clear that it is, and if I ask God's help, the thought leaves. But 'doubting' promptings is much more often merely me stalling action, hoping the thought will pass. Well, it will! Because it will be too late! So I'm trying to change my nature to act more quickly on all promptings. (not just the easy ones - the more you follow hard promptings, the more clear promptings become)

Meanwhile, I passed my 4mo left mark yesterday. So that's wild. But I am loving being a missionary, and am absolutely confident in the Lord's plan for my future. :)

Love you all! Cheers!

– Elder William Kevin Black

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Fwd: Sorrow and Glory!

Here's what I wrote the mission president for this week: 

This week was disappointing, having only one joint teach, where we decided to drop our investigator. :/ But we had 2 really solid QGC! One of them was a psychologist we'd chapped in to about my first week here in Sligo, who we had forgotten about until we chapped the street again. We hadn't gotten anything for a long while, and we prayed again. We both felt we should start behind us. The second door, the psychologist's wife answered, inviting us back! :D The second was especially miraculous to me: we had felt great about this street (actually the same one), but had just been rejected for about an hour. Between houses, I prayed, "Heavenly Father - it is /really/ cold. It would be really nice if someone would let us in..." and the next door, we were let in! Able to share God's plan for them. :)
So those were really miraculous, despite not having our usual plethora of lessons.

I've been doing great - I actually said this morning that I was probably doing the best I had ever been... then realized that was really for my whole life. Never before in my life have I been so obedient to the Lord's commandments - though I'm far from perfect, it's still great. :)

Also, I really know that the Lord gives us inspiration. As I discussed with Sister Morrison, Crawley, and Elder Livingston and de Vries about the choir, we sought inspiration in every move. Looking back, I was shocked at how quickly big hassles became simple matters, as we relied on inspiration. Saturday, we figured out who would be in which group song, and I laughingly thought to myself, as I saw how quickly names came to mind, This must be what moves planning is like! hahaha

So I really know that God does hear us and speak to us. :)

Here is Joe Tiernan and Sigfried Ducusin, two superheroes of Sligo Branch, fulfilling their priesthood duty! :) They are seriously brilliant.

Love you all! Cheers!! :D

– Elder William Kevin Black

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