The Field Is Changing...

As always, thank you for your love, prayers, and support. I think for a little while, I had the "prayer receptors" plugged up, but I realized it this last week and now they're open and working fine again.

For District Preparation Day last week, we met up with the other four elders in our district at Matsue. We got on a bus to head to Matsue Jo (Matsue Castle). We spotted some foreigners (a husband and wife) getting on the same bus and went to talk to them. Well, they weren't American, but they were from Switzerland, on a three week vacation all over Japan. They actually spoke English quite well. It was fun getting to know them a little bit.

So we got off the bus, as did they, but we went up over to the castle. We waited to meet up with Elders Mahoney and Fukuyama (the Zone leaders that live in Matsue), and then headed up to the castle. However, we noticed that the Swiss man was climbing the stairs alone; his wife's back was hurting pretty badly from all the walking they had been doing. We offered to go with him to the Top of the castle. His name was J. Francios.

The castle was amazing! It was so ancient-japanese-poi (poi = a word here which means -ish, -y, or -esque). I was on cloud nine the whole time. Don't worry, I took plenty of pictures. Speaking of pictures, when we were up in a room at the very top of the castle overlooking almost the entire surrounding city (what a view!), J. Francois told us he had better go back to meet his wife. I got a little idea to ask if we could take a group picture. So, this nice Japanese man took a picture of our district, PLUS the man from Switzerland. THEN, J. Francois asked for a picture with his camera!

It might not seem like a big deal, but here's what I think. Here you have this random couple from a different country, meeting a group of foreigners from America in Japan. We spoke to them naturally, just getting to know them and befriending them. We even offered to help them get in contact with some missionaries at their next destination to help translate for them. Anyway - then you have this nice man from Switzerland taking a picture with the group of missionaries! He has a copy of the picture, so he's going to remember this interaction. I hope someday he sees Missionaries in Switzerland and thinks, "Oh hey, I met some of you in Japan!" What a neat experience!

Afterward, we tossed around a football on this big sand near a park below the castle. It was pretty fun. When the time came to go, we walked back to the station to see everyone off. I got to chat with Elder Tanaka, a "bean-chan" in his first transfer from Chiba, Japan. I'm still by no means anywhere near fluent, but I was somehow able to understand most of what we were talking about! Well, then the Zone Leader exchange started. I stayed in Matsue with Elder Mahoney (from Heber, UT). So, preparation time ends at 6:00. . . we had a lesson right at 6:00 at the church right by the Matsue elders' apartment. It was fun! I was able to share some of my experiences as we tried to help this young man try to see how adversity can help us, and that God isn't cruel.

We ended the day by walking the streets trying to talk to people naturally. Here's where this week's title comes in. Recently, there has been a big emphasis on not just trying to "contact" people and tell them about the gospel, but to just speak with them naturally. So, we don't have to spend hours upon hours knocking on doors just to get rejected a billion times and develop a severe case of "kekko byo" ("That's okay"- sickness, derived from so many rejections, something I suffered a bit from last transfer). Elder Mahoney told me that the field has changed so much since he got here. Walking around on the streets when there aren't very many people around seemed "wanpaku" (lazy, not productive, etc) back in the day. But now, it's all about having the right motives, having faith, and just talking with people - not the old way of "Excuse me, do you have a moment?"

The next day however, I learned that there still is a place for housing! We had some extra time while waiting for a member to return home, so we went housing for a few minutes, and then BOOM! After turning the doorstep scene into a natural conversation somehow, the young man invited us in, gave us something to drink, and listened to us as we taught about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Let me tell you, I have been seeing miracles! Big and small, in Matsue and Izumo!

No investigators have come to church with us yet, but one is really close!! Umetani san!!! Every time we meet here, she's keeping commitments, reading from the Book of Mormon, and praying (every day!). She's even praying with her daughter! She wants to come to church really badly, she's just afraid to tell her husband. So we're working on meeting her husband (don't worry, he knows that she's been meeting with us, we're not trying to go behind the back at all) and helping him to be okay with her coming to church.

I thought I'd let you know that Atkin Choro and I are getting along just fine. We keep having these good, needed conversations. I've realized that I've been a little too uptight, judgmental, and critical. BUT, things are okay right now. The hills and valleys will always continue, but things will always work out!

We haven't had too many people show up at our Kid's English class (Eikaiwa), partially because early Thursday evening was a bad time, but we moved it to Saturday afternoon and anticipate a lot better attendance - even Umetani san with her daughter Haruna!!!!

I love you all, and am so grateful for all that you have given me, physical and spiritual!

Oh by the way, I spoke in Church yesterday, on D&C 121: 7-9.

Over the River and Through the Wood, Hills, Valleys, etc.

Sorry this will be short. We're having a District P-Day in Matsue today, and then I stay there for an Exchange with Elder Mahoney, one of my Zone Leaders.

I really needed that [Mother's Day] phone call. Wow. I was so at peace, and so happy! Then Zone Conference was just amazing, all about talking to people naturally (things in this mission are changing; no more "Excuse me, do you have a few moments, we're Missionaries, yada yada yada") --, and unity and love in companionships. They had me be the bansosha (pianist), and it was okay, but wow I had to do a bit of practice beforehand.

On the way back from Okayama, we started a District Exchange. Elder Gatchell from Saint George came back to Izumo with me. He's quite the character. He's this massive American football player that towers above everybody in Japan. And there he was riding elder Atkin's bike (and Elder Atkin is a few inches shorter than me). . . yeah, it was funny ;)

During the exchange, we went to this Rest Home where Elder Kobayashi and I had been giving service just about every week last transfer. Atkin Choro and I haven't been yet this transfer because we're looking into other service activities. . . Gatchell Choro and I were talking with one of the staff members, I guess we have some kind of agreement - especially since I signed something back when I went the first time with Kobayashi Choro. . . That was a really awkward conversation: the man we talked with couldn't understand why we wanted to stop coming to the rest home to serve. He thought we just didn't want to be around the elderly anymore. I felt some interesting vibes; obviously this is something Atkin Choro and I need to pray about and figure out, but the man obviously didn't want us to stop coming. And then it turns out the missionaries in Izumo have been going to this place almost every week for a LONG time, years, maybe even ten or so. The man said he wouldn't "let" us stop coming unless President Isa gave him the okay.

Anyway. . . Yeah, I'm a little nervous about that. I like serving the elderly, I really do, and I don't want to stop. But even in our guidelines, it talks about not doing service that would be hard to discontinue, or would cause problems should we need to.

Hmm. . . .

So, after the exchange, it kind of seemed like things started going downhill for some reason. It culminated on Sunday into what was probably the first completely open conversation Atkin Choro and I have had so far. We didn't yell, it didn't feel contentious (although I started feeling that it could have easily turned contentious). . . but wow. He told me things that I was doing that were bugging him and I told him things that he was doing that were buggin me. . . And in the end, I felt more at peace than I have ever felt so far.

You know how sometimes you think you know a person, their motives, what's going on in their heads? Well I have a problem with that, a problem with assumption. And it turns out that I have been doing some things without even noticing they were causing problems. And if we hadn't had this conversation, I could have easily continued without even realizing what the problems were. . .

Don't worry, everything is going fine right now.

I'd say probably the biggest thing I've learned so far this transfer is the need for communication. You can't just hold things in or eventually you're going to burst. Keeping an open link is essential for any kind of relationship. You can't just assume you know someone completely, you need to talk with them often, ask them questions, and try to see their views.... Wow, I don't know if that big shpeel made any sense, but that was what was on my mind.

Thank you all so much for the goodies! We are totally making tacos and/or taco rice this week! And swedish meatballs sometime soon! I love you so much, thank you for your prayers, love and support. It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky. . . (as cheezy as that was ;)

Love you always,

Elder Peterson