Wish Granted

Alright guys! I have always said that I wanted to serve in Yokohama (big city area, south of Tokyo). More specifically a place called Yamate that's the most popular city in the Yokohama area. Though for this next transfer since my companion has been here in Sagami for over 7 months and I just got there I though he was definitely due for a change and I would hang around.. To my surprise, out of nowhere I got my transfer call and I move to Yamate on Thursday and he is staying!!! I'll send a pic of the location. I'm excited, but I am sad I was only here for one transfer at the same time.

This week I don't have a ton to say but we meet with one of our Chinese investigators tonight. Julian (English name) is around my age and speaks great Japanese and is studying English. We teach him English for half the time then about church for the second half. It's a common thing in this mission because people love English here. It's cool because we have about 10 Chinese members one of which is a dope recent convert, Ohyo. I'll send a pic of Ohyo. So we have him come for our lessons to help teach and explain in Chinese. He also helps us out with Chen sometimes our other Chinese friend who comes to church and is suuuuper awkward. The other day Ohyo said, "I like Julian more, Chen always asks me Baka [stupid] questions." Lol.. Chen is scared of God and thinks because he's a "bad person." So he can't accept a Book of Mormon or else the wrath of God will come upon him. It's so ridiculous that I just sit and laugh at it. He comes to church and prays but a book is too much? Haha

I worked with a Japanese kid I live with named Yoshikawa for a day and it was really fun messing with him in Japanese. I've been feeling a lot better about my Japanese lately it's been nice. I really want a Japanese companion again it would help so much. We met a coach for the pro football team here while we were together. He's busy but hopefully they can meet him sometime after I leave.

So last thing. Halloween is pretty lame here in Japan but we had a dope Halloween party here at the church. There was a lot of people and it was pretty turnt. It was also a culture night where each room in the church was a different country. Though Elder Harrison and I made a Joseph Smith booth with a timeline of events and a movie. Different groups would come in and we would just teach them and go off testifying. The Spirit was there and some people took a Book of Mormon. It was a really good experience.

1. Grabbing life by the snail horns? cancel...

2. So that purple pin is where Yamate is. If you look to the left you can see where I am now "Sagamihara"

3. Our mission motto with Yamate in the background! Then Mount Fuji in the horizon :)

4. Sagami's Halloween party! My favorite is the face in the paintings, and bomberman on the far left

5. Bomberman without the costume, way chill member here. Turtleneck swag

6. That timeline tho! Jesus Christ's time

7. Joseph Smith's time, you can see the gold plates I made in the bottom

8. Ohyo! The Chinese recent convert who is helping us out.

9. Oh really? There is a child in that "car"?.. That sticker is bad enough even if it is a car..

Spackman 長老

My First F Bomb!

Wow, this week. Time is flying and the work is moving forward.

Every transfer goes by faster than the last. Sometimes this whole two year thing feels long but the times flies (Timeflies? Cancel)

This last Sunday 3 of our friends came to church. Akira who we met Saturday, weird experience of him stopping us on our bikes saying, "hello where are you from?" He is stoked to learn about Jesus and English but I think he may be really caught up in himself and not super open. I will send a pic of him. Then there was Chen our Chinese
friend who is super scared of the Book of Mormon and thinks because he is a "bad person" God will punish him if he accepts a holy book. Lastly, IKEDA came! We didn't get to teach him a lesson this week, but he is doing what he needs to in order to find that answer he has been praying for. Church was hectic trying to make sure people had a good experience. Then after church we went streeting and met a man who said "handsome! You guys are cool, good looking. You should be in movies" Then he goes to Elder Harrison and grabs the fat on his stomach and yanks on it back and forth and says, "attractive man." Man the stuff you see here sometimes. Then some random Indian dudes who wanted to take a pic? I'll send that. Then we had dinner at a members. It got sooo cold but we streeted again afterwords despite the conditions and boy am I thankful. Highlight of the week here. We saw about 3 people the whole time and we just kept walking around, looking back on it, really seems like we were guided to this man. So rare in Japan to not see like anyone on the street. The third guy we talk to middle aged man stops and right away says he wants to come to our church. Then we start talking, he says he wants to change his life, he wants to learn. Starts asking if it's ok if he can still come to church at this point
in his life, he may be too old. We are like of course man!! He was stoked and was so thankful he met us and agreed that it was probably guidance from God. I've met people similar to this and not seen them again which is the worst but I have a good feeling about this guy. Really felt the Spirit as he was talking to us about his desires. On top of it all he is a big Steelers fan and knows them from like the 60's or something. Anyone who knows Japan knows this is the rarest Japanese dude. That kinda person doesn't exist here. There was no one outside that night and we met someone like that? God's love and guidance for his children is undeniable.

Had a sad experience this week meeting a kid who hates Christ and God because of death and war. Man tears came to my eyes as I talked to this kid my age with so much hate and anger working a hard construction job living alone. I really wanted to help him so bad.

Funny experience of the week was while I was passing out English flyers at the train station. This man says "you're Mormon." I say "yeah how did you know?!" Then he dropped 4 F bombs while flipping me off as he walked away. Hahaha I told him to have a good day. I was laughing so hard and it really motivated me. I love negative motivation like that. That also doesn't happen in Japan. People don't usually know the F word or at least not how to use it or flip off. He did though. People always just avoid you here if they don't like you, not freak out on you.... We also met some guy that spoke a little English and told us him and his "husband" have 2 kids. We weren't sure if it was a language mistake so I said, "wait husband?" He said "yes husband, kyotsukette (be safe)." Definitely an awkward silence, not sure why we should be safe?

We have a legendary recent convert here who is Chinese. We teach him once a week and are trying to help him stop drinking and we had such a strong spiritual lesson with him this last week and he has stopped ever since.

Invited more people this week than I have in my entire mission. We are really looking for those select few out there that are ready to hear our message.

Little more pressure got put on me this week as my mission president said I may be training or a leader in the near future. Maybe not this transfer but we will see. He talked to me a lot about being a big leader in the mission and not being mediocre.

Another friend Shin became an investigator this week. He was like "I will take this (BoM) home, read it, and pray before bed, is that ok?" Things are going well here! I love you guys. Thinking and praying for you. Thanks for your support and prayers.

Elder Spackman

1. Our random Indian friends on the street

 
2. Akira who stopped us on Saturday then came to church. awkward pic

 
3. A friend who came to church last week from Oman, dope dude. He was putting like the whole church meeting on his snap story. Lol.

 
4. This lady here that's obsessed with missionaries playing with Harrison's chubby cheeks. Sketchy stuff lol. We try to avoid her..

Uh hi...

Yaaaaaaoooowa

I will start this off with a quote because the rest of this email won't be super interesting. I am really bad with pride but I read a few really good quotes by Ezra Taft Benson yesterday at church.

“Pride does not look up to God and care about what is right. It looks sideways to man and argues who is right.… Pride is characterized by ‘What do I want out of life?’ rather than by ‘What would God have me do with my life?’ It is self-will as opposed to God’s will. It is the fear of man over the fear of God.

To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts."

Some bomb stuff for all of us to take in right there. I went on a split (change companions for a day) with an Elder I live with named Eaton. We put in work. His Japanese is insane and he is super bold and gets people to open up. Blew me away. I hope to implement some of the things I learned. Together we got 4 new contacts. We saw a couple on the street carrying some really heavy luggage. They were super gothic, piercings all over and super different. I judged them a little at first I won't lie but they were super chill. They were from France and had came a long ways to get here while trying to roll luggage with broken wheels. We carried it for them and they were soo thankful. Such a bomb opportunity to serve, we really don't get many of those.. He agreed to meet again to get him a French BoM. We also met this Nigerian outside a drug store smoking and dressed like a straight G. He was super chill and I kept hearing songs I recognized and realized he was bumping music in his car across the street. He and I connected a ton talking about rap haha. He said he wanted to chill and gave us his number Lol. Another kid we met who dances and did a way good robot for us. Hopefully we can meet with some of these people. Getting a second meeting is so dang hard here. 

Yesterday we had some friends come to church, one of which is from Oman and super chill. Then right when we started walking home we met a 20 year kid who is just down. We took him back to the church and had a great conversation. Hopefully we see Yutaro again soon. I really love talking to kids around my age. All business men here ignore you cause they are busy, and old men and super stuck in their ways and don't stop talking. They just go off about Buddhism and other religions. Though kids around my age are usually pretty humble, chill, and not very religious. 

So our main investigator Ikeda is doing ok. He wants an answer. He is reading the scriptures every day and praying about its truthfulness. He will probably come to church this week. We gave him an invitation to be baptized in about a month and he said no. He doesn't want to keep the word of wisdom. His desire is low because he hasn't really felt the Spirit. From my own experience I think he may need to show a little faith and obey God's commandments to come closer to the spirit and receive an answer. Then his desires will change. Really hoping he feels the Spirit as he continues to CPR (come to church, pray, read scriptures). All of you better be CPR'ing as well!

I love you guys, thanks for your prayers and support now as well as when I wasn't doing the right things in my life.

Sorry not a ton this week but:

1. A dinner we had with a member here and his friends last night. The dude on the left is so sick.

2. A monster hummer here that I see sometimes, literally looks like a toy. So weird because you never even see normal hummers here..

3. Elder Eaton the kid I went on splits with. Lol I made the meme

Spackman 長老