Week 62

皆さん、こんにちは！

I can't believe another week has gone by, time is weird!

We had some good things this week!
One of our friends who is preparing for baptism has been trying to follow the word of wisdom and he has just taught me so much about submitting to the Lord and relying on him! We read Enos 1 together, which is Enos becoming humble and repenting through his faith. After reading our friend told us he has felt a change in his life and heart through learning about Jesus Christ, just like Enos, and how he's so grateful for repentance. I wish we could all see repentance has a beautiful gift rather than a punishment,  like he does! His ending prayer was the cutest thing. He told his Heavenly Father how he wants to change, and that he makes mistakes, is imperfect and that he's sorry. It just reminded of me when Christ said to the Nephites,  "whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God."

Some funny things from this week:

We went to go visit this lady whose house is a gathering place for mosquitos, cats, and spiders,  it's fantastic, so we decided to wear our カッパ (rain suits) for protection, it was a little awkward because it wasn't even close to raining but she was old so I don't think she noticed....haha. but we took pictures because we looked dang good.

At 英会話 (English class) we had an interesting experience.  Sometimes the Japanese English accents are hard to follow.....I asked this one guy what he likes to do and he said "playing sax" although it didn't sound like that.... he just kept repeating it and then finally he's like, "you know like the instrument saxophone". Me and my companion just looked at each other and just started laughing with relief, because we both didn't know how to respond to that. Haha
A member bought us Costco salsa and muffins, so we've reached the promised land.

That's about it for this week but here's some spiritual goodness.

This week I was reading in 3rd Nephi when Christ is praying for and teaching the Nephites, and I liked how it described their experience.
3 Nephi 19:
33 And the multitude did hear and do bear record; and their HEARTS were open and they did understand in their HEARTS the words which he prayed.
34 Nevertheless, so great and marvelous were the words which he prayed that they cannot be written, neither can they be uttered by man.
I think too many times we seek for understanding by only our own senses or knowledge, but forget that we must have an open heart to understand. The holy ghost speaks touches our mind and our heart. (D&C 8:2)
There have also been times where I can't describe the experiences that I've had, they can't be well "written or uttered" but I can feel it in my heart to be true.
I know that if we open our hearts and have faith that we can understand things that are difficult to believe!
Proverbs 3:
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Hope you guys liked something from this email sorry they are always all over the place.
Love you all! 

Favorite pic 

Do Lan Huong 姉妹 (フォン）

Kanno 姉妹

Week 61

Hello everyone! Sorry, it's been a hot minute. Time just goes soo quickly and I don't even know what to write about!  This week we were able to meet with most of our people and visit with a lot of members, which was great!

Some funny things from this week, (needed background info).  As missionaries, we are not allowed to be alone with the opposite sex or be alone with children, for safety purposes. Anyways, one of our appointments had to be canceled because we didn't have another girl to come with us to one of our investigator's homes. I sadly called him and explained why we couldn't come, but rescheduled for the next day. At that appointment we asked him if he had any questions for us (referring to the things we had just taught) and he said, I am really confused about your church culture. I asked him what he meant. And he said, so I am not allowed to hang out with anyone unless there are at least 3 girls or 2 boys? We were so confused about what he was saying. We then all got it and started laughing and told him that was only for missionaries, and that he could still hang out with girls or guys alone lol. So that was awkward.

Another lesson, we asked one of our friends how the BOM reading was going. They got all hesitant, saying they had only read a little bit every day. I told him that was totally okay, and asked him where he was. He was like, I am only in Enos...... We were like, what?! That's so amazing. (because it is). And he was all surprised, he was like, but I still have to read Alma, have you seen how big that book is? haha it was pretty awesome.

On Saturday we went on a comp exchange up into this super countryside area, it was so pretty with the mountains and rice fields. Anyways, we met some members and taught them the Plan of Salvation, so we could practice our Japanese. They were the cutest old couple ever and just kept telling us how much they loved the Plan of Salvation and couldn't wait to hang out with us in the Celestial Kingdom when we all look young and beautiful together. It was so cute.

One of my favorite scriptures about the Plan of Salvation is Alma 24:14,

And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us... because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.

I know the Plan of Salvation really is the Plan of Happiness. When we understand Gods perfect plan, we realize His love and Jesus Christs importance in our lives!

Have a good week everyone!

Ryugi Kun

広瀬姉妹 Hirose

Leilua 姉妹 with Pablo and a snack I got for her

Week 60

No e-mail this week, but here are some pictures!

 菅野姉妹(Kanno) and  ゆき姉妹 (Yuki)

Week 59

Hello everyone, 

I wish I could share in one email all of the amazing things I experience as a missionary, especially from this week. SO many good things. 

Miracle number one. We have been meeting with one of our friends that we met a couple of weeks ago, and he is just so golden. He just accepts everything we teach him, and it is truly changing his life (and mine). We taught him the Plan of Salvation and Christ's Atonement, and he just kept saying how amazing he feels, and how grateful he is for Jesus Christ. We were able to put him on a baptismal date and he has just progressed so much! For example, he came to church yesterday wearing a suit we found for him at the Mission Home, and he just looked so happy. I was sitting there taking the sacrament when I look over, and he's just sitting there praying to his Heavenly Father, in his nice suit, taking the sacrament, surrounded by members who support him and are there for him. If you could just see who this man was just three weeks ago, then you would understand why I couldn't stop smiling that day. Christ's Atonement and church, truly do change peoples lives! It's amazing. 

Another cool experience,

We went to an appointment with a girl that was referred to us by a member in another Stake. We had talked to her on the phone but this was her first time meeting with the missionaries. She ends up being this sweet mom with two daughters, who moved here from Brazil. But what we quickly realize is that she can't really speak Japanese or English...For example, I asked her if she believes in God, and she was like, yes I am 25. haha Let's just say we were not prepared for this lesson. But thanks to Google Translate, Gospel Library in Portuguese, and ridiculous hand gestures and illustrations, we were able to share somewhat of a message. Luckily, she was so patient and so sweet and even invited us over for the next week.

We left her home and I just felt so terrible. I felt bad for how unprepared we were and that her first experience meeting with the missionaries, and hearing about our church was not good, to say the least. 

We then later received a call from her friend who referred her to us. He asked me how it went and after telling him it was pretty hard, and hearing some laughs from him, he told me that she actually called him and told him about the appointment. However, She said she was so grateful that she was able to meet with us, and she could tell how much our message meant to us because of how hard we were trying. Not only that, but she said that she felt something new and different, and she wanted to know what it was. After telling me her side of the story, I was so happy and to be honest, pretty shocked. I knew the spirit helps us as missionaries, but wow it just taught me that even our scattered and unperfect lesson, was enough for the spirit to testify to her that our message was something she needed. No effort is wasted in the sight of God, even when we feel like we can't do what is asked of us, he will make up the difference.

In Moses 6:34 it says (this is actually our mission scripture),

Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.

I am so grateful to walk with my Savior out here in Japan, it's the best thing I have ever done!

Love you all, have a great week! 

Best burger (and really only burger) I've had in a year

Cookies from Sister Smoot