You Have Been Called to Serve...

Good Afternoon Ladies and Germs,

So I bet you are all wondering what happened to me during transfer calls, but first I just want to publicly congratulate my little bro on his mission call to Argentina!!  I know that it`s not Japanese speaking, but we can forgive him I guess.  I definitely did not call Spanish speaking, that`s for sure.

Back to transfer calls; I am staying in Toyota, but Elder Butters is going back to his Bean-chan area in Fujieda just as he requested.  I have become Senpai (Senior Companion) at Transfer 4 which is pretty rare from what I hear.  It should help my Japanese since I will be leading lessons now.  My new companion is Australian and I will be killing him here, so that means I am almost guaranteed to be here for 2 more transfers.  I feel like my mission call has changed to the Japan Toyota Mission.  

The big event for us this week was Elder Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came and did a special mission conference on Friday.  He spoke with Bishop Stevenson of the Presiding Bishopric (prior Nagoya Mission President) and Elder Razband of the Quorum of the Seventy.  It was super good and I got to see all of my friends from all across the mission.  I had the opportunity to listen to Elder Ballard speak three times this weekend at two different stake conferences.  

This week was also super good for our missionary work.  Despite being the last week of the transfer, Elder Butters and I got the best stats of the transfer this week.  We taught our Chinese investigator, Rei, the Restoration and she came to Elder Ballard`s stake conference yesterday.  She said she didn`t understand all of the translator`s Japanese so it looks like we will be trying to do a lot of follow up with her.  She is such a good investigator.

Sweet well that`s a wrap for the week and the transfer.  I am really going to miss Elder Butters.  This transfer has been so awesome and we worked so well together.  I am hoping I can be successful as a Senpai this next transfer.  

Thank you for all your love and support.  Take care out in the big world all of you.

スピードと天使

堅城長老

 

Pic- There were these cool animals...

 

The Last Week In Toyota? Maybe?

Good afternoon everyone,

元気?  Okay so it was another long week and I don`t really know where to begin.  First off: Happy Birthday to my absolutely wonderful Mother!! Last Tuesday we were housing and I found my first investigator alone!  It was super sketchy.  I was talking to the guy through his keko box (a door bell with a microphone) and he didn`t tell me to go away as I was talking and I asked if we could come back and he paused for 10 seconds and said yes.  I don`t even know his name.  Yeah, I`m not super proud, but a gospel principle not and next appointment is a new investigator.

This week I also got to do exchanges with one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Yamamoto, who is a super cool guy.  He is from a city north of Tokyo and he has an identical twin in the Fukuoka mission.  I got to practice using a lot of Japanese with him and it was super helpful because he studied English for a year in Provo (at a language institute: not BYU :) ) so if i didn`t know a word in Japanese he could help me out.  We went and visited Morimura together which was a really good experience.  I have been learning and practicing how to translate this week which has really helped my Japanese grammar and vocab and really helped when working with Yamamoto.

We had a really good lesson with a church members daughter who is Chinese.  She speaks excellent Japanese and she can read it too.  She accepted our invitations to pray and read the Book of Mormon and got a nest appointment for this Saturday.  We are super excited and hopeful.

This Saturday is transfer calls.  We have no idea what will happen here in Toyota.  So many things are up in the air right now.  May the odds be ever in my favor.  We also have a mission conference this Friday so I`ll get to reunite with all my friends in the mission.  

I hope you all have a great week.  Thank you ever so much for all your love and support.

スピードと天使

堅城長老

 

Pic- Puppy!

A Game of Souls

Good Morning Sports Fans,

Today is another beautiful day in the neighborhood.  I heard about the disappointing Super Bowl.  That`s too bad.  A lot happened this week so let`s get started.

First off I was inspired while riding my bike last Saturday and created a whole game to motivate Elder Butters and I to OYM.  For explanation of the game please watch the ``Game of Souls`` video on the dropbox.  The game was a super huge help for us and we felt (and were) super successful this week.  We didn`t get any new investigators through OYM, but I am pretty sure we were blessed for our efforts.  Elder Butters did end up winning, but I didn`t feel too bad because he is almost done with his mission and I am still in the beginning of mine.  He beat me 71-51.  He got lucky on his exchange in Okazaki because one day this week he didn`t get any points.  This week I am going to win.

We did a crazy dendo effort right in front of Toyota Co. World Headquarters this week.  In order to get these very uptight Japanese business men to talk to us we did some Eikaiwa 英会話 (English Class) advertising.  See ``Eggo my Eigo`` video.  We handed out a lot of flyers, but what was the coolest experience was while we we holding our sign a man in a car called out to us and told us to wait for him.  After a couple of minutes the man came up to us super excited that we teach free English.  It was super cool and our plan for トヨタ会社 was a success.

Also this week found some investigators through housing which is super good.  We have been steadily housing a danshi for the past two weeks and we`ve managed to get three investigators out of 250 something doors.  I don`t like housing, but when you`ve got nothing else going for you that`s what you have to do.  Butters likes to laugh at me because I don`t always understand what they say and so I keep talking and it`s super awkward.  Sometimes I give up too easily when someone tells me they don`t have interest.  I just have to find the balance.  

We also were in Okazaki (岡崎）this week which is awesome.  Butters served there a year ago and the members loved him.  He has been so happy to go back to an area he served in.  We did a super companion exchange meaning we both went to Okazaki and were just with different companions.  We all had dinner at a member`s home who cried when Butters showed up.  That how good of a relationship he built in 岡崎.  We got some sweet pics with them.

That`s about a wrap for the week.  It was super awesome and we`ll see what this week will bring!  I love you all and thank you so much for your support.

スピードと天使

堅城長老

Pic- I bought a huge sushi roll

 

Winter's Coming

Good Morning/Afternoon sports fans,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!  To Dad, Audrey, Brock.  Ya`ll are one year older and wiser too, so happy birthday to you!

I hear that it`s Super Bowl Sunday and that the Seahawks are definitely going to win.  Yesterday kicked off February which is the coldest month here in Toyota.  So far that statement is proving true.  The wind blows like crazy!  Toyota is also starting to get a little crazy.

First off our suicidal investigator is still alive and after stressing out over him for over a week he decided to drop us because we wouldn`t give him poison.  What the heck!?  We tried to save a life and then he turned his back on us and what will save his soul.  People are crazy.  Since he dropped us we now are down to two investigators, one of which we found last P-Day.  Last week we started housing a ``danshi`` (multiple apartment complexes in one area) where missionaries had never knocked.  I don`t like housing, but nothing has really been working for us.  We just finished 2 of 12 apartment buildings, which was 144 doors (not everyone was home) and we got one investigator.  The statistic for our mission is for every 100 people we talk to only 1 will meet with us again.  All I can say is that we are having to literally start from nothing and we have to start with the basics and we are mixing in some creative techniques as well.

Some good things did go rather well for us this week.  We had interviews with President Yamashita in Okazaki.  It was really good and from what he talked to me about and what he talked to Butters about this next transfer calls could be very interesting and kind of exciting, but I don`t want to talk too much about it so I don`t give people speculation.  But I did get to see my other NZ boy Elder Cowan there and got to talk to him.

I also had exchanges with Elder Orellana from Chile on Thursday.  He is only the third Chilean to come and serve a mission in Japan.  He learned English and Japanese in the MTC, Portuguese in Japan, and his native language is Spanish.  He is only 19!  I don`t think my brain could fit that much in it.  He is a transfer 5 missionary and we had a good time visting Morimura-san.  

That`s about it for exciting news of this week.  Nothing too exciting is coming up except finding more people to teach.  I just want to thank everybody for their love, support, and prayers.  It really does truly mean a lot.

スピードと天使

堅城長老  

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...

 

Kiwi In Town

Good Afternoon,

Well we finished off the first week of Transfer 3!  My new companion is from New Zealand and his name is Elder Butters.  He was Tommy`s trainer and only companion so that is super cool.  He is also the District Leader so I get to see what responsibilities they have. We are about to rock Toyota`s socks right off.  This whole next week is going to be all about finding people to teach because we are down to 6 iffy investigators and Morimura now does not want to be baptized.  We have some pretty high hopes and plans and we`re going to be doing our best.

One of the great things about this week is that I got to see Tommy twice!  Once at transfers and at a District Leader/Zone Leader training where I got to hang with Tommy there because both our comps are DLs.  It`s pretty flipping cool because I don`t know if any USAFA cadet in the past has served in the same mission as another cadet.  We`re pretty lucky.

Nothing special really happened this week.  I am getting Butters familiar with the area and he will die in Toyota probably because he only has 2 transfers left.  We got to be at a member`s 8 year old son`s baptism on Saturday.  That was pretty cool to be a part of.  We didn`t teach him or anything, but we were there to support our ward.

This week is going to be a busy adventure and it`s going to be hard to find a lot of new people, but it will be worth it!

Thank you for all the love and support!

スピードと天使

ハードキャッスル長老

写真

Pic 1: Falcons Reunited

Pic 2: This building was lit up with two huge projectors

Pic 3: The Yusa family whose son got baptized

 

We Killed Him...

Good Morning Sports Fans,

I just witnessed one of the saddest things so far on my mission so far.  We killed Elder Moretti this morning...Meaning he`s finished his two years of service to God and is heading home to Brazil.  He was a legend in the mission and was only 20 and was one of the coolest guys I know.  It was super sad to see a physical and spiritual giant leave all by himself and get on the train.

I got to go on my first companion exchange to Okazaki this week with our DL.  It was super fun!  Our DL is one of the coolest guys of all time and he has the biggest heart I`ve ever seen.  His name is Elder Schmeil and he`s Brazilian, but his father is German in his mother is half Lebanese half Bolivian.  He speaks four languages and has perfect English.  He looks kind of like Klinger from M*A*S*H (mostly because of the Lebanese nose).  Okazaki is a sweet area and they have one of the best apartments in the mission.  I got to talk to the Japanese elders there and that really helped my language confidence.  If you are confident with who you are talking with, the ability to speak becomes so much easier.  It was so much fun talking to the Japanese elders and we hung out that night talking for 45 minutes and they had me try some fish (see drop box) and they busted out their cameras like good Asians and filmed the white guy eating it.  Their English is super funny.

Probably the coolest thing that we did this week in regards to culture is make mochi (smashed rice) the traditional way.  It`s tradition to make it during Shogatsu, but the ward did it for Elder Moretti since he was dying and had never done it before.  What you do is smash a ball of rice with a massive hammer in a solid stone bowl.  It`s super cool (see the drop box)!  It doesn`t taste like anything, just whatever you put it in.  

The big spiritual high this week was teaching Morimura.  We stopped by on Wednesday to set up a next appointment (only) but as we were about to leave he asked us about his reading commitment in the pamphlet (about Christ`s Atonement) and said he had read it and didn`t understand.  So we did our best to explain it simply enough for him to understand.  We ended up teaching most of the Plan of Salvation and he wanted to get to the Celestial Kingdom so we invited him to be baptized.  He hesitantly agreed, but he agreed and now we need him to progress towards his committed baptismal date.

Well that`s about it for the week.  Thank you so much for all of your support and I love you all.  May the Lord bless all of you!

スピドと天使

ハードキャッスル長老