The Big 19

Hey all! Thanksgiving and my birthday were awesome. We hiked around in bamboo forests on thanksgiving and then Colton Choro went all out and decorated the entire apartment and made a double layered cake in our little toaster oven (Japanese don't use ovens) and it was so much fun. It's been so cold and I've been humbled because it's the coldest I've ever been in my life probably. The humidity chills you to the core.

Sunday was the branch's primary program which was so spiritual and there's only four kids and the three boys are all in the same family but it was the most spiritual program I've ever seen. As soon as they all stood up and announced the theme and sang the first song we all started crying and it really hit me deep in the heart that "I know that my redeemer lives and he will stand at the last day upon the earth (something like that, Job 19:25, the primary theme). They all had solos too and it was just as full of a program as a 90 kid Utah program. But here's the catch! The teachers wrote down things the kids said during the lessons throughout the year that were spiritual and they used those as the themes in the program and so everything the kids had said, they REALLY has said earlier in the year. None of it was written and made to be memorized but it was all from the heart. That was very touching. It also really hit me how special children's testimonies are and how strong they really are. God really loves children! They're so sweet and pure! I love the children too, and in the Book of Mormon (I forget who, I think Mormon in Moroni 8? Or was it King Benjamin?) said that he loves little children perfectly and God does too. Kids are the best! Especially little Nihonjin kids! :)

Oh it was Tanaka San's baptism! I got to teach him one lesson when we were on exchanges! Sunday when he came to church he was completely smiling from ear to ear and he just said he was happy! The power of baptism is real! It changes lives! The baptism was so spiritual. Plus afterwards two of the sisters, Seko Shimai and Mei Shimai (in the picture back left corner and immediately to the right of me, middle row) came up to me, and asked "kami o sawatte mo ii?" Or in English "may we touch your hair?" And of course I let them and they just loved it so much. They just laughed and were like "aaahhhhh" because I do have pretty cool hair. :)

That's about all that has happened since Thanksgiving and we didn't teach lessons from then. Actually we had one return appointment but we went back and talked with her, and we determined her mental capabilities weren't enough to be able to make the decisions to join the church or not so we encouraged her to keep reading the Book of Mormon and to come to church. That's always hard to do but it's the best way to go because God has a plan for everybody and we know that those who are mentally handicapped will be loved and obtain heaven through God's love. He loves everyone perfectly!

I love you all (not as perfectly as God but I'm working on it!) :)

Elder Tschirki

Me and my octopus 

My birthday

Tanaka San's baptism

 

And the cake that Koganemaru Shimai brought. She's a saint! All of the Japanese members are the best people I've ever met, and she's definitely made it into my top 5 people I can never payback anything compared to what she's given me during my life

Birthday pics

 

Scarf Weather

This last week and a half we've met a bunch of awesome people. We have a new person we are teaching named Cho and he's a 21 year old Chinese kid who believes that God is real and that he's felt God's influence in his life. We met him on the street in downtown Shimonoseki and made a return appointment. We saw him the day before the return appointment as we were just riding around and he said "hey! You're still coming tomorrow right?" And so we think he's pretty kinjin (lit. Golden person aka golden investigator) and we teach him on Sunday a little bit about the restoration and about God and prayer. We asked him if he would pray as we showed him the steps of prayer and he did and it was very simple, but he said afterwards he felt a hot feeling in his chest. The only problem with Cho is he is very busy and works and goes to school so we can't teach TOO much but we are teaching him. We're thinking about teaching at lunches or dinners because he has to eat sometime right? We made other return appointments but they didn't show up or weren't home but Cho is great. We are probably going to drop our other investigators because they won't keep their commitments and grow spiritually despite them both being interested. Interest only goes so far, desire takes the rest and we've done our part. 

Last week Egan Kaicho did a surprise tour with the Assistants on boosting faith and Yamaguchi zone was the first place they went. Just imagine the first thing your mission president says when it's his turn to speak is "Where is your faith? Where is your faith?" It was a very edifying experience that made everybody wonder where our faith was, and why our mission is one of the lowest baptizing in Asia North Area and why the church isn't growing. He said the problem comes down to consecration and that missionaries here aren't as consecrated, meaning we aren't as dedicated to the Lord. Yes we are still hard working but there's a completely different level needed, meaning that we have to give EVERYTHING to the Lord. As we've done that and worked on building our faith, dendo has improved. Our quality of teaching has improved and we have been making return appointments, even if they don't show up, we are making them which is improvement. That's only been a week's worth of differences. Over the next two years as my faith grows and turns into pure knowledge (see Alma 32 and also read Ether 3 and how he had faith and after he had faith it become knowledge, also Ether 12) there will be more and more success, but more importantly is that I will become more of the person that God wants me to become. Being asked where your faith is isn't very comfortable, but nobody ever grew through comfort, but through effort. Work on your faith too! As you consecrate, you WILL see blessings. Live the higher law in Matthew and 3 Nephi. Live it and do it. You will see great blessings. I have.

Anyways I love you all! That's what's been going on!

Elder Tschirki

Us and Tomita Kyodai in one of his greenhouses. He's one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life. 

Scarves and neckwarmers WOOT

My new old man pajamas with little birds on them.

Flip Flop Socks

First off, next week P-Day is on thanksgiving for some reason. I'm not sure why but it is but my birthday is the day after I think, the 27, and I'll be turning the big 19 and legally I'm still not considered an adult in Japan. That's 20 years old. 

Anyways, this week wasn't super eventful. We met a mom who was SO nice on her doorstep and we came back twice and visited her throughout the week. In the second visit we taught her how to pray and she did on the doorstep. Awesome!!! It was so amazing! But on the third visit Flippo Choro asked the inspired question "are you even really interested?" And she said she's interested a little bit but not a whole lot, and that she wouldn't ever join the church but she does want to learn more but not take lessons, so long story short, there's some interest but not enough to keep teaching so we are going to stop by whenever we are in the area and say hi to her and remind her about the Christmas party. She'll end up joining the church but the thing that's hard for missionaries is that people have to join at their own pace and level of understanding and making commitments. 

One of our investigators told us that he would listen to other churches' missionaries too to know what the truth is. He wants to believe in something but he problem is is you don't gain a testimony and conviction through researching everything, but it comes rough spiritual witnesses of the truth and that only comes when you are being taught the truth! We only taught him once this last week. 

Our other investigator comes to church almost every Sunday and he brings his friend with him but he doesn't read the Book of Mormon. He asked us out of the blue how our dendo was going and if we had people to teach, and at church he said his friend doesn't have a Book of Mormon (the friend he always brings) so he's doing missionary work but he's not reading the book hahaha. He believes in Christianity but doesn't act on the promises we give him. We're going to break it down super simply tomorrow and lovingly tell him at he will never know that the church is true without reading the Book of Mormon, aka the evidence. The most perfect book of any book on the earth is the way you find out gospel truths. It's the way you learn about life and gain an eternal perspective and understanding. You'll never understand the gospel or even life if you don't read the Book of Mormon. It's very simple! Just read it everyday for even 5 minutes and you'll come to understand it 100% faster than someone who has never read it. But really though we love our investigators and we just need to be a little bit bolder with them. The latter will for sure be baptized. We know he will, he just needs to read the Book of Mormon. He understands the principles and the doctrine, it's just commitments. Besides that not much happened. We had zone conference out in Ube and Kitakyushu is now in Yamaguchi zone for some reason. I also bought some cool socks with just the big toe in it.

I love you all!

Elder Tschirki

Out in Ube at the eki (train station).
 

Flip Flop Socks

 

I'm Organized What

This week was super fun. It started out playing futsal (soccer) on the roof of a building overlooking the ocean next to the mountains with a couple of investigators and two of the members, Seko Kyoudai, Makoto Kyodai and his friends. It was super fun and a good way to introduce some investigators to each other and to he church. We didn't do a short message or anything but they came to church and enjoyed the YSA (there's like three that just got back from their missions within the last three months). The YSA is definitely doing their part with the investigators and being GREAT missionary members. They invite them to activities, shokujis (eating activities, like a potluck but with Japanese stuff) and just befriend them. Everybody needs to get involved with their investigator friends and with the missionaries and we'll flood the world with happiness and the gospel!

Anyways this last week was transfers and we're all staying, probably because we're all training, and life will be good and everything is set for the next six weeks.

Can I just say I love it when our investigators come to church? That's the first step of faith often times and they need to feel the love and warmth of the gospel at church. One of our investigators had gone to church about 2 years ago and didn't feel cared for and sat alone, but now that he came this Sunday he said it was a completely different situation. Everybody, make sure people aren't sitting alone at church! Make sure people are loved and understood! Do as the Saviour would do!

This week I had a miraculous change of heart. I'm actually clean and organized. I became obsessed with cleaning because "cleanliness is next to godliness" and now I CANT STAND messes. As we've been cleaning the apartment in our free time there is a definite change in the spirit. We're supposed to teach through the spirit and if we don't prepare to teach in the spirit, there's no way we can teach with the spirit, and like the scriptures say, "if he don't have the spirit you can't teach." So hey mom, I'm actually clean and you were right, I would learn how to be clean and hate messes while on my mission. I'm sorry for doubting you.

This morning I had a cool experience. As I was praying I felt two promptings that were really just thoughts but turned out to be promptings. The first is "the spirit is easily offended" and the second was "read about the 12 apostles in Third Nephi" and I was like "what the heck okay" so I did and I was lead to Alma 41:8-9 which says: 

"8 Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved.

9 And now behold, my son, do not risk one more offense against your God upon those points of doctrine, which ye have hitherto risked to commit sin."

And then in Third Nephi 28:35: 

"For do ye suppose that ye can get rid of the justice of an offended God, who hath been trampled under feet of men, that thereby salvation might come?"

And I thought about it and anything we do against God's decrees or commandments offends the spirit thereby offending God. When we offend God we are subject to Justice, but through Jesus Christ and the merciful plan of redemption we are able to become clean and pure and
God "will remember our sins no more". It was amazing how the spirit taught this to me and I guess I needed to hear that, so as I go throughout my days I will be looking for ways to become more Christlike, because if you're Christlike you won't offend God. It's really simple. Plus who doesn't want to be like Christ anyways? I think having a perfect love and brightness of hope will be an amazing thing and gift to have. :)

Anyways I love you all! Thank you all so much!

Elder Tschirki

This is our futsal activity. Our investigator Shuhei is the second from the left, back row. Seko Kyoudai is bottom left, Makoto Kyoudai is third from the right, back row.

  

My newfound love for organization plus thousands of Mikans.

 

  The beautiful sunset after futsal.

 

Mikangari

This week was so good! And it's getting pretty cold here because we're on a peninsula and surrounded by ocean, but Japan is so so so beautiful! We taught three lessons to our new
investigator Mano and he has a loose baptism date now, as in its just the date to aim for and nothing is set in stone. He knows the doctrine very well and understands everything, it's just a matter of taking that step of faith and acting on it. We've been teaching him about how to use the Atonement and how it takes care of anything we've done and any unfair thing that we've had happen to us. I think really it's just acting and personalizing the gospel issue right now. Last time he took the lessons he came to church and didn't relate with anyone and now there are younger people back from missions that can help him in the process. He's a little scared of moving away from family culture which is normal here but he'll be okay.

We went to a place that my companion didn't want to go and the first door we knocked a mom came out, went inside and got her (1/2 Christian daughter (I don't know)) and she has studied Christianity her whole life in school (that's the problem, she needed to come to church! If you study religion in school you'll just get the history, not the whys and hows) but never has gotten any answers and we gave her a Book of Mormon and testified hardcore to her about it and she convictedly said that she would read it and try it and while we couldn't make a return appointment we will be going back on Sunday. She works and goes to college so she's super busy, just like everybody else in this country. But really it is a huge sacrifice here to join the church for cultural, family, religious, work etc. reasons but it's well worth it.

Anyways Flippo Choro goes to the bathroom like 10 times a day and I only go twice but I eat more than double he does and drink at least 8 times what he does, so I'm not sure how that works out. I'm 80 pounds heavier than him! The Halloween party was so much fun and the branch here really puts on a great party! And they always bring dinner too and everything is so oishii. The kids in the branch (the Saito family) are the best. They all dressed up as ninjas with costumes that Saito Kaicho (he's in the district presidency) made and they're so cute! The kids everywhere are so dang cute too. This week we went to MIKANGARI as a branch activity, and mikangari is just picking tangerines and eating as many as you can and we went with members and it was great. It's like a $5 all you can eat orange festival holiday, but it was so fun and we ran into a bunch of kids sledding down the hills and there are acres on acres of orange trees and it was the funnest P-day here too. My Three M's list was created today. Members, Mikans and Mugicha, because that's all you need in life to be happy.

Anyways I love you all!

Elder Tschirki

When it poured all day and we got a rainbow. Ketchup and mustard AKA we are getting new rain gear soon.

 Last week at a cool Jenja

 Halloween party

 

Mikangari

  

 

  

He gave me a pin from a jamboree and he's a stud. Scouts is decently big here, especially with nonmembers. They came up to us and asked for us to take pictures with them, probably because we are tall gaijins.