Elder Mason Ford Bloomfield Tokyo, Japan Mission: Week 4 - Genki Desu Ka? (How are you?)

WOW...... Shouts out to Cassi! She probably just blessed that girl
more than she probably understands! Cassi was talking with a friend at
school and found out she was a less active member of our church. She
invited her to Girl's camp and gave her all the information. Rhanya (the girl)
went home and talked to her mom and registered for Girl's Camp the next day.
You guys should start a little who had the best missionary moment this
week and who ever has the most at the end of the month or what ever
can get a little prize. It is a wonderful thing to share the gospel
and you never know who is affected by it and who it could save just
like Demitri and Bill. Speaking of Bill how's his little situation
going?
Also I have my grey sweats so I'm not sure what you are talking about.
Also I would love my Yosemite sweatshirt and as for shirts my high
adventure ones would be just fine! Thanks!

Also I'm worried about Dad so you better make him feel loved. He was
really excited about surprising you for your birthday. He does a lot
more for all of us than we realize.

Also enjoy camping and tell Cassi happy early birthday as she is
probably on top of the world right now.

Also quick little story hahahah. The Brazilian who doesn't speak
English had to go to the bathroom around four in the morning a few
nights ago and he didn't take his key with him and he couldn't get
back in the room. So he knocked on the door and called our names for
about twenty minutes and none of us heard him except that's not true.
hahahah I actually heard him but I was so gone I didn't even realize
what was going on like I literally have no idea why I didn't get the
door hahaha and so I went back to sleep. Eventually one of the Elders
in my District woke up but he was from the room next door so he got up
and let the Brazilian elder sleep on one of the open mattresses for
the rest of the night. hahahahha

Also for TRC this week I wanted to plan a lesson and my companion was
like no they are already members, they don't need a lesson we can just
ask them what they want to learn about and I was pretty frustrated
with that and tried to tell him that it didn't matter if they were a
member or not we still need to plan a lesson. But he was stubborn so I
told him okay, you lead the lesson and I will try to help when it's
needed. So we got there and guess what! He proceeded to teach a
different lesson than what we had planned for another investigator. SMH and
then later that day, he told me it is important to plan lessons. Oh
my goodness really?!?! I never knew that. But I have to keep loving
and let him grow, progress and learn at his own speed.

So our seniors/senpai left for their missions on Monday. I added a
picture of them and my favorite who one Elder Pratt. He's a great
example and obedient Elder. He's like the great grandson or great
great grandson of Parley P. Pratt. Also we didn't get any juniors this
week. Sad day. There was some confusion in the planning because
supposedly we are a pilot program and our curriculum is different than
the other Japanese branches so they aren't allowed to come to our
branch. We get juniors/ kohai around late May early June sometime so
I'm pumped for that.

This is a little bit of my response to bishop Paul's email to me but
it is a very spiritual lesson I learned this week and thought it
should be shared.

Things are pretty good here. Just a lot of studying and classroom
time. Learning Japanese is so humbling. It's not something you can
just do on your own. I realized this week that it is a gift of the
spirit and that it can be taken away just as easily as it can be
given. When ever I would get frustrated with my companion or whatever
it was my Japanese vocabulary would decrease and forming sentences
would be hard.
It can be very hard to get along with different people but it is very
important. It will be very hard to have the spirit and teach by it if
you don't get along with others. As you taught me contention is the
quickest way to lose the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

I also taught a wonderful lesson this week and the spirit
was SO STRONG. My companion and I were teaching a mock investigator
about the Restoration and Book of Mormon.
We talked about the first vision and how Joseph Smith prayed to God
and how Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father appeared to him. Then my comp
recited the first vision in Japanese and the spirit just hit everyone.
Then we taught her about the Book of Mormon and had her read the last
two paragraphs of the Introduction in the Book of Mormon and it felt
like the spirit just amplified. Then we asked her about what she
thought and she said this book seems very important and I think I need
to read it. And I was like uhhhhh yeah and then we shared this short
little video which was Elder Holland speaking but it was translated
into Japanese and it was also about the Book of Mormon and how
important it is and how all mankind need to read and pray about it
and once again the spirit was exponentially increasing and just
surrounding us. It was amazing! This lesson strength was so
powerful and amazing and really strengthened my faith. The spirit
testified to all of us in the room that the Book of Mormon is true and
that it is the most true of all books on this earth and I know that it
can strengthen and bless everyone's lives if they sincerely read and
pray about it.

I can not wait until June 20 to go to Japan and share this message and
see how it blesses and brings joy to the lives of the Japanese people.

Also all you that I gave a Book of Mormon to, I hope you are sincerely
reading with good intent

P.S. Dear Elder is great and I would like them more often from everyone please.

Ai shitemasu
Elder Bloomfield