Perfect love casteth out all fear {week 21}

Hello everyone!

We had transfer calls this week and it looks like Sister Van Valkenburg and I are both staying! I'm so grateful for that! Up until this point on my mission I've experienced a lot of change so this will be the first time everything has stayed the same. I'm so grateful, I love this area so much!

We moved apartments this week and that was an adventure..... We asked one set of elders and a senior couple to help us and ended up with 4 sets of elders and 2 senior couples! We were moved in like 20 minutes! It was incredible! Mormon missionaries are a billion times better than paid movers, that's for sure! It was kind of an incredible experience. We were really stressed out about moving 5 years worth of accumulated missionary junk (our apartment has been used by missionaries for 5 years) and didn't know how things were going to go. But we did our best at packing everything and tried not to inconvenience too many people. Then Heavenly Father sent in an army and things went so smoothly! It was just a testimony to me that when we try our best we cannot fail because Heavenly Father will always be there to help us and support us. On our own we would fail, but with Him all things are possible. 

This Sunday I sang in Sacrament Meeting with Sister Van Valkenburg and a couple other missionaries in our ward. It was so cool! I had so much fun! As I was singing and looking out at the congregation I just had this moment of pure happiness. I'm so grateful to be a missionary! I'm also so grateful that I was able to participate in that musical number. It's not like I have the best voice, but I was still able to participate which was awesome! 

This week we had a multitude of Thanksgiving dinners.... I think I've had enough Thanksgiving for the next 5 years! It is so amazing to me how kind the members are here! In fact, a week before Thanksgiving we went to the Ward Mission Leader assistant's house for dinner and they were all excited to surprise us with American Thanksgiving! It was so funny because they were a week off! It was so sweet though and it made me feel so loved! I am SO GRATEFUL for the people Heavenly Father allows me to serve around. Being on a mission has taught me so much about loving others and how much our Heavenly Father loves us. 

Something I've been learning about this week is the phrase "perfect love casteth out all fear" I used to think that meant that a knowledge that Heavenly Father loves us, will help us to not feel any fear. But I've been beginning to see that phrase in a new light. Love is an action word. When we love people we care more about them than we care about ourselves. Fear is when we're afraid about what will happen to us. So when we love someone, we act even if we don't know what is going to happen to us as a result. And when we act in love, that action is what casts out all fear. And Jesus Christ helps us to act. That's why as missionaries we talk to people even if we don't know how they'll respond to us. That's why we're able help our friends and families. It's pretty incredible!

Have a great week!

Sister Bloomfield ​

Happy Thanksgiving {week 20}

Hello everyone!

To be completely honest I don't feel like I have too much to say since P-day was just last Tuesday and that went by really fast. But it's been a good week as usual!

I hope everyone has had a good week. We had the opportunity to teach some people from Brazil this week! They are amazing! We have had a lot of little adventures this week that have been fun but nothing too exciting. 

We got to watch the YSA broadcast and it was sooo good! One thing that really stuck out to me was what was said about receiving personal revelation. In order to receive inspiration from God we need to be living a clean life. If we are focusing all our attention on coming closer to God then we will be able to more fully see God's hand in our life along with His will for  us. Heavenly Father loves us so much and wants us to be happy. 

One of my siblings said "it sounds like you are in the best mission ever." I think I'd have to agree with that statement. Pretty sure this is the best mission ever. Mostly because Heavenly Father's plan for us is perfect. And the mission He has called me to is perfect for me. One thing that's amazing about Heavenly Father's plan for us is that He allows us to use our agency. He doesn't just provide a perfect path for us, He creates our life hand in hand with us and our choices.

I am so grateful for this gospel. I cannot even express how grateful I am to have a knowledge of Jesus Christ and the perfect love He has for each of His children. 

Sorry there's nothing that exciting to read this week! Have a wonderful week and a great Thanksgiving! I've already had a great Canadian Thanksgiving but there are some Americans in my ward who want to give us American Thanksgiving! So thanksgiving round 2, here I go! It makes sense that I'd get to have 2 thanksgivings though, I have so much to be grateful for!

Sister Bloomfield 

Go team Gryffindor! {week 19}

Hello everyone!

This week was such a good week! I don't even know where to begin!

On Monday we found this really cool guy who was so sincere! He has such a strong faith in Christ! The spirit was so strong while we were talking to him, it was such an incredible experience.We invited him to come to church and he was so excited! He came with his two little kids and stayed for all 3 hours. He said he felt the spirit so strongly and that he knew it was true! 

Sunday was actually a pretty incredible day. There are these 2 wonderful women whom I love SO MUCH that we've been working with. They've been baptized but are hesitant to come to church for a variety of reasons. However there is an angel in our ward who just loves them and supports them as their friend. This week they both came to church and told us they were coming to stay. They said it was because they knew God loved them because of how much their angelic friend had loved and supported them no matter what. All of you people out there who may feel discouraged because a loved one is not active in the church, do not give up! The small things make a big difference.

Remember the random guy I was praying to run into on the streets and then we ran into him twice? Well we had a lesson with him and his family that was really powerful. The spirit was so strong. Michael (the guy) really wants to come to church but his situation with his family life, etc, makes it nearly impossible. Through the spirit I promised him that if he went to church every Sunday from here on out, even if it was alone, that one day his entire family would join him. I know that promise came from God. I also know that God loves his family so much. Anyways, we were in charge of getting a ride for him but come Saturday night no one was responding. Sunday morning in ward council I was sooooo sad we couldn't find them a ride. I said something to the elders about it and the Young men's president over heard. He had a lot of responsibilities to take care of but he dropped everything to go and pick Michael up for church. It reminded me of the Savior leaving the 99 to go and rescue the 1 lost sheep. The Savior refuses to let us go and as His missionary I refuse to let His sheep go as well. Michael was so surprised that we actually found a ride for him that he wasn't ready for church unfortunately. But his mom and sister came! We are going to make sure Michael has another chance to come though. I am so grateful for the Young Men's president who was willing to do whatever it took to get one of his fold to church. I want to be that kind of ward member some day. 

I had this moment at church where the spirit just washed over me. I looked out at all the people who came to church and my heart just filled with such gratitude. This is what I'm here for. This is what all the hard work is for. The church is true and the reason we want people to come to church is because we love them and we know that it is what will make them happy. Heavenly Father is just waiting to bless us. 

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be on a mission. The gospel changes and improves lives. I know it's real and tangible and I know it is for everyone. 

This was honestly such a good week and I'm so grateful for the experiences I've been able to have. 

Also to explain my subject line, we've been having Harry Potter themed district challenges lately, so that's been fun. 

My companion loves to sing so we've been singing in lessons a lot lately. We have 2 musical numbers in Sacrament meeting coming up with the elders in our ward and I'm so excited! Singing is always something I've wished I was good at but never had the opportunity to see if I actually am! And now I'm singing all the time! (For better or for worse haha :)) It's so much fun!

Have a great week!

Sister Bloomfield

 

I know that the greatest joy comes from serving God {week 18}

Hello!

I love being on a mission so much! It's amazing to me how loving and merciful Heavenly father is. He is aware of us and wants to bless us. In the words of one of my amazing STLs "God doesn't know how to disappoint you. Only bless you." 

It becomes more and more evident to me each day how much Heavenly Father is guiding this work. This Sunday we had a miracle! Since we cover 2 wards a lot of our meetings overlap. One of our investigators told us she was coming to church. I will call her Martha. She's the one we found in front of the church last week. Anyways, we waited for her but she didn't show so we decided not to go to sacrament meeting but to go to a meeting with the other ward instead. While we were sitting in that meeting we got a text from the elders that said "Martha is here and she is bearing her testimony." My jaw just dropped! Sister Van Valkenburg and I bolted out of our meeting to find Martha surrounded by a bunch of ward members thanking her for her testimony. Apparently while on the stand she told the congregation that she thinks she has found the true church. It was such a miracle! 

Not to mention this past week we had an AMAZING lesson with Martha and some people from the ward. The spirit was SO STRONG! I know that this is Christ's true church restored to the earth. Martha is starting to discover that for herself too. 

This area is SO AWESOME! We have a ton of awesome activities coming up to kick off Christmas. Since Thanksgiving is over and done with here Christmas is in full swing! And I am in heaven! Not to mention the other day a wonderful ward member signed up to feed us American Thanksgiving! I couldn't even believe how kind they are! They don't just let us celebrate their holidays, but they let us celebrate ours as well! I am in my home away from home :) 

Yesterday at church we sang "oh Canada" it was just another small reminder that I'm in a completely different country. It really is pretty different here. 

Anyways, nothing too exciting happened this week. It is so pretty here! I can't even express to you how beautiful it is. 

There's a scripture that stood out to me this morning from the Book of Mormon. It's in 3 Nephi 27:10 and is Christ talking describing misisonary work. It says "and for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea your joy shall be full even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one"  I know that the greatest joy comes from serving God. 

Have an amazing week!

Sister Bloomfield

So Many Miracles! {week 17}

Hello everyone!

I don't even know where to begin so sorry if this email ends up making no sense, because it probably won't. Haha oh well.

This has been a week of miracles! So amazing! One thing I'm learning is that the only way for God to perform miracles is if we act in faith. The key word is act. There are so many people that we talk to and after the conversation we say "wow that was a miracle!" But would it have been a miracle if we decided to not talk to that person? Nope! If we didn't act and talk to people, we would see no miracles. But they are all around us!

Here's a list of miracles:

1. Our car was broken into :( but we felt inspired to bring our GPS inside for no apparent reason! So it wasn't stolen! Only Sister Van Valkenburg's flash drive was stolen! 

2. This one is pretty cool. We were on our way to a meeting at the church. We get there 15 minutes early and see this random car parked on the speed bump. We creepily pull up next to it and roll down our window to talk to the driver. Come to find out she's not a member and just comes to the church because it feels good there. We give her a church tour and set a return appointment. She's been looking for a church and is super cool. After she leaves we look at our phone and see a text pop up that was sent at 3:30 in the afternoon to tell us that the location of the meeting had moved. It was 8 at night. And we had been using the phone all day. If we had got that text we never would have gone to the church. It was a miracle! I couldn't even believe it! God's hand is in His work.

3. There's a member of the church here who doesn't come often because him and his sister are only 17 and 11. And his parents aren't members. But I've always felt strongly that we needed to work with them. One day last transfer Sister Crane and I ran into him on the streets but weren't able to talk to him. Ever since then I've felt really sad and have been secretly praying for a second chance since he's never home when we drop by. Yesterday we ran into him on the street but it was in the middle of a crosswalk! I was so sad we couldn't talk to him for longer! So I said a prayer that we would run into him again. And within the hour we ran into him and were able to talk to him more! It was a miracle! Especially since we wouldn't have been walking if we hadn't run out of gas earlier that day. Incredible! Heavenly Father is so good!

In order to see miracles we have to act and use our faith. But excersizing our faith is different for each person. As long as we act in faith Heavenly Father will bless us! Don't forget how much God loves you! I cannot even express to you how much effort He goes to for the well being of His children. You should see our multiple area books... and the billions of meetings we have. Just to know how to help any and all people. Don't doubt for a second that He loves you!

To answer some questions:

Yes I am working in both wards now, it is fantastic! I love it so much! God has a lot in store for this area. Haha and yes a lot of exciting things have happened this week...see above :). 

Have a wonderful week!

Sister Bloomfield

 

Dressing up for Halloween!

 

The chicken nugget becomes the chicken {week 16}

Hello!

I hope everyone has had an amazing week. Things have been pretty great here in Canada! It's been so exciting to figure things out with the new ward added to my area, but it's been so awesome! I never even know where to begin when writing this email though, so sorry if it doesn't make sense or doesn't include interesting information.

It's been raining here a ton! It's so fun to run around in the rain :) Canada is absolutely gorgeous!

It's kind of cool because Sister Van Valkenburg came from my last area! It's been so fun to talk about the people we both left behind! It's definitely making me homesick for my last area though. I absolutely LOVE Brookswood/ Willoughby! I am so grateful Heavenly Father allowed me to stay here! I was sad to say goodbye to Sister Crane, but I know she'll do amazing things in her new area! My subject line is one last parting quote from Sister Crane. She always called me chicken nugget :) and when she left she said "it's time the chicken nugget became the chicken." 

Things are going great here though! I love getting to know all the ward members. Funny story, yesterday the elders had to give us something so we were trying to figure out a place to meet up. We ended up meeting in front of a members house. The elders parked in the driveway and handed us what we needed. Right as we were about to leave the member came out of her house, confused as to why there was a gathering of missionaries outside! It was so funny! The member is a good friend of ours though so we had a good laugh :) 

Something I've started to work on is studying the life of Christ. I've learned that it is only because of Christ that we have to ability to become anything. Because Christ loves us so perfectly as we come closer to him we learn how to love more perfectly. I know that He is with us before, after, and during our trials. Even if we can't feel His presence until after the trial. It is because of Him that we can experience pure and lasting happiness. So if you ever wonder why the Mormon missionaries are always at your door to bother you, that's why. We just want everyone to have this same happiness.

Have a great week!

Sister Bloomfield

Transfer Calls! {week 15}

Hello!

Transfer calls came and there were some interesting changes! Sister Crane is going to Northshore and I'll be staying here! Weirdly enough my new companion is the sister who took my spot in Victoria. So far I've always been companions with my previous companion's current companion! Kind of weird! I'm sad to see Sister Crane leave but I am excited for the challenges that lay ahead! They just added another ward to my area! So now we cover Brookswood and Willoughby, We also moved zones and districts and we're moving in with the STL's! (Sister training leaders) It's going to be an exciting transfer! Also I'm slightly jealous of this elder in my district who randomly got called to Spanish work after serving English speaking for the past year or so. He wasn't even called Spanish speaking to begin with! Talk about a cool challenge! I'm super excited for this next transfer though and beyond grateful for the opportunities Heavenly Father has given me and will continue to give me on my mission. 

I love the people in this area SO MUCH! Let me just rave about one of the members of our ward.  She is one of the people who gave us Thanksgiving dinner. She is always calling us, asking how she can help, hosting activities for us to invite people to, making flyers for us, and introducing us to her friends. Not to mention she feeds us dinner a lot. And she's not even a ward missionary! I just wanted to take a moment to talk about how amazing she is! The other day she was telling us that sharing the gospel just felt so good that she wanted to do it all the time! Talk about amazing! I want to be that type of ward member some day. This ward is on fire though, there are multiple people like that who are eager to join in on the work. I know that as people become more engaged in missionary work their happiness and love for the gospel increases. 

I love the people so much, if I haven't already said that enough! I love the people we're teaching, the people on the streets, the people in the ward. I'm so grateful for the chance I have to be a missionary. It really is a privilege. 

Last P-day I had the amazing opportunity to see Sister Beckstrand and Sister Fababier! Their zone joined ours for a BBQ! I was so surprised to see her! It made my day! Life is full of a lot of ups and downs but it's the ups that amaze me. Heavenly Father could have just sent us to earth to suffer, but no He loves us and has provided us with so many opportunities to experience happiness. Happiness is not just for the next life, it's for right here and now too!  

It is so incredible to see the gospel change people. I have seen people who were once hostile to the church completely change and begin attending again. I've seen people in extremely difficult circumstances turn around and give and serve others. I've seen people bear their testimony of Jesus Christ despite the difficult trials they are facing. It is incredible to watch people begin to discover their divine potential because of the gospel. I know that each individual has a divine potential that can be reached with the help of Jesus Christ. 

It's also amazing how much Heavenly Father has a hand in the missionary work. If it weren't for Him we could completely and utterly fail. The other day we were teaching a lesson with our incredible investigators who are preparing to be baptized. They were asking some questions that I was unsure of how to address but words were coming out of my mouth that were not my own. It was such an incredible experience! As a missionary I am not the teacher, the spirit is and because of that I can learn with my investigators. Talk about amazing! 

Also funny quote from Sister Crane: "If you had to eat cheeseburgers for the rest of your life..... would you eat them?" I don't know if that's funny to you but it's funny to me! Sister Crane is always asking me the randomest and funniest questions! We're always laughing!

Have a wonderful week! Look for the miracles that are all around you!

Sister Bloomfield