Elder Travis John Bloomfield in Fukuoka, Japan: 29 September 2013

Hellooooooo,

Well.. what a week! This week was filled with Azumi`s birthday, a neat Japanese style haircut, eating okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake with vegitables and fish or some kind of meat mixed in)with the big dogs of Saijo at some small okonomiyaki bar, having a couple of Azumi's friends tell her to her face she is making a mistake and that we are a heresy, participated in an African bible study and found out what its like to serve a mission in Africa, ate pig ear, Azumi telling us she wants to serve a mission, and confirming someone a member of the church in Japanese (that was a bit nerve racking), teaching a lesson in what easily could have been the local trash dump but no it was our investigators apartment, and playing a Japanese tag game with 14 little elementary school Japanese kids. Well what to explain further.

Azumi ---Her testimony is so strong and did just what you said you would pray for! Stand up for her beliefs despite the pressure from her friends. First off, she has already given us a referral and we are now teaching one of her friends, then after that lesson when we were talking to Azumi one of her other friends came up to us and started asking us why we were Mormon? Why did we believe in the Book of Mormon? We told them well we have prayed to our Heavenly Father and he answered our prayers through the Holy Ghost and that is how we know it is true. He then just turned to Azumi and was like "Azumi their church is a heresy, we don't need prophets today, we don't need the Book of Mormon, it is through Christ that we can receive the Holy Ghost when we read the Bible, you are making a mistake by even listening to them." They asked her why she wants to join our church and she just straight up told them, "well, I read the Book of Mormon, I prayed to Heavenly Father, I went to church, and I felt a special peace, and I know its true, so I wanted to be baptised." She is amazing!! Her friend also kept trying to tell us that is says in the Bible that we don't need anything more than the Bible, that it says that in the Book of Revelations on the last chapter.

My friends.. those who doubt the Book of Mormon. Doubt not! The Book of Revelations states that those who add on to `this book` will receive the plagues from God. THIS BOOK. The Book of Revelations that John wrote. It says that those who would add to the book that John wrote and change it would be cursed! When john wrote this he did not even know that his writings would be added together with many other historical records and become the Bible (which literally means a collection of books). It was not until later, when people started to change the writings that the Catholics put them all together to create the Bible to preserve the writings. A similar verse is also in Deuteronomy 4:2. If this statement they claim were true, then this would mean that everything after Deuteronomy is false, which would then mean that the entire New Testament is false which would mean that Christ never lives which would mean that the church that Azumi`s friend attends does not even exist! they would have no beliefs! and even if you put the bible in chronological order the book of revelations would be in the middle! the bible and Book of Mormon prophesy of each other time and time again! Ezekiel 37 speaks about how the stick of Judah (bible) and the stick of Joseph (book of Mormon) would be put together one day. in 2 ne 3 we have the writings of Joseph of Egypt who testifies of the same thing! That the fruit of those of Joseph would keep a record and the fruit of those of Judah would have a record. In 1 Nephi 5 in the Book of Mormon, Lehi explains his lineage and explains they are all descendants of Joseph! The Book of Mormon is written by the descendants of Joseph and the Bible of those from Judah! If you ever doubt the Book of Mormon it is because you are too lazy to study and figure out these things for yourself! There are many more cross references that both books testify of each other. Study these books and build the testimony for yourself! The Book of Mormon is true and if the Book of Mormon is true than so is Joseph Smith who translated this book by the power of God a prophet, so too we have prophets today, so too we can live with our families for all time and all eternity.

So my friends, study hard, and you will not apostasize　:) If you begin to doubt the gospel it is simply because you are too lazy to really study these things out and know for yourself. If you want to know if God exists. He will tell you. Ask the missionaries! They can help you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Much love to all,

Elder Bloomfield