Anxiously Engaged {week 47}

Hello World!

I hope life in the outside world is going well! As for myself, things are pretty amazing here in Nanaimo! 

It's felt like a pretty short week since P-day last week was on a Tuesday. Time honestly just goes by way too fast! It kind of scares me sometimes. 

Right now we're working with a ton of different people! The work is most definitely hastening. Every Wednesday in the Nanaimo ward the ward mission team puts on a scripture study class. Usually a couple of people investigating the church show up to it and the ward mission leader leads it with the elders. This past week however none of the people who usually attend were going to be there so the ward mission leader decided to cancel it. At the time the class usually is going on we were in a lesson. Somebody called our phone a couple of times so Sister Yraguen decided to answer it in case it was an emergency. We hadn't even started the lesson yet so it was perfect timing. It turns out this random person was at the church looking for the scripture study class. We told her we would be there when we could then went on with our lesson. After a quick lesson we rushed to the church to find Emily. She was there, patiently waiting for us. It turns out the elders had met her and invited her to the scripture study class and she came! We were able to talk with her about the Book of Mormon! It was such a miracle! 

This week we were also able to better get to know some members of the ward! I love this ward so much! Last night we had dinner with this amazing family and they invited Sophia, one of the people we're working with. It made me so happy. The most touching thing to me is when people reach out to others in love. When people recognize a need and act to meet it. Sometimes we're given huge promptings to do things. Other times we may notice a person that is struggling and make the decision to act to help them. Whatever it may be, when we are serving others we are with Christ. To serve, is to walk with Him. 

Doctrine and Covenants 58:27-28

Verily I say, men should be ANXIOUSLY ENGAGED in a good cause, and do many things of their OWN FREE WILL and bring to pass much righteousness. For the power is IN THEM wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

I can promise you that God doesn't cause the bad things in the world. He's the one that helps us get through them. When you look around and notice the good things, that's evidence of a loving God. When someone serves you, that's God reaching out to you. And if you can't think of anyone who has served you, I promise that as you serve someone else you will feel God. 

Sister Bloomfield 

"When you are in the Service of your Fellow Beings..." {week 46}

Hello Everyone,

It's been another crazy week in Nanaimo! Yesterday we had a pretty cool experience. On Sunday we found a lady named Pam. We taught her a little and then offered some service, which she accepted. The service she needed was her lawn to be mowed. Unfortunately neither Sister Yraguen or I have a lawn mower. We told her we would try and find a lawn mower by the next day, but no promises. I was a bit nervous about finding the help we needed on such short notice and on a holiday (Victoria day). We decided to text a member in the ward who is usually pretty willing to help. I wasn't expecting him to be available though. However, he responded right away and said he would gladly mow this lady's lawn. He came with his daughter, who had just flown in from Alberta. Come to find out his daughter was only there for 3 days, so they had limited time together. We weeded with his daughter while he mowed Pam's lawn. It wasn't an easy task since the grass was about a foot tall. Every time I looked over at him mowing the lawn he had the biggest grin on his face. After finishing the project they politely said they had to get going, because the daughter needed to be dropped off at the airport. They didn't have much time together, yet they still came and served. Not to mention, afterwards we texted him a thank you and he responded thanking us for giving him the opportunity. The biggest miracle to me that day, was witnessing someone so wiling to serve. It really touched me. I want to be the kind of person that the Lord can call on me for anything, even if it comes at personal sacrifice. It reminds me of something Joseph Smith once said. "A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." 

I've been thinking a lot about why service is so important. I've come to the conclusion that it's because Christ Himself is not physically here on the earth. So it is up to us to be His hands and feet. The other day someone helped me out a ton. I remember 2 thoughts the flew through my mind. The first: "how am I ever going to repay them for this" the second "Christ doesn't expect you to repay Him." I'm not going to claim the 2nd thought as my own. We don't serve out of an effort to fill some quota. We serve because that's how others can come to understand the love of God. When we see Christlike service in the acts of others, that's when we begin to understand the unconditional nature of Christ's love. We serve without expectation of reward because Christ loves us without demanding anything from us. 

Lately I've met a lot of people who are angry at God for some reason or the other. One thing I've noticed is that a lot of the time when people are angry at God, they try to convince themselves that He doesn't exist. Because one of the things that hurts the most is to be ignored. I don't know if this is true, but sometimes it seems that people are trying to hurt God in their anger by denying his existence. Yet God still exists no matter what any one person may think or decide. As Jeffry R Holland said "I am grateful to know that in spite of my imperfections (or the imperfections of those who may hurt or offend us) at least God is perfect- that at least He is, for example, able to love His enemies, because too often, due to the natural man and woman in us, you and I are sometimes that enemy. How grateful I am that at least God can bless those who despitefully use Him because, without wanting or intending to do so, we all despitefully use Him sometimes. I am grateful that God is merciful and a peacemaker because I need mercy and the world needs peace." 

I know that God exists. I also know that He refuses to give up on anyone. 

I hope all of you have an amazing week! 

Sister Bloomfield 

Happy Mother's Day {week 45}

Hello Everyone!

We had transfer calls and we found out that both Sister Yraguen and I are staying! I'm so happy! In fact, our entire district is staying! So that's awesome!

This week we had a baptism! It was amazing! Sister Yraguen and I sang for the baptism, and it was really fun! Shawn is so amazing for her and I'm so happy for her! She is just glowing. 

The work is moving along here in Nanaimo! I love it! There isn't a place I'd rather be!

Mosiah 4:9 "Believe in God, believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend"

Sister Bloomfield 

Thy Will Be Done {week 44}

Hello everyone!

Wow, this week went by so fast! It was such a good week though!  A lot of great things happened!

Our investigator passed her baptismal interview!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!! She really is quite an amazing person and I can't wait for her to get baptized!!! It's happening this Saturday! 

I've been learning a lot about receiving revelation through prayer. With the technology that's come in, we've also received access to a completely new chapter 8 in Preach my Gospel. They completely rewrote the chapter and changed how we do weekly planning. Now we plan for each person individually. This week while doing our weekly planning we had a cool experience. Here we cover both the Nanaimo ward and the Qualicum branch. There are 2 sets of missionaries in the Nanaimo ward (us and then the elders) but only us sisters cover Qualicum. We were only teaching one person in Qualicum, a man whom I will call Chris. He is amazing and really searching for the truth. We are also working with his x-wife in Nanaimo whom I will call Sophia. They have a 2 year old daughter who is really adorable. Sophia is a less active member and is so kind and inviting. As we've met with both Chris and Sophia I have just felt Heavenly Father's love for them so strongly. To begin our weekly planning process we said a prayer for Chris, so we could seek Heavenly Father's guidance on what is best for this person. After praying for him there is a series of questions we ask to guide us in the planning process. One of the questions is "what do you feel Heavenly Father wants to have happen next with this person?" All of a sudden we both just realized that Chris needs the elders. He hasn't been progressing lately and the spirit just whispered to us that if the elders taught him, he would receive the help he needed and that as we continued to work with Sophia all things would work out in the end. So we called the APs and they told us that we could pass Chris to the elders if we also gave all of Qualicum to the elders. We felt the confirmation from the spirit that it was what we needed to do. It was kind of sad to turn over this little branch to the elders, but as we've been setting up everything for the switch, I know it's what God needs. This little branch has so much potential. I'm just grateful that the elders will be able to keep us updated on the progress of this area. Haha I've really come to understand the phrase "if you love something, let it go." I'm excited to see what God has in store for Qualicum. And for Chris. 

Our decision to give up Qualicum happened right after MLC, and the theme of MLC was submitting our will to God. Sometimes submitting our will to God can be so hard. I used to think that it would be easy, because I have a strong desire to please God. However, it's not as easy as it seems. Submitting our will to God is a process of becoming. Overcoming the natural man and becoming more like Christ. Christ was the perfect example for us, who in the garden of Gethsemane said "Father if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine be done" 

It was so good to go to MLC this week. As always, I learned so much. There was a musical number of a song called "thy will be done" and President Wong made them sing it 3 times through out the meeting. It was really good though, so I'm not complaining. Happy Mothers day to all the mothers out there!

Have a good week!

Sister Bloomfield