"My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee"

Things are going pretty great I think!  Still don't really understand what's goin on, but we're doing our best (;

Nah, my companion is awesome.  He's really the best.  I think he's only ever trying to do his very best for the mission, its just really difficult for me to understand what's going on.  But we're doing really well!  I'm getting braver at approaching people even if it just means saying two sentences and then standing by them.  I think people feel something when you stand next to them.  A kind of subconscious love and support.  Maybe it’s just me, but y'all should try it out with someone who looks lonely!

CONFERENCE!!  I've been reading last conference’s talks over the last two days actually: I love hearing from today's authorities.  I think "uplifting" is an insufficient word for how happy the words on a screen make me feel, you know?  Especially the talk by Elder Perry.  Its pretty short, all of you should read it.  He talks about the family, and my family quote would be: 

Why should marriage and family matter--everywhere? Public opinion polls show that marriage is still the ideal and the hope among the majority of every age group--even among the millennial generation, where we hear so much about chosen singleness, personal freedom, and cohabitation instead of marriage. The fact is that strong majorities worldwide still want to have children and to create strong families.

WOW!  So many of the youth today think that some of our beliefs are super unpopular or outdated and that they're living archaic rules, but it’s simply not true.  Most people in the world today share our belief (: (Look it up. ;) Anyway, we won't get to see it until next week when we watch it in Japanese.  And my mind will probably fry after the first 2 of 10 hours.  However, I think I might be able to download the English script from off the church's website and read along as we watch, so... pray for me (;

CONGRATULATIONS EMILY!!!  (John's cousin, Emily Arnoldsen) And to the lucky man who I've never met, but who is going to have to put up with me at cabin reunions at the next edition of Samurai and Ninja..... I mean, that's totally not actually happening.... (; But seriously, I'm so excited for you two!  I got the invitation today in the mail and it was adorable (:

So, guess what....?  WE HAD SUCCESS AT A DOOR.  That almost never happens because the Japanese all have cameras at their doors and about 3/4 of the 1/4 who actually answer the doorbell won't open the door or listen to you once they realize you're christian.  So, its hard... but we were tracting and about to give up, and just like in every good missionary story—which you should pay attention to because the things that God repeats are very obviously important that's why he repeats himself—we decided to nock on two more doors.  And we met someone!!  I don't know if I should use his name, but he's from far away and speaks only a little English.  He heard me say that we had a message and said, "Sure, I'll listen to you." My first real lesson in which I understand what is going on is tomorrow, and my companion won't be able to help a whole lot!!  I've been praying and studying for it.  Please pray for me!  The man seems awesome, and I know he can be blessed by what we have to offer him. (:

On a subtly different note, I found out a few days ago that someone I've met used to be married to a member of the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) and somehow escaped with their life and no consequences.  Said person has a dragon tattoo covering their entire back, which (don't worry) I have not asked to see.  Man.  The things that some people go through are beyond me, and yet, I think the contrast of their old life is often what draws them toward the truth.

ALSO GUESS WHAT!!  Hibino Chourou started telling the story about the bomber at the Hawaiian temple and the investigator didn't believe him, and then I raised my hand and said that it was my grandpa who reported the story.  Hibino and all the other missionaries who later heard all flipped.  Apparently that story has spread all throughout Japanese mission areas!  Crazy, right?  They all especially love the part of the man saying, "Keko desu." And grandpa smiling and walking right through the door.  HA!

Remember that time that we sang, "My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee" in choir?  Well, if not, then go listen to it right now.  And even if you do remember, go listen to it right now.  Just thinking of that song gives me shivers.  Its gotta be one of my top 5 church songs of all time and I think about it almost every time I'm feeling down.  If you ever get the chance to send me a CD...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq-KhxsUxNo

Here's a miracle for you that I shared with my mission President:

Dear President Nagano,

  Things are going well!  My companion and I are having a good experience serving our AB members.  I love brother Takanaka and brother Miyada.  They are such sweet spirits and I feel like we understand each other!  I love having the chance to serve them and our ward members!  The work is only hard when we don't have a plan or we're not following our plan.  Elder Hibino and I are doing much better at leaving appointments after 45 minutes.  I've started a scripture challenge where I pray for the answer to a specific question, and then read the first verse I open to for the answer.  Another missionary told me about how he received this challenge from Elder Nelson the last time he visited this mission, and while I may not have gotten the challenge directly from this authority, I think God is accepting my effort.  I've seen consistent miracles for the last six nights.  I was afraid to ask a certain question for fear that it couldn't be found in the Book of Mormon, but then I realized that fear is the opposite of faith.  If I want to see miracles, I need pure faith: a half-hearted effort won't suffice.  So I cast aside all fear, wrote the question in my journal, and flipped open my scriptures.  The first verse I looked at answered my question in its entirety.  It truly was a miracle.  And I've seen just as miraculous things every evening since.  I have an ever growing testimony that God works through faith, and that if we just have unwavering faith--no doubt, no fear--he will answer all of our prayers.

Sincerely, 

  Elder Stout

You need faith.  Some of you are struggling with your testimonies; please let me be the last one who needs to remind you that fear and doubt cannot co-exist with faith.  That does not mean that if you have questions you can't receive revelation.  That means that when you have questions you LOOK for revelation because you know it will come in God's timing, rather than concluding that because you have a problem with something someone said the church isn't true.  It’s a difficult principle to live, but I want to promise you that I don't see most of the miracles that I do because I'm a missionary.  I see them because of faith, whether it's mine, my companions, other missionaries, members, or the mission president’s.  Have faith.

Anyway, I am taking care of myself!  Promise.  If I die out here, both of us will be surprised.  Unless it was to save a cat from being hit by a truck.  Then probably only you will be surprised.  Cuz the cat wouldn't expect anything less from me (;

Love you lots and I appreciate the support more than you know!

Elder Stout

Ps, as always, I'm really sorry for the emails I couldn't respond to.  P-days are so busy out in the field: every week we do a service project Monday nights and it usually means I can't write as much as I'd like.

I've grown to really like rice crackers?  Especially exotic ones like squid (;

Miracles

Narita is the BEST!  I love it so much here!!  Everything is so pretty and chill.  So many people here even speak a touch of English... well, they at least understand a touch of it (;  But we're right by the airport, so we run into a good number of foreigners who speak Eigo! (: I'm ever striving to just open my mouth, because approaching people hasn't become any easier since arriving here, but I'm seeing so many miracles!  Little things like feeling I should move and sit next to someone on a train, and just as I do they stand up and leave but the person who walks in right then and sits down right next to me speaks fluent English and has a Christian background.  To the man I'm describing, I gave a Book of Mormon.  He said, "My entire family back home is Mormon... Thank you, I'll read this!"

My companion is good, I think!  I know he's a physical therapist, because he gives me massages every few nights.  Apparently my spine is a bit more bent than is usual!  Probably from marching band.  He's decided to help me as much as he can, but suggested, "Afta mishun, kiroporacta ebery day!" He also loves Tennis and has used that skill in finding and fellowshipping several times since I've been with him.  He's really good, apparently he got into college because of his talents!  Other than that, I know he was a punk before his mission, but I can't decipher anything else.  Its really hard to try to teach lessons when we barely understand anything about each other, but The Lord is with us and there's a lot for both of us to learn!

Another time, (last night) I was having a pretty awful day, and nothing seemed to be going right, but as I stepped off the train and we were headed home, I heard someone say, "Hey look, missionaries!!" I met a whole family of members from Utah.  Their oldest son just got home from serving in Sapporo.  Not only that, their daughter who's my age was really good friends with someone in my district!  Getting to help them with their luggage was such a blessing.  It felt so nice to speak to people who understood me.

So, eating... yeah.  We pretty much eat white toast with honey, pasta with mabudofu, and sometimes curry, and eggs.  Then outside of the apartment we get nice restaurant meals.  Sushi, ramen, and pretty much everything else here is heavenly.  Every Sunday one of the members makes us lunch after church and it’s SO GOOD.  We're so lucky for that.  Oh yeah!!  And your companion did invite us over! (:  We had a really amazing dinner with her.  She's such a good chef too.  I ate way too much, and it was so worth it (: I'll send a picture! 

Missionaries having dinner at Bishop and Sister Sugimoto's home.  Sister Sugimoto, top left, was
 Elder Stout's mom's mission companion, Sister Masago!

So, for those of you wondering about the rain here: it hasn't flooded at all in Narita, (like I've said, this area is pretty mountainous, so all of the water runs into the valley.) However, we've had tons and tons of rain.  And Hibino Chourou and I decided to go to the adjacent city the other day, which just so happened to be the rainiest day I've seen yet.  And Sakurai is about an hour's bike ride.  So I was completely soaked to the bone by that night... *shudder* Other than that, I love the rain!  Just biking in it for hours on end... (; I've had a cold since my third day here.  Elder Hibino caught a cold from another Elder who transferred out when I transferred in.  I wasn't sure what he meant when he said, "Ah, I'm caught!  I'm caught!" until I "caught" what he had. d: Anyway, my sore throat has been basically consistent after it climaxed 2 weeks ago.  Now it’s just dully numb d: Do you know any remedies for that?  Probably just eating healthier... XD

Bike riding rain poncho.  Only in Japan!

So, as far as Japanese, I don't feel like I'm improving at all.  But I know I probably am...

We went to Narita San, one of the biggest Bhuddist Shrines in the world, which is just in my backyard, and it was SO COOL.  It was the most gorgeous scenery I've ever seen.  I'll send pictures!  There were so many old cracked stones with ancient writings on them, pools full of turtles and coy fish, old bridges, monks, gongs, graves, relics.... AH.  IT’S LIKE AN ARCHEOLOGICAL DREAM COME TRUE EXCEPT PEOPLE STILL USE IT DAILY.  (I may want to be an animator now, but that stuff is still my favorite.)

So, I want to summarize a miracle that happened to me this week.  We had a zone conference with President Whiting of the 70.  Just before the conference I looked EVERYWHERE for my spiritual journal and couldn't find any sign of it.  Finally, I just gave up and grabbed my iPad, but then Elder Nabrotzky said, "You can't use that in the Chapel, you need paper notes."  So, kind of annoyed by that, I went and grabbed my scratch paper notebook.  Its the one that you bought with me just before I left!  Kind of a nicer looking thing, but after I got my spiritual journals at the MTC bookstore about a week in, I started using this thing for scratch.  Anyway, when I got to the conference I sat down.  Immediately after we started, the announcer said, "You're allowed to use iPads if you brought them." But I didn't have mine.  The conference began, and everything he shared was so powerful.  In essence, we kind of got lectured about how, "Why aren't there more baptisms in Japan?" many excuses are given like, "Everyone's Bhuddist, people don't feel a need for a church here..." But in the end, he told us it was because of our lack of Faith.  After surveying the entire mission, he found that a pathetic 1% of all of the missionaries challenge to baptism after the first lesson, as instructed in Preach my Gospel.  The missionaries here are afraid to do so because of how forward it seems, but Elder Whiting said, "If you ask, 'If you come to know that these teachings are true, will you follow Jesus Christ's example and be baptized by one holding proper priesthood authority?' will anyone be offended?  NO!  Its not a rude question.  But it will give them a clear idea of the importance of this ordinance."

Miracles come about through Faith.  And when you find excuses to avoid the teachings of prophets, well, that's a grand lack of faith.

Anyway, towards the end of the meeting, I had taken some 9 pages of notes.  I ended up writing really big in some places which is out of character for me.  I took notes where I might not have needed to and ended up using a lot of paper.  I had just filled the page I was on, and I turned it as President Whiting, about to conclude, thought aloud, "Be aware of the order in which events in your life occur.  God is ALWAYS in the timing.  Alright.  I'm trying to decide, what would God have me tell you right now?"

The next page by sequence of the days writing in this book just so happened to be a page which I had etched only two brief lines on in my 3rd day at the MTC.  The first read, "The natural man." 

"The natural man," Elder Whiting said, "Is an enemy of God and always will be unless we adopt the character of Christ."

In disbelief, I looked down at the next line in my notebook, scrawled hastily on the first random page I had opened up to nearly 2 and a half months ago after hearing some inspired words in a talk, "Christ turns outward when you and I would turn in."

"Jesus Christ turns out when you and I turn in." Elder Whiting said.

It was direct revelation.  I truly believe that God spoke to me personally in the most obvious and clear way that he deemed necessary.  For the last 4 minutes of this man's testimony I felt the spirit stronger than I ever have before in my entire life.  Not the usual light or warmth in your bosom, or even insights to your mind beyond your normal ability to think; this feeling was like a fire inside of me.  There was so much power burning in my heart that I was shocked and inspired and excited the remainder of that day.  But the first thing that happened when I got home was I found my journal, and I got my iPad out.  Were it not for so many tiny miracles which transpired over the last two and a half months, I would not have had that experience.  God is in the timing.

I know that Heavenly Father is real.  He loves us.  He's aware of each of us.  His son, Jesus Christ, is the only path through which we can be forgiven of our sins.  He loves us and will help us if we just do our best.  It’s not easy to gain a testimony.  Not even in the mission field, believe it or not.  I cannot tell you how hard I've struggled out here to gain mine, but I promise that if you sincerely listen to the simple teachings we hear every week at church and apply them honestly, that God will reveal himself to you in such a way that you won't be able to deny him to others.  I testify of these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen

We've not a moment to lose!

Heyo! (:

First order of business: It has oft been said of me, "This man fears only 3 things: Space, losing his front tooth, and EARTHQUAKES." 

Remember how when I learned about earthquakes in Mr. Marrott's class I broke down and started crying in our kitchen as a tiny kid?  Also, that one time that we watched Lord of the Rings at the Ogden's and the speakers were so loud they shook the house and I couldn't sleep for days?  So, this one time, a few days ago, I woke up and the entire world was shaking and I was sleeping on the floor with a mere layer of sheet rock between me and 3 stories of residential building.  I handled it really well though.  And by really well, I mean I froze up and couldn't really move until it stopped.  In retrospect, it was kinda fun!  But still, realizing childhood nightmares is terrifying stuff.

Sadly, we're too far away from damages, so we don't have any new service opportunities.  But the typhoon did send a TON of humidity our way, so we've been drenched quite a few days now! d:

Yes, I got my bike!!  It's fluorescent yellow, so that's always nice.  Haha, it was the only one that fit me and was a decent price, but it rides super well!  We've ridden SO MUCH.  Every single day it's an adventure.  My legs are gonna be as ripped as Jared's by the end of this transfer! (Kiddin, nobody's legs can be as ripped as Jared's.)

So, my room is me, Elder Hibino, a Canadian named Elder Nabroski (you should hear the Japanese try to say that. XD ) and a Taiwanesian named Cho Chourou who speaks Chinese and is trying to learn Japanese and English simultaneously.  Our room is filled with miscommunication, but sadly, I'm the one who doesn't understand nearly anything being said by any parties.  It's a hoot living with them, though.  Especially at times like when a cockroach came out of a crevice in the wall and I overheard Hibino Chourou and Cho Chourou shrieking like little girls, "Gokiburi!  Coackroach!  Is big!  Is BIG!  Is HaYUUGE!  Is..... KING SIZED!!!"

I think in the mind of the non English speaker, king sized is the biggest measurement imaginable. (;

This is how we do practice lessons!

So, they have various CDs that we listen to during meals and such.  One is a Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD, which I recognized immediately after they started playing it.  Songs like, "I'll go where you want me to go," "I am a child of God" and "This is the Christ." It's the same CD Grandma Stout used to listen to all the time to when we visited.  It was super nostalgic. When I first heard it, and it actually made me really sad.  I miss grandma so much.  I loved going to her house and listening to her stories and just talking.  There was such a sweet spirit there.  It made me really sad to think about.  But now, that's my favorite CD to listen to.  Her and grandpa were awesome missionaries, I want to be like them.  

Church is hard.  It's 3 hours of stuff that I don't understand at all.  Maybe this is what new investigators all feel like (; Kiddin.  But it is really hard.  I was having a particularly hard day and was super frustrated, so I prayed really hard and came to a conclusion that I want to become more consecrated.  I want to be the missionary The Lord wants me to be.  I want to be the very best he can make me into.  And so, I'm trying not to think about movies or music from home, but to always focus on the gospel and missionary work.  Getting songs from home out of my head has been by far the hardest thing I've ever done.  I overheard a march at the super market and it made me so nostalgic for band, but I just need to focus on now I think.  But I'm already feeling so blessed by The Lord.  The spirit is so much stronger when you're doing everything you can be to be what God wants you to be.

Dada!  Remember that time that you bought me Calpis?  Well, I've gotten addicted to that stuff. I drink it in honor of you ALL the time.  It's so good!  I remember the first time I had it, it was super weird... That's kind of all Japanese food, but it's amazing once you get used to the weird stuff (:

So, my current favorite quote is, and say this in a British accent, "We've not a moment to lose!"

With every prompting the spirit gives us, we need to heed it immediately or else we could miss an amazing experience, and even lose some of the trust of the spirit.  It's funny, as we act on the smaller promptings, the lord trusts us more with bigger ones.  I testify this to be true.

A real quick story: I went on splits with Elder Cho. It was a super rainy day and even though I bought a rain suit I got completely soaked.  Everyone rejected us.  It was a pretty bad day and I was feeling really discouraged.  When Elder Cho said, "We're teaching ____ San about Laws.  I chose this topic because it's easy and you can do it yourself." The bad day got a lot worse.  He wanted me to teach a lesson all by myself to a Japanese man.  I prayed my hardest and when the man came in, I did my best.  We had prepared a couple scriptures, but other than that, I didn't know what I was going to do.  But man.  As I just opened my mouth, like the scriptures say, it was filled.  Luckily he understood quite a bit of English, while he spoke hardly any.  I was able to teach him for a full hour in Jingrish, and it was amazing.   The two lessons I learned were: when you rely on the spirit, the Lord will speak through you.  I say this because I didn't teach any of the lesson we were planning to, both of us got emotional, and he shook my hand soberly at the end saying, "thank you." However, the second lesson I learned was that preparation is vital.  I didn't teach anything about the law, I taught only about receiving revelation (the last step required for him to accept baptism.) Yet we used every single one of the scriptures we prepared.  The Lord will speak through you, but you have to do your part.  Faith without works is dead.  In fact, I think I'd just say "Without works, it isn't faith."

It was a miracle. 

Anyway, I love you so much! (: Talk to you again next week!

Elder Stout

Ps, yes, I can read emails every day of the week, so feel free to send as many as you want (;

I miss my cat!  This was my background until I found out
 it couldn't be family members.