The Lucky Number and New Reign of the King

This past week we had an unfortunate thing happen.  My new fresh outof the MTC Beanchan started counting every single person he talks to on the street. He uses a metal counter and clicks it whenever he is the one that starts the conversation on the street. A week or so ago, he reached the number 16 and that was the first person he talked to that had become an investigator. Then number 32 came along (GO JIMMER!!!) and that person became a new investigator too.  So, we had it figured out that every 16th person that Elder Silva talked to would become a new investigator. This week Elder Silva stopped a guy and I got talking with him after he did his amazing Spirit-filled, Beanchan-level Japanese "Do You Want To Hear Our Message" spiel and we were pretty close but in the end the guy opted out and decided a return appointment was beyond his capacity. So, we ride away a bit disappointed and then Elder Silva clicks his clicker. "Oh, no! He was number 48!" So 16 ain't a magic number, unless you are waiting to date members of the opposite sex. Never fear though, number 57 became an investigator so we are back on track!

 That story basically describes this last week. I have never before found so many people on my mission and they have just been people we have talked to on the street! Yeah, we have met a lot of people that are just being nice and will listen for a minute or two but also people who have given us their digits. Now the problem is we have a ton of potential investigators or people that want to met but have no time! So I have been forced to hit up the phone a lot they recently. Hopefully we can get more lessons with people and not just numbers. We did have a totsuzen lesson after church that I wasn't prepared for. Mukasa (not Mufasa) San showed up to sacrament meeting when he told me over the phone Friday night that he couldn't because he was sick. Luckily the Spirit got my back as I had no idea what to do when the opening prayer was offered. It turned out alright though for the first legit Japanese lesson I took the lead as Senpai for. We committed him to ask a question in his prayers as he had never done before. Will follow up with him tonight to see how it goes so more phone dendo for me!

We went to the big city of Nagoya this week to meet our new mission president Ishii Kaicho. He is not a member of the Seventy but he is still super awesome. We thought he would tell us a lot of changes but I liked his approach of just building upon what President Yamashita has taught us. He did introduce himself and gave these really cool five points about missionary work (and life in general):

1. Obedience is the price
2. Faith is the power
3. Love is the motive
4. The Spirit is the key
5. Christ is the reason

 So cool, right? I especially like number 2 because I have seen the power of faith a lot more with my bean. Before I had the faith, I think, to see success but it was always "I have faith God can do anything BUT me, not so much. or "I have faith that he could get baptized BUT he is no where close." I think the change has been the unqualified faith of my new companion. No is just not an answer for him. Just when I was about to confine myself to being a missionary that worked but never saw a baptism, here comes my bean with "We will find a baptism!" I think we get caught up in excuses or little things that in the end God can take care of. He can increase our weak abilities, influence others to righteously use their free agency, and get rid of obstacles through our faith. Just as the Lord tells us in 2 Nephi 23 "I work among the children of men according to their faith." Faith really is the power for Christ and His Atonement to propel our inner change, our self improvement, and our eternal conversion. I hope you all have have the faith this week to follow Christ and improve in any way possible! I love you and Christ does too!

See you next week!

 Me and my doki (people that came with me to Japan) after meeting President Ishii Kaicho