Transfer 14... Here We Come!

My week in five points:

1. Elder Callahan and I are staying together.  Our district went from 8 to 12 people and a new sister is coming to the area.

2. Worldwide missionary Broadcast was BOSS!  "Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts" was the title and half of apostles were there to give a two hour special training  for every single missionary on the planet.  We watched it a day later due to time difference issues but it made me realize that people can't just take the missionary lessons, gain a testimony, and be baptized by continuing their same lives but everyone has to repent and change a couple small things in their lives in order to do so.  That is why inviting and promising blessings and panning by the Spirit is so important because it isn't always easy to help people change what they are doing and improve their lives.

3.  We meet with our Uganadan friend several times this week and it has been hard to teach him because he has a lot of health problems he wants our help with.  Tomorrow we will see him again and he is such a bro but we are sharing the Joseph Smith story then to get him truly into the gospel.  We don't have many or even the power to fully heal him as of now but the best thing we can do to help him is to help him gain a testimony.  He has liked what we have shared so far but we just need to get a little bit deeper.

4. I found the most overlooked part of the lessons is found in lesson 3 "Through Christ We Can Be Cleansed from Sin".  After we helped our English driven friend Ikeda San for a little bit yesterday afternoon with making him a plan to study English, we taught him this in preparation to teach the full lesson three next week.  The Spirit was super strong and afterwards he even explained to us what the Atonement was in his own words!  He continues to pray almost everyday after he wakes up and he is going to be reading from 2 Nephi 31 for next time.  Just a great Spirit-driven lesson.  Best part of missionary work!

5. Apparently there is a space colony on the other side of the moon.  But more importantly a random guy came in during Sunday School yesterday who used to meet the missionaries before.  We are meeting with him Wednesday at the church even though he was disappointed to find out that we weren't having free food after church.  I was a little sad about that too though...

This week I read a talk I really enjoyed from Elder Vinas from the Seventy called "The Pleasing Word of God".  It was really basic doctrine but it struck me particularly this week for some reason.  He goes through and explains very simply the things the gospel does for us.  My favorite thing was this quote from him:

"Through our experience in life, we learn that joy in this world is not full, but in Jesus Christ our joy is full. He will give us strength so we will not have to suffer any manner of afflictions save they are swallowed up in His joy...

 "The pleasing word of God fills us with hope, because we know that those who are faithful in tribulation will have the greater reward in the kingdom of heaven and that “after much tribulation come the blessings”

Really the gospel does bring hope unto us all.  Whether you be a scriptorian or someone I meet on the street, this gospel message allows us to find the sense of peace and direction in our lives.  I have seen it happen to others and I have seen the healing it has done in my life.  Any problem or any worry can be lifted from us with the knowledge that God loves us and no matter how low we may get, He will always raise us up and we can be swallowed up in His joy. We can always have the hope of improving, being healed, and achieving our faithful dreams and desires because of Christ Atonement for us.  I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Elder Hall

ホール長老

Ponderizing Scripture:

Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.

-D&C 101:36

Monday Flashback:

"Speaking of being not-so-skinny at Doctor`s Conference they told us not to try to lose weight because of the stress it has on your body.  So, here is to me not caring about that for the next year and whatever. "

 "Re:   " (a.k.a. The Week I Forgot An E-mail Title) 1/26/2015

Japan's oldest preserved fully standing castle

My District on the Castle (minus Elder Sheppard)