228 = golden number

howdy everyone. 

its been a good week! it also felt super long though.
i feel like last sunday was two months ago.... this week has
been good though. im excited for  lot of things this month! 

can't believe it's already november. 

I know my buddy Ethan will be going to the MTC soon, i know my best bud is planning on putting his papers
in this month, i know this month is thanksgiving too haha. even though i forgot when it was haha. 

im steadlily forgetting english which is not good! but i started reading the scpirtures in both japanese and
english so that has been really good. in fact its shed more understanding in the scriptures for me.

In the tokyo mission, we have a goal to bring 228 people unto christ this year. in the mission, the last time 200 people came unto christ in one year was over 20 years ago. last frieday we had an all zone missionary conference and we talked about this goal for a while. after the conference, my zone went into a different room and talked about this goal and what we can do to accomplish it. it was evident that we needed to be humble and show faith and prepare ourselves to see miracles. I know the lord will help us.

The other day i just saw one. last sunday i saw a Big one. i see miracles all the time, i know elder abe and i could acheive the goals we have set for this translfer as long as we be obedient and give our availability to the lord. Japan is a very unique country, it has everything, including all the bad. which sustains the good thats in
this country. I know if we give all our best all things are possible. ive seen it, im seeing it all the time.

Elder Abe is going home at the end of this transfer. ill miss this guy. cant believe im in my thrid transfer already though. well i got to go! see you. love you all and write me when you have a chance

P.S todd or nate or dave. where is C-tina? what mission was it?

first baptism

Dear Family and Friends.

Hey everyone. this past week has been really good. It also felt very long
too, BUT it’s one of the best weeks that I’ve had as a missionary. I’m
still in good old Mito! My 3rd transfer in mito now. Still
with my trainer too! I hear being with the same companion in the same
area for three transfers is pretty rare.

Last Sunday (the 24th here) Chin-san got baptized!!! What a wonderful
thing that is. The best part is I found her too! And she asked me to
baptize her.

I am in deep gratitude that our Heavenly Father has trusted me and
Elder Abe to find her and teach her at this time of her life. I was
also in joy when our dear sister chin asked me to do the sacred
privilege of baptizing her last Sunday. 

In first Nephi   6, it says "and I was led by the Spirit, not knowing
beforehand the things which I should do."
When I read this, I thought that we all may not receive a really
strong feeling prompting from the spirit. As a missionary to the lord,
when we prepare well and just do the best we can to our ability, the
lord will set forth the people who are ready to hear the gospel. As we
show are availability to our Heavenly Father, he will make things
happen. That all is ever is. In missionary work we don’t convert
anyone, the spirit does. What we really are is just a guide for the
people to reach the doors of celestial kingdom.

Being a missionary is awesome. It’s so hard! But it has been a great
honor and a privilege to change people’s lives here is Mito. I have been
expressed many times by people that I have just changed their lives
it’s been humbling. Then again I’m not doing anything, other than what
the lord would have me do. I am just doing his work, and try to do his
will. Blessings just follow through obedience.

Other things this week, on Friday we got that call from the honbu that
we are not transferring. EVERYONE in the ward didn’t want us to
transfer, so the next day we had so many people ask us if we are
transferring or not haha. On Saturday, elder abe and I planned an
activity for the SA and the youth and did this thing called pizza
movie night. It was a success. Had them watch legacy while we make
pizza haha. We also had two part-member families and two non-members
come to the activity so it was really effective. Sunday was the sweet
baptism, and on Tuesday I spent like three hours doing translation
that the mission home asked me to do haha. I am extremely slow now. I
was so surprised (or mad at my self) for being so slow and taking a
long time haha.
Wednesday was eikaiwa (English conversation class) It turns out that I
am a really good teacher. All my students really love me. I think I
just make the class fun.
And today is a semi-P-Day for us! We are just doing e mail and we got
to go back to work. We got a lot of stuff to do. But that’s really
good!

Alrighty everyone. Write me when you have the chance! See ya
Love you all
Elder young

blind

Dear family and friends
Well another week has passed. Seriously, this whole memory loss thing is really starting to annoy me when it comes to writing mails haha.

i went to the Tokyo temple last monday and that was awesome. Going
through the endowment session in japanese was wicked cool. Tokyo
temple has its own cafeteria! Eating curry and ice-cream in the temple
was very fun, i must say.

for two weeks now i have been completely blind! on the 9th of October
i found out i have an infection in my eye so i cant wear contact
lenses! and i REFUSE to wear my glasses because they give me constant
headache. So this past two weeks have been a blure to me... no wonder
i cant remember anything!

funny thing,  the mission doctor's wife sister Goth (nicest lady on the
planet) asked me if she could see my glasses, i showed it to her, she wears
it, and then calmly tells me "Elder....dont wear this!"
my reply to her was "YES ma'am!"-- so relieved i dont have to wear it anymore.
I finally told my mission president in a interview four days ago about it. the
day after he calls me and tells me "Elder... you need glasses.... the
mission will pay for it, you just go get one asap"

i'm so blessed to have him as my mission president. i'm blessed to be
here in japan tokyo mission.

this chinese girl investigator i found a month and a half ago, is
planning to be baptized this sunday with her friend. I dont want to
sound too excited or anything yet because anything can happen, but
man.... imagine i didnt go on a mission. She would have never found
out about the gospel and would have never received the happiess she so
intimately described to me the other week.
I know god has put me in a place and time for a purpose. I know he has
HIS timing and everything happens for a reason.

No wonder satan tries to do everything he can to stop worthy young men
and women to go on a mission.anyhow... the mission is awesome. im
learning a ton of gospel stuff and learning daily! whohoo!!!!
じゃーねーバイバイ
ヤング長老