Elder Tschirki in Japan: Navy

( I asked him if there were only two missionaries on the island. I also asked him if he flew or rode on a boat to get there.)

Mom. If there were only two missionaries on a small island with no supervision whatsoever, the entire island would apostatize before they were even taught. Eg: Corianton. There are four of us young pups and a senior missionary couple from Kagoshima, the Sano couple, that live above us. They have a lot of time so they drive us around sometimes.

Unfortunately I flew. I wanted to take the all night, 12 hour ferry ride but we're just flying people now. Even though it's more expensive, it's more effective. But, it's beautiful down here. It's like a heaven on earth. I never thought I'd love the islands but it's probably my favourite place I've ever been. But we have a giant US Navy boat in the harbor for the first time in 53 years and it's kind of weird. Apparently, North Korea tried shooting some missiles at Japan or something but, as usual, it's North Korean technology so it wasn't close. The Navy boat has been here for like 4 days but they leave today. We talked to some.

Anyways, this week we couldn't really get into contact with many of our investigators. They are out of town, up in like Kagoshima playing a soccer tournament but we will meet back up with him this week. So, that leaves a lot of space for finding, which we did a lot of, and found a lot of good people. One of which is Shigeta. He had met with missionaries before, and loves learning about religion. He doesn't have the desire really to join the church because he is pretty strongly bound to his sect of Buddhism, Sokkagakkai, but has a big desire to learn. We taught him the first couple of lessons and it all makes sense to him in his head. He's a very good man and taught elementary school for a long time, so he knows how to speak very
clearly to us. We also went to go visit a less active and while he wasn't home, we met his son who isn't a member who we made a return appointment with. Way cool! We also taught a less active, or tried to teach rather, and he can play anything you want him to on electric
guitar. He's a 60 year old man named Oku, and he believes that God uses UFOs to tractor beam people up to heaven like the city of Enoch, and that the second coming is going to be in 12 years because it's 200 years after Joseph Smith got baptized or something like that and how God is going to lift everybody that is righteous up to heaven will be through UFOs. He also said a lot of good things that were all true, but the UFO part was the most notable. Needless to say, we won't be watching Ancient Aliens on History Channel with him.

This week I decided to start a new project in my personal study, and that is called my Atonement Study Journal, and what it is is you start from the beginning of the Book of Mormon and eventually work into the other standard works and write down every reference that mentions the Atonement in some way, write down what it says, and then from there
write down what it means and what it means to you. As I have done so this week, I have found so many great insights and it's almost like being able to unfold the scriptures. I invite all to make their own Atonement study journal, because the Atonement and sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the single greatest event in human history and is the only we that we can truly be happy in this life and be able to live with God in the next. Just remember that we have to "feast upon the words of Christ" and if we do so diligently, our understanding will be
expounded and we will be able to grow in knowledge, leading to us being more able to choose the road to eternal life.

I love you all!

Elder Tschirki

#japan❤️

Navy boat