Kamagaya! ‏

 

We had the best week of the entire transfer this week. We found 5 new investigators and were able to talk and teach a lot of people. It was so cool to see where we started and where we are now. I took a picture of our board that has all of our people on it and I will send it. It's crazy to think that all of those people on the board had nothing to do with God and Christ 6 weeks ago, but now have even just a little bit of belief, that is just awesome.

 

It looks like my return date will most likely be moved up. Of the 30 or so peole who came with me and will leave with me from Japan, a lot are going to BYU and it starts way before September 4th, so they are going to probably move us up to earlier in August. Just some news I thought you'd like to know.

 

It was insanely windy last week, it rained, it did all of that. It is hard to ride a bike in that, but we did what we could. We bike miles and miles a day. It's so funny because I used to think bike riding was dumb. But now when I think about it, I could have rode a bike to school and church and that doesn't seem far at all in my mind anymore - haha. We ride our bikes twice that distance everyday - haha. We are proably going to play basketball with our friend K*** today. I am so excited. We also met with M*** this week too. Plus our old friend T*** did a lesson with us and it went great. It's so interesting to teach him because he is good at English and we talk about the translations of the Japanese and English scriptures and it's been really fun. He is doing great. We also have an investigator named K***. He has been going to church for 10 years and he is ours now. We taught him and he is so close to baptism. Speaking of baptism, this Saturday in Chiba, S*** is going to be baptized!! We get to go see it too:)) He is the one we taught using just the Kanji becasue he is Chinese, but they were able to get a Chinese member to help. I am so happy for him!! He changed and found so much happiness so quickly!!

 

Other funny thing I forgot to tell you, I had to give a talk last Sunday. They told me 5 minutes before church started?!?!? So I went and sat on the stand and did it - haha. It was fine though. It went really well because I just told stories and stuff and related the principles back. It's a lot easier than when I did it at this time last year - haha.

 

So I am loving Kamagaya. Next week is transfer calls and I probably will not move. I  am happy Aunt Karen is doing a little better. I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week. 愛しているよ！

プロクター長老

 

 

This was actually a pretty crazy week. It started off with me being super sick again :(. I got worse the next day because I rested on Pday, but then went out and rode my bike in the freezing cold wind and that did not help. So. . . I had to rest a little one day but now I am better.

 

We saw a bunch of cool stuff this week though. Apparently in March we will be getting new iPads. And by we, I mean we have to buy them - haha. The new thing is that all misionaries will buy a tablet, probably an iPad, as part of their misison preparation - Japanese missionaries that is. So we have these options: old missionaries (like me), may buy a new one to take home, or keep my current one until I am released and then return it to the mission. It would be cool to have the one I have now, but it is kind of formatted so that access to normal things for college would be halted.  We will see what happens. It is neat that all Japanese Missions are using them.  

 

So i guess ill just talk about yesterday for a minute. We went out to a place in our area that no one has ever been to before. It was so far away and lets just say that by the end of yesterday we had biked over 30 kilometers...not kidding. It was worth it though. We housed out there and found a Sri Lankan guy who is coming with his friends to Indo Curry with us tomorrow:) plus, our friend K***, who we met a month ago, called and we met him last night. He finished his tests so now he can meet more and he really likes the message. he loves American football and basketball so we get a long. It's cool. He is super big. He is also reading the Book of Mormon so pray for K****!!!! please!!!

 

So yesterday was a crazy day, so tired but great day. Then today we went to the temple. It was great, as always, and I really enjoyed it. We finally made it back here and now I am emailing. Happy Birthday Chrissy!! I hope you like your presents. You are awesome and can't wait to be at your birthday next year;) Speaking of being home, I indirectly found out my return date today. They sent an email to all the people who came to Japan with me and said on August 31st BYU starts the Fall Quarter so all missionaries going home on  September 4th and going to BYU need to talk to President Budge. That indirectly let me know my return date is September 4th. So there it is - haha.  It could change but most likely not I think. I was not going to tell anyone, but I had to. I know you would want to know. I really have grown so much out here. I love Japan. Talking about the Japanese classes has got me thinking about how much I love it here. Japan is the place where I developed a strong testimony of everything. I know God is real, Christ is the Savior, and I have felt the Holy Ghost. I also developed more love and charity here for you all and the people here. I have learned more here than anywhere so I love Japan. I want to be connected with it for my whole life. 

 

私は日本に心から感謝しています。I love you all and am praying. I am glad Aunt Karen is a little better. Keep being my awesome family!!!!!!!

Love,
プロクター長老

 

 

 

So we had another really good week, I think. We are a brand new area but are doing very well. Elder Fountain is great. He is a brand new missionary and could have seen a brand new area with no people to teach and getting acquainted with a new ward as kind of a big struggle, but instead has had tons of faith and we have already been teaching people everyday.

 

Cool miracle, the O*** family who used to be mission presidents, gave us a referral of their friend M***. He is from Canada but Japanese. He lives here now and we got to meet him Saturday night. His wife's mom recently passed away. We talked with him about a lot of things but then discussed about the Plan of Salvation. He thought it was really interesting and now has a Book of Mormon and is going to read. He is really cool.

 

We also found a family by HOUSING!??! what? haha that never happens. But we housed at 8:30 at night because we had nothing else to do, and usually people just say no - haha or it's late go home, but the lady opened the door and she had been to Catholic preschool (I love Japanese Catholic preschools by the way), they do a lot of platning for us haha. But she had interest and her husband just so happened to be involved with international trading so he was looking for an English school. Well. . . we do that - haha - twice a week for free. She was so happy. They came to our ward mochi party the NEXT day!?!? so cool. Mochi is like mashed up rice, I'll send you a video. They make it for new years. But yeah, the T**** family is their name. SO cool, we also met with a bunch of other investigators and potential people. Great week!

 

I was sick yesterday. It was not fun but I just pushed through. I wore a mask all day. Also, I forgot to tell you I crashed in the rain a couple of weeks ago. It was just because my bike slipped in the wet gravel, but I was ok. My wrist is still just kind of sore and I forgot to tell you about my back - haha I've been getting messed up lately - haha.  On new years morning I was like "oh yeah, new year, here we go, time to work out hard everyday, as hard as I can, lets go, oh yeah," at the end of my workout during push ups my whole back seized up and cramped - haha I was out. And now just stretch every morning until its better - haha:P so I know that is pathetic and doesn't realy make me seem like the most manly guy, but it was funny so I though I'd share it with you. 

 

I also got contacts and glasses this week, pretty funny to do it in Japanese with the check up and everything.  I love you all so much. I am praying for you everyday and especially Aunt Karen. I will pray more this week. Nice to welcome Stephanie in:)

 

I love you all!!!!

Love,
プロクター長老

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

 

明けましておめでとうございます

 

It is 2015!!!!!!! I am so excited and have had great experiences all week, along with some funny ones haha. So on Tuesday we were able to find tons of people. We started out by finding two Vietnamese guys who are interesting, they don't really speak English but speak some Japanese. I talk to them over facebook in Japanese and I think they use google translate to figure out what I say- haha. It's pretty funny but hopefully they meet with us this week. Then we found a guy housing. I***. He and his wife are like 22 and married young. His wife wasn't home but he said she likes the bible and English so he said we could visit next Monday. I hope it goes well. It was funny too be cause most Japanese don't marry that quickly and I commented on it and he said, the faster the better. Couldn't really disagree with him - haha.  I am excited to meet with them next week. Then we met another kid Y*** while passing out flyers at a train station. Then we met another Phillipino at the same station. And then we housed and found a lady who had took the lessons years ago and wanted to do it again and start coming to church so we referred her to the Sisters.  This was all in one day. Great day of finding. Thank you for your prayers.

 

On New Years Day we read the Book of Mormon all day. In Japan they celebrate new years for 3 days and it's the biggest holiday of the year so everyone does dumb stuff, you know. So we actually don't dendo (do missionary work) on those three days. We had a cleaning day, a book of mormon read day and a conference. So on new years we had a lunch appointment with a member. We went and they are two older members who are former mission president and wife and Japan MTC former presidents. Pretty good people. We made our new years resolutions in Japanese with them. You get this piece of papare and then with the whole big brush and everything, write what your goal is. I chose 慈愛、which is pronounced "jiai" which means charity. This is the last year of my mission. I want to be the best missionary possible and develop charity like Christ for these people. I also know that when I get back, I want to have love and charity for all of you and start off my returned missionary life with the focus on love and charity. SO i chose "慈愛".

 

Funny story, dad talked about the carbon monoxide and it is a problem here. Some misionaries in Korea passed away receently and they have been making sure everyone is safe now. So after cleaning day we used a lot of chemicals obviously. Our CO detector started beeping and said 97. We freaked out and learned that that was'tt deadly but still probably sleep with the windows open. The thing wouldn't quit beeping though so  I havd to wake up 2 or 3 times a night to reset it. It always said 97 so we were fine. Then a couple days into this after talking to the headquarters and everything, I called Sister Budge back and she was like, "wait, what does 97 look like if you read it as letters. Turn it upside down". I did and it was Lb. Low battery. We were fine the whole time. Just needed new batteries. So that was a lot of lost sleep for no reason. I read the whole instructions one night for 30 minutes for no reason - ugh haha but pretty funny story.

 

W*** and L***are two Chinese new investigators and I met them in inage a long time ago but they just contacted me and now they have interest! wooh! also, we got a referral and his name is M***, full Japanese but grew up in Ccanada and speaks both. He is looking good too.

 

Happy new year everyone!! I love you so much!! Keep praying and let's  make this the best year ever!!!! I remember when I was like ten Ii made a new years resolution to pray every night. It worked and I have done it since. Everyone else. Start some thing new and get closer to God! I love you!!!

Love
プロクター長老