Mission Complete!!! February 24th, 2011

Now playing: The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints - 270 - I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go
via FoxyTunes

(This is the last post we will put on this mission blog and it is from Kara's Mom, not an email from Kara)




We first received a call from Hermana Bloomfield from the Atlanta Airport. She had a 3 hour lay over there, so she called while waiting. It was great to get to talk to her and realize that in just a few hours, she would be home. We worked hard to get everything ready at home, Kara had asked for a Roast, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls and pretzel jello. For dessert she wanted brownies and ice cream oh and danish pastry. We got it all ready and hung the signs and flags that we had made the night before. At 5:30pm, we headed to the airport to await her arrival around 6:00pm. We all (Dad, Mom, Travis, Mason, Olivia, Cassi and Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen) waited anxiously for her, checking the arrival board often. Finally we got word that the plan had landed, and we watched with anticipation as each person walked around the corner. Finally we spotted her. She could not have walked slower (in our minds) as she came up to us. With camera in hand, we all began hugging and crying at her return.

Last day to wear her "Missionary Badge"


Just in case Kara forgot who we were, we made a sign to hold at the airport.


The family just after Kara came off the airplane.




Proud Dad and Mom with their little missionary


Checking out Mason's braces he got while Kara was gone.


Hermana Bloomfield and "little" brother Travis


Cassi and Olivia are so excited to have Kara home.


Mom and her girl!!!!!!


All the girl's including Grandma Nielsen waiting for Kara suitcases.


Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen came from Utah to be here with us when Kara came home.


Still waiting for the bags to come off the airplane.


"Welcome Home" sign and Panama Flag that hung on the railing




Kitchen Table all decorated with Panama colors and flags for dinner.

Following dinner, we all went to the Stake Center (our church) where Kara shared some feelings and her testimony of her mission with the family and the Pres. Rawlinson (1st Counselor in the Stake Presidency. Then she was officially released as a "Full Time" Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was a very bitter/sweet experience.

Welcome home Hermana Kara Bloomfield. We are so proud of you and appreciate your example and willingness to sacrifice and serve the Lord on an 18 month mission (Aug. 5, 2010 - Feb. 24, 2011) to Panama, Panama City. We will miss your weekly emails and the spirit it has brought into our home. We love you and welcome you home. Well done thou good and faithful servant!!!!!!!!!

This is it, the last email before returning home!!! 21 February 2011

Here is Kara's very last email!!!!!!!

Hey everyone.
So I had successfully avoided the fact that I am coming home, well at least the down parts of it like leaving Panama, until this morning when I had to start going through all of my stuff and start packing. I am kind of freaking out.

I love being a missionary, I love panama.

This weekend I think I finally found my family, we met this awesome lady named Sylvia. She has 5 kids and is married! She has some many deep question in her soul, she studied with the Jehovas witnesses for 18 yrs but never got baptized because she felt it wasn't right and is still on that search for the truth. I had left her a pamphlet on Tuesday, when we found her, about the plan of salvation and before we could even get in the door she was already asking questions, because she had been thinking about it all week!!!

For my last P-day I am doing the usual. Eat lunch, enjoy the AC, talk to the elders and then head home in the bus for an hour and clean the house. Not much different than any other P-day.

The Lord is so amazing, he blesses me in so many ways, this change surely has been a change of miracles.
I am excited to see you all on Thursday. I love you all so much!! Thank you for having always supporting me throughout this whole adventure.

All my Love,
Hermy

Hissing of Panamanien Men and the last week of the mission 14 February 2011

Hello everyone,
Well, this week was a good week lots of work, sun, sweat and cat calling as always. Here to hit on a girl you don't whistle, you hiss. I don't no how they think that is attractive but that's what they do, and this week and an old gross man hissed in my face, not from a distance, right in my face. Wonderful!
Things with the work of the Lord are improving, we got a really awesome reference this week. The muchacha is really interested and asked a lot of questions. It was nice to teach a lesson to someone who was genuinely interested and paying attention. Hopefully she recovers from a recent c section (she just had a baby) soon so that she can go to church.
Like I said last week, I know I came here to help other people, but in the end I think the one who was helped most of all was me. I am so glad I am not the old Kara I used to be.
I seriously can't believe that next week at this time I'll be packing up and burning all of my disgusting clothing.
Anyways, I cant believe that I will be home soon. I keep telling myself, but it still doesn't feel real. I don't think it will until I'm getting off that plane...
Anyways, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hermy

Panama made a difference in me. 7 February 2011

Hey Mommy,
Everything is going well here. Still living it up being the nurse´s assistant. Apparently it is a little awkward for elders to tell me about their testicle problems, but I am all business here.
Things are going, well the same as always, I am working my butt off, but not with much results. But the Lord still blesses me incredibly each day. The mission has helped me learn to keep going, to still have faith even when it would appear that I am not immediately receiving the blessings promised. And I have learned to be happy no matter what happens. So though I haven't made much of a difference here in Panama, Panama has made all the difference in me.
It is amazing that even with all of the added nursing work hna Cluff and I are able to get all of our lessons and contacts in. Heavenly Father truly pours out miracles upon us.
I love you all DEARLY. Mom and Dad, I hope you two have the best trip ever, that you can really enjoy the free time that you both deserve.
All my Love!!!
Kara

Nurses Assistant 31 January 2011

Hey!
So things with the Lords work were a little slow this week, but I am becoming a pretty professional nurses assistant. Hna Cluff is still working on her Spanish so a lot of times I get to take the phone calls and translate. This week I have diagnosed many life threatening diseases, for example one Hermana called in because her face was red, hot and felt like it was burning. Um sunburn? Yep sunburn.
Also in an effort to save the stomachs and prevent extreme obesity in missionaries the area presidency has asked us to change from eating with the members and getting cooks that make us lunch. So Hna Cluff and I get to go around to each zone and teach the Panamanian women how to cook. This week we got to go to Colon. Colon is like the ghetto, there are no hnas there and no white Elders in certain areas. I loved it there, its where like all the old slaves escaped to, so its basically a mini Africa. There are tons of huge black people, gold teeth, Bob Marlyish music, and drugs. I contacted a huge guy that I thought was smoking a cigarettes, after cont acing him I am pretty sure it wasn't a cigarette. Sweet. I kind of wish I could been there longer, I loved it, but we had to get back to working in the city, where everyone ignores you. lovely.
Well, still no luck with the Family, but I am trying. For the first time this week I had a lady completely ignore me. We were walking down the street and I saw this lady and her little boy standing there waiting for a taxi, so I decided to stop and contact them, I told her we were missionaries and that we wanted to share a message with her. She took one step forward and just stared straight ahead like we didn't even exist. So i told her to have a nice night and we just kept on going. Pretty sad. Sometimes I wonder if people realize that they are ignoring Christ every time that they ignore me.
But everything is going great, I love my comp and I am still working like a crazy woman. I am determined to teach more people in this change than ever before. So far so good.
I love you all!!!

One month to go!!! 28 January 2011

Still no family, no awesome general authorities either but life goes on.
This week a guy we have been teaching for awhile finally came to church. I was running out of things to teach him but I could tell that he is searching for something in his life, his dad died about 9 months ago and he took it really hard, so I didn't want to just give up on him. SO this last week I just asked him what he was looking for from our visits, if he planned on ever being baptized, honestly I don't remember exactly what I said as in the moment I was really guided by the spirit, and well christian answered that he wants to soak in everything to know the truth, so I told him, well great come to church! and he did!
Jenny is also still progressing and wants to get baptized, its just her lame job that's causing problems, she hasn't been able to come to church cuz she is working, but her contract ends soon, so I hope she holds on till then.
Today we went to the temple (that's why I'm writing today, we didn't have p-day yesterday.) I can't believe that in a month I'll be back in the temple for my last day in the mission, it doesn't seem real.
I love you all so much and I hope you have the best week!
Hey Mom, don't stress, (in my letter to her, I told her I was busy getting the house ready for when she comes home, getting ready for our crusie and getting ready for Travis's Eagle court of Honor - February will be a busy month here at our house) I can help you with lots when I get home, and don't worry about getting things ready for me, I am just excited to see you all. Love Kara

Last companion, Hermana Cluff (the mission nurse) 17 January 2011

I have a new companion. The mission nurse, she is going to kill me.
My new companion is Hermana Cluff. She is the mission nurse and is from Australia. I absolutely love her. We worked like beasts this week and got 23 lessons and still got nurse stuff done too. I know that we are going to see miracles this change.

Also, we have a baptismal date!! Her name is Jenny, she is the one that came to church last week. It is so amazing to see how the Lord prepares people and puts them in my path. I am still working to find that family, not too many leads so far, but I know the lord will help me.

As for gabriel he hasn't found a steady job, but he finds a lot of odd jobs and temporary work, which is good, but he hasn't really been coming to church. It makes me sad, but well like you said agency is a beast.

Things are all great with me, I'm just working my booty off, living up every last minute that I can. I can't believe I'm in my last change. It just doesn't seem real.

Oh, and just to show what a small world it is, remember the random Australian guy I kind of dated and my Australian friends, well my companion knows all of them. crazy huh!

Anyways, I think that's all I've got... I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!