21 July 2014 - Gomen (Sorry) No Time to Write

So gomen (sorry),  I don't have any time today.   Here is some of my letter to Kaicho (Mission President).   We went to the temple today it was way super awesome.  I loved it.   Here are some pictures to make up for no letter. 

          Also this week I realized I can't ever complain about mowing the lawn again.  This week I cut a less actives grass for 3 hours. The only problem is it would have taken me 5 mins. if I would have had a lawn mower, but instead he gave me a 4 inch sickle or whatever the heck that thing is called.  It was great fun. 

           Love you all!

 This week`s plan of reading the Book of Mormon everyday with her was unfortunately halted when she got sick mid way through the week and wasn't able to come to church and the open house with her family on Sunday.  

The Open House was way last minute, and a lot of things thrown in at the end, but luckily through dendo at the Matsuri festival all week and eki dendo it ended up really good. A fufu, 2 high school students who have a lot of interest, and recent convert Irisa Shimai`s little sister`s family came, and a few others were able to attend our Open House.   A lot of the members thanked the missionaries for the Open House and its success afterwards, so hopefully they understand what it is all about now, and next time the members will be able to involve them selves more, use their own talents within the branch, and not throw it all on the missionaries again.

Irisa Shimai told us she had been praying she could share the gospel with her family, and that someday they would come to her cafe the same time as us and meet. This week while we were talking about the open house and planning things, her family came, and now are attending eikaiwa every week and we have an appointment with them on Friday!

Uchida san is doing really good.  She has progressed so much and has her baptismal mensetsu scheduled for this Friday.   She has changed a lot and we are happy for her.

The work in Kagoshima is growing.   It is exciting to see and be a part of it. 

                                                                           

Ferry Ride to Haze Island

Volcano

Fukuoka Temple (Not sure what the pose is???)

Thought for the week:

13 July 2014 - Disappointing Typhoon

Yeah so did everyone hear?   Kara's water finally broke... 

But anyways this week was good.   Besides the typhoon that was incredibly disappointing.   You may not know but as missionaries... we know nothing, besides what we hear on the street, ain't got no ipad or weather report, (usually i just judge the weather by how moist my eyebrow is when i wake up in the morning, pretty accurate), and what we heard on the street was pretty exciting. biggest typhoon in Japan's  history.  We had less actives calling us telling us to evacuate immediately (this was when it was still sunny).    Thursday rolled around and all i could think was hmm, i think I've been in worse before... So that was a blessing. The wind was pretty solid, and we had to do a lot of prep for the typhoon, but no 72 hour kits were used and all was well. 

This week Kameda san and the family came to church again. haha   The kids are always a riot.   The most wampaku (wild and crazy) kid, Kaide kun, the 4 year old, reminds me of when Kyle was younger, always a smile but up to no good.  He told one of the sisters during Sacrament Meeting that she prays wrong when she tried to get him to fold his arms and he said,  "no, i pray with my hands folded you are wrong."  haha.   He is pretty rambunctious but church is always a blessing for Kameda san.   She told us she didn't have the temptation to smoke at all while at church and is continuing to progress but in her own slow way.  We have a fun plan we made up to help her through.

Another cool miracle this week, there are some Elders in the Zone teaching a Chinese man and they were wondering how they can help him to better understand and build his testimony.  i had the thought of calling Sho and asking him to joint in one of their lessons through a phone call and talk to the Chinese college student taking the lessons.   He of course said he'd love to, but I actually found out Sho is heading back to Shankhai on the 24th, the same day as the Chinese college student,and they are both leaving out of Shimonoseki in Fukuoka, so they are most likely going to be on the same boat heading back to China.   Pretty crazy right?   God is a genius. it was way good to get to talk to Sho on the phone.   I asked him how life is and he told me it is way good because he quit his job so he's way happy now.   haha   So that's good.   Sho is just going back to visit his family. he actually got a new job here in Japan so he doesn't know where he will live in a year because they get to kind of choose where they will send him in Japan.

This week we were out housing and knocked on a lady`s door who gave us the usual `i'm not Christian so leave,` but we stopped her fast enough before the door slammed, and the funny part was by the end of the contact she was like, "Who are your parents?  I want to meet them, why are you such good people?   Oh yes, yes i will read this entire Book of Mormon, you can come back next week and visit.   i've never met anyone as erai as you." haha   It was another great reminder of how the spirit can touch and change anyone.  You can't judge who is prepared'  Just invite and give them the chance, and God will help them however they need it.   So dozo (go ahead), don't ask questions, just serve.   You will always find yourself where you are supposed to be. 

Life is good. 

Hope all is well. 

Elder Bloomfield 

Thought for the week:

6 July 2014 - "I'm an Uncle"

Hello family. 

Well I don't know if you heard but I'm an uncle!........ Uhh yeah, K well anyways, this week was good'  Kameda san is still trying to ganbaru (hang in there and give it her best)with her tobacco addiction so please pray for her everyday. i shared with her about how when Nephi was bound with chords from his brothers, and how the power that was used to free himself from those chords was through the grace from the atonement, and I told her we are all worthy of using this power and help and asked her if she feels like she is bound with chords right now with tobacco.  She told me yes, but it feels more like iron or steel, not just cords.   So she really wants to stop but it is kinda difficult for her.   We are doing different things to help her out, but one way cool thing is her kids.   It is kind of interesting how we haven't really ever taught them much, yet they have picked up praying just as much as she has, they fight over who gets to pray before we leave, the 9 year old reads the Book of Mormon by herself sometimes.  We found out last week, her kids (without even knowing we challenged her to quit smoking) told her that she should stop smoking because they learned at school it is bad for you.  These kids seriously have the Light of Christ in them and have been a solid foundation and desire for her be a better person and ganbaru with the gospel.   This week we are going to do an FHE with the kids and our hope is that through this she can see even more how the gospel blesses families and it will help her to give up smoking.

This week we asked our investigator Uchida san to pray that her worries and various questions can be answered through church before she came to church on Sunday.  She told us later that she felt every ones testimony in fast and testimony meeting were directed right at her and answered her questions just perfectly.   Amazing what happens in a room full of the spirit if you ask for a little guidance before hand ehh?   Also as we taught her about fasting and asked her to commit to fast once a month she told us she (just like Irisa shimai had done) was actually already fasting and would (of course) do it.   Not sure why we even teach fasting anymore if everyone is already doing it   jeezums! 

irisa shimai is doing way good though.   Always cool miracles from her.   She bore her testimony on Fast Sunday about how she was supposed to visit family near Tokyo before her baptism, but didn't have time with all of our lessons, her commitment to baptism, and her shop.   So she went last week instead, but because she went last week she was actually able to visit a different friend as well who was there at the same time.  The friend is some boss of some company, but asked her to come and perform (she is a way good singer) at the Ambassador Hotel in Tokyo Disneyland in September.   Pretty cool right?    She is a blessed woman.

Well I hope you're all well.   This week we did dendo at the central train station.   A total of like 8 missionaries and a couple members, but i played the ukulele and we sang some Primary/Hymn songs and then just talked to everyone there for a couple of hours about an open house that the missionaries in Taniyama are doing.   It was way successful and way super fun.   Everyone loved the uke and the gaijins (foreigners)and thought the Open House sounded way cool.   A total of like 23 nonmembers ended up coming to their Open House they had on Saturday. 

So we did ukulele dendo. and i we want to do it again for our Open House but I can't play the ukulele.  i was wondering if you can download sheet music or at least the chords for it (prolly Kara and Kyle understand) and send me these things by next week. we want to do this dendo by the eki (train station)again in a week and a half. if you could send the chords or sheet music to songs like Frozen, or any Taylor Swift songs, or really any song that people would know (the popular radio songs that people in Japan would know too) we want to play music that gets peoples attention real quick so we can talk to them about the Open House and our English class and such.   If you could help out with that bad boy it would be much appreciated.   Whatever you can get works.   Arigatou ne. yoroshuku (thank you kindly).

Well anyways,  if you haven't read the article about future changes to be made in the missionary work in the `ldsnewsroom` you should prolly check it out.

Enjoy the World Cup.

See ya tomorrow!

Elder Bloomfield

Thought for the week:

23 June 2014 - "Way Good Week"

Yep Yep Yep!    3 cheers!

So Mukaitani Choro (Elder) went home Friday.   It was so sad, he called me the night before he left and we got to talk for a bit.   He's such a fun guy.  Time goes by too fast.  He told me he will prolly have a kid by the time I get home... that's pretty quick my friend.   Kiotsuki

This week was way good.   We had District Conference this weekend, so we wanted to do a fun dendo (proselyting) with the entire zone, but these days everything is so complicated you must get permission if you are going to even breathe on government property.   We wanted to do a fun park dendo, like I play the ukulele while another Elder plays the keyboard and guitar and we sing and such, or draw the plan of salvation with chalk, or sporting dendo, just fun cool stuff like that, at a park (the kind of stuff everyone is doing already, just not in a group of gaijin (foreigners)).   But in trying to get permission from the police and the City Hall, they told us no can do kid because we are missionaries and related with religion.   These days religious freedom is restricted more and more and its quite frustrating.   They just don't understand we just want to share happiness and play fun music, not preach to them in the middle of the park like Satan or something jeezums!   We're just normal people living normal lives just trying to give service!   So that was fun but we still did a sort of zone dendo on Sunday where we all split up and went to different houses.   We got like everyone pumped up with the spirit and stuff before we went out and in just 45 mins. we found multiple new investigators and saw some cool miracles it was way fun.   

Irisa san as able to get baptized on Saturday night it went really really well and because it was District Conference, Gustafson Kaicho (President)was there as well.  That was fun.   She emailed us yesterday and said,  "thank you again for the baptism.   I am so thankful for this opportunity,   I felt great at the baptism on Saturday but I feel even better today.   I have never felt better in my whole life."  So, I guess  this church is true!!!!!!!!!   Irisa san looks a lil bit like Yuka Burton,  I think.   But maybe I forgot what Yuka looks like.   Irisa san is probably in her 40s I think, maybe 50s. 

Kameda san and Uchida san (eikawa (English) student who is an angel and brings us food every week.  She loves the missionaries and loves the feeling she receives from us, so we started teaching her and set a baptismal date for next month) were able to attend as well and said they felt way good during the baptism.   The members talked about how blown away they were at how fast her faith grew and the miracles she saw and such just giving up coffee like it was no big deal.   

At the same time though Kameda felt kind of intimidated at how easy she gave it up and is kinda struggling with Word of Wisdom, so please keep her in your prayers.   She is still doing way good though.   She told us she just feels warm whenever she is at church or with us, or praying.   Her faith has grown so much. 

Something else way cool too is we have noticed she treats her kids different since we first met her as well.   She used to just let them run around and do whatever, but lately she talks about promises she makes with the kids to be better and treat each other nicer and stuff like that. 

The Gospel changes lives when you don't even realize it.   God is a smart man that is for sure. 

Well I can't really think of what happened this week, taught some lessons, saw way cool miracles.   It's rain season and we did the walk to the church a total of 6 times this weekend, so I feel like my calves are mightier than the grand canyon so that is exciting. 

Well I hope everyone is genki (happy) and just having a grand ol time.   Maybe I'll never come home so that's okay. 

Oh also the City Hall computer destroyed my SD card again.   It deleted all of my photos so hopefully you can fix this one as well maybe.   woop woop!

See you tomorrow!

Elder Bloomfield

Elder Mukaitani and Travis

Elder Sasaki, Irisa-san and Travis at Baptism

Elder Sasaki, Irisa-san, Travis and Sister and Pres. Gustafson

This is the zone minus the 5 missionaries on the Island of Naze. It is a fairly large one indeed!   There are about 3 Japanese Elders and 3 Japanese Sisters in the Zone.   Thats the least amount of Japanese Elders it's been since I came to the zone.

So I emailed Travis and asked him why he was squatting in the picture -notice his legs and he said, "I was worried I was blocking the little people behind me.   I'm kinda way big here mom, it's so embarrassing,  jeezums  It is like I'm the Iron Giant or something (because my calves are iron of course)".  

Thought for the week:

17 June 2014 - Irisa-san Learns of the Blessings From Keeping the Commandments.

Hey fam.,

So today is transfers,  that's why I'm emailing on Tuesday.   The work is great fun as always.   Irisa is doing well. Because of her faith and trust in God she is blessed with great miracles every week.   She is an amazing woman and a great example for everyone.

2 years ago her husband was in the hospital soon to die, two strangers (the missionaries) taught her about prayer, she put her faith to the test, and she was blessed with a husband who was healed from his sickness.   We taught her about fasting, she decided to put her faith to the test and fasted herself (without us asking her to), as she ended her fast she felt she didn't have the appetite for her usual cup of coffee.   As we taught her about the Word of Wisdom, because she had already been blessed from putting her faith to the test, she knew this commandment was from God and he would bless her if she followed it. Despite working in a cafe all day every day, she gives up coffee, tea, and alcohol, to put her trust in God.   Last week we taught her about tithing, she just started her business and so she still has many fees she is working on paying off, most would think,  "I don't have enough money to pay tithing as well as it's just not possible",   Irisa san told us she knows she will be blessed from God and told us she wants to follow the Law of Tithing after she is baptized.   Before this week she was only coming to an hour of church because she had to get back to work so she can make much needed money, this week we taught her about Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, coming to all three hours of church, and not working on Sundays, despite her situation she is in, she told us she wanted to follow what God has for her, for she knows she will be blessed.   On Sunday she closed her shop for the entire day and came to all three hours of church. Yesterday when we visited her for a lesson, she told us her profits for that day were 4x as much as any other Monday she had ever had before, and knew it was because she followed the Sabbath Day.   Her daughter just moved to New York and so because she doesn't yet have a phone she had no way of contacting her. she was worried about her and so she decided to say a prayer.   After she ended her prayer she saw on her computer she received an email from her daughter and she was able to Skye with her for a bit.   She is excited to be baptized this week and told us she knows baptism will bring even more blessings into her life.   Irisa san is a simple example of how commandments do not complicate our life, do not bring more rules into our life, but make everything much more simple.   When we follow the standards we have set for ourselves and not see them as a burden, we find our self with much more success and happiness in life.

This week we were also able to play soccer with the Kameda family!!   It was way fun, the kids were pretty funny. All 6 kids and mom came to church Sunday.  They were pretty rowdy again, I almost got through all 4 quarters successfully but my 4th quarter plan was to give the little ones suckers to keep them quiet, but then a member told us that is dame (not good) and they couldn't have suckers... so instead they were rowdy the last 15 minutes. How unfortunate that was. But they still loved church and told us it was way fun again.   The father unfortunately wasn't able to make it.   He gave us an excuse I didn't expect to receive here in Japan on my mission. he gave us the World Cup excuse and said there is not time for church cause he has to watch the game.... shimata,  he`s good.

But, life here is good and fun.   Rainy season is a good ol time that's for sure.   Hows the World Cup (the World Cup is being played in Brazil) aye!?!?   Japan slipped up a bit, but USA is holdin strong, hoya.

Well Stevo, Happy Fathers Day anyways!   I bet it was a stellar one with some solid chicken.   You ll be glad to know that you are known as Tom Cruise (all the years our family lived in Japan, the Japanese people, especially the women, said that they thought Steve looks just like Tom Cruise)in my Eikaiwa  (English) class, the legend lives on ;)

Oh also,  I didn't tell you about transfers.   I'm staying in Kagoshima for another one.   Perhaps I will only serve in 3 areas in my entire mission at this rate, but I don't really mind it as long as I see success and do the Lords will. I am still with Elder Sasaki so that should be a fun time.   He still doesn't really understand sarcasm so its pretty hilarious, but he is getting better.

Elder Bloomfield

Thought for the week:

8 June 2014 - 4 Quarters of Sacrament Meeting

Hey, hey, heyyy, its me. 

But anyways this week was a good time.   So we were pretty nervous to teach Irisa san about the Word of Wisdom, since she owns a cafe and all. It turned out to be a way cool miracle. We came to find out she decided to fast on Sunday after we taught her fasting at church, and when she ended her fast at dinner time she saw her cup of coffee and wasn't sure why but felt like she didn't want to drink it.   When we taught the Word of Wisdom she told us she already knows this commandment is from God and the blessings she can receive from it, and despite working in her cafe everyday, at church Sunday she told us she hasn't drank any coffee and has been way happy.   The rate her faith has grown each week is pretty crazy, she was approached by some anti christian men in Kagoshima but told us the things they said didn't change her faith. 

Kameda san was way fun this week.   haha   I love the family a lot.   The kids love us so much and unfortunately it seems I've become known as the fun missionary who will lift you into the air like a rocket every time he visits, because every time I come now the first thing the kids do is come to me with their hands in the air ready to fly. They pray together almost every night.   She has a deep trust for us as servants of God, and seems to accept anything we say to her as truth from God and knows she needs to apply it into her life to find that happiness.   The only problem to this is that she doesn't always see the need for truly praying to God to have her own answer from prayer, but is making progress in her personal prayers.   As we taught what happens after we die this week, Kameda san told us she had two kids that died when they were born but has always felt that they were still helping her and watching out for her, and because of this told us she knew what we were teaching was true.   We talked to her this week about her family having this same happiness and she told us she wants her 9 year old daughter (who recently started studying the Book of Mormon and praying by herself.   What! she's only 9!   Who does that?) to be baptized as well.   Kameda san and 3 of the kids were able to come to church Sunday, but have a goal for the entire family, father included, to be at church next Sunday. 

At church Sunday I realized Sacrament Meeting with the kids is similar to a basketball game.   There are 4 quarters to keeping them quiet. 

1st quarter- This would be the Opening Prayer.   I brought coloring books and crayons to keep them quiet for this one, and it worked out well.   We got through the Opening Prayer with almost no random yells.   But they soon lost interest and that's where the second quarter comes in... 

2nd quarter - The Sacrament, I realized I will need to bring snacks next week but luckily the Sacrament was able to suffice this week. 

3rd quarter - It is a little bit of a long one, the first two talks, usually about 3 bathroom breaks are taken, perhaps too much Gatorade or oranges were eaten during halftime and so they have a hard time staying in the game for too long.   Then finally the 4th quarter.

4th quarter - Things are a bit restless, it's the 4th quarter and they are tired, but through a lot of motivation (mints, pictures, Book of Mormon, anything) we are able to ganbaru (hang in there with) and stay quiet till the end. 

But yeah, this week was good.   We went to Fukuoka on Thursday for MLC (Mission Leader Conference) and were told we need to do a Zone Training meeting tomorrow (Tuesday). so we spent most of our p day today planning for that bad boy.   It's always a fun time here.   It's way hot everyday, not sure when this rain season is gonna start, we were told it would start like 2 weeks ago but that never happened.   Maybe were in a drought too! 

Elder  Bloomfield

Travis passes this AD on his way to the church and he thought it reminded him a little of Kyoshi

Biking around the volcano.  It is so dirty.

Cool picture of Kagoshima and the Sakurajima Volcano

Thought for the week:

3 June 2014 - "Cool Story"

We didn't get to do any emailing yesterday and our p day was cut short because of a bunch of the stuff we had to get done so we are finishing our emailing today real quick.   

Cool story, so we were still short by 6 of our new investigator goal for this month on Saturday, the 31st.   So we were kinda bummed but really really wanted to reach our goal and knew God would lead us to those in need.   I remembered Dad's email a couple weeks ago and I really wanted to try basketball dendo like he did and see how it went.   I talked about it in my email to President but long story short,  through Gods miracles we were able to find 6 new investigators in just an hour and a half, it was way cool and we were able to reach our May goal we had set. 

We met with one of them, a college student on Sunday, he talked about how his dad works on an island (the one I went to last transfer) and only sees him once a year, but loves his family and liked the message of families we shared.   He told us he wants the blessings from baptism and wants to hear all the lessons.  

Also we were teaching Irisa san yesterday, and she told us, after we taught her about fasting at church Sunday, she went home and decided she wanted to fast as well and fasted the rest of the day on Sunday.   We were pretty surprised when she told us that.   She literally just loves the gospel and the peace it brings to her so much.   We are teaching her the Word of Wisdom in a few hours so hopefully all goes well despite her running her cafe and all.

I got a letter from Azumi (Girl that was baptized in Saijo that is now living in Ecuador teaching in a school) this week.   She is alive and well. teaching elementary school age kids.   She said there is no grocery store or Internet or such in the small village she is living in.   She sent me really cool bracelet and her address so life is good

Welp see ya tomorrow. may want to check on Kara, her water may have just broken (Kara is pregnant and the baby is due any time). 

Elder Bloomfield

                                                       
                                             Thought for the week: