Japan week #53

Hey everyone! 

      So this has been one of the single hardest weeks of my mission, and one of the most rewarding and happy. :) I saw my first baptism this week! I was able on the evening of the 9th last week to perform the baptism of my dear friend Oshima Ryuji. :) And it was a sacred experience that I will NEVER forget! 

     I started the week with some really bad news, and some personal challenges that came from it. And that's been plaguing me all week, but I've been so focused on others this week, and I've been praying harder than I ever have before, and I know that I've been helped, and in some ways that I don't know, in order to make it through this week. It's been a very special experience, and I'll be grateful for it forever! We were at the church basically that entire day getting all the last details worked out, and getting all set up for it. :) And it all went very very smoothly! I was so happy! :D I asked a ward member that I love, and that I feel like I received revelation for, to perform the confirmation, and that was also a very powerful experience. I've never been able to be a part of those ordinances before, and it was such a spirit bomb. And I only messed up the baptism words once. ;) HAHA!! 

    So we're very excited from here on out to continue to help him grow, and continue having spiritual experiences. :) 

       In other exciting news, our other investigator, Motoyama San, is doing really well! He has a date for the 23rd of this month, and he's SO READY! He wants to get baptized so bad, and he got over his own problem with tithing in his OWN personal study and prayers, and we hadn't had a lesson or really talked about it much at all with him yet. :P He's SO DANG AWESOME! So that's excited fro two weeks out from here!! :D 

       Other than that, this week was  another one of hard work, and good times. :) It's started raining again, and it's been great. ;) 

 Thanks for all you do! Love you all!

    Love, Mike