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.

04 september 2012::

Thanks so much for your great email. I love hearing about everything that happens there in AZ. I know i dont make to much of a comment of it anymore but i really love waht is going on. Thanks for adding it all.

 

When i get home, i think i want to do the diet that you and dad were doing just a couple of months ago. I also want to put on like 20 lbs of muscle. I would look so good if i could do that. Man it gets me excited just thinking aobut htat. The other day, i stayed the night at the honbu and i ran on a treadmile for the 1st time in 1.5 years. I did way good. I ran 2 miles in under 13 min. I was doing a steady 10mph for 1 mile. It was awesome. I think if i was to just run the mile i could get it in under 6 minutes. I am in way good shape right now. haha

 

My week was way good. We were super busy almost everyday. My companion is pretty chill. He reminds me alot of Jared. He does his own thing and doesnt really care. He knows what he is doing and does waht works and waht is right. He is super good with leaders too. I quess that is a blessing that he is using greatly. He can speak japanese and english perfectly becasue he is half. SO he can be amazing at what he does cuz he knows what is going on 24/7. It si just my job not to care that he can do that and support him and do what i can to help. Thats has been my resolve. I really liked what i said last week. I think i am the person that if the job gets done, i wont need to do it again. For example, if he teaches about baptism or joseph smith, i wont need to teach aobut htat becasue he already did. I just need to testify or teach something new. I look back from a year ago. I am blown away with the grwoth that i have seen. 1 year ago, i hated bwearing my testimony in japanese because i thought it sucked. But now, it is almost the only thing that i do becasue it is what brings the spirit and hleps the investigator. I love bearing my testimony. My comp is also amazing at using the Book of Mormon. Since he is half, he has an american thought but he translate that into japanese. Once again, a great talent that he is using. Most japanese people are shy to talk to japanese people because it isnt culture but because my comp is half american, he uses wht he gots. I really respect that. I really want to be able to use the book of mormon liek he was but i fear that i wont be able to these 2 years because my japanese is limited. But i am grateful he is. I have made it my goal though to try to use the book of mormon everyday. It is something every missionary should do but since we ride bikes and what not, it is really hard to hand thme out. But i am going to do it. We are promised that those who read from the pages fo the bom,will ahve a stronger desire to share it. I really want taht. I am now on my 7th time reading the bom while on my mish. I am trying to finish before sept. 9th like bishop asked. I have 100 pages to go. But i really am trying hard to share the BoM more.

 

 I learned a great thing from the BoM this week. I told you last week that i am trying to be more humble and care more about what God thinks than what anyone else thinks. I have learned that having a BIGGER VISION of things is super helpful. These 2 years are way important and i love them, but i will continue on and i think about after my mission. I found a great scripture. It is in Helaman 5:8. My favorite part is:. . .do these things to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal. . ."  I love that. My kangaekata is if i do missionary work or go and talk to people, i will have tons of treasures in heaven. It motivates me alot and cancels out what others think becasue only God can give me these treasures. It is something great thtat i have learned. I love the Book of Mormon so much. モルモン書に感謝します。毎日私はモルモン書を読める機会があります。その機会は本当の祝福だと思います。モルモン書がなければ私はモルモン教にならな かったかもしれませんと思います。I am sorry about that. That was easier for me to write than in english.

 

My gators are doing well. Nara loves to hike and we are going to try to get him to take us up MT. FUJI. We shall see. I am excited. Soko is doing amazing. He really wants to get baptized. I love him alot. Sugaya is oding amazing too. He will be baptized too. Please pray for all my gators they need them. tokuni Yoshy and Ryutaro. They need the motivation to learn and see that the church is a good thing and will bless there lives. I love them both and am happy for tehm.

 

Like i said before i had tons of meetings this week. One of them was ZL Councel. We just talked aobut hte mission. The fun part was at lunch. I got voted to arm-wrestled pres. Budge. I held him in a stale mate for about 2 minutes but them he pulled my arm towards his, stretching my arm out, making me loose. I didnt care too much but it was way fun looking at his face seeing how much he was struggling. I was not even struggling but he was. Sis. Budge got some pics. I want to see them. But it was fun.

 

I love you mom. I am so excited to see you in just 5 months. YOu are going to love Japan os much. It is a great place. I am so excited for you to meet and see the areas where i served and overcame challenges and stuff like that. It will be a blast from the past for me and you will love it. I am love you. Have a great week. I am will be waiting to hear from ya. Give everybody else my love too.

28 august 2012::

 

Thanks so much for your email. It helped out. I had to laugh though because even though i am thousand of miles away, i can still get the quilt trip. haha. I thought it was funny.

 

My week was good. You were right, transfers were this week. My new compnaion is Elder Petersen. He is on transfer 15. He is half japanese and american. He has lived most of his life here in Japan though. He speaks fluent japanese and englsih. He ahs been ZL for over 5 transfers now. He really knows how to make a Zone work.  He is really good at uniting the zone and working with church leaders and what not. I am excited to work with him. It is funny how the adversary works. Yesterday when i met him, he just starting calling all these leaders and what not. I felt that he was here to fix me. To fix the Tokyo Zone. Well that is what the adversary wants me to think right. Well, today while i was running, i had a thought tell me that I was meant to be here with him. He cant do what he has in the past in Tokyo without MY help. I might not be as skilled as he is in working with leaders and stuff like that but i have something that he needs. That was a comforting thought and i know where it comes from :). I dont like gettign new companions either. The reason is i have to start over. I almost cried when i had to say good bye to Elder Hansen. It was way hard. I love my comps but i hate the begining becasue i dont konw anything about them. He is older than me too. The last time i got a comp way older than me was my 4th transfer. YOu remember what happened? I almost killed that kid. It was way hard. But my most appreciative transfer. I am excited. I could use your prayers. Elder Hansen was made AP. That is my 2nd companion that i have sent to be AP. He is my 3rd companion that has been AP. I am sure he will do great. I love him and support him alot.

 

So our week was way good. I want to tell you about my gators for a bit. We have 6 gators that are progressing. Matsunaga is a part-member but lacks a testimony. He jsut goes through the motions when he comes with his family. He needs a testimony way hard-core. He said that he wanted to be baptized so he can go through the tmeple but it sounded like that was a burden. Yoshy (black sheep) He is doing way good. He is just accepting everything that we are teaching him. He is kinda lazy though. He smokes like a train. If you could pray that his prayers will be answerd and that he can meet i would be happy. Ryutaro, he is a 20 yr old that we are teachign. Yoshy referred him. He is super cool. He really wants happiness and is wondering if religion or a belief in God will give him that. He is praying but not really reading. If you can pray that he will feel Gods love and the spirit, that would be great. Nara, he is a 64 yr old man that has a background in buddhims. He is accepting everything way well though. He is way chill and is keeping his commitments. I am wondering though if he will go all the way then just back out. Pray that he will continue to want to be baptized and understand everything. Soko, He is awesome. He is having a hard life at work though. He seems super happy when we meet with. He has a hard time believign in God and Jesus though. In china they are taught that theya re just myths. way sad right? He is keeping his commitments though and wants to learn an dunderstand. Pray that he will continue to have good expireneces an come to know the truth. Sugaya, He is just a golden investigator. He answers our questions perfectly and is flying through the book of mormon. He is in mosia and he ahs been reading for only 2 weeks. He is just golden.Pray that he will be able get teh conviction that it is true. Thanks so much. THese ppeople are the best and i love them all so much.

 

Lately i ahve been doing really good. I have really enjoied the past week. We have bee super busy and continue to get even busier. I have eaten out so much. My money is going down the drain. Being ZL is sure expensive but i love it. I cant believe that i only have 3 transfers left. I cant tel you too much about travel plans and stuff like that because i havent gotten my stuff to fill out yet. I get that info this transfer. But i do believe that the church will pay for my plane ticket back with you guys. You just have to let me know how long you intend on staying and what day we plan on returning. I would like to fly out of Narita. I have served there and i want to take you there. If i were you i would call church travel becasue i dont know anything as of now. Like said, I fill out my return papers this transfer sometime. I just need to know when you will come and when you will plan to leave.

 

It has been hard to focus a bit lately. I really am excited to see you all again. I cant beileve that i have only 3 transfers left. I catch myself thinking aobut home or what i will do. It is hard to focus. Sometimes i just wish i could be done and go home or that time would go by faster, but i have told you before. I am going to burn out rather than fade away. I am commited.

 

I love you mom. I am so grateful for everything that you do. I cant wait to see you or talk to you on christmas. You are the abest ever. I did get those pics but havent looked at them. Thank you so much. I hope you have a great week. I know i will. I am going to make it that way. You can follow up too. I love ya. Keep moving forward.

22 august 2012::

Thank you so much for Nicks email. I just sent him an email. I dont think he will read it until next week thought. I think it might be his first one. Can you call him for me and tell him that i love him very much and that i love him. Thanks.

 

So i enjoied your email. It kinda made me think of home thinking about all the boys being together doing work up at the cabin. I miss being around all my brothers. I am excited to see them again. I want to hang with them again. I hope they are excited. Thanks for your email. Oh, and that is cool about your car. Youll have to set up a date for me so i can use it on the first week when i am hoem. THe work is urgent mother. THere si no wasting time when i get home. Hahah. JOKING. I want to be married when i am 24, so no rush there. But thanks for the email. I really did enjoi it. Do you think you can send me some pictures of how the cabin is coming along? I really want to see what it looks like and such. It sounds like you have done so much to it. I really want to see. Oh and i just htought today that i have 5 months left. I cant beilieve that. I can count on 1 hand how many months i have left. That is so weird. It really feels like i have been here only 1 month or so. It is going by so fast.

 

So my week went by fast, way fast. THat is how it seems to be all the time. WHenever i have to ride on trains, i know that my week is going to go by super fast. On tuesday, i went on splits wiht a missionary. It was fun. We did some streeting and visited a member. It was good to get away form my comp. Lately i have felt that it has to be his way or it is no way. Everytime i give a suggestion, he agress then says and gives reasons why his way is better. I am doing what dad told me to do, that is just to be patient and become smooth. I realy love my comp. but i think that 2 transfers together is good enough. I am ready for a change. Anyway, i have really felt that my prayers have become really sincere. I dont feel that my prayers are me just saying thanks and then asking for things anymore. I feel that they have beceom a conversation wiht God. I really feel taht i have started to pour out my soul to him. It really makes me feel good. Like during the day, if i have something that bothers me, i try to write it down so i can talk with God about it later in the night. I feel that i have realy leaned uppon him. I really look forward to my prayers at night. I love that time. It really helps going into another room and actuall vocally speaking too. It makes it feel more real. I love it.

 

Like i said earlier. We were on trains alot this week. One day we had to leave at 8;10 in the morning and didnt get back until 9;30. Our days are bcoming more and more hectic. This next week is transfers so it is going to beceom really busy. I am excited for that. But my wallet is really hurting. I run out of money so fast. We go out to eat so much as ZLs because we are never home. I wonder if that can be reimbursetable. It would be nice.

 

I wnat to tell you of another cool revelation i had this week. So we got done with a chinese gator, Soko. He donest believe in God. We watched finding faith in Christ and he looked at me with a really dumbfounded face when christ ressurected a guy, Lazarus. Well he said that it was hard and that it was an anciet myth. After the lesson, we were talking about it and my comp said that the lesson went ok. I thought the lesson was fantastic. Then it hit me. Every sunday i fast to knwo the needs of my gators, to find people to teach, and to help specific poeple. Well the past couple of weeks i have been fasting for him. Well it hit me that night. I know his concern, he needs to believe in God. Wait, then i thought aobut my other investigators. I know all of their concerns. Matsunaga needs a testimony. Murakami needs start praying. It was awesome because i realized that God has been answering my prayers and fasting by showing me these things. Maybe my comp doesnt know it but i do. It was really cool to think that we have gators who want to learn but are having struggles. That is where the best testimonies come from right. Please pray for them. I told you their concerns. They cna really use them. They are great people.

 

I love you so much Mother. I am excited to see you in a couple of months. I really appreciate all that you do for me. You are the greatest. i am doing great. I am still trying my hardest. I cant wait for you guys to come here and do a session in the temple with me. That is one of my planned things to do, go to the tmeple. I just went today that is how come this is late. I love yoyu and cant wait to hear from ya next week. Have a great week ok. Tell al my friedns hi.

14 August 2012::

It is always such a blessing to hear from the both of you. I love you guys so much. You have no idea. You guys are the best ever. Thanks. I loved both of your emails. They were both great. It sounds like the both of you are both very busy around the house and cabin. I cant wait to see what the cabin turns out to look like. I have heard so much about it. How much longer do you have this year to work on it? Can you send me some pictures of how it is looking? Thanks.

 

So this week was good i quess. It was the normal week for me. I quess the new thing was that i only ate in my apartment 2 or 3 times in the week. I am definately lacking the funds now. Being a ZL is so expensive. I cant believe how much we ate out. I had to stop eating when they would go to restraunts because i need money for other things. I was also on splits with missionaries for 3 days in a row. Starting from Tuesday afternoon to Thursday night i wasnt with my companion. I was with people in my Zone. It called for a good time. Sometimes getting away from your compaions is a good thing. I was able to go to Shibuya again. We ran to Tokyo Tower on Thursday morning which made for a good 1 hour run. I like doing that run. It is pretty. I took pictures this time. Youll have to wait til i get home to see it. Thursday night i was able to reunite with Elder Chen and Elder Crowther and go to the temple with Panda and do baptisms for the dead. It was great to go to the temple again with a recent convert and do baptisms. I love seeing the happiness taht they get when they do the baptism. It is incredible. It wasnt so incredible when he came out of the shower naked though. haha.

 

So ya that was pretty much my week. Nothing to exciting happened. Oh, i did my first Baptism Interview in japanese. It was pretty good. I was super nervous but i did alright i quess. Yesterday i stopped a guy and he was completly decked out with all this weird stuff. YOu couldnt see one peice of skin on him. We asked where he was from and he just pointed up. He then started telling us he was from heaven. It was pretty funny. He was an interesting guy. We got a good picture with him.

 

Today we had a Zone P-day. I was super disappointed with it. We did something that i didnt really want to do at all. We had 2 choices: Either go to the Aquarium which cost about 1400 yen or go to Shibuya and do a picture scavenger hunt and then eat all you can eat pizza which would cost about 800 yen. I came up with the scavenger hunt idea and i really wanted to do it. But everyone voted to go to the Aquarium. I was not happy. The Aquarium sucked too. It was super small and very very crowded and it didnt come with Lunch. I quess poepel will now konw the difference between a good idea and a crappy one. But i felt like it was a waste of 1400 yen plus the 1000 yen to get there.

 

So i did have a miracle happen this week. When i saw Elder Chen i asked about all the converts in Yamate. Specially Lili the girl who dissapeared. Well he said that they got ahold of her once. Well i went home on Thursday night and called her. Well she picked up and we were able to talk for about 15 minutes. It was great. Then Elder CHen called me on Sunday night and told me that Lili showed up to church. This has been the first time since she got baptized to do so. I was thrilled. Not only that but she got an interview from the Bishop and will be confirmed next week. How great is that? THe Lord is amazing. I love him so much.

 

I had a pretty cool revelation too yesterday at church. My comp was talking to a englsih speaker about his life and stuff. It then hit me that he asked alot of questions that were a littel private if you know what i mean. I thought about taht. I know that my comp talks a ton in lessons. THere are some lessons that i dont talk at all. I thought taht me not talking was a really bad thing. But i realized that I say what i need to say. SOme people just love to talk. I dont need to say alot of things like my comp does because then the gator gets confused and worried. If we keep it simple, they will understand alot easier. We dont need to use big words or smart sentences to teach the gospel. Just simple ones. Like a child. DOnt get me wrong, it is a very good strength that he can ask so many questions to understand and stuff but sometimes i think he does it too much. It made me feel better that what i do is enough and that it is ok. I thought aobut when i was in Yamate. I talked when i needed too and talked when i needed too but if i didnt need to talk, i didnt. It is kinda confusing but i think you know what i mean.

 

We had a All mission conference on firday. It was very long. from 9 to 6. I realized that President Budge is very different from President Albrecht. The mission feels more like a business now than when president a. was here. I dont like it. I am praying to do what is right and support what pres. budge does. It isnt easy. There are times where i have had the thought of just becoming a wamp missoinary and doing things i want to do. Still work but not has hard. Just taking it easy. Maybe not follow all the rules and stuff like that. But i have a fixed mind set of "It is better to burn out than to fade away.". I am going hard to then end. That is what Enduring to the End is right. So no worries. Transfers is in 2 weeks and i am getting excited about it. I love my comp but i think it is time for somebody new. Ill let you know how it goes.

 

Well there isnt much more from my end. I love you guys a ton. YOu are my heros. I would love to have some more pictures of the fam and stuff and waht is going on. That would be great. I hit my 1 year and 5 month mark last thursday. SO i now have like a little less than 6 months left. It is going to go by so fast. SO you better prepare. haha. I love you guys. Ill talk to you next week.

08 August 2012::

Sorry for this late email. I was out and about today and went to a place called Ueno. Look it up on Google. It is like a huge shopping mart and you can find super cheap stuff. We went and just looked around. I like going to places like that but not as a missoinary. I cant use any of the stuff that i buy. It is useless as a missionary. I also dont like seeing the pretty girls. it doesnt help. But it was cool seeing some way fun stuff. We went to a all you can eat sushi restraunt. I ate 56 peices of sushi and i am still full. It was fun.

 

I am doing pretty good. I am always tired for some reason. It has been super hard to get our of bed. But i do. It is interesting. Me and my comp are getting along but you can really tell that we are old missionaries. Today we were going to buy groceries and i had enough money but i told him that we might need to go get money from 7/11. Well i was leading and went ot 7/11 but my comp went to the grocery store. When we met up again he was a bit mad becasue i didnt go to the store. I told him that i went to 7/11 to get money but then he told me that i sadi i had enough money. I was leading. He should of followed me. I also thought it would of been better safe than sorry. But oh well. It just goes to show taht we think really differently. I think this is the companionship taht i have learned the least in. I learn alot in every companionship but in this one, not the most. We are both old and konw what we are diong. Sometimes it is a bit frustrating but it will be ovver in 3 weeks. TIme is going by fast.

 

Speaking of time. I think the best day for you to come is 12 of February for me. You would have to arrive in Japan on February 12.  Which would mean you might have to leave america on Febraury 11. You can fiqure it out. I would normally leave on 12 Febraury if you werent coming and arrive in america on 11 febraury. Does that make sense?

 

SO this weekend was suepr cool. We went to a firework show. It was amazing but to me that wasnt the coolest part. There was thousands of people there. THOUSANDS> It looked really cool. WEll i looked at the poeple iwas with. Members of teh Chruch. Maybe 40. Then i looked at the THOUSANDS that were around. My heart really started to hurt. Out of all the THOUSANDS of people there, only the 40 i was with were members of the church and know about Gods miraculous plan for us. That hurt me that all those thousnads had no clue. It really made me sad. I have really come to love the people over here. I really want them to come to accept this gospel. In tokyo there is 42 million poeple. Not that many here have the gospel. It hurt thinking about how about 42 million people could live without God and not want to learn aobut him. It hurt me to think aobut that. I think God gave me a little ltaste of how He fills. It sucked.

 

On sunday our recent convert Tsutomu gave me a g-shock watch. They are nice watches and really popular. He just gave it to me. At the firework show a guy had fallen down and couldnt get to our spot, so i carried. him to it. Everyone thought it was really cool. Tsutomu really liked it because he said he gave me the watch because i did that. It was realy nice of him. I really love Tsutomu alot. He is one of my great friends here in Japan. I love it.

 

I love you so much mom and dad. I am so grateful for all that you do for me. I know sometimes i can be a pain in the butt but i love you guys so much. I cant wait to see you all again. About 6 months. Time is going by so fast. Do you think you could some girls to start writing me? I really want to hear from some of my old friends or from some girls? I think i have only gotten like 4 or 5 letters form them and i want more. If you could do that it would be great. Some of my old freinds names are Carly Webb, Reagan Weight, Aly Weech, Brennan Hocking. Maybe you can look them on facebook and tellthem to write me. Maybe there are some girls in the ward that wnat to write too. That would be great. I love you guys alot. It is super hott here now. All i do is sweat. I like i though. Not much else to say. I hope you are all doing well. Oh mom, i do get pics through the email. So you can keep sending them. You guys have a great week.