Saturday, February 28, 2015

Weekly Sannin Bouken Mail

This week we visited a million potential investigators and there were only a few that were home, so we didn't see a lot of success, but it was necessary to go through and see who we can teach.

Yesterday Elder Moe, one of the four missionaries in Nakatsu, went to the main city for training so Elder Malaska, Powell and I were a sannin for the day. We rode out an hour and a bit to a member's brother's house but his Mother answered and said he wasn't home, so we called the brother (Kai Kyodai, best member around) and he was like "wait you're at my house? I'll be right there" and he came from work, checked inside and said it looks like he didn't want to talk to us. But then Kai Kyodai said there's a cafe up the street with someone who likes missionaries or something (whatever he said we didn't understand it very well) so we went up to this building that was a elementary school 100 years ago, and talked to the lady there, Elder Malaska bought a $6 hot chocolate, then we went housing and no one was home, rode back to Nakatsu, and that was our day.


Good Japan adventures. Photos are from out sannin adventures and from the famous genkan-meals with Mitsuko Shimai.





Monday, February 16, 2015

Weekly Abukuzeni Mail

Went up to Fukuoka for a sweet conference with Elder Whiting of the Seventy, and it gave me a boost in where to go and what to do at this time as a missionary. 

I also met Elder Vance and Elder Rogers who I served with in my first area, Ishigaki, again but this time it was special, because it was exactly a year since I first met them, the only difference is that instead of them being blazing fluent and me not being able to say anything in Japanese is that.. wait no that's the same. Elder Bradley, that missionary who got his last name from the first name store back in the MTC days, featured too. I like him also.

At this weeks District Meeting in Kita Kyushu we had okono miyaki (google it!) made by Elder Willeitner, featuring MLG Legit octopus. 

We had quite a bit of time yesterday planned for housing, so the night before we prayed and decided on an area to go to. When we got there we had another decision to make in which way to go, so we did again and begun. The first lady we talked to was a 50 year old lady named Saori who met missionaries 10 years ago so she knew a little about us, and had expectations about the sort of things we like sharing with people. Kekkyoku, we testified to her on things like Heavenly Father's existence and love. The Spirit was strong (we were just standing there at her door stop), and she was really grateful, saying when she saw us out her window she felt a calm feeling, but also excited. She is always in the hospital for dementia and cancer, if I understood correctly, and she was just released that day. She is going back shortly, and she said she would love for us to visit her again but she is in the hospital so much that she can't say when she will be home. She said that she believes God is there and loves her, which keeps her going, and before we left we asked to have a prayer with her. Elder Malaska said a beautiful prayer and she was crying after, thanking us for coming and sharing this with her and lifting her spirits and helping her feel God's love, but I know it wasn't us that did that and I know that we were led there for that specific reason. We left feeling so happy, and accomplished that that was where the Lord wanted us to be at that time.





Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Weekly Dinosaur Mail

This weeks adventures include Museums, big cities, interviews with Kaicho, a drop of snow and some dang good Japanese speaking.

One quick experience I'd like to share happened last night, we went housing for a solid 2 and a half hours and not a single person let us get past our 'what the heck are two white guys doing on my door step' explanation, and we KNEW that meant we were going to see a sweet miracle! (I even said so)
We talked to this one man through his interphone, and he came out and we talked for a good 15-20 minutes about his beliefs, and our beliefs. He said some interesting things and I just started telling him that the reason two 20-year olds have been sent it because we're not here to promote the Church and try to prove our point by showing contradictions of others, but that because we have a testimony of our own we have come to invite people to try the same. We shared a short message about the Book of Mormon and when he asked if our parents were members I was more confident than ever to say they are, and how important they believed it was for us to gain our own testimony through reading, pondering and praying about the Book of Mormon. He gladly took one with the invitation to read a place we selected, and the biggest miracle of it is that every day he works and doesn't return till 11 or 12 at night, but he had yesterday evening off for some reason. He said we could try and visit any time but he is sure he won't be home. That means we won't be able to meet him, and we may not see him ever again, but boy did I feel good walking away from that one!

I give this week a 10/10




Weekly Fukuoka is Calling Mail

Off to Fukuoka again today (almost 2 hour train ride - taking the fast train 'cause roll high class like that) so just a quick e-mail to say yoroshiku. 

Amongst many other fun adventures we had this week, we met a less-active who is American and boy are white people intimidating. He shook my hand like a man and I forgot what that was like, I almost crumbled in puniness. He wasn't even big, but compared to Japanese people he was. Anyway he was a missionary in Japan back in the day and is married to a Japanese woman and they have two kids, so he said sometime we can hang out and share missionary stories! He was impressed to know that now we use mobile phones. Soon perhaps iPads!

Elder Malaska and I have been really enjoying finding this week, I am making and effort to make every contact different so I don't end up saying the same old stuff - and it can be really fun! We have met a lot of great people this week and learnt a lot about their beliefs, from whichever sect of Japanese-Buddhism they are from. Super interesting! Some lady dendo'd us and gave us a pamphlet so I told her I will look up their website after my mission (because I kind of can't right now) so I totally know how it feels now!

Enjoy a photo of our co-District Leader Elder Mahler (from Cairns) in his exercise uniform when they gave us a District Meeting Training on morning exercise (just what I needed to cure this frail body).