Week 74- Oh you have a baptismal date? TRANSFERRED!

 Aloha 皆さん、

So much has happened, it's been a crazy few weeks. 

I wanna share one of the biggest miracles I've ever seen while on the mission. And that's finding and being able to teach Tai! Man this kid is awesome, we met him on p-day while we were leaving this mall and he just called out to us. The first thing he asked was 

“You guys from cali?”

I turned around and I swear I thought this guy was like 14. Anyways we went up and talked to him. Found out he was a 22 year old guy from America (lived all over) and is just traveling by himself and is staying in Japan for 3 months! We talked with him for a bit and told him we were Christian missionaries and I kid you not he pulled out a whole Bible out of his backpack. 

Tai told us he's a Christian too and that he's been studying the Bible everyday. Mariteragi 長老 asked if he would want to study together and boom just like that we started teaching him. 

My favorite part of the mission is teaching lessons. Specifically the lessons where everything flows and I've felt the spirit powerfully and I KNOW our friend felt it as well. Tai will definitely go down as some of the most favorite lessons I've ever had! 

Particularly one day when we were talking about things like baptism and the gift of the holy ghost. This guy was so prepared, he had so many awesome questions about the meaning of baptism and how to receive the gift of the holy ghost. He shared with us how he had been wanting to be baptized and was going to different churches but none of them really followed the doctrine in the Bible about baptism. It didn't seem sacred. Just something you did just to do. He said he felt like there is supposed to be more meaning behind baptism, he told us about how he read in the Bible that the holy ghost is something you receive. THIS GUY IS SO FIRE. 

Also side note, he is the most christlike person ever. One day when we were at McDonald's with Tai we sat next to a Nepali dude and started talking with him. As the conversation ended the guy was going to head home and Tai asked him how he goes home. The guy answered that he walks and it's quite far so he has to go now. Tai without a second thought pulls out a 万 (¥10,000 ≈ $70) and just offers it to the guy. Just no questions asked. 

Anyways before I got transferred to Kumamoto we were able to put Tai on date to be baptized this next Sunday! Apparently President Boss & God hate me or something because I'm the king of putting people on date and then getting transferred LOL (I'm just kidding). Anyways please keep Tai in your prayers. I hope he is able to be baptized. I have been so blessed to be able to meet that dude. 

Highlights:

-MLC

-Transfers + Masato

MLC:

MLC is always fun because I get to see a bunch of awesome missionaries that i love and eat good food. After this last MLC though I also had AP exchanges I Fukuoka which was cool. It was fun to do missionary work back in my old area again. Truly crazy about how many people you can just have a super long deep conversation in Fukuoka but overall a lot of fun!

Transfers + Masato:

So i got transferred from Kitakyushu to Kumamoto which is more south in our mission. I've always wanted to go to Kumamoto because I've heard such great things from my favorite missionaries about the area so I'm so stoked to be here. When news came that I was getting transferred though our friend Masato offered to drive us all down to transfer point (which is a hour and a half drive). I love Masato, he's also one of the friends I found in Kitakyushu that is so prepared and so Christ like. But it was awesome to spend one last day with him as well. We ate yakiniku with him before going to transfers and I swear I was gonna die. I ordered past my limit but hey, we ain't no quitters. It was also cool to see everybody again and this transfer there's a lot of missionaries I love in the Zone so I'm excited for this next one for sure. But it was also hard to leave Kitakyushu and all the awesome friends, Masato isnt on date for baptism but he's so close, please keep him in your prayers as well! 

Low point: 

I go back and forth between this because honestly recently time has felt so short. But I've struggled recently watching all of the people I came out with on a mission and have known since the MTC leave to go home. It was hard watching them go home, and I still don't know if I've even comprehended that fact. But I'm grateful that God is keeping me busy because honestly even though at some points it sucks and I wonder if I can still do this, overall I'm fine. And I know the time will fly. I'll seem them all again. But until that point, ill just keep thugging it out

Kay Das all

Shoots!

愛してるよ~

エリス長老

TheRisingSon