Week 37 - June 18, 2012
   
Dear Family,
Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you. Thank you so much. I hope you had a great week and a great Sunday!

It's really starting to get warm and humid here now. It's still spring/the rainy season, but I'm sure summer will be in full-blast before we know it.

We spent this past week Monday night in Hachioji, an area about a half hour train ride from here. There were six elders there for the night because three of us were district leaders and had training the next day at the mission home. The three of our companion's all stayed together in Hachioji and proselyted there on Tuesday. The district leader training was a lot of fun. It was broken up into four main categories: Leadership qualities (with a little about baptismal interviews), effective companionship exchanges, effective district meetings, and motivating.

After the district leader training on Tuesday, I went on companionship exchange with Elder Petersen, one of my zone leaders, here in Sagamihara. We taught a lesson to Okamoto kyodai and really pushed for him to set a baptismal date to work towards. He wants to be baptized, but everything seems really complicated in his head and he has a hard time realizing the need for a goal to work towards so that he can progress better. After his lesson Elder Petersen and I were walking back to the apartment, talking to everyone along the way, and we met a man named Amagai. After talking to him for a little we went back to the church, taught him about the gospel of Christ, and set a baptismal date for the first of next month. We actually learned that he was a former investigator about two years ago. Anyway, Elder Petersen and I met with him again the next day and taught him the plan of salvation. I gave him a white shirt and a few cheap dollar ties to use to come to church on Sunday.

Wednesday night English class was a lot of fun as usual. The member who normally teaches our beginner class couldn't make it, so I had to teach it. It was the first time I had taught any class besides advanced, but it was fun.

On Thursday we finally made it out to the Shiyakusho, or city hall, to update my companion's gaijin card. They like us to update it within the week our addresses change.

I held district meeting on Friday. I love my district. My district is comprised of the zone leaders, Elder Petersen (half Japanese, half American, fluent in both languages,) and Elder Cragun from Draper, UT, Sister Derricott, Sister Takei, Elder Anderson (another half Japanese-American, but grew up speaking English), a new, first transfer missionary Elder Takaya from Osaka, then my companion Elder Orton and I. I focused my training at this past district meeting on forming habits, in order to change our characters and ultimately our destinies. In this zone, we have a 'Standard of Excellence' that's been set, and one of the things is to do the 'Evan's Challenge 100%.' The Evan's Challenge is to commit all investigators to be baptized on a specific date at the end of the first lesson and reinforce that date in all following lessons. So at district meeting we talked abou that
and how to form it into a habit and make it a part of ourselves.

We taught Silvia the plan of salvation on Friday with our bishop as joint. It was a great lesson. She's preparing for baptism on the seventh of next month.  The next day we taught Shimizu kyodai the law of chastity and more about prophets. His lesson went really well, also. He's a really quiet person, but we're developing a better relationship with him and he's opening up more. He's preparing for baptism on the 14th of next month. After his lesson we walked to the eki (train station) where we met another investigator and went out to Machida, the area next to ours. There was a classical music concert with some piano, violin, marimba, and even a few brass players, being held at the Machida church that President said would be fine to take investigators to. Okamoto kyodai rode his bike out there and met us at the church. We had a great time with three of our investigators and I think they all enjoyed it a lot. We spent almost an hour in transit there and another coming back, so we had a lot of good time to talk and become better friends. Actually on the way there, we got to the Machida train station, from which we were planning on taking a bus to the church, but, there weren't any buses coming soon enough, so we ended up just walking. From there we got a little lost, but there's not many better ways to get to know people than to get lost with them!

Yesterday, church was great. We had three investigators, Shimizu, Silvia, and Okamoto with us. After church, Elder Orton and I practiced, 'Come unto Jesus' with a few members for our ward conference in a few weeks.

Today we have three lessons scheduled. One with a college student named Takada who we met at the end of the week before last. He had met and learned with missionaries before, so when we stopped him on the street he already knew a little about the Book of Mormon. We're planning on teaching more about the Restoration. After that we'll teach and testify to Silvia about prophets, the Sabbath day, living the law of the land, and a little more on faith and prayer. Then later tonight we have a lesson with a lady named Naomi. I think I wrote about her last week, but she was converted to Christianity about a year ago, recently came to our English class, we taught her an introductory lesson, and now she's excited to hear about the restoration. We also have another lesson set with her for this Saturday where we'll probably teach the plan of salvation. It'll be a busy day, but in the time between lessons we'll find time to do a little grocery shopping and hopefully still be able to hit the streets and find new people.

This upcoming Thursday is our last all-mission conference with President and Sister Albrecht. They'll be returning to the states and President Budge will be taking over in just about two weeks. It's coming up really really fast. It's exciting wondering how the mission will change and what things will be like. From what I've heard of President Budge, he is an amazing person. He is called of God and I'm sure he will have this mission working really hard.

This upcoming Sunday is stake conference. We have a priesthood session and a broadcast session on Saturday, then the normal session on Sunday.

My companion is a hard worker and doesn't like to waste time. He doesn't hesitate to testify and promise blessings when we're on the streets talking to people. We're both pretty young missionaries, but through consistent hard work we know we'll be able to help many people.

Here's a good quote, I shared it with my district at district meeting:
"We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions; we sow our actions, and we reap our habits; we sow our habits, and we reap our characters; we sow our characters, and we reap our destiny."
-C.A. Hill

You all have the ability to change the destiny of your life, the destiny of this year, this month, even the destiny of today! Work with your thoughts, change your actions, develop habits, and you, as a person, will change. Thus changing your destiny.

I love you!! Take care!