Hey everyone!
It's great to get the chance to email again. It's only been one week,
but so much has happened. For starters, the big news was spoiled last
week, but I'm in Omuta city now! I don't know exactly how far the trip
was, but it took most of Thursday, and gave me my first full immersion
experience in Japan, because when you transfer, you're on your own (at
least part of the way). So, like any good missionary, I got to use
some nice alone time to think, and enjoy the beautiful countryside.
And then, I ended up miles away, right outside of Kumamoto-Ken, with a
new companion, new zone, and new area. But it's great, because the
Lord prepares people all around the world, no matter what city you
were in.
Being honest, I was worried about the move, because George was
preparing for his baptism on the 18th, and I really wanted to see it
and be there for him. But what do I find in Omuta, but two amazing
people preparing for their own baptisms. Sadly for me, neither of them
are Americans, so my into to teaching, English style, is now over.
Yet, I love both of them. Ippo is an extremely kind man, who loves the
missionaries, and has committed himself to reading two pages from the
Book of Mormon a day. The gospel has already changed him, helping him
to overcome smoking, and I am just amazed by how prepared he is. The
other person I've got the pleasure of working with is named Kodzuma,
and he also has seen miracles. Due to medical reasons, his legs
normally hurt a lot, but he was able to come to church yesterday, by
bike, and you could tell he loved the peace within. As I get to meet
both of them more, I will definitely share more about both of these
fantastic men.
Besides those two investigators, Omuta also has a bunch of less
actives that we as the missionaries get the pleasure of helping. Some
are old war veterans, some young families, but everyone has their own
story. In the little time I've had here so far, I can promise that
those stories are what make people unique. When you listen to a story,
it just helps you understand what is going on in a persons life, and
how to help them. Just getting to know people has been by far my
favorite thing so far.
And getting to know people is easy when you have an amazing companion.
Elder Erickson is amazingly genuine, and the people we meet can tell.
From less actives to investigators to members to random people on the
street, we have just been able to share the love of God. At the core,
that's all we are doing, and as people realize that the missionaries
aren't trying to sell something, you can see their hearts open up. As
just one sentence examples, the mother who gave us her love on behalf
of our own mothers, the people who walked with us to help us find an
apartment, a priest who talked with us to share his side, the atheist
with deep questions on life, the old man who taught us Japanese. I
could go on, but those are just some of the stories we've seen in the
past week. And there are many, many more to find. I love being out
here, having the chance to meet all of these people, because even
though I can't speak perfectly (or even well) these are real people I
can share joy with.
Wow, that got long really fast. I'll talk more about the members next
week, because they are amazing, and so helpful. But I just wanted to
close quickly with a segment of scripture I found, from the speech of
Samuel the Lamanite. "Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather
than light?" We can, as the Nephites of old, make that choice, because
our mentality determines everything. Let us all press on in our own
lives, choosing to be happy, and I promise we will find the greater
light.
Love you all,
Elder Woodhouse
It's great to get the chance to email again. It's only been one week,
but so much has happened. For starters, the big news was spoiled last
week, but I'm in Omuta city now! I don't know exactly how far the trip
was, but it took most of Thursday, and gave me my first full immersion
experience in Japan, because when you transfer, you're on your own (at
least part of the way). So, like any good missionary, I got to use
some nice alone time to think, and enjoy the beautiful countryside.
And then, I ended up miles away, right outside of Kumamoto-Ken, with a
new companion, new zone, and new area. But it's great, because the
Lord prepares people all around the world, no matter what city you
were in.
Being honest, I was worried about the move, because George was
preparing for his baptism on the 18th, and I really wanted to see it
and be there for him. But what do I find in Omuta, but two amazing
people preparing for their own baptisms. Sadly for me, neither of them
are Americans, so my into to teaching, English style, is now over.
Yet, I love both of them. Ippo is an extremely kind man, who loves the
missionaries, and has committed himself to reading two pages from the
Book of Mormon a day. The gospel has already changed him, helping him
to overcome smoking, and I am just amazed by how prepared he is. The
other person I've got the pleasure of working with is named Kodzuma,
and he also has seen miracles. Due to medical reasons, his legs
normally hurt a lot, but he was able to come to church yesterday, by
bike, and you could tell he loved the peace within. As I get to meet
both of them more, I will definitely share more about both of these
fantastic men.
Besides those two investigators, Omuta also has a bunch of less
actives that we as the missionaries get the pleasure of helping. Some
are old war veterans, some young families, but everyone has their own
story. In the little time I've had here so far, I can promise that
those stories are what make people unique. When you listen to a story,
it just helps you understand what is going on in a persons life, and
how to help them. Just getting to know people has been by far my
favorite thing so far.
And getting to know people is easy when you have an amazing companion.
Elder Erickson is amazingly genuine, and the people we meet can tell.
From less actives to investigators to members to random people on the
street, we have just been able to share the love of God. At the core,
that's all we are doing, and as people realize that the missionaries
aren't trying to sell something, you can see their hearts open up. As
just one sentence examples, the mother who gave us her love on behalf
of our own mothers, the people who walked with us to help us find an
apartment, a priest who talked with us to share his side, the atheist
with deep questions on life, the old man who taught us Japanese. I
could go on, but those are just some of the stories we've seen in the
past week. And there are many, many more to find. I love being out
here, having the chance to meet all of these people, because even
though I can't speak perfectly (or even well) these are real people I
can share joy with.
Wow, that got long really fast. I'll talk more about the members next
week, because they are amazing, and so helpful. But I just wanted to
close quickly with a segment of scripture I found, from the speech of
Samuel the Lamanite. "Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather
than light?" We can, as the Nephites of old, make that choice, because
our mentality determines everything. Let us all press on in our own
lives, choosing to be happy, and I promise we will find the greater
light.
Love you all,
Elder Woodhouse
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