Now I Feel Like a Missionary...IN JAPAN

Good afternoon ladies and germs,

So this week was flipping the most different week in my life as a missionary yet.  First off we are now down to only two investigators; the lowest I have had in Toyota.  One of those two also became suicidal this week so we are trying to keep him alive.  We haven`t found a new investigator in the past 4 weeks.  I now feel like a missionary in Japan.  We are trying and tried a lot of different ways to get a new investigator.  Besides doing our normal streeting and housing efforts we tried getting an appointment with the Mayor of Toyota.  Sadly, that turned out to be a failure because we had to get through the secretary to the secretary of the mayor.  They wouldn`t even let us leave a Book of Mormon.  We also tried offering a presentation on how students can have balance in their lives at a high school, but no dice.  I have learned that I need to learn how to become a good ``finder``.  I need a whole lot more faith because the basic ways of finding I don`t have a whole lot of faith in because there are way too many crazy people or old, angry people on the streets and nobody wants to talk to you on their doorstep.  I promise that I am trying to become the best I can to find people.  

On a bright side I love my new companion.  He is a huge breath of fresh air from my trainer.  Elder Butters and I have been gelling really well together, but we both have the same weakness: finding.  We have so many plans to get Toyota to succeed as an area.  We`ll see how this next week goes.  

I had a couple of humbling experiences with the language this last week.  The week before last week i was feeling pretty confident and it was a good feeling.  This past week, however, we were at a member`s home and their oldest daughter is serving in Temple Square and I asked their daughter what I thought was, ``When is your older sister coming home from her mission?``  Instead I said, ``When is my older brother coming home?``  She handled it really well and didn`t tell me I was wrong.  After we left Butters told me what I had said and I felt like a super big idiot.  Second experience was yesterday at church where the bishop asked me 10 minutes before sacrament meeting to bear my testimony on how the gospel blesses families.  Man that was rough.  I did alright I guess, but I thought I was doing better than that.  When I have to speak in front of the ward members I get really nervous and my language skills go blank.  Yay for humility.

Well that`s about it folks.  Thanks for all the prayers.  They are felt.  I love hearing from you all and I am eternally grateful for your support.

スピードと天使

堅城長老

Pic- I had an oopsie on the bike...