This week was a really great week! I learned a lot about myself, and
what it means to truly become one of Christ's missionaries. I am so
grateful for all of your love and support. I truly can feel it, and it
is such a strength to me. This week we did splits in an area called
shibetsu. I was with an Elder named Elder Yabutani, who actually came
into the mission, from the MTC, at the same time, but because he is
Japanese, I have actually been in the mission (MTC) six weeks more
than him. So since we came in together we are really good friends. I
love Elder Yabutani. I was so happy to be able to do splits with him
again this transfer, but this time in his area. We went to visit
Sasaki San, who I had visited last time I went to this area, but with
Yamaoka choro. This man, Sasaki San, is truly an example of a Christ
like person. I love him so much. I have only met with him twice now,
but I already have such a strong relationship with him, it almost
doesn't make sense to me.
We met Sasaki San at the Store like last time, and right off the bat
he was talking to me in his mysterious quiet little English, getting
way close to me, and saying his little secret thing, or word that he
was so proud of in English. It was so awesome. He taught us how to
pick out perfectly ripe bananas, and asked about all these foods,
whether or not I liked them or not, and then he would not buy it, or
would sort of decide to buy it based on what I liked, but really he
didn't get much. We somehow talked about how I like Inadi zushi, so he
went off about this really cool Inadi Zushi place, that has "Hand made
Inadi zushi", so he said we would get paan(amazing bakery bread), and
then also go there and get "Hand made Inadi zushi". ("About 5 minute
on foot") We finished our meandering shopping endeavor, and then
finally got paan. The paan I got was so good! It was one of the best
paan that I have had here! (See Pictures) After that we got the Inadi
zushi; and the famous place that we got it from was this really cool
old old Japanese restaurant type of place. It was awesome. We then
walked to his house, while he raced there on his bike. We got there
and had such a fun time with him. He made us amazing tasting boiled
eggs, and we ate two bananas, Yabutani and I together drank an entire
carton of amazing milk, we ate our paan, and this weird egg tasting
thing that is made from fish apparently. Then we finally got to
talking about English, and I asked him if I could sign my "steps of
praying in English" that I had written, and he had copied and put into
a frame on his table. That idea got him pumped, but since he wrote
that one, he said that he couldn't sign it, so he wanted me to rewrite
it on a paper that could be framed and to sign it! So I did and it was
way awesome!
After that we taught him some English stuff that was funny and
difficult, (about the people you meet being not by accident, but by
fate). and then we were able to share our message, which was "The
Gospel of Jesus Christ." He sat there taking really good notes, and
was so focused. It was so awesome. Yabutani choro did most of the
talking, but I jumped in a few times where I could. Then at the end I
asked him if it would be all right if I shared my testimony. I shared
my sincere and strong testimony of Christ, and of the Gospel and this
church, and my whole testimony with him. The spirit was really strong,
and I felt so much love for him. He is such an elect person, and God
knows him, and is aware of him. God is so good. After we left his
house he was saying "Sayonara" and it might be, but I am really hoping
that I get to go there one more time, because I love him so much. When
he said Sayonara as we were leaving, instead of shaking his hand, I
straight just gave him a hug. It was awesome. He is one of those
people, that I feel that I was sent here to Japan to meet, and help. I
know that he will be baptized. When exactly, I don't know. But he is
absolutely prepared, and will accept baptism, and be prepared to meet
his Maker. I felt so spiritually close to him, I felt as if I may have
known him in the premortal life.
The next highlight of my week was my first Zone Conference! This last
Friday, President, and Sister Nakatsuka, and the AP's, came to our
zone, and from 9-4 we just had workshops, and learned about how we
could be better missionaries. It was amazing. I love the spirit. Don't
you love the spirit? One really inspiring question that President
Nakatsuka asked was, "When did you last feel the Spirit?" I would like
to extend this question to you too. "When did you last feel the
Spirit?" It really made me think about how important it is to ensure
that we are feeling the spirit, and are growing from spiritual
experiences daily. Having The Spirit to always be with us is a promisethat is predicated upon always remembering Jesus Christ. We hear that
promise every week when we take the Sacrament, but are we actually
receiving the blessing promised? Ponder that, and consider ways you
can remember Christ more constantly, in order to help to receive the
promised blessing. D&C 82:10 reads "I, the lord am bound when ye do
what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." We
literally choose how much the Lord can bless us, based on whether or
not we bind him to his promises, by doing what He asks. We also must a
remember that doing what the Lord asks, is not a sacrifice, or
something that makes us miss out on joy, or peace.
The gospel does not rob us of things that are fun, and will bring us
great joy!! It guards us from things that will rob us from true joy
and peace! It is the only thing that can bring a true sense of joy and
peace, and belonging that we as human beings so desperately desire.
"Wickedness never was happiness". Some of you may honestly not believe
that. I don't think that I always did. I think I used to sometimes
think that being "basically righteous", is the most happy, because you
can still receive some of the worldly pleasures, without the
consequences of wickedness. THAT WAY OF THINKING IS ONE OF SATAN'S
GREATEST LIES! If you are living in a state like this, not only are
you robbing yourself from the blessings that you are so close to being
able to receive, if you just gave, and did a little bit more to follow
God, you are only surviving spiritually! (Sorry for that run on
sentence.) We are at all times moving closer to or farther from God.
With that kind of mindset, which I know all too well, I am very afraid
that moving closer to God is very difficult, which means that you must
be moving farther away. If we are moving farther away from God, and
flirting with sin, then how in the world will we ever have the
strength to resist temptation??
If we live in a state like this we are in Satan's grasp, and he is
only waiting for us to make the decisions that we surely will, that
will lead to our fall. He barely has to tempt us, and we will fall! Do
we want to be so easily in the hand of the being who's whole purpose
and desire is our misery, and pain? I don't know, but to me that
sounds a little bit scary. But it doesn't look like that in the
moment, does it? It doesn't really seem too serious, or really very
important. We are doing fine, we aren't doing the best, but we're not
doing the worst. We're okay. We can repent later. We are just young,
we have a hard life, we have this or that, that helps us justify our
sins and live lower than our divine, preordained potential...But do
you know what those things sound like? Excuses. Who do you think
excuses come from? Probably not from a positive, loving Heavenly
Father. Excuses help no one, and only hurt the person giving them.
Stop giving them. Change. The reasons that you give to justify your
sins, are usually a complaint about the exact thing that Faith in
Jesus Christ, and the Gospel, could heal. Choose to make the turn to
Christ, instead of Sin. But be assured. You are either choosing one or
the other. Everyday. Every hour. Make the Happy Choice. The choice to
turn to the Savior. And see if you don't see the windows of heaven
open, and unimaginable blessings and miracles pour out. However be
certain to Choose to choose, for if you do not choose, the world will
choose for you.
After Zone Conference I decided that I was going to start to SYL.
(Speak Japanese, with your companion too, and basically my version,
"Speak no English".)
My companion absolutely hates SYL, with a lot of passion. It was one
of the hardest things to start, and I got absolutely no support from
my pretty much fluent, and very skilled companion. The next day we had
Companionship inventory, and we talked about it, and tried to
compromise ect, and fortunately were able smooth out the building
tension between us from me only speaking Japanese, but still right now
do not have it all figured out yet. It is so hard to only speak
Japanese, but it is so good for helping us (mostly me though) to
progress. Please pray that we will be able to SYL/have a good
companionship relationship, which fortunately we really do. Good luck
to all other missionaries reading this, if you're trying to SYL too, I
know how you feel. It is so hard, but through prayer, and faith it has
become easier.
Lastly yesterday we saw an absolute MIRACLE. You may remember Tawaria
San. He is the man who we have been teaching who miraculously had a
Sunday off, and was able to come to church a while back...so recently
he has been really sick, and so we haven't been able to teach him at
all, for the last 47 days, to be exact. This was really frustrating,
and his baptismal date was obviously not possible ect. But then the
miracle happened yesterday. He CAME TO CHURCH! That was a miracle on
it's own. We hadn't even talked to him since the beginning of last
week, but there he was. I was literally jumping for joy that he was
there. But the miracle was even more wonderful. From this point on, he
has work off every single Sunday!! His work decided that all of their
employees needed three days off now, and his, despite Sunday being
their busiest day, is Sunday. He is now truly on the road to baptism.
He was so happy today, and we haven't seen him that happy, and
actually smiling, honestly ever. Please pray for him. What a miracle,
God truly does answer prayers.
I want you to all know that I know that Jesus is our Savior. I know
that God is our Heavenly Father. I know that They both love us, and
know us perfectly. I know that this is the way to happiness. I know
that the Gospel has what you need. I know that prayer is real, and
that we have the blessing to talk to God, receive revelation. I love
you all, and pray for you, and think about you often.
Until next week.
Love,
コノバー長老
Elder Conover
