My time with Elder Taylor and Shibuya are almost at an end

Tsukagoshi San is pretty much set for baptism and President Nagano played a vital role in that by simply telling me to keep teaching him.  With Tsukagoshi San I was just really distressed by some things someone had over-critically said about him, so I sent you a kinda panicked email.  He came to church again and is doing well!  

My main man Tsukagoshi San (wearing cool shades)

Hasegawa San wasn't able to meet last week, but he's staying in touch.  Xia is doing SO good!  He went to the Chinese movie night that Elder Cho and Elder Lin held and really enjoys it and is learning to love the scriptures.  He's so funny!  All of our meetings with him he gets so excited to see us.  I'm so fortunate to be able to make so many timeless friends while I'm out here. :)

Yeah, this transfer FLEW by.  My time with Elder Taylor and in Shibuya are almost to an end.  That's another 4th of my mission.  I owe so much to this wonderful area.  I've always dreamed of living in Tokyo and now I've been here and it's changed my life in so many ways.  I've learned so much this transfer.  I've been so blessed with a companion who's so similar to me in good ways and so different in good ways.  We're able to teach each other every single day.

I love the story of the Brother of Jared! One of my favorite analogies is that of how we bring God our very best even if it's just a handful of rocks, and he makes something extraordinary out of it.  Before my mission that phrase always sounded pretty far fetched: I believed it, i just didn't really know how it worked.  But I've seen God taking our little efforts (like starting a group discussion class) and making it extraordinary (many people bring several new friends who are interested in investigating the gospel).

This week we had the Little Witness concert on Saturday night.  It's the semi-annual choir concert that the Tokyo Institute does.  In Narita, I had a buddy named brother Miyata who wanted to go so bad and was asking everyone with a car to take him. (He's my good friend on crutches who only has a small senior kart to get around.) Anyway, the concert was phenomenal because the topic was missionary work and it was a story about these two Elders out working hard contacting people!  One of them has yet to serve a mission, but is waiting for his call right now!  His family is entirely less active, but his testimony was so powerful that he just radiated with the spirit during and after when we talked to him.  He testified that he knows they will come back to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father and everyone was crying.  The songs they sang were wonderful.  And then you'll never imagine who I got a picture with afterword!!!!

I miss Narita so bad!!  Seeing the members makes me so happy!  Another member, Sister Chika, was in the choir and bore an amazing testimony too, being a recent convert.

I love this work and I am so blessed to be here.  I think every young man and woman should serve a mission.

Also, if you didn't already know, today was temple P-Day, so... That's why my email is late :) In the temple, I felt so strongly that God is patient and knows our weaknesses and is healing them.  Even if it takes time.  God is not bound by time, for him it's just another ointment in his celestial first-aid kit.  I think it's pretty much all purpose for mortals, because he uses it a lot. ;)

But for real, I'm gaining a powerful testimony of patience and hope.  Elder Taylor and I have mini devotional a every night together and he taught me yesterday that hope is the fuel that we need in order to access the atonement.  And with that hope that we can conquer anything with his help, we automatically have faith that we can overcome anything, and that faith brings God's power.  If anyone reading this doesn't know how to access the atonement, start with hope.

Start by knowing that God can and will fix you.

This next week I have no idea what will happen with transfers, but it's going to be crazy!  Wherever I go next, I know I will love it just as much as my beloved Narita and Shibuya!

We had dinner with Koji for the last time before I see him in America! 

These Pringles scream Megan and Chelsey and Rachel, so I took a pic :)

Love you mama! :D Love you dada!  I wish I could write you two a lot more... Someday I'll text and snapchat you every day!  but right now, it's game time. がんばりましょう！

スタウト長老! ^o^

Elder Stout! :D

ELDER KIDO!! (Elder Gonzales's companion!!)

Godzilla stepped in on my pic at the mall...

We need to rely on The Lord in all we do, have faith, and follow promptings

We invited our buddy Tsukagoshi to come to church this week.  He's expressed a strong desire to be baptized and recommitted himself to coming to church every week in order to do so, but said it's too hard to go if someone doesn't help him because of the distance from his home and some back problems he's experiencing.  We had lined things up with a ward member named Brother Fukunaga, he's one of my heroes in this ward.  He was going to pick our friend up Sunday morning, but during first hour of church (our ward does sacrament meeting last,) we realized he wasn't there and asked brother Fukunaga about it.  His eyes got wide and he began apologizing profusely saying he thought our text was spam and hadn't read it all the way through (we'd called his wife's phone the last few times so he didn't have our number.) However, immediately we took off and got into his car to make the 6 minute drive (which is somehow nearly a 40 minute walk.) We got to Tsukagoshi's house, but because of the narrowness of the road Fukunaga Kyoudai had to leave.  Elder Taylor and I knocked on the door and rang the bell twice and even opened the door and yelled inside, "Gomen kudasaaaaai!  Tsukagoshi San imaaaasu kaaaa?" We waited five minutes and received no response.  Nobody was home.

Elder Taylor began walking away discouraged.  He was half-way to the road when I bowed my head and said a prayer.  I said, "Heavenly Father, I'm just here to do what you want me to do.  And I know you want him to come to church.  Please help us.  I'm not asking for a miracle, I just want him to come to church because he wants to come to church.  He needs our help right now, and we need yours right now." and closed my prayer in Christ's name.  When I had said the word "Amen" Elder Taylor pointed and yelped in disbelief, "There he is!  It's Tsukagoshi!!" His front door is in this little ally-way overshadowed by a freeway above a 30 or so foot concrete wall where there's a side-walk that Elder Taylor pointed to.  I looked, but saw no one.  I turned around thinking he was playing a joke, but Elder Taylor didn't laugh.

We sprinted around the street and ran up the stairs meeting our friend at the top of them.  He laughed and smiled in his favorite blue shirt all ready to go, and gestured at our suits saying, "Nice!"

Because we hadn't been there when he expected, he took a walk around the block to see if we'd gotten lost and ended up just going for a nice morning walk.  Nobody was home at all when we arrived.

He loved being at church and our members loved him and were so friendly and nice.  He was beaming from ear to ear for the full day and during our luncheon.

It was a huge testimony builder that we need to rely on The Lord in all we do, and have faith, and follow promptings.  If we hadn't have prayed, the timing would have been thrown by just a moment, and we would't have ever seen him.  He'd given up on waiting for us by that time.

At church we were talking with our friend Hasegawa San who we met last week.  Sacrament meeting was extremely powerful, all about the pioneers who crossed the plains and how the people of japan are pioneers as well.  He asked, "When can I enter the temple?" we explained that you must be a worthy member in order to enter, and so he proceeded to ask, "How do I become a member?" we explained baptism and it's importance, then he asked, "How long will it take before I can get baptized?" and we set up times to talk about meeting and doing all of the lessons as promptly as possible.

We're seeing miracles according to our faith and obedience.  I love Elder Taylor and I love working with him so much.  The "bean chan (greeny) fire" is so real, and he's filled with enough faith to change countless lives.  Faith is a principle of action and then power, and Elder Taylor is an exemplary example of just diving in and doing as much as he can.  He's going to be the best of the best missionaries in this world soon because he's not afraid to make mistakes.  I want to be more like him in that regard!  I love him so much.  We were talking about how sad we are that there's only two weeks left before we split up and I go who knows where. (Probably.) It's gonna be a really emotional time, but we have a REALLY busy few days lined up.  Helping three members move, going to a concert, meeting 8 new referrals, and teaching every person who will meet with us!  God's hand is in this work and he knows what he's doing.

I watched The District 1's first 2 videos with my trainee yesterday and felt loads of revelation flowing into me on what I'm doing wrong and how I need to focus on the basics of Preach My Gospel more.  So I'm working on that!  It was way good.  If anyone reading this just wants to understand the gospel better, strengthen their testimony, and learn how to manage their lives, they should read Preach My Gospel.  I don't know why it isn't required for all members to read ;)

This church is true.  I've had the spirit testify the truth of it to me powerfully, and I've felt the spirit testify powerfully through me to others that everything we teach every day is true.  Be bold and filled with love and testify and stand up for what you believe!

I'm so excited for Elder Whitmer!!  (Elder Stout’s good friend who is serving in Sapporo, and is having the opportunity to help out at the Sapporo Temple open house)  That's so awesome.  I read one of his emails and got so excited for him.  Also, apparently one of the sisters in his district is really good friends with my District leader Elder Murakami.  And it was so cool to meet that man the other week!!  He and his wife were so kind and were so excited to meet you for us :)  We got a call from a kind brother who had visited Tokyo and met Elder Stout and Elder Taylor at Shibuya Ward.  He said they are doing great, and he sent us this picture:

Today at Zone P-Day I met a man with a didgeridoo and his friend who was a rapper.  I whipped out a super simple beat and sustained it long enough for a missionary to start beat boxing, then the man who originally had the didgeridoo got into it and started playing on his banjo, and then the rapper started to do his thing and was rapping about missionaries in Spanish and it was a magical moment.

Zone p-day at Odaiba Beach

 Also,  I went to Odaiba beach again and bellow is a pic of me under Rainbow Bridge which makes you feel so tiny.

Mama and Dada, I love you so much!  Thanks for your emails every week :)  I miss you terribly, but if time keeps moving this fast I'll be missing Japan too soon, so I'll do my best to focus on now! ;)

スタウト長老! ^o^

Elder Stout! :D

We're working harder than ever, and we're becoming more united than ever!

I'm doing great!  Elder Taylor and I are doing SO well!  We're working harder than ever, and we're becoming more united than ever.  Yesterday during dinner as we ate, we just laughed and talked the entire time, and at the end of it it occurred to me that, "At long last, we've become good friends!"

We've gotten along pretty well, but just like every companionship there was a "storming" phase where we just got to know each other's personalities a little better.  We had a day where Elder Taylor lead EVERY single decision and action as the senior companion, and wow.  Not only did he grow a ton, I grew so much from it.  God is at the helm and he knows what he's doing!

Guess what??  Speaking of when you were Austin Shimai, I'm going to dinner with Satou family again this week!  I continue to find golden shards of Stout history scattered throughout Japan, and every time I find one I feel the spirit of Elijah exciting my heart and connecting me to the other side of the veil!  I'm gonna get real good at family history with you, Mama.  We'll be pros together some day, even if it takes me several decades ;) (Just kidding.)

I met two sisters this week who knew Grandpa Stout quite well and told me, "If you talk to any of the members from 30 years ago, everyone in the church knew your grandfather's name!  He was famous!"  I wish I could remember their names, but one of them gave a powerful talk during sacrament meeting...  Haha, I just reminded myself of a quote from Elder Bednar: "[Your ancestors] sound wonderful.  What have you done?"

I need to live up to those who went before me! (Shout out to you and Dada ;)

We had a wonderful District lunch with Bishop Touma.  He is one of the kindest and most genuine yet brilliant men I've ever met.  (He knew Grandpa Stout as a child when he visited the mission home frequently and saw Grandma Stout walking through the halls with sheets of cookies and stuff!)

 I love this man.  I love this ward.  I'm loving this ward so much I can't express it in words, and I'm not just saying that.  The more time I spend 1 on 1. . . er, I mean, 2 on 1 ;) the more I come to love every member of this ward.    I LOVE THE GOSPEL AND THIS WORK!!!

We began our "Strive" class and it went SO well!  Xia wanted a picture with me and it was so fun!!  And guess who took the picture?  One of his best friends who is now VERY interested in learning the gospel.

We were asked to bear testimony during second hour of church, and Elder Taylor KILLED it by referencing the same scripture we had just read about Ammon, saying, "My first name is Ammon.  And just like him, I desire to dwell here for some time. 'Perhaps until the day I die.'" And expressed his love for the Japanese people.  They were all so touched.  After the meeting, we were talking with all of our ward members when out of nowhere a sister grabbed us by the shirt sleeves and basically dragged us upstairs in a panic yelping, "AN INVESTIGATOR IS COMING!!!"

We sprinted up those stairs and walked out into the sauna which is Japan in July, and waited.  Sure enough, up strolled a man later introduced as Hasegawa san.  He's had a hard life and was looking for how to improve it, when a friend and work associate, and Sister from our ward baptized under 2 years ago, gave him a Book of Mormon.  We sat next to him during the meeting and taught him about the meaning of the sacrament and many other questions he asked.  As we prayed he folded his arms and closed his eyes exactly how I did (I taught him to pray with his arms folded, but during the prayer on the water, I simply clasped my hands together.  Afterwhich Elder Taylor and I laughed realizing that he had confusedly followed my footsteps.) He is such a humble faith filled man with no Christian background but a thirst than can only be quenched by the Waters of Life.  I can't wait to meet with him more, especially since this Sister in our ward offered her home for all of our lessons which is THE MOST IDEAL situation in the world for teaching.

There's much more I could write, but in short, I am genki :) We're happy, we're working hard, and we are loving this work.

Today Elder Taylor and I went bowling with the district and then went to The Disney Store (like a mini Disney Land), so spirits are high ;)

AND I LOVE YOU! :D  I am so excited for our adventures together.  And I'm so excited to tell you all about my experiences here as you tell me about yours!  Tanoshimi desu ne. :)

Until next week!

スタウト長老! ^o^

Elder Stout! :D

Ps, An eikaiwa student went to Russia and brought us back these super fancy candies!  WOW.  They were the richest little things I have ever tasted.  They were very proper as well.