Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!!

I love this time of year too!  A lot of people ask me how Christmas is different in Japan, so I'll try to cover that.  Basically, nobody knows what Christmas is, and most old people don't really have anything to do with it.  Some people use it as an excuse to hang out with friends for an evening, and others eat "Christmas Cake" (yes, it's still a thing ;) really popular, too, is to go and eat at KFC Christmas night.  Why, I have no idea.  But if I had my own holiday, that would definitely be part of it, so I'm not complaining (;

Its funny, because KFC actually sells lots of Christmas cakes and has statues of Colonial Sanders dressed as Santa all over!  Every shop uses Christmas as a sales tactic, though only young families with kids/actual Christians get into it.  It really makes my day when we're riding down the completely dry streets (snow doesn't really fall in Narita,) and then we turn a corner to see a house with Christmas lights!!!  The little things make you so nostalgic.

Other than that, most people don't know what it's all about.  It's a great dendou (proselyting) tool for us though: we ask lots of people, "do you like Christmas?" and when they say yes, we ask them what it's about.  I've had the opportunity to share a Christmas message with a few people, and it's so awesome!  Many people are amazed to learn that the reason the year is 2015 is because Christ was born 2015 years ago.  That the holiday's name even has Christ's name in it!  Talking about the savior is a great transition into the Book of Mormon, and we've given out quite a few because of it.

I love Christmas time (: I think I will appreciate it so much more for the rest of my life after spending it so far away from family in a place where most people don't even know what it actually is.  Like with so many other things, my mission has really changed my perspective of what's important and how I should spend my time.  I'm confident that if the teenagers who spend more than an hour looking at a cell-phone screen in a day spent the week of Christmas in Japan (you know, in an Ebenezer Scrooge kinda way,) they'd) wake from the dream and leave all trivial games and texts behind to allow just a few more minutes to talk with parents, play with little siblings, and reminisce with grandparents the whole holiday.

Thanks so much for praying for my investigators! (: The power of prayer is amazing, fasting too.  Here is a story:

  Our zone has been fasting for 40 days (each companionship fasts for 24 hours twice,) and to end it, we all fasted together yesterday.  We've been talking about seeing a Christmas Miracle for several months now, to see every companionship in the mission have a baptism and for at least 100 new members to join the church.  (I have such a testimony of the power of measuring progress.  This work is about people and NOT numbers, but through tracking what we are doing, we learn ways to accomplish more and to help more people, and I have seen that so much, young as I am.)  

Anyway, as we were fasting, we prayed so hard for Frank to be able to give up smoking/come to church in order to make his baptismal date.  He's wanted to be baptized for nearly a year, and hasn't been able to for various reasons, but as Elder Kitagaki and I were singing the opening Hymn, the bishop's son (and ward mission leader,) ran up and whispered to us, "Frank's here."  Not only did he come, but we arranged for an interview for him (which is going on as I write!!) and he said he's already through with smoking.  It was a miracle.  BUT NOT ONLY THAT!!  Takahisa kun came to church again of his own accord, and stayed for a lesson, during which he decided that he wants to know if what we teach is true, and that he'll meet with us two times a week in order to be baptized on February 8th if he does!!!  Elder Kitagaki and I really felt that all of this extra strength came from our fasting.  We were so stoked.  It's just a feeling, but I truly believe that it was our faith which caused so much strength to arise in these two souls.  To quote Moroni, "It was their faith.... [which did a lot of good stuff.]" (; But really, we've focused so much on faith recently.  One scripture I love says, "God can work no miracle among them except they have faith." It doesn't say that God can't work miracles without others faith.  The key word is AMONG.  If we want miracles wrought AMONG us, we need to have great faith in The Lord our God.

Please keep praying for them, because the closer one gets to the waters of baptism, the harder Satan attacks.

In other news, our ward Christmas Party was SO FUN and, can I just say, I had the best excuse ever to hang out with a bunch of kids for just a minute.  It was SO fun.  Made me miss my lil' nieces!!!!

Oh oh oh!!  Guess what else mama?!  I had Yakimo for the first time yesterday to end my fast! (A ward member gave it to us when we road bikes over to help with something.) I used to hate sweet potatoes, but something about just biting right into it is SO good.  Made me think of you in Hokkaido!  By the way, I want you to know that I tell lots of people about your service here: ward members, random preachers I meet who happen to be from Sapporo, people on the train who ask why I like Japan... 

Also, ramen is heavenly.  Even if I'm stuffed from a "tabe hodai" (all you can eat,) I can't turn down ramen if my companion wants it... MAN there's nothing like it in America.

Oh!!  One more thing.........

Guess.....

Who....

I....

Saw.....

MY OLD DORYO!!!

It's only been a month, but seriously.  Being on a mission, time makes no sense.  It feels like it's been several years, and I was so excited to see him!  He is such a funny and unique Elder, but he is such a solid missionary too.  He's doing great as a Zone Leader!  Ah, Zone Conference was so fun.

WAIT!!!  FRANK JUST PASSED HIS INTERVIEW!!!!!!! HE'S GOING TO BE BAPTIZED!!!!!

Please keep him in your prayers!!!!!!  AISHTTEIMASU!!!

I love you so much mama!!  I think about you and dada often.  I try only to think of you as often as is appropriate though (; I'm working on consecration. I'm so excited for the good times to come, but right now I want to be all in this mission!!  I'm loving it so much!

One more thing, again, the language is really coming!  The more I put myself out there, the more I learn I can say.  I'll be pera pera before you know it!

-スタウト長老

Elder Stout