This is definitely the coolest area in the mission (I just wanted to say that - haha). I really love this place. So we just got back form Skytree!!!!!!!! It was amazing!!!! I'll talk about everything in reverse. So we went to skytree and it was even better than expected. Tokyo is so much bigger than I ever realized!!!!!!!!!! It is huge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is never ending. I'll send pics and one video where I just do a look over everything. It is awesome. Made me proud to be a Tokyo Missionary. I'll let the pictures do the talking. Just know that everyone has to go in the future.

 

At the Temple I had a great experience. I walked out of the celestial room and looked back and it was just comforting to think, "wow, I feel like I was here just yesterday." we go once a transfer so during your mission you go about 14 times including a couple of missed ones maybe. There are 16 transfers in a mission. Anyways, I feel like I go there so often and it is just flying by. I felt so content and knew that what I am doing is right and I am enjoying it while also dealing with the hardships as best I can. Great experience. I love the Temple.

 

I Read Jacob 7 this week and realized something. We are all very strong members so sometimes our faith will be specifically challenged. We need to always do our best to stay strong and always remember our testimonies. We can all have faith. It was Elder Ogata's birthday and it was pretty funny. We bought some little celebratory thingys that we though just shot string. So the idea was to shoot it at him but in the end. . .  they were mini fireworks!?!?! UH OH, we shot him with fireworks haha - so funny.

D*** is probably going to be baptized this weeek. We were succesful in moving him to the Elders closer to his hometown. He still likes us better - haha but we are going to his baptism this Saturday before we transfer. Next week is trasfers and one of us most likely will go so D**** really wants to do it before we go. So cool to see him progress to baptism. He is from the Phillipines and loved Christ from the start. B*** is doing great now too. He is primary coordinator - haha and also this week I got lost with directions, but we found this random kid on a random road and he is now an investigator:) Cool how God does that to us sometimes.

It sounds like Halloween was a blast. You all look great. Costumes were awesome!!! We had our halloween party here and I'll send you a picture of my costume:) I am a Ramen Chef - haha I love ramen!! Its so good in Japan. Anyways, I'll let the tons of pictures do the talking this week. I love you all!!!!! Havea great week!!!!

Love,
Elder Mason Proctor

 

 

Hey everyone! It is nice to be sitting here again emailing:) I love you all so much and I still pray for you everyday. We had a fun week and I'll try to tell you a couple of the things that happened.

 

The transfer that we are on now is only a 5 week transfer so we are having to get all of our meetings and splits accomplished in less time. It has caused us to be super busy which is good. I went on a split to the place where I met the two football players a month ago again and Facebooked them. I was able to meet with the returned missoinary player and it was really fun. He said we are welcome to come to their practive facility and meet everyone. We will do that soon:) That's a bunch of cool referrals - haha.

 

In Japan they still do the primary program and it is just as adorable. They always do the the song about baptism with one verse in English and it is always a weird but comforting feeling to hear hymns and stuff like that in English. It is adorable. They had it about a month ago here.

 

We also had a day one this week where we focused only on college students. So all the missonaries in the mission went to college areas and dendoed (did missionary contacting). It was pretty interesting. Elder Packer and I wandered on to the campus and found a gym. We changed and just walked in on a huge gym class of Japanese people. It was pretty funny as they kind of just stopped and we walked through and went up staris. We met a guy and he loved basketball, he knew all the NBA players so we played basketball with him. After the class was over he told us he wants to play with us again! Wooh! It is so funny to play basketball in Japan. Then we passed out flyers outside of the college and it went pretty well. I had one of those moments wehere I felt like: " What is going on with my life?" again - haha. I talked to a 28 year old guy for 30 minutes about God. I talked about how a hundered years ago there were no cell phones and we didn't know how big the universe was. But now, we have advances in technology like the Hubble telescope and can see how big the universe is. I told him how within a hundred years, there could be even more evidence of God's existence and it could become common knowledge jsut like cell phones and galaxies. He really liked that and we talked for awhile. He was not interested in the end but it was just weird to think that I was spending my time talking about God and galaxies with a Japanese business man in Japanese in Japan. Life is weird sometimes haha.

 

We also eneded our Daigaku (University) blitz with Indian Curry. It is good. I love it. They have these two foot huge things of bread called Nan. They taste so good and then the curry is great.

 

Well I love you all so much. Things are going well. Next week is Temple P-Day and we might go to Skytree, so be ready for some awesome pictures next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hey! So I rode my bike through the beginning of the Typhoon today to get to the church - haha it wasn't as bad when we rode our bikes but it has picked up now and . . . it's bad. So we are stuck here until it calms down. Its funny, in Japan, they honestly freak out about weather a little too much - haha. For example, when it rains, church attendance goes down so much because when it rains, they consider it a storm and because they ride bikes and walk a lot it is easier to just stay inside. But for the typhoon, they freak out haha No one is outside, but I told some people how we did Hurricane Rita and Katrina and they were just like Woah - haha.  We had a great lesson with N*** the other day. We talked about fasting and he fasted for the first time in his 64 years of life. It is so cool to see a Japanese man, who never had any thought of God his whole life fast for the first time because of God. So cool. It went well and I feel like he got closer to God.

 

I read 2 Nephi 25:29 this week and it really hit me how simple it is. I love how straightforward this verse is and it really made it simple. Just believe in Christ. Just do it. For the first time in my whole mission the other day I started getting Bible bashed by a guy from Africa. He wasn't being rude just asking questions but it was weird. So in the United States as a missionary, I bet all the missionaries come back with really strong testimonies of the Restoration becasue they probably spend their whole mission testifying to people of latter-day prophets. It's not like that here - haha I have just gained a testimony of how God is real. Obviously yea, I have a testimony of the restoration, but I really spend most of my time just introducing people to God for the first time. That is why I love Japan. Not many missionaries get the chance to introduce God for the first time ever into someone's life. People get the first contact with God from the scriptures including the Book of Mormon and what I get  to say. It is amazing.

 

I am really excited for Conference this weekend. I haven't seen it yet - haha but also it is my 3rd one to see on my mission. You only go though four. It's crazy how time is flying. We got a new missionary in our apartment. He is from Fukuoka and only has been a missionary for 3 weeks. He speaks no English at all - haha He is learning quick though and I'm enjoying the atmospehere of a brand new person, especially Japanese. I love talking with him.

Sounds like things are going great over there. I am going to try to get your gift Landon. Kind of hard today but I will do my best. Just know I didn't forget - haha I am going to get it. I love you all so much. Enjoy this season!! I am excited for Christmas already!! Have a great week! I love you!!!!!

 

Oh yeah, just an insight into Japanese, its so funny how it's just like sports. Sometimes you have a good game and understand everything in a day, then the next, you don't make anything and you struggle on some conversations. I just thought you would think that was funny. It literally is like a game to me sometimes - haha.

Love,
プロクター長老