JANUARY 11, 2016

Hello my lovely parents and beloved others,

Life is great! Especially right now because I'm at a restaurant eating delicious food. It's lovely! This last week was interesting but to be honest I don't remember what happened....ma, anyway now I'm on a train going home.  We went to a movie village (which wasn't entirely worth it...so sad) but anyway you live and you learn.  We still had some good laughs.

We had ZTM or Zone training meeting this week, which means our whole zone gets together and we learn new things given to the zone leaders from kaicho (president). We found out that now at transfers we will not have transfer points where missionaries meet and gather together but will instead travel on their own to a new area. Scary.  It's a good thing I can figure out trains :)  I love my zone, they are the best. We learned about how to have fun while doing the work and I think it's something we needed. Hopefully I can show my comp how to have fun :)

Also had a kokan or companion exchange this week and I got to be with my previous companion Edwards Shimai. We had a lot of fun being reunited but every time I'm with her I eat too much junk food :/  We roasted marshmallows (the jumbo kind)over our stove. I learned a lot and I also had a follow up with my zone/district leader that night and it went on for almost an hour!  We talked about deep doctrine and such and afterwards Edwards Shimai was like was that long enough for ya? Go talk to your new best friend! It was all said out of love but it was kinda funny :)

There has been a lot of dancing in the apartment when my comp isn't looking and then she caught me and it was way embarrassing......until she joined in and it was a huge awkward dance fest.

I wanted to talk about my dear friend Brian Grover, who has recently been called to Turkey. Wow!  That is seriously so cool!  I also want to say it's so cool to see and hear about all the people I grew up with and now see them on missions! (Regan Smith, Parker Walton, Ryan Gibb and more because I don't have the time to write everyone's name out(isn't that happy?!))  Ganbatte!!  After several weeks I have come to this conclusion about missionary work. The work can and will be accomplished if we 1. Allow God to work through us and 2. Believe and truly believe with no doubt that we can do this! I've noticed from other missionaries, members and return missionaries that say that because we go to a country, for example, Japan, that it's going to be too hard to try to teach them, baptize them, bring them closer to Christ so just try your best but nothing's gonna happen. Don't worry your testimony will grow but don't think this will be like Brazil.

WRONG, this is wrong. If you tell a missionary it's going to be hard and you won't baptize (not in this exact wording) then we'll if feels like we really can't that our even trying is useless. Our mentality about going to a place where the culture is different and not being
able to be an effective, productive missionary is wrong.  We are Christ's disciples!  We have been called of God, we have been given the ability and authority to change the life's of others for the better. It is all mind over matter! Members, don't tell the missionaries it's hard, they already know that, they are trying to move past that fact.  Missionaries, don't say you can't do it because your going to a place where no one is Christian!  Return missionaries don't you remember how hard you worked for that one person?  From what I have experienced so far is that, yes, my mission is 'hard' but so what?  That's not going to stop me from talking to someone who clearly has headphones in, is on a bike and about to cross the street.  The church in Japan is dying!  We have been told by our Mission president that we have to change the mentality of the world. Japan is a baptizing mission! And you bet I'm going to talk to that person across the street because she is a child of God. This work is so important! The FIELD IS WHITE ALREADY TO HARVEST!  If you have a desire to serve him you are called to this work.  I don't know about you but if you love God, love this gospel doesn't that mean you too are called to help others come into Christ. So what do we do? We act. We don't sit idly by waiting for the Second Coming. I'm so happy for all those who have realized that the work needs to be done, for the living and the dead.

I know Jesus Christ lives. I know that his sacrifice was for us. I love what I do, I love teaching and Shouting to the world of its truth. I bear witness that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ and we privileged to partake of it.

Okay desu.

Okay I'm done with my rant now.  It turned into a rant, but that is okay, because I’m not actually mad, haha.

Love Oswald Shimai

Elder Goff on his last transfer

We found a see-saw

We found this guy crawling very slowly across