I am not transferring!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am staying for a fourth transfer. I stayed for four in my last area too so this is my longest again. I am so happy. Elder Tsuchida is great and I love the area and am really excited to continue working with S*****. We are teaching him really boldly about the Sabbath day today so I hope it goes well. He is doing great though. We asked him to read some specific verses before meeting one time last week and he read them and told us exactly what they meant and everything. Usually people who don't have a Christian background can't do that, but he can because he is really feeling the Spirit and seeking after God. We had an awesome week.

 

We taught more people in Kamagaya than I ever had before. We also really focused on super spirit filled lessons so honestly, even if in my other area I taught more people, I have never felt so much like a Gospel teacher as I do now. Plus, Elder Tsuchida is helping me a lot with my Japanese language skills, so it is a lot easier for the investigators to understand me. Sometimes if you are always with American missionaries, you end up doing missionary Japanese, and it is different - haha so I am getting rid of my old habits and picking up a lot of good real Japanese habits with him. I love Japanese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I really hope my siblings get to go on a  foreign language speaking mission. It really is so much fun. It is obviously one of the hardest things in the world - haha but really, it teaches you to literally think in a different way. It has taught me so much. I love the language.

 

Today we blitzed an area that is struggling and Elder Tsuchida and I found someone. This was like 3 hours ago. It was super hot, and I was tired and honestly getting kind of out of willingness to keep walking. But, we did and found a kid, gave him a Book of Mormon, and he gave us his number. Wooh! You have to push though the hard times. I always try to look at the long run. I could've gave up, been lazy and now just forget about the experience, but because I didn't, now I look back and learned that never giving up works!!  Don't give up!!! It looks like everyone is having fun over in Texas. It is getting hot here now, but still nothing like home haha it hasn't been raining!! Yes!!! Yesterday we checked the forecast and then real quick I wanted to show Elder Tsuchida Texas' humidity. It said 94 on Yahoo weather and he was shocked - haha They think it is hot here, but being it Nacogdoches in the summer in a bathing suit, is still hotter than being here in the summer in an actual suit  here - haha. I love you all so much!!

Skype is officially the 9, 10, or 11. the 10th is church and S**** baptismal date, so that might be kind of busy. So maybe the 9 or tenth is best?? I don't know. You guys talk this week and let me know what time next week you want to do it. Last Skype!??!?!?! Can you believe that? It is surreal. I am so thankful for my mission. I love you all so much!! Have a great week and SEE you soon:)

Love,
Elder Proctor

 

 

 

 

So it rained every day, other than like 2 this week, but it was still a good week haha. You never realize how thankful you are for cars until you are stuck outside on a bike, infront of train stations, and on streets for 10 hours a day. In Texas it rained and I never thought about it, but now, literally the first thing I do after I exercise in the morning is check outside. It rains.....alot. But it's a good experience. I am coming to love it and it only makes my after mission stories cooler because I can say, "In the rain......" every time haha.

 

S*** is doing awesome. We taught him the commandments and stuff and he is doing good with all of them. We reset his baptismal date with him and it is now for the 10th next month!!! Wooh!!! He is the coolest investigator ever. He is 20 and basically just our friend. He is awesome. He is already in Mosiah too!?!? He should be baptized on the 10th as long as he is able to come to church. His job is ridiculous and he said he is giong to try. So pray for him!!!!!

We have been on a focus of following the spirit lately and it really is working. This week we felt like we should go to a certain station at a certain time when we planned the night before. We went at that exact time and the first person Elder Tsuchida talked to was amazing. He was a college student who had read half of the Book of Mormon on his cell phone?!?!? He lives far away so he got him ready to go to church in the other area. Isn't that cool!! I used to always think "folllow the spirit" was one of those fancy things they always say, but it really does work. If youll just prepare yourself, really think, and go with what feels right and is in line with the commandments, you'll be good!!

The next story is about obedience. Being obedient is important. We had forgot to pay our fast offerings (in Japan its a little different the way you pay) so we put it off and finally were like no, we have to do it now. So we did and as we pulled up to the place where you do it, there was four Filipinos sitting on the front steps. One yelled, "Elder! Elder!." so we talked to them and he is a convert from the Philippines. He just moved to Japan and said he wanted to know where the church was:) He is coming next week. Also, his friends might come. Cool to see how obedience works. God stuck them right ont he place we were supposed to pay haha. We also have a friend K*** who is cool. He had a hard home life, divorced parents, and he said he wants to be a good dad because of that and we are helping him with the Gospel. He is 20 and really nice.

We have so many good people right now. Transfers are on Monday, but in my letter to the president I really hinted to President Budge about not going anywhere and at the temple today he talked to me and said that it sounds like things are going really well, and was specific about it, so I think I am good:P Last thing..........this is pretty crazy. I will send you a picture of my flight itinerary. I love you!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Proctor

Sent from my iPad

 

 

This week was so good. I'll start by just telling a story about Friday. We saw so many great things. We first taught T***, he is good at English and in the lesson he said "YOLO." Acronym for "you only live once."  He said one of the dumb phrases high school students said when I was in high school and he is like 75 years old and Japanese. that was pretty funny. He is still reading the Book of Mormon. We then taught another potential person and he has read all the way to Words of Mormon?! What? That was cool. Then we met with S****. We ate ramen and stuff then we went back to the church and were able to teach him a super good lesson about the Plan of Salvation. He embraced it all, loved it, and I am still shocked at how awesome he is. My goal is for him to have a mission call at this time next year. He might be baptized in May instead, but that is fine.

 

I hope that gives me a reason to be in Kamagaya longer. For the first time in my entire mission I am going to specifically ask President Budge not to transfer me. ha-ha I have never done it. But I do not want to go. I want to stay!!! So I hope it happens. Transfers are in two weeks. Next week is temple pday by the way so we will email late on Tuesday.

 

So then after S**** we went housing and decided to just stop at the place where we felt prompted to stop. We randomly felt it, stopped, and found a lady who's son had been going to the Eikaiwa in Nakano, Elder Tsuchidas old area. So we talked to her and are going back to teach her and her husband. I really hope the husband is there. Then Saturday a miracle happened when one of our Eikaiwa students, a new guy I found about two weeks ago, showed up and came to general conference. He was taking notes and everything?!?! I was shocked haha General conference was amazing. I learned so much and there was some definite advice and counsel I needed to hear. It was weird having it as the perspective for a missionary and a returned missionary.

 

Yesterday was cool too. We taught K***, our 11 year eternal investigator, and it was good. He asked if he could just not take the lessons from the missionaries and eventually just be baptized when he wants to. We had a member who just got back from his mission 7 weeks ago, and we testified to him of the importance of keys of the Priesthood. It was the first time in my life I have testified so strong of the importance of the organization of the Priesthood and the keys of it. I learned myself too. So did K***. Missionary work is great. I just want to stay in Kamagaya the rest of my mission. I think one more transfer is possible. I would like to Skype with Elder Tsuchida here too. That would be really fun. I love you all so much. thanks for the package!!!1 Have a great week!!!!!!!!

Love,
Elder Proctor

ps, this is my new iPad:)) it is actually noticeably a lot better!!
The screen is amazing

Sent from my iPad

 

 

 

Best Week Ever!!

 

So, first of all. Y*** Shimai (Sister) was baptized haha:) it went really well. I had to do it twice because her skirt didn't go under, plus the Sister Missionaries didn't practice with her so i had to explain it to her, a 80 year old Japanese lady, how to be baptized in like 5 seconds-haha it went fine though and in sacrament meeting yesterday she bore her testimony really well. I loved seeing that.

 

Sticking with the baptism theme, one of our investigators, S***, is now looking great. We set a baptismal date for the 26th of this month yesterday!?!?? WOOH!!! He is twenty and half the members still havent noticed that he is new because he doesn't look or act it. He has never done any Christianity before either?!? it is crazy. The only probelm is maybe he might have work on Sunday, so please, everyone pray that he won't!!!! He could be serving a mission in a year I think :).

 

Also, another cool miracle is in district meeting, the zone leaders asked us to pray to find a specific person. I prayed to find a man who is worried about taking care of his family and doesn't want his family to know he is worried. A man I met a month ago called and he said his son has not held a job since age 18  and doesn't leave the house. He is now 35. He said he wants to go to church to receive help and talk to us to learn. Pretty cool huh? his name is I***. Shows that you really do "ask and receive."

 

We also have a new investigator named M*** who is reading and doing well. We really are doing really well right now. We teach really good spirit-filled lessons. Best of my mission. K***, the protestant family kid, he really is doing well. He loved the Plan of Salvation and ping pong is still fun with him. Elder Tsuchida is great. we are learning together and enjoying the work. I am excited for conference this week. It is always so good. The General Authorities really are prophets of God. It is my last General Conference in Japan. I can't believe it. Skype is next month. Time really does fly. I love my mission. It really is the best choice you can make. It has changed me and the people that I love to turn to God and really rely on Him and makes you try hard. I love it. I really know Jesus Christ is our Savior. Havea great week!!

Love,
Elder Proctor

ps, new iPads this week! Wooh! haha:P