Super Sunday!

Yesterday was definitely one of the craziest days of my mission life.  We woke up, had studies, and then went over to the church in order to attend Priesthood Executive Meeting where we discussed dendo and stuff.  That went over long so our weekly meeting with the Ward Mission Leader got cut short.  Then, a random guy we had stopped and talked to on the street randomly showed up to church.  I stopped him `SUMI MASEN!` and before we can say anything else he asks us `Are you guys from Utah?`  Turns out he was fourth generation Japanese-American and is from Salt Lake but isn`t a member.  He is learning Japanese a little bit and we invited him to come to church but we didn`t think that he would come since he didn`t seemed too committed.  We exchanged phone numbers too so were going to invite him to FHE.  But then he randomly came and we just taught him the first lesson in English which was really weird.  It was a temptation to go off on a tangent about the Atonement and deep doctrines of the Fall but I resisted as best I could.  He declined our invite to read the Book of Mormon so it was kind of awkward but next time we just need to share scriptures from the Book of Mormon.  Andrew had to leave early in sacrament meeting but he said he would come to FHE this week.

Then we had an appointment with a referral from our branch president fall through after church.  Then the branch president called us right after we left the church to help a member teach some of her friends English to tell us Hanizawa San could come.  So we get to the church and it is canceled again!  It was too bad but we had another lesson that night with a random guy that came to the church while we were doing Weekly Planning and wanted us to teach him English for a test to enter a college in Hawaii.  So that was busy and we didn`t have anytime for once to talk to people in the street.  It was just, teaching, then running to the next place, then teaching again.  It was pretty crazy.

So it has definitely been cool to see how the area was dead-in-the-water last transfer and just see how all these crazy miracles are happening now.  We are actually meeting new people and Weekly Planning is not just the same every week because we are meeting with more people so all of our investigators needs and concerns change.  Now I just got to work on my teaching!  But seeing all this stuff happen has helped me reflect more about everything that happened last transfer.  It has made me think of the Conference Talk by L. Whitney Clayton.  Now that my previous companion is gone, I have worried about him a lot.  I realized that the one thing that derailed him from the obedient track and kept him from seeing miracles as a missionary was that he had not chosen to follow Christ fully.

I think we can all relate in some part to the story of young Sailor who was stranded out in the wilderness after her family`s plane crash.  Everyone has been lost or alone, faced with a trial that we can`t quite see how it will turn out.  I loved Clayton`s analogy of the Lighthouse and how it represents Christ.  Sometimes we don`t see the light because of mountains that we have to climb in our life.  It is easy for us to give up when we don`t see that light.  There seems to be no hope, no way back.  Even though we have seen the light before and hope to see it again, Satan convinces us that that light is too far out of reach.  When we choose to not follow Christ, we won`t be able to see that light.  My view was blocked for awhile last transfer as my companion was struggling with his faith.  I didn`t see much of a way out except to keep moving until transfer calls.  I am so glad that I decided to keep pushing, to keep trying to get over that mountain and see Christ`s light again.  As a famous singer once said, `There`s always going to be another mountain.`  I will face doubt and fear again as most of us will but now I know that in those moments, if we choose to follow Christ, if, we like Sailor, keep moving on to that place of safety, we will one day reach it.  If we stop because we can`t see the light or in other words we can`t see Christ`s hand in our lives and his blessings to us, we won`t get anywhere.  Life surely is the climb and Christ` example and Atonement is how we get back to safety, to live with our families and Heavenly Father once more.  I hope everyone keeps on holding strong to the rod and help another in need this week.

I love you all SOOO much!



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