Elder Travis John Bloomfield in Fukuoka, Japan: 29 July 2014

Hello family,

Gomen we are emailing a bit late again this week. There hasn't been time till
just now. Last week was pretty good. I'm sending pictures of Uchida`s baptism.
Mom you should get to know this woman.

In all honesty, with the exception to the women in my family, she has

probably done more for me than any other woman so far in my life. She

is incredibly Christlike and never a single thought about herself,

always service, service, service. She first met missionaries at the

English class 2 years ago, i don't know how it was then, but since I've

been here in Kagoshima, she brings the missionaries food to eikaiwa

(English Class) every week, bakes us foods we wouldn't normally get in

Japan, plans fun p day activities for the missionaries in Sendai, Taniyama, and

Kagoshima each transfer, and takes all the missionaries to an all you

can eat restaurant in Kagoshima each transfer. She has always felt

peace around the missionaries and because of that is always serving.

From various missionaries she learned about the Book of Mormon, and

always makes time, even if it is at 3 in the morning before her work,

to read the Book of Mormon each week because she has committed to do it.

She had a lot of fears about baptism at first but through a lot of really cool

answers to prayers she has continued to progress and one of the big

reasons she got baptized is because she hopes her sons can one day be

missionaries as well.

Her sons are kind of in a rough period right now, they hate school, usually

don't go, just stay up all the time, and don't ever support or help their mom,

because it seems they are just kinda angry at life (Uchida went through

a divorce a few years back). Yesterday we got to totsuzen and have

dinner with Uchida and her son who is just starting high school. We

just kind of talked with him and made it fun, it wasn't too hard

because our personalities were pretty similar. It was a pretty good

dinner. Uchida emailed us after and told us thank you so much that the

dinner we had was the most she has seen him smile so far this year. He

is a way cool kid and I'm not really sure why but he reminded me of the

Hugies son, Camden (I think that was his name) haha. It was cool to

see once again though how God has prepared people for certain people

waiting to be helped at a certain time and certain place. Some people

may complain how life isn't fair, but God has a plan for everyone and

if you want to know it you have to search for it. 'Not all action

brings happiness, but without action there will never be happiness.`

This week we had an FHE with Irisa`s sister`s family and they let me

play their Japanese guitar thing. I forgot the name but it was way

cool.

Yesterday was transfers, i am staying in Kagoshima for 5 and still

with Sasaki, our 4th transfer together haha Bikuri shinaii!! So at

this rate I should only serve in 3 areas in my mission. we will see

how it goes. ;)

Well I don't really remember what else happened last week. I realized

how precious old obachan's (grandma's) in Japan are when i was passing

the sacrament and one of the obachan's would bow to me each time she took

the tray from me and then gave it back.

Oh hahah, we met a new high school kid named Takashi. He is quite the

crack up. He's just an odd kid but really wants to know if God is there

and wants to be baptized. We met him on the street and he came to the

open house, but he actually came 3 hours early so he participated in

church as well haha. When we met with him last week he told us how he

one time came to hate sports, and one day he was really angry and saw

the tennis team seeming to have so much fun and they were all happy. so

he decided he wanted to `destroy` the tennis team. So he signed up for the

team and began playing, but would only use his left hand and would loose

games on purpose and such. All was going in his favor until his coach

noticed he was just super uncoordinated with his left hand, found out

he was actually right handed, and then kicked him off the team and he

got in trouble with the school and so now he is here in Kagoshima at a

different school. The best part is he has random stories like this

each lesson. But he's a way cute kid and loves how he feels when he

reads the Book of Mormon and told us he wants to find true happiness.

In the next package you send, another small thing of peanut butter would

be a fun time.

It was raining last week but to be honest i wasn't really in Kagoshima too much.

Monday I was in Fukuoka to go to the temple, Tuesday I was still in Fukuoka

for mlc (zone leader meeting). Wednesday was sunny in Kagoshima but

we were doing all sorts of things indoors. Thursday was Zone Training meeting.
Friday was fhe with Irisa and then Uchida`s baptism. Saturday we had to go to
Sendai to help out with their open house. Sunday morning we returned home,
went to church had some meetings, came home and then did planning, dinner
and some dendo. so it was a mighty fine week!

Your girls camp sounded way cool! I'm just wondering though, if the

members in California are doing that much missionary work, what do all

the missionaries do?? (I wrote and told him that we had 26
either less active or non-member girls that attended
camp. That was 1/3 of all the girls that attended).
Here all of that stuff is our responsibility. we have to visit the less actives
and bring them back, we plan and carry out the activities that may bring
non members, we do the spiritual thoughts and such. Perhaps whoever
is teaching you all to be such member missionaries can come to Japan and
raise the vision of the members here.

Well hope you are all genki!

Elder Bloomfield