Elder Tschirki in Japan: It's Super Hot

This last week was pretty good. No bike accidents but two new investigators. We aren't sure how well they're going to progress or if they are too interested yet, but we're going to teach them the best we can. It's up to them! And just because someone says no doesn't mean that they'll keep saying no in the future! Like one of our investigators here says, everybody joins the church in the right timing for them. In English too. Now those are some words of wisdom.

We taught our 28 year old dad investigator Kengo and reviewed lesson three, the gospel of Jesus Christ, with an emphasis on the temple and priesthood. He was pretty interested in that and said if he knew that this was the right church and what his ancestors wanted him to do, then obviously he would join. I testified to him that if he really wants to know that it's true, and if he prays, then God, and maybe even his ancestors being taught in the spirit world, will tell him that it's true. It's interesting when we teach him because any time that he says something or has a question or concern and we answer that, the spirit is very strong and he just sits there and ponders. He knows what he is feeling is good and wants us to come back. He hasn't accepted the Book of Mormon yet, because, in his own words but translated, "The book is a very important book and I know that. I know it's important. But my kids will color all over it. Not my oldest daughter though. (She's 9). She'll listen to me when I say not to touch things but like my three year old will find it and color in it and so will the other kids because they don't listen to me." That's legit. I told him I probably colored in them too. I'm pretty sure I did ha. But we told him that we can download on his tablet thing the Book of Mormon and he was pumped about that. We asked if we could have his phone number and he gave it to us and said that our phone stinks and so does his and he doesn't know how to text on it and that we can only call him. He said, "If you end up texting me, I won't answer and I'll call you back and be like, 'hey, idiots, why didn't you call, call next time'" and that also we can only call him during his lunch breaks because "that's usually when I'm having a smoke break so I can answer then." He's the funniest guy I've ever met. He speaks SO
informally though, it's almost like a completely different language. He's pretty blue collar and gets up at 4:30 AM to go drive trucks and comes back at 7:00 at night. I love that guy.

Anyways, this week, as I was studying the New Testament (I'm almost in Revelations. My emails are going to get really interesting really soon) the big theme that John talks about is 1. love and 2. No corruption of speech, meaning bad language. He says that if we don't love our neighbors, we cannot inherit the kingdom of God. If we don't have charity, we cannot inherit the kingdom of God. If we say we love God, but don't love others, we are hypocrites and cannot inherit the kingdom of God. If we love God, we need to love others. We need to
have the same love that he had for us. Now for point two, if we say that we love God and our speech says otherwise, we cannot inherit the kingdom of God. We have to let the light of Christ live through us and let others see that! We have to follow the commandments with an eye single to the glory of God, and if we do so, we'll be okay! It's really a simple formula, but hard to be acted out, but I know that as we do so, we will be blessed and immensely happier!

I love you all!

Elder Tschirki

#japan❤️

For our German friend