Where Did The Week Go?

Kurashiki is WONDERFUL! Life in the city is great. However, on Wednesday, we went to Fukuyama city (in Hiroshima Prefecture) for District Meeting, then I stayed there for an exchange with Elder Packer from Layton, UT (he went to the same high school as Chris Escalante and knows his family, cool). Fukuyama was even bigger than Kurashiki, the city kept going. . .
Oh, I forgot to mention how fabulous the apartment is in Kurashiki. It's got two floors, a sofa . . . AND a massage chair! Wonderful! I've got so much space here compared to my last apartment!

Our investigators are doing pretty well. We met with our Brazilian investigators on Friday night. Bishop Yamada and his wife (Sis. Yamada happens to be Brazilian and fluent in English, Japanese, and Portuguese!) taught our recent convert while Elder Daimler and I ganbaru'd with Sis. Oliveira's friend and son (the son translated for us, BUT I got to recite the first vision in Portuguese, memorized it in Izumo!)

I get to meet our Chinese investigator tonight. He lives a few hours north, but he's coming into town to have dinner with us, and then attend a family's sports activity. This should be good. We're still trying to figure out if he's a member or not. I guess he remembers being baptized a while ago, and loves the church, reading the Book of Mormon, and keeps the commandments... but they can't find his record. We'll see.

Yesterday was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Stake conference. We took a two hour drive up north to Nimi for Stake Conference. It was at a performance hall. I got to be reunited with former companions (Elder Kajiuchi and Elder Atkin), and former ward members (the YSA from Izumo Branch). I got to see Umetani San and her daughter Haruna briefly, they had to leave quickly after, but wow, Umetani san was BEAMING! The Baptism will be on the 20th of September! I'm so excited for her. I finally have her address, so I can write to them! Kajiuchi choro let me know that Seki San (the protestant friend of our Brazillian member in Izumo) has started taking the lessons! I feel so blessed! He gave me a letter from my friend Lisa, where she talked a bit about the adversary trying to deceive us into thinking we're not working hard enough. The things that are happening in Izumo now made me feel that I really did do my part. It's all about the Lord's timeline, and I feel absolutely blessed!

I didn't understand everything that was said, but I loved being surrounded by so many of these wonderful people! I love Japan, I love the people! I want to get better at Japanese so that I can better communicate with them, and reach the hearts of more of these precious sons and daughters of God!　Life is great. Yes, there are still ups and downs, but we're overcoming the downs as they come.

Zone Conference is on Wednesday, and I'm excited! Every time I go with deep questions I need answered, and so far, they have been answered. This time, we'll see what happens!

Well, I love you all! I'm enjoying my stay here, and I'll try to get you some pictures soon. Ooh, I could use a little bottle of maple flavoring and that maple syrup recipe. I can get peanut butter here through the mission home, so you don't have to send any more of that. Thank you so much, you are so amazing! I really appreciate all your continued love and gifts and tastes of home. We made some bbq chicken sandwiches the other night. SO GOOD!

Praying for you, and loving you,
Elder Peterson

Transfer 4 Comes to a Close

Halleluja! I have a giant bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Barbeque Sauce ALL to myself. . . But I'll probably share with my companion ;) Elder Kajiuchi had his first pack of pop-tarts. Oh they are so delicious! Hey, can you send me some good recipe ideas for the cream of mushroom and chicken soups that don't require chicken? We can buy chicken, but it's kind of a hastle to deal with. . .

Oh, random side thought: I went to Yonago on Monday night. Elder Bronner had this book "Where's Mom Now that I Need Her" It's like the ultimate cook book with laundry tips, maintenance help and more! Pretty funny.

Yonago! Excellent! We had a lesson with this man named Kondo San, who had been taught by Sister Mortensen (from my MTC district) when the area was run by Sisters. I met him back in Transfer 2 at Yonago's English class on the day of a Zone Meeting, and there was a noticable difference. Since that time, he started reading the Book of Mormon, and I got to see once again the power this book can have in someone's life. Like Umetani san! These two people are my first in-field example of the Book of Mormon's power. The light and joy it brings. . .

During the exchange, we went to visit Elder Nakatsuka of the Seventy. He came to Izumo a few weeks back. What a spiritual powerhouse. . . That visit boosted me, and strengthened my resolve to overcome my fears and talk to more people. And I have been! Yeah, I'm still passing a few people by, but we're trying!

We went to Unnan City, Kakeya town again. . . But this time, we took a route through the mountains. Yes, it was shorter, and took about half the time. . . But WOW it was in all reality uphill BOTH ways. I didn't think I would be able to make it up the mountain on the way back. Sure enough, upon starting up my strength was about to crash. But I felt a very literal flow of the atonement's power. It was similar to my hardest moments at Boot Camp. When my strength is exhausted, and I can't do any more, with faith, Christ helps me and gives me strength. This was a physical example, but that just goes to show that the Atonement is eternal and all-encompassing - Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, Physical. . . all difficulties can be lessened and/or overcome. That was one of those lessons that I've needed to learn multiple times.

On the way back, we stopped to try and visit an investigator, but were greeted by a man from China! He was very friendly, and started talking to US. He asked why we were in Japan, which led to a very good conversation about Christianity and the church. He said a couple of times that he was thinking he might like to become Christian, and told us that we had given him a very good impression of Christians. Man. . . If I transfer this week. . . too bad!

We also met with our investigator from Bangaladesh. He's doing well, and the meeting was great. I called him to see if we could stop by to give him a Japanese Language book, and we ended up having a discussion about Jesus Christ. Wow, he was once again very kind, and at the end of our visit told us that he considered us close friends! He wants us to pray for him.

Things in Izumo are becoming quite wonderful. I've been trying not to think about transfers too much, but we'll see what happens.

Thank you SOOOOO much for that wonderful package, and mom, that letter was just what I needed. I haven't opened the Sauce yet, but eagerly await that long awaited barbeque taste!

Well, time is growing short. Know that I love you, and am thankful for your prayers. I love being here in the land of my dreams . . . I love these people, the food, the scenery, the weather (even though it's hot!)

Love you,
Elder Peterson

International Adventures

Well, adventures being in the form of lessons and/or meetings with our potential investigators from different countries. . . We met again with Armando from Brazil a couple of times this week (his wife Genesi had to leave back to Brazil a few weeks ago, I think I mentioned the farewell party). It's amazing, even though there is definitely a language barrier, we've built a really good relationship with him. Elder Kajiuchi is studying Portuguese every day, and thanks to Brother Junior and our friend Brother Oda from Matsue (a Japanese man who speaks Portuguese), we should be able to teach him again some time soon. Our meeting with him and Brother Oda a few weeks ago was really good. I think he's going through some pain (from being so far away from his wife among other things) that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can heal.

We had a lesson on Thursday with our Mongolian investigator (Gana-san). We taught her and her daughter about the Plan of Salvation... using a Doraemon teaching aid (Doraemon: a pretty popular cartoon character around these parts).

We've been waking up early a lot recently; my time spent in the Book of Mormon actually hadn't been very high, so I've started a program to wake up early, read the Book of Mormon for half an hour, then exercise and follow the schedule. I need that. I've been noticing different things than what I've learned in times past. Right now I'm in Alma 18, and learning a lot from Ammon's example. Ooh, and Friday on the train to Zone Meeting last week as I read the account of Alma and Amulek, I was able to visualize it vividly in a new way. It was almost like watching a movie in my mind, with the evil Nehor-esque judge persecuting and beating the two missionaries, "What say ye for yourselves!?" Picturing the children and wives of the faithful being martyred in the fire, while Alma and Amulek watched in pain. Zeezrom's heart becoming softened, he tries to plead for them, is cast out. I've read the Book of Mormon maybe 4 times, and I didn't notice this part at all. But now, things are sticking out.

I made what was supposed to be a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Marble cake this week (for Zone Meeting), but it would probably be better as a plain pb/choc. chip cake. But hey, I didn't follow a recipe and it actually turned out pretty yummy! Made brownies too. It's amazing, you can actually use the Hot Chocolate powder here as a substitution for regular cocoa. The Japanese people don't use nearly as much sugar as Americans do, so the Hot cocoa powder works great for baking! They turned out pretty good. I'll make them for you when I get back.

Oh boy. . . You have no idea how excited I am for the Barbeque Sauce. I have absolutely no idea who that "Sweet Baby Ray" character is, but I can't wait! Barbeque Pizza, here I come!

We're still meeting with Umetani-san frequently, and she comes to Church almost every weeks. She's been 9 times so far!!! She's still progressing, and wants to be baptized! We're still praying and fasting for her husband's permission. I think it might just be an issue of timing.

I'm starting to conquer my fear of talking with people! Lately, I've been stopping a fair number of people as we travel to and from our appointments by bicycle. I'm still a little nervous, but it's just a numbers game. The more people I stop, the more natural it will feel. The trick really is about focusing on them and what they need or are interested in!

Oh Sister Molnar sent me a CD from the Ward's Patriotic Program in July. Getting to hear Jay and Jordan speak was awesome. Oh, and the Sharon 3rd Ward Choir! Music to my ears!

Oh hey, mom, can you send me a recipe for that divine banana cake that you make every once in a while. It's the kind with the pretty decadent frosting. . . Our oven is pretty small here, so I might need the recipe halved or something, but I'm sure I can do the math!

Peculiar Profundities and More International Adventure!

This last week seemed to go pretty well. Umetani San continues to do well, but we're still waiting for permission from her husband. We're working with her to help her gain the strength and courage to ask again for his permission to be baptized.
We're meeting with a new person (I think I mentioned him a little bit ago), a man from Bangaladesh. He follows the Islamic faith, and we had quite a good conversation yesterday. Yes, our religious views are a bit different, but I was surprised by the similarities that we shared. I didn't know too much about Muslims and Islam before, and I'm looking forward to maybe learning a little more. The meeting was great, he's a bit lonely, after being gone from his (wait a minute this sounds like me. . .) family for seven months. He had no problems with listening to our message, and didn't feel like we were trying to force it on him. And that's right, we're not trying to force this message. We're seeking those who will listen, and giving them the chance to choose for themselves whether it's true or not. We might have a bit of difficulty meeting with him though, because Ramadan starts tomorrow (the 18th of August) and goes until the 20th of September, where he'll be fasting until the sun has gone down every day. He said he'd probably be too weak to meet with us (and that was before we had started talking about religion), but he is very congenial, and I think we've made a pretty good friendship with him!

On Friday, we biked A LONG way, to Kakeya Cho (town?) in Unnan Shi (City). It was roughly 30 kilometers one way. . . I guess Kakeya cho isn't too far away from Izumo, but because of the mountains, you have to go ALLLLLL the way around. We went to try and track down a former, open-ended referral from the Area Book. We found his house, but he wasn't home.

On the way back, a had a little drop down on the back wheel of my bike from the ledge we were riding on (messing up the breaks. . .). I had to carry my bike a few hundred meters to a house where we asked for help. Maybe it was meant to be, because the Mother that helped us seemed very kind, and said "Itsuka asobi ni kite kudasai" (roughly please come back to have fun or something like that). She and her father (a grandpa) talked with us a bit, and she asked why we were in Japan, so we got to talk a little about Missionary stuff, but we'll have to see about inviting them to hear our message later.

Thankfully, one of the members in our branch lives in the same Town, and said that there's a considerable short cut that we can take through the mountains, so we won't have to travel so far. We'll see!

So they have Cheetos here in Japan. They're completely different from American Cheetos, but I came to a profundity last night . . . They're called Cheetos because the Mascot is a Cheetah!! I had no idea. . . Shows you how dull I can be at times.

Zone Meeting and President's Interviews are on Friday this week! I'm so excited!

Things are going well!

Elder Peterson

Banana Bread, Bicycles, Blunders, and More

Dear Family,

I love you, and love hearing about all the fun stuff that's going on. The 80th Stake Birthday Party sounds fun. I remember when our Stake had it's "Diamond Jubilee" (75th anniversary).

Mom, I'll look forward to that care package you're sending. . . I could use some pop-tarts ;) I bought a little pack that looked like pop-tarts, but wow, it was COMPLETELY different. Nothing whatsoever like a pop tart. . .

Well, this week was pretty cool. We did have a bit more down time as my companion needed to recoup a bit more from the crazy cold that attacked last week, but I think he's doing okay now. During that time, of course I was excited to try my hand at some new baking! Steamed Bread (a first for me, kind of like cupcakes), Banana Bread (another first, it actually turned out okay!), and a wretched Caramel apple upside-down cake in the frying pan. I burnt the caramel twice, and then the finished product cooked a little too long and was burnt as well.

Hey, onto better, and more important topics. Umetani San! Still amazing, still wonderful! We have lessons with her roughly twice a week, and see her on other occasions too. She accepted our challenge to read a page a day from the Book of Mormon, but is reading more! And to make things better, she's earnestly asking questions to help her understand more! We were able to meet with her and her husband for a bit yesterday, so hopefully we're getting a bit better of a relationship built with him. No new baptismal date yet, but it could potentially happen this month. I don't want to try to rush it though, so I might not be here - depending on if I transfer in September or not.

The bad news is that I'm once again riding a wretched grandma bike (mama chari), while I wait for my new wheel to arrive. Yay. . .

Random by-the-way announcement: August 6th marks one year since I graduated Basic Training (ROTC/National Guard)! Yay!

Saturday morning, we biked up to the Hei Sei Sports Park to participate in the last half of Branch Camp. We got to help host some games with the group (there were quite a few young, non-member friends there). I introduced the game, "Do You Love Your Neighbor". Wow, the scenery was SO cool. It made biking through the crazy rain so worth it.

Well, this week's Zone Conference, so we leave for Okayama tomorrow. I'm excited to see Atkin Choro again.

Thank you for your prayers, I've needed them a lot this week. I'm doing okay; but as usual, this week was rather topsy turvey with highs and lows.

Next week then,
Love,
Elder Peterson

Ding Ding Ding! Round Four!

Well, I'm staying in Izumo for at least another transfer. Yes, I think I wanted a slight change of scene, but I'm glad to be here. Lately, I've been making some really neat connections, and looks like I have a chance to strengthen them.

Elder Kajiuchi and I are still companions. Things seem to be going well. I think we were able to get over most of our differences last transfer. Althought I'm sure the hard moments aren't done, I at least know that it is possible to work things out.

We planned and put on a Farewell Party for Genesi-san (a Woman from Brazil who has to return to Brazil without her husband Armando to take care of her ill mother). The Farewell Party was on Thursday night, and was a really good experience, thanks to our miraculous Brazillian member that showed up a few weeks ago (Brother Junior), we were able to communicate very effectively, and even got to perform a musical number, half in Japanese and Half in Portugeuse (Elder De Menezes would be so proud. . . Speaking of which, any news on an address for him yet? :)

This week's cooking adventures. . . .

We received a gigantic cucumber from one of the branch members, and didn't really know what to do with it. . . So, I tried a couple of things. One, I made a Cucumber Cake (Kyuuri Keeki) (basically a white cake with cucumber in it. . . It's okay, but kind of wierd. Hmm. . . At least I can eat cucumbers now, and I am kind of starting to like them. You're next, Tomato!), and then I made a Potato salad - ALL by myself. Hah! This mission is proving to be good training grounds for broadening my cooking and baking skills. I mean, obviously that's not the most important aspect, but it's part of the "icing on the cake". . heh heh. . . ;) Oh, and I also made some old fashioned peanut butter cookies for the first time, the kind with the criss-cross fork pattern. Wow, I always wanted to learn how to make those, and now I can!

Concerning the people we're working with, Umetani-san and Nanba-san are still doing quite well. We're working with the church members in working with both investigators, and seeing some good things.

Lately I've been doing a lot of the phone calls. I was way nervous at first, and I'm still not completely confident, BUT it's not as scary anymore. I just need to stay calm, focus, be confident, and I actually can kind of communicate over the phone!

[Editor's note: in response to a comment made by Paul's Aunt Laurie about having three cousins on missions at the same time - Paul in Japan; Jason Palmer in Dublin, Ireland; Jared Keele on his way to Guatamala. Our very own "Three Nephites"]

Hah, Aunt Laurie,  the Three Nephites ;) I like it!

Don't forget, you can still email and write snail mail letters. I PROMISE to write back :D

Well my dear family, once again, I love you, and thank you so much for your prayers. I need them, as much as I can get them.

Take care, (体をおだいじに）

Raining Ramen Noodles, for Real!

Holy COW! We got completely soaked yesterday, EVEN with our rain suits on. . . The rainy season really is intense here, and I think the rain is daitai onaji (about the same) with Irish Rain. . . Wow.

Well, Umetani San will still be baptised, but turns out that her husband wants her to wait a couple of months to see if she's serious about joining the church. He doesn't seem opposed to it though.

My relationship with Elder Kajiuchi seems to be doing alot better. We had some good, honest conversation this week, and I feel that we are on very good terms right now. And wow, he makes SUPERB ramen noodles. No, I don't mean the store-bought dry kind. I mean, REAL ramen noodles! He didn't make the actual noodles, but he got a package from his family a little while ago. SO gourmet, really, you have not eaten Ramen noodles until you have tried fresh Ramen from Japan! We ate at a Ramenyasan (ramen restaurant) a few weeks ago, and wow, it was delectable too. Sugoi!

We were finally able to meet with our Mongolian investigator (fluent in Japanese) this week. It seemed to go pretty well. I've been trying to participate more in lessons lately. I'm understanding a little more now adays, but it's still a bit tough to understand what's being said, and respond. I'm working on it!

On Saturday, we biked out to Lake Shinjiko. We've been spending a lot of time around central Izumo lately, and I wanted to try to find some good locations for naturally conversing with people. Wow, the ride was a lot longer than I expected. But it was a good trip. And we stopped every once in a while along the way to talk to people. We knocked on a couple of doors, talked with a 20-ish year old man. . . As we approached Hirata Town (close to the lake), we asked for directions from a woman tending a road-side graveyard. Wow, she's been to Kajiuchi choro's hometown, and she has some kind of connection to Utah. She recognized us as missionaries, thanked us for coming to this part of Japan, and wished us good luck. She had met missionaries before, that greeted her friendly. Cool. The lake was beautiful! I don't know how often we'll be going out there, probably not too often. . . But hey! It was a good day!

I made Pizza this week. I messed up on the dough some how (too much water?). I tried the 60min. roll dough recipe mom sent me. Wow, it was SO good, almost like Dad's! Just. . . a little different. But hey, Japan seems to get the "Pizza" sauce right. Too bad the bottle wasn't bigger. . . But hey, I tried some Roasted Sesame Seed Dressing as the sauce for part of the second pizza, and wow, that worked out too!

Thursday was awesome! Brother Junior (the unexpected Brazillian member that moved here last week) had us over for lunch, some DELICIOUS brazillian strogonoff. . . Mmm. . . And he shared with us some of his amazing guitar ability! Wow. I feel connected to some of the people here.

Church: Elder Nakatsuka from the quorum of the seventy and Brother Watanabe from the stake presidency (he came to Branch conference a while ago too, the one that lived in Utah and went to UVSC) came. I was asked to speak before them. . . I was a bit nervous. . . My topic was the Love of a Family or something like that (In Japanese: Kazoku no Ai). I tried to translate A Family is Forever, and sang it at the end of my talk. It was a good experience. Wow, Elder Nakatsuka was awesome, and I actually understood parts of his talk!

Sunday night, we had dinner with the Sato family. Pres. Swaisey built their house, it was American-style, and once again like stepping back into America. They have this cute little 3 year old daughter, Yuria-chan. What a beautiful family.

Well, I better go, but I love you, and who knows, maybe I'll be writing from a different location next week (transfers are on Thursday) Take care, Elder Peterson

The Rainy Season

Well, I kept making fun of the rainy season and I think it took offense; it rained A LOT last week. It started to rain as we were riding home from Umetani san's house on Friday afternoon. It was just a little at first, but we stopped in one of the subterranean cross-the-street-tunnels to put on our rain coats. I was thinking "Oh, it's not raining too hard. Surely we won't need our rain pants as well!" . . .

. . . About 7 or so minutes later, the cats and dogs started coming down. It would have been useless to stop and try to put the rain pants on at that time, because we were already soaked. It poured and poured! Good thing I like rain. . .

Now, however, we are once again experiencing some hot and humid weather. I'm getting a little more used to it, but wow.

Oh, thank you thank you THANK YOU for the package with the Peanut Butter Pie ingredients. I had mentioned how much I loved Peanut Butter Pie to a missionary at Zone Conference and then low and behold: BOOM! Your package arrived! I made the pie for Elder Kajiuchi's birthday (July 3rd).

By the way, yet another beautiful 'Elder Peterson' moment: I followed a recipe in our trusty mission cookbook to make the pie crust. The good thing was that butter can indeed be substituted for a lack of shortening. However, I forgot all about that critical part of pie making where you flour a table top, and roll out the dough to flatten it. . . As I tried to hand-scoop the sticky dough and pat it down into the pie plate I was thinking, "There must be a better way of doing this!" Hee hee. . . About two minutes into the baking I realized with a gasp of horror what I had done. But alas, I was too late. . . However, it still turned out OKAY! So yeah, if you ever feel like sending more PB Pie ingredients, please do. ;)

An update on Umetani San: her interview is scheduled for this Friday. We've been reviewing and practicing with her, so I think it'll go just fine. If everything goes according to plan, the baptism will be held on Sunday the 19th (Sunday so her husband can attend). We met with both of them and the Branch President yesterday to ask for permission to baptize her. He's now deliberating, but we called her last night and looks like things might be okay. There's a chance her husband might even come to church on Sunday! So, we'll see what happens!

Well, to wrap up I figured I'd share a few tidbits of Izumo culture. There are cute little signs everywhere displaying cheerful puppies carrying bags and pooper-scoopers -- Japan seems to be very clean and hygeine-oriented. Ooh, and the post men are awesome, speeding around on these sleek red Vespa Scooters.

Happy Belated 4th of July! (Random: I saw a single, medium-small firework explode in the sky right before we returned home that night. . .)

A worry I've had is that I still don't feel very confident in my planning skills or ideas for effective activities, and sometimes I'll ask my companion what he wants to do or if he has any ideas. He'll often respond that he doesn't have any ideas. Thanks for the words of advice. I needed that and I'm going to start keeping those things in mind, and trying to connect with these people more.

Our district leader called this morning to follow up on goals and such. He complimented me on something and I expressed how I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing. . . in short I was being a bit hard on myself. I've realized that (thanks to your encouragement) and I'll work on it. My district leader gave me a piece of advice he heard at the MTC, "If you ever feel like you're not very good at teaching, at the language, or with something else remember: you ARE in the right place at the right time." I've been feeling a little down about not being able to understand these people I love and care about, but I'm just going to press forward, tell myself that I can, and do all I can to be worthy and deserving of all the blessings that have been promised to me. Sorry if I have sounded a little down. I actually am doing a lot better and the Zone Meeting and Interview this week will help a lot.

Transfers are on the 23rd of this month. I might or might not get transferred, but it would be a good idea to send snail mail letters to the mission home for the next couple of weeks.

{editor's note: the mission home address can be found toward the top-left of this page}

Thank you for all the ingredients, love, and recipes! I love you so much! I am learning so much while on this mission. I’ll keep trying to write everything down so I can share it with you.

To the Mountain Top!

Zone Conference at Okayama again this last week! So much fun! It was cool getting to see Elder Atkin again. I also got to reconnect with Sister Condie, one of my MTC Distric Members, and see some of my senior MTC missionaries.

Again I was amazed by President Isa and the spiritual giant that man is. I was reminded of my weaknesses and all of the things I still don't know, but it gave me a big boost to push forward. Stake President Swaisy also spoke.

After the conference, we started a spur of the moment exchange that my District Leader forgot to confirm, but it's all good. I went with Elder Tanaka (one transfer behind me . . .!!!) to Yonago. Pres. Swaisy gave us a ride to the train station near his house -- about 2 hours away from Okayama -- where we said goodbye to Sister Condie and Iizuka. I can't remember the name of the town, but we went with Pres. Swaisy, his daughter and son in law back to their house. He's lived in Japan for over 20 years. WOW! Their house was totally classic American Style - it was kind of like stepping back into America for a bit. We had some good conversation, and they fed us. It made me think back to when we would have missionaries over for dinner. . . It's funny being on the flip-side now. . . ;)

Yonago was great. Yeah, Tanaka Choro and I were both Junior companions, but we had a great time. And we saw some really cool things. Like the almost spur of the moment, "Do you want to climb a mountain?" missionary excursion we took. Up top, above the massive expanse of this beautiful city, on the ruins of an ancient Japanese castle (yeah, it was AWESOME), we met J. Wadson, a man from Missouri. Wow, what an amazing experience.

Well, the weather here is quite rainy now. It's the rainy season, but yet it's only rained once a week so far for the last two weeks. We'll see.

I totally almost forgot! Umetani San agreed to be baptized!! For now the baptism will be on the 12th of July! We've got a bit of reviewing to do, but she is so close!!!

It's Raining and Pouring

Tsuyu (or the Rainy Season) technically started last week, but the downpour didn't start until last night. It's been dreadfully hot and muggy of late, but looks like it's going to be a little cooler with all the rain that's expected; just about every day this week I think.

Teaching this week went pretty well. We're seeing a bit of progress with Nanba-san, a single mother of three. Her heart's been opening up wider and wider, especially as we work with the members with her. Cross your fingers, I'm hoping she'll be coming to church soon!

Umetani San... drumroll please! ... ... ... ... ... Okay, maybe it's not all that exciting, but still! We've officially taught her all of the pre-baptism doctrine, so now we just have to work up to her baptism. She was in church again yesterday, for the third time!! We drove with some members to visit her yesterday afternoon and to meet her husband. Awesome!! I felt absolutely no animosity from him, he was very kind, not opposed to the church at all, and even seemed a bit familiar. He doesn't want to hear our message at this time, but he has no qualms whatsoever about his wife joining the church. Well, we'll see what happens and if we can't start to meet with him sometime soon!

Well, hopefully these emails haven't been too boring. I'm trying to think of ways to spice them up... I’m working hard and trying not to get discouraged. It seems that now that my companion and I are out and about a lot more than last transfer, I've once again started to get those feelings that I'm not doing enough. I know that negative feelings don't come from the Lord, but it just gets to me a little sometimes.

One thing I'm a little confused about, but will hopefully be resolved at Zone Conference this week, is "effective" missionary work. Recently - and I've said this before - our leaders have been making a big emphasis on "Natural Conversation"; avoiding the tendency to stop people on the street by asking "Do you have a moment" but talk with them in a more natural way. Also, to not spend all your time housing, but to find the proper place for it... But then I read Elder Palmer's emails, and see that he's still having cool experiences with street tracting... Maybe I just need to not compare. I'm sure I shouldn’t compare! I just really want to know what I should be doing -- what kind of Missionary Work is the most effective, and I'm running out of "New" or "Different" ideas. Don't worry, I'm still trying to keep my face to the Son (thanks for those encouraging words, Dad). I know that He knows what I'm going through, and that I can find peace in Him. So from here I'm going to try to trust in Him a lot more and make sure to have a constant positive attitude.

Oh by the way, I have learned that you can make your own yogurt by opening a carton of milk, covering it with tissue and a rubber band, and leaving it out for a day. . . I haven't tried any yet (Lacey, you KNOW how paranoid I am about these kinds of things), but I was making a cake for a dinner yesterday... You see we ran out of milk the other day, and I had already added all the other ingredients not realizing I needed milk. Well... pulling up my sleeves, puttin' my game face on, and mustering all the courage from within my senkyoshi (gut), I valorously opened the homemade yogurt and poured some in the batter!

It actually turned out okay... And looks like no one's gotten sick yet. Tee hee.

Anyway, last night's dinner was at the church: Hayashi Rice, potato salad, Sou Mein Salad, Tempura Beans (can't remember the kind of bean, but they were way Japanese), and my little Cinnamon Dessert Cake! It was with the Yamane Family (Branch President, his wife, Mother, and son), Brother Satou, some of the Young Adults, and Katsumi Yoshioka - a 20 year old investigator who seems to "only want knowledge"...

Hmm, we might be dropping some investigators soon -- it's been either really hard or impossible to meet with some of them, but we'll see.

Wow, Kajiuchi Choro made a superbulous Beef Stroganof-esque pasta dish the other night. I'm hoping to learn a lot of cuisine tricks from him!

Well, this week we have Zone Conference again at Okayama. This time I get to see Sister Condie from my MTC district, and Elder Uemura (from my "Honbu Doki" - or same-time group at the Mission Home)! Woot!

Don't hesitate to write any snail mail letters. Our mail box has been quite hungry lately, and he seems to have a pretty big appetite.

New Comp; into 3rd transfer

Wow, my second transfer is officially over! I am no longer a "bean chan" (well, technically I'd say I still am, but according to the mission norm, I guess I'm not.)

Last week we had two lessons on the day before transfers after we received our call from Isa Kaicho. First we met with Gana San and Branch President Yamane at the Church. Gana San is our Potential Investigator from Mongolia. The lesson went really well and she really wants to come to church. She wasn't able to make it yesterday, but we're going to offer the help of some church members to provide rides for her and her children. We've spoken with her husband over the phone a little bit, and I detect absolutely no opposition from him. It appears that they're both from a Christian background. I'm excited to see where this goes.

UMETANI SAN! She came to Church with Haruna Chan! I wasn't sure if she was going to come because she had been trying to gain the courage to talk with her husband about this religious stuff. But, sure enough, she asked him and he easily said it was okay for her to come to church! Now we'll have to see about whether or not he'll give her permission to be baptized, but then again, maybe Mr. Umetani will be willing to start meeting with us as well.

Wednesday, after our second lesson (with Yoshioka san) Yamane Kaicho drove us by the Umetani residence for Atkin Choro to say goodbye. Haruna-chan was so sad. It was heartbreaking; Atkin Choro was a really good big-brother figure for her. Umetani san herself even shed a few tears while they waved as we drove away. It's hard, but they're doing okay now.

Kajiuchi Choro is awesome! He's a very patient, open, enthusiastic companion. He really wants to learn English and has been working hard on it thus far over the year he's been on the mission. Wow, he even PRAYS in English every once in a while. This is so cool!

I still think it's amazing that I have my second Japanese companion already, but that's okay. I want to learn a lot from him, not only missionarily, but with Japanese and cooking too! Sugoi!

Our lesson with Umetani san on Friday morning went really well. We had prepared to teach her about the law of tithing (complete with the giving-of-cookies-and-requesting-10%-back example [thank you peanut butter chocolate chip truffles!]) but, as missionary work usually goes, you make your plan and then something else happens. She wanted to hear some scriptures that could help her find courage. So we talked and shared scriptures. Little by little, I'm understanding more and more... Not quite there yet, but I think it's close! I hope!

We did a bit of Area Book Dendo; we have a LOT of former investigator records, and many without any reason for why the person was dropped. So, we're going to be working with it a lot... Oh, and after Kajiuchi choro tried to call one to no avail, the person called back, and we have an appointment with him this Saturday at the church! AMAZING!

Question: when a recipe calls for one packet of yeast, approximately how many tablespoons is that? It works a bit different here in Japan -- no packets, just big amounts.

Ooh, while waiting for Kajiuchi choro, I warmed up the oven again and made an Apple pie!! Atkin Choro's recipe was a bit Japanese-itized, sweet but not too sweet. But wow, following the recipe from the old Okayama Mission cookbook, it's like American apple pie! And I made it without help! Ooh, then I did peanut butter truffles again. . . ;)

By the way, next time I send home a memory card, you'll be able to see my video tour of the apartment, complete with a showcase of my Apple pie. . . Tee hee. . .

I will email you next week! I'm getting over a bit of a cold, but I'm doing great!

Crazy Things, Amazing Places

I thought I'd start this week's email with a little Elder-Peterson moment (a name for goofy / clumsy / Elder-Peterson-esque things that I happen to do, accidentally, etc.)

So I requested the biscuits recipe, etc, saying that the oven would only go up to 250 degrees. . . Tee hee. That is true, honestly it is. . . But, 4 minutes after inserting the pan of Peanut Butter Cookies, I smelled the burn. . . I rushed to try and rescue them, but alas many of the company had been wounded in battle with the fearce flames of cuisine. "What on earth could have possibly happened!?" I asked myself as I stammared in unbelief at the dreadful scene.

"Oh yeah. . . It's Japan. . . Not only do they use the metrics system here, but they go by Celsius, not Fahrenheight. . ."

So, with a wave of my magic wand (aka the cellular phone's conversion tool), I figured it out. Brilliant. . . I know, no no, hold the applause, please ;)

Oh, and concerning the biscuits, they almost flopped, dreadfully. First of all, we couldn't find actual shortening, so we went with "Fat Spread". Second, we couldn't figure out the Japanese name for "Buttermilk" and couldn't find it, so we went with "Yogurt Milk". Third, the yeast only came in one big pouch, not individual packets, so I poured about half of it in, and it might have been way too much.

Well, as much of a hassle as the process was, I finally got the beasties into the oven, and they turned out surprisingly well. Almost the same as Angel Biscuits. . . almost.

Yeah, the Swedish Meatballs almost flopped too. . . But, enough of the cooking scene, and on to the Dendo News.

Umetani San did not come to church this week. We had two lessons with her this last week, and a Cooking Activity at the church on Saturday where Atkin Choro taught how to make apple pie. It seems like she's still struggling with telling her husband about us, church, and everything. But, we got a call from her this morning. Atkin choro was talking with her for a while. We prayed with her, and she said a prayer too. She felt really bad about not coming to church, and was having a hard time. But the spirit was there, even though it was a phone call. Things are going to work out, I know they are. She has a testimony, and is just going through another trial of faith.

I probably mentioned this before, but Pres. Isa keeps talking about creating whirlpools. I keep realizing more and more what this means. We've had a member with us at just about every lesson we've had with Umetani San this transfer. The difference is AMAZING! Wow. . .

Transfers are this week. We find out on Wednesday whether one of us, both of us, or neither of us are transfering, and then the transfer will happen on Thursday. I don't really want to leave. I want to see other areas of the mission, to be able to see more and more of Japan, but I suppose that it's a slightly selfish desire.

Miracles keep happening here, like our Potential Investigator from Mongolia who speaks perfect Japanese, and has a Christian background, wants to come to church, and has an appointment with us at the church building on Wednesday this week! I want to see the results of the seeds that have been planted. If I am blessed with the opportunity of staying in Izumo for another transfer, I think I'm going to see a baptism, and hopefully, help a few others onto the road to Baptism as well.

As far as my companion relationship goes, things are pretty well. I keep learning the importance of just loving him and working together in unity with him.

On Sunday, we got to drive with the Branch President and another Member (Sister Hori) to visit some less active members. We drove by the sea! So beautiful! Hopefully, some of the people we visited will be able to come to activities, and even better to church. The area is kind of spread out though, it takes a while to get to the building from some of the houses we visited, but we'll see. What a good time.

Oh, and we got to go with some of Atkin Choro's Former investigators to the Hinomisaki Lighthouse [to learn more about that click here, here, and/or here] on Thursday. Wow, that drive was AMAZING! Classic Japanese rolling mountainside, with the sea right next to you, with little clusters of houses and large shinto shrines nestled right down in the midst of brilliant greenery... It's amazing here!

There Can Be Miracles

I am in quite a good mood this week. I received Mom's package this week and I am so excited to make those brownies (and the BBQ Pringles are almost gone. . . :) we found an old cook book from the Okayama mission that has a brownie recipe in it, and it works out great too, but I am SOOOO excited to try those Duncan Hines brownies!!! MMMMM!! I love you! Thank you again for your sacrifices for me! I love you so much! I'm thankful for all the help you've given me. I'm thankful that you have supported me in my decisions and have trusted me to make them. My one year anniversary of actually starting Basic Training (ROTC/National Guard) is on the 6th of June. That was the beginning of a journey I needed to take. And it has all led to the here and now.

Thank you for the taco seasoning!!!! I made taco stuff twice this week. The first time I put in way too much water, but we had it over rice, topped with Doritos and salsa, and it was okay. But then we pulled out the tortillas that Kobayashi Choro left and we had real taco/burritos -- even with Taco Bell sauce left by a former missionary. Delicious! The oven in our apato (apartment) actually works, but just barely! It's pretty ancient and limited to 250 degrees.

Mom, I'm glad you liked my little package. I'm guessing this year's birthday was a lot better than last year's ... It's hard to believe a year has already passed since I left you all and headed to Missouri for Basic Training! Time seems to fly right by. I don't think I was able to adequately express my thanks for your last letter. Thank you for your words. When I received your letter, I was going through some rough times and your letter really helped a lot. I want to talk about a couple of things that have changed for me. One is doing dishes a lot. Yeah, back when I was home, I didn't like to do dishes at all. It might just be that if I don't do dishes, we won't have clean dishes... but I have no problem doing them sow. So I'll make sure to help out a lot more when I'm home.

Last week's Zone Meeting and Interview with President Isa were both very good. I'm slowly understanding a little more of what Pres. Isa says in Japanese. . . but I did need some help from Atkin Choro for translation. Yeah, Pres. Isa is fluent in English, but there are a lot of Japanese Missionaries in the Zone, and not all of them speak English. But that's okay! It's hard to understand sometimes, but when I do understand parts and things start to click together, it's awesome!

Remember that we had to take dessert to the Zone meeting: Well, my Cinnamon Cake and Apple Crisp desserts worked out okay, but I forgot the cinnamon in the apple crisp, oh well. . . :)

Things in Izumo are doing quite well! Umetani San CAME TO CHURCH on Sunday!!!! It was the first time I've had an investigator at church with me! Her daughter Haruna came too. Elder Atkin went with her to Primary, and I *"ganbaro"'d with Umetani San in Sunday School with Brother Hamamura (he is such an awesome, fun, enthusiastic teacher!) *Ganbaru is a Japanese word which here means "to hang in there" or "try hard" etc. Sometimes it's easier even in our English conversations to still use the Japanese words, because sometimes, the translations in Japanese are easier than the English way of saying things. . . ;)

Umetani san loved church! And she understood things for the most part. She wants to be baptized; now we're praying for her to gain the courage to tell her husband. . . But hey, one of the miracles from this last week is that she was way nervous to ask her husband if she could go to church. She finally asked him and . . . He said "Yeah, no problem"!

And Haruna was amazing in Primary! She was the first person to raise her hand when the teacher asked, "Okay, who knows who God is?" She was also the first person to volunteer for prayer, and gave both the opening and closing prayers! And this was her first time at church!!

Things are just working out -- with our investigators, with contacting people who showed interest in being taught, and such. We must be doing something right. When I get those down notions that "I'm not doing enough" and “I need to be doing more" . . . Maybe for the current situation, I am doing enough.

One of our Zone Goals is to find something new from Preach My Gospel every week that we're not doing and to try doing it. I've been experimenting with Praying in Faith. I think Sundy told me about that activity from Chapter 4 about having prayers led by the spirit. I tried to work on my prayers a while ago, but I kind of slipped back into a little routine. Well, anyway, I've been really focusing on avoiding the whole "pick up the phone, order groceries, and hang up" style of prayer. I've been trying harder to pray in faith for things like my relationship with Elder Atkin, our Investigators, being able to meet with people, etc.. I'm not saying it's just because of MY prayers, but I think it's been having an effect. Prayer really is powerful when it is offered with a sincere heart. It seems like sometimes we fall into these little ruts of praying to God, but not really thinking about how he can actually hear us, and about how he actually cares about us. Try it out, look at that Evaluate your Prayers activity from Chapter 4 of PMG.

I'm glad I get to be working with Atkin Choro. We are pretty different; we share some similar interests but our senses of humor are completely different. And, I get the feeling that he thinks I'm a stick in the mud when I don't laugh at all of his jokes. Don't worry -- things are fine. We just both need to appreciate and understand each other better.

Well, transfers are coming up soon. It's crazy how time has flown by! And here I am in the start of my 6th month of the Mission. Wow. . . Well, obviously, we can't know ahead of time if we'll be transferred or not. . . But I would love to stay in Izumo another transfer! Elder Kobayashi got three transfers here, so maybe I will too! We'll see!

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.

I've Got Sunshine... On a Cloudy Day

Wow I needed that phone call this morning! It was so good getting to hear and talk with you all! Sundy, like you said: I'm starting to feel that I'm closer to all of you now than I was at the MTC. It's funny, I was there ten minutes away but it felt a whole world away. And now that I am actually a whole world away, I don't feel so far anymore!

I still have things to talk about even after that wonderful phone call, so I'll start with last week.

Last week's email probably seemed a little down because I was feeling down. . . Probably more than a little. Part of it might have just been the "Second Companion Syndrome" but something was tearing me up inside. And then I figured things out. Things clicked. . .

Here's what happened: I realized that I was dwelling on the things I thought my companion was doing wrong, his imperfections, and judging him without really realizing it. I was having a hard time giving him the brotherly love that companionships need because I wouldn't let go of those thoughts and feelings that were giving me grief. But then I made a resolve and became determined to love him somehow! Ever since then -- when I decided to just love him -- it has been like the cloud of inner turmoil just dispersed and whisked away. . .
So I'm doing fine! Yeah, sometimes he says a few things that bug me a little but then I think about Christ's example; how he loved everyone even though some people spit upon him, beat him, rejected him, and crucified him. If he was still able to keep perfect love for all men in spite of all of those things then there must be a way for me to love my companions, even if it's hard.

Don't get me wrong, my companion is amazing! Just listening to him teach has taught me a lot. Elder Atkin is smart, quick, and is able to tie things together and keep the people we're teaching entertained. I have been learning a lot from him, and have been able to realize once again that the Lord is in the work; that every missionary is where they are for a reason. The Lord has specific tasks for us.

Looking back, Kobayashi Choro and I really did work hard, even though I got those thoughts that I wasn't doing enough. However, it wasn't until Atkin Choro came that one of our investigators finally started progressing. It was like she just needed the right elder to come along with the right personality. Umetani-san -- we had two lessons with her last week! The first was a little unexpected because she thought we were coming on Thursday, but she let us meet with her anyway. Atkin choro asked her to read from the Restoration Pamphlet he had given her and to pray, ... lo and behold, the next day she had done what we had asked! AWESOME!!

Well, I am now the proud (in a good way ;) owner of a new bicycle! After the tire from the hand-me-down bike I had at the start was punctured, walking over an hour to get back home, and borrowing a ward member's mama chatti (a granny style bike with a basket in the front...) I finally have a bike that fits me. Can you picture it? Elder Peterson wearing a big white helmet on a granny bike with a basket in the front. . . Very stylish. . . Hah, I got some weird looks; if the looks could be translated into English they would have been something like:

"Whoah. . . who's that weird American riding a granny bike. .. HA!"

But, everything is fine!! A new bike! Hopefully it will last me all the way through the end of the mission here in Japan!

This week is Zone Conference at Okayama again. Then Atkin Choro will be riding back with a Japanese Bean-Chan (Tanaka Choro, from Chiba, Tokyo - he is really cool, I talked with him a lot before and after district meeting last week!) to Yonago for District Leader Exchange. Elder Gatchell from St. George will be riding with me back to Izumo. And then next week, we're doing Zone Leader exchanges, so I'll be headed back up to Matsue with Elder Mahoney this time. Sweet!

I'm looking forward to the packages that are on their way! Mmmm. . . Taco seasoning! And Kobayashi Choro left his tortillas in the freezer so we'll really be able to have tacos; this is exciting!

Hey, have you heard anymore news about Elder De Menezes? His companion after me in the MTC wrote to me and said he got put in the Salt Lake City South Mission. If that is the case, can you tell the Leatherwoods / Petersons / Aunt Sylvia to keep their eyes open for him and to give him baked goods if they see him! (Okay I guess you don't have to tell them about the baked goods, but it would be cool if you could send a little home-baked love to Elder De Menezes for me :)

Ooh, could someone try to find some cool stickers to send to me? Umetani san's 9 year old daughter saw the cool scripture stickers that Kobayashi Choro and I had and wants some. I gave her a few and I don't want you to buy her that particular kind because it is expensive, I hear. But if you can find any other type of sticker that is similar (slightly see-through. . . if possible. If not that's okay too) and mail them here so I can give them to her? I imagine she'd just like any kind of sticker that 9 year old girls would like, maybe disney or princesses. . . Thank you! Sorry for the trouble :)

Wow, it's just so funny to see how much a person can learn from serving a mission. I mean I still don't know a lot (at least that's what it feels like), but I'm constantly having new insights! I even found a new appreciation for washing the dishes. It's good thinking time, maybe that's why Dad does the dishes so much (or maybe just that I wasn't as willing to do chores as I should have been. . .)

I can't think of a better place to be! I need to be here right now. This mission really is something that I needed to do. And it seems like the more time that passes, the more I lose those slight feelings of wanting to go home. "To lose is to find, and to find is to lose" (a concept from the scriptures that was actually used in one of my favorite video games. . . tee hee).


Just know that I really do love all of you, and that I'm doing okay! Life is beautiful! Every day is a gift, that's why "today" is called "the present" :)

Sharing the Gospel: No More Comfort Zone

I was very excited Thursday afternoon after a lesson with Umetani san when she agreed to come to Church with her daughter on Sunday! Alas, the opposition that seems to never cease from the adversary got in the way. It looks like her husband doesn't really like religion, and she didn't want to cause any problems. We tried calling again later to see if she could come, but alas this week was no good. The good thing: she wants to come to church! So, we're still praying that the way will be opened for her, and I know it will!

Wednesday was a Zone Meeting and interview session with President Isa. They did most of the meeting in Japanese, and most of it flew by me. However, I did get some of the gist of it, and there were parts that they did in English too, so that's good. It made me so excited. I keep hearing of miracles, and coming up soon, there are six people in the Kure area about to be baptised. SIX, in the same area, it is possible!!!

However, I haven't been giving it as much as I should be. There was an article from March's Ensign from Elder Don R.Clarke, Learning to Share the Gospel. The article was talking about people being placed in the Missionaries' path because they were striving to talk to everyone. The Lord knew that he could trust them to talk with everyone, so that's why He was placing the people there. I want this to be fulfilled in my mission, and for some reason, I've been hiding behind some kind of comfort zone barrier. I've resolved to stop. I want the blessings. I want to help these people, I want my mission to mean something. And if I can just step up to the bat to do my part in really talking with everyone, I'm going to start seeing a lot more miracles.

From March's presidency message, near the end, Pres. Monson talked about a story where he made a promise to one of his missionaries that would be fulfilled if he honestly and diligently served God in proclaiming His message. Well, the first night at the Mission Home, I received a promise too. It wasn't a real formal one. After a lot of awesome Japanese conversation that I didn't understand, President Isa asked us new Missionaries: "Did you understand that?" Obviously we hadn't. "You will."

So there I have it. I have received a promise from my mission president that I will understand this language, and that I will be able to communicate with these wonderful, kind, amazing people. He didn't talk about the underlying sacrifice/commitment to do my best that's involved, but I know it's there.

So please pray for me that I can just burst out of my comfort zone. I know, I've done scarier things, but at Ft. Leonard Wood (ROTC/National Guard) the consequences for lack of action were a lot more obvious and painful. These consequences are subtle and spiritually painful. I can do this. I know I can, but only with divine help. I will do my part.

I love you. I am so blessed. The lord's tender mercies are so evident sometimes.