I see
miracles all the time. Things like knocking on the door of someone who
needs us, no one answering, me needing to use the bathroom, us riding 2 minutes
to the nearest bathroom, coming back, knocking again, and then taking off on
one of 5 routes near his house and after 2 minutes of peddling running into
him! The odds were NOT in our favor. The timing was so perfect and
so improbable. Yet, by the end of that experience, it was apparent that
Brother Nakamoto needed that conversation and I needed to see the miracle to
brighten my day. Similar things happen so frequently... they shouldn't be
overlooked. Look for the tender mercies in your life. The Lord
works in strange ways. Like sometimes, he makes you need to use the
bathroom super bad! (;
Here's a goofy
picture of Brother Miyata. He is the cutest man on the planet. He
has some disabilities and so he's really quiet and walks with a lot of trouble
on his cane, but he understands me more than any of the other ward
members. We sit together every week in church, and even though we can't
speak the language, we always get each other's jokes and have so much
fun. He was baptized 3 months ago and I'm so lucky the other Elders found
him.
Mr. Okada
has serious problems with smoking, but he has been trying to stop so diligently
for months. He once resolved to replace smoking breaks with Rubix cube
breaks and about drove himself mad. He wants to be baptized so badly.
I also visit
this old man named Brother Takanaka every week. He was recently baptized.
He is so sweet and, well, probably the definition of the term
"Child-like." I can't think of a whole lot of good examples, but some
are that
1) He once
listened to MoTab because the Elders said it would help him see the light of
Christ. He sat in his room for 4 or 5 minutes before taking the disk out
angrily and informing the Elders that no bright light appeared in his house XD
2) He's a
physical therapist. One member once asked him if he could fix some back
pains and his response was, "Well, I think you should just go on a
diet."
He's
awesome. He might have throat cancer, so praying for him and the other 3
mentioned would be awesome!
We made some
chirashi for tutoring! We're going to start tutoring high-schoolers in
English, music, spanish, and history! We hope to be able to serve a lot
of the people in Japan, and who knows? Maybe some will be interested in
our message. (: I got to illustrate the picture! (It's actually
super scandalous though, because one Elder and one Sister should never be in a
picture alone... oops)
For Zone P-Day
we went to a science museum! I understood none of the words on the walls,
but I understood the language of science. So it was awesome. That's
a tornado in a small room behind me. (; Is it weird to say that I miss my old
Chemistry class? I haven't done science in so long.
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| Not sure what these have to do with space, but it took every ounce of willpower not to buy one. |
We
completely filled that tiny cafe with missionaries on Zone P-Day . . . Also,
the best kabobs I've ever had.
For those of
you wondering about the status of my hair, because I know that's basically
everyone, it's a total mess. The Japanese people don't understand
American hair, so I've given up on my appearance for the next two years, I just
try to look presentable XD
I do love my
mission. I've gotten everything I've asked The Lord for: To go to Japan,
to have a native companion, to meet amazing people and see beautiful
places-everything. I'm just adjusting! Our meal plan for this week
is killer, so that adds.
Also,
MIRACLE TIME.
We went to
contact some less actives with Sister Sugimoto (your friend) and her son.
Almost no one answered their doors, but we were in a car near Costco and had
some extra time, so... SHE TOOK US TO COSTCO. That in and of itself is a
Christmas Miracle. Like, it kind of felt like someone threw me into an Americanized
heaven and said, "Grab what you can in under an hour and you can take it
back to earth with you!" We got bananas, and onions, and PEANUT BUTTER AND
CHEESE! And a whole bunch of other super useful stuff. When we got
to the front, she paid for all of it. She wouldn't let me give her a yen,
looking super sternly and saying, "DON'T LEAVE ANY MONEY. Your mom
was such a blessing to me, I want to be a blessing to you."
She is such
a wonderful woman. I love that family so much, and it has been such a blessing
and a privilege to be in their ward.
So,
side-note: I've been craving hot-dogs like nobody's business lately... needless
to say, I ate 2 of them, a smoothie, and a churro. It reminded me of when
we used to go to Costco together. It was so awesome. Elder Hibino
and I decided that after our missions, we will "Bless [her] two times [as
much]!!"
Also, by the
way, as all of the Elders in my apartment ate Costco pizza and Nutella, they
were all saying, "I AM SO GLAD YOUR MOM WENT ON A MISSION."
So, you're
still impacting lives (;
So, it
occurred to me that I'm an adult, and that's how the members here view
me. I still feel like a kid. Actually, I'm pretty sure I am still a
kid. Are you positive I was born in 1997? It's so weird living on
my own, managing my own food and money, and being held responsible for stuff.
LOVE YOU!!
-スタウト長老
Elder Stout
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| Halloween 2015 "Itsa me. Elder Stout!" |
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| Missionaries at the 2015 Narita ward Halloween Party |
