week 51 ONE YEAR MARK

So... I WILL NOT be staying in Yatsushiro for another transfer! Got
our transfer calls and I'm going to Nakatsu! Look it up! The only
things that I know are: my new comp is Elder Housekinekt (or something
like that) and he is a 4th transfer missionary but he is half nihonjin
and half American so my Japanese should get a ton better; nakatsu,
like all my other places, is pretty countryside; you live on the third
floor of the church building; the toilet is apparently really
interesting. I head out on Thursday morning my time so next week on

Monday I should have pics of the new place and whatnot. Wish me luck!

The first little while in this new area has been really good! It was
heck getting here (a train, then a bus, then a city bus, then another
train WITH all my luggage) but I got here! This area is nice. And
small. Just like all the other places I've been. We had 10 people come
to church on Sunday so... That was cool I guess. They are all like a
little family out here so the relationships and whatnot are good.
I hit the one year this week... And it has been one heck of a year! I
hope the next one goes fast too! I'm way excited to come home but way
excited for what I will get to experience here over the next year.

.I don't have any pictures right now because, well, haven't taken any!
But I will take some and send them to you.
The Goto family came to our Halloween party and had a good time. We
also had dinner with them before I transferred. They are awesome and
one of those people that I will remember for sure. Don't know about
baptism but if I hear updates I will let you know.

The last time seeing the branch presidency and whatnot in Yatsushiro!
I'm not in Kumamoto anymore so... I miss Kumamon! Ha

ブラワー長老

week 50

This week, it got cold. I've been reluctant to pull out the jackets
and scarfs but... it had to be done. We had a lot going on this week
which is always good! A lot of our effort went into having a good
Halloween Party and that turned out pretty well! Other than that, here
is a list of some of the stuff we did: went for a short power walk
with a member, translated for the two Japanese missionaries in our

district at district meeting, played chess with a member, power washed
the church building, met a fireball of a woman while housing that we
have started teaching, gave a small guitar lesson, had English class,
went housing with a return missionary (learned some good stuff),
prepped for our Halloween party, had our Halloween party, went to
dinner with an investigator we haven't met in a while, had dinner with
another investigator and had a good lesson, and had another lesson
with the Goto Family where we told them, if they were ready to, that
they could be baptized by the end of the month.
It was a good, busy week. And this transfer has flown by... Don't know

if I'm transferring just yet but I will be ok with whatever happens
this next transfer! This is a great area with awesome people and I
would love to stay with them but if another area is calling my name, I
will go and do!!
ブラワー長老

The sakamoto family (an investigator family we are meeting with)

Our Halloween party (I was missionary Kumamon)

 The extent of my drawing skills!

Our eyeball piñata. The kids thought it was the most fun thing ever!

Came across these things by accident. They are huge! They used them for
some festival in September and now they are just sitting on display.

I was not just any bear... I was Kumamon! He is a big deal here....
Like a way big deal. Everyone loves Kumamon! The party was mostly with
kids from our English class.3 years ago they
had a big deal about picking a mascot for the city of Kumamoto and
Kumamon was picked! Since then, he is on everything! Toilet paper,
body wash, t shirts, pens, everything!

This was a cool bridge we went to with some members. Also, this spider was as big as the apartment if you couldnt tell. Not really but... it was big enough for a picture! 

week 49

おはようございます！
It says goodmorning!
This week, besides the normal knocking doors and talking to people, we
had a good time! Figured out my Halloween costume for our party on
Halloween; pictures to come next week. Also, got to be farmer joe on
Saturday. We helped some members with some crazy weeds and also helped
till someone's garden and spray the moss off their house with a power
washer. Of course, that is always fun. :) things are good! Transfers
are coming up so we will see what happens! I'll let you all know next
week!
Elder Brower

week 48

Just thought you wanted to see my goofy face.

week 47

This was a fast week... We had a lot going on and I'm guessing that this next week will be about the same! For basically the first time on my mission so far, we have some kind of appointment for every day of the week set up already! I'm sure as we find new people to teach this week that our schedule will get even more full. When you are busy, time goes by really fast.

This week, we saw three days worth of back-to-back miracles. God is merciful. I had a challenge at the beginning of this transfer where I thought; "dang, I have to be here for a 3rd transfer?! This area is so small and I've done all there is to do!" Now, if I'm honest, I wouldn't be sad to stay for a fourth transfer because of all the wonderful things going on.

Our first awesome experience was on Friday. We met he 弘一郎家族 (Kouichirou Family). We were housing an apartment as usual and, when we knocked on their door, the husband came and when we introduced ourselves, he propped his door open, stepped outside and started asking us a lot of questions. This might not sound like a big deal but, in Japan, they have camera doorbells that you can talk through. So, normally, we only talk to people through those when we house. If they actually open the door, it is usually only wide enough to see one eyeball peaking through the crack. So, long story short, it was unusual for him to step right out to meet us. We talked about what we were doing in Japan and the sacrifices we make to be here and why we think it is important. He wanted us to meet his wife and low and behold, she pulled up just then! She was just as awesome as him! We talked for probably 30 minutes or so and by the end, they wanted to learn what we had to say and invited us to dinner with them on Tuesday of this week. This was one of the best experiences of my mission so far. It sounds so simple but I have never met anyone like them yet. It felt like we hadn't met each other in a long time and were just catching up with an old friend.

On Saturday, we were able to meet with an investigator family that we haven't been able to meet with recently. We showed up and nobody was home. We were writing a little not when the wife showed up! The timing of all of these experiences was amazing but... We had a really good talk with her and we set up an appointment with her and her husband on Thursday of this week.

And, yesterday, the Goto Family came to the first session of general conference. They came dressed up and when they walked in, all of the members thought that they were members from a different ward or something!

I've learned how bad I want these people to see the blessings of this gospel in their lives. After all three experiences, I could only think about that. I want them to want this gospel so bad! So I am doing all that I can to help them make the right choice.

As I've re-read this, these experiences seem like such small and insignificant things. I can tell you that they are more than that. I believe that we can choose to a certain extent to see the blessings in our lives. There are things, even in the minute details of our lives that are from God and we can choose to see them as such. Choose to see these small things as blessings from God, because that is what they truly are. God has given us ALL, so everything is his gift.

ブラワー長老

week 46

For my weekly email, I will send you my companions email win some commentary! Enjoy. He is way more exciting than me so this is probably going to be the best email so far! :)

Random note:
Something I've noticed about Japan is that there are no sprinklers
here. None at all. I've yet to even see something you hook on a hose.
Just another small thing that I never really noticed before about
Japan.

There are a lot of things that are different than America but I think we are forgetting some of those things! They have just become so normal to us now!

Life is weird as a missionary. Sometimes it feels like every day goes
by so slow, and then I look back and realize just how long I've been
gone. It blows my mind. Then of course I try to to stop thinking about
that as fast as possible, but time is flying!

Preach! So true...

This week was interesting. I'm still trying to get to know this area,
but it's coming along. Slowly but surely. Elder Brower is a good guy.
He's fun and that makes life good.

Go companion! Talking me up; how nice. I've been here in this area for 3 transfers so... We're figuring things out! 

One day we were trying to make it over from an island to a man named
Take, so we ended up going over this HUGE bridge, and it was way
sketch! We were racing up the side trying to stay ahead of all of the
cars because we didn't think there was enough room for us up there.
Fortunately, and unfortunately because we were racing for our lives,
when we got up to the top there was a small strip that definitely
wasn't made for bikes but we made it work anyway. Kinda scary because
all of the cars were going SUPER fast and there were huge semis, etc.
if that strip hadn't been there though we would've been done for. The
bridge was a lot longer than we thought. 😜 Adventure!

This was a crazy experience! I feel like Jeremy Clarkson in he camper van episode when the semi passed by his three story car! By the way... I heard hat something crazy happened and they aren't doing top gear anymore??

We were also riding over a different bridge, albeit much safer, a
couple days later and we saw a bunch of flying fish! Well 'flying' to
iu ka, they were just jumping out of the water like crazy. It was fun
to watch.

We met with the Goto family again. It was way fun and they're opening
up to me a lot more now. I like them and the three kids are way cute.
The lesson went way well and they're well on their way to baptism. I'm
pretty excited for them and they seem really willing to keep
commitments and work for it. They could receive baptism before the end
of this transfer. That's super exciting.

This family is so wonderful. They have three little kids and it is so cute to watch them fold their arms when we pray and say amen. It makes me excited for the future when I have a family of my own! We've been meeting with them and they are doing really well. We've become really good friends and I hope that we will be able to help them see the blessings of this gospel in their lives!

We were out dendoing and we ran into an old member from about twenty
years ago that went less active and moved, etc. wow. That was cool.
She is way nice and she seems to really like and appreciate the
missionaries. We talked for a while, met one of her kids, met her
husband and invited her and her family to our Halloween party that's
coming up. I really hope she comes. We're going to go back to give
here the Halloween party info. Miracles! We almost didn't go to that
area, but then we thought about it and decided that we needed to go.
That same night we also helped an old lady pull down her sons old
punching bag because it was really heavy and she couldn't do it. She
was really surprised that we were so happy to help and when we got it
all down and the rigging and all of that she was WAY happy. I love
making people smile.

We've met some really nice people this week! We met a couple at the grocery store and talked to them and they bought us some peach drinks! There are nice people! And of course, there are not nice people... But I love meeting all kinds of people who are willing to talk even if they don't have interest in the message. 

Week 45

We had transfers this last week and I'm still in the small place of
Yatsushiro Japan with an elder in my class at the MTC. We've been
seeing lots of really cool things happen so far and it's only been a
few days! This transfer is going to be about music I think. My comp
plays the piano and also brought a guitar with him so we've been
having fun!
We've been asked to push the rock. This is something that we learned
not too long ago at a training. Sometime we don't see the fruits of
our labors which is kinda like pushing a giant boulder. It doesn't
seem like our effort is worth anything but, our responsibility from
God is not to move he rock but PUSH IT! And we are pushing as hard as
we can. It's discouraging, it's exhausting, but we are doing what we
are supposed to and being rewarded for it!