13 April 2014 - Christlike Attributes

Well I don't have much time so here is some of what I sent to Kaicho that you can check out:

The work this week was great. It's always great. It's the Lords work.  As far as investigators go, this week seemed to have been our trial of faith.  We had 6 set up various appointments in which our investigators did not come and did not answer the phone when we called.  We were able to meet with our investigator, Kusatsu San and she opened up a lot to us.  She explained how she thought in order to come to church she had to stop smoking first, and has been praying to stop smoking but felt she couldn't come to church until after she stopped. There was a lot of love in the lesson and she progressed a lot.  She still has a problem where she is taking medicine to overcome a shoulder problem but the side effects is it causes her to sleep all day except for breakfast and dinner.  Hopefully it will finish in the next two weeks.  

As far as less active work goes we had a cool miracle.  We saw a less active member on one of the trolleys so we ran to catch up to the trolley and rode it with him to talk to him.   We set up an appointment and at that appointment committed him to come to General Conference.  Sunday morning came and when the fufu walked out of their apartment to drive to church they found him in front of their apartment.   He apparently had gotten lost and conveniently was placed right in front of their apartment as they were leaving to church and were able to give him a ride.   Coincidence?   Miracle!!  Our plan is to prepare him to be worthy to go to the temple and we will work with him to do that. 

The zone is working hard and genki.   Last week as part of our `Believing is Seeing` program, we focused on faith and obedience, and the challenge was to focus on baptismal invites.   As a result of the many baptismal invites there were so many cool miracles and many new investigators who already know of their goal for baptism in the zone last week!   I think as a result the zone has realized how effective baptismal invites are the companionship's that really focused on them, saw the results and want to do them more. 

Other than that everyone is working hard and seeing miracles.   The zone is currently working up and hopefully all of the new investigators will begin to turn into member presents, sacrament meeting's, and baptismal dates.   We will do all we can to help this to happen.   I love the work and will continue to do all I can for the area. 

Thank you for all you do.

(Now back to the letter to family and friends)

Yeah so this week the zone had around 100 baptismal invites (inviting someone to be baptized) and it was wayyy cool to see all of the miracles that came from it.   This week we also went on junkai (splits) with the Taniyama Edlers.   As we were teaching a woman while housing about eternal families and how we will one day be resurrected she began to cry.   We came to find out that she had cancer a couple of years ago and also that her children had just left her.   We testified of eternal families and Resurrection and she just wiped her tears and showed us pictures of her family and stuff.   She was a real cute woman. hah   She was like, "I can really be resurrected with them? when?  after I read this pamphlet will I be resurrected?   I want to believe, I want to believe!"    So that was a cool miracle from junkai.

Well I'm out of time for now.   I have some things I need to go do. but I will be back later most likely after you go to sleep ;)   So sweet dreams and much love to you all!

Elder Bloomfield

Well I'm back with a bit more time now.   Other things that happened this week... hmmm. Well one day we were fasting but accidentally didn't eat until about 9:30 at night because we were too busy and didn't have time for dinner.   Then another day, when I was trying to make dinner really fast so we could get out the door and go work I was moving to quick and accidentally stubbed my toe and ripped my pinky toe nail off a bit, so that was a bummer.   She used to be such a nice pinky toe nail.

I got to watch a few of the Saturday Session talks and then the Sunday Session talks of General Conference. Elder Holland almost ripped off the pulpit he was so excited. I love that man.  I'm counting my blessings, they don't really have mashed potatoes here in Japan so no worries there for me (Elder Holland told a story in his talk about a sister missionary who got mashed potatoes thrown at her by a "Hater".  Travis figured he is safe (put I think he better watch out for the rice balls - sometimes they are loaded)). 

Ohhhyeahhhhh. I already talked about it a bit in the other letter but this week the zone focused on baptismal invites and saw a lot of way cool miracles this week.   I don't know if I ever told you this but this zone in the past has kind of struggled a bit.   The ZLs and an entire District was actually white washed a few transfers ago, but it seems it is finally building up.   So far this month the zone has found an average of like 3 or 4 new investigators each day and there have just been so many cool stories.   We are focusing a lot on trying to make sure there is a lot of Christlike attributes and love within each companionship, because that is where it all starts, and from the companionship there can be a lot of success from it.   I think this can be compared to everyone whether you are a missionary, married, or not married.   If you are not expressing your best effort to be Christlike especially as a missionary how can we expect success in HIS work.   As a married couple if we are not trying to apply Christlike attributes every single day then we are not giving the married relationship the full potential it could have and if you're not married you still have the Holy Ghost as a companion and even your little groups of friends at school. just ask Lauren Bloomfield, she and the dozen know all about it. Deshooo!!   But I challenge everyone to pick a couple of Christlike attributes each week and just focus on just 2 each week.  Then next week choose a different two.   I promise more success in every part of your life whether it has to do with the gospel or not. In Corinthians we are told if we have not charity, we are nothing... So let that settle a bit. 

Well I hope all is well! 

Love ya!

Elder Bloomfield

Thought for the week:

7 April 2014 - Strawberry Picking

Well this week we had MLC (Mission Leader Conference) on Tuesday.   So we woke up at 5am and took a shinkansen to Fukuoka.  We had our meeting, then took a shinkansen home and got back about 9:00pm.   hah. It was an entertaining MLC though.   This week we also had our Zone Training Meeting.  We had a very good spirit filled ztm.   We are doing a "Becoming more Christlike" program this transfer.   Each week there is two attributes from the 9 attributes in Preach My Gospel, that are to be the focus that week.   The missionaries in the zone will study those attributes in the week as well as with their companion apply that attribute as best they can into their dendo and life everyday.   Along with the 2 attributes there is a different challenge to go with the attributes each week.   For example, one week is focusing on the youth, do as much as you can that week to focus on the youth, another one is focusing on baptismal invites to work hard towards the Easter goal.  Another is focusing on the Atonement, using it as much as possible, on the streets and in lessons, etc..  Challenges like that.   We are excited and it should be fun.   

At ztm we also did trainings on how to approach the young (high school students, college students, and young families) in an effective way.   Right now the church in Japan is way old and it's kind of a problem.   The average age for the Kagoshima Branch is 57 and if there are not more young in the church, basically in like 15 years after everyone dies there won't really be a branch anymore.   The entire mission is focusing on young right now and it's actually a lot more fun than teaching old people in my opinion.   No offence to the crazy old peeps here in Japan. We also did a training on how to teach the Atonement and such but it was a good time. 

Our investigator Kusatsu san had a cool miracle this week.   So lately she has been in and out of the hospital because of various problems she has with her body, and she is currently taking medicine for her shoulder to heal, but one of the effects of the medicine is it makes her sleepy and she basically sleeps from breakfast to about 3 or 4 in the afternoon and then from dinner again until the next morning.   So meeting her to teach is pretty much impossible.   We wanted to fast for her yesterday and she told us she wanted to fast with us.   The cool miracle is she decided to fast her medicine for that 24 hrs too because she has to drink water for her medicine, and she said she didn't feel any of her body pain those 24 hrs and didn't ever get hungry.   The beauty of fasting aye?   It works!!!!!!   So that was way cool for her and hopefully we will begin to be meeting her more often. 

Well I can't really think of much else.   Today we went to a strawberry farm and I ate a lot of strawberries. Apparently there isn't just one kind of strawberry,  who woulda known?  There were like 5 different kinds.   We apparently were not supposed to eat any while we were picking them, but I didn't know that and happened to eat a few while picking them. woops!!   But hey how am I supposed to know which flavor is which and if I like that one if I don't eat one real quick?   I just had to take a quick reminder. 

Kagoshima is good these days. We found some young new investigators Saturday and Sunday that we are excited to meet with this week.   We had a lesson with a guy from Nepal Sunday and we were supposed to meet him at the Central Park and when we went there I was pretty blown away at how much it was like Austin.   The park had tons of hipsters and kids break dancing and skating and such.   It was a way cool park that reminded me of Austin but prolly not the best place to teach a lesson I found out. 

Well I can't think of much else.   Life is good.   The ash is good.   I'm reminded why God gave us eyelashes... The ash in the eye never gets old.   I'm excited for General Conference next week.   I don't know if I will have the privilege of watching it in English or not but maybe if I'm lucky. 

Oh also I got the package from Mom. I'm way excited to read about Christs Life everyday until he died and his Resurrection. Legit!  Arigatooo!!  Way cool. 

Well I hope everyone is genki. 

Love,
Elder Bloomfield

Picking Strawberries

Elder Sasaki and Travis at Strawberry Farm

Travis, Elder Sasaki and guy from Nepal at Central Park

Thought for the week: 

30 March 2014 - The Lost Choro (Elder)

Whats up family,

First off I want to tell you all what I am experiencing right now.   The old grandma on the computer next to me is watching cartoons on youtube and absolutely busting up laughing.  haha   It's so awesome and as a result I am trying to keep my laughs in as much as possible but its pretty difficult.   I've already let a few out on accident.. Old people here are crazy. 

Well this week was good.   I'm glad to finally have a companion.   Not being able to work on my area and grow the work was a little frustrating.   I'm glad he is here now and I just wanna work way hard.   I have had a way good feeling about the work here in Kagoshima lately.   The good feelings kind of started about 3 weeks ago and there is a cool story to that.   So after I was telling Sasaki Choro how excited I am to work this transfer and the feeling and visioning I have for the area, he told me about 3 weeks ago he had a dream that he was dendoing here in Kagoshima as well.   I am just thankful president is so in tune with the spirit and knows where and when to send people to what areas.   I don't know what will happen in the area and when but I know the work is going to begin to pick up even more.   I don't know when or how but all I know is I will continue to abide by the spirit and do the Lords will. and his will for the area will happen. 

I emailed Gary and Azumi last week.   They are doing good.   Azumi is in Ecuador just doing her thing.   Another cool miracle.   Elder Dolbin (now working in Fukuoka) was going to lunch with a member last week and they were planning on going to some restaurant but then last minute decided to go to a different restaurant and guess who he sees the moment he walks in the door. Azumi!   she was just in Fukuoka visiting for a short time.  She was visiting her grandparents before she leaves for Ecuador for a couple of years, and just so happened to be in the same place, same time, in a city of prolly like 500,000 people or more (I'm not really sure how big). Coincidence? I think it is much easier for God to throw nice treats in there for you when you are living righteously ;)   We at least will be able to recognize the promptings from God so we can receive those treats if we are living righteously. deshooo!! 

Another funny thing that happened this week.   So on transfers its my responsibility to make sure everyone in the zone makes it to their area safe and sound,   One of the new missionaries fresh from the MTC had a bit of a mishap.  haha.   He came into Kagoshima by bus, I bought his train ticket for him, showed him his ticket and said, "alright bud, here's your ticket!   You will go to platform 4, it leaves at 2:19, and will arrive in Miyakonojo at 3:32, any questions?" (pointing to all of the information on the ticket as I gave it to him).  He says, "alright sounds good aishitteimasu bye byee!"  At 3:32 (the time he should arrive), I call Miyakonojo to make sure he made it safely.. "umm no he's not here yet, then they said, "the APs just called and said he would not get in till about 5 o clock."  I said, "what??"  hahah  So I called the APs (yes they reside in Fukuoka) and apparently they got a call from the Kagoshima train station and said that they have one of your lost Americans right now.  They said they can put him on the next train and he will arrive at 5 o clock.  How he got lost from the 40 steps we departed to platform 4,  I have no clue but hey at least the guy made it right? 

Well life is good. Mom, yeah the nihongo (Japanese language) is still a little ma ma (so so).  I can speak everything fine.  Sasaki`s English isn't the greatest, so we speak only in nihongo (Japanese), so that is fine.  The Kagoshima people are just a little hard to understand sometimes.   Hiroshimaben is a lil different, but life is good.

I am excited to work this transfer and see many miracles. Hope everyone is doing well. BTW can I see some pics from Mason's birthday?   I sent him a b day card and Kara as well.   Happy early birthday to her and the kid inside of her if he is celebrating as well since he is still kind of part of her.   Weird stuff the baby thing is ehh? 

Well hope all is well!   Love you all!   God wants to put miracles in our life every single day if we will just let him! 

2 Nephi 27:23    For behold, I am God; and I am a God of ^amiracles; and I will show unto the ^bworld that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I ^cwork not among the children of men save it be^daccording to their faith.

Elder Bloomfield

PS. Grandma over here is still laughing haha. Wild thing!!

PPS  I also had some hisashibure cow tongue this week for Kishihara`s birthday. It was way good. It reminded me of the good ol Sendai Days when we use to have it as a family.

Celebrating Kishihara's Birthday eating Hisashibure (Cow Tongue)

New Companion, Elder Sasaki

Thought for the week:

24 March 2014 - The Parable of the Cleaning Check

Well hello.   This week was dandy.  First off I got some great news.  So we have a new music policy here in the Fukuoka Mission.   Anything that is not endorsed by the church, like doesn't have the church`s name on it, is now dame (not permitted).   So like EFY music, Motab, and BYU Mens Chorus and such is okay, but all else, Piano Guys, Enya, etc is all dame haha   Dakara yoroshiku onagaishimasu.   I don't really mind it too much.   I did enjoy the Piano Guys and Enya but I was also tired of missionaries abusing the privilege of music.  haha  I thought the new rules were actually quite funny.  I was excited to see peoples reactions.

Also this week we had cleaning checks and it proved to be a great learning experience for me.   Not because I finally learned how to clean, no I've been doing that since I was old enough to walk, my parents made sure of that.   But I learned fast that "Cleaning Check" was quite different in the other elders minds.   As we began cleaning check, one of the elders sat down and started organizing all of his letters, while the other elder took out his camera and started looking through all is pictures.   As you can imagine I started to get a little frustrated that I was the only one cleaning as usual, but then I remembered a talk by John Bytheway about reversing your buts. I was thinking the cleaning is getting done now, but I'm the only one cleaning!   Then I realized I need to think, 

"Hey I'm the only one cleaning right now, but the cleaning is getting done."  I was thinking in ward as the natural man and not outward like Christ.   So after that I thought out ward for the rest of the time and its amazing how much more happy one can be as they turn outward despite how unfair things may be.  So I've realized I will prolly just only turn outward for the rest of my life because in the end it is much more happy.

I gave talk number like 6 or 7 in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday.  This week I was given a whole 3 days advance for the talk, that's the soonest so far!   I sort of mixed the turning outward and the talk you shared with me from your Youth Conference that Steve Young gave and talked about how we need to focus on obedience and not sacrifice.   With sacrifice we focus on what we are giving up for what we may get in result, but we don't need to worry about that. God has promised that with obedience he will always provide.   We just need to be obedient and whatever situations we may be in, we just see how much we can learn and grow from it and enjoy it.   So yeah now the Kagoshima Branch all know about Steve Young,   It's a good time.

Kusatsu san is progressing greatly.   She is up to I think like Alma 10 or something in the Book of Mormon but she got sick and couldn't come to church.   Still in every lesson so far, the lesson we have planned happens to be perfect and answer what question she has at the beginning of the lesson. Before our lesson I decided I wanted to read the Tree of Life with her and it happened to answer the exact questions she had from her reading in Alma 5. haha   The member who always joints with us, Sasaki Shimai, was getting pretty excited about it when we were talking at church,   She was like "you are a gift from God prepared for her!   You always know exactly what to teach her and it is always such a good lesson!  Go home and read Alma 5 and you will notice the lesson was just perfect!   You are prepared from God!"   The best part was I just smiled and nodded, "oh thank you, yes thank you, thank you, oh you are too kind" and then asked Urakami Choro what she said after because I couldn't understand what the heck she was trying to tell me.  I got something about returning home and being prepared from God and such.   So glad we cleared that one up. 

Kagoshimaben (dialect) is still a process in the learning.

Oh also Stevo about my haircut I got this week, when the lady was blow drying my hair I started laughing way hard and couldn't stop laughing because my hair looked so ridiculous and it reminded me of your stories when you got your haircuts in Japan and had an Afro after.   I felt way bad because the lady was way confused and thought she was doing something wrong, but I couldn't hold back my laughs.   It was just too good haha.

Well that's about all I can think of for this week.   My new companion will be Elder Sasaki.   He is in my same transfer and a hard worker so I am way excited.   I am looking forward to the reinforcements soon.   Two  ZL`s is much more convenient than 1. 

Well I hope everyone is genki.   Lets see some pics from Masons b day aye??   17- holy smokes he's gonna be hitting midlife crisis soon,  watch out.  

Well love you all.   Life is good.   Dendo is great.   Looking forward to that massage in 2 years.

Elder Bloomfield

Kagoshima District

Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)

Thought for the week:

17 March 2014 - My First Earthquake

Well this week was fun filled!!!

Monday/Tuesday we did junkai (splits) with Miyakonojo.   We had a tabehodai all you can eat yakiniku (like barbecued meat) which was a great time.   When we came home Tuesday night we got a call from a member to go home teaching with him.   Hometeaching here in Japan is quite interesting.   It usually means do a joint lesson with the missionaries to whoever you are assigned to home teach...   Most often at the church after the meetings have ended.   Perhaps if they called them home visiting teaching here, they would actually go visit the home more.   I do not know, beats me. 

Kusatsu san is doing great as well.   She finally prayed for us in our lesson Wednesday and when we visited her Saturday she said that Thursday morning when she woke up, after she had prayed Wednesday night, she woke up with just a good feeling she couldn't really describe.  We set a baptismal date with her for April 13th.   She understands that in order to receive an answer from God she must come to church as well and will hopefully come to church this week.   She is progressing so good though.   She is awesome!!   She is already in  Mosiah in the Book of Mormon and reads everyday.   We are worried she may be reading it as a novel though, so I'll have to do a fun filled reading time with her this week.

On Thursday we junkaied in Miyazaki.   I got to junkai with my good bud Elder Hanohano because he is the District Leader there.  It was a way fun time.   We worked hard and taught a lot of people the gospel on the streets of this beautiful country.   

We also had a group of little kids follow us for a good 10 minutes calling us Chinkos.  Perhaps Dad knows what that is but I feel it is not appropriate to type in English so I shall keep it hidden.  It was quite interesting though.   I felt bad for the parents of these children and worse how they thought that it was actually funny. 

Thursday night we also received a call from our good President Gustafson.   Elder Mukaitani has gone AP and had to leave Saturday to be trained for 2 weeks because both the aps are going home this transfer and the office is basically getting white washed.   So I'm a lone wolf in the Zone Leader world for a couple of weeks until I get a new companion.   haha   Hokokus (not sure what that is called in English, the thing where you call about how everyone is doing and report on their work for the week) took a little longer than usual this morning but it was a good time.   The best part is guess who his companion as AP is??  Yes, my good friend and father Elder Dolbin! Fun times, Fun times. 

For the next couple weeks though I am basically just put with the other 2 elders in the apartment and we are a trio for a bit.   It is pretty entertaining when we are streeting.   There are 3 guys on bikes stopping you and then following you down the street.  Probably isn't the most comforting experience for our friends here in Japan. 

Can't really think of what else happened this week. I saw some monkeys playing together in a field while I was riding the train home from Miyazaki on Friday.  They were just having a good time and I was just thankful for Gods love once again that he would give us monkeys on this earth to find joy with. 

Also I got a letter from Sho this week haha   He became the Gospel Principles teacher for his calling in Saijo and I asked him how it was going and he emailed back that he taught for the first time last Sunday and he's pretty sure it went pretty awful but he will improve next week.   He seems to be doing good though which is good. 

Can't think of much else.  I'm just genki (happy) all the time and loving the work. I'm pretty exhausted usually but the work is just fun and I love dendo so it doesn't really bother me.   I can sleep when I reach the Celestial Kingdom.  Probably I can take a few naps with Kara.   Is she still the queen of naps?   Maybe it is hard now with a baby kicking her.   Oh speaking of kicking while sleeping, We also had an earthquake while junkai in Miyazaki. It was the first one on my mission so far.  It was wild. 

Well I hope all is well and all is safe.   Life is good.

Elder Bloomfield

Kagoshima Zone Conference

Thought for the week:

9 March 2014 - The Atonement Turns Weak Things Into Strengths

What's up fam?

Well not much time today,  gomen (sorry)   It is a bit busy.   We woke up at 4:30am to be able to bike to seminary with our good youth buds and then we are catching a train to Miyakonojo in about an hour so the time is sukunai (short). However I prepared points from this week to tell you.

First great moment from this week was an 80 year old grandma smoking a cigarette approaching us to tell us she will come to church on Sunday and proceeded to say many crazy things I couldn't quite catch.   So as we tried to escape and shake her hand goodbye, she grabbed my hand and gave it a nice big kiss.   It was a great experience no doubt.  The only bummer part was we were in a hurry and I felt like I needed to wash my hand all day.

Shortly after that experience we ran into a pleasant grandpa who overtime was able to open his heart to us and tell us his life's secrets.   He told us he has killed 6 people by using brain power and after an incident where a horse bit him in the chest he has been able to talk to animals ever since.   So we gave him our free English class flyer and I hope he can make the trek out sometime.

In Japan the church kind of has a problem where there are many older people, and then some young youth, but there seems to be a gap in the middle and it is quite the problem.   Upon asking someone about it one day I was informed that Japan is in the 5th chapter of a demographic transition.   No country has ever been in the 5th chapter before, but in the 5th chapter the nations population has turned itself so much that it will eventually go extinct and it is difficult to fix the problem.   Because no other country has ever been in the 5th chapter.   However, they can not prove that Japan really is in the 5th chapter or not, but for me this hit me really deep.   I am currently preaching the gospel not only to my family in Japan, but also a people that could go extinct at any moment.   It helps me to realise even more how important every day of work is and to never waste it, because I may never know when all of a sudden the nation of Japan may end.   It could be today, tomorrow, in a month, years,  I know not, but I do know I will preach the gospel to them as long as they are still alive.

Another interesting thing from this week,   We were teaching a college student who is a Physics Major and he asked us what we believe Gods shape or image to be.   So we explained to him that God has a perfected body of flesh and bone and as we attempted to proceed on how we as well will eventually receive this he cut us off and said,  "oh that is enough.  I just wanted to know if you believe God has a body."   Because apparently according to physics laws, if God didn't have a body, it is impossible for him to exert or have any sort of power to use.   Without that body it is impossible.   So that was pretty cool.   Yet another example of how science proves there is a God and how he created science.

Kusatsu san is still progressing way good.   She is reading through Jacob right now.  This week she told us she feels she has so many weaknesses and she has the desire to know if the Book of Mormon is true because she knows God can help in her weaknesses.   She is way funny.   She reminds me of the Japanese Jinx for those of you familiar of the District.   She is pretty much exactly Jinx but Japanese.   She lives alone though and really needs this gospel.   We pray that she will be able to come to church this week.

Last but not least, I had a crepe (crepes are his favorite food.  They were the last thing he wanted to eat before going into the MTC so I am pretty sure that was a highlight for him to find crepes in Japan).

Looking pretty happy with his crepe.

I hope everyone is doing well and healthy.   I am seeing more and more everyday examples of how this is the Lords work and how we need him.   Lately I have been super busy doing stuff for the Zone, random calls, junkais, questions, things they need help with etc, I actually haven't even had a full study in a few weeks haha and I fall asleep exhausted everyday, but come morning time God has me ready for a fresh day.  The enabling power of the atonement turns weak things into strengths when we trust in our Heavenly Father.   I am loving the work everyday and loving working with my Japanese family here.   Hope all is well and everyone is remembering their Heavenly Father so their weaknesses can become strengths as well. God loves you all.

Elder Bloomfield

Early morning bike ride to Seminary in Kagoshima

Genius asleep

Sunrise in Kagoshima

Another photo of the volcano near Kagoshima

Thought for the week:

2 March 2014 - Well Howdy

Well howdy,

This week was fantastic!   What happened?   I don't really remember.   We had a few lessons with Kusatsu this week.   We only found her housing a couple of weeks ago and she has already almost finished 2 Nephi.   She is a boss and progressing way fast.   When we met this week both times we asked her what questions she has right now, and both times the thing she had a question about or what she was interested in, was the exact lesson we had planned for her that day.   What wonders God does for you when you plan with the spirit aye?   She is way cool though and wants to come to church but it is sometimes hard because both her knees are really messed up and she can't really walk and because the climb up to the church is steeper than Mt Fuji it makes things a bit difficult.   I have faith things will work out this week though.   

We junkaied (splits) with Taniyama Elders this week.   That was a great time.   

I had an old man punch me a few times while he laughed about how we are turning to ash when we die because there is not any after life.   He was a pretty genki man and had a pretty solid handshake to a right hook to the shoulder routine that he pulled a good few times. So that was interesting. 

Yesterday we had a skype meeting with all of the missionaries and the District Presidency in the Kagoshima District.   It is cool the involvement we have with the leaders here.   Compared to other places in the states maybe we don't have as much success in Japan but I am so thankful for the members here.   Their appreciation for missionaries is so humbling and they are always kind in their giving, or getting so excited to talk to us at church, or hear us speak in Sacrament Meeting, and always willing to help with missionary work.   The people here are so loving and kind.   I truly love them and the work is truly taking off right now.   The work is starting to explode and it is exciting to see.   

In the 6 week program of goals and challenges for the zone, we had so many miracles this week and every companionship was able to accomplish all of the goals which was amazing.   I pray that things will continue to go well throughout every week in the 6 week program. 

Well that's about all I can remember I suppose.   It rained a bit, the sun shined a bit, my back got covered with ash a bit, every day goes by and I wonder how it ends so fast.   I don't understand how it is already March.   I was talking to Elder Hanohano and it seems like the MTC was just yesterday.   Our life is so short compared to the eternities,   We must make the most of everyday and most importantly never forget to smile! 

I hope all is well on the big island!   I got a letter from the Pleasanton Stake this week.   That is way cool all of the baptisms and growth you guys are having!   It was cool to hear them talk about the growth Pleasanton 2nd Ward (that is the ward we live in) has made in the past 15 months. not in a bragging way or anything but I know you all were a help to that for sure.   God has a plan for everything and it is pretty dang obvious why we were meant to go to California, and also Mom, you should probably give Dad some slack on his house selection because if he had never chosen that house you would have never met Bill (The 90 year old man that lives up the street that we fellow shipped and Steve baptized in August and ordained an Elder Sunday.  Also, we took Bill to the Temple on Wednesday to do baptisms and Olivia was baptized and confirmed by proxy for his wife, mother, grandmother and 4 aunts and Mason was baptized for his father, grandfather and 5 uncles and Bill was confirmed for the men) and maybe be in a different ward and never met Demetri (He is the Young Man that went on High Adventure with Steve last year that ended up getting baptized) either!    No worries Dad, you can thank me later ;)   Not having any water for the first week we moved in was just a fun time (our water comes from a well and the pump motor had broken and we did not know it and we ran the storage tank dry and had no water), not to mention other problems the house may have had like the mud bath I took during the winter time (He took the first bath with the jets on and mud came shooting out all over him because the lines had never been cleaned out before we moved in).   But hey, if you're not having trials then you're no longer living so be thankful you are here on earth alive!   In the letter they sent I also really like how the Leaders are helping members to see their responsibility in missionary efforts as well and inspiring them to do more. 

Have a great week!!

Love,

Elder Bloomfield

View from church in Kagoshima

Hill that they have to ride their bikes up to get to the church in Kagoshima

Thought for the week: