My day as a senpai

So Thursday was the first day on my mission that I was the senior companion in the area as I welcomed another elder into my area.  Usually this happens sooner unless you are in four man districts and live with your district leader in the same apartment but he is not your companion.  So, with most things so far on my mission, I am behind the curb in this never happening to me until now.  It was weird though because I was the only one who knew what was going on, even though I actually didn`t know.  My kohai is sick weeks younger then me but he knows way more Japanese then me.  You know you suck when you have to ask your kohai `What the crap did that guy say?`

Anyways, I picked him up at the train station, said good-bye to my companion, and then got lost trying to find a building that was one street away.  It wasn`t a lesson persay but we were meeting with my best Canadian friend Calvin who we met at the Japanese class we go to once a week.  He is here teaching English but he doesn`t really know Japanese.  So, we used our gaijin power to set up an appointment with him to study some Japanese.  Me and Elder Callahan dumbed down our Japanese a little bit so he didn`t feel like we were teaching him but we studied some Nihongo.  We wrapped up and I was starting to get cold-feet as far as an invitation goes since I had used a page from the Power of the Everyday Missionary and said as many Mormon words as a normal conversation would allow but he never really opened the door.  So, before we left, I took advantage of the fact that this mid-20`s year old who complained about how quiet Matsumoto was has nothing to do in his spare time and will accept any invitations to hang out.  So, I use an General Conference invite an couch it with the `It`s in English!` and he said to e-mail him to remind him and he probably could come.  Calvin isn`t a investigator quite yet since I was too soft because I didn`t want to just be like `We like you but.... we only did this for your baptism.`  Hopefully it works out in the end.

Next we had lunch with the other elders at Curry and then we talked to people as we rode bikes homes and I was wondering `Where is the apartment?`  We ran into an old Grandpa you spoke English and was chatting with us and said he went to our English class years ago.  He said he had nothing to do so I invited him to church and English class.  Nothing yet but he says he just walks around all day so maybe I will see him again.

We made it back to the apartment after talking to some people along the way and we had our appointment that afternoon fall through.  So I called the member who was going to go with us and he understood me enough to know that it was canceled.  We also had our appointment with Tommy fall through since he is where most Chinese people are-- in CHINA!!!  But he is coming back this week.  So, a full day planned out for the special occasion became, `Let`s talk to people on the street.  Just turn right outside of the apartment and talk to everyone and when we run into a small street with no one on it, turn around!`  So, that is how the last five hours of the day went.  It was pretty good because we would switch off when talking to people and really good unity.  We could speak about the same but my understanding is WAY below average so I`d just do a spiel until they said something back to me.  I randomly shared the First Vision all by myself with the background and the memorized part with a random teenager who was like, `ah` but it was pretty cool none the less.

Then we went back to the apartment after housing a random apartment complex (and found it without the map on the phone #LettheHolySpiritGuide) and talked A LOT!  I have old companions FOREVER and forgot how much stuff old companions don`t understand.  Like, who remembers Pompei?  Eh, eh, uh, eh, oh.  That might just date me as to how far I left on my mission and what my music tastes are.  He is from Provo so we had our trunky BYU sports discussion when he saw my bracket hanging on the door.  It has been awhile since I could just say Cecil and the other person would know who I was talking about as he forms a y with his hand.  Or say `STILL OPEN` and I wouldn`t be the only one drooling as the memory of John Beck`s last second game winning TD throw to beat Utah bounced across my mind.  So it was a really good kocan that gave me a much needed confidence boost.

We also had transfer calls this week but since it is a week early, I`m not supposed to tell anyone.  I was hoping I could go have adventures being senpai more but... I guess I will tell you all next week.  Have a great week and just remember, when you don`t know what you need to do and you have two canceled appointments with a bunch of time, just turn to the Lord and he can help you out.  Maybe he won`t spell the answer out for you in every detail but, with faith all will be well. 

Love you all!  

 I`M DEFYING GRAVITY!!!

My March Madness Bracket (Kentucky better lose)

Study Room

Discipleship in the Digital Age

So this is the what the title was for the training that we received from Elder Evans from the Seventy who is head of the Missionary Department for Mission Conference last Friday.  We took the three hour train ride to Nagoya and it was totally worth it!  It was a really good training that although we talked about using Ipads effectively, we also talked about a lot of gospel principles.  Elder Evans (who, fun fact, served as Nagoya Mission President in the late 1990`s and his first area as a missionary is my area now of Matsumoto!) told us that we as missionaries need to overcome the temptations of technology now as missionaries so that when we return we will be able to not fall into the many traps that people fall into.  He talked about everything from the vernacious evil of pornography to just wasting time on the internet when you could be dendoing.  He was really bold with us telling that a lot more people preparing for missions are struggling with such technology related blunders and that the church trusts us to overcome the natural man and use the IPads to fulfill our purpose as missionaries.

I am super doped to get IPads though.  They gave us a couple booklets about how to use Ipads effectively and how to safeguard yourself from temptations while using them.  There was a section in there about Social Media and I read it during personal time at night and was pretty much drooling all over the page!  Facebook, Skyping, Blogging!!!  I love writing my weekly e-mails and I said to a companion that I would love to continue writing a weekly e-mail even after my mission and then he was like, `Isn`t that called blogging?`  So yeah, that is what I will be able to do when we receive Ipads.  It will be so much easier to make appointments and get people to meet with us.  You don`t know how many times I have been asked by kids on the street, `Do you have Facebook?`  Well... soon, very soon.  Elder Evans told us though that when we first get Ipads, we will take it very slow in implementing everything.  First it will be used just for teaching videos and Gospel Library.  Then after a couple weeks or a month it will be expanded to having a Digital Area Book and Daily Planners.  Lastly we will have Social Media and Skyping so we can find a WHOLE bunch of new investigators online.  I can still be everyone`s friend as long as you don`t troll me and/or try to contact me and you can comment on my posts, share them with your friends, and be your own online missionary!  I am super excited..

 For now though, we don`t have Ipads so regular dendo, as far as I know it, will be continued.  Elder Evans emphasized that our purpose is still the same with Ipads and that we are not becoming `Ipad missionaries` but he did say it will become an effective tool to help us in the Lord`s work.  So while one day in the near future I can more effectively find more people to teach through Facebook, Mormon.org, and blogging, right now it is mainly through talking to people on the street which brings me to what I promised I would do last e-mail and give you a list of my week`s invitations: .

 -Monday night, meet a guy on the street, gave a lesson three pamphlet and invited him to read it.  Tried to push for a next appointment but, nothing.
-Tuesday morning, ran into an old guy who had heard of us missionaries before and I invited him to church, lukewarm response
 -Wednesday night, during lesson with Hiragata San, we challenged her to pray every day.  I twice e-mailed her some prayer scriptures and again invited her to partake of the blessings of daily prayer 
-Friday afternoon, invited my Canadian friend from the Japanese class over e-mail to meet with us and study some Japanese
 -Saturday during Weekly Planning, called Mori San, she actually answered and I set up an appointment with her for Thursday, making it my first phone call and conversation in Japanese in which someone has answered YIPPEE!!!
-Sunday after church, Set up an appointment with a branch member all by myself to have him cut our hair!

 So this list could be a lot longer but I will continue to focus on inviting.  I often relate missionary work to dating for some reason in my head but if you just like a girl a lot and you don`t invite her on a date, how will you ever get married?  So invites are pretty important, for missionaries and returned missionaries alike! 

I am excited to use technology to be able to better invite people to learn more about the gospel but first I have to fine-tune my invitations skills with people face-to-face.  We were told to not let technology replace face-to-face interaction but I can`t do that with you folks back at home anyways so I guess I will use now to invite you all.  Try using the internet once this week just like a missionary would.  Maybe post a uplifting scripture and personal experience on Facebook or follow the Church`s website on Twitter or even make your own Mormon.org profile and share it with your friends!  It is a great way to begin to be a member missionary now, even if you are a bit shy sharing the gospel face to face.  Just remember, just because you follow President Monson`s Twitter account, it doesn`t mean you don`t have to follow the prophet when you are offline. 

Everyone have a great week and I love you all!

Invitations and The Big Dance!!

I would like to start off by congratulating BYU on them accepting their invite to the NCAA Tournament (and yes, play-in games count as being a part of the bracket).  This week I have actually been thinking a lot about inviting though.  Now sadly due to strep throat (which by the way left me the hugest white spots I had ever since in my life that are at least 5 times the size of the period at the end of this sentence) I had that kept me debilitated from Monday to Wednesday, I haven`t too much to write about this week so I guess my thoughts will have to do for most of the e-mail.  We had my first zone conference here in Matsumoto while I have been here and while it was kind of weird not having to spend the night and take a three hour train ride to attend, it was really good.

We talked about inviting and how essential it was in missionary work.  Like if we don`t invite people to be baptized or to meet with us, they aren`t going to randomly just show up dressed in white in the font or at the church waiting for a lesson.  I think that is something I need to work on, in teaching and finding.  I hate when you stop someone and you only got so little time before the light turns green.  It is pretty easy to get in a hello in that moment but it is a lot harder to get in something that could change their eternal salvation such as a commitment to learn more.

In the Liahona`s youth section (which probably translates to the New Era for all y`all) they had some interesting articles this month about inviting that caught my eye.  Yeah, they were intended to get youth to share the gospel confidently but it went along just with all of the things I learned in Zone Conference.  It talked about how we need to be a good example BUT (and that is a big but) we have to invite people too so they can learn more about our beautiful message.  It brought me back to the days of high school where wearing a BYU shirt counted as my duty to share the gospel.  It is a good way to open up doors for people to talk about gospel topics but I should have walk through those doors when I could have.  It is no wonder why the youth have such activities as weekly mutual and dances and why wards have Christmas parties and ward BBQs.  While they are suppose to let the member have a good time, they also are a great non-threatening way to invite people to see the church building, meet and build relationships with members, and even talk a little bit with the missionaries.

I guess as a missionary it is a bit different because I can just bust down all conversation barriers and say to a random guy on the street `Hey, you, you wanna know about the gospel` with no awkwardness or feeling like we can`t be friends after the fact.  So I guess my next e-mail should have a lot about how I extend commitments and how people re-act to them when I am on the street and in lessons as I work to better invite others to come closer to Christ.  Yes remember that as you are a good example and look for ways to talk to people about the gospel and inviting them to church, or to a mutual activity, a ward activity, or even a dinner and FHE with your family, that the Lord will bless you and those you invite!

I hope everyone has a good week and that you are cheering for BYU to win it all this year!  Or maybe just a game or two, I don`t want to miss anything too big! 

Love you all and here is a picture of me (and my lovely glare in the glasses) and Elder Jones winning the Celestial apartment award for the whole zone and my March Madness Bracket!


Elders Hall and Jones win the Celestial Apartment Award!

The Eternal Wingman!!

Let me teach you a couple Japanese vocab words to start today`s e-mail:

Senpai- Senior Companion.  His/her job is to make sure everything goes smooth, that the companionship is working together and that something meaningful is always scheduled.  They also take the lead in most teaching and finding situations.

Kohai- Junior Companion.  His/her job is to support the senior companion in his/her line of duty.  They pick up the slack when the their senior is having a hard time, needs help, or just wants to give the kohai some more experience.

Now, I am a kohai.  I think the best way to describe it would be a wingman.  When talking to people on the street or in lessons, I feel like my job is to build up my senpai just like a wingman is building up his friend when he is talking to girls.  The main objective of both the wingman and the main man is for the main man to get the girl, or in the missionary case, for the senpai to get the number of the person we are talking to on the street. I pick up the slack when he has a loss of words and I testify after he concludes.  Elder Jones takes the lead, and I help to build off of what he says.

This week however, I was given the opportunity to take the lead in a lesson.  Hira-gata San is an eternal investigator who, well, has been at it for awhile.  She likes studying with the missionaries but... commitments other than reading scriptures isn`t her strong point.  So, Elder Jones in planning asks me for some fresh input on the situation since I am new.  `Well, how about talking about the Spirit?`  `Sounds good to me.`  So, thus the assignment was born, `Elder Hall, take the lead.`

So, I find a good reading assignment in Moroni 7 about the Spirit and good and evil and come up with a couple questions to ask for a `homework` assignment.  It takes me a few tries to get the kanji written out right with the help of a dictionary but after a few thrown away post-it notes, I got a readable one.  After I got the commitment planned out, now it is on to the lesson.  I got it planned out and then it is showtime!  

We sing `Let the Holy Spirit Guide` for the opening hymn, someone says a prayer, and then it is all me.  I get through asking her to read a couple verses about the Spirit and once it ends, I ask a question.  What is was, I can`t remember but something about the if she had felt the Spirit before.  She answers she has felt good, I say something else about the Spirit, I lose control of what is happening and then Elder Jones peeps in and I am back in the passenger seat.  So for my first time taking the lead in a lesson it went pretty good.  It was pretty nice to have the Spirit on my side.  We`ll see how the homework turns out this week.

I hope everyone has a great week and I love you all!

Matsumoto, my new area!!

Well, the new area of Matsumoto is pretty much almost as cold as Takayama except minus the good old snow.  It did snow yesterday but only like an inch which is pretty weak compared to what I am used too.  I live with my companion Elder Jones and the zone leaders live in the area but in a different apartment complex.  The senior couple missionaries, the Tomas, also work here but sadly they don`t live in our apartment either.  Elder Toma is super rich so he has given us money to buy food but he also likes food too so he sometimes comes out with us to eat even if his wife isn`t too happy about it.  The branch here is about 80 members strong and is basically a ward but it happens to be in a district so it is just waiting for other branches around it to get bigger so it can become the Nagano Stake instead of the Nagano District.  The members seem to be nice but there are SO many of them.  I`m used to just 20 so I could easily talk to them all and get to know them pretty well but now it is like wow, where do I even start?

I have more investigators than I am used to too.  There are currently four eternal investigators right now in our area:

1. Tommy- A Chinese, married, forty-year old who when he prayed to find out whether or not to be baptized, had a dream involving a horse (something to do with the year of the horse I believe) that told him he should be baptized.... some day.  Right now he is reading through the whole Book of Mormon so he can find out if it is true or not.

2. Mori- In the middle of teaching the commandments but has a tad bit of a social disorder that makes it hard for her to meet in places with a lot of strangers.  Sadly for her but overall good in the Lord`s kingdom, many strangers come to church so we are trying to help her overcome the fear by having her meet a bunch of members in lessons before she can come.  Really nice lady, about 30 and lives with her Mom.

3. Hiragata- Likes to learn with the missionaries but when the previous elders asked her to pray about baptism, she said she already had a no in her heart so she thought it would be pointless to ask.  So, the game plan is to help her find the desire to.

4. David- Brazilian whose English and Japanese aren`t nearly as good as his Portuguese.  Haven`t met him yet, but I know his wife is Jewish and has gotten through part of lesson one with the missionaries.

Next week there will be at least five investigators after some various finding activities take place so more in next e-mail.  But this week has been a lot of adjusting to only living with one other person and meeting a bunch of new people.  So far my journal writing has been drastically improved without another companionship in the apartment to talk to after planning session.  It is really weird though because I have been on a mission for about nine months now and the other three elders in the area have been out for well, at least 20 months.  So I am super young and all the members think I am a beanchan in comparison but, soon enough, they will all go home and Matsumoto will be MINE!!!  Well that was a bit dark.

Anyways, not too much stuff happened this week but I did find this new music on lds.org a couple weeks back that I really liked so I thought I would share it with you.  The song is about being closer to Christ even when we are making mistakes.  I know that one thing I have learned on my mission is that God does command us to be perfect, but not right away.  All we have to do is try our best to be perfect and whenever we fall short, the Atonement makes up for the rest.  I know I wouldn`t be able to be on my mission and face all these challenges and language barriers if it wasn`t for the atonement.
Hope you all have a fun safe week and that you strive to be closer to the Savior each day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ541grs7Zw  (Shawn did not go on youtube!!  This was the only way I (his mother) could get this song to load on here!!)  ha ha

Pictures: I found out Opening Your Mouth is easier with a companion.

And the mission map, first Numazu (dark blue), then Takayama (yellow), now Matsumoto (green).

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