week 37

This week I got to see what happens when Japanese people act like Americans! They had a big festival, probably somewhat equivalent to FWI or Taste of Kearns, in Yatsushiro Japan on Saturday. People were so different! They had this giant parade, everyone was dancing and yelling and having a good ol' time! But, it is so interesting because these same people are the ones who, every other day of the year, ride the train with their legs close together, bags in their laps, phones in their hands, ear buds in their ears, and trying their hardest not to draw attention to themselves. It's good to see and know that people here have fun and unwind on occasion.

Other than that, we had a good week full of missionary work. There are a couple special people who could use your prayers if it isn't too much to ask; Oozono San (Ms. Oh-zou-no) and Yuuta San (Mr. Utah). We have been working with them lately and need some help.

It's really hot and humid, cicadas are way loud, and we have less than two more weeks of this transfer. I taught to be fun!!

ブラワー長老

week 36

This week, I have been thinking about the simplicity of the gospel a lot... This is one thing that I have had the opportunity to learn on my mission and I am so thankful for it. I can talk and talk and talk and have deep conversations with people about religion in English but when it comes to Japanese, it is the simple statements and testimonies that are the most powerful. This gospel is simple! And because I have come to this realization, my favorite scripture is Mosiah 4:9. It is a straightforward, fearless verse but it has so much meaning. God is our Heavenly Father and because he loves us, he has given us a way to return to him. It is that simple. If we follow what he has given us, prophets, scriptures, etc., we will receive all of the blessings that he has promised to us. All that we have to do is "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

So, this has been on my mind this week and I ended up talking in Sacrament Meeting about it! That went well but... I was asked to speak for a long time because, I thought, there were only two speakers that day. The first speaker went. 5 minutes. I had... 25 or so minutes to fill and so when it got to be about 10:45, I wrapped up and sat down. Turns out someone was talking after that AND they had a special music number planned. There was some interesting miscommunication but it turned out alright! They probably won't ask me to talk again for a while... ;)

This week, we worked really hard. We had a challenge to fulfill that we received from our district leader and... it seemed impossible in this small, countryside Yatsushiro! But, we tried our best and had one of the most tiring, best weeks so far. Hard work is the best remedy!

Because we were working hard, we were blessed and guided this week! One specific experience happened yesterday. We took the wrong path which took us to a dead end. We started turning around but saw an apartment and decided to see if anyone was home. In that apartment, we talked to Yone San and had a wonderful conversation with him about God's love and how he guides us. By the end, he was excited to receive a Book of Mormon and had a desire to learn more about it. I can promise you that it wasn't by chance and that we were guided to him that day and that he heard the message that he needed to hear that day. We have high hopes for him and hope that through his reading of the Book of Mormon, he can know that this message is true.

I'm grateful to be here and know that I must work hard! I'm not perfect but i plan to try my best!

Brower Chourou

week 35

I'm running out of time really quickly but... I want to recap this week as best as I can because... Life in the mission is great!

Last week, on P-day, we went with a friend to a really nice Yakiniku place. Yakiniku is... Where you get a plate of raw meat and you cook it yourself on a little grill that is in the middle of your table... Anyway. This. Place. Was. The. BEST! Best meat I have ever had.

We also got to meet our new mission president this week. He is a wonderful guy and him and his wife are so filled with love and excitement to be here. Their motto for us is five things: work hard, work smart, be strictly obedient, have fun, and come home tired. I'm trying my best to do all five!

While here in Japan, we are blessed with so many different experiences. And because of the fall, we get to experience good and bad! Which, I am thankful for because from both types of experiences we learn a lot. We got yelled at this week for knocking on a mans door and he not so nicely "escorted" us away from the apartment building where he lived while yelling and saying all kinds of things. However, we just killed him with kindness and went on our way. Although we occasionally meet these kind of people, we have the opportunity to meet really awesome people as well! For example, we met someone this week who believes in God and Jesus Christ but when we talked with her about prayer, she was so humble and told us that she couldn't do that because Jesus Christ is the son of a God and his name is too holy for her to pray to because she is so imperfect. We also found a really awesome investigator this week who was really excited to hear about the Book of Mormon and even more surprised and excited when we wanted to give it to her FOR FREE! We have an appointment with her next Saturday and we have our hopes really high and are praying for her. Of course I can't recount all my experiences while I am here or all of the people that I meet but, the gist of it is, people are important. And they deserve the chance to hear this gospel. And there are people who are prepared to hear it and accept it.

God blesses us missionaries so much! The work that we do is nothing compared to the blessings that we are receiving for doing this work. I'm honored to here and be blessed enough to have these experiences.

Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your support.

ブラワー長老

week 34

For my weekly email, I'll take a quote from my journal from the 11th:

"I just spend the last few minutes going through some pictures and... I've had some amazing experiences so far on my mission! It's hard in the moment but when you look back, you don't see all the struggles and hard stuff. Of course you might be reminded of those times but really, as I look back already I think of how awesome my experience has been. However, it is still hard and it will continue to be really hard.

Today was especially hard. We had three people that we planned on visiting who were PIs that had said that we could come back and we either gave them a pamphlet or a Book of Mormon. Ya... We aren't visiting any of them anymore unless we feel otherwise when we are close by. They told us not to come back for various reasons. That is hard. Three people in one day. We had our hopes up and they were let down really hard. You want people to accept the message and at least give the message a chance but it seems like nobody is doing that. But, that is why I am here, to give people the chance. That is my conclusion today..."

Later this night, as me and my companion were talking about how much these people are missing out on something so amazing that could bless their lives so much, we saw a member driving in her car and she honked and waved at us. What a small victory. What a tender mercy. A lot of people don't except our invitation. They don't give us a chance. But there are people, like that sister who saw us and waved at us, who, if the missionaries hadn't been lead to here, she would not be experiencing the blessings of this gospel. That put it all in perspective. The prepared people seem like the needle in the haystack. However, the needle exists! And it is our job to keep searching till we find it. So, as stated in my journal entry, I am here to give people the chance to receive this message. Everyone deserves a chance and if the situation presents itself, give them a chance!

Brower 長老

week 33

Celebrated the 4th of July with good ol American Mac & Cheese!

The mission, my mission here in Japan, is full of little victories and
tender mercies. It is rainy season. Not a lot of people are on the
streets. We haven't been having many lessons and so we have been out
housing for most of our time this week. It takes humility. It takes
diligence. And because we have gone out and tried to do what we could
each day to help people come into Christ, we have met some amazing
people. They haven't become investigators, they didn't necessarily
want us to come back and share more about what we have to offer, but
ye listened and recognized our efforts and respected that. God has a
plan for these people and one day they will be ready but for now, I am
glad that we were able to meet them and give them a chance. Everyone
deserves a chance to hear this Gospel and accept the happiness that
come from applying it in our lives. These are the little victories
that we get to see here in Japan. That is why I am here, to give
people a chance to hear this message. This work is great! I am
thankful for MY mission. It is hard but it is worth it.
Brower Chourou