31 January 2015 - God Will Always Use Us As His Tool

Well hello family,

I just got home from church on this beautiful Fast Sunday.   We didn't have p day yesterday so I'm just sending a quick email out now so mom doesn't worry herself. 

Last week we went to Fukuoka, Kumamoto, then the Okinawa Zones for trainings. 

Last time we went to Okinawa we came in at night time, then had trainings in the morning until night time, so I had never really seen it in the light, but it is so different from mainland Japan!   We were able to go on splits with all 4 of the Zone Leaders there since we were there from Wednesday to Saturday.   In one of the areas (not where the American Military bases are) when we went housing, it wasn't in the city but a little poorer area, but all the building there are just made out of concrete and there are palm trees and such, I looked around and literally felt like I was dendoing in Mexico or something.   It was pretty sweet.   It was way different from mainland though.   There were lots of cool people and lots of cool miracles.  

We have been doing trainings on working with the spirit, and we didn't have a ton of time but we knew that in all honesty missionaries will prolly remember our training for maybe about 3 weeks, then forget (we're all human), so we needed the Zone Leaders to be able to work with them on splits and help them apply it, so in order for the Zone Leaders to help them we would have to experience cool miracles in our splits.   But even though we didn't have a ton of time we prayed God would guide us as we applied Kaicho's direction of working with the spirit, so the Zone Leaders could help their zones, and we were able to see so many cool miracles!   Planning on being in a specific area at a specific time, and praying to find this specific person and then lo and behold this person starts walking towards you as you're out dendoing and they are the exact person you prayed about.   The biggest thing I've learned is when we just pray for guidance, as long as we are doing what we are supposed to be doing, always praying to be in his will, God will ALWAYS use us as his tool because of that trust.   He knows we will be there, and will do as he has commanded and when he knows he can trust us, we are always led to his elect and we don't even realize it until it happens.   This church is true. 

Another thing I noticed is there are many more hoodlums down in Okinawa.   All the kids have like bleached hair or mullets and such, surfer bums.   We had a lesson with this one surfer bum named Tatsunori.   It was way cool to see him change in just like 30 mins. from the beginning of the lesson to the end.   At the beginning we tried asking him about his life desires,  what he wants to do and such or what he believes and he just had no clue.  He didn't really care about God, no interest to believe in God, and didn't really care about much too be honest.   Our lesson was after 2pm and when we knocked on the door it took him like 5 mins to come to the door, and when he finally did he was just like ohh ohayogozaimasu and was still half asleep. haha we were like hmm it is no longer morning my friend, in fact I'm getting hungry for dinner.  It was way cool to see the spirit work in his heart.   After talking about his relationship with God and testifying about baptism and showing him an analogy he was completely different, had more excitement, was sharing more things with us, and when we committed him to a baptismal date he was just like "ohh yes yes yes I'll be baptized!"   He was a way funny guy.   Mason and Kyle would have loved his hair.   The sides were shaved and then the top went into a ponytail that was just like an afro at the end because his hair was way curly. Chinpira da.

We took a plane home last night and that leads us till now. 

Well I hope everyone is genki and doing well.

Have a great week!

Love ya!

Elder Bloomfield

My surfer friend

On the plane headed back to Fukuoka

Thought for the week:

26 January 2015 - Interview Training All Week

Well this week was basically just interview trainings all week.  We drove to Nagasaki and Yamaguchi because there are no Shinkansens that goes there.  So we wake up early, leave about 7:30 in the morning, then train and do interviews from like 10:00am til around 6:00pm and then drive home and arrive about 9:00pm. and then prepare for the next day and do the same thing.   So that has been this week.

We also went to Hiroshima and did both of the zones there.

Cool miracle, there was a member that helped Elder Dolbin and I a lot when we were beans, because being in Saijo, 45 mins away from everyone we didn't get much help but she was always supportive, so I hoped to visit and share a quick scripture, but we were going to teach some lessons and work with the ZL's after interviews ended, so there wasn't much time.  But luckily Kaicho's interviews went a bit long, so we finished our training and still had about 30 mins to spare.  So we ran over to the member's family's apartment in the time we had and just as we got there the member was pulling up in her car.   She told us that she had worked today but because it looked like it was going to rain, her boss told her she could go home early, so we were able to share a scripture with her and thank her for her help!   Perfect timing! 

We have been training on working with the spirit more. One thing we have been training on was helping everyone to plan specific (3 ne 12:37 But let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil.     D&C 9:7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.). For example when you are planning, pray for guidance and choose an exact street or place at an exact time you will be there.   Basically the appointments with God thing.   We have been amazed as we hear of all the crazy miracles that have happened, that as missionaries have done this, God is able to trust them, he will know exactly where they will be and at what time, and can prepare and put those they are praying for in their path.   Through faith miracles are brought to pass right!   Like random people just showing up at church more, promising God you will be at a certain time, certain place, and prepared to teach a lesson about certain topic.  Then the person at the door you knock on at that prayed about time lets you in and you find out her father died just last week, or praying to find a High School student prepared for the Book of Mormon and the door you open at that time happens to be a high schooler who wants to learn about Christianity...  so many cool stories!   My testimony has definitely been strengthened this week at the power God has to work through us when he can trust us. This work is true! 

I hope everyone is doing well and genki!

Elder Bloomfield

Thought for the week:

16 January 2015 - Stinky Feet

Hello family,

This week was good.   We just had transfers and all the fun that comes with it.  The group that came in this transfer was 11 Elders, and boy did their feet smell bad.   I have never been in the mission home with such a bad smell before, it was a little bit impressive.   But they are fired up from the MTC and ready to go, it is always fun to see the new missionaries faith and the excitement they have to just be out and work.   They never grow up ne. 

Well other than that we have just been ganbaruing to finish all the trainings for interviews and then also Kaicho's meeting he has with all the District and Stake Presidents.  Never a dull moment here. 

Anyways I hope everyone is doing well and genki.  I have to run to set up Kaicho's presentation for the meeting with the Stake Presidents, so today is a bit short but life is good. Pray for me that I don't get sick again!   Starting from Monday we will pretty much just be traveling almost every day to each of the zones to do interview trainings for a couple of weeks, then after that we will prepare for the General Authority (from the Area Presidency, not  an Apostle) tour and do that, so if I get sick again I will feel real guilty and kinda baka.  I probably got the most sick I've been on my mission so far, but I've been blessed and been pretty healthy.   I haven't had really any sick days till last week.   It started out in my throat.   My voice was changed and it hurt to breath, after that it turned to a headache and shivers, which then turned into sweating and being super hot, and all the while my throat still hurt and my voice was different.   It sure made talking on the phone fun though.   No one could tell who I was!

Thanks for all you guys do, you are a great example to me!

Elder Bloomfield

Here is a picture of the last Shimai's from our doki (group of missionaries that came in at the same time) that went home this week.


                                             Thought for the Week:

9 January 2015 - As Missionaries We Are GPS Installer Technicians

This week.

Well I think since I last wrote you we have pretty much just been doing transfer prep, and prep for the trainings we will do at interviews while Kaicho is interviewing everyone.  Interviews will start the Monday after transfer week, so there isn't really anytime to prepare for it, so we are ganbaruing to finish all transfer prep earlier that usual so we can prep for mensetsu training as well.

Unfortunately Satan has been stronger that usual this week and has caused me to get sick, but I think I will be healthy soon. 

Things I learned this week, I've been studying quite a bit about how people's hearts change and how we receive personal revelation.  Because that is what we want to train about is how we teach to help people's hearts change.  And the main thing I learned is that as missionaries we are basically GPS installer technicians.   I'll explain. 

So let's say you are lost in the city of Fukuoka.  It is a pretty big city, and you want to understand where you want to go.  You have your tour guide, he starts explaining to you the layout of Fukuoka. what buildings are on what street, what restaurants are on what corner, if you are on this street and take 2 lefts you will find yourself in this area. He's a real smart tour guide knows the city well, so he can basically explain the entire city from a bird's eye view. So there's that help. Or, you could have a personal gps installed into your heart, so you can understand and feel where you want to go, what turns to take, and what buildings will be in what area. You don't have to remember every little detail, because you have this GPS to guide and show evidence what is true. Which help would you prefer? As missionaries we can lay down the blueprint of the entire gospel, explain which principles go where and why it all makes sense, and hope that they understand everything without getting confused. Or we simply teach them how they recognize the Lord's guidance in their life, and how to get their own answers to what is true and where they want to go. And the best part is, because these feelings will be coming from their own heart, it will be their own desires and help from God, they will not feel like they are having to change their life, like they are having to change themselves, because deep down these are their own desires and they are being guided in their own personal GPS where they want to go.

So that is the path we are wanting to take in our training. So we will talk about using tools we have to teach simply and use the spirit, focus on their heart, and certain commitments which cause investigators to have their own spiritual experiences and build their own relationship with Christ.

Anyways here is the message Elder Sasaki and I wrote for the FM news this transfer.  

We would like to share a recently found experience Brother Stephen R. Covey had about changing hearts.

“I was invited to speak to a sorority-fraternity exchange at the Chi Omega house [in Arizona] on the subject of morality. I basically gave our Church's approach to it…  I felt very alone because there seemed to be considerable difference in thinking. Two individuals were very articulate in expressing their opposition to my position. One, sitting in front, said basically, ‘Well, I don't know. It seems to me that true, mature love gives more freedom than you're giving it.’

I tried to reason and indicate what would happen if one were to take poison, even if he were unaware of it, and how also if one violated the law of chastity he would suffer great consequences. He argued, indicating that this didn't give the kind of freedom that a careful, mature, responsible love would give people. I prayed and remembered the scripture in Revelations, ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man will hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me’ (Revelations 3:20). So I asked them, ‘Would you listen for just a minute? Inwardly sense what might happen, what the real answer is to this question that we have tonight. I'll ask a question, and you be still and listen. I'll promise you, you will sense inwardly—you won't hear it in your ear—that what I've been speaking about is true on this principle of chastity.’ They became still. Some of them were looking around to see who was going to take it seriously. And I really pressed the point: ‘Just listen for one minute.’ During that quiet minute I asked the question ‘Now, is chastity, as I have explained it tonight, a true principle or not?’ Then I paused. At the end of a full minute, I turned to the fellow who had been the spokesman in front and I asked him, ‘My friend, in all honesty, what did you feel? What did you hear?’

He said, ‘What I heard is not what I've been saying.’

I asked the other, ‘What did you hear?’

He said, ‘I don't know. I just don't know any more.’ One stood up in the back independently, spontaneously, on his own, and said, ‘I want to say something to my fraternity brothers that I've never said before. I believe in God.’ And he sat down. A completely different spirit was present. It softened everybody. They were very interested in the restored gospel and in the Book of Mormon. We invited many to the institute of religion and gave some books out.”

We testify that Christ is much closer to us than we sometimes expect. He is anxious to help us in this work, always knocking, waiting for us and our investigators to hear His voice. As Brother Covey remembered Christ’s promise, he showed faith and was able to open the hearts of the fraternity brothers to hear Christ’s voice. As a mission we are focusing on the hearts of our investigators, but we must never forget that in the end we cannot change their hearts, we can only help their hearts to be changed by Christ. When we learn to teach in a way that allows their heart’s to be changed by Christ, and give commitments that not only test our investigator’s faith, but our faith as well, we allow investigators to build a personal relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. We would like to challenge everyone to the following 2 things…

1.         Be obedient and worthy at all times. In order for their heart’s to be changed, our heart first must change. We must learn to recognize His voice. However, when we are disobedient we shut the door on Christ and His help we receive when he comes knocking.

2.        Similar to Brother Covey’s experiences, in your lessons, use “faith challenging” commitments and inspired questions with at least 3 people you meet. Help them recognize the Lord’s answers they feel in their heart. We challenge you to do this within 1 week from today. Date: ____________

We promise you as you do this, your investigators will be blessed with a changed heart and even better, a closer relationship with Christ. You will be blessed to see a bigger change in them as they keep their commitments. We are so thankful for the example you are to us and the sacrifices you make. We are blessed to get to serve with you at this time! We love you so much and can’t wait to see you at mensetsus!

Hope everyone is doing well and genki.

Love ya!

Elder Bloomfield

Thought for the week:

2 January 2015 - Coincidence? Probably Not!!!

Good morning,

First off thanks for all the birthday and Christmas wishes. I did not expect to get so much love, you guys are awesome.  I was actually wondering what Eri was up to these days, the other elders and I enjoyed the videos thanks so much!   Also the one of Mason and Olivia with the ham incident was quite interesting, but you should probably apologize. 

This week was filled with lots of good stuff.   On Christmas we had dinner with Kaicho and his family and the office missionaries, then hung out with them till about 7 (and he may or may not have asked us if we wanted to watch Frozen with him.  Ha ha   We were so surprised, so we said, "sure lets see it!") then just relaxed at the office  after that. 

The next day we went on splits again with some other Elders and we were blessed with so many miracles again.  Too be honest sometimes going on splits as an AP, has a lot of pressure on you. Because we are assistants we are expected to find a good amount of success in each area that we go to that we usually don't really know anything about, but hey I'm just a normal guy, nothing really too special about me, so I sometimes get a tiny bit nervous but always results in asking God a lot to help us in our efforts in the area to help the elders ha.  But again God blessed us so much. They didn't really have any investigators so it was just another day of all finding, so during nightly planning we prayed where to go and set appointments (specific places at specific times) with God where we felt we should go.  Then the next day we were led to 3 different people who told us they had at one point died, and were brought back in the hospital, or were near death in the hospital and it was a simple prayer that changed their recovery.   Coincidence that we just happened to start finding all the people in the area who were having near death experiences?   Probably not!   At every appointment or place we prayed and felt we should go, we were able to find someone there who had some story and wanted to meet again and hear about our message.   I think in total we were able to find about 8 or 9 people who wanted to meet again and hear about the message.   Ha ha, it was such a crazy day.   With every splits we go on my testimony is strengthened more as we rely on the Lord and work upon our faith, anything is possible!   The area doesn't matter at all, God is gathering his children everywhere, no matter where we are the work is the same, and we find success in the same way.   1 Nephi 22:12  (Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel).  So that was way fun.

On Monday, President and his wife bought a cake for me and they sang Happy Birthday to me which was super nice.   The office elders bought me a huge banna..   I am not really sure what to do with it, but I'm thankful.   Another great birthday in the mission field!   Then other than that we prepared for and had a training for all the Zone Leaders last week, and have been preparing for our trainings next transfer since they will start as soon as transfers are over. 

Also one of our investigator wants to come to church tomorrow so please pray for him!   His name is Danuka. 

Well I hope all is well!     Love you all!

Elder Bloomfield

                       Birthday dinner that the Chinese man worked into the lunch price ;)

Thought for the week:

24 December 2014 - Christmas Eve Skype

So we got to talk to Travis for 45 mins. on Christmas Eve as it was his Christmas morning.  It was so awesome talking and actually seeing him.  He is doing very well and enjoying his time as the AP and learning a lot.  He shared some of his stories and experiences with us.  He also played us a few songs on his ukulele and sang along.  It was so much fun having us all together talking and laughing.  It was one of the high lights of my Christmas!!!!

He still has his great sense of humor and made everyone laugh and smile!!!

Thought for the week:

19 December 2014 - Christmas Brings Miracles

Hello,

Well this week was great!   We got to go on some splits with other elders and it was super good.   One of the areas we went to was supperrr windy the entire day, and then it started to snow as soon as we left and got pretty strong during our train ride home.

Here are some cool miracles we saw on splits:

Well mainly we just go on splits to help younger or perhaps struggling missionaries find new investigators or a vision for their area.   So it was way cool as we did our best to find by the spirit, we were always blessed with cool miracles.   I'm not really sure why but some missionaries just don't use the spirit as much when they go finding, like they don't pray at decision points, or use the spirit in planning the day before.  It doesn't really make much sense to me, because it is so much easier when you dendo with the spirit, but we are always happy to help them out.   One of the areas that we went to, during planning we prayed to find young prepared people and felt we should go to some danchi apartments (I don't know what that is English but just an apartment complex with a bunch of apartments) after dinner.   So we got there but because there were so many buildings we prayed to know which ones to dendo, and it was way cool, each time we prayed and then decided on an apartment building, in each building we were able to find at least one or two young people who were willing to listen to our message.   It was cool to see God answer our prayers so quickly in guiding us  and helping build our testimonies at the same time.   Again, Prayers work!!!!!

Also a couple of days ago we did another event thing at the mission home for all the Fukuoka Zone missionaries' investigators.  We had dinner and shared a message and sang the same songs we sang at the Tenjin eki last Saturday. Which that was also way cool!   It was just near a train station and people would just stop and came to listen to us sing and missionaries bear testimony about Christmas and Christ for like 30 or 40 mins..  There was one lady we contacted and asked her if she wanted to come listen to our Tenjin performance thing and she did and you could tell she was feeling the spirit way strong, then after the Tenjin thing we found out she was actually a former investigator that was working towards baptism but then moved from the area she was in and so the missionaries lost contact with her, and she told us she wanted to take the lessons again! 

Christmas brings miracles.   It is just a fun time!  Hope everyone is well and genki. 

Merry Christmas to all!

Elder Bloomfield

Thought for the week: