18 december 2012::

First before i forget, i got your package in the mail on a perfect day i think. Ill tell you later but thank you. I opened the letter and read teh year letter and have the family picture. This is the first picture of the family i have seen since my B-day. ALmost 1 year. Everyone looks great. I love getting pictures. But ya it looks great. Thanks you.

 

SO my week was nothing out of the usual. FOr some reason here in TOkyo there are alot of poeple from Africa. Especially from Ghana and west Africa. Well about 5 months i met a man from Togo. He is huge. Well we called him up one day and he just keep sayin i was his boy, and his brother and just that black man slang. It was so funny. He is way cool. Well he wants to learn aobut the church and bring his family too. He is pretty tall acutally. He played pro basketball in Afirca. But he is way nice. It was a cool little miracle. Oh, right now our mission is doing a thing. We all wrote a letter to Christ giving him something. my gift is to show love to poeple more by not saying negative things about people. It has been pretty hard. But i can defintaly tell taht i am becomeing a beter person because of it. ANother thing we are doing is we all have stockings. We are filling up our stocking with SWEET things that arent Candy. We are filling them up with SWEET Miracles that happen. It has been such a blessing to me. Everyday i have struggles and hard times, ezpecially this week. But i can look back on those miracles nad see how truly blessed i am. IT is aweosem. I really enjoi. Everymorning i try to write soem miracles that happend the previous day. Let me read you some. 12 December 2012- SO i got a call from elders in Kawagoe. I was in Kawagoe one year ago and it was rough. I didnt have any investigators or PIs, nothing. We streeted everyday. Well they called and let me know that 1 guy that i had found over a year ago, started taking the lessons and is gettign baptized in January. 7 December 2012- Our investigator,Anthony, was able to find a place to live and get a job. 13 December 2012- We were streeting around a certain train station and we bumped into our investigator that we hadnt been able to contact for over 1 week. We were able to talk with him and he still wants to be baptized when he finds a job and gets a place to live. I have lots of miracles like that. Isnt that so sweet. I love it. I look forward everyday to write them nad put them in my stocking. It really has helped me so much, especially this week. Tuesday i had a interview with President Budge and i got in trouble. He punished me. So on tuesday in my warddrobe i only have 1 pair of slacksthen my suit pants that i dont want to get ruined. SO i wear my grey slacks with my jacket. They werent together but i thought that was ok. Weill it wastn. He pulled out the white hand book on me nad i thought it was all way stupid. He told me to throw away the grey pants and just wear my suit pants. So now i only have my suit. Thats it. Ibrought 2 suits, 3 pairs of slacks, and 3 pairs of shoes. Right now i only have 1 suit and 1 piar of shoes. ALl the rest have been destroyed. Iam a old missionary. SO i got your package on Thursday. Thursday was the worst day. Our golden gator, Hiro, called us and told us that he wasnt going to be baptized and that he was not coming to church anymore. We talked for about 10 min. then he jsut said thank you and hung up. I called him on Friday and he answered and told me never to call him again or there will be consequences. Ya. It sucked because i really loved him alot. Missions are hard in taht way. YOu come to love somebody so much and then they just drop you. I was wonderign if that is how being dumped by a girlfriedn felt. I have never had taht expeirence but it sucked super bad. So i am back at square one, no investigators, and no Christmas Baptisms as far as i can tell. I was really wanting one but i quess the Lord wants me to learn something else. Its a bit sad but life will go on, so i should too. But like i said, i got your package on that day and i have been really focusing on all the miracles/blessings that i get and that hleped a ton too. On saturday we made Ginger bread houses and it was super fun. Sunday was a pretty cool expirence. We were able to go and sing at a old folks home for service. It was fun. SUnday night was incredible too. We went to a part of our area i had never been to and i ahd fasted Sunday for help to find new, honest people who were intrested. We were passing our fliers and the last guy i handed one to talked withus. We talked for 10 minutes about church and he is coming next week. Then on our walk back to our bikes, we got stopped. WHAT? we got stopped? The guy had been a gator 26 years ago but lost contact and had moved. We were able to talk to him and get his phone number and he is comign to our Christmas Party on Saturday. How cool is that? I have learned something on my mission. Baptisms are great but they dont do much for me. Of course i feel successful when i have them but i feel better and more successful when i find somebody new to teach, when i am out finding people. I think it is becasue it is during that time, i get to share my testimony with them and get teh spirit. That makes me feel the most successful. SO that is why i like doing it. I thought that was cool. Yesterday the first guy we talked to did a church tour with us, talked for about 40 minutes, wants to learn mroe abotu Jospeh Smith and is meeting with us on Saturday at 1. How cool is that. Pretty cool. Last night we went to visit a member who i havent seen at church in awhile. She is 22 and a convert. Well we found the place she lived in and walked in. Well it turned out to be a ALL gril Dormitory and guys werent aloud in. haha. But we were able to get the card to her. Here is the miracle. Guys arent aloud in. YOu need a key to unlock the Door to get in. But when i pushed teh door to get in, it just opened up. For some reason the door opened and we were able to get teh card to her and i am srue it made her day. Pretty cool uh. I like to joke about it and just say that we snuck into a all girls dormitory. haha. Ill have to tell you more about it when we are in person. I went to the temple today and it was pretty enjoiable. I have come up with a goal that i want to go once a week when i get home.

 

Well i love you all so much. I will be calling onmy 26 at 9:00AM. I think that is the 25 at like 7:00PM for you guys. Just be expecting my call sometime christmas night. Make sure skype is up then. I am way excited to see all of you. I have p-day on christmas day next week. it will be fun. I am loving my mission and japan and have decided i want to date half-japanese/ half-american girls when i get hoem. So if you know any, let me know. I am so thankful for my mission and the change that is taking place in me. I can see it and am extremely grateful for it. It has been the best decsicion of my life. Thanks for supporting me. I am super excited to talk with you on Christmas. Ill have to talk more about wat is going on but i am getting kicked off now. I love ya. See ya next week on Skype.

 

11 december 2012::

Why hello there? This email has been like the best email since a couple of week ago. THey were getting shorter and shorter. But you have Bug to worry about now so now worries. I will see you in 2 months anyways. But ya,  loved your email. It was very good to read and see how everything is changing at home. Life will be so different when i come home. It is kinda overwhelming for me. Thats why i dont like thinking about it. It doesnt make me trunky but overwhelmed.

 

So my week was like a Roller Coaster. It was fast, had ups and downs, and it even made me a bit sick. I dont know where to start. Ill tell you about Hiro. So last monday we went to dinner with him. We were planning on tecahing him hte Word of Wisdom but our member didnt show up. So we werent sure on wat to teach him, so we just decided on the Law of Chastity. At dinner he told us that he was planning on proposing to his girlfriend and goign to ask her to live with him. Man God is a smart man on telling us to teach the Law of Chastity. Thats exactly what we did and he took it super well. IT was eazy for him to say yes. However the proposal didnt go so well. The girl told him taht they were never dating, that she wasnt going to marry him, and that she didnt even like him. He took it pretty hard. I felt way bad becasue on Tuesday we were way packed. We had to do study, lessons, mogi's, and then a lesson with hiro at 8 about the WOW. Well he called at about 11:30 while we were in study nad wanted to meet because he was heartbroken. My mind thought was that Elder Call needs study and we have a appointment with hiro at 8, so i told him we couldnt meet him until 8. Luckily at the church, was a relief society activity and he was able to read the Book of Mormon and pray inside the church like he wanted too. They even had aCurry which is his favortie food and invited him to eat with them. He called back saying he had become happy. he canceled the lesson at 8 because he was able to go to the church. Then on Wednesday we had an appointment with him at 2 about the WOW. He called and wanted to meet a bit earlier but we had another lesson at 12:30 and about 30 minuets away on bike. So i told him we couldnt meet until 2. He called again at 12 and said that he appreciated all that we had done for him, but he is buddhist and wasnt going to be mormon. Then hung up the pohne. I couldnt get ahold of him all day. I had fasted for him too becasue we were going to teach The WOW. That night i just thought about if i really loved him. I felt horrible. This is the sick part. I have 2 months left of my mission, it is christmas time, and i really want to see a baptism. I felt like i was focused more on the number than i was with the person in front of me. It is horrible. I have already commited to myself that if any investigator wants to meet at a time that doesnt break rules, i am going ot meet with them. I learned a way valuable lesson. Especially for after my mission when i become a father. I cant describe how bad and quilty i felt. I felt that i had let God down on not showing love to this soul. I have repented and now trying to do better. Good thing God loves us and gives us chances. Hiro called Wednesday night and we were able to apologize and set up a time to meet him. We baked him a cake in our rice cooker and took it to him and just talked wit him on Thursday. I felt so bad that i just wanted to talk with him and become his freind more. Thats exactly what we did. he really enjoied it too. On Sunday he came to Stake Conference and even stayed for the Christmas Devotional. Then we were able to talk about Prophets and their purpose in the Church. After he had given golden answers, we were able to teach teh Word of Wisdom finally. He commited to it with no problem. He had told us he had always wanted to quit since he was 13 but never had a motive or reason but now he does. He just kept saying it was the best day of his life. He is really going to need your prayers. Smoking is a huge problem for him. He is ready to be baptized now that he has commited to the Word of Wisdom. Please pray that he will not fall into temptation. He is a awesome guy and will make a great member. He is way excited to meet you guys. haha.

 

Other interersting things of the week: On wednesday, a girl called asking aobut our English Class and wanted to come but didnt know the way. We offered to go pick her up at the train station. Well turned out to be that the girl was a stripper. SO we picked up a strippper and took her to Englsih. Dont worry, she wasnt in bad clothes when we picked her up. Just thought it was funny. Oh on Friday night at about 5:20 we felt a 7.3 earthquake. THat was pretty cool. Evwerything was rattling and waving around. It was pretty awesome. Our 2 afrikan investigators are doing well. One of them found a job and wants to be baptized now that he has a income and a place to live. The other, not yet so please pray for him. His name is Fred. On saturday night after Stake Conference, a member drove us home and decided to take a de-tour. We ended up seeing all these really cool sites in Japan at night. Ginza, Akihabara, Tokyo Dome. It was super cool adn way pretty with the christmas lights and everything. We didtn get home until like 10:45. It was super funny though because he totally took a different route than when we went to the stake center. haha. It was suerp fun. Ya. That was my week. The biggest #1 learned lesson for me was that people are people not numbers. They need love and comfort. I am a missionary and will give it to them when they need it. It really opened my eyes for when i am a father. It scared me.

 

Oh one last thing. I am way scared about coming home. I htink i tell you this every week. This week i had a hard time falling asleep at night. I dont like coming home at night anymore becasue another day is over and one day closer to leaving Japna. The thought of leaving Japan is really sad to me. I love it here so much. I love speaking Japanese or at least thinking I can. I am way scared to come home and not speak anymroe. I have thought about a couple ideas that will help me though, i just dont know if those ideas can happen. But ya. I dont like reminicing about my area's or where i served becasue i have so many good memories and i have to leave the place where i made them. It is very sad to me. I think it will be harder to leave Japan than it was to leave America and home.

 

WEll i love you mom. I am excited to see you and show you the place, experiences, people, tastes, etc. taht i have had in the past 2 years. You are going to love it. I told dad but you are going to need to let me know things you want to do, eat, and buy so i can plan accordingly. I only have 2 months left and i know that it will go by super fast. SO i want to start planning what we are going to do. Just let me knwo. I hope you have a great week. I sure love you. I am healthy, happy, and doing great.

03 December 2012::

Thanks so much for the wonderful email. I love them so much. It sounds like everything is doing good. From the newsletter, it seems you have found some blessings in the flood, a new woodfloor. I am always with the way that the Lord works. Ill tell you about that later. Your question, so here in Japan, alot of stores play christmas music, have the decorations and some poepel even put lights up. I went and bought some lights last tuesday and put them in our apartment. But as for the gifts and stuff, they really dont do that. Members do but normal poeple not really. I mean they still have work on Christmas day too. But the interesting thing is this. People make reservations at KFC to get a box of chicken and a Christmas Cake. They give eachother Christmas cakes. I dont know where that comes from but it is pretty funny. SO people give cakes and stuff. Some things are pretty funny over here. I like so of them alot.

 

So my week was just crazy. I havent had a week like this in like 6 weeks. It was so much fun. Besides that it rained everyday and it was freezing or below freezing some days.Monday after Pday we were coming home and right in front of our apartmet there was a couple that was walking and my comp heard them spekaing chinese and said "They are chinese". Well i immediatley had a feeling to talk to them. So we turned around and chased them down. Turns out to be they are Chinese but they are also christian and have been married for 1 year. We asked which church tehy go to and they said none, They were looking for one and every sunday they go to a different one to see which one is the best. Well we taught them and it was amazing. The said every thursday they meet with other chinese people who dont have a church but love christ, and read the bible. So taht was a huge miracle. They cant meet until christmas time but we wont forget about them. They are prepared. But that was suepr cool.  On wednesday we got a call from our Golden gator, Hiro. He told us that he wanted to pray. SO we went with him to the church and he went to the pulpit, knelt down and said a prayer, outloud. I was wondering if he knew that he could pray anywhere so after he was done praying i asked him. He told me he knew that, but he felt a special spirit in the church and he really wanted to pray there. Well we did a lesson on prayer and read from Alma 36. He said that his favortie verse was the last one which talks about why god gives commandments. He is amazing. Yesterday was testimony meeting and he bore his testimony. A gator. haha. how rad is that? He just talked about how he is going to be baptized and cant wait to be brother and sisters with all the members. It was way cool. He does have a problem thought. Just like all Japanese poepel, he has a HUGE problem with the Word of Wisdom. We are going to teach him that tonight. He loves commandements so hopefully he will commit to it. Please pray for it. He is such a prepared person from God and a Huge miracle. He jsut called and we are going out to eat at 6:30 but he is at the restraunt waiting for us right now. He is just waiting til 6:30. He is so cool.

 

later on Wednesday was pretty fun too. During study i was really wondering what God wanted me to say to people when finding. We havent found somebody through finding efforts in over 6 weeks. So i got a feeling to study about Baptism. It was raingin way hard and nobody was wanting to talk with us. But we were trying. We called out to this one man and he stopped. We started talking and he was 84 years old and on his way to the bath house. Well what else is like a bath? You got it! BAPTISM! I testified aobut baptism and taught him right there. Well to my suprise the old man agreed to meet us agian and come to the church. Unfortuanely we never saw him again. but how cool is that? I thought it was AWESOME!!!

 

Oh here is another funny story. So on thursday we were passing out fliers and i was watching my companion and he was this little girl. Well my thoughts were the girl was a high skool student. SHe was movin here leg and doing all sorts of stuff that made me think she was a bit turned on. Then she touched his face so iwent over. It turned out to be a 55 yr old lady who worked at a massage/ aroma clinic. I came and she started talking with me. Then she started grabbing my arma nd getting closer and closer to me. Then she linked our arms together. It was suepr wierd. Then out of the blue she jsut said something smelled really good and sniffed me. Ran her nose from my belly to my chest. Then did it again. Then did it to my companion who was wearing cologne. It was super funny and way werid because everyone was watching. But after we broke away we were able to meet a black guy from Ghana that wanted to come to Church. God works in mysterious ways.

 

So saturday is the best ever. My first gator ever, Sugiyama, got married!!!! I was able to go to his wedding in Shibuya. It was so cool to see and be apart of. It made up for missing Kamas's wedding. But how cool is that? I have had some way cool expirences as a missionary that most dont get. On the way home we get a phone call from some africans referred by a previous gator. They said the previous gator to "Ask the missionaries, they can help". Funny uh?  A really long story short, he said they got kicked out of there house and stayed the night in a alley on Friday night and needed a warm place. So we met the 2 africans from Ghana and let them sit in the church. Longer story short, they came to Japan 3 motnhs ago, got kicked out of there house, have no job, and no food. They stayed the night in a alley in below freezing weather. We talked to them for like 6 hours on Saturday. I told them as a missionary i cant give them money or let them stay they night, but we can help them. There is no way that i am going to kick people out into freezing cold weather when i know i can help them. We called our president and the bishop. Bishop called teh presiding authoriy here in Japna nad he said get them a hotel until Tuesday, thats when they have a interview for something. SO thats what we did. But while we were talking to them, they were touched. They are Africans. Christiaan can testify that they are way religious poeple. Well we taught them about the Chruch and aboutt who we are and they said that they wanted to come to our church. They have seen the Church in Ghana but never did anyting about it. But they came to church yesterday and really enjoied and now they are making plans on being baptized on 30 December of this year. This is why i was saying that God works in mysterious ways. Here we have to guys that needed to come to Japan, loose everything, become homeless to find the Gospel of Christ. Man God works in wierd ways sometimes but that is how people are going to be humbled to hear the word. It is like the guy i baptized in Sendai. It is way sad but by his wife passing away, he was humbled enough to hear the missionaries. God knows what he is doing. I am glad that he is on my side. But ya. It was a way crazy and super MIRACULOUS week this past week. I have been so blessed on my mission. I am forever in gratitude. Thanks be to my God forever.

 

Yup. That was my week in a wrap up. oh i ran 3.5 miles or more in under 21 minutes. The fastest i have ever done. Pretty awesome. Christmas is coming up fast and i cant believe how fast tiem is going. I have less thna 10 weeks left. Yesterday i was thinking to myself and i am so grateful that i came on a mission. I have had a really interesting one i think. When i tell most people that when i first came to Japan, i hated the people, i hated the country, and i hated missionary work, almost everyone of them dont believe me. I have a had a huge change in the past 1.5 years and like i said befroe, i will always be in debt for it. I am so grateful to be here doing what i am today. It makes me happy now and when i think aobut hte future too. I love Japan. I love teh poeple here. I am going to be really sad when i have to leave. I love the Gospel nd how it changes poeple for the better. I love my family. Here in Japan nad on the other side of the world. haha. I love God and his son Jesus Christ. I am grateful that i could be his servant.

 

"A servant of God, yeah thats what ill be

and when i come home, he'll be so proud of me.

Ill carry his plan to the grave if i must,

its a plan that i love, its a plan that i trust."

 

Have a great week. I am excited to hear form you next week and to get your package in the upcoming weeks. I love you.

26 November 2012::

I am right with you. I hope Bugs first transfer is better than mine was. But i am sure grateful for the transfer that i had. Mom hasnt emailed me yet and that is a bit of a bummer but i am sure it will be coming. But it looks like you are the winner that gets the long emial this week. YAY!!!! I love ya dad. Before i forget, i wanted to ask, how are the chargers doing? Thats it. Man it sounds lkike you are all doing great and dandy. That is good to hear. I love it when my family is doing great.

 

My week was pretty great actually. It was a bit difficult in some points but when i look back on it and think about it, it was a great week. So we didnt find any new investigators while we were acutally finding. That bugs me a bit. I have been really thinking this week why the Lord is not letting us find those who are ready to hear and stuff like that. IT was good to get reaffirming words from D&C 122. It is for my benefit. But man, it was sure a bit of a trail this week. I had everything going against me to tell me to give up or not work my hardest. On Wednesday, on the way to church my tire popped. That is inconvinent. My companion also was puking his guts out. That is pretty inconvinent too. So we had that trail. Well on Thursday, Thanksgiving, my comp was still puking his brains out so we were in the Apartment all day. I called people adn worked in our area book for over 6 hours. That was way hard but this is where some of my joy comes from. During that time, i had thoughts of like, you are tired and need a nap, or just take it easy, you deserve it. I honestly was about to take it easy and take a break. But then i remembered in PMG a part about Diligence taht stats that you work effeciently, even without being watched or supervised. I thought about that. Then i thouht to myself, i am always being watched by God. I was thinking maybe this all happened becasue God wanted to see how serious i was about finding new people to teach, a test you know. I didnt take a break but i worked all day. While i was calling pepole i got a reaffirmation that this work is Gods work and it makes you happy. I was so happy even thought it was hard. But i felt like i passed Gods test. On Friday my comp was feeling a bit better, a good thing becasue we had a thnaksgivign dinner at an americans house. It was so good. That was the first Thanksgiving dinner i have had since 2010. It was so good. I think my stay in Japan has made me more AMerican. Like before i hated stuffed potatoes but they were so good. I am getting around cheese too. It isnt so bad. Man it was just a great night. We also had american made pie. SO GOOD!!! ILOVE PIE!!! I love eating at Americans house but at the same time i hate it. This is the reason. We were on an American Embassy Houseing complex and we had american food adn around americans and it was aweseom. But everytime i looked outside, i could see rain, hundreds of people, and i knew that i had to go out there and go back to work. I didnt want to. Everytime i never want to becasue i feel like i am at home and what not. It is just bad. But it was super good. It got me excited to go home. Saturday the trails continued becasue the bike i was using, well the tire popped. The 2nd one this week. Talk about trails. But since i read D&C 122 i knew it was giving me some expirence. I also knew that we were going to get some reliefe from this hard time too. Just needed patience. This is where it gets cool.

 

On saturday night, we get a call from the sisters and they told us they had a kinjin for us. We watched the Restoration with him and testified to him big time. I testified to him about Families and how much God loved him and how much he meant to us and to God. I knew he was being touched by the Spirit. IT is so cool to see people be filled with Joy. This man was so joyous and happy to hear what we were telling him that it brought him to tears. This is the 3rd time i think where this has happened on my mission that a person has started crying becaseu they were so happy to hear. I knew that he was filling the Spirit. His name is Hiro. Hiro went on to tell us that even before he watched the Restoration, he knew this church was differnet becasue when he saw all of our faces, he said "they are all different and have a different light than everybody else on the street. You have a light coming from out of you.". Isnt that cool? It was an awesome lesson. We invited him to church and he accepted. Sunday morning we got a call from him at 5:55. At 6:30 we got up and called him back, he had gone to the church. He was so excited to go to church taht he couldnt sleep. He got up, said a prayer, read from the Book of Mormon that we gave him the night before, and got a feeling taht told him to go to the church. Well we met up with him at 8:30 in the morning and watched "Finding Faith in Christ". He loved it. After the movie was over, he randomly asked us about Baptism. He said he saw Christ get baptized, and in the Book of Mormon, they talked about Bapitsm. Then he told us, without us answering his questions, that he wanted to be baptized. WHAT???? How cool is that? He had studied it by himself and wanted it!!! FREAKING COOL!!! We told him we would teach about it during church and turned on General Conference. Well when President Monson stood up to speak, he looked at me and said" This man has a very specail power that the others dont, who is he?" I told him the prophet and he was way excited and said that he knew it. We continued watching and he asked about what  a temple is. I told him and he resonded telling me that he wants to go to the temple as soon as he can and he wants in. DUring his lesson, another way spiritual one, we taught about the Doctrine of Christ. Well to be short, he gave perfect answers for everything. He told us some way cool things, way sad things, but we all felt the Spirit. We invited him to be baptized on the 23 December and he accepted. Hiro is way prepared by God. It is amazing. I am so grateful that i am worthy to teach him. I think about what if i didnt work hard when my comp was sick, or if i didnt work hard becasue we arent finding investigators, would i be teaching this man? I know God was testing us to see if we can be trusted. I am happy to say i passed the test and am a better person becasue of it. It is amazing and i cant put everything into words. I wish i could. It is just a miracle. Thanks for your prayers. On Sunday night, we talked to some girls because if we didnt, it would of been super awkward because we were walking down a dark path and they were like 2 feet behind us and laughing. So we said hi and then the conversation started. It was pretty funny. They were typical japanese girls. Falling for the americans. It gave me confidnece though fro when i go home. Hopefully i will be able to do just that when i go home. We shall see.

 

Yup. That is my week for ya. Pretty exciting at the last part. I have a list for mom of things i would like for Christmas. Here it is: Cologne, Ties, Teeth Whiteners(strips to make your teeth white), Money. That is what i have thought. Like i said, i get home 6 weeks after Christmas so some of things i wnat, i can wait til i get home. But Cologne, Money, Ties, and Teeth Whitener woudl be nice. I love you so much. I hope that you both have a greta week. I cant believe i have only have 11 weeks left. TIme has gone by so fast. It jsut blows my mind. I will be seeing you and mom in no time. You are going to love it here in Japna. It is the best place ever. I love it here so much. I am super excited to talk with you too on Christmas. That is in 4 weeks. Crazy!!!! Well i hope you have a great week. Tell everybody i love them.

 

20 november 2012::

I just have to say that i Love you so very much 結構愛してるよ！！！I love how you talked about me coming home and then said not to get trunky. Well, you blew that one. You got me exctied. All this talk of what is going on is making me trunky just becaseu i have less tahn 3 months left on my mission and i will see it very very soon. もう終わるか？残念ね！Ya, i am very excited to come home but like i have said in the past, i am very scared to come home. TOday i took a Christ like attribute thing in PMG and one of the questions asked if i was optomistic and peaceful about the future. In some regards yes, but in alot of ways HECK NO!!!

 I am terrified of going home. Everything sounds like it has changed so much. I am way scared to go back to america too because i love JAPAN!!! I am going to miss it here so much. I really am. I have so many great memories and expirences that i will never forget. It makes my heart hurt even thinking about leaving. I am almnost crying. Time to change the subject.

 

So for christmas, i will have to tell you later becasue i have no clue. I htink you are right. Cash would be the best. I mean 6 weeks after christmas, i get released. But i do want something for Christmas. Everyone does. I just dont know yet. Ill have to get back to you on that one. Oh wait maybe an iPhone. That would be cool. haha everyone here as one. And as for sizes of clothes, i have no idea. I think my pants are still 34x30 and my shirt size a Large. But i am not sure. I havent worn normal clothes in so long. But i think that is what it is.

 

My week was very interesting and very expensive. Let me tell you why. We ate alost everyday. It was the last week of transfers and taht is always the most expensive. But anywho. On wednesday we had DM and it was super good. We testified about why we came on our missions and it hit me how much i have changed on my  mission and my motives too. It was super cool to see. Fridaywe were doing a 配り会at a 駅 and there was this one person looking to buy girls. ANyways i was passing out chirashi and minding my own business and he walked right into me while trying to get this girl to do bad things and i gave him a bit of a shoulder and he almost fell to the ground. He deserved it. I dont like tohse peopel. But they need the gospel too. But he was mocking me, so i 直接gave him his reward. It is a good story. Saturday sucked really bad. It was rainign all day. But right as we left our apartment it wasnt rainging so i didnt wear my rain pants, and elder call doesnt have any so i didnt want him to suffer too if it started to rain. Well right after we crossed the street from our apartment it started pouring. I got soaked and he got soaked too. Not only do i hate rain as a missionary but i hate rain even more when it is COLD!!! It is the worst and you have to ride your bike in it too. It was literallly a typhoon. It was raingin so hard. It is a cool expirence now, but in it it sucked. That night i did a handstand for like 45 sec. I have gotten really good at them. Also we ordered pizza becasue my favorite Japnaese person, Elder Nakamura, got a transfer call to be a ZL. So after we were in our Apt. we had a pizza party. It was super fun and i felt like i was in America. I didnt get a transfer call. I am in the same place. Going on 5 transfers. I hope i die in this area. It is aweseom. I really love it here. I also really love Elder Call too. He is the best. I only have 2 transfers left CRAZY!! 11.5 weeks. Thats nuts. Monday we had to clean our apartment. and what not and it was good. We went out to sushi too. We still havent found a new gator in a long time. So on Sunday i based my fast off the Scripure Alma 17:9. I know the miracles are going to come. I really want to have somebody to Baptize by Christmas. It will be so cool to baptize someone inthe Christmas season. I know the Lord is just testing me right now. So They are coming. Today we went to Costco and it was awesome. i didnt buy anything becasue there is no point. I am going home in less than 3 months. That is my thought process right now. Ill jsut wait till you guys are here to buy stuff. But i do need some new white shirts before i go home. I want to buy those here in Japan becaseu they are much cooler than America shirts. Well that was my week. It was pretty cool. It went by way fast. I know this transfer will go by fast too becasue we are way busy with activities and holidays. My goal for this transfer is to stay focused, i feel that we didnt find as many people to teach last transfer is beacseu i wasnt as focused and God couldnt trust me. So i am going to Burn out rather than fade away. I am way excited about this transfer. I feel really good about it. In all aspects.

 

Ilove you mom.　僕のお母さんの聖で僕は神様の道具になることができました。またたくさんの人の救いをもたらすことができました。いつも感謝しています。アメリカの帰るのは悲しみですけれども帰るまで一所懸命働きます。またたくさんの奇跡を行います。僕の伝道はまだ終わっていないので伝道します。イエスはキリストだとよく知っています。イエス様によって僕は救われ、僕の家族とともに永遠に住むことができます。それのせいで心から感謝しております。お母さんに心から感謝し、ま た愛しておられます。いつもありがとう！！！Well i got to go but i hope you enjoi this if you can fiqure it out. Sorry it is in Japanese but everyone else does it sometimes so i thought i mihgt as well. I am excited to hear from you again. Have a great week.

15 november 2012::

It is good to hear or read from you guys even thought you are still in the deep south within the walls of your home. You both sound like you are doing pretty well and excited for the seasons to start. I am sure time is going to go by super fast for the both of you as you have plans. I dont really have any becasue i am lacking the people if you know what i mean. But ya. Glad everything is getting a move along. This is sad to say but i am happy to say that i am glad that you guys are done going to the cabin for the year. No more to hear about that for my mission. Next time i will be there and i wont have to read how it was. I am happy about that. So i have decided that i really like Native American History. If i cant make it as a Doctor, i would like to study that in a little more depth. I mean i live where they did. What a perfect oppurtunity right. I also want to study Japanese. So many things to study. Which one can i do???

My week was pretty good i guess. Nothing really interesting happened. We still have not found a new friend to teach the gospel. In fact we found the exact opposite. People who think it is funny to mock people. But thats ok with me, because after my personal study the day after, God told me that they have thier reward. It was somewhere in Ether 12. So Elder Call seemed to be seeing the hardships of not finding new poeple to teach. He was pretty down this week for a couple of days. So during planning one day, i felt like i should fast for him. So i did. I dont know how it worked but i am sure it was for the better. I mean it involved faith and God right? So it will work. I really like Elder Call alot and i am really happy that i have the oppurtunity to be his companion. Here are some interesting things for the week. On last monday night Elder Call was talking to a way drunk man. Well i came over and we started talking in Japanese. He said that he like Christ's teachings but could never doing anything becasue he was so bad. I told him about Repentance and how he was a son of God and how he can recieve forgiveness. Long story short, after saying that he burst into tears and it was neat to see that little part of the Atonement give a man who had no hope some hope. We havent seen him since but i know he has felt the power a little and i fulfilled my purpose. Wednesday i was riding no hands on my bike and then i tried to go up on the sidewalk and my bike tire caught an edge. That sent me flying into the pole that was right in front of me. It was pretty funny, didnt hurt to much. Friday we had some way good Okonomiyaki. Saturday we played basketball with about 15 chinese people and it was way funny becasue it seemed the only word they knew was the "F" one.  Ya that was pretty much my week. We havent found any new investigators now for over 4 weeks and we havent taught a lesson in over 4 weeks either. It is getting really hard. It is a bit easier for me because in hard times, i just tell my self "Only 3 motnhs left and then it wont matter". Or i wont have to do this. But it is a bit harder for Elder Call. Thats why i fasted. We could really use the prayers.

I love the both of ya lots. I am way stoked to see ya on Christmas and when you come to get me. I hope i can have some fun things planned for when you come. I aint trying to focus on it right now, but a bit later when it is closer. Do you guys want any ideas of things to do for that 1st monday while you are here without me? I can give you some things that you might think are fun but i might not want to do becasue i have done them. Just let me know. I hope you gusy are preparing some people for this Elder when he gets home. When i say people, i mean girls. I am expecting referrals. You can tell that to my siblings too. haha. I like prepared ones (pretty).  Well i hope that you guys have a great week. My p-day next week is on tuesday becasue this up coming weekedn is transfers. I could be transfered becasue i have been in my current area for 6 months but beacsue i am traingin i might not transfer. We shall see. I let you know. I love you guys.

05 November 2012::

 

Man that is a bummer about the house. I am sorry for that, but the only thing i would have to say is the Lord destroys the old stuff to bring in the better and newer stuff. But i am sorry. That sucks. It seems like you all had a busy week though! That's way cool that Kamas and Brie are having a baby boy. I thought they would have a girl first. Guess I was wrong. Tell them congrats!!!  My week was pretty normal up until Saturday night. Oh, I want to tell you that i broke my land record. On Tuesday I ran 5.4 kilometers in 20 minutes and 44 seconds. That is way fast. That is over 3 miles in under 21 minutes. I am in way good shape. haha. I am super tired right now from my trip but i want to tell you about it. The rest of my week was okay. We still haven't found a new investigator and we had another week of just finding with no success. But we are moving forward with faith expecting all will be well, because all is well in Zion.

 

Anyways, on Saturday night i got on a bus at 10:00 at night and rode 7 hours north to a place called Ishinomaki. It was a long bus ride. I didnt sleep to much because of excitement of leaving my mission and going to go baptize someone.  It was super pretty though. I could actually see the stars and everything. It was really neat. The branch up there had about 25 solid members and they were all so strong. It really touched me to see that. Ishinomaki is actually the very spot where the Tsunami hit. They had to rebuild everything. But it looked really good there. You couldn't even tell. The only person i think that would of been able to tell is Uncle Wayne. Yup that is right. I met alot of members who knew uncle Wayne when he was there. I told them i was Elder Ban Di and they all said that about 40 years ago there was a taller elder but with the same name and from California. Some of the names are "Watanabe Shoji" and "Date" . How cool is that? I got to meet some of the people who knew Uncle Wayne when he was a missionary over 40 years ago. It was super cool. But the main purpose I was up there for was to baptize Abe. The service was incredible. It was really neat to see all the support of everyone. The Ishinomaki branch building doesn't have a font so we had to go 1 hour by car to a place called Tagajo. It was there that I baptized him. He gave an awesome testimony and i know that he will be a solid member here in Japan and that his family will one day get baptized too. He wants to come to Tokyo when you do so he can meet the both of you. So i am going to try to go to the temple with him when you are here. After the baptism we went back to Ishinomaki to have dinner and get on our bus home. We left Sunday night at 10pm and got back to Yokohama at 7 in the morning and I didn't get back to my area until 10am. The bus ride home was good but i had a hard time sleeping on the bus. SO i am very very tired right now. But it was such a good weekend i might say. I attached a pic so you can see. I am glad that i went up to do that. It meant so much to him and everybody up there. They all knew my name and everything and were very excited to see me. But ya.

 

SO that is about my news for the week. I am doing pretty good. This week was much more focused but still not the results i wanted. I felt bad for my comp over the weekend. He stayed with an Elder that he didn't like and actually threatened him if he didn't dendo. My comp is pretty big and that elder is pretty small. I just cant believe some people and the way they think. Oh well, one day they will learn their lesson. But he is excited to be back with me, I can tell. I love you mom and dad. You guys are the best. I appreciate all that you do. I really do. I cant wait to see you when you come, it will be a blast but I have no clue what we are going to do. I still have to think about That. haha. I will figure something out. In the meantime, I could use some prayers to be lead by the spirit in finding those who are ready to hear the message of Christ. That would be awesome. I am getting tired of just going out day after day and not finding them. I know the miracle is close. Thanks. You guys have a great week and know you are in my prayers. I go to the temple next week so my p-day will be on Tuesday. Yup. I love ya.

 

 

29 october 2012::

お母さん、

Thanks for the Email. I really enjoied it alot. I also enjoied the Newletter. Except i told like to be said as getting trunky. I am excited to come home, yes. But i am very sad to be leaving japan. It is actually scary thought of going back. It is like you and dad coming ot Jpana. You are nervous and dont know what to expect, i am the same way about going to Amerika. I have no clue what to expect and i am nervous. I also love japan and the language. I dont want to loose it at all. But your emails are making me trunky. The location of the Hotel you got couldnt be any better. It is right next to Shinjuku Sta. and it just so happens to be one of the biggest train sta. in Japan. Not only htat, but Shinjuku is a very nice place. And on top of that, we can get about anywhere we need to go within 1.5 hours from Shinjuku sta. And about the beds, i am fine with sleeping on the floor. THat is what i have been doing for the past 1.7 years. haha. No beds for me. What are some things you want to do. For sure i want to: Go to the temple with you, visit Yamate, Visit Recent Converts, Go to Shibuya, Asukusa, and Ueno, i also want to introduce you guys to any companions that i will still be in the mission when you come. But those are my ideas. Do you need me to plan everything? Let me know so i can start now. I am way excited.  But ya, your emails get me so many mixed emotions. It sucks. haha.

 

So my week was super hard. I definately feel that it was a humbling week for me. Let me tell you why.  Recently i have been thinking i am pretty good at finding people to teach and finding new gators. The past 3 weeks me and elder call have only found 3 new gators. This past week we didnt find any. It was super hard. We didnt teach any lessons at all. We didnt meet with any gators at all. It sucked. Every day was a white day filled with contacting people. I dont mind going out and talking to people but it makes me super frustrated when i try to share somethin that is dear to my heart to a poeple that i love and they dont listen. I hate it. I really felt bad for elder call too. It was super hard on him. But like i said, i think God was just telling me htat it is him that leads people to our path and it is through God that we find new people. I also felt like God was testing our patience and how dedicated we are to the work. I know elders where if it gets hard, they stop working hard. The only time i stop working hard, is when i am mad becasue people can tell you arent sincere and the spirit isnt there. So i take a break. I had to do that on Friday because Elder Call wouldnt lead, people werent listening, and it was way cold. But i took the break, got cooled down nad then started back up. It was way bad though. My bucket of water was dumped. Towards the end of the week, we did eat the fruit of our labors though. On tuesday we talked to a way cool family about the Gospel, gave them a book of mormon and invited them to our ward primary halloween party. They came and had a blast. They couldnt come to church becasue of rain though. But now we have a strong relationship and room to work. On wednesday, the last guy we talked to said he was interested in coming to the Halloween Party with his fmaily, which he did. We were able to do the same thing with him, but he came to church. He wants to meet with us sometime this week too to talk more about church stuff. Sunday couldnt of been a better day for a young father to come to church, it was all abvout eternal families. It was great and left a strong impression on him. I felt that this past week was a huge humbling expierence to me. I agian htat this is Gods work and he is leading it. So i hate going and finding all day, so yesterday i fasted taht i would have the Spirit to direct me where to go to find those you are ready so i dont have to do so much finding. I think God is pretty happy that i learned my lesson, again.  So that is where i am at. Humbled, ready for the Spirit and ready to work hard. I know in order to have the spirit more fully, i have to be on my best. So that is what i am going to do. Me getting towards the end of my mission isnt helping at all haha. When i read your emails, i get trunky then start thinking aobut home, then loose my focus, talke with my comp aobut it, and all that stuff. It is way hard not to talk aobut home when i am so close. But i am going to try my hardest. I know these things are unavoidable too. So ya. It is good to be excited, but not to let it distract me. That is my goal for now, not to let it distract me. I do love your emails though so please dont stop. I have a  some cool expireces i want share with you. On monday, i felt like a prophet form the Book of Mormn. We stopped 2 kids riding their bikes. Kids here are the worst to talk to. THey think they are all that and just mess with you. ANyways, we started talking to them and they jsut starting making fun of us and tryin to make us feel like we didnt know crap, well i showed him up. We blindsided them with the Gospel. I was confounding them all in Japanese. It was AWESOME!!!! At the end, they both accepted a Book of Mormon but didnt want to see us again. One of the kids i know will look us up again. He reminded me of Alma. ALl the preist were trying so hard to cross Abinadai except Alma, he was interested. That is what i felt aobut the one kid and that is how come i continued that convo. But it was fun to talk about afterward and i know elder Call enjoied it.

 

Do you remember back in January and February, when i was in Yamate, i taught a guy from Sendai who had lost his wife in the Tsunami? Well his lessons have been the most spiritual lessons i have ever been in on my mission. I have stayed in contact with him since February. Well i got an email from him stating he is going to be baptized on 4th Of November and that he wanted me to do the service. WHAT???!!!!!! Well after much prayer and planning, on this upcoming sunday, i am going to Sendai to baptize Abe. I am so excited. It is going to be way expensive though and i hope that i have enough for the trip. But how cool is that. I am leaving my mission. haha. Where he lives is called Tagajo. It is in Sendai and that is about 7 hour bus ride. It is oging to be a blast. I am way excited. It will be a great re-unioun and a very spiritual baptismal service. He wants to come to Tokyo when i leave Japan to meet you guys and i was thinking since he is coming to Tokyo we could do baptisms for the dead when he comes for the first time. How cool would that be???? I am way excited about it. But ya. Way exciting right?

 

Ya i am doing way good. On Saturday i sang a solo in a music festival that we had. Everyone loved it and it was fun. On Sunday i was the translator for Sacrament meeting. That was interesting but way fun. Hopefully i do good when you guys come. I could still use prayers for my japanese. I want to get as good as i can. I could also use prayers that we will find those who are ready. I love you mom and dad. I am thankful for all taht you do. I am so excieted for you guys to come here ot my territory. haaha. It will be a blast. I love having people that know nothing about where they are at. It will be so much fun. You are both going to be so suprised. haha. It will be so fun. I promise. YOuwill really like it. I got to go, but i love you both so much. Talk to you soon.

Love ya~

Baptism!

Look at Elder Kurt in his new and Awesome Glasses!!! I love them!!!! They are so Shique.

He looks so hip and in style! Not to mention look at that smile :)

I have such a good looking brother.

Kurt....you and your Japanese Brethren all are the same size...but your companion is Goliath!

He towers over you all!!!!  Do not let him push you around :)

LOVE YOU!

22 octobre 2012 again!!!

I actually did indeed love my joke. I thought it was very funny because i told you taht i was trainer. I told dad that i was AP. Looked like you believed dads email. haha. That is what i think is funny. I am sorry that you did all that stuff for me but i am not what i said. But who knows maybe it will help later. And yes i do agree with you. I have come to realize that AP calling is stupid and i dont want it. I was thinking about it when i was ZL. If i became AP, i couldnt do my run and workout everymorning and that is a BIG NO-NO. I need that run and workout. That is a must. THen i thought about all the responsiblity that they have, i dont want that. I enjoi being outside and working with people and shining my light. I enjoi that alot. I also thought one of the main reasons people want to be AP is to to be reconigzed and that doesnt matter because you will be forgotten. SO i dont want to be that. NOT AT ALL. I told my mission prez. that i loved my area and that i wanted to stay here. Hopefullly i will end my mission here. I really do love it. But ya. I am a trainer again and i am loving every second of it. I love being a trainer. But sometimes i think it is a little dangerous. Elder Call is like me. He has a strong desire to serve the Lord but he aint Belly button pants high about that were its like only talking about church stuff. I cant stand those missionaries. I know they are doing there best and that is what matters but my best isnt the same as thier best. But Elder Call is like me. Since he is a new missionary, he hasnt fiqured out the missionary life quite yet so he talks about htings from home a little bit more than my past companions. The reasons it is dangerous is becasue i am excited to come home and we get a bit sidetracked. I am trying to be better with not getting trunky and being the good example. I have a goal with it. But my thing is, i can work hard but still have fun too. SO i hope he learns that from me. You can work hard and have fun at the same time. It makes missionary work enjoiable. But ya. We are doing way good. Yes i got the package you sent on Saturday. It was awesome but at the smae time very damning. You sent so much candy that i havent seen adn i spurlged big time by eating it. It was delicious. But I didnt eat all of it. I had to give some to the other elders. The garments were interesting. The bottoms werent right but i wore them both anyways. One pair is too small but hte other pair fit pretty good. When i wore them, i felt wierd. For the past 1.8 years i have only worn the silkly bottoms, not cotton or dri fit. It was wierid win i put that on. But it felt good. The shirts are too big. I am a medium not a large. But they will work on the mission. Not when i get home. When i wear normal shirts, the garments stick out and it looks way wierd. But as a missionary it is good. Thanks. I also got the money, no worries. Thank you.

 

So you probably want to hear about my week. It was interesting. ON MOnday night our gator, Masaki took us out to dinner. It was nice of him to pay for us. He is the Jospeh Smith. He wants to know the truth but is lost. Thats way we are here. We taught him a leson and he is progressing. Tuesday we had 1 lunch and 1 dinner appoitment. SUPER RARE in Japan. THat never happens. But it was very good. ONe Elder Got sick so we gave him a blessin. I also picked up my new glasses that day too. I have worn them everyday too. THey are great and people say i look really good. So it was a good buy. Every Friday we do a Yoga class. It is way fun. I never realized how much good it is for your body to do yoga and stuff like that. I am stretching everynight because i want to do the splits now. SO it is good. Oh that day it was pretty funny too. We needed a picture and didnt know how to get one, so we decided to ask random people to take our picture. It worked. While they were talking our picture i would just talk to them and get to know them and then share the gospel with them., We got 1 new gator from it, so that is why it worked. Pretty funny uh. On saturday we had a lesson with Soko about his bapitsm and he was just super stoked the whole time. It was super neat to see how excited he was to be baptized. It was the highlite of the day. Sunday was just amazing. Next week i am singing a solo in the song "seasons of love" for our ward halloween party with the SAs. SO we practised that. That night we had 2 baptisms. Ryutaro and Soko got baptized. They both asked me to do it for them. So i was able to baptize both of them. They were so happy and i was so excited to hear their testimonies. I know that they will be great members and do amzing things. We are going to meet with them and get thme to the temple. THat is the next step. SO ya. I attached a picture of the baptism too. Our font is in the background too. It is a kiddie pool. haha. So me and ELder Call really need new investigators, especially because 2 got baptized. SO i fasted this sunday that we will be lead to those who are ready for our message. The past 2 weeks havent been very good and we really need to find some new poeople to teach. Please pray that we will be able to do so. It would be great. Because we were havin 2 baptisms this week, i thought of my mission and how blessed i have been to see many baptisms in my mission. I get so much happiness when i think about how i have been a sharp tool for the lord in his vineyard. I really have been blessed. There is no way i can deny that. I am so thankful that i am doing what i should be doing to get thses blessings too. I know that i aint perfect but it is so nice to know that the Lord is there to help. I love that so much. It is truly happiness. I want to tell you of a cool expierence. Since i didnt get to see General Conference in English i was reading the talks during P. Study. I was reading one from Saturday morning and he talked about death of children and what not. That tlk is amazing. While i was reading it, i good fell the spirit and Kess spirti too. Kess died about 8 years ago but since i was only 11 i didnt remember to much aobut his funeral or aobut the comfort that i got form the Lord when he did pass away. But that day while reading that talk i could feel all the feelings that i felt when kess passed on. It was amazing. It brought me to tears. I could just feel Kess love and the Lords love for me so much. It was a HUGE highlight in my week. I am so thankful taht we have General Conference and that direction from our leaders.

 

SO ya. That was about my week. NOt much else. It was a pretty solid week. I am loving life right now and cant complain. It is incredible to me that it is 22 October. Time just seems to go faster adn faster with every week. I will see you all in no time. You will have to tell me some things you and dad want to do when you come. I have to start planning too. But just let me know. I love you so much mom. I really do. I hope that you have a great week. Ill be praying for ya. I always do. Let everyone know that i love them and appreciate them very much. I cant wait to see efveryone. Ill hear from ya soon.

22 october 2012::

Ha, I got ya. I am not AP. I sent you the serious email. I am a TRAINER!!! Looks like i got ya both. Score for me. hahaha. I am so good. Anyways, ya i am training again and let me tell you it is the best. I dont have a taiwanese person, korean person, or any other country. My bean is from Spanish Fork, Utah. He is 6'2" and 260lbs. He has my color hair, played lacrosse for 4 years, and is AWESOME!!! His name is Elder Call. This first week has been super fun with him. ACtually, their are 2 brand new missionaries in the apartment i live in. ANother elder is training too. This is super rare. 2 beans in one area. It has never been done in my mission before. So we have a lot of trust. But it is suepr fun to watch their reactions to all of the stuff that we give them. It is SO FUNNY!!! It makes me me even more excited for when you and dad come. I can just imagine your reactions to these same things. It will be great. But ya. It is way fun. I hope that i can do a great job in training him. I know it will have a huge impact on his mission. SO please pray that i will do good and taht we will be more of brothers not companions.

 

So about the investigators, well do you remember Soko who went to China? We had a lesson with him on Saturday to see how is trip went and everything. HE told us that he told his fiancee aobut Christ Gospel and everything and she agreed but was still against him being baptized. Then he looked at us and said "But on the 21 of this month, i will be baptized.". SO he is going to be baptized next sunday night. He has asked that i do it. He told us he is 31 and can make his own descions and what not. Then a member came to us after his interview yesterday and asked if we knew why he made the descion to get baptized. SHe then told us his reason was because of the way that i looked. He said everytime he met me, i had a special light around me and i was so dedicated to hlep him. He continued to say that he could feel my love for him and everytihgn. How cool is that? That is like the 3rd time that has happened to me on my mission. Being an example is so important. But i am really glad that he noticed. I really did try so hard. I fasted for him almost every sunday. Yesterday i fasted for him too. I am so glad that i did all those things. He will be a great member and i am excited for him. He asked that i baptize him.

 

My other gator, Ryutaro, asked his boss for work off on this upcoming sunday to be baptized but his boss went bizzare on him and told him how religion is bad and didnt give him the day off. But we have a night session so we are still going to try and get him baptized. The bishop says he wants to do the night session once a month and if that is the case, Ryutaro can get the sacrament once a month which is the standard to be able to be baptized. He has another problem though that i am worried aobut and i fasted about yesterday as well. It is with the Word of Wisdom. He doesnt drink by himself but when he goes out with friends he doesnt know how to say no to the offer. He has the desire to quit and be baptized but doesnt know how to say no to his friends. Hopefully we can help him alot. He just needs to set his standards and that is waht we told him. Please pray for him.

 

Our other investigators are doing super well too. Masaki is golden and is progressing way well. We are meeting him today and going to dinner. THen there is Kazuki who just accepted a day to be baptized too. He is pretty golden. We gave him BOM a week ago and he has read from it everyday. So ya. WE taught him the Restoration yesterday and it was pretty funny. this is waht i said "When the Authority of God was taken from the earth when Christ died, the world became Korea.". I was trying to say " The world becamse lost and in darkness". Korea in japanese is kankoku and darkness is ankoku. YOu can see where i can mess up. THe only reason i knew i messed up was because Kazuki's face showed it. HE made a little smile and was laughing at me. It was pretty funny and embarrising. But oh well. I am sure it helped my bean to know that i aint perfect and still make mistakes.

 

So ya. I am doing way good. I am honestly being blessed right now. I hope taht it continues. We havent had time to find new gators and i am a bit worried aobut that. I really want to find some new friends so i am planning on doing finding alot this week. Can you pray that we will be able to find some? Also the other companinoship too? They have no investigators and i feel really bad for teh new bean inthe other comp. beacuse they havent taught a lesson and have no investigators. I really want to hlep them. That would be great.

 

Thanks for you email this week. I really enjoied it. Thanks for the package with garments and everythign. It will help so much. My garments are really yellow now and it is disgusting. Actually you might not want to read this but hte crotch part is actaually a brown from sweat and other stuff. Pretty grss uh? I realy need these new ones so thank you. Ya. i am happy and doing well. I am staying fit and healthy and trying my hardest. I cant wait to see all of you. I am so excited. It is kinda hard to stay focused actually. Less than 4 months. But having this new missinoary will hlep alot and i ma grateful for that. So ya. Thanks for the prayers, i really appreciate them. I could continue to use them. I really want to get as good as i can at japanese. I dont like making mistakes like the one i did. I feel that since i am on transfer 13 i need to be better but it is through mistakes that we learn. So it is whatever but i dont like making them. Makes me feel stupid. Well, I love you mom. I really do. You are the best ever. You are going to love it here in Japan. I promise you! I dont have much to say. So i quess ill go. I love ya.

email to the dad:: 12 october 2012

Hey Dad,

 

Its good to hear from ya. I always look forward to reading you emails. I really enjoi thme alot.

 

So my week was way fast. I am just amazed on how fast the week goes by as a missionary. Today is my 1 year 7 month mark on being on my mission. On Thursday marks my 4 month mark until i come home. I am always blown away on how fast time is oging. I will see you and mom in no time. I am way stoked.

 

My week was pretty swell and wet. It rained at least 5 out of the 7 days this past week. It has gotten really cold also. This fall has been alot colder than last year for sure. All my white shirts are destroyed and i have to throw them away but it is getting cold so wahtever.

 

This week we had to go to district meetings and a huge zone leader council meeting. The ZL meeting was kinda useless becasue i am no longer a ZL. I am something better! Can you guess? Anyway, it was a swell week. I am way whipped from being a ZL but i am sure i will be even more tired now. ahaha. I am definalty going to need your prayers on this one. You cant tell mom yet. I have been made AP!!!! I am now companions with President and my old comp. It is pretty weird but way cool at the same time. I was super sad to leave my old area but they are in the best hands ever. I know at least 3 of them are going to be baptized.

 

Other than that nothing else is new. I am still the same ol' elder van de with red hair. Oh, i had to buy some new glasses. I get them next week and i am pretty excited to get them. I think they look cool. I love ya dad. I appreciate everything that you do for me. I know you love me too even though you dont send written letters. I too have only gotten 1 typed letter from ya. haha. But i enjoi the emails alot. It is quicker. Well i hope you have a great week and have fun up at the cabin. You are in my prayers.

09 october 2012::

So i am pretty sure you are just so excited to hear about my new calling here in Japan. Well, i have been called as a . . . . . . .

joking. I am not goin to telly you yet. I want you to quess first. I am sorry. Just know it is out of love. I am sure you will be pleased to hear about my week though.

 

We had a very fast week. I was telling dad i am super suprised on how time just goes by so fast. I mean it is October 9. I have been on my mission for 1 year and 7 months now. In 2 days from now, i will have 4 months exactly till i will be able to be released as a missionary. Isnt that fast. It is so crazy to think aobut. I hope that everyone  is getting prepared for me to come home. Thanks so much for sending me the prescription stufff. It helped out alot. I bought a new pair today and it cost about 150000yen. That is about 150 bucks. I really needed them though. I was going to ask if you could get an appointment for me to go to the eye doctors to get another prescription. I feel my eyes have gotten worse. When i get home i also want to go to the dentist and orthadontist to make sure my teeth are good. I gotta look good for the ladies when i come home you know. haha. But i seriously want to make sure everything is ok. My retainer has come off 2 times since being in Japan. So i need to get it checked.

 

I am sure you want to hear aobut my week for realz now. OK. So this week it rained at least 5 days. I dont like the rain. It sucks. It makes everyhting difficult. But my attitude has changed towards it. So i guess it is ok. This week we had tons of District Meetings and Distritct Lunches that means i had to spend alot of money. It is worth it though. Being around the missionaries is a really fun thing. SOmething way funny happened at one of them. We went to Wendys (better than America by far) for distrcit lunch in a super expensive place called Roppongi. Anyways, Roppongi is also known for all its clubs and stuff at night. Well while eating lunch, i noticed a kinda sketchy dressed girl sitting at a table across from us lookin at us via her iPhone camera. Well she got up and went down stairs. As we were all leaving, i was filling up my cup getting a drink. I noticed the girl get out her phone and then put the camera on me and take a picture of me. It was really weird because after she took the picture, she looked at me up and down and then smiled. It was kinda funny. Japan is really messed up with sexual stuff.They just dont think it is a bad thing here. Sometimes as a missionary it is really funny but alot of the time it is disturbing and sad. Funny because they fall all over you. But i thought that instance was pretty funny. I have had my picture taken so many times. It is funny. This week i also ran to Tokyo Tower from the Shibuya Apartmetn. It was a bout an hour run. It was good. I did it in my church shoes. haha. I am a beast. My gators are doing way well. Ryutaro wants to be baptized but has work on Sunday and cant make it. So we are post-poning it until he can get some time off. Pray that he can get a new job. Soko, came back from China yesterday and was able to talk to his fiancee about Christianity and have her beilieve it is a good thing. So he should be getting baptized soon. Yoshy is still sick and cant meet. He really wants too but is to sick. Pray that he will get bette.r

 

I want to tell you about a lesson we had with an investigator on Friday. We havent met with him in 2 weeks but he is a Jospeh Smith type of Person. His name is Masaki. He has had the oppurtunity to be baptized 5 times but has denied 5 times becasue he hasnt felt it was right. Well he stopped talking to us for about 2 weeks but we got a lesson with him. During the lesson, we were able to testify aobut how we came to know of the truthfulness of the Gospel and how much it means to each of us and how much it will mean to him if he accpets and believes. I know that he felt the Spirit because he started to cry during the lesson. He really expressed some deep things to us that mean alot to him. I know he will be abaptized too. He is a great person and i really like him alot. If you can pray that he will find his answer that would be great. He is awesome.

 

Yesterday i was able to go with SUgaya, recent convert, to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. It was way cool. It was Stake Temple day and there was over 50 youth there. I love seeing that much youth in the Temple. Especially Japanese youth. It is amazing. Because there was so many present i didnt get to see him be baptized. I had to go back but i know he ahd a greta time.

 

SO i am sure you are still wondering about transfers. OK. I will tell you. So my companion got transfered to my bean area, Shibuya. I am still in Urayasu but i dont know who my companion is yet. I was made a TRAINER again. How cool is that? I am going to train another missionary. I meet him tomorrow. I am way stoked and happy for this calling. Training Elder Chen was way fun. This time i am getting an american. It should be super fun. Ill need your prayers so i can do my best. I fasted this past sunday for it. I hope i will do great. I will be with him for at least 2 transfers. That means 5 transfers in Urayasu!!! I love this area so that is ok with me.

 

Yup that was my week. It was pretty good and fast. This week will be super fast too. I am sure of it. Ill be emailing you before you know it. I am sure you are way stoked to come to Japan. Dont be nervous. You will love it here. It is a great place. I dont have any money now because i had to buy those glasses but they were way needed. So iget them next week and i am super excited to get them. I love you so much mom. I am glad that you had a great week and are doing well. It really pleases me. I am way excited to hear from you guys and to see you all again. I cant believe thta is 4 months away. So CRAZY!!! Be prepared to PARTY!!! I got to go but i love ya and appreciate all that you do. Have a great week. Keep Moving Forward.

02 october 2012::

ello my dearest mother whom i love with all my heart! How are you doing this fine day? I really enjoied seeing all you of you last pday. All the elders in my apartment told me how different i am from everybody else haha. They really liked the family though. Bug is in for a HUGE suprise. haha. He is going to be so HUMBLED!!! That is the only thing that i could think while talking to him. He is going to change so much. hahaha. It si going to be a ride for him. hahaa. Keep him in your prayers. He'll do great. 

That is crazy that no one lives at the house anymore. That is a sad thought for me to think about. I love it when there are lots of people at our house and everything and just the thought that nobody is there is sad to me. But only for 4 months. Ill be home in no time and that will all change. I am so excited to see you guys. I cant believe that it is october. next thursday i will be counting down from 4 months. That is so crazy to me. I cant believe how fast the time is going. I am way nervous aobut what i am going to do. I have only thought about my life up until my mission and now that is almost over. I never really thought deeply about after the mission. I am way scared. I had dinner yesterday with a american who served here in japan and he said when he went home, he did tour guides for national parks. Like the grand caynon and stuff like that. It sounds like a great job. It is somethin i am going to look into when i get home. One fo the scariest thoughts for me is that i wont be able to use my japanese and i will froget it. I dont wnat to do that. Not after all the work i had to go through. So doing tour guides or working at the zoo being a guide sounds like a way good job. He said it pays really good too. Like starting 10 bucks an hour working 10 hour days. so 100 bucks a day just starting. Sounds pretty good right? But there is stuff i am stil worried about. SO we shall see.

 

My week was super good. I fasted for SOko. He is in China right now visiting and talking to his fiancee about being baptized. He really wants to be baptized but he wants his fiancee to agree with it. So keep him in your prayers. Ryutaro is doing great too. He made a huge commitment to follow the word of wisdom but is having a hard time living it. Keep him in oyur prayers that he can keep it and feel the Holy Ghost. Yoshy ro the black sheep could be baptized this week. If we meet with him and get him all good to go. He has a huge problem with the Word of Wisdom so pray that he will accept it. He really wants to be bapitzed though. They are awesome. I could use your prayers too. I really wnt to get as good at Japanese as i can in these last 4 months. I can understand more fully but i cant speak very well. Please pray that i will still continue to improve my japanese and beomce really good. THanks.

 

Nothing really interesting happend this week. It was just a week to work hard and thats exactly what i did. I felt really good about my service last week and i felt i worked super hard. Transfers are this next week and i think i might get trasfered. I have been here 3 but my companion might train a young new ZL. That would be the bst. They also need 10 trainers and i had a feeling that i am going to be one of them. I have always had a dream of white washing an area with a bean. So that might come true. I hope if i do get transfered i go to country side. I have been in city way to long. I am ready ot get out. I really like the area i am in though. I could definatly stay here too. I love the ward and just everything about this place. It is amazing. SO i am cool with whatever.

 

Sorry i have nothing cool or anything. I love you mom. I cant believe that my mission is comign to an end. It is really sad. I love it so much. It has done so much for me. I cant wait to tell you all about it. Well, i dont have anything else to write aobut. I dont know what to right aobut. I am healthy, happy, in good shape, working hard, doing all i can do be the best i can. Have a great week. I did get teh newletter but i couldnt see the pictures of people cutting the tree. They didnt load. So i dont know what that is about. but ya. I love ya.

this is from::: 18 september 2012::

I am sorry that this email is a bit late. Yesterday was Respect the Elderly day and everyone had a day off, so we decided to go out and work and take pday today. So ya. About the coming home thing. I got a letter that asked me whether i wanted my mission to end 12 Febraury or 26 March. I picked the 12 February, so that is the set date that i will be able to come home. But aobut the other stuff. If you did come to see me on my last sunday, i think it would be cool. But for the 2 days, it really is only monday, but even then i could probably be with you guys as my companion becasue dad has the priesthood. But if not, you will be in Tokyo. There is always something to do.  You will be able to find everything fine when you get here. Everything is in English and people can speak englsih here too. They are super nice.

 

It sounds like you had a very full week. I am happy for you. I just told dad that when the week is full, time goes by so fast. I cant believe that it is 18 September already. Time has gone by so fast. I come home in like less than 5 months. That is so weird. Anyway, I hope that everything works out with kendi and what not. I am sure she will love her new car. I am excited for her. Oh, before i forget. Next Monday for me (Sunday for you) I will be calling home on Skpye at 9 AM. President Budge gave me permission to call Bug one last time before he enters the MTC. So i will be attending his farewell party as well. haaha. Just be expecting a call from me on your Sunday night. I am way stoked. This will be the last time i will see bug for almost 2 years. I wont meet him in person for almost 4 years. Weird.  But ya. Thats way interesting aobut the trimming and stuff. it made me laugh that no one has done it since i left. Taliing about Kelly and nephews, what could you find out about Hunters baptism? I really wnat to make it. I know that i could make it too if they did it in February. You will just have to let me know. I sent kellbell a lettter 2 weeks ago so she should knwo.

 

SO my week was pretty dang good. We had lessons on and off pretty much all week. We also had a Mini-Zone conference with interviews. It was good. We had a day to just do strait finding. It was hard and because of that, i fasted on Sunday taht i would be able to enjoi days like that and that i would be able to go hard my last 5 months. I thought it was a good fast. Friday at the Mini zone thing, i gave a training on Hope. It was super hard. Hope, Charity, and Faith are the hardest to give trainings on because they are so easy. People are also very concered about those. So they choose wheter to listen or not. It is difficult but the missionaries gave me a good response so i think i did good. haah. I also had a interview with Pres. Budge. I wont lie, it was different than Pres. Albrecht. It just didnt feel the same. It felt like he ahd to do it and thats why he was doing it. But as he gets older, that will change. I only have 1 or 2 more anyway, so i think i will be able to handle it. He is a good man. This past sunday, we sang nearer my God to thee in Sacrament. It was really good.  Elder Aoyagi of the seventy was at church. That is 2 weeks in a row where a GA was a church. It was pretty neat. I like Elder Yamashita better but it was still good. I had a lesson with Sugaya, a gator who is really close to being baptized. We finished teaching him everything and told him he could be baptized next week if he wanted. He accepteed. Yesterday i was on splits but they had a interveiw/lesson withhim and he asked if i could baptize him. I am way stoked. I have been so blessed on my misson. It is so incredible to look back on all my many blessings. I will never forget them. This upcoming sunday we are having 3 baptisms in the ward. 1 of our gators, and 2 of the other elders are getting baptized. Talk about a White Sunday. It will prove to be a fantastic day. I am excited. I love being busy. I absolutely love it. Our church as of now dont have  a font, so we will use a blow-up pool. That will be a neat memory. Please continue to pray for him. I am fasting for him right now because his family is having problems with money which could cause a problem with tithing. But all should be well. Please pray for my other gators. Soko is still having problems with his fiancee. HE is accepteing everything though. He really wants to be baptize but his fiancee is against it. So please pray for that. Yoshy, needs a job. He loves everything as well. He suffers a bit from depression and gets down but it can be easily fixed when we are withhim. Ryutaro is going good too. He loved the commandments. Please pray that he will be able to continue to see teh difference between good and evil and then wnat to make a good choice and be baptized. Masaki is new but he needs a answer taht this church is true. He has had the opputunity to be baptized 5 times into another church but has refused it 5 times becasue it didnt feel right. He really wants to know what is true. Please pray that he will do good.

 

Can you also pray for my past converts, they seem to be having trouble. Bro. Suzuki found some stuff in the bible he doesnt agree with and moved and no one knows where he is at. He hasnt attended church in a while too. Please pray that he can come back. Sis. Suzuki is getting ruled by Bro Suzuki. He doesnt want her to have anything to do with the church but she loves it. Please pray that she can come back. Panda is unsure of his future and doenst know what is going on. He went to China and came back all confuseed. Please pray that he will be able to realize that this is happiness and gives him purpose. All in all Please pray that they all will come back to church. Thanks so much.

 

I love you so much. I am so sprised at how fast the time is going. Ill be home n no time so there is no need to cry. I am so excited to see you. I really am but it is very sad to think that it is coming to an end. I love my mission so much and i have appreciated every single second of it. It has changed me and my life. I am eternally grateful and in debt to God for it.  I love Japan and everything about it here. I will certainly miss it. Thank you so much for your prayers and everything you have done for me. I hope that you have a great week. I know i will. I am jsut always happy. I dont really have hard times anymore. You cant with this gospel. I love you mom. I am excited to talk with you guys next week. I have called home so much on skype this year, i am a blessed perseon. Be safe.

12 september 2012::

Thanks for the email. I am going to take some time and write a bit aobut my thoughts and stuff on when i finish. It is really sad that my mission is coming to a close. I have loved it here. I really dont want to leave, but i know sooner or later i have too. I have gotten my "Dead Letter" this past week and i have decided that i will go home in February. I know that Hunter will be baptized some tiem in February and i really want to see taht. I also know Kendi will have an opera that i could probably see. SO February works best for everyone and that is waht i am going to do. About Japan, I think it would be best if we had 1 hotel the entire time we are here. We mainly travel by trains here in Tokyo and since i am a ZL in Tokyo, i know them pretty dang well. Now saying that, You are probably going to want to get a hotel that is in more of the middle of Tokyo. Even though tokyo is relativly small it takes time to get to places. I live just on the out skirt of Tokyo and it takes me about 50 min to get to the center by train. So if you pick somewhere like the East side, it could take awhile to get to some places. So the best bet is somewhere in the Middle of Tokyo. Here is another thought i had. I was thinking you guys can come on to my last Sunday in Japan so you can see me talk in Sacrament and stuff. That would be February 10th. Here is the trick. I am 1 day a head of you. SO you would have to be in Japan on February 9th or Dads birthday. This was just a thought, so let me know. But i know that it is super expensive here and i was thinking if you were on Sunday, we could leave earlier in the week. maybe on the 14th or 15th. Here is an example, if we left on the 14th in Japan at 12:00, we would get back on the 14th in America at 11:00. It is crazy on how everything works. Just let me know what you think. As for what we would do, I am right with you, i want to introduce you to people that i have baptized, the some of the people in Yamate ward in Yokohama, some cool places in Tokyo, and introduce to my previos comps. So it is a good thing that i havent transferd that much. But there is maily 2 places i want to take you to. Let me know. I am very excited aobut seeing you all again and this whole thing. You will love it here.

 

I am doing very well by the way. This week was very interesting. Well i mean yesterday was very interesting. On Tuesday we found out that our golden investigators, Soko, girlfriend is against him being baptized. She acutally said taht if did, they were through. I was devistated. SO i fasted for him. It proved very well too. On saturday we went to a Sri Lankan festival in central Tokyo. It would of been fun but i had a differnt expirence. A guy came up to us and starting talking to us. Well he was christian but fell away. It was way interesting to see him and all his arquments. But the interesting thing was just noticing how mucht the Adversary has control on him. On the LDS website, Elder Bednar has 3 great videos that talk aobut the Light of Christ. It was just way cool to see that every thing Elder Bednar talks about, was true. It definatley built up my testimony.  I dont like talking to Americans that much here. It seems all the ones who fall away come here because religion is so messed up, they feel they can runaway here. WRONG!!! Anyways, Yesterday is the real interesting part. We had Elder Yamashita of the 70 in the ward and he spoke every period. It was amazing. During sunday skool, he talked aobut eternal marriage and it was amazing. After that Soko came up to us and said that everything that we were teaching him made sense and that he needs to conitnue learning. It was Amazing. Our prayers and fast were answered. I told you it proved to be very well. In 3rd period, Elder Yamashita continued talking about the roles of parents inthe hom and what not. Well in church we had 4 investigators. The sisters in our ward also had a woman just walk in and participate this is where it gets interesting.

 

This girl was dressed liek a prostitute. She had very long blonde hair, with a mini skirt and a cut off shirt. That kinda of dress is normal though. She was in her 30's i think.  I said hi and welcomed her to church. She was very natural with everything so i thought she was a member that hadnt been to church in awhile. Well i went up and talked to her more after the sacrament and found out she wasnt a member and she had been to church once. After church, we had a linger longer. I was BRTing (Building Relationships of Trust) and getting to know this person. But i think i might have done that a bit to much. We were talking and i asked where she was from, Nagyoya. I asked how long she had been here in tokyo, about 2 years was the reply. I asked if she was going back to Nagyoya, she said ya. Asked her age and she didnt reply. Then it turnded to me. How long have i been here, 1.5 years. When will i go back to america, 5 months. Age, 20. People cant believe that. Remember, this is all after church where we just talked about families and marriage. This is where it went downhill. She looked at me and told me that i needed to stay. I said i want to but my visa will end and i have to go. She said no, my dad works for the government, he can help. She continued, LETS MAKE BABIES. Then you will have to stay. We will be married and just make lots and lots of babies and we can live in Nagyoya. It was super funny but really awkward. I tried to change the subject and get her talking to the sisters. I told her that one of the sisters was super cool and introduced her. That sister then told her(gator) how cool i was and what not. (poor choice of words on her part) The gator then replied, "I know, we are going to make babies and have  a huge family, and just make babies". It was funny. But way awkward. They started talking and i just walked away. I have never in my life had some one tell me that they want to make babies with me. Very interesting day. She is there investigator now and it will be hard avoiding her. We shall see. I am sure you will hear more.

 

All my other gators are doing super well. They are progressing and really want baptism. So keep praying for them. Dont worry aobut me getteing "Trunky" I told you. I commited myself to Burn out than fade away. I am goin to work hard until i go home. The thought of home doesnt get me stressed, the thought of leaving and finishing though gets me sad. I have absoluely loved it here in Japan. I love everyhting. The thought of "not missionary life' is pretty scary too. I dont know what it is like. I cant remember not being a missioanry.  But i am going to be solid until i come home.
 

I cant believe that Bug is going on his mission too. I have asked my president if i can skype home before he leaves so i can talk with him one last time. I really hope that he lets me. If not, i wont see bug for almost 4 years. That is so crazy to me. I love Bug so much. He is going to love his mission. It is a great place. Time really does go by fast. Before you know it, we will all be together as one big family again. Time just goes by so fast.

 

I love you mom. I am grateful for everything that you do for me. I was going to tell you that i need some garments. All mine are yellow. I can buy shirts here, but the bottoms that i wear and like, the distributive center doesnt sell. I like the silky ones like Kamas. If you could send some, i would be super happy. All mine are very gross and disgusting and i need new ones. My size is Medium. I love you so much. I hope that you ahve a great week. I will be praying for you always. I am very excited about the upcoming months. It is so exciting. Ill talk with you next week. I love you.