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.
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