Well, this week is a bit hard to put in words. I don't think quite
many people understand what a transfer feels like unless you have
actually gone through one. Just imagine having less than three days
to pack all of your belongings, say good-bye to everyone you know in
your city, and then you change the person you have been living with
24/7 for three months or so and go to a completely foreign place where
you don't even know how to return to the apartment. That is basically
what happened this Thursday. Everyone I knew in Numazu, all the plans
I had, and all the inside jokes had to be tossed aside for my move.
That would be enough but on top of that, I suddenly have more than
twenty missionaries under my belt and have to get used to again living
with someone who leads me around and showing me around. It has been a
bit of a shock to the system going from trainer to Kohai Zone Leader.
I feel like I'm adjusting a little bit now though and things are
smoothing out, even if I still don't quite know the area.
Luckily for me, there is a lot to know over here in Fukutoku. Many
investigators, a HUGE ward filled with various people, and a lot of
missionaries in the zone I haven't met yet. The first order of
business as zone leader was to help keep a companionship safe from a
crazy less active we wanted to shoot them and later to make sure an
elder was safe after some crazy guy accidentally hit him with his car
(shout out to Elder Yamada and Elder Laumatia in Gifu). As far as the
ward goes, we got free pizza and some pretty good sandwiches and
various other foods my first Sunday there but I don't know if that is
because of me being a new arrival or just because everyone had to eat
something before ward council started. Also there was a Hall family
that had recently moved away from the Fukutoku Ward a few months
before I got here and all the ward thinks I am related to them because
the Dad is Canadian. The building here is HUGE and basically is a
normal American stake center without the second best part, the
basketball court (first is the chapel guys...). The city wasn't close
to being as busy and crowded as I thought it was. Yeah, I don't
really have to worry about finding people on the street but I do all
the same stuff as I would in my previous banished areas.
We had a meeting with all the Zone Leaders and Sister Training
Leaders in the mission and we all got together and talked about some
things we could do to help the mission. To start it off we had a
really experienced teacher at the MTC and former Fukuoka Mission
President teach us how to start the conversion process while teaching
Japanese, non-Christian background people. He told us (as PMG says)
that the conversion process is the same regardless where you are in
the world or regardless of who you are. The only difference here in
Japan is not that they need to do more to progress and become
converted, but they just start a little bit behind. A normal American
will at least understand who Christ is and the basics of him dying for
us and preaching the gospel. In Japan, we often have to teach this
part and establish with them a emotional connection to Christ (a.k.a.
the Spirit). So we talked about how to introduce the gospel to them
so they could more simply understand what we do. The church even made
new pamphlets for us missionaries to use that talk about "Who is God?"
"Who is Jesus Christ?" and "What to Expect when meeting the
missionaries?" I am excited to use them and I think that they will
really help new investigators open up and be in the right mindset to
understand better what we teach and to feel the Spirit.
Along the lines of conversion being the same for everyone, I was also
thinking about the differences between me now and before I
transferred. I always get into the rut of thinking about quick fixes.
Earlier in my mission I thought, "If I just went senior, then all my
big problems would go away." Then when I got to that point, I thought
"Maybe if I go zone leader and be the junior again, all my problems
would be a lot better." Allow me to let you in on a secret folks,
when it comes to ourselves, there is no quick fix, no easy way out.
No move, no position, and no man-made program can truly change us and
help us successfully get over our problems once and for all. Being
called as Zone Leader didn't all of a sudden elevate my teaching
skills, it didn't all of a sudden make me 110% obedient, it didn't
make me this spiritual giant with thousands of baptisms. It doesn't
work that way, no matter how much I might have thought it would
earlier. God is about processes, especially repentance and grace
improving our everyday lives. Alma the Younger didn't just get zapped
by an angel into a baptizing-machine prophet. He still had to repent
and suffer for a long period of time before he changed. He had to do
all he could to mend the broken fences, to call back those he lead
astray. We too can't move forward unless we choose to. It takes
work, it takes time, it takes sacrifice. But just as when we bust our
butt to climb a mountain and get to see, at the top, a beautiful vista
of the surrounding area, we will soon one day look back and see
just how much we have changed and the person we have become. So let
our spiritual diet start today and not tomorrow. Anything that
travails you or burdens you can be taken away through faith and
repentance through Jesus Christ. All we have to do is to start our
change and continue forward in order for Christ to bless us with his
grace and love. I pray that we all may do that this upcoming week and
for the rest of their lives.
I hope everyone enjoys conference this upcoming week and don't forget
to email me after the last session on Sunday! I love you all!
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Fortune and the Swan Song
One year and a half or so ago, I got a letter from President Monson himself calling me on a mission to Nagoya Japan Most of you email readers thought I was in the third-largest Japanese city in a mini-Tokyo like atmosphere for the last year a half but actually, I've only been in Nagoya about ten times, just to do mission business and see General Authorities. I actually have been living in three different areas that are an average of a three hour train rides from Nagoya. That is about to change as I am transferring to Fukutoku which is home to the Nagoya Stake Center and in the heart of Nagoya. I will be surrounded by people who need the restored gospel everywhere I go. I feel anxious, excited, scared, nervous, stressed and amazed at the prospects lying before me. I have never had so many people around me at one time. Not only will I have all these new people to look after, I will also have the privilege of looking after the whole Fukutoku Zone as a Zone Leader. Luckily I have an experienced half-Japanese elder from Texas named Elder Moulton to guide me around the big city. I sure do have an adventure in store for me with the big move!
With me transferring, I have been able to reflect a little bit on my time here in Numazu. It all started with me coming to Japan last year in late July. I got to learn how to be a missionary from Elder Siedschlag (who just went home today) in Numazu, and then I got the opportunity to come back to Numazu and train the fabulous Elder Silva. I am leaving a lot unfinished. Mizuguchi San's Mom got really sick and went to the hospital so we weren't able to have lessons with him until Sunday. It was a really good lesson about Law of Chastity, Prophets and Temples and he is really ready. We ask him questions and he knows all the answers already. I am excited to see pictures of the baptism next Sunday. Also yesterday we met our Vietnamese friend at the eki and started having really simple English lessons. He doesn't really know a lot but since our language is limited it is very direct to his needs. He agreed to pray about the Book of Mormon (which he read already a 100 pages of and promised to read to the end) just for us but it is a good start. He even told us he wants to be a better person and asks us if he couldn't just do it without Christ's help. We explained you could try but Christ will make you SOO much better. A lot of other loose ends are hanging out too but I trust Elder Silva and his new Japanese companion to take care of things. God hasn't transferred from Numazu so I can leave happy, knowing that I helped a little bit in the end.
Today in personal study, I reflected a little bit on my experience in Numazu (where I have spent half of my mission) as I read Alma 26 from the BOM. This chapter is the quintessential missionary chapter where Ammon glories in God for all the success he has seen on his mission. This chapter comes after 14 years of hard labor amongst his brethren the Lamanites and it is after he sees his recent converts strong in the gospel. He starts out by saying how no one ever could have expected the miracles he and his brethren have seen. And then he says in verse 8, "blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever." And in verse 16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord?" And in verse 30 "We have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors."
I think sometimes we as missionaries are so focused on improving that we view ourselves as the dust of the Earth, terrible at everything. It is true we are all natural man and our point in life is to improve but I think this viewpoint sometimes gets in the way, for me at least, at appreciating the things God has been able to do because of your faith and obedience, even though you are not perfect. So look around, see what you have done, praise the Lord for what he has done through you. Then, after you bumped up some self-esteem, get back to work and do your very best to improve even more, to be that much more of a parent, a teacher, a young men's leader, a spouse, or even a missionary. So as Ammon did, I too would like to thank my Lord for all the miracles I have seen in this tiny outcast city of Numazu. This place will always have a special place in my heart for the work I have been able to play such a small part in as I was the Lord's hands. And may I continue to see the little things as I go to Fukutoku and may you as well as you go about in your everyday lives.
I love you all and have an amazing week!
Me and my trainer (Siedschalg) before he went back to Brazil
With me transferring, I have been able to reflect a little bit on my time here in Numazu. It all started with me coming to Japan last year in late July. I got to learn how to be a missionary from Elder Siedschlag (who just went home today) in Numazu, and then I got the opportunity to come back to Numazu and train the fabulous Elder Silva. I am leaving a lot unfinished. Mizuguchi San's Mom got really sick and went to the hospital so we weren't able to have lessons with him until Sunday. It was a really good lesson about Law of Chastity, Prophets and Temples and he is really ready. We ask him questions and he knows all the answers already. I am excited to see pictures of the baptism next Sunday. Also yesterday we met our Vietnamese friend at the eki and started having really simple English lessons. He doesn't really know a lot but since our language is limited it is very direct to his needs. He agreed to pray about the Book of Mormon (which he read already a 100 pages of and promised to read to the end) just for us but it is a good start. He even told us he wants to be a better person and asks us if he couldn't just do it without Christ's help. We explained you could try but Christ will make you SOO much better. A lot of other loose ends are hanging out too but I trust Elder Silva and his new Japanese companion to take care of things. God hasn't transferred from Numazu so I can leave happy, knowing that I helped a little bit in the end.
Today in personal study, I reflected a little bit on my experience in Numazu (where I have spent half of my mission) as I read Alma 26 from the BOM. This chapter is the quintessential missionary chapter where Ammon glories in God for all the success he has seen on his mission. This chapter comes after 14 years of hard labor amongst his brethren the Lamanites and it is after he sees his recent converts strong in the gospel. He starts out by saying how no one ever could have expected the miracles he and his brethren have seen. And then he says in verse 8, "blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever." And in verse 16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord?" And in verse 30 "We have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors."
I think sometimes we as missionaries are so focused on improving that we view ourselves as the dust of the Earth, terrible at everything. It is true we are all natural man and our point in life is to improve but I think this viewpoint sometimes gets in the way, for me at least, at appreciating the things God has been able to do because of your faith and obedience, even though you are not perfect. So look around, see what you have done, praise the Lord for what he has done through you. Then, after you bumped up some self-esteem, get back to work and do your very best to improve even more, to be that much more of a parent, a teacher, a young men's leader, a spouse, or even a missionary. So as Ammon did, I too would like to thank my Lord for all the miracles I have seen in this tiny outcast city of Numazu. This place will always have a special place in my heart for the work I have been able to play such a small part in as I was the Lord's hands. And may I continue to see the little things as I go to Fukutoku and may you as well as you go about in your everyday lives.
I love you all and have an amazing week!
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| One last time with my B.F.F. Mizuguchi |
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| Numazu District |
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| Last Numazu English Class.. (I don't know where the vampire came from...) |
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Sunday, September 6, 2015
Bing, Water Mouth, and Some Filipino Loving
So this week I left my area in the hands of two elders who just came to Japan a little bit over two months ago. As a missionary that doesn't sound long but I am sure for normal people it sounds even more insanely short. On Thursday I went to Fuji (the city at the base of Mt. Fuji) with Elder Smith who is currently training my bean's MTC companion. Even though it rained on us it was pretty fun. We talked to a lot of people on the street, visited a part member family where the non-member Dad and I discussed some history, and then a lesson with one of their investigators where we talked about Christ's healing power in overcoming his addiction to tobacco. We taught English class after that too and a high school kid we talked to on the street actually came! He had a fun time because Elder Smith is fun teaching Eikaiwa and wants to come again!
When I got back to my area the next day, not only was my area still alive and the apartment still standing but our investigator Mizuguchi San (whose name means water mouth or opening) agreed to get baptized! Elder Silva and I invited him last week but the bean magic did the hard part for me. His date is the 20th of September and while it isn't a lot of time and we have to help him quit tobacco, we should be able to do it. The main concern is meeting with him every other day so we can teach all the lessons and do the interview but we are meeting with him tonight after P-day and will teach again the Word of Wisdom and commit him to meet with us more often. He doesn't have a job or a wife yet (although he is looking for both at the young age of 58) so he can totally do it.; It is weird being the senpai now though because it is my responsibility to make sure all the paper work gets done. Yikes. It should be a couple of crazy weeks with that.
In other news, we had a lesson with my favorite Filipino family who just came back from vacation. We went in and starting chatting and then all of a sudden a young Filipino couple came over. So, we got to know the other unexpected guests and asked if they wanted to join the lesson and they accepted! Our plan was to teach the Sabbath Day but the plans flew out the window as we plunged into an unplanned, English lesson 1 to the whole group. We learned a lot more about our investigators and the couple learned more about us as we testified of the Savior. They live in the Philippines actually so we gave the two of them a Mormon.org card and told them to look us up in the Phillipines. The Bagochays will still be here though so we can keep teaching them. Just a little cool out of the blue miracle!
On Sunday we had three nonmembers come to church. Our goal was seven but our musical number went okay. We asked the bishop the week before if we could sing before the testimony part of sacrament meeting and he said yes but he forgot to announce it so we had to go up after a few people already bore their testimonies so it was kind of awkward but Elder Silva and my rendition of Lead, Kindly Light in three languages went well. Our Vietnamese friend Bing couldn't come but I downloaded all the pamphlets in Vietnamese on my IPad so we are ready to go next Sunday!
Lesson 1 in Vietnamese here I come!
A thought I had this week was about miracles. I think we often think of miracles as things that happen that we can't explain. I can't tell you how Jesus turned water into wine and neither can my magician companion. I've been thinking though, why do miracles have to be defined like that? I just look in my everyday dendo and there are plenty of miracles I can see how they happened. Mizuguchi San wants to be baptized to help him reach his goals of getting married and quitting smoking. Just because I understand it well doesn't change it into something less of value. So everything is a miracle! This IPad I'm writing on, BYU football's last second comeback win over Nebraska, an inner change inside after repenting, or even childbearing! Our life is driven by a God whose ways we don't quite understand completely just quite yet. Life itself is a miracle and every second of existence is too! So be grateful of the miracle of this upcoming week! Keep it chill and be the miracle you are!
I love you all and best of lucking dendoing wherever you are in the world!
Me and my bean on the train...
When I got back to my area the next day, not only was my area still alive and the apartment still standing but our investigator Mizuguchi San (whose name means water mouth or opening) agreed to get baptized! Elder Silva and I invited him last week but the bean magic did the hard part for me. His date is the 20th of September and while it isn't a lot of time and we have to help him quit tobacco, we should be able to do it. The main concern is meeting with him every other day so we can teach all the lessons and do the interview but we are meeting with him tonight after P-day and will teach again the Word of Wisdom and commit him to meet with us more often. He doesn't have a job or a wife yet (although he is looking for both at the young age of 58) so he can totally do it.; It is weird being the senpai now though because it is my responsibility to make sure all the paper work gets done. Yikes. It should be a couple of crazy weeks with that.
In other news, we had a lesson with my favorite Filipino family who just came back from vacation. We went in and starting chatting and then all of a sudden a young Filipino couple came over. So, we got to know the other unexpected guests and asked if they wanted to join the lesson and they accepted! Our plan was to teach the Sabbath Day but the plans flew out the window as we plunged into an unplanned, English lesson 1 to the whole group. We learned a lot more about our investigators and the couple learned more about us as we testified of the Savior. They live in the Philippines actually so we gave the two of them a Mormon.org card and told them to look us up in the Phillipines. The Bagochays will still be here though so we can keep teaching them. Just a little cool out of the blue miracle!
On Sunday we had three nonmembers come to church. Our goal was seven but our musical number went okay. We asked the bishop the week before if we could sing before the testimony part of sacrament meeting and he said yes but he forgot to announce it so we had to go up after a few people already bore their testimonies so it was kind of awkward but Elder Silva and my rendition of Lead, Kindly Light in three languages went well. Our Vietnamese friend Bing couldn't come but I downloaded all the pamphlets in Vietnamese on my IPad so we are ready to go next Sunday!
Lesson 1 in Vietnamese here I come!
A thought I had this week was about miracles. I think we often think of miracles as things that happen that we can't explain. I can't tell you how Jesus turned water into wine and neither can my magician companion. I've been thinking though, why do miracles have to be defined like that? I just look in my everyday dendo and there are plenty of miracles I can see how they happened. Mizuguchi San wants to be baptized to help him reach his goals of getting married and quitting smoking. Just because I understand it well doesn't change it into something less of value. So everything is a miracle! This IPad I'm writing on, BYU football's last second comeback win over Nebraska, an inner change inside after repenting, or even childbearing! Our life is driven by a God whose ways we don't quite understand completely just quite yet. Life itself is a miracle and every second of existence is too! So be grateful of the miracle of this upcoming week! Keep it chill and be the miracle you are!
I love you all and best of lucking dendoing wherever you are in the world!
Me and my bean on the train...
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| Elder Silva and Elder Hall |
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