On Sunday evening at the MTC, we had the pleasure to hear from Sister Janice Kapp Perry. She of chorus is the person who so famously wrote the lyrics and music to many of the songs of the children’s songbook. She reinforced my testimony of music and how it brings the spirit to our meetings. She also encouraged us to sing when we teach lessons to investigators as it will bring the spirit into their homes faster than any other way.

I was travel leader to get from the MTC to the mission field. I was a bit surprised by this at first, but after I found out we would be taking UTA (FrontRunner and TRAX) to the airport I figured out why I was assigned. I probably knew the most about taking these modes of transportation than anybody else.

On Monday after arrival, we were treated to some nice hot home cooked meals (not exactly a luxury in the MTC) and we also went tracting in North Hollywood. We didn’t find many people there.

I’ve been assigned to labor in Chatsworth California. It’s an average size town similar in size to Neenah or Menasha (I think). My companion is Elder Peterson from Manti, UT. He’s amazing! He is on fire and full of the spirit. I hope to be at least half the missionary he is.

The work is slow here. We’ve been doing A LOT of tracting right now. I’m pretty sure we’ve bee knocking at least 100 doors each day. The teaching pool is low, we only have like one or two investigators at the moment.

Despite how slow the work is going in our area, I’m not going to let it get me down. I will just keep working. That’s something I had to do in order to lose weight–work. That’s something I’m going to have to do share the gospel–work. That’s something I’m going to have to do in order to lose more weight–work.

We had some interesting experiences though this week.

On Saturday, Elder Peterson and I were driving into a neighborhood when we saw an elephant in the street. It was there for some kid’s birthday. Who would have thunk it that you could rent an elephant?

We also had exchanges this week. I’m really excited about doing exchanges on my mission. Elder Peterson is the district leader for the district we’re in and he’s brand new at it. On Tuesday after transfer meeting, he had new district leader meeting and their companions were invited to attend. President Hall mentioned that as district leaders, they are to go on exchanges with the other missionaries in his district to help improve and learn from the other companionships in missionary work. He said it’s a fantastic way to learn how to be a better missionary from a variety of missionaries. I was stoked when he mentioned that! I’m stoked to do exchanges and find more ways to do missionary work.

Anyways, we had exchanges this week. I went with Elder Cumming. He too is from California. He has about 3 more months left on his mission. He is great at asking questions to help investigators think more about the concepts being taught. He’s also great at asking for referrals when tracting. He and his companion Elder Lee are teaching a kid named Anthony. He’s on fire and understanding everything being taught. Elder Cumming and I went to see him on Thursday and he even has a baptism date! WOOT WOOT!!!

This Wednesday we get to go to the Los Angeles Temple. I’m interested in seeing a lack of green grass there. The missionaries in this mission are permitted to go to the temple once during the month of their birthdays and any other times as directed by the mission president.

To answer your questions:

I have absolutely no idea what’s going on with the trac-phoine.

No iPads as of yet. I’ve heard that all missions in the United States (and Canada?) will have them by the end of August. I think the Church is doing it in phases. The Salt Lake City East Mission received them 3 months ago and the Temple Square Mission received them like a week or two later.

I’m not in a biking area yet, so I’m not going to get one yet.

I had a $60 fee from Delta for luggage. It was reimbursed by the mission when I arrived.

I’m working on eating more of a variety of foods. I am doing so by eating at least a small portion of everything that is provided for me. For example, this week I ate broccoli (that’s a taste I’m still trying to acquire) and peppers. 

Elder Blodgett

California San Fernando Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We arrived safe and sound here in the Great San Fernando Mission.  The flight went well and it was so nice to get off and immediately see President and Sister Hall waiting to see us.  They were glowing.  Their lover for us was undeniable.  It was the sweetest experience ever!

I haven’t met my new companion yet, however, I do know who he is.  His name is Elder Peterson.  I felt the spirit so strongly as President Hall told me that the spirit told him clearly that he needed to be my trainer.  He apparently is a strong and steadfast missionary.  I’m so excited to meet him tomorrow.  I’ll write more on my next preparation day.

Text above handwritten 6/1/15 by Elder Allen Blodgett

Happy New Missionary Day! 

WE are so excited to welcome this group to The Great California San Fernando Mission!  This is a great group of Elders and Sisters.  We are so excited to be able to work with them in bringing souls unto Christ.

If you want to know more about Day 1 in the mission,  http://kenanddi.blogspot.com/2013/05/incomings.html is pretty close.  The blog hasn’t been updated in a while but, it will give you a glimpse of what we see on this end.

Tomorrow is transfer meeting where everyone will receive their assignments and companions.  We ask that families of missionaries pray not only for their own missionary, but pray for your missionary’s companion.  

This group has arrived at a great time, next week is our mission-wide temple trip.  There is nothing like going to the temple with missionaries.  It reminds us of how vital our calling is so all of God’s children can return to Him.

We love your missionaries!  

Love,
Sister Hall 

Text above received by email 6/1/15 from Sr. Hall – wife of Allen’s mission president

Per instructions given at the MTC, I am writing to you this evening.  Everything is well here.  We have great instructors, leaders, supporters.  We are taught with love.  I believe they do this purposefully so that we might go and teach members and nonmembers alike with love.

This may very well be a stretch of your memory, but one of the instructors here served his mission in the Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission.  He was serving in the Appleton first Ward at the time of the boundary change in 2011.  His name was Elder Kimball, apparently he was companions with Elder Strasser at the time. 

My companion is great. His name is Elder Dall (I’ll get you pictures on Thursday’s p-day).  He hails from Sandy, UT.  He plays soccer and is full of the gospel.

My district is full of missionaries who know that they need to be on missions trough promptings from the Holy Ghost.  All their testimonies are strong and unique.

I know that this church is true.  Christ restored the gospel on the earth in these the latter-days through Joseph Smith.

text above is from handwritten letter dated 5/21/15

Today’s my first time in what feels like forever since I’ve had a p-day (preparation day – to do laundry, shopping, etc). This morning we were able to go to the Provo Temple as a district. The spirit was amazing there.

I’m so excited to send you pictures–there’s a bunch.  Our district, my companions, and so on.

We have the greatest teachers in the world. You know Brother Kimball already and we also have Sister Pack. They love us and are helping us to grow as servants of the Lord, Jesus Christ. We love them as well and are so indeed grateful for their love and support.

Elder Dall (my companion) and I are teaching an amazing person. We’ve been teaching every day this week including today at lunch (we’re one of the lucky ones to have been able to have a dinner appointment AT THE MTC!). His name is Theo and we love him to death. He’s super cool, asks lots of questions that help us grow. He has even accepted our invitation to be baptized. We’re super excited to for him!

On Tuesday, we were blessed to be able to sing “More Holiness Give Me” to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was amazing and helped us to realize our full potentials as missionaries. I love him. We also have an amazing choir director here! His name is Brother Eggett and he really gets the missionaries who claim to not sing to do that–sing!

We have a loving branch presidency who cares deeply about us and our growth, for which we are so grateful.

I love this church and the gospel of Jesus Christ! The peace that the gospel brings to me is one of the reasons I have chosen to extend my mission by serving a full-time mission. I’m grateful for the atonement and the effect it has had in my life.

text above is from email dated 5/28/15

This first farewells came at the Conference Center last week as you know already. I’m grateful for the love and generosity that they have given to me.

My next farewell was on Sunday morning after Music and the Spoken Word. Many think that “God Be With You” is live as part of the broadcast when it’s really not. The only thing that is live after the last song is that brief organ interlude. After the broadcast engineers turn to the recording, the audience is then allowed to applaud. Then, Lloyd Newell (announcer for the broadcast) shares a few remarks. Finally the Choir sings “God Be With You” and the event is over.

Anyways during Lloyd’s remarks following the broadcast, he mentioned the stage crew and team of other staff that help to get the Choir ready to go and that one certain young man who has been serving in on the stage crew would be leaving. Can you guess who that young man was? I’ll give you a hint: me! He called me up and then told me and everybody else that if they’re ever back this way again to come see the broadcast again and until then, may God be with you. At that moment the Choir sang “God Be With You” and I was brought to tears at that special moment when the spirit was so very strong.

The spirit was again strong during sacrament meeting as we sang hymns about the restoration as the restoration of the priesthood took place May 15, 186 years ago. There were two musical numbers, one by the men of the ward choir with the young men of the ward and the other was a solo. The choir number was Doctrine & Covenants section 13 set to music.

“Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.”

The song was written by Sister Ballantyne (Brother Elliott’s wife). Sister Ballantyne conducts and Brother Elliott accompanies.  The other musical number I don’t remember as I was in the restroom (I couldn’t put off the natural man any longer).

Then it was time for the talks. We had a young speaker and Karl spoke as well. Both spoke about setting goals. Finally I spoke and shared how my experiences of setting and achieving goals. The spirit of the meeting was so strong. I was quite emotional for a good period of time.

I was quite surprised by the turn out of fellow service missionaries that came to hear me speak. I ended up making invitations to the sacrament meeting as I knew there were people who wanted to hear me speak and I couldn’t remember who so I just made bulk invitations and handed them out to a bunch of people. I know more people than I give myself credit for.

The turnout at the Elliott’s home for my open house was great as well. It was nice to see a lot of the people I have come to know one last time before I depart. The Elliott’s are some of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. They are so caring and humble. I’m so blessed to have their examples in my life.

Yesterday was one last farewell at the GSC. I ate too much, oh well. I once again was blown away as I received more words of encouragement.

I am so blessed by the chance to serve as a service missionary. I’m grateful for the friendships that I have made. I feel as if I have dozens of new sets of grandparents who love and care for me.

This week I reached 215 pounds on the scale, which means MyFitnessPal will no longer let me eat anything less than 1500 calories each day. I have now switched to a 1750 calorie diet. It feels good to have accomplished this.

I realized this week that I have brought new meaning to the Primary hymn, “I Hope They Call Me On A Mission.” Instead of I hope that they call me on a mission when I have grown a foot or two, for me it’s I hope they call me on a mission when I have shrunk a foot or two.

I have really been making sure I have plenty of time to study now. It’s kind of crunch time. I have been reading the scriptures and Preach My Gospel every day. It’s not that I haven’t been reading the scriptures every day before, but I’ve been focusing my study on scripture passages included in Preach My Gospel.

It’s so nice to have all my shopping done for my mission. It feels like a burden has been taken off my shoulders. I am counting down the days until I enter the MTC. I won’t be needing to buy as much food the next few weeks. I’m pretty much set on that.

This past Thursday I had the opportunity to meet Elder Russell M. Nelson. He is doing remarkably well for a ninety year old. He was whistling and it looks as if he walks like he is sixty years old.

Today I have done my laundry, got my groceries and am at the organ recital of Linda Margetts. It’s an eclectic mix of music, a Sousa March, some hymns, and baroque music.

It’s been a small world kind of week here (letter rec’d 4/25/15). As you already know, I gave a tour of the Conference Center to Brother and Sister Sieber from Green Bay.  (She then posted a message on Facebook hoping someone she knew would know Allen’s family—[it worked—we got the message].  She wanted us to know that he gave a GREAT tour and told her many things she didn’t know about the building and artwork.)  I know a few of their children through my time in the YSA branch. The next day as I was cooling off from stair running in the balcony, I wandered through the South Visitors Center where I met Sister Bartell, a Temple Square Missionary who is also from Green Bay. I know her sister through the YSA branch. Apparently she didn’t feel like going to the branch.

This week I got to have another backstage tour of the Conference Center. This time now that I know a few more things, I even showed the other hosts things normal backstage tours don’t get to see. I showed the stash of pulpits and the Choir’s new touring organ.

Speaking of organs, I ran in to Robert Poll a few days ago and I asked him if I could arrange for an organ crawl. He said yes! I wasn’t terribly surprised as it’s part of all the organ staff members jobs to show people those things upon request. It was so neat to see most of the 11,623 pipes and the blend between the pipes and the digital enhancements. There’s a lot to learn but I wouldn’t mind learning more about building and maintaining organs. It would be a great career between my love of music and my love of technology.

After the organ “crawl,” I went to the temple to do the initiatories for our family file names. Next week I’ll get a couple of the endowments done.

I finally have all my stuff purchased for my mission! Today I bought hangars, a new messenger bag as my old one was tearing in a few places, and pajamas. I’m starting to look the part of missionary! Don’t forget to send me those towels.

Knock on wood, tomorrow’s Choir broadcast should be an easy one as it’s just the Choir. There is always something for us to do though.