So I get an e-mail from my mom today and
I'm way excited because it starts with some updates on how BYU
Basketball is doing (Taking down San Diego and ruining their undefeated
streak!) and was way excited. Then I continued reading and the very
next sentence is this: "So, Dad and I have our American Airlines tickets
to Fukuoka!"...... WHAT! There's no way it's time for that yet! But
then I thought about it and realized... yesterday was the 21 month mark
for my mission! NO WAY!
Well
it was a good 21 month mark. We had a zone conference/p-day with the
Mission President and his wife. That was a ton of fun. We talked about
the importance of cleanliness in the apartment (I've been keeping it
good, just to let you know.... I still stand as having the most cleaning
checks of any other missionary, all of them with the Celestial rating!)
and the principle of no-fear contacting.
We
watched this video called "Fear Not" made for missionaries in Japan.
Something I've noticed is that a lot of people think of missionary work,
especially Finding, to be us, as Mormons, shoving our religion down
everybody's throat. We go out, talk to you in the streets, visit you in
your home, we're everywhere. We're not here to pull out somebody's
interest, teach people who do not want to learn, or do any such
thing. Instead we are going out into the world to find the people who
are interested and willing to learn at least a little bit of the plan
that our Heavenly Father has for us. I'm not going to lie, it's hard
when you go through a week talking to every person you see, literally
hundreds a week, trying
to share with them a little bit of the happiness you've felt, only to
have them ignore you, demean you, or any manner of other things you can
imagine, abuse, threats, and physicality not restrained. But I can
stand with confidence to whatever comes this way because I know that I
am on the Lord's errand, and I know that they too are a Child of God who
is just as lost, just as confused as everyone else. If it's not
somebody’s time to hear the Gospel, it’s just not their time. That's
when I step back, send them on their way, and continue on the search to
find the people willing to listen. One of the hardest things for me in
my mission has been to go and contact people out on the streets. I
don't know what to say, how to approach them, or even what they'll
think, but I've learned that it doesn't really need to be that trying.
If they don't want to listen, that's fine, we
all have our agency and neither their time, nor my time, will be wasted
in the process. But after all that searching, all that work, all
that effort, when somebody finally listens, when somebody finally lets
you know that your efforts are not in vain, that makes a whole day, a
whole week, heck, even a whole 2 years worth it!
The
conference was way fun because I got to see a ton of missionaries that I
love to see! Also, the AP's brought over the Suit that I bought on the
last day before I left Fukuoka (which just so happens to be almost the
exact same one that Elder Gandy bought...). Later during the zone P-day
activities we played this game called "Punny Punny" I can't really
explain it now, but it's definitely one that I'm going to have to bring
back with me, don't forget to ask me when I get back (in 3 months.....
!!)
Oh,
so my Mom has reminded me that I have neglected to talk about my
companion at all... oops, my bad. His name is Elder U....., he's half
Japanese and half Hawaiian. He speaks perfect English and Japanese, and
he wants to work more on his English, so we speak English in the
apartment. It's kind of weird because I haven't spoken that much
English in a very long time.... Is it weird that it now feels weird to
speak English?
I
admit, I'm a bit of a geek, but I've got to say, I've got nothing on
Elder U...... It's been good though because he's been the only
companion that will play Shogi (Japanese chess) with me. The apartment
here in Mihara is pretty big. Usually missionary apartments are 3
rooms, the study room, sleeping room, and the kitchen with the bathroom
shoved in there somewhere. But here in Mihara we've got an extra 4th
room, which basically becomes a place to put all our stuff, it's
actually pretty 便利.... I can't think of the word for benri right now.... convenient?
Ok, so I don't have too much more time, we've got to get ready for Eikaiwa, so until next week!
Elder Everett
エベレット長老
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