A Baptism! {week 43}

Hello everyone!

This has been an amazing week!

Here are some highlights:

Monday: We had the awesomest zone p day ever! We all ferried over to New Castle Island (an island off the coast of Nanaimo) and played frisbee and just had some fun as a zone! I don't have the pics with me so that will have to wait till next week! The elders went on the first ferry and then us sisters missed the second ferry! So that was sad but we still got to go on the island after some time and have a blast! I love being a missionary!

Tuesday: Zone conference! I love zone conference! We got our smart phones so that was crazy! President Wong is wanting to ease us into it so he's only allowing us to use texting, calling, and gospel library. My phone doesn't have a SIM card so I just use gospel library. It's still pretty cool though! It's weird having technology but my habits with it have completely changed. Everyone go read safegaurds for technology in the missionary section of gospel library! It is for missionaries but the other day the ward had a pornography awareness meeting and safegaurds for technology was cited as a source to help prevent it! 

After zone conference we rushed back to Nanaimo to watch Deborah get baptized! It was AMAZING! I am so happy for her! She is such a trooper, she had to get dunked 6 TIMES! But she just smiled through it all! It's happy moments like these that just make everything worth it :)

Wednesday: The day we had back to back lessons that all fell through :( we were able to see a lot of miracles though! It's so weird everyday (and I mean EVERYDAY) we find ourselves by this one completely white complex. We're literately there everyday. I practically live there

Thursday: This was a pretty normal day with some weekly planning, some planning for the zone, and then we got to have some lessons and some time to go finding! All in the day and the life of a missionary!

Friday: once again we found ourselves by the white complex haha. We were able to find some new people to teach which was awesome! We also got to see the x-wife of one of our investigators up in Qualicum. He's been begging us to visit her and it turns out she's a less active member! He didn't even know she was a member! It was such a miracle to see her and the spirit was so strong! I know that Heavenly Father loves both of these people SO MUCH. They also have a really cute little girl!

Saturday: We got to have a lesson with our amazing investigator who is getting baptized on the 12th! She is so prepared! I love her so much! We also got to have dinner with some members from Brazil! They are so kind and we had so much fun!

Sunday: We gave talks in church! I was so nervous but I had such a good time writing the talk! After church we went on exchanges and I got to spend some time in beautiful Courtney! It is absolutely gorgeous down there!

Today: Got to spend half of pday in Courtney! We went on 2 hikes, went to a cute bakery, and walked along the beach! It was a dream! I LOVE the ocean! I never thought I would spend time walking along side the beach when I read "Canada" in my mission call haha. 

All in all this week has been great! I love being a missionary! I know that as we trust in God and let Him guide us, He will help us to reach our full potential. He has so much more planned for us than we do for ourselves. After all, His work and His glory "is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Isn't that so amazing! Also, sorry no pictures, they're all on our phones and we're not allowed to email from our phones yet haha :)

Sister Bloomfield   

Fun Stuff {week 42}

Hello Everyone!

This has been a pretty good week! The weather is warming up and Nanaimo is absolutely gorgeous! 

Some highlights from this week:

Tanner (name has been changed): The other day sister Yraguen and I were on the campus of the University here meeting one of our recent converts. As we were leaving we ran into Tanner. He's from India and is only here for school. As we talked with him he was really impressed with what we were doing so he agreed to meet up with us again. The next time we planned to meet with him we brought the elders and introduced them. They hit it off really well and Tanner said he wanted to come to church, make a facebook page for our church, and come out proselyting with the missionaries! He's only like 20 so I'm hoping he'll go on a mission some day. 

Deborah: We've been teaching Deborah ever since I got here and she's getting baptized on Tuesday! I'm so excited for her and I love her so much! She is so ready for baptism and keeps telling us what an honor it is to be getting baptized. It is so amazing to see. 

April and Lily: We are teaching the sweetest little girls ever! One is 9 and one is 8. They're getting baptized on May 5th. They both come from part member homes and are cousins. I love teaching them! They are so cute! I love their family so much!

Baptism: The elders had a baptism this week! At like 10 the night before the elders called and asked me to play the piano. I was able to squeeze in a couple of minutes to practice the songs they had requested (both songs I've never played before) and was able to get them down. The elders even sang me one of the songs over the phone so I would know for sure which one they wanted. Once the baptism started and I started to play the song I looked up to see one of the elders right in front of the piano. He told me that the lyrics printed on the page were different than the song I was playing so we had to do a quick switch and play a different song. It was pretty funny! I've been playing the piano for things a lot lately. Heavenly Father has really been blessing me to actually be able to accompany people haha. 

This week I needed a change so one day during dinner I decided to cut my hair. It was fun! Sister Yraguen helped and I actually really like it. We keep joking that the spirit guided our hands because neither of us have cut hair before haha. 

Zone conference is tomorrow and we should be getting our smart phones! That's going to be weird. It will be an interesting change though!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Also just a quick reminder: I'm not allowed to respond to emails after I've already emailed a person once. I'm sorry, I love you all but that's the rules! 

Fear No Man! {week 41}

Hello Everyone!

This week has been INSANE. I don't even know where to begin! Time is moving so fast and so much is happening! It's crazy!

We have been finding so many people to teach lately. People are just popping out of no where! We are so so busy and are teaching so many people! I am so grateful, I love missionary work so much! Nanaimo is also absolutely GORGEOUS. I love it here!

On Friday we got to hear from Elder Bednar. It was absolutely incredible. I learned so much. One of the main things I learned was that we can be continually learning. It shouldn't take an apostle to come to help us learn. Elder Bednar taught us how to be spiritually self reliant so we can receive our own guidance. It was so amazing to hear from him. I got to lead the music for the meeting which was so stressful. But it was a great opportunity! I wish I could share with you all everything I experienced, but it's difficult to formulate the experience into words. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is God's church on the earth and that it is continually being restored. This truly is the greatest time in the history of the church, and it will only get better.

Something else I've been learning, is about the continual guidance of the spirit. God is involved in the details of the details of our lives. If we listen, He will guide us. And when plans change, that's how you know the Lord is guiding you. Just because Home and Visiting teaching have been suspended doesn't mean that the decades of Home and Visiting teaching were wrong. It's just time for something better. Plans always change when God is guiding. We just need to bind ourselves to God so that we can always be guided by Him. In this time, it is essential that we "lean not unto our own understanding." God knows far more than we do. As opposition in the world increases, we need to ensure that our testimonies of the church's truthfulness inspire us to be true to the church. True to God. No matter what. 

On Friday I was also able to go to Vancouver to renew my passport. I know that God is involved in the details of the details of our lives. Elder Crane drove me and went with me into the US consulate. I was determined to find the reason why I had to go through all this hassle, so I was talking to everyone. Nothing really came out of it though. I did notice a young family with 3 little boys I felt I needed to talk to. The opportunity never presented itself however, and I didn't think we'd get the chance to run into them again. After applying (successfully :D) for a new passport Elder Crane and I walked over to the cashier so I could pay the fines. They young family was in front of us. As we stood there we realized that the dad was in a bind. He only had a debit card, which they would not accept, and no cash. He didn't know what to do. After observing the situation Elder Crane suddenly stepped forward and paid the full $130 without even asking the man's name. The man was shocked and tried to deny Elder Crane's help. Elder Crane just told him he trusted that the man would pay him back. He gave the man a business card and then the family was whisked away. The spirit  confirmed to me that this was why I needed to go to Vancouver. After paying my fines we stepped into a waiting room, expecting to see that family there. They were gone. That surprised us. As we sat and waited however, the family returned and said they had taken a wrong turn. We talked with them and shared about what we do as missionaries. The man and his wife seemed interested. It turns out that the man actually worked at his own church. He was raised in a non christian home and country however and was intrigued at what we had to say. He took a pamphlet, promised to read the book of mormon, and listened to us tell him about Family Home Evening and the Book of Mormon. The spirit was strong, and we parted as friends. As we left the consulate Elder Crane said "we just bought his time." I agreed, there was no way the man would have listened to us in any other setting. It was clear that the gospel is something that would help is family, something they were even searching for, but if missionaries had knocked on their door I feel they would have turned them away. It was a miracle. I'm just amazed that God allowed me to participate in it. It was incredible.

Something I forgot to mention in my last email is that we also cover a little branch called Qualicum. It's about 30 minutes away from Nanaimo but we spend about a day there. It's so fun to be covering this little branch and I love the people there so much!

We have a few baptisms coming up that I am so excited for! I love the people here so much. I know that God is there and that if we seek Him, we will find Him. 

Lately Sister Yraguen and I have been saying "fear no man!" as our catch phrase. The gospel is something that motivates me to be fearless. Yes, I still feel fear. But something that I've learned is that if we act despite fear, the strength of our fear will be turned into the strength of our courage. 

Sister Bloomfield 

Fun Ferry Rides! {week 40}

Hello Everyone!

This week has been CRAZY! But SO GOOD! Ever since I got to Nanaimo I've been going like 5,000 miles per hour! 

I got into Nanaimo on Wednesday night, then Thursday night we hopped back on the ferry to go to Richmond for MLC (mission leadership conference). MLC was amazing!! I learned so much! One thing I've been learning lately, is that Heavenly Father is in the details of the details of the details of our lives. I know I've talked about that before, but I never realized just how fully he wants to be involved in our life. No matter what, He always wants us to be happy. Sometimes it can feel like we experience "failures" in life. But Heavenly Father can use those "failures" as stepping stones to success. HIS idea of success, which is always much grander than what we have in mind. One of my favorite quotes from general conference is "success is growing from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm." Heavenly Father is optimistic about the future and so should we! 

This week is going to be so crazy! We're going back to Langley (which means ANOTHER ferry ride- not that I'm complaining, I love the ferry!) so we can see Elder Bednar! I'm SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved his general conference talk about being meek! That's a quality I want to develop in myself! 

I am so happy to be back on the island! I love it hear so much and seeing the ocean everyday makes me so happy! I love the ocean! It's so weird because sometimes I feel like I'm back at the beginning of my mission. But I've been here for 9 months! Crazy! 

Last night Sister Yraguen and I had a little miracle! We were going to visit a recent convert but took a wrong turn. So we decided to find the reason and hopped out of our car to knock on the door of this one house. We started talking to this awesome girl from the Philippines and made an appointment to come see her again! It was amazing! Funny side note- while we were talking to her I could hear one of my favorite movies (Pride and Prejudice for those of you who don't know me as well :) playing in the background. Right as we were talking about God and the Book of Mormon was right when the climax of the movie was happening, meaning we had some pretty dramatic and awesome music to accompany our testimonies haha! 

I'm so excited for this transfer! The Nanaimo zone is awesome and I am blessed to be a part of it! I love being a missionary so much and my mission is so special to me. There's nothing else I'd rather be doing right now. I'm so grateful for my mission. I have gained a testimony that we are the happiest when we are working hard to serve God. Have a good week!

Sister Bloomfield 

Fear not, for the Lord is on our side {week 39}

Hello everyone!

I don't even know where to begin because this week was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AH!!!! Words cannot even express!!!! I'm sorry if half of this email is in all caps I'm just SO EXCITED!!!

I don't know where to begin because I experienced so many miracles this week!!!! By this Friday sister Tapon and I hadn't found anyone to teach! That's not normal, so we were feeling a little down. But we decided to not let it get to us! So after pushing through near the end of the day we found this sweet girl to teach! We told her about the Book of Mormon. It was such an incredible experience because I felt the spirit confirming the truth of what I as saying and was able to see her eyes opened and her heart touched.

Then on Saturday we got to participate in the solemn assembly at General Conference, the first one I can remember since I was pretty young when Thomas S. Monson was sustained. It was such an incredible experience to stand and sustain the prophet. I felt the spirit testify to me that President Russell M Nelson IS God's prophet here on the earth today. Christ is at the head of this church and the heavens are open. The spirit was so strong and this session of General Conference was so exciting to me. The Lord is hastening His work and nothing is going to stand in His way. And what's wonderful, is we get to choose to be a part of it.

After the first session of general conference Sister Tapon and I rushed over to an appointment we had with a new investigator we found last week. Finding her was actually quite miraculous. Last week I had the strongest feeling that we had to go to this specific street and that we were looking for a very specific person. Well, we found her. When we went back we were welcomed into her home and she invited us to teach her entire family. A family of 7. It was the most spiritual lesson I've ever gotten to participate in. We taught the restoration of the gospel. I knew, without a doubt in my mind, as I was teaching that the words I was saying were true. They accepted to be baptized at the end of the lesson too. When Sister Tapon and I left the lesson we just looked at each other in shock. We had just witnessed a miracle.

We also were able to have a couple of investigators come to general conference! It was amazing!

That night we were having some trouble with our car tire. We went to a gas station to fill it with air but I was really worried about doing it wrong. So we went inside the gas station to ask for further instruction and ran into this group of people my age who were looking for a club to go partying at. So basically they live a completely different lifestyle than me. But when they heard about why we were at the gas station they rushed out, taught me how to use the machine, and even paid for the air. It was seriously so nice! It made me so happy.

That night we also had transfer calls. And much to my surprise I"M BEING TRANSFERRED!!!! I literately could not believe it when I heard the words  "sister Bloomfield, you'll be getting transferred" I'm still in denial! I couldn't believe it! And to top it off I'm going BACK TO THE ISLAND!!! I'm going to Nanaimo and my new companion is Sister Yraugen! I'm so excited!!!! But at the same time I am DEVASTATED to be leaving Sister Tapon and the Abbotsford 2nd ward :( This area is amazing and so many miracles have been happening. I can't believe I have to say goodbye so soon :( I have loved my time here. I feel very strongly that the Lord needs me in Nanaimo for some reason. More so than I have ever felt at any transfer call.

Anyways, Sunday was filled with General Conference again which was AMAZING!!!! It's seriously so amazing to be living in a time with continued revelation. I know that the church is true and I know that in order to keep such a testimony, we have to be true to the church!

Sunday night as we were walking back to our car to drive home 2 people were plopped into our path that we started teaching. It was another incredible miracle. The Lord is hastening His work and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it.

The closing hymn of general conference really touched me. Heavenly Father is asking to do more, to serve more, to love more. It's going to stretch us and the times ahead are going to require more of us than they have before. But we have no need to fear, for the Lord is on our side.

Also super excited about the new temples announced!!!!!!!!! So amazing! I'm so happy for the saints in Russia and India. 

Have a great week!

Sister Bloomfield