Life in an empty office 17 Nov 2012

HAPPY NOVEMBER, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Well, this was an interesting week.  President Gustafson went to Korea for a Mission President's conference, the AP's were out doing a week of companion exchanges down in Okinawa and everywhere else, so it was just the Beus', Elder Tanaka and me in the office.  I would say that it was a little more quiet this week, but with more phone calls, things breaking down, and all of the other crazy things that came up this week, there wasn't really any quiet moment at all.  One big thing that we got done this week was getting Elder and Sister Beus' driver's license. 

So the two of them had served together previously in Germany, and the surrounding area.  They actually led the introduction of the institute buildings in Europe and helped it grow to the force that it is today.  So they had to move around Europe, all across the autoban and everywhere else, so they had a German License.  Apparently if you get a German license, it doesn't ever expire.  So they held on to that German License, which was a great thing for when they came to Japan because switching over a license from Germany doesn't require you to take the driving test.  What it does require, however, is several more levels of bureaucracy and red tape.  Let it suffice to say that, well, the third time is the charm when it comes to the driver's license palace.  The best thing about going to the PMV ('P' stands for Palace :D) though is the awesome Udon shop just in front of the complex.  (Now this palace-complex is roughly the size of a small airport, and has over 5 floors of just, space.  It's a pretty great and spacious building) Something I learned about Udon though, is that it originated here in Fukuoka, which explains a little bit of why there are so many udon shops everywhere. 

This past Monday one of our investigators took his place in the 40-day Fast for our ward.  We still haven't been able to sit down and talk with him yet, but we visited his house while he was still at work and left note cards and a bag of candy in his mailbox as a way for him to break his fast.  He gave us this sweet, awesome text the next morning talking about how much his life has changed ever since coming to church and just how grateful he is for all of the experiences he's had from the members and from all of the missionaries he's met in the past couple of months.  There's nothing greater for a missionary than to hear and see the love of Christ work through the people that we love and work with. 

Then on Wednesday we met with our investigator who's writing his thesis on missionaries and had a really great lesson on the importance of prayer.  In our conversation we talked a little about how his paper was going and we found out that starting on Wednesday he was going to be going up to Tokyo to take a tour around the Church Headquarters!  I'm still not entirely sure how he gets around to all these places, or how he even got in contact with them up in Tokyo, but, I figure the more he goes the better.  I don't know if he realizes just how close he is to finding the truth.  Right now he's looking at the structure, the infrastructure, the church as a well-oiled machine, and he's just off the line from letting himself feel the truth of the gospel.  We said that he's looking at the church from his scholar glasses, and that he just need to let himself look at the church through his spiritual glasses.  There's so much more that he could have in his life if he would only let himself.  I'm so glad that he picked up on the difference that happened in Amulek when he said "I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power...for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things; but I would not know." My prayer and my hope for him is that he would let himself know.  He knows more about the church, its organization, the logistics of it, more than any other member that I know, but he will not know..... not yet, but it's coming.

Thursday we had a family home evening at a member’s house and I somehow ended up teaching the lesson.  I taught about having life goals and using the correct tools for our lives through the example of archery and riflery. I figure if I have 3 years of experience with something, I might as well use what I know to teach.  I think it went really well and I'm going to see if I can fine-tune it a little more and show it next time as a more polished lesson.  It's always a good thing when you can find gospel relations to the things in your life.  They are always there, we just need to find them.

Japan is great, I love working here and to have the opportunity to work with all of the great people here in Fukuoka.  It's definitely one of the busiest times in my mission. I made a to-do list that took a whole page on my planner and then some (and that was just the projects, not the small needs within each project!) but it's been great!  I figure if this doesn't prepare me for living a gospel centered life in the real world, I don't know what will.  Granted, I may not be “under” the Temple everywhere I go, but I will have to balance the time I have between that which is good, that which is better, and that which is best.  And it is my hope that both you and I will always choose the best.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Elder Everett
エベレット長老

We got a DRYER! 10 Nov 2012

Big news this week! We finally got a dryer in the house!  Oh man, living in a house of 6 people with only hang-dry options was really hectic.  This new dryer should prove to be a life-saver!

HAPPY NOVEMBER!! I know it's already the 10th but it's never too late to celebrate. 

So last weekend one of the Sister missionaries got sick here in Fukuoka ward, and we were trying to figure out what we could do to help her feel better.  Well, on Monday we had a cleaning check for our house and the Mission President and his Wife came and did it personally.  The first time they came was a couple of weeks ago and it was out of the blue with no preparation time, after a month straight of no P-day to clean it up... the first time wasn't pretty at all, but this second time they passed us with a celestial rating and then decided that they should go take us out for Ice Cream!  Well, the President was kind of busy at night, so I ended up driving everybody in the mission van to a Baskin Robins (they call it "31" in Japan, and I think there's maybe 1 or 2 per prefecture, so we were super lucky to find one!) and while we were their somebody brought up the plight of the Sister missionaries and everyone agreed that we should buy them some ice cream too.  I'm not sure if ice cream is the best thing to help a cold or not, but I figure it's good for the soul.  So I led the attack group to the Sister's apartment and there we had the Mission President's wife hand-deliver the ice cream.  You can just imagine the surprise on the Sisters' faces when they opened the door and Sister Gustafson and 4 missionaries were standing outside their door!

Also, we recently started having Monday office meetings that I'm in charge of, and this past Monday was the grand start!  I'm not sure how I get put in charge of running office meetings, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I figure if I fake like I know what I'm doing, one of these days I'll eventually fool even myself.  I feel like that's been my train of thought for the majority of the jobs that have come up while here in the office: Making the Christmas card, fixing internet and computer problems, creating a weekly newsletter, creating a running inventory list, writing the mission's yearly report to be filed in Salt Lake, and a bajillion other small projects that seem to come up out of nowhere.  Looks like it's time to put into practice all of those time management lessons I've had over the years!  Somehow during this I'm supposed to find time to go and teach people the gospel too, which we've been able to do more and more each week! 

In working out our balance of office work and Dendo time we've been finding more and more the importance of scheduling and planning ahead of time.  E-mails and texts have become a great tool in finding times to meet with investigators and to just keep in contact with them throughout the week.  An e-mail or text will never be able to take the place of meeting them in person and actually talking with them, but it's a lot better than leaving them in the dust with not contact at all!  This week we were able to get in several lessons, which was a great relief!  Everyone that we work with is progressing so well.  I know that they've felt the love and the truth of the gospel, and now the goal is to have them know that it's from God. 

We have 2 investigators that are progressing really well in the Gospel, learning, reading, praying, and coming closer to Christ, and we have many other investigators who are great people and who are working on coming closer to the Lord.  I know that as we find time to work with them and focus our work on their lives that there is a joy that is waiting for each and every one of them!  This Gospel has a way that it changes and improves people's lives. I've seen it time and time again, as people take the work of the Lord seriously in their lives, do the activities that bring them closer to Christ, read the scriptures, pray, go to church, there is a very visible difference in their lives.  How great it is to bring joy and happiness into the lives of those around us.  It's so true, as you focus on the people around you, all of your own doubts, fears, hardships, and worries seem to melt away and both you, and the people you serve have an increased light of Christ in their life. 

One of the greatest joys that the Gospel brings is the happiness from eternal families, something that we get to see today as Fukuoka Ward is hosting a reception for 2 young adults who just got Married here in the Fukuoka Temple!  We were asked to set up a stand of pamphlets and hand-outs that focus on the family to be offered at the Reception so we set up a display board with copies of the Family, A Proclamation to the World, A pamphlet on 3 ways to a happier family, and pictures of the Temple.  Hopefully the people at the reception will take at least something from the display and learn, even a little more, about the plan God has for families and for their eternal happiness!

Fall is a beautiful season here in Japan and I just love seeing all of the beautiful colors everywhere around us.  But it's getting awfully cold, I'm already bringing out the sweaters, and I can only imagine how it's going to be come January or so here in Fukuoka!  If this is supposed to be the warmest mission in Japan, I feel very sorry for everyone else... it's cold!

Well, I hope you all have a great week and are able to go do something awesome!

Lots of Love,
Elder Everett

Where has the time gone? 1 Nov 2012

Ok, so I don't have a lot of time, but I do want to give a quick update one what's happening before I have no time left at all.  A more full e-mail will come out tomorrow when I actually have my p-day.... (if I end up having a p-day or not... I'm still not even sure if we have time for that tomorrow or not.)

It's getting cold here in Fukuoka!  I've started wearing my vests again, and the heater's even been a major part of the daily routine now too.  I don't know who decided that every house in Japan should be without central heating, but it's a bugger getting out of the shower.  We're also in the middle of a make-over for our house here in Fukuoka, because when the missionaries who originally moved in there, they compiled all of the items from 3 apartments and had it filled to the brim.  So now we're gutting the place, scrubbing all of the surfaces, and stripping it down to the necessities and starting over fresh!  It's been a bit of a project here, which has been taking up our p-days and we've even had to dedicate a work day to it as well.  It's a good thing I got a little experience with new house furnishing in Yasufuruichi, because Elder Tanaka and I have been making it back and forth to the appliance stores and I've been the major head in gathering items for the apartment.  I'm not sure how that came to my desk, but, it's been a different sort of experience to say the least.

I've somehow managed to lose weight since coming to the Honbu.  I'm not entirely sure how that worked out, but I was talking to some of the Sister Missionaries who worked in Fukuoka before, and they said that there are two types of office missionaries, those who gain weight while in the Honbu, and those who lose it..... I guess I'm the losing kind... I think I'm all they way back down to the 130s now  I'm not entirely sure because all of the scales are in kilos, but I'm at a pretty firm 64 (nearly 3 kilos off from my time in Oita!)  Speaking of weight, we've been getting invited to more and more dinner appointments, and they've all been super delicious.  This ward definitely has the most number of kids that I've seen in any other ward so far in Japan, so it's a blast whenever we get to spend time with the families with tons of kids.  I even got to see a cowboy/space ranger fight while eating Gyoza with an investigator last week (with legit Woody and Buzz Lightyear dolls!).

Our investigators have also been doing really well.  We started a 40 day fast with our ward to prepare for the Christmas season, and the focus is on missionary work.  The goal is to have everyone in the ward invite someone to the church, either for an activity or for Sunday services, and to look for opportunities to have the Missionaries into their home.  Our investigators are even participating in the 40 day fast, and are searching to know whether this church is the one for them or not.  We have great people to work with here and I am so excited to see them grow and come closer to the Savior.  I've seen the change in their lives just in the short time I've been here, but they are some of the most genuine people I have ever met, and I just want them to do good! 

It may be November now (that means I'm old) but with the last 2 months of the year, we can make it a blast!

Have a good Week and I'll write again Tomorrow for the full follow-up for this week!

Elder Everett