Just hold on I'm going home🎶

I really don't know how to feel or really what to say about this being my last one, but this last week was pretty nuts. Kurenuma was looking super solid. I felt like we had tried our hardest to help him be ready for baptism. I've never tried so hard to listen, ask the right questions. It seemed as if we had answered all of his questions and concerns. He didn't know at the time we had planned to his baptism. We tried calling, no answer. He sent a text and told us that he is super sorry but that he doesn't have the qualifications to be baptized. We decided not to visit him and make him feel pressure. We just told him that we love him are are ready to talk when he is. He called us after the baptism and asked if he could go to church! We were pretty surprised, usually when something like this happens the investigator stops talking to the missionaries. He came to church and we had a great talk with him. He had the BEST reason for not getting baptized. He really understands the gravity of baptism and feels like he hasn't fully repented. I won't lie I was stressed and disappointed when he didn't show up but it's not about me. The thing I really didn't like was people apologizing to me, feeling sorry for me, or checking up on me. This is his salvation, not mine. It will all be ok, he is still coming to church, meeting with us and we still love him and so does God. I know we have helped him come closer to God and be more happy and that alone makes me smile. We saw him smile and laugh for the first time this last week, that felt good. It's looking like we will meet with him nightly before I leave.

We have met some awesome people recently, one of which lives right next to Kurenuma. He is a recent college graduate and originally wasn't down to meet again but the more we talked and the more he understood about Heavenly Father the more he lit up. By the end he was saying, "I want to go check out the church!" His dad came out of the shower and as he walked by gave us a bad look, we said hi and told him who we are. He said, "no, we're fine." tries to step in front of our buddy Adachi and shut the door. I don't think I have seen this my whole mission. He stops his dad and says, "no dad, it's ok." His dad did not look happy and basically said, "I don't want you talking to any weird cults." Adachi stuck up for us and said, "it's not a weird cult!" It felt so good :) He then in a hush tone exchanged numbers with us. The sad part is, we talked to a kid right after that.  I didn't get around to saving his number and lost it :( We had a lesson appointment set up but Adachi didn't make it and he wasn't home when we tried to visit him. Hopefully they can get ahold of him after I leave. That happened a ton though this week. Lots of lost contact & lesson appointments missed. The day Kurenuma didn't show for his baptism we had 3 other lessons that all fell through! It's sad but out of our control.

This week while we were walking on Sun Road (busy, famous, shopping road) coming back from eating some soba in Kichijoji an older man stops about 10 feet away from us and with a fully extended arm flips us off hahaha. He comes over and starts tapping me asking me where I am from, I look at his cigarette and realize he has it in backwards so I help him flip it so the filter was in his mouth and he says, "F you!" We just walked away busting up so hard. 

See you guys later this week! :)

1. My funeral at zone meeting

2. Before the death

3. The Asada's (dinner with them tonight)

4. The man, Bro Suzuki

5. Ward Mission Leader, Aono

6. Bro Kohinata

7. Keisuke & Shintaro, awesome converts that we met and baptized in Hachioji. Lol they look pretty uncomfortable but they visited me last night :)

8. Last Kichijoji district meeting

9. Flexin

10. SOBA 

11. Wind Probz

12. Inside-out suit swag

13. #models

14. Wanpaku (mischievous) is what we say to call someone disobedient, my favorite park ;)

I'm Going to Miss This

What a week. For the first time on my mission I have felt a bit of how much I will miss being a missionary in Japan. I felt it at church this last week being with these awesome members and thinking about how next week will be my last time in a Japanese ward (at least for now). One kid, about 6 years old got up during testimony meeting with his dad to share a testimony. I was worried his dad would tell him what to say, never been a fan of that, but his dad didn't help at all. This kid had a paper that he had written and this is what he said, "my brother is on a mission and we heard recently that he got injured. I'm praying everyday that he will get better. I know God will answer my prayer and help him." It was such a simple testimony, but so touching. I was surprised as tears started streaming down my face. It's amazing that such a young kid can feel the influence of, build a relationship with, and be loved by a powerful being, such a God. I also thought of those of you at home who have prayed for me on my mission like this kid is praying for his brother. Thank you so much. 

I also felt it during leadership conference as I bore mine and heard the testimonies of other missionaries going home, including Elder Belnap. The conference this last time was one of the best I have been to. I gave a training there on "streeting". It was fun to put together. It's been hard at times to go out on the street and try to talk to people but when I have, I always felt the joy of doing so. I'm will miss going out and introducing people to their Father in Heaven. Actually President just called me and asked me to give a training for the new missionaries coming in next week on a new "Who Is God Pamphlet." I guess I won't really get to die peacefully, out here ~~lol. 

Alright some other HUGE news! Motoki baptized his mom yesterday! Elder Molen and I tried to Skype him after church to see if we could watch.  He answered with him and his mom sitting there in front of everyone in white clothes listening to a song from the missionaries. He kept us on and passed us off to the missionaries so we could see the baptism. So awesome to see that. His mom was scared to go under the water so she resisted hard every time she was about to go under. They had to redo it like 4 times haha. So funny. I'll send pictures. So amazing, seems like yesterday we met him on the street and invited him to come play basketball with us. He has grown so much! I am actually headed out to Yokohama one last time to see him and Bro. Nakamura from Yamate. Ishii is coming too! 

It's really looking like Kurenuma is going to be baptized this Saturday. As I have said before he has grown so much! He slept in for church but we went to his place, woke him up and he came with us to make it just in time for sacrament, perfect timing. He had some worries after he heard about tithing, so we pushed his interview back to tomorrow but we had an awesome lesson with him about it yesterday. It will require faith on his part but he's decided to go for it! Of course we shared some famous words from Nephi: "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

An update on Michiko, the older lady we met housing last week: the sisters had visited her apartment this last week. She was surprised to see them and asked how they know where she lives, they said I told them and she said, "ohh the ikemen one?" lol. Anyways, she said that she knows they will ask her to be baptized and that she knows she needs to and wants to be baptized but that she thinks that in her mind but wants to feel it in her heart before she goes for it. Sooo golden. Also, more of a personal note for the future but... Elder Nelson told me that Aaron, a Hispanic guy in the group of three people we met the first day of our transfer together and took him back to the church for a lesson and never heard from them again, is back taking lessons with the missionaries! That made me way happy.  

1. The kid that shared his testimony about his brother at church

2. MLC

3. 2 of my favorite companions, Molen & Nelson

4. Motoki baptizing his mom :)

5. Them sitting in front of everyone at the baptismal service, while skyping us lol

6. Kurenuma came w/us to Michiko's baptism! 

7. She is the lady that encouraged him a ton last week and continued to do so this week

8. Shimizu & Belnap 

9. If Uemura was there it would be all the Elders of my small doki (group I came in the mission with) 

10. Bet you hadn't seen Belnap (MTC companion) in a while

11. He hasn't changed much, love him