Hermana Bloxham - JOSÉ IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!!!!!.......... TODAY!!!!!!!

Hey everybody!

Can you believe it? José is getting baptized today at 6:00 pm! All I
can say is thank you so much for all of your prayers and fasting on
his behalf! On Saturday, yes Saturday, we had a lesson with him and we
talked about having the faith to act on what we believe and that God
will make up the rest (Moroni 7:33). "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." Then we were talking about it and
our member was taking about some other vaina(Dominican for stuff) haha
and he was thinking really hard and was completely not listening to
anything we said. Like 10 minutes later he asks, I have something to
say, and he says, I'm going to get baptized. I don't care what my
family thinks, I know that only God can save me so I'm just going to
do it. And he chose today! So it's been a total of 4 days since he
decided to be baptized. Can you believe it? I am so excited!

Anyways! The rest of my week has been pretty uneventful haha.
Yesterday, I was doing my Facebook time, it's like jail time... Haha
just kidding, and a lady, who I guess was my friend..., wrote me on
Facebook and asked me about the church! She said she had talked to
missionaries in El Salvador but isn't right now but she had lot a of
questions for me! So we are going to try to start teaching her on
Facebook! It was a super awesome miracle!

So, I realized yesterday that I'm a wussy! One of our less actives
made chicken feet! And I didn't even try it! So dumb. It was super
creepy looking! And it was like all skin and bones... I'm not even
sure why they would want to eat it..... Nast. Anyways!

We have these investigators named Ana and her son Alejandro/Alex. They
are super legit! Ana says, if I were younger I would definitely like
to be Mormon! But now she says, it's never too late... So there is
some potential there! Alex is so awesome! He asks us tons of questions
and is way smart and willing to learn! They both came to church on
Sunday! They even stayed for all 3 hours! Alex learned a lot and I
think they both liked it! Relief society and priesthood are always
sketchy because people are crazy... But I think they liked it all the
same haha! I was super excited!!

Also, something else funny happened! So we were over at a members
house with some elders in our ward. We were there to have a little
lesson and give the wife a blessing. So we got done with the lesson
and the elders were getting ready to give her a blessing of health. So
one elder gets his oil out and puts it on her head and starts to go to
anoint her, but then the husband takes over and starts giving her a
blessing..... Without the anointing part first.... And then anoints
the oil at the end.... So the elders thought maybe it was just a long
anointing, but then the husband looks at the other elder and asks him
to anoint the oil..so he anoints the oil and they all got up and it
was over. So it was completely backwards, none of us knew what to do
or say, and we were all dying laughing! We had no idea what to do!
Well, to end the story we just hope that God knows what they were
trying to do and that he helps her to have health during her surgery
haha. Who knows?! It's all about faith right? Haha.

This week I have learned a lot about people and trials that we go
through. I feel like on my mission I have learned a lot about how hard
life really is. There are so many people who feel so alone here in
life. Especially in the gospel. There are so many people who are the
only members in their family and they live with their family who are
not members and who don't support them at all. Sometimes I get nervous
that I'm just pulling José into that same problem and it's going to be
super hard for him. But I know that this gospel is what truly makes
people happy. I know that even if we feel alone, the savior suffered
that feeling for us. We are not alone. We have the love of our friends
and family in the church. Our ward family can truly be like our
family. Just like here on the mission, I am here in New York alone.
With no family or friends that I knew before, but everywhere I go, the
church is the same and the members and investigators of my ward become
my family. I know that we can all find hope and happiness here in the
gospel of Jesus Christ. I love him so much and I hope you can all feel
of his love for you every day!

I love you all so much!


Love,


Hermana Jessica Bloxham

These are all pictures of a members house!

Same house, Michael Jordan shrine:)

Zone Lunch right before transfers

Us with Wendy, a member, at the relief society anniversary party

Elder Bloxham - March 24th

Hey!!! I've got some news from the Eastern Front!!! We've been dropped by so many investigators. Go Figure!!! Oh well, that just means more finding for us!

It's amazing the highs and lows of a mission! One week you have incredible numbers and then have baptisms two weeks in a row, and then the work dies right from under your nose! It's amazing though. This is when we will learn how to work with the members even more! That is what we will be doing this next week. We only have one more week of this transfer, which is crazy! This has cruised by! But we will kill it this next week!

I had some awesome inspiration that I'd like to share with all of you! Elder Boelter and I were teaching our Gospel Principles class and it was on the Life of Christ. What hit me so hard was when we talked about when Christ was a boy and teaching in the temple (Luke 2:43). His mom and dad were worried sick! I mean think about this. You are told to take care of the Only Begotten Son of God and you've lost him. FOR 3 DAYS!!!! I would be dying! But when Mary comes to the temple and Jesus comes up to her, do you remember what he says?... He says, "How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father'sbusiness?" As Mary, I would be like, well duh... But when he said that i could only think, I am about my Fathers Business and only His business for these 2 years. Why not stay focused? Why think of anything else!? Dedicating these 2 years and not looking back. Just like what Joseph Smith said, "Somebody who puts their shoulder to the plow and looks back, is not fit for the Kingdom of God". :) I love this mission and it has changed my life! Pretty amazing!!

I love you all so very much and Godspeed!!

-Elder Bloxham

Hermana Bloxham

Hey guys!

Sorry, it's going to be a short email this week! We had transfers today! And I didn't have much time to email! Sorry! Everything is going great here! I'm staying in Inwood with Sister Wankier for at least one more cycle! Besides that, everything is going great! I love you guys and I promise I'll send a full email next week with everything you want to know haha.

I love you!

Hermana Jessica Bloxham

Elder Bloxham - Heyy!!!!!!!

What an amazing week!! Sam was baptized this Saturday, and his Mom, Sister Julie, gave the most beautiful talk on the Holy Ghost. I realized that with this baptism, not only was Sam baptized, but Sister Julie Sowards is also becoming active. She was talking about how the Spirit that she feels at church cannot be felt while she is at home. No matter how hard she tries! She will always miss how comforting the Holy Ghost is while at church. Now that she's found it, she will never again leave it.

Elder Boelter and I have some funny o'l times! I love being his companion and this transfer is not long enough!! We have 2 weeks left in this transfer.... :( But we will make the most of it!!

I loved the analogy Sister Sowards gave about the Holy Ghost and I would like to share that will you all :)

 I know i receive revelation, or have been inspired by the Holy Ghost when it, i like to say, rings true. When i feel it differently, when it rings true to my heart, i know it's from the Holy Ghost. And that is what happened when Sister Sowards used this analogy. Little side note haha :) okay!

She compared the Gift of the Holy Ghost to a flashlight. We all go camping and we know we cannot get to the bathrooms in the middle of the night with Syd if we don't have that flashlight. I mean, the Moon is shining, you can see the hand in front of your face, but to get anywhere you need the flashlight. The moon is shining and we can kinda see, the Light of Christ, but it just doesn't show us the path, or the hole in the ground that without the flashlight, we would step in it and get our foot all wet (The Gift of the Holy Ghost). Every single person, because God loves us, has the Light of Christ. They are born with it. The spirit can bare witness, the spirit can bring comfort, but the difference is the constant companionship. The Gift of the Holy Ghost is that flashlight that will help us along the way. Now we cannot let the batteries die! We have to keep them full of energy. And how we do that is partake of the sacrament, read the scriptures, and pray to our Father in Heaven. It's an amazing Gift, and i'm so thankful for it!!

I love you all so very much!! :):)

-Elder Bloxham

Steven

Columbus Temple

Sam

Hermana Bloxham - Transfers next week!

Hola hola todos mis familiares y amigos!

Well, this has been a crazy week! We went to the Natural History
Museum last pday and we saw Sister Livingston there! What are the
odds! Haha. Everyone back in White Plains is still crazy but doing
great!

This week I've been super sick with strep... I started getting a sore
throat last Tuesday and then throughout the week I got worse and worse
and then I had to go on a split on Friday here in Inwood. We had 4
lessons but I felt like I was going to die! Poor sister Palmer that
had to be with me that day haha. Then on Saturday and Sunday I
basically slept all day long. I only made it through 2 hours of church
and I had to go home to sleep haha. Don't worry I got some medicine on
Monday and I'm feeling better!

Anyways! Update on José, he's still awesome! His family needs a lot of
work! They are just not supporting his decision and they argue all the
time about his getting baptized and taking this step, but he still
knows it's the true church and wants to be baptized, we are just
trying to get at least his mom on his side. So please, pray for him!
He needs a lot of prayers! We know that he is going to be baptized
this month! Prayers, prayers, prayers!

We got a new investigator this week! Her name is Suni! She's
Dominican, surprise! Haha. But no, she's super cool! Her two kids are
investigators for the English sisters and they don't speak a lick of
Spanish. Suni doesn't speak a lick of English so that's the obstacle
right now. We don't know how to work out church if neither of them can
speak or understand the other language... Ya kinda crazy haha.

Even though this has been a super crazy week, it has still been
awesome and I've seen so many miracles! José has so much faith and is
so sensitive to the spirit. I look up to him so much in that aspect!
Even though he is going through hard times, he still has faith and
knows that this church is what makes him happy. I know that this
church is true and that only in and through the atonement of Christ,
we can be truly be happy and find true peace in this life. I love this
work and I love the Savior! This work is not only for missionaries,
it's for all members throughout the world! Yes, you are called to this
work as well! I promise you that you will find a joy and happiness
that you can't even imagine that can only be found by serving others
and doing the Lords work! I love you all!

Love,


Hermana Jessica Bloxham

Mural in my area! It's on broadway and academy street and we take
the A train always, so it's like the perfect Inwood picture!

 Sister Liao and me matching! Not on purpose haha

Elder Bloxham - Stevan's Baptism!!

Stevan was Baptized saturday!!!!! It was so amazing!! It was such a powerful experience and Stevan has changed right from under our noses! At church he would hardly pay attention, and now he brings his Book of Mormon and wears his suit we got him at goodwill! It's awesome!!! He is an amazing man.

Next week, Sam is getting baptized. He is amazing too!! Oh my gosh i love him so much. When he is at church with us, he does exactly what we do. When i open the hymn book he grabs his own and opens it up. When i open my scriptures, he opens his! He is so excited for his Baptism and so are we! :)

We have been trying to get the Pham family on date as well. Mike works so much and it is hard to get a specific day to meet with him. But his two daughters have the desire to be baptized, it's just waiting on Mike to make the decision :)

I realized this week that everything happens for a reason! Like Sunday. We were trying to invite a ton of people to church and when we get to one of the investigators house, his mom comes out and said they are a Christian based family, and there is no way their son will be a Mormon. "He hasn't been saved yet, but we are trying" says his mom. Well hey, we aren't Christian so we can't help you come closer to Christ....? The Devil has so many hearts hardened by rumor and slander. If only we had the chance to explain. But like I said, it happens for a reason. Maybe I needed the chance to have my testimony strengthened, maybe we needed to be somewhere else to help another person. We will never know, but the Lord has a greater plan for us and our work. We just need to trust in him.

I love you all so very much and I'm thankful for you!!!

Elder Bloxham

Hermana Bloxham - I can't believe I've lived in New York for a whole year!

Hey hey hey!

Well, I don't know what to write about this week!

So on Monday, we had a family home evening at the house of a member.
She told us that she thought that for the thought we could just share
our testimonies! So there she went off on a story about when she went
to the doctor and had to make another appointment so she could go
earlier and blah blah blah.... And all she told was the story about
her doctor stuff and ended in the name of Jesus Christ.... We were all
almost dying laughing. But then we pulled it together and everyone
else bore amazing testimonies! We also had our investigator José there
with us! He bore his testimony about how much his life has changed
since meeting the missionaries and coming to our church. He said that
he dreamed about our church in Inwood when he was in the DR which is
super cool! He is awesome! The only thing holding him back from
baptism is getting his mom to support him. We are going to visit them
tomorrow to try to talk to her and let her know what we believe in and
help her to see the reason behind what we do. It's going to be
awesome!

On Friday I went on another split to Chinatown this time! It was
pretty cool! We got some super good noodles and it was cool to see
them translate and help me to understand during their lessons! I
actually learned a lot from them! I'm pretty sure this calling of
being a sister training leader is to help me learn way more than it is
for me to teach them anything. It has been a super humbling
experience, to see how amazing the sisters are that I work with and
learning so much.

Everything happens for a reason! We were in our zone meeting on Monday
and we all as a zone have decided to take the challenge of having a
baptism in March. Just like we had in September! We are focusing on
consecration again and that we will all be able to have a baptism
during the month of March! So all prayers will certainly be welcome!
Help us all to be able to keep the spirit with us always and that our
investigators will be able to fight against Satan and all of the
things he throws at them!

I love you all so much and I hope you all can find people around you
to share your testimony with! I know that if you want to, there will
always be someone put into your path! Have faith and act on your
testimony!

Love always,


Hermana Jessica Bloxham

Me and Sister Liao at the Museum of Natural History

Elephants!

Elder Bloxham - Focusing on the little things

This last week has been so awesome! So many miracles and it's amazing how these great things come to pass because of the small things we do. Praying throughout the day, studying the scriptures, and serving others. "With small and simple things, great things come to pass." I wanted to focus this letter to the little things that happened this week, which great things were able to happen.

We have been praying for miracles to happen, and the greatest miracle that is going to happen this week is Stevan is getting baptized. He is a perfect example of applying the Atonement. I have literally seen him change. He stands up for what he believes in, he goes and teaches with us, and he's not even a member yet! Haha, but he's just amazing and he feels the spirit working within him. For his baptism this Saturday, his goal is to invite so many people that it will be too full for the Relief Society room, and move it into the Chapel. He is telling everyone, and inviting non members to participate in the service. He is amazing.

The small things that we've been doing is service. We are always looking for opportunities to serve because it just makes us happy! It is so simple to serve people, and it brings immense joy! Simply, just ask your neighbor what you can do to help them, because just as King Benjamin says in Mosiah 2:17 "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God"

It's amazing how morning prayers really change your day. When you roll out of bed just exhausted; the prayer you render gives you the energy to press forward! Heavenly Father is aware of us and the things we do, just ask him to help :)

I love you all so very much!!!

Elder Bloxham

Hermana Bloxham - Mission Leadership Council and Zone Conference!

Hey!

Wow, what a week! I am super tired! The city really takes it out of
me! I'm like dead tired all the time haha. But, it's awesome!
So, on Friday we had Mission Leadership Council in Scarsdale! It's
where all of the Zone Leaders and the Sister Training Leaders have a
meeting with the AP's and President Morgan, where we discuss the needs
of the mission and how we can help the mission function more
effectively. We have a meeting like that every month. It was pretty
cool to be a part of! It really is like a council of people, working
together to better the whole mission and it's cool that he trust all
of these 18-23 year old missionaries to help him with that!
Oh, I don't know if you guys knew, but Sister Stringam went home for
medical reasons with her heart. She had surgery and she was planning
on coming back, so I hope she does!
Oh before I forget! President Morgan and a few of the international
missionaries are going to the UN with Elder Scott and Elder
Christofferson because they are discussing something that is super
important for the church! Isn't that sweet?!

We also had Zone Conference on Tuesday! We've been seeing a lot of
President Morgan haha. But it was really good! We refocused on
Consecration. On giving up everything and doing the will of the
Father. This was a goal we had last year in October and we did really
well, but then we got our iPads and our focus kind of changed away
from being consecrated missionaries to figuring out how to best use
the iPads and Facebook. But now he thinks we have gotten that figured
out and we can refocus on being better and better every day. I'm
excited to be able to remember what it was like to be working on
becoming consecrated. This isn't something that is only for
missionaries, it's a covenant we have made with The Lord, to
consecrate all we have been given, to Him. We have been asked to
become true Disciples of Christ and leave all and follow Him. I really
love this talk, if you haven't read or listened to it, do it! It's so
awesome! "Come, Join with Us"- Deiter F. Uchtdorf.

Our investigator José is doing awesome! He is so ready to get
baptized! He knows he wants to get baptized. He says he feels a deep
feeling of peace when he thinks of getting baptized and he is reading
the Book of Mormon like 3 times a day! They met him through English
classes so he is reading the Book of Mormon in both English and
Spanish at the same time, which is cool! A Prophet once said that if
we read the Book of Mormon all the way through in a language, we will
be fluent! Pretty sweet!

Right now, I am working on reading the whole Book of Mormon in
Spanish! It's coming along! I want to finish it all before I come
home, which should be possible for sure! I am in Alma 34 right now! I
try to read it every single day, for at least 15-30 minutes. It has
been awesome. I have learned a lot of words in Spanish, but also it
allows me to understand the Book of Mormon in a different way because
I am learning through the Holy Ghost which helps a ton with the
Spanish! I love it!

Eduardo, our recent convert, is so awesome! He's the 12 year old kid!
He's seriously so sweet! He's like a normal 12 year old, so he doesn't
have a very long attention span, so we do just short lessons and then
talk about things he needs help with and everything like that! He is
bringing his uncle who is 16 and less-active to church every Sunday
with him! It's awesome!

Yesterday we got to teach Jorge again and we taught him about
Patriarchal Blessings! He loved it! It's something that is so cool! It
makes me really think about the importance of my blessing and how much
peace, comfort and direction it has given me throughout my life and my
mission!

I know that we are all given trials and hardships, not to make us
fall, but to help us become stronger. Everyone has different trials
and we can't judge anyone for theirs because we would never want to be
in their shoes and usually we don't even know what trials they are
going through. It is only through Christ that we can be forgiven and
our burdens lifted. I love he scripture in Philippians 4:13 which says
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I love you all so much! I hope you can all feel the Love of your
Father in Heaven and your brother Jesus Christ every day! If not, do
something about it! ;)

I hope you have an amazing week!

Hermana Jessica Bloxham 

Elder Bloxham - Trying this out this week!

So i just wanted to send a group email to everyone because i like hearing about all the wonderful work you guys are doing, and maybe you can see what the heck i've been up to here in Cincinnati!

This last week i got a new companion!!! Elder Boelter from Mesa, Arizona! He is such as stallion! We get along great, and we actually came out together. He was born in the Columbus mission, and I in the Indianapolis mission, and we were joined in the cincinnasti because it was meant to be that we get to serve together! We have both been out a year (crazzzyy) and we just want to work! Amazing things are happening! Stevan is preparing to be baptized on the 8th of March, Sam is preparing for the 15th of march, and many many more to come! :)

The weather was good for a couple days, but then it got back to cold today! We rode our bikes to the Library today and our hands about fell off! Man, it was bitter!  But, we did go running this morning, thank goodness! It has been way too long since i've been out to run, it felt amazing!

I've been learning so much in Springboro! How to teach by the Spirit, and to utilize the members! It really makes a difference when the members are out with us! They are amazing! They are the ones who give the instant fellowship, and are the normal people, not weirdos in suits that make them do things. But it's what we do :)

I'm so very thankful for my mission. For the Book of Mormon. For the testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the revelation that we can receive each and every day. I love serving people and just teaching this perfect Gospel. When i teach, it's a testimony builder in so many ways because i feel the spirit. Then, when the investigators act on the message, helps me grow even more. "Applying the Atonement will carry the missionaries even more than their investigators" says Elder Holland. it is true. Jesus Christ lives. He is at the head of this everlasting church! It is just absolutely amazing to have this Gospel on the earth this day. Share if with those you love :)

I love you all and expect greatness to come from you Endowed with Power members and missionaries!

Godspeed

Elder Bloxham