Japan Tokyo South Mission: What is this Place?...

Wow so much to be said this week, but I will try to keep it short. So we saw general conference this last weekend, it's later here so it can be translated. Blows my mind how much I get out of conference now. Sad to think how much I missed out all the times I skipped it in the past. I really liked the advice that was given on testimony meetings in church. Giving younger children other opportunities than testimony meeting to bear their testimonies before they understand the importance of a testimony, and telling us that we should just keep it short, say what we are thankful for and what we believe. They really just hit home devoting Sunday's to the Lord and keeping the commandments. Shouts out to President Monson. Seeing him falter as he bore his testimony reminded me of King Benjamin. Right before King Ben died he gave it his all to testify and plead with everyone to keep the commandments. Two things we saw President Monson do this last conference. I felt the Spirit then and many times as I listened this last weekend. One thing I guess I always kind of knew but didn't totally realize is what it means when we feel the spirit. It's a good feeling so it means it's a good thing, but is it more than that? Yes. It is. If we feel the Spirit whatever we are praying, thinking, hearing, reading or studying about is true. That's what the Spirit does, simply, it tells us what's true. (In this case for me I received more of a witness from the Spirit that President Monson and the other speakers are really prophets and apostles of God). If you ever feel the Spirit, remember, it's more than a feeling. ("More than a feeling" lol)

Last Monday I got to see Kohei again!!! We met up and went to Costco, he is doing so well. He feels the Spirit when he prays and his parents sound like they are pretty chill with the whole church thing. We challenged him to be baptized! He didn't quite say yes but he is on his way. He will get baptized someday for sure. I love that kid so much. We have a Chinese friend Chen who is the most awkward person I have ever met haha I love it. He has been coming to everything, church, baptism service and conference. He isn't ready to start meeting yet but almost there. There are actually a lot of Chinese people here. It's cool. We ate dinner with one this week named Chou. We have lost contact with Paul, he is sick and super hard to get a hold of. Otherwise he is ready to get in the water. We try to visit him about twice a day. I had a feeling we should visit him this last week, we turned around on our bikes and went there but.. Not home. Though I think it was meant to be as we met a kid who has a BoM?! Wha? Haha. We found another kid named Matsuda who is down to hang out, he came to English class and showed us some magic tricks that blew my mind. We have been going to the place called Fuchinobe, which has a big Christian university. All the kids have some understanding of the Jesus and a good image. It doesn't mean they are interested but it helps a ton! So we are spending a good amount of time there. I love talking to kids around my age.

Haha lol we went there yesterday actually, I said, "how are you?" To some kid and he speaks really good English because he lived in Canada for a while. I say, "your English is good!" He fluently replies with, "no i don't really think so." Japanese people never accept compliments but I started laughing super hard when he said that in
perfect English. I ask what he likes to do he says, "My hobby is to get girls, I'm like a pickup artist." Hahah I have never heard that as a hobby but... Respect. Later yesterday we met some old guy that does karate and he just attacked us. He didn't touch us though.. somehow he would perfectly stop his punches and kicks before he would hit us but it was insane. Way bizarre.

I'm pretty used to the weird crap of this country but every day I see something like that and it just shocks me haha. Japan is so weird. The other day we hopped into a quiet store to talk on the phone and this person in a giant power ranger suite walks out of the back storage room for no reason. Couple days before we walk out of a church to hear some really weird political marching music playing through speakers on top of a bunch of vans. I'll send a video. Sometimes this country feels communist... Later that day I saw a bad 5 car pile up. Sometimes I just wonder what this world is I live in..

The most promising person we are working with is a middle aged man named Ikeda. He is married to a member. Though they have a very bad relationship. We have talked about eternal families but we don't think either of them want that... Really hard to work with. They are only together because of their son. So sad. Though he has really been progressing and he said this last week that he is cool with baptism just doesn't want to stop drinking. He doesn't have that desire because he hasn't felt the Spirit and gotten an answer from God. If he prays with real intent he will get one, then have the desire to stop, then probably get baptized!

Last thing, so funny that they brought up testimony meeting in conference and how we should keep it short because a really old lady in our ward got up for a long time in our last testimony meeting and was asked three times to sit down. She swatted away the bishopric counselor with her hand every time and just kept talking, I could not stop laughing.

Love you guys. I hope you're all keeping the commandments and therefore finding more joy in your life. If you don't know what I'm talking about ask me or another member. This church changes and helps lives more than you can imagine. Give it a shot. You have everything to gain and nothing to loose.

Elder Spackman

Here's the good stuff:

1. Reunited with Kohei! I swear he smiles in real life.. Haha