Final Letter {week 80}

Well friends,
This is my last official email. I can hardly believe I'm writing those words! It makes me so sad to think that I'm entering the last week of my mission. Each week, day, and moment here have been precious to me.

This week Sister Guzman and I were blessed to see a lot of miracles! Sister Guzman has been sick sadly but I've been blessed to go on splits with a variety of different sisters! It's been so much fun! I even got to go on a split with my old companion, Sister Tapon! That made me beyond happy.
This week at church a girl named Ivy just walked in and started looking around. Luckily by some miracle one of her high school friends who doesn't regularly attend the YSA had decided to go this Sunday and just happened to be standing in the door way when she walked in! Coincidence? I think not! She told us that her neighbor had told her mom about the church and that she was curious so she just showed up! It was a miracle! Lately the entire branch has been praying for opportunities to share the gospel and I know that God has been answering their prayers! Ivy just came out of nowhere and is truly interested in learned more! I am amazed by little miracles like that. Many people would say "well, if you already go to a Christian church, why go to another one?" But I know that this is more than just a Church. Coming and learning about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is about learning who you really are, who God really is, and what you can to do to be with Him forever. It transcends this life. 

This week we also got to meet this amazing girl named Jamie and her friend Rueben. We taught them a very simple lesson about prayer and then invited them to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it! After the lesson we texted both of them and Rueben responded telling us that he's always searched for God but has felt so empty inside any time he's walked into a church or tried to pray. We were able to promise him that as he learns about our message, that emptiness will leave him. I know without a doubt that that is true. This message fills a whole that many people don't even know they're looking for.

I'm so grateful for my mission. On my mission I have come so much closer to my Saviour, Jesus Christ, and have changed so much because of that. My testimony of Jesus Christ has grown so much. Before I subconsciously considered Him to just be a historical figure that did a really great thing for me and that I would get to see again someday after I die. But now I can feel His presence in a very real way. Christ is very much alive today, directing and leading His church. He is with me in every moment and it is because of Him that I see miracles, and have seen success. He has been there in my hardest moments to lift me up and give me the strength to keep going. Instead of reflecting about what He did thousands of years ago, I also think about what He does for me every day of my life. He truly does live. It's because of Him that I can live with peace, hope and happiness. No matter what situation I may be in, or what may happen in my life I have faith in Jesus Christ. And that is enough. He lives, and this is His church.

I know that the best way to come to know Jesus Christ, is through reading the Book of Mormon. That book truly is the word of God! It's not just words on a page, but it's God's words to YOU. Any question we have, when sincerely asked, can be answered in the Book of Mormon. I have experienced that first hand. After finishing the Book of Mormon a couple of weeks ago, I read Moroni's promise and a new meaning took shape for me. In Moroni 10:3-5 it says 

"3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." 

 The line that stood out me when reading it this last time was the line "the time that ye shall receive these things" when we read the Book of Mormon we can pray to know if the record as a whole is true, but also if the things we learned for ourselves are true. I know that if we do pray, God will answer. 

I know that God is there and loves each of us more than we can comprehend. I have seen that as He has put the right people in my path. I have seen miracles as I've been able to share the gospel with those that are truly seeking for it. I have also felt His love through all of my amazing companions. I know He's there.

I hope you all have an amazing week! See you soon!

Sister Bloomfield

Come Follow Me {week 79}

Hello friends!

I hope you've all had great weeks!! 

We saw a lot of miracles this week!! Yesterday somebody just walked up to us and asked us if we could teach him about Jesus Christ! He then set up his own return appointment! It was a miracle! We will be seeing him this Wednesday! 

I had the opportunity to meet a lot of amazing people this week! There are a lot of people out there truly seeking for the gospel! It's amazing! I know that Jesus Christ really does live and that this really is His church.

I had an amazing experience this week studying the new come follow me manual! This week was all about how we need to be active learners! I loved it because I met someone recently that we had been teaching a lot. She said that she would just leave things up to fate and if her work schedule worked out then she would know the gospel is true. I know though that we need to choose our fate. In general conference Elder Renlund talked about how God is more concerned with us choosing what is right more than doing what is right. That's because He loves us and cares about who we are. 

We also are still teaching those people from the bible college! They're awesome! In one lesson one of them talked about how they need to make sure that when they pray, it's with real intent. If we're not willing to give everything to God we won't receive the answer we're looking for. What he said was so true! We need to be willing to follow God's will even if it's in something we're not expecting. 

I met the cutest girl the other day! She told me she loved Jesus Christ and knew all about Him. I asked her if she knew about the Book of Mormon and she told me that she didn't. She was SO EXCITED when I explained to her what it was! She was so happy to have more knowledge about Jesus Christ! The Book of Mormon truly does testify  of Him and brings us closer to Him.

Sorry this email is so scattered! Just know that I'm loving life and I love being a missionary!!! It's the best thing in the world! Have a great week! 

Happy New Year! {week 78}

Hello Everyone!

To be completely honest with you, I don't have too much to say because it feels like I only emailed a couple of days ago! Maybe because I did haha. 

Anyways, it has been a good past few days with a lot of miracles. This week we met with a girl that we found at a mall food court. We were just walking past and we were in a rush so I wasn't planning on stopping. But the spirit literately whipped me around and I started talking to her. It was like a 2 minute conversation but she took a Book of Mormon and we exchanged contact info. Then she asked if she could bring some friends to our lesson. 

When we got to the lesson it was her and a friend. They both are going to bible college. At first they pelted us with a lot of questions about the bible which earlier on in my mission would have made me really nervous. It was amazing to watch as the spirit took over the lesson though. It was such a spiritually powerful lesson where we just shared spiritual experiences and testified of the Book of Mormon. Marcia was with us and bore such a powerful testimony. It was amazing. They committed to come to church and went in Abbotsford. They loved it and are meeting with us again! At the end of the lesson one of them said " I believe I have the truth, but I also recognize that the Book of Mormon might be true. So I'm just going to read it then ask God if it is true." It was so cool! Both of them have been so prepared by God, it was really cool to hear some of their personal experiences and to see how they have been prepared for this message. 

Today I was able to finish the Book of Mormon! It was an incredible experience, reading it from October till now at the request of President Nelson. The one thing I learned this time reading it through, is how merciful Christ is. He knows we're human and knows we will make mistakes but He is merciful and wants to help us overcome the natural man. He wants to help us overcome our weaknesses because each of us have an individual and specific work to do. I testify that Christ really is there to help us in our hardest moments. He loves us so much.

Have a great week!

Sister Bloomfield 

Merry Christmas {week 77}

Dear Family and Friends,

First of all, Merry Christmas!!! This has been an absolutely amazing week! There have been so many moments this week where I have thought to myself "I wish I could just freeze time right now and stay in this moment forever." I am so blessed. I love being a missionary so much! I love my companion, this area and all the people in it, and the missionaries I get to serve around. 

We've been able to meet some pretty amazing people this week including a cute girl named Misaki! She is from Japan and is here studying English. Her English is pretty limited so in my first contact with her I had to use google translate! I typed in my phone "I just like to meet with people and help them to learn more about God. Do you want to meet on Tuesday or Wednesday?" and she responded that she did want to meet! It shocked me that she would say yes so readily because it was a little difficult to communicate haha! For our lesson we brought a member with us who just returned from her mission in Japan. As you can imagine, the member was pretty pumped to come and talk to someone in Japanese.I was so grateful for her because there would have been so many misunderstandings without her! During the lesson we realized that Misaki is actually really interested and learning about the gospel and really wanted to come to church on Sunday. We taught her about the atonement and prayer and she said a prayer at the end of the lesson. She also committed to come to church! 

We had a ride set up for her to come to church on Sunday but the ride last minute cancelled. I was so sad Sunday morning, thinking we had no way to get Misaki to church. Then Sister Guzman said "why don't we just walk with her from the sky train station to the church?" We decided to just go for it and texted Misaki the plan. We met Misaki at the sky train station then walked with her all the way to the church. In the rain. Needless to say we were soaked and the ward (it wasn't even our ward because YSA disbanded for Christmas) was probably confused and horrified by our appearance. Haha. The service on Sunday was really good but the whole time I was wondering what Misaki was thinking. On the walk home we were able to talk to her about it and she told us she really liked it. She randomly said "I so happy."  We asked her why and she said it was because she felt peace at church. I was filled with so much happiness when I heard that!! There we were, walking in the freezing rain (Misaki was wearing tennis shoes and didn't have an umbrella or a raincoat) and Misaki still felt the peace that comes from coming closer to God. It was amazing! That's a Christmas miracle for you. 

On Thursday this week we had a tri-zone zone conference!! It was so much fun!! We learned a lot about teaching skills and it really hit me how important it is to rely on the spirit when teaching someone. God knows the hearts of His children best. I've been realizing that the ability to truly minister requires a lot of faith and confidence in the Savior. I remember one time I was thinking about all the people who have helped me in my life and I was thinking about how it was that they were able to help me. My first thought was "I guess you have to be really confident in yourself to be able to help someone." Then immediately another thought flew through my mind. That thought was "No, you just have to be confident in who the Savior is." That really hit me. Of course as humans we're going to come short, but because Jesus Christ is perfect and is with us we are able to minister and help others with His power. It's all centered on and revolves around Jesus Christ.

After zone conference we had the awesomest  mission Christmas party ever! We had a Christmas lunch together then we all gathered to watch performances from each of the zones. They even skyped in the missionaries up north and on the island! We only had a days notice to come up with a performance but we all pulled together and came up with an awesome skit! I may be biased, but I'm pretty sure Abbotsford zone is the best zone ever ;)... not like I've served in this zone for over a year or something haha ;) I'm so grateful for little golden moments like those. 

We've found some amazing people this week! We met this girl named Rochelle from the Philippines. While we were talking to  her she said "I just feel like I have no purpose in my life." We taught her the plan of salvation and invited her to learn more about it. Sister Guzman said "let's meet on Tuesday (Christmas)" I thought for sure she would say no (you know, Christmas...) but she said yes!! Unfortunately she was stuck at work so we had to re-schedule. I'm so excited for her though because it's easy to see how much she really is searching for the gospel! 

We've honestly seen so many miracles this week and I'm so grateful! I love doing this work so much! I hope you all had a merry Christmas!

Love, Sister Bloomfield

Be Still {week 76}

Dear Friends and Family,

This has been an incredible week!! COBY GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!! I'm sooooo happy and excited for him!!!! It's amazing to think that just a couple of months ago sister Robison and I ran into him on the streets of Langley on the day we didn't have a car. God's plans are WAY BETTER than mine!! That's for sure!!! 

The font here in Langley was broken so we had to go all the way to Maple Ridge for the baptism! It turned out to be an amazing service! It was especially amazing to see the difference in Coby after he got the gift of the Holy Ghost! The best thing in the world about being a missionary is watching someone grow in the gospel. 

This Sunday all of us missionaries were asked to speak! It was an amazing experience because one thing I've been working on is teaching by the spirit so I decided to not write my talk out this time. Instead I just studied a lot and prepared a few scriptures. When I got on the stand I didn't know exactly what I was going to say, but I felt the spirit so strongly. It was a pretty amazing experience. All the other missionaries who spoke also had such strong testimonies. I felt the spirit so strong that sacrament meeting. One thing our branch President said after we spoke was about how amazed he was that God would send such young people to proclaim the gospel. He said "God sends weak things to confound the wise so weak things can become strong." That really struck me. It's so true that God can make weak things become strong. One of the themes of my mission has been the scripture in Ether 12:27. If we humble ourselves before God, He can make us strong even though we are weak.

I've learned lately that if we truly understand the gospel, there would be no need to be worried or stressed. Because of Jesus Christ everything will always be ok. One thing that has been echoing in my mind has been "Be still, and know that I am God."

Have a wonderful week!

Sister Bloomfield
 

A year in Langley! {week 75}

Hello Friends,

Sorry but I don't have much time! One thing I've learned this week though is how much God truly loves us! We saw some tender mercies this week that just amazed me! He truly is in the details of the details of our lives!

This week there was a day where I was feeling kind of down. I said a prayer to Heavenly Father that He would send someone to me to pump me up and I kid you not, 5 steps later I ran into the Cranes! The Cranes are a senior couple who used to be serving here that recently went home! They are the ones who helped me so much with my passport! It was such a sweet reunion and it made me so happy and excited! Just one evidence that God was aware of me!

A few days later we were doing comp study and we were really stressed about something when we got a random phone call. It was our district leader! It was a surprise because he usually calls at night but he had felt prompted to call us right at that moment. He role played with us and we were able to laugh and prepare for the rest of our day. It truly was inspired and helped us a lot! God is seriously aware of each and every one of us!

This week we have been able to teach a lot of amazing people! The other day we found this awesome girl! And it turns out she is friends with one of our members! We had a lesson with them and the spirit was so strong! I could feel it guiding us! I just know this church is true and that God is so aware of us. He wants the best for us!

We also got transfer calls and I'm staying in Langley YSA with Sister Guzman. WOOOHOOOOO!!!! I can say that I spent a year of my mission in Langley!!!!!!!!!! That makes me so happy!!!! I've practically moved in!!!! This is seriously my home now!!! I love it so much!!! Not to mention a huge portion of my MTC district just got transferred in this zone!! Woohoo!! I'm practically ending my mission the way I started it! This is going to be such a blast!!

To quote a fellow missionary "Heavenly Father always smiles at you when you try your best." I know that's true! Sometimes we view God as a disapproving teacher or something but I know that He is always smiling at us and He is so happy whenever we do something good. God truly loves us so much! More than we can ever comprehend!

Anyways, have a great week!

Sister Bloomfield

All that you have and are {week 74}

Hello everyone,

This has been such a crazy and exhausting week. Exhausting in a wonderful way! 

This week we were able to teach one of Marcia's friends! It was such a cool experience! She has so many questions and is so curious about the gospel. It is so fun teaching people who have so many questions. I always love it when we commit someone to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. The Book of Mormon is so powerful. Reading has really helped me to understand the true nature of God. 

We were also able to teach another girl we're working with about faith. She's had such a hard past she has a hard time trusting God. But as we taught her, her heart opened up and she said she wanted to learn to trust God. As we were walking out of the lesson she asked me what made me always be in such a good mood. I told her it was the gospel and asked her what made her happy. She said she wasn't happy because of what happened in her past. I told her that it is only through the gospel that she can leave that behind and become truly happy. I know that's true. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can find relief from the burden of past trials and mistakes. 

We also had stake conference this weekend. Elder Hallstrom came! It was one of the best stake conferences I've ever been to. They talked a lot about consecration. In Mosiah 2:34 it says "I say unto you, that there are not any among you, except it be your little children that have not been taught concerning these things, but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are" I love that scripture because we are able to give heavenly Father all that we have and are out of a deep gratitude and love for Him. Serving God should be our first priority. True happiness comes as we turn our hearts to God. 

I have found true happiness as I've been able to serve as a missionary! We saw so many miracles this week, as we do everyday! 

Anyways, I hope you all have an amazing week!