Well friends and family, life continues to go on over here for me. This week was kind of interesting, especially adjusting to a new companion. Even though you are in the same area as before a lot of things change. How you teach people, how you plan, even what and how you cook changes. The first week it is a bit hard to read your companion as well. What they will do in certain situations, how they handle certain things, and just what it is going to take to work together well. It is very weird. Elder DeSpain is fun though and we actually found out that we are fifth cousins after a deep family history search of our family tree. We have family prayer every night, even though we are a bit distant relatives.
One thing I have noticed so far with my companion is he goes to much further lengths than me on some things, like pursuing conversations with certain people on the street that I would say "Thanks for your time! Please come to church sometimes!" Like Friday night the last guy we talked to before 9:00 turned out to be this guy way hardcore into this weird Buddhist sect and he kept telling us that Christ was just a normal person and his church was the only way and wouldn't let us talk with him. So my companion pursues this man to agree to a meeting in the park on Sunday after church. We tell our Bishop about it at PEC and ask a member to go with us and he thinks it is funny and just tells us to not take a member with us and see how it goes. We meet at the park and spent an hour of just trying to talk but he kept talking about his very vague path to happiness. So, it was interesting at least...
This week we also spent some substantial time bro-ing out with our investigators. Haruhito had a birthday this past Friday so we went out to eat Indo Curry with him and had an alright lesson at the church about some more faith and Book of Mormon and starting to get into the Ten Commandments. He is way cool and someone I will definitely keep in contact with for awhile. Our other bro Ikeda San is doing really well too and he came to church, just not sacrament meeting... But we had a good on the fly lesson on the Word of Wisdom and he committed to live it. He said his Mom always told him to not smoke but he did anyways so we will see how it all turns out. We will meet with him on Tuesday which should be really good.
This past week I have been thinking of a lot about testimonies (because I am a missionary). Especially with the talking to people on the street all the time you get a chance to experience a lot with teaching people. I have found that the best times that I teach is always when I am straightforward and bear my testimony. It can be something simple like, "I learned about Christ from my parents and it has improved my life." Or something more specific to what we are talking about. But that it when the situation gets real. Our Buddhist friend from earlier could say Christ was a normal human, or that our church was wrong, or anything else but he couldn't say that I don't know that this is true. I love telling people, "I have seen this church change my life so I know that if you try to do the things we are inviting you to do, you can gain that same happiness that I did." No one can deny a pure, simple testimony if it is a sincere one, even if they try. Somewhere, in the back of their mind or etched into their heart that is where it will truly lie. It is then up to them whether or not they use a particle of faith to try things out with us but I feel a testimony heard will never quite be forgotten. I know what has strengthened my testimony a lot has been hearing the testimonies of others, whether it be members in Japan or my fellow missionaries. I am also grateful for my parents' testimonies and other family members and friends that have touched me throughout my life. I love you and hope that you all can take the opportunity to share a simple testimony to family members, friends, and other around you this upcoming week.
This past week I have been thinking of a lot about testimonies (because I am a missionary). Especially with the talking to people on the street all the time you get a chance to experience a lot with teaching people. I have found that the best times that I teach is always when I am straightforward and bear my testimony. It can be something simple like, "I learned about Christ from my parents and it has improved my life." Or something more specific to what we are talking about. But that it when the situation gets real. Our Buddhist friend from earlier could say Christ was a normal human, or that our church was wrong, or anything else but he couldn't say that I don't know that this is true. I love telling people, "I have seen this church change my life so I know that if you try to do the things we are inviting you to do, you can gain that same happiness that I did." No one can deny a pure, simple testimony if it is a sincere one, even if they try. Somewhere, in the back of their mind or etched into their heart that is where it will truly lie. It is then up to them whether or not they use a particle of faith to try things out with us but I feel a testimony heard will never quite be forgotten. I know what has strengthened my testimony a lot has been hearing the testimonies of others, whether it be members in Japan or my fellow missionaries. I am also grateful for my parents' testimonies and other family members and friends that have touched me throughout my life. I love you and hope that you all can take the opportunity to share a simple testimony to family members, friends, and other around you this upcoming week.
Everyone enjoy the spring weather coming up and have a great week!
Elder Hall
ホール長老
Elder Hall
ホール長老
Ponderize Scripture
"And more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my gospel. To lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance."
-D&C 34:5-6
Monday Flashback
"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...It brought me back to the days of high school where wearing a BYU shirt counted as my duty to share the gospel."
- "Invitations and the Big Dance" 3/16/15
My companion Elder DeSpain and I are related through Solomon Joseph DeSpain. Cool eh?
(I know it is hard to see)
2)
Just another Squid for dinner...
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