Change is good, right?

June 26, 2016

Change is good, right?
One great transfer, full of many wonderful things came to an end this
week. We received our transfer calls on Tuesday, and were rather
nervous about what was going to happen. Here is an insert from my
journal about that day:

"We received our Transfer calls today! We were so nervous, and I was
really hoping to be able to stay in Suehiro. We had the phone in the
middle of our desks, and when the phone rang, Scheidt choro quickly
snatched it. haha he ran over, and listened to Skinner choro give him
his call. I didn't really get a good sense of anything, but he didn't
necessarily seem way pumped either. Then I got the phone, and Skinner
choro talked about how zone conference was a success because of us as
missionaries. He was really nice, and then he told me my transfer
call, "You know President Nakatsuka, and the AP's got on their knees
and they really prayed about you and your specific situation, and
thought about where you should go, and who your new companion should
be, and we received the revelation that you will....not transfer!! And
that your new companion will be Elder Bachman! That was crazy to me!
He is such a young missionary, and he wasn't on our list of guesses at
all! He is also going to be our district leader, which means splits in
Wakkanai!! (wakkanai is the very highest part of Japan. You can see
Russia from it Across the ocean!) I am pumped about that!! I am really
excited for this next transfer. It will be full of many good things,
and I am so happy to have Elder Bachman as a companion. I want to work
really hard, and give everything I can to this work, in this area, at
this time."

So yeah! I stayed and that is my new companion! Now that I know him a
little bit more, I can tell you that he is definitely very different
from me. He has a really good heart, and is very humble, which is
really great. He is very very clean, and has made our apartment so
much cleaner since he got here. He is basically a polar opposite of
Scheidt choro, which makes adjusting a little interesting. It is
interesting though because I feel like I am right in the middle of
them, as polar opposites, and I just sort of sit right in between them
in personality on certain situations. It is interesting though living
with someone who is so different from me. I am learning a lot. One of
the best things about Elder Bachman though is that he wants to
SYL(Speak your language, so for us Japanese, with each other!)!! That
is something that I am very grateful for, and we have been able to
SYL, a lot, and my Japanese is already being blessed from it.

Saying goodbye to Scheidt choro was sad! It is weird to think that
after 3 months of living together 24/7, through the ups and the downs
of life, we will never live together again, at all. That's sad! He is
awesome, and I will always look back at the last three months with
many fond memories.

This week during weekly planning I set some pretty difficult weekly
goals, but I set them with a really strong determination to actually
keep the goals as well, which is not always the case. So I have been
working really hard to keep up these goals, and for the last couple
days I have been able to accomplish my goals, because I am so
committed to these goals! They almost kind of stress me out! It is
awesome to watch yourself progress through goals! I have some great
physical, and mental, and spiritual goals, and there is nothing that
makes you happier, then seeing yourself progress as you accomplish a
goal. Goals are powerful!!! The goal that kind of stresses me out, but
has also made me very happy to accomplish is memorizing solid, (Blank)
amount of words per day. (I don't want to say the actual number, for
the sake of not comparing to other missionaries who will see this
email.) I am hoping to be able to keep bumping the number up, but I
have been learning so many new words lately, and I am starting to get
faster at it! So that has been good! I am really learning to manage
stress in a positive way. I am trying to remember that stress is not
always a bad thing, it can push us to work harder, and more
effectively. Ever since I have set all of these goals, it really
pushes me to use every minute that God has given me effectively, and
efficiently. Basically my invitation to all of you is to set goals.
Make your goals happen, but make your goals realistic, and hopefully
ones that push you, but don't stress you out. I really do believe
though that if you do not have daily, and weekly goals, you will as
Elder Scott of The quorum of the 12 would say, "live life, and look
back to see that we have not lived up to even close to the potential
that we could have" (that's not exact, but that's the idea.) It really
is true though, (It was only spoken from the mouth of an Apostle and
prophet of God, no biggie.) But without goals, we cannot accomplish
what our potential is. So my invitation to you, is set a goal, and set
it with full intention of fulfilling it, and work hard, and do
everything you possibly can to make it happen. Pray for help, show
your faith in all things that you set goals in, and watch the Lord
pour out his blessings, and show you miracles. I BELIEVE IN AND LOVE
GOALS!! みなさん がんばって ください。

I love you all, and I know that God, and Jesus Christ know you and
love you. I know that they are watching you, and are there wanting and
waiting to help you. Please ask them to help you. Please pour out your
heart to them. They are there waiting to bless, guide, and to show
their love to you. When life gets hard, use that time to grow closer
to God, don't even think about turning away from him, because those
are the times when you  absolutely need him more than ever. I know
that that is true. I know that He is there. I know that He gives us
hard times to grow, and become better, and especially to grow closer
to Him. "God gives trials to those whom He trusts", sometimes when we
wonder, "Why us?" But we should actually be grateful for our trials,
and use them as an opportunity to grow closer to God, because that is
what they can be. Some of the greatest Prophets, and very spiritually
strong people, have actually prayed for trials, because they know that
they can grow closer to God through them. It is an interesting idea,
but it really is true. Trust in God, and pour your heart out to him
through prayer, and you will feel his presence, and his help and
guidance in your life.
(Sorry this weeks email is a little bit scattered. Lol)

Love,
コノバー長老
Elder Conover