It's beginning to feel a lot like Halloween, pumpkins everywhere. Well,
not really, only at the church building. Halloween isn't really a
thing here in Japan, but it certainly makes for fun ward activities!
You know, this was a good week. Yes, it was busy as all get out (I think
there were a couple of times I got back home close to midnight) but we got a
lot done and started really getting into the groove of this transfer
again! So for the mission home the most hectic time is always the last
and the first week of the transfer; incidentally, those occur one after
the other, so we basically have 2 weeks that are just jam-packed!
Everything from new missionaries coming in, to old missionaries
finishing their missions, to conferences for leaders from all over the
mission, to introducing new missionaries to the district, and getting
everybody's stuff to their new area....I think we've got it about
covered now. Usually we have a couple of weeks to get the items that
everybody ordered ready for them to send at zone conference, but there
is no zone conference this transfer, so we had to get everything ready
by the first Tuesday of the transfer, and the day before that we had a
slight car accident in the mission, so everything happened to come on
the same day! I don't think my desk has ever been so messy, with things
just being thrown on it without me knowing! I think it's mostly clean
now... mostly.
But it's all okay! Everybody got the things they need and we even
had time to visit our new investigator who just got out of the
hospital! He was an alcoholic looking for a way out, and was told to
ask for the help of God, and that's when he ran into the missionaries.
Since meeting with the missionaries he's stopped drinking alcohol, but
has various different obstacles left on his path to baptism and a clean
life, but that is his desire and he said he'll do what it takes to be
rid of his addiction! He's one of the more humble people I've met in
the mission, and he's way excited to learn more about Christ and come
closer to him.
Speaking of people coming to Christ, we have a baptism today! He's a
homeless man that we've been working with here in the mission home and
he's finally made all the preparations to come and be ready for the
ordinance of baptism! He's a little older, and he might take a little
longer to understand principles, but he's honest, and is so ready for his baptism today!
The cool thing about Saturdays here in the mission home is that
every week we have people come from all over the mission to go to the
temple upstairs. Today we had members from the Hiroshima stake,
Yamaguchi stake, and Kagoshima district! So we had the whole ward come
over from Yasufuruichi! It was way nostalgic to see all of the members
here. Of the 50 people that came over from Hiroshima stake,
Yasufuruichi still holds the greatest portion at 25 people! It always
nice to see a ward do everything they can to stay active, not only in
the church, but in the gospel as well.
On a slightly lighter note.... I think I've gotten used to driving
in Japan now! I've taken the big ol' vanimal down the tiny streets of
Japan many a time now, and I think I've even gotten used to backing up
between two tight spaces now. I totally understand what Elder Clements
felt when I first came in and he said, "I'm essentially the honbu taxi
driver"..... Well, that spot's been passed down to me now :D At least I
get to see a lot of people!
One of the other investigators that we've been working with, the one
in line to inherit a giant shrine, is doing super well! We had a
dinner appointment with him at a member's house and he always has a great
time with everybody. He was busy over conference weekend so he didn't
have a chance to watch conference, but we got him a DVD of the sessions
and passed them along to him to watch. Hopefully something in the words
of the speakers, or in the spirit of the conference will ring with him
and he'll be able to work out his feelings and come closer to God and
begin his path on the journey back to him!
Speaking of conference ... Normally we all watch it over at the church
building, but President Gustafson had an emergency come up and ended up
having to stay at home, so he called me over to set up the system for
him. Well, it ended up taking a little longer than expected, and we
would have missed some of the conference if we had gone back
to the church, so we just ended up in the Mission President's living room
watching conference with them. For a session it was just the
Gustafsons and Me and Elder Tanaka. It was definitely like watching
Conference back home. Then we had the APs come over and it was the 6 of
us for the last bit of Saturday's Conference. It was a way nice time,
and a really great conference. I encourage everyone to go and see it
again (especially Saturday morning.... that one is just something else!)
Ok, well, we've got to go get ready for the baptismal service and
fix my glasses (I've been wearing my sports specs for the past couple of
days until I can get them fixed....)
Here's some pictures from the Office (I do legit things I promise... it's not all play)
Elder Everett
エベレット長老
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