8/5/19 - I'm in Milford Ohio!

Hello, I'm alive!

Sorry I've been MIA for the last couple of weeks. I've been in touch with my immediate family so they've heard updates, but my last couple of mondays have been crazy and one of my emails didn't go through so I just have so much to tell y'all!

Two weeks ago I attempted to tell you all about the news that I have been officially transferred to Milford Ohio! My new companion is Sister Christensen and I love her so much! She's so loving and hard working and always striving to do better and I honestly think she's a lot of the reason we've had so much success in our two weeks here. We were doubled in so we've been getting to know the area together and it's been a bit of an adventure. We also took over for two sets of Elders, so the members have been really excited to have sisters in the area for the first time in years.

Before I go on to my experiences in Milford, the coolest experience of my last week in Springfield was when a man pulled up to us in his car, asked us who we were, asked for a pamphlet and some information, and told us he'd be at church on Sunday. And he was there! He had a great time, talked to a bunch of people, and said he'd be back. We were so confused we barely knew how to react! He also later messaged us to ask about eventually wanting to be baptized and become a missionary. I'm so upset that I won't be around to see what happens!

But Milford has been a miracle goldmine! The area was really lacking in progressing people that were being taught, so we've had to spend a lot of time working to find new people to teach and we've been seeing so many miracles through it!

A short list of miracles we've seen in the last two weeks:

* We were short on apartment supplies, but we got the chance to take stuff from a missionary apartment that was being cleaned out (because there used to be two sets of Elders here) and we ended up with everything we'd been needing to ask for.

*We met a man who ended up giving us his number and inviting us back. Then he invited himself to church! 

*There was a woman we met outside an apartment complex and had a short chat with. After walking away Sister Christensen felt strongly that we needed to share the Book of Mormon with her. I thought she was crazy because we didn't know where she lived, just that she lived somewhere above the second floor in one of the buildings. So we went back to the building and decided to try finding her and the first door we knocked in was hers and she ended up being really interested!

*A lesson fell through and we had a member there with us, so we ended up visiting one of the sisters in the ward she ministers to and that sister ended up being the mom of someone we'd been trying to get ahold of and finally got to meet because of that visit!

*We got Chick-fil-a (this one isn't a miracle, but it sure tasted like one)

*A lesson fell through that we'd been excited for, but it was a blessing because we weren't as prepared for it as we wanted to be

My favorite miracle that happened this week was one that I posted to Facebook, so I apologize for those of you who are reading this for the second time, but it was such an amazing experience. 

The other morning, as Sister Christensen and I were talking about good church videos and the idea of trying to share one with someone that day, my love for the Because of Him video came rushing back. Later that day we stopped by the house of someone we thought was in the ward but quickly found out that the man had moved and another man was living there now. Instead of apologizing for the mixup and getting on our way, we used it as an opportunity to share the gospel with him.

As we talked to him about what we do he talked about how he'd been going through a lot and praying for help but felt like his prayers weren't being answered. I was reminded of the conversation Sister Christensen and I had had earlier that day and asked if we could show him a video. My heart swelled with joy as this video brought him to tears and he accepted a Book of Mormon and invited us to come back.

It was a miracle. As we got back in our car we sat in awe as we talked about all the little things that had to happen leading up to that moment. I grew up hearing stories of people who were praying for an answer and were blessed with missionaries. I came on a mission hoping I could be that answer for someone at some point and I was blessed with that opportunity when we met this man yesterday. No one but a loving Heavenly Father who was watching out for his children could have so perfectly put together our meeting him.

That video is my favorite video because it reminds me of how wonderful Christ's atonement is. We can become new people through it. Better people through it. We can be comforted when we feel alone or can't go on anymore. We can gain the strength that is needed to be stronger disciples of Christ. And we are able to return to our loving Heavenly Father because of it. Christ atonement is the most perfect gift that our beloved Savior has offered us and can bless us in so many ways if we'll simply accept it.

I'm so grateful for this gospel and how it has led me through my life. I'm so grateful for Christ's atonement and I'm so grateful that his gospel and the priesthood has been restored to the earth so that we can have the guidance of the scriptures and living prophets. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be on a mission and be a representative of the Lord as I share his gospel with others 

These last two weeks have been tough. We've had to work hard, get to know everyone, and learn the area, both while being relatively new missionaries. But it's been such an amazing experience and I've grown so much.

PICTURES!

I'm sorry there's so many. It's three weeks worth of pictures.

*Some pictures of me and Sister Blaser in front of the Downtown Springfield sign my last day in Springfield 

*Our last district photo from last transfer. My new district is also awesome. But we haven't gotten a picture together yet.

*Pictures of Sister Christensen and I. Two of them are at different hike trails we found while out contacting people and getting to know the area.

8/3/19 - Facebook Post - Because Of Him

Kylie's Facebook post 8/3/19 - 

This is my all time favorite video by the church. I remember being in seminary when the Because of Him video first came and I immediately had to share it to Facebook, which was not something I did very often with church videos. It has always meant a lot to me since then and and I've shared it to Facebook and with friends multiple times throughout the years, but yesterday it became even more meaningful for an even better reason.

Yesterday morning, as Sarah Marie Christensen and I were talking about good church videos and the idea of trying to share one with someone that day, my love for the Because of Him video came rushing back. Later that day we stopped by the house of someone we thought was in the ward but quickly found out that the man had moved and another man was living there now. Instead of apologizing for the mixup and getting on our way, we used it as an opportunity to share the gospel with him.
As we talked to him about what we do he talked about how he'd been going through a lot and praying for help but felt like his prayers weren't being answered. I was reminded of the conversation Sister Christensen and I had had earlier that day and asked if we could show him a video. My heart swelled with joy as this video brought him to tears and he accepted a Book of Mormon and invited us to come back.
It was a miracle we saw yesterday. As we got back in our car we sat in awe as we talked about all the little things that had to happen leading up to that moment. I grew up hearing stories of people who were praying for an answer and were blessed with missionaries. I came on a mission hoping I could be that answer for someone at some point and I was blessed with that opportunity when we met this man yesterday. No one but a loving Heavenly Father who was watching out for his children could have so perfectly put together our meeting him.

This video is my favorite video because it reminds me of how wonderful Christ's atonement is. We can become new people through it. Better people through it. We can be comforted when we feel alone or can't go on anymore. We can gain the strength that is needed to be stronger disciples of Christ. And we are able to return to our loving Heavenly Father because of it. Christ atonement is the most perfect gift that our beloved Savior has offered us and can bless us in so many ways if we'll simply accept it.
I'm so grateful for this gospel and how it has led me through my life. I'm so grateful for Christ's atonement and I'm so grateful that his gospel and the priesthood has been restored to the earth so that we can have the guidance of the scriptures and living prophets. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be on a mission and be a representative of the Lord as I share his gospel with others 💖 

http://www.mormon.org/becauseofhim

7/23/19 - Kylie was TRANSFERRED to Milford, OH

Kylie was transferred to her 2nd area on July 23, 2019.  She was called to serve in Milford, Ohio.  Her new companion is Sister Christensen who is from Oregon and has been out for six months.  Kylie is still driving (which she loves to do) and has the SIM card for the companionship because her companion hates making phone calls. haha.

Her new address is
Sister Kylie Bliss
 207 Common Drive
Milford, OH  45150

On the Monday Kylie told us of her transfer she took a cute screenshot a picture of Jesus that Kiora drew for her:

Oh, and a side note from her mom.... Kylie had just got her wall situated right before transfers. :-)  Then she had to take it all down and put it back up again.  One of the pictures was our family at Disneyland holding Tinkerbell.  Jaren had photo shopped a baby emu on Kylie's arm... and Kylie didn't even notice at first.  She thought we had accidentally sent two copies of the same pic!  

7/21/19 - Sister Bliss singing Come Unto Christ

7/15/19 - Oh I would read 500 names and I would read 500 more...

July 15, 2019

I would say this week has been less than exciting. We've been having some really bad luck with the people we're teaching, so our week consisted of a lot of street contacting and organizing our areabook app so all our information is accurate.

The other day we sat down with the Relief Society president for 3 hours to go through every sister in the ward and update who had moved and what we could do for those who are still here. It wasn't quite 1,000 names, but I thought the song reference fit how it felt! She took us out to eat at Chipotle afterwards (my first time trying it) so that was the best part.

Elder Bown talked in Sacrament Meeting last week (So far they've just skipped over me. I'm just waiting for it to happen one of these days. Someday I'll finally be asked to talk). He talked about America and freedom and compared a lot of the formation of America to the formation of the groups of people in The Book of Mormon. We see time and time again in the Bible and The Book of Mormon that people who follow God's commandments live happily, and those who don't have wars and unhappiness. It was a really insightful talk because I'd never thought about comparing The Book of Mormon to America before.

So yesterday we were just walking down this street, not feeling like we were accomplishing anything because no one was outside to talk to and we'd already stopped by everyone we planned to see and no one was home. But we kept walking anyway. Suddenly we looked over and saw a woman sitting on her front porch so we went over and talked to her. We'd recently gotten some cards that ask questions that can be answered by The Book of Mormon and we picked out some scriptures to answer them so we decided to try them out with her. She wanted us to answer the question "What happens after I die?" and we answered using Alma 40:11-12:

    "Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

    "And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow."

We had a great conversation with her about how her mother had passed away and her beliefs on what happens after we die. She gladly accepted the offer of us coming back and sharing more, and as we were about to leave she told us "You girls coming here was meant to be. I don't often come out here to sit on my porch." It was such a wonderful experience and strengthened my testimony of how grateful I am to have The Book of Mormon to answer questions  

My favorite scripture of the week is Moroni 7:48:

   "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

We had a training in District Counsel last week about Charity and Love led by Elder Widmer. We were going around in a circle reading a section of verses leading up to 48, and when we got to 48 he asked 4 people in a row to read it. I had a hard time paying attention to the words of the scripture a couple of the times because all I could focus on was the fact that the spirit was growing stronger each time someone repeated the verse. I think this verse is such a beautiful scripture about HOW we can be charitable and love others. We know that "charity never faileth" and that having the pure love of christ is so important, but I love this specific scripture about how we can obtain that love.

I love you all so much and hope you all have the best week! 

Love, 

Sister Bliss

Pictures!

I took no actual pictures this week, so enjoy a screenshot of Tatum when I got to call her for her 4th birthday  (and happy birthday to, like, all of my other siblings too because Kiora, Julaine, and Jaren all had their birthdays in the last couple of weeks as well)

And enjoy this lovely picture of baby emus that Logan found on the internet to send to me! 

7/1/19 I did the elders' laundry

So originally I was planning on having the subject line be "I could not believe my eyes, as one little firefly, lit up my room as I tried to sleep" because Monday night a firefly got into our room and it was the funniest thing to see it just flying around lighting up our bedroom. But then I mommed the elders by doing their laundry and I thought that story was just a tad bit more interesting  

So the elders called us the other night asking for a favor. They they gotten bedbugs (which are quite common here, especially during bedbug season, which is right now) and they didn't have a working dryer to kill the bugs on their clothes. So we agreed to get their clothes from them and dry them. They also tried asking us to wash them while we were at it, but decided that was too much to ask, but apparently I'm a mom at heart so I dried them, then washed and dried them again. PLUS 10 points to Sister Bliss because I also folded and separated their clothes because Elder Brown is so much shorter than Elder Widmer so it's easy to tell who's clothes were who's, but I also guessed correctly who's tie and socks were who's by matching then to their pants. All the while, my new companion Sister Blaser was telling all of us that if they gave us bedbugs they were coming over and getting rid of them for us! 🤣 So there's the story of how I turned into a mom for a day.

Oh yeah, what was that I said about a new campanion?

Well, Sister Priego was transferred and I now have a new companion, Sister Blaser (blah-zer), who is super cool and from Switzerland! So she's second half training me, but we're still in Springfield where I know the area so I'm leading out the area, which doesn't seem to be a common thing for trainees. My first few days were really hard to be honest. I missed Sister Priego a ton because she's honestly one of my best friends at this point and it's different getting used to a new person being with you all the time. I was also really nervous to mess up this area because I know that I know what I'm doing, but I also know that there's so much I need to improve at and I didn't feel adequate enough to keep teaching everyone and stay in touch with the members and do everything needed to keep the area going strong. Luckily for me, Sister Blaser is super nice and she's been doubled and tripled into areas before (meaning one time she and her companion were both new to the area, and the other time they were in a trio where they were all new with no one to lead out the area) so she's used to dealing with having people she doesn't know. 

I had an amazing opportunity to bare my testimony to someone who kept telling us that he believes us about The Book of Mormon but never would actually read it when we asked him to. While I don't actually know yet if it'll make him read, the spirit was definitely there and he was definitely effected by what I said.

The hardest thing is watching people suffer, knowing that the book we gave them and asked them to read can help them so much. The Book of Mormon may very well have saved my life because of the hope it gave me, and I'm so grateful for what it contains and the opportunity I have now to testify of it.

Many of you don't know this, but before my mission I suffered from an eating disorder. I had gotten to a point where I felt so worthless that I didn't believe that I deserved the nutrients that food would give me. I hoped that I could either starve myself to happiness or starve myself to death and I didn't care which it was. But because I grew up knowing The Plan of Salvation and knowing the potential I had after this life, that eternal perspective I had gave me the strength to suffer through without ever truly hurting my body or getting to a point where I couldn't pull myself out of it. But by the time I finally decided I was done hurting myself I no longer knew how to eat or think normal and I was terrified I was going to have to live with my struggles for the rest of my life. After what felt like forever, thanks to parents, friends, a loving Heavenly Father, and little blue book that testified of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I was able to finally be healthy again.

My mission call wasn't supposed to come until this summer because I was told I needed to take therapy before my mission to make sure I wouldn't fall back into my unhealthy habits again. It was hard waiting because I felt like I was finally okay for the first time in so long. But I waited, knowing that going on a mission was important enough to me that it was worth whatever it took to get there. And one day I woke up to a text telling me my call had come in, despite me not having had any of the therapy I was told I needed. It was a miracle I will never forget and will always be grateful for. Through my experiences on my mission I've definitely solidified in my mind that I'm finally healthy and okay and I'm no longer scared of ever being controlled by food again. I was able to hold onto the knowledge that my Heavenly Father loves me long enough for me to finally love myself and I'm happier now, sharing a gospel that I know to be true, than I've ever been in my life. 

For any of you who haven't read The Book of Mormon, or who haven't picked it up in awhile, I invite you to do so. That book turned my entire life right side up again and it has given me strength, happiness, and hope that nothing else in the world can give me. I'm so grateful for it and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to share that book and the knowledge of Christ's restored gospel to others.

I hope you all have an amazing week. I love you all so much!

-Sister Bliss

Pictures!

Pictures with my district, a goodbye picture with Sister Priego, and me and Sister Blaser!

7/10/19 Facebook Post from Stephanie Larson-Chapman in Springfield Ohio

Stephanie Larson- Chapman

A big “Thank You!” to our sweet sister missionaries who helped us start painting the brick in the dining room! Their service was so kind! — with Kylie Bliss and Céline Blaser.