The Brooklyn Bridge

We made gyoza. *selfie apparently required* Hashtag: Japan. And now for something important! Sometimes you are the most blessed missionary in the entire world and get to have a Mission Conference given by Elder Ballard and other amazing members of the seventy. Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke to us about becoming better missionaries and loving the people we serve. Hearing from him was obviously wonderful, but I was really able to learn from the spirit just by watching his example as an apostle. A disciple of Jesus Christ who really knows him and exemplifies him in his ministry as an Apostle. He holds his wife's hand and makes observations and testifies from the spirit and follows every prompting he gives him. He is bold but also perfectly meek. That's who I want to be. I trustworthy disciple. I think my favorite thing he said in his address was this, which I think we can certainly all apply and be successful if we do. He asked to give our best each day and, "Just let the spi...

A photo of my much-too-radical district! Love these people! And definitely learning a lot from them.  This week was pretty much the same...teaching and finding and testifying and blessing and too much bread! :) My mother and sister sent me questions to answer this week and I loved that! Much easier to write and hopefully things you acutally want to hear about. Feel free to add your own questions in the comments below! I will be happy to answer them! Otherwise just keep going on with your life...because I am not center of it...Jesus Christ is whoo hoo! What is your daily routine? We wake up at 6:30 and exercise! We walk up and down our stairs and do sit ups and yes more "in-apartment" exercise ideas would be greatly appreciated. We shower and get ready then do personal study at 8:00. I have really become grateful for personal study! The scriptures are absolutely delicious for my soul. At 9:00 we have Companionship Study where we plan lessons and role play them. At 10:...

Ｙou mean its Monday again already?! What? This transfer is seriously flying by faster that you can say nakerebanadimasen. Which actually takes me a while but I am getting faster! This week we had a great lesson with our investigator with a n adorable 17-year-old who converted about three years ago. She also had the same experience, really wanting to be baptized but her mother is very much against the idea. Our investigator has  great faith, and Karen's testimony really gave her the strength she needs to continue to read the Book of Mormon and pray every day, because I know when she does Heavenly Father will bless her faith by helping her be baptized!　Ｔhe point is, our members are incredible. Missionaries NEED the testimony of the members. Obviously missionaries are real people but...when an investigator hears from someone living the same kind of life in the same place in the same time, it has more of a personal effect and the Spirit can testify to them even stronger. I am so gratef...

We got on the train last night and realized that this train car was kind of a representative of our teaching pool! Ha ha... hm. Sometimes as a missionary you can feel like that sad ex-girlfriend who just won't give up... We call and text and visit because we love them so much and can see the amazing potential they have! But they are just not that into you...r message at the time. Sigh. Agency. Our investigators are seriously wonderful, interesting, talented and smart people I am grateful and so happy to know. I am excited to see their spirits progress, whether I am in Okazaki to see it happen or not. This week we started out with a lot of great appointments which each eventually cancelled except for one.  And none of the children of God walking along the street were particularly interested in eternal joy at the time,　 I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TAKE THE KEYBOARD OFF CAPS LOCK HELP THIS IS HARD THINGS Okay we're cool it's fine people everyone just calm down. Please. Anyway, we had...