30 April 2017

30 April 2017

I'm staying in Machida for another transfer it looks like. It's pretty
exciting. The ward is great. It seems that everyone even on the
streets and such is suddenly becoming more alive now, haha. I guess
that's what warm spring weather does to people.

Me: I'm glad to hear you so positive. I'm glad the work is going well.
Peter: I'm always positive.. 
Me: hahahahahahahahahaha

Me: Hey, I just realized, this is your first transfer with no change.
Peter: Yeah kind of boring.
{Says the kid who always disliked change}

Oh, yeah, we're going to the squirrel park today so hopefully I'll
have some fun videos to send haha.

Nice advertising for a coffee shop . . . 

When asked if this was his breakfast cereal, Peter replied, "It most certainly is"

24 April 2017

24 April 2017

Well, we lost our catholic investigator. Kind of. He was taught on
splits with Jödicke Chōrō twice and the second time he gave them back
his Book of Mormon and said he just didn't receive an answer of the
truth. He said he thinks we are great people despite what he has heard
and he wants us to go continue what we are doing for others and not
waste our time with him. Well, it's not the worst rejection ever. We
did our part and if he changes his mind, he knows what to do.

It's been a busy week of teaching. Which is why our p day is now today
on Tuesday. (Which we got in trouble for moving) But at least the
progression is slowly trending upwards.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Me: I'm totally remembering "The Best Two Years" right now and laughing.  You will definitely watch that with a different perspective when you get home. :D 
Peter: What from it?
Me: Just all the stereotypes of elders.  Never mind.  I guess you are not in a joking mood.  Sorry.
Peter: Oh, I know. That movie is all too real. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Answer to the question posed by one of my Sunday School students - Do we worship Jesus Christ?

Peter:  That depends on what you define as "worship". We revere him as our savior because it is only because of him that we can overcome anything. Without the Atonement EVERYTHING before it and EVERYTHING after it for eternity wouldn't matter. It would be pointless. However Christ did it for us so that we can come unto the Father not so that we would worship him. That is exactly what Satan wanted. Do we worship Christ? I would say no. We worship the Father THROUGH Christ. 

The Catholics that I've talked to so far LOVE what they are talking about and think they know everything they need to but every time they bring something up it's just more confusing. It's like they love confusion more than anything. They can't ever connect the dots. It's annoying. That's what was so annoying about teaching S (name withheld). You can give him a straight true and answer plain and simple and he just wouldn't accept it could be true. He wouldn't ever exercise any faith in anything.

16 April 2017

16 April 2017

Not a whole lot to say about this week to be honest. We've just been
running around all over the place with lessons and such. We kind of
have progressing investigators. At least they are making as such but
they need more consistency. It's been going ok though. I think we made
a little bit of progress with some of the more difficult ones this
week.

In answer to "Do you need anything?" - 

Oh, but what I do not need is more toothbrushes. Thank you, but I have a lot. Yeah, the jerky made it again. Super weird, I don't know why they told us it doesn't ever make it through customs.

{That made me laugh.  I think we should all pitch in and send him a package of toothbrushes.  He can hand them out like candy . . . :D}

11 April 2017

11 April 2017

I met the man they always talk about when you say "prepared person".

Well kind of.

He first met missionaries thirty years ago while teaching Japanese
culture in a high school in Maryland. He visited the Washington D.C.
Temple and said the missionaries were so great because they were
always offering help.

I'm not sure of his entire story after that but he has been to a bunch
of different wards in our area and Tokyo area. Including translating
for the church in Yamate, meeting with a couple that works at the
temple in Hirō and a several others. He has multiple students in his
class (he teaches English) including the son of Itō kaichō (one of
Warnick kaichōs counselors that I knew in Kanagawa, the other ward
that met in Kōhoku church). He has been invited to teach Japanese
culture by both Warnick kaichō and Wada kaichō.

He regularly read the Teachings of the Presidents, although needed us
to help him redownload the gospel library on his new tablet. His name
is Kiichi Sugawara and he is amazing. We now will meet every Monday
night for pretty much as long as we are here.

He doesn't technically live in our area though..

Anyway. He's super cool and I hope maybe he can help give him the
courage that he needs to accept baptism.

There was also the Starbucks miracle last week where we went to meet
with a guy out of our area and ran into a member at the Starbucks we
were at. So we had an unplanned member present lesson. It was a good
lesson. Unfortunately he is currently attending the church of the
devil (Japanese school) and has no time to meet... He did give us a
referral though. All of his countrymen. He told us to share his
message with the world because he loves it. Great guy.

By the way, it's Sakura season..

2 April 2017

2 April 2017

Prophesy of Japan 日本について預言

“I  have  an  abiding  faith  that  this  is  to  be  one  of  the  most  successful  missions  of  the  Church.  The  work  will  be  slow  at  first,  but  the harvest  is  to  be  something  great  and  will  astonish  the  world  in  the  years  to  come.  God  has  had  His  hand  over  this  land.” Heber J Grant (1901)

In the course of this week we had a new investigator and then had to
drop him. So what happened is that we met this guy while housing who
was catholic. And he is the devout kind of catholic. He was a really
nice calm guy and listened to everything we had to say. He accepted a
Book of Mormon at the door and we said we'd drop by next week. When we
came by, he had not read anything from it (I don't think he actually
thought we were coming back.)  But we talked again for a long time.
First at the door. Then invited into the genkan. Then inside his home.
We talked a bit about a few things but just generally. We were there
for two hours and at the end asked if we could come back. He said yes,
please come back tomorrow. We gave him the assignment 3Nephi 11 to
read. They also gave the Lords Prayer at the end which was kind of
awkward so we also gave a prayer as well.

When we came back, he told us he had two issues with the scripture
that couldn't be true. He doesn't argue anything. He is super genuine
when he talks about anything. So he didn't understand why Jesus was
there because he went straight back to heaven after leaving the
apostles and he would not return until the second coming. Which of
course made his appearance to Joseph Smith confusing as well. He
unfortunately just wouldn't see reason. He prayed multiple times but
said there is nothing he knows that came support Christs appearance to
Joseph Smith. Then he said that his purpose is to get us to join his
church and he thinks that Jödicke Chōrō and I are successors to the
twelve apostles...

It was overall a good experience. Just sad that he couldn't exercise
the faith in what we taught. We may go visit him again sometime to see
if he read more from the Book of Mormon.

It seems like I never have any stories and now I have too many stories
this week... It was a weird week. You'll have to just settle with that
one.

Oh, I guess I need to challenge you all the share an Easter video on
social media or with someone directly this week. You may not know the
effect it has. Just yesterday we met someone that had a friend who had
given him a pamphlet a long time ago and he didn't remember much but
he wanted to hear more. Also, he was from china where he couldn't have
really heard much but he happened to be here where he can hear the
gospel. The kiseki don't stop. Haha.

That was actually in Kichijōji. We had to go there for Jödicke Chōrōs training. There are giant bugs in Japan. Like, super giant. I'm excited to see a Suzumebachi. It's a wasp the size of a sparrow. Super dangerous but sounds like a Pokémon. Should be fun.

That is "Lieutenant" Shimamura. He met the missionaries 30 years ago and has been coming to Eikaiwa for that long and inviting missionaries over. No interest in the gospel although we have all tried forever. He says he thinks as soon as he gets baptized he thinks he will die. Or he will convert right before he dies... I'm not sure which. He is a great guy. He calls us his grandchildren. Because he has none. You can ask Craig if he knows him haha.

Meat power. :)