Japan week #60

Hello everyone!

     This has been a fun week!

 Nothing really crazy or spectacular happened, but we have been working hard, and have been enjoying the last bit of this transfer. Tomorrow is transfer calls, so that's exciting. Not sure what to expect, so we'll see what comes! I think I'm getting the boot though! But we won't know until tomorrow!

  We had lots of opportunities to meet our investigators this week, and we had lots of teaching opportunities which is amazing! This transfer has been a busy one, and its been great! :D I've loved working with Elder Numano, and this has been a WAY great transfer.

   This week though, we did have one really cool experience. The stakes in Hokkaido did a mission prep event for a lot of the youth, and that basically means that they met in Sapporo, and spent a day learning about missionary work, and then going on splits with missionaries! And since w're the Odori Elders, and we're right in town, we got called in to go on splits with some of these youth! I got to work with Brother Henmi, from a ward about fifteen minutes from my apartment. And it was EPIC! We had SUCH a good time! Just spent a few hours walking around Sapporo just doing some street proselyting, and he had a blast. At one point I asked him what his favorite gospel principle was. And he says the atonement. And I'm like, you're so dang amazing!! :) So it was quite a blast! We had a few opportunities to teach some lessons during our time together, so that was epic. And he was the first one after it was over to bear testimony about it and how epic it was. :) Way sweet experience!

 And that's basically about it! Love you all! Have a great week!

 Love, Mike !

Japan week #59

Hello Everyone!

 This was a very fun week! Nothing too crazy happened this week, and we weren't able to meet many of our investigators, so we hit the streets like mad men!

      But first things first. Winter is coming! O.O The nights and mornings and days are starting to get coooooold! And the days are getting short again! It's PITCH BLACK at 6:30 every night, and it's only gonna get earlier and earlier from here on out! 

     Elder Numano and I have been having a blast, and this week with our extra finding time we had some way cool experiences! And we found a lady who is a HARDCORE kinjin. Way hardcore prepared for the gospel! We were dendoing late one rainy night this week, and we had not been having much success. We actually ran into a guy from england just living out in the suburbs of sapporo as a missionary for his protestant church. He told me all about how the Mormon church isn't true, and that he thinks it's all nonsense and reeks of myth and legend. And was having a visibly fun time of bagging on it to my face. And when he was done, I had a very VERY fun time testifying as hard as I could about how I knew it was all true, and that I would fight and defend this to my death, and that if he has any desire to know how to have even more happiness in this life, then he oughta give what I have to say a listen. And it was wonderful. :) I felt SO DANG GOOD! Gotta love bearing down in pure testimony!

   And then later that day we found a lady named K San, and she is so ready for the gospel. She taught piano to some lds families in Sapporo years ago, and she was always way impressed with them, and their kids, and over the course of her time there learned a little bit about the church. Like the word of wisdom, and Joseph Smith, but that was the end of it until last year. She told us that she was thinking about her life, and how to be more happy, and she remembered the church. And she was like, that's a dang good church, and started to have lots of interest. But she couldn't find out any ways to learn about it or contact it. Until we came to her door! She told us that she's also started to keep the word of wisdom a bit, slowing down her intake of coffee and tea and what not, and that she wnats to come to church and learn all about this. We gave her a book of mormon then, and prayed with her, and she was telling us over and over about how this book was really special, and that the time she spent with us was incredible. So we're VERY EXCITED to keep working there! :D 

      Thanks for all your love and support! Keep up the great work, and have a great week! Love ya!

 Love, Mike

Japan week #58

Hey Everyone!

      This has been a really fun week! Elder Numano and I have been working hard and we've been seeing lots of good things! 

   First off, our investigator M san got permission from his wife to get baptized! So that's exciting! The whole family should be here in Sapporo by the end of this month, so that's good news. :) No more of this misscommunication stuff! He's been doing really good, and he's been coming to church for a while now, so we're very excited to see him get baptized. And hopefully we can throw some of his family members in there too. ;) Haha!

   K San, another investigator of ours, also came to church last week! He had a BLAST and we taught a really good lesson afterwards. :) We also had a dinner appointment with a member with him this week, and we taught another lesson there, and it was really good. :) He's progressing very well, and I'm VERY excited to see where he can go! 

   So just a funny experience. :P Funny to iu ka... I prayed for the first time in English in over a year this week! :P It was awful. I had NO IDEA how to say what I wanted to say. I honestly felt like I couldn't speak in English. :P The Japanese hasn't effected my regular speech, but I do find it hard sometimes to do things in English. Like church meetings, and praying... :P Just thought you guys might get a kick out of that! :)

  And I have a really special experience that happened yesterday! So since I'm DL I have to interview my district's baptismal candidates before baptism! And I got to do my first interview with one of the sister's investigators! And it was DEFINITELY the biggest spiritual experience of last week. :) It was way special getting to spend some 1 on 1 time with someone with such a young new testimony that is just burning, and is so excited to receive baptism and all the blessings that this church and gospel have to offer. :) I was blown away by how amazing that time was. 

  This week should be fun. Looking forward to more hard work, and to seeing more miracles. :) Should be a blast! I can't believe how fast this transfer has been going! Just a little under three weeks and it's over! O.O NUTS! 

   I love you all so much! Thanks for all you do!

 Love, Mike 

Japan week #57

Hey everyone!

    First off, I'm sorry that my emails have been getting very short and very not detailed. I in part blame mailing back and forth on pdays, AND the fact that I email in the mission office, and I have ALL my friends here, and it's FLIPPING DISTRACTING ...And today is no exception. :P I'm sorry! And I'll try and be better about it!

     This week has been great, and kind of disappointing! Our baptism didn't go through. He didn't pass his interview, because he had some things that came up that made him have to have an interview with the mission president. But, before that went through, we found out that his wife is threatening divorce if he joins the church, which we did NOT know about before, so obviously his baptism and his interview fell through. His wife thought that we were jehova's witnesses, and so she was way against it. And now his daughter his coming to check out the church, and us, and make sure that we're not crazy people taking advantage of our investigator. :P So that's been nuts, and kinda stressful. She comes this Wednesday, and so that'll be crazy!

     We also had K, our other really strong investigator, come to church this week! He was found last transfer by Elder B and Elder N while they were on splits, and since this transfer our four man apartment became a two man apartment, and so all of there investigators became ours, and he was one of those investigators. We taught all of lesson one to him, and it was WAY STRONG. He's got a lot of desire, and he loves coming to church and learning about this stuff, and I think he can make it all the way. But he does have one glaring problem right now that we're going to have to help him with. The law of chastity. SO that'll be fun helping him with!

   Elder N and I have been having a TON of fun. We just joke and play and talk all day everyday, and we're working our butts off. I've never had so many investigators and teaching opportunities as I do now, and it's been amazing. :)

    So about my bike, I replaced the rear wheel, the tube, and some of the sprockets. Cost about 150 bucks. :( but now it feels brand new again so!  :) That's epic!

    I also recently wrecked my knee way bad playing basketball. :P It's nothing serious, it just sucks. I was getting a little too into it, and I just smashed it way hard on the ground, and I can't bend it much at all. But it's getting better. :)

        And that was bascially about it this week!  Looking forward to another week of hard work, and lots of fun. :) Thanks for all your support and lvoe!

 Love, Mike

Pictures from June and July

Japan week #56

Hey everyone!! 

   This has been a way fun week! :)

         Elder Numano and I have been working our butts off, and we've had a great week. :) We've been able to teach a lot of really good lessons, and we have a lot of good people that are making some great progress. We have one investigator, who has a baptismal date for this Saturday, the sixth. He has his interview tomorrow, and we're very excited! He has been making really good progress, and he's totally gonna make it. :) We're WAY excited! 

   So, just a few details about Elder Numano. He's from Kanagawa Ken, close to Tokyo. He has been out on his mission for about 4 months now. He's on transfer four, and he's Elder Kozuma's (one of my previous comps) bean! So that's way, interesting! :P Lots of stories between the two of us to talk about. :) It's been way fun!

 I was kinda nervous about getting a Japanese comp again, since I haven't had one for so long, and because I've only had one. But it's been a blast! We have SO MUCH FUN everyday, and he told me that his goal for this transfer is to work harder than he ever has before. So that made my VERY HAPPY! ;) 

    Looks like everyone is having a great time, and I love it. :) 

        Thanks for all you're love and support, and I'll talk to you all soon! 

 Love ya!

  Mike