Mission School Miracles

Dear Mama,

Happy Easter! :) Thanks so much for your wonderful and thoughtful emails each week. The Easter party looked like a blast, we got more pics of Lincoln and May Kelly from T. Stouto Choro's family, and they were so cute! This such a fun stage in life, although it's so weird that everyone is having kids!!! I love our family so much.  The weekly emails make me miss you and the fam a lot. Even more so now that I know I'm closer than ever to seeing you. It's also a time for me to get really sad at the prospect of leaving my Japan. I feel like I belong here in so many ways.

It was a great Easter for us! Well, basically just like a normal Sunday. Japan doesn't do Easter at all, so it was surprisingly quiet. However, Elder T. Stout gave a way good talk about making tiny adjustments in our lives which make all the difference. He talked about how his car had issues, and he had three professionals look at it, and they all told him to get an expansive part, which he didn't have the funds to buy. So at last he just took a look at it himself, and found that there was just a very small piece that was loose within the engine, and after tightening it, the car worked fine! It's like our lives: Through General Conference and church we can find the little screws in our hearts that just need to be tightened in order for us to drive properly! It was a way good talk about the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Yeah, some of the biggest developments you would ever believe with the mission school. After volunteering at the hospital, the 3 main volunteers who we've become good friends with said that they really want to support us and said, "We like you. Let's meet next week and talk about how we can build your English classes. We have 10 other friends who will come and discuss." They are all really trusted because of their service in the community. Elder T. Stout and my jaws dropped and we couldn't believe what had happened. WE COULD NOT HAVE ASKED FOR A BIGGER MIRACLE!!!! Also, we're going over to the newspaper station (that's probably not a word...) to ask them to make an article for our mission school! And we're also gonna get on the radio!! Next stop, 50 students at our classes! (That's the current goal.)

 After another 6 weeks, this area will be even more different than it already is. Sanjo is completely transforming! :D

Bu couldn't really meet, but he kept in touch and invited us over the one time he was able, but we were busy that night. He's just crazy "otsukaresama" and so we're doing our best to meet when we can. The wonderful news is that us and the ward are very confident that he will be baptized within the upcoming weeks. As for Toshiki and Yui, the wedding is coming up. They just need to complete a few formalities with their family and such, and then it's going to happen! We had a lesson on the law of chastity yesterday and Yui absolutely loved it. When we asked, "Will you keep it?" She said, "Of course! This is great! I can't wait for our next lesson, what will we learn??" Your prayers are working, pleeeeeease keep them coming!

Also, Mark finally got into high school and has been loving it!! We celebrated our birthdays the other day and he showed us his cool new school uniform! Every kid in Japan wears one of these in high school. He looks so Japanese! He was so excited.

Also, he let me try it on :D

He's already brought one friend, JOHN who's back from the Philippines, and he's planning to bring lots more to mission school soon. So, basically, our mission school is seriously about to explode. Pleeeeease pray for both 1) lots of people to come 2) For us to do a good job. We're doing our best to prepare.

I know it's a little short this week, but those are the major miracles we saw this week. I'll keep you updated next week! :)

This week it would only be fitting to express my appreciation for Jesus Christ and for his atoning sacrifice at this Easter time. I can't imagine what it would be like if opening your mission call was, "You are assigned to suffer for every second of pain experienced over the course of a human life-time, not once, but an infinite number of times." It's beyond the human imagination what he did. But it was worth it! I can think of several specific nights where I felt hopeless and lonely and like I was the stupidest kid in the whole world because of foolish mistakes I'd made. I also clearly remember praying and asking for comfort on those nights. And in those moments, I felt comfort. The kind of comfort you feel when a good friend who knows how you fell cuz he's made the same mistake kinda just sits there solemnly with you until you both feel better. I think the Savior's simple approach to comforting us is something he intends for us to mimic. He usually won't fix everything for us. But he gives us all the help we need. Usually we can't fix all of someone else's problems, but following the Lord's example, we can give people our love. And that's the one thing that everyone needs that no one can attain on their own. I will strive to be able to show my appreciation for Jesus Christ and his sacrifice by following his example!

 I love you so much!!

    Elder Stout :D

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スタウト長老 ^o^