---skip this next paragraph if you want, basically I just love being a missionary & these people---
We had MLC (leadership conf.) this last week though and it helped me a lot! Completely different than any MLC I have been to. We talked a lot about the history of the church in Japan. The first time the church came to Japan Heber J. Grant and his companions came to Yokohama. The area that they stayed and place that they gave the dedicatory prayer (Sep.1) for the missionary work all of Japan was in Yamate area, Yokohama. That's the previous area I was in for 5 transfers (abt.7-8 months). That place means so much to me. Since this MLC fell on Sep.1st we had MLC in Yamate! I got to go back!! Man it was so great to be there, I love that place. While we were there we took a trip out to a park named Negishi that I used to go to a lot and we had a testimony meeting and said a lot of prayers. That part was good but what stuck out to me was what we learned about the church beginnings. It did not go well. Elder Grant and his companions had no baptisms. He said, "I regret I am not able to tell you that we have done something wonderful over in Japan. To be perfectly frank with you, I acknowledge I have accomplished very little indeed, as the president of that mission; and very little has been accomplished--so far as conversions are concerned. At the same time, I have the assurance in my heart there will yet be a great and important labor accomplished in that land. The inhabitants are a wonderful people."
They actually closed the mission 21 years ago and reopened it in 1948. In 1996, 48 years after the mission reopened, President Hinckley visited Japan and by then there was more than 100,000 members. He said, "If President Grant were here now, he would weep with gratitude, and I feel that way as I look into your faces. I see such strength I never dreamed of in this land." There are now 128,216 members. It's hard here sometimes, it kinda always has been for missionaries but by "small and simple things are great things brought to pass." Sometimes we just don't see the fruits of our labors but if you look at what has happened starting from nothing here, it's amazing. The night before MLC I kinda went off to Elder Yoshikawa about how much the culture here hurts people's ability to accept the gospel. I was just feeling super negative. That turned around real quick at MLC, I was reminded how much I LOVE Japanese people. There are frustrating things but the love trumps all. Being able to help just one person here wrecks all of the hard experiences. The only reason I'm here or any of us are members of this church is because of a missionary. If you're a member, at some point in your posterity someone was taught by a missionary. If it wasn't for that missionary you wouldn't have the same blessings you do today. We get to do that for others and generations to come if we invite and teach those around us :)
All that changed the second half of my week. I've been tearing & choking up out on the streets talking to people about Gods love for them and EVERY SINGLE ONE of his children on earth. One of those times was with our friend Kouichiro who is a young father. Just an amazing guy, been meeting with missionaries for quite a while but is just busy with life. He brought his son, cutest kid. We had a great conversation about the things he has felt through prayer and scripture study. He has some concerns with religion in general. It all comes down to understanding that God has a plan for every individual on earth and sometimes as humans we don't get that plan. We challenged him to have a larger perspective on the things of the world. It caught me by surprise though. I said, "when we understand God's plan for us then we can understand that God loves--" I choked as I felt the spirit super strong and finished as I held back the tears, "--every single one of his children." From that experience and many others, I know God's love is real.
Some funny experiences this week. Remember that black guy I knew in Yamate who thought we thought he was going to steal our bikes and freaked out on us and later we became best friends? We even started teaching him lessons. He thinks everyone in Japan is trying to kill him? Well, when we were in the park in Yamate I saw a black guy walking around aimlessly in white robes and I eventually recognized it was him! I ran after him calling his name, no response. I jogged by his side for a while trying to talk to him and he just ignored me completely! Couldn't believe it, but I guess I wasn't super surprised.. Good to see him again though. Earlier in the week we got a text around 11 pm that said "I'm erotic and gay is that ok?" Hahaha no idea who this guy is but I guess he knew missionaries before. We talked on the phone and he told me that he was drunk but even if that's true it's pretty weird.. He kept asking me weird questions like he was trying to get a feel if I am cool with gay stuff. Kinda like that text was only a mistake if you think it's weird... Haha I taught him about who God is and he agreed to meet sometime this week. Just not quite sure why he wants to meet, we should probably make sure first... Haha
Jack is getting baptized this next week! I'm so excited, hopefully I can make it back to Hachioji for his baptism. We talked on the phone today and he told me he passed his interview, he sounds way happy. Motoki also hit me up. He's doing really well at Mikuni, a church run college here. His English and testimony have both grown a ton. He said right now he is thinking either BYU or mission. I came to Japan to meet him, for sure. I feel like it was decided in the pre-earth life that I would need to go find him.
Sorry, no time to proofread! Love you guys <3
1. Dinner at the Asada's, she is an amazing cook. Here husband basically can't hear a word we say but he was a missionary in Japan a lonnng time ago which has a lot of relation to what I said earlier.
2. Got to have my favorite Ramen when I went to Yamate. Owner hooks it up for us!
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