Hermana Bloxham - Can you believe it's actually Christmas!?

Hey everyone!

Well, it hasn't even been a whole week since last letter, but guess
what!? Rosa said she wants to get baptized! We haven't set a date yet
but we know that she wants to. She just has to read the Book of Mormon
and gain a testimony because we don't want her to just get baptized
because she wants because it's baptism. We want her to be truly ready!
But we are soooo excited! We have been teaching her for a while, her
and her three little girls. Her oldest Maria is 11 and she has
down-syndrome so we don't know if she will get baptized, the next is
10 and her name is Zada and the youngest is 9 and her name is Zula.
They are so cute! We finally got them to open up and ask us questions
that have been hindering their progression and it was an amazing
lesson. Everyone in the branch loves them all too! It's the perfect
situation!

Yesterday was a really cool experience for me. In branch counsel our
branch president asked us all what we would give to our savior if we
were there when he was born, or what would we tell him? I was last and
got to really think about it before I gave my answer. As I was sitting
there, I thought, what would I really give? Something that was
important to me of course, but what was really the most important? I
thought, Would I give him my scriptures, to show him how much I have
cherished his word, or would I give him my picture book and show him
how much I cherish my family, or is that stuff even good enough? I
finally came to the conclusion that I would do as Peter said, and I
would leave everything I have and follow him. I would follow all of
his commandments, I would serve him, and I would support him in
everything he did. I would truly give my all. So why am I not doing
that right now? I challenge all of you to ask yourself this question
and really think about what you have to give, and give it all to him.
I promise you that you will see a huge difference in your lives. You
will feel his love 100 fold and you will Change.

I love you so much and I love the savior. I love this time of year as
a missionary and the opportunity I have to give my all, not only to
the Savior, but to all of the people here in New York. I am so
thankful that The Lord was born and that he died for me and for all of
you.

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas and truly feel the love of
your savior in this week that is coming.

I love you!

Hermana Jessica Bloxham :)

Caroling in Yonkers

Elder Bloxham - Hello family :)

There are so many things i want to talk about today, but i'm just going to limit it to a few things because of time. But i wanted to start by saying how amazing our mission conference was!! Oh my goodness, it was the most amazing Christmas program I have even been apart of! They had music and parts for different missionaries to share, but it seriously built my testimony of the Savior so much!! Just like in "I know that my redeemer lives". "I know that my Redeemer lives, what comfort this sweet sentence gives. HE LIVES, he lives who once was dead, HE LIVES, our ever living head. He lives all glory to his name, HE LIVES my Savior still the same, HE LIVES and while he lives i'll sing, he lives, our prophet, Priest and King." We sang this song at the end of the meeting, and i couldn't even finish because i was crying.. It was so amazing. And as i sang those words, the spirit testified that HE LIVES!!! Jesus Christ lives, and is with us every single day. What comfort this sweet sentence gives! He comforts in times of need, in times we feel alone, he is there, and will be forever. I love him so much and i can't believe i honestly have this opportunity to serve him every single day. What an honor it is.

I love the Christmas season, and how we can talk about Christ in every single second of every day, and let people feel the Holy Ghost. It's absolutely amazing.

I was reading in Luke chapter 2, when Christ was born. When i read it, it makes me realize that he started in a bad place, and it was at the very beginning! There was no room at the inn, so they went to a stable and wrapped him in swaddling clothes. He wasn't born in a nice place, but he was born to wonderful parents who loved him dearly. He grew so fast and helped so many people. He loves us individually, and knows us by name. HE LIVES, and if you get scared at any time of your life, know that he was too. He was alone, "Why hast thou forsaken me", and had to deal with it alone. But we don't. Christ is there. Just knock!

I love you all and i hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!

Love,

        Elder Bloxham

Hermana Bloxham - One week until Christmas!

Hola familia y amigos!

I don't really know what to talk about today! This week has been
pretty slow.. It's been really hard to teach people these last couple
weeks. Everyone is just busy doing their own thing and don't really
have time for anything else. Most of our members have been inviting us
over and everything now, a lot more than before, so that's good! They
are really willing to have us over for at least some hot chocolate and
cake haha.


On Friday we got to talk to Oriana by herself and it was awesome. She
really had stuff that she needed to talk to us about that she couldn't
when her kids were around. So, we got to answer her questions and
share a message specific to her. It was really nice! We also have been
having Zumba classes for the past 2 weeks! It has been so much fun!
The first time we had 3 members come and each one brought a non-member
or less-active friend with them! It was awesome! And then we always
play basketball after haha. It's the best!!

We have also gotten "grounded" to our apartments because of the snow.
They won't let us drive in it! It's like not even bad at all, but they
want us to be safe. You know us Utah drivers are fine but the NY
people are not doin to well in the snow haha. We had to stay inside on
Saturday and all day yesterday! We had appointments and everything,
but we had to cancel them.. It was sad!

Today we had transfers! I'm staying in White plains for the 5th
transfer! That's like 8 months! It's crazy! There must be something
that I need to do here! Probably see Oriana get baptized! (I hope)
haha. But ya, Sister Livingston and I are staying together for another
one and we will get to spend Christmas together here and with all the
people I love so much!

I am so blessed this Christmas season to be able to remember our
savior Jesus Christ and his birth. But also to remember his life and
that he will return. I love my savior and redeemer Jesus Christ so
much and I am immensely blessed to be able to share the love I have
for Him and his love for everyone, with the people in NY during this
Christmas season. I hope you can all remember our savior during this
amazing time of year and always. I love you so much!

Love,

Hermana Jessica Bloxham :)

Elder Bloxham - Hello Family!!

This was a great week!!! There are so many wonderful things happening and it gets me so excited for this white christmas we will be having :)

 

I know i don't talk a lot about our investigators, but this week, it will be all about them! :) First we have Ed Heindl. Brother Heindl has been prepared by the lord to receive the gospel. A couple months ago his wife passed away. She was a member, but wasn't very active. He never felt the need to go to church, he felt like organized religion was a waste of time. But when his wife died, he felt like something was missing in his life. He organized the funeral service through the church, and that was his first mistake ;) Everybody that was there was so nice to him, and would do whatever helped him. He was very pleased with the service, so he wanted to find out why Mormons were so nice and happy. He started investigating and figuring it out by himself. He would show up to church quietly, and would sneak out quietly. He was just watching. Members were talking with him and helping him still, fellowshipping, but when we went up to talk to him he said he was ok... Then one wonderful sunday, he came up to us and said that when we have some free time, we could come over. He is amazing, and we feel he will be baptized on the 28th of this month. Please please please keep him in your prayers, he needs this more than ever and it will help him out so much!

 

Bonnie is also somebody that we are preparing for baptism this month. She was a media referral and all she wanted was a bible. So we show up and when she answered the door, she defensively said "i already have my own church." So before the door was closed I hurry and said, "But we are here to give you your bible!" She opened it up a crack and said, "oh.. hold on." :) ever since then, she's been hooked!! She is amazing and so humble!!

 

Lanetta and Davianna are also close. they are amazing and have grown so much over the past month! I love them so much!!!

 

That is pretty much the solid people that are willing to grow the most :) Keep the prayers coming for them, and help us have a white christmas :)

 

I am so excited for Christmas!!! Thinking about how amazing it will be just gets me even more pumped! Because Christ is the center of everything we talk about, I have taken this December to study the Atonement and try to understand everything i can about it! There are so many things to study about it, and i'm excited to learn about it even more!

 

I love you all so so so much and i'm thankful for all the support!

 

Love,

        Elder Bloxham

Hermana Bloxham - Another week!

Hola! Buenos días! Hey everybody!

Well, this has been a crazy week! On Saturday we had our mission
devotional for Christmas! The entire mission got together, all 261 of
us! Isn't that crazy!? We had a musical program and Sister Livingston
played the violin and Elder Hurst in my district sang and Sister Cole
was in the Choir and lots of other people haha. It was amazing! The
spirit was so strong and it really just felt like Christmas Day! It
was so good to see all of my old companions and friends from my old
districts! It was awesome! "Where two or three are gathered in my
name, there will I be in the midst of them"- (Matthew 18:20) I wonder
what it is like if there are 261 gathered in His name... Haha

Well, a little update on the investigators... Oriana and her daughter
Ariam are doing pretty well. We can't get them to come to church or
commit to a baptismal date because Oriana's husband, Vidal, isn't
ready yet. We really need him to start listening to the lessons in
order for the girls to progress! Will you guys please help us out and
send a few prayers for them? That would be amazing!

Adelita.. She's like pretty old and we don't know if she is
remembering what we have taught her or not haha. We'll have to see!
She is awesome! She needs to find a new job that she can work more
often because she can't pay the people she is living with right now...

I have learned so much humility from these people on my mission. It's
incredible that they truly have nothing and they still give everything
that they have to the missionaries! I hope that one day I can be like
them! I think that this is why I am serving the Hispanic culture on my
mission! They are so loving and giving and humble. They truly are as
little children, like in the scripture in Mosiah 3:19 that says "we
should become as little children, meek, humble , submissive, patient,
full of love, willing to submit to all things which The Lord seeth fit
to inflict upon him, even as a child doth summit unto his father."

I hope that we can all put off the natural man and become clean
through the atonement of Jesus Christ and become as little children. I
love you all so much and I am so thankful for all of your love and
support!

Love,

Hermana Jessica Bloxham :)

Pictures of the snow!

Look at our skills! Haha we switched dollops haha

Elder Bloxham - Hello!!!! :)

This week has been sooo different!! So many things are happening in the worst ways!! People falling off date, not coming to church, and cars getting stolen! it's the calm before the storm i hope... We will see soon!!

I have been reading the New Testament and trying to get through it so i can know more and can actually talk to people about it. And i hate to say it, but i love it so much! I always told Elder Elquist when he was training me that i didn't want to read it, i already know whats in it yada yada yada... But little did i know, that i learn just as much from it as i do from the Book of Mormon. That is why they go hand in hand!! I am in Luke now, and i've been learning so much! It's so awesome! i also study from the Book of Mormon every day because i just love it so darn much.

Elder Litster is so awesome!!! Ohh my gosh, i've been blessed beyond ever because he is so awesome. We talk about how we would never have been friends if we had met before, but now that we are companions, we are like best friends! It's so awesome!!!!! He is kicking butt riding the bikes, and he is also learning so much and asking awesome questions, always looking to be better!

The snow is cold, and the humidity just makes it that much colder! It cuts right through you!!! We got stuck walking around through the snow for 3 hours on Wednesday because we couldn't bike on the icy roads. But i loved it and it gave me a ton of time to get to know Elder Litster that much better :)

Thats pretty much it from the Eastern front. Seeya!!!

Godspeed

Love, Elder Bloxham

Hermana Bloxham - Halfway done! :(

Hey family and friends!!
This week has been a pretty good week! We had a really good experience
last night. We got a call from one of our members that she needed help
with her visiting teaching right then. Luckily we had a lesson cancel
and we had time to go help her! We went over to another members house
and taught the visiting teaching message for the month about the life
of Christ and how it has helped our lives. I had a really cool
experience that I felt like I should talk about the mother of Christ
and how she was an amazing example of the type of mother we could be
and how we can learn from Christ that his mother was amazing. She had
tears in her eyes as she shared her fears that her son wouldn't grow
up to be strong in the church and that she is trying really hard to
become better and she is trying her best to help her son be the best
he can be. It was a huge testimony to me that the spirit truly puts
words into our mouths and we can make a difference in the peoples
lives that we work with.
With Oriana this week we talked about repentance and we got to talk
about how through our trials the Savior can lift us up and lift us out
of our problems if we let him. Just like in the scripture in 3 Nephi
27:14 that says that Christ was put upon this earth with a purpose and
that purpose came from God. His purpose was to be lifted up upon the
cross so that we can have the chance to be lifted up to the father to
be judged of our works. I know that that is true because I can feel
and look back on the times that he has lifted me up way past what I
have been before. And for that I am so grateful because without him we
would all have to live in our sin and never be able to know complete
joy.
I love our savior and I know that he was our perfect example and that
through him we can feel complete joy and happiness. This Gospel will
help us through every hard time we have because our Heavenly Father
and Jesus Christ love us so much that they don't want us to suffer if
we will just let them help.

I love you all so much and want you to know that I couldn't do this
without all of your help and prayers.

Love,

Hermana Jessica Bloxham :)

Elder Bloxham - From D-Town!!!!!!

Hello family!! So good to hear from you :) We have been having so many miracles happening in Dayton and i love it so much! And as i told you last week, I have another son :) His name is Elder Litster, from.... Tooele, Utah!!! He is so awesome!!!! We have figured out that we are completely opposite. We pretty much have nothing in common, we like to do all of the different things, but we have one thing in common... We love to share the gospel. He is a computer nerd that went to school for computer science, and is way way way into computer and all sorts of video games. He is 23 years old, and learned to ride his bike a week before entering the MTC. Crazy right!?!?!? Now i can't use the term, it's just like riding a bike. Because he hardly knows how!! It's great though because now i get to teach him. The bike that he started on was too big for him, so you will never guess what happened.... Wait you probably did.. He fell off. 3 times. So i was like alright Elder, do you have money? And he said yeah, so i told him, we are getting you a bike that fits you. We immediately went to the bike shop, bought him a bike that fits, and then we went back to the bike training. He now know's how to start on his bike, and also stop! He's making great progress. He says this yesterday, "It's starting to feel like driving a car, where i hardly have to think about turning, i just do it now." He falls off when he turns, he falls off when he starts, and he falls off when he stops. It's hilarious. Luckily he can laugh about it because i laugh everytime i see it happen. I always ride in front of him and i hear, "oh crap!" (bike crashing and body hitting the ground) So i turn around and help him up. He's slowly learning, but there are angels riding the bike with him everywhere he goes so that is amazing. :)

           I have learned a lot of patience this week. He is awesome, so it makes it okay that he struggles. We get along so good, and we love to work hard together. But i realized that i could rush him, tell him to ride faster, and make him hate it. Or, i could go at his pace and help him to love it. I have taken that route because i realize it's going to be a long mission if he hates riding his bike the whole time. :) I guess that is why God has allowed me to train him!! As well as him training me :)

      For thanksgiving we went to dinner with all the "Homo's" Says Mario. We went to the convention center downtown where they feed all the homeless people or people who just want to eat on thanksgiving :) That was us, with Brother Smith and Rob "Mario". Mario calls them Homo's because he cant say his "B's" and he is trying to say Hobo's. It's hilarious!! Speaking of Homo dinners, we have dinner with Mario tomorrow and we are having Homo dinners!! (Hobo dinners) ((tin foil dinners)) 

      

      Thank you so much for your love and support!!!!

 

Godspeed!!!

 

-Elder Bloxham

Mario is a member, and he is 47 years old, but has the mental capacity of a 6 year old. He is sooooooo awesome, i can't wait till you come here to meet him in a year. He sends Pday raps, where he records a voicemail and sends it to us and plays music and sings and raps to it, it's so funny :) we also pray with him every night, he calls us and says, who's turn tonight :) haha

Hermana Bloxham - A day in the life...

Well this week has been awesome! It has really made me think about how
easy my life has been. The world is crazy and we hear so many crazy
stories of peoples lives. I feel so blessed to know that God has
blessed my life so much!

On a happier note, tomorrow is thanksgiving!! We didn't think that we
had a member to go to thanksgiving with so we were going to go with
the Yonkers sisters but then we got a call from the relief society
president that we can go to one of our members houses! So I am so
excited! It's going to be so much fun! It's always good to spend time
with the members and get to know them! I love the members in our area
so much! We serve in a little branch and in my time here I have gotten
to know them all so well! I can't wait to bring my family back here to
meet them all and be able to experience a little bit of this amazing
life here!

A little update on some people....
Oriana is doing ok. We have started teaching her the commandments
along with her daughter and that means that they are getting close to
being ready for baptism. They still haven't come to church yet so that
is definitely a problem that we are working on! Oriana is like my mom
right now! She is awesome! She even told me that I couldn't leave her
house without my coat on hahaha. I love these people so much!
Brenda is just Brenda.. We went over and talked to her for a little
while and I think she is doing a lot better than before! She brings up
the topics of church and missionaries and stuff even though we aren't
so that's at least a step in the right direction!
We also have a new investigator named Adelita. She is from Ecuador and
is like the cutest little lady ever! She's 76 years old and is still
kickin!! Haha. I'll let you know about her as we keep teaching her!
This week I have really learned about the Love that Christ has for me.
For all of us. He suffered for all of our trials, sins, and sadnesses.
I know that this is true because I have felt his love take the pain or
guilt right off of my shoulders. I love my Savior and Redeemer and I
know that he lives and loves us all more than we can imagine.

I love you all so much!

Love, Hermana Bloxham :)

Thanksgiving Turkey

These are taken in Sleepy Hollow around Halloween
This is the whole zone.

Elder Bloxham - Another Transfer down :)

 I've got some awesome news everyone.... I'm staying in Dayton!!!!! I am so excited!! But i've got some bad news as well.... :( Elder Sunderland, Klodnicki, and Packer are all leaving... The D-Town District is getting split up.. But it is okay, the tradition of hard work lives on in Dayton. Also, because it is transfers, i will be getting a new companion, which will be coming straight from the airplane! I'm training again!! :):) There are 11 Elders and 11 Sisters coming out this transfer, which is crazy because the sisters are starting to take ova!! :) Which is awesome because Sister Missionaries are so amazing! :) But I am privileged enough to train a new missionary again :)

      This last week was so so so amazing!!!! We found wonderful new investigators, and taught a lot of people. We taught 22 lessons, and got 5 new Investigators. :) It is so awesome!!

      I am so sad that i am losing Elder Packer. We had so much fun together. We had fun, but got work dun! I have loved serving with him, and not only have i learned patience, trust me, i've learned patience, but i've learned much much more. He is awesome, and will be an amazing missionary throughout his mission.

      So, yesterday i had to speak in sacrament meeting. I was well warned, like a month ahead, and i started to prepare a month ahead, but this last week got so crazy, i forgot that i'd be speaking... So i walk into church and Mario (Rob smith) hands me the program, and right as he reaches out to hand it to me.... I realize i was speaking... So i run into the chapel and sit down and start breaking out the scriptures. I had forgotten the notes i had prepared, but i realized what i could speak on. The Atonement of Jesus Christ, and Faith. Beauty. I won't be able to share my whole talk with you, but i can share the scriptures that i used :) Alma 7:11-13, Ether 12:6-7, John 15: 13-15, and... That is all i can think of right now. But it was such an amazing talk. When i was rummaging through to find scriptures, it felt like i was all over the place. But when i was speaking, it all flowed perfectly together. It was so amazing. :) Oh, also Ether 12:33-34. But it was fun, i enjoyed it.

       I love you guys so much and i'm thankful for the continual support!!

Godspeed!!

-Elder Bloxham