Hi y’all!!!

To my dear friends who keep writing me (and of course those who don’t)! It’s very hard to see the comments on my blog, because there’s a giant mission-wide firewall between me and the outside world…. but MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!! I hope you all are doing well. I love you all dearly and hope you’re doing well in college or whatever endeavor is next in life. I also always try to write back if I get an email from someone… low-key sometimes I forget though so don’t hate me! But please write me if you get the chance!!!

These past two weeks have gone by in a blur. I got a new companion recently. His name is Elder Seegmiller! He is the former Assistant President (he would’ve stayed AP but Sano会長 felt really strongly he needed to come to Otsu). I honestly felt really intimidated at first by him! Unsurprisingly, he does everything I can do and he can do it really well. He talks to people easily, he plays piano incredibly well, he is super 元気 (energetic/spirited in English, I guess), perfect Japanese, teaches lessons well, etc. It’s been a little hard for me! I like to do everything the best, it’s rooted deep in my personality and somewhat competitive nature😂. I’ve really learned that I have to be patient with the process. He’s incredibly skilled as a missionary, but it doesn’t mean I can’t help or use this time to improve my skills in every aspect greatly. He’s also one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

I only have about three weeks left in Otsu, I’m pretty sure. I will dearly miss it. At first I didn’t love it because I wanted to go to a city. I thought some of my skills might be wasted in a semi-rural/suburban area because I like to think quick on my feet. I was wrong. It was still hard. And I needed to be here, it’s not just about me but the people who God wanted to put in my way. But it makes me tear up when I really think about leaving so soon. There’s also so much work that still needs to be done here. It feels like I just started, but based on the way transfers work I’ll probably be leaving very soon.

People often call Japanese missions hard. I think it’s all the same. Did you show up with a desire to testify of Jesus Christ? Perfect! That’s really all that’s asked of you. Nothing more, nothing less. So one thing I’ve kind of realized already in the mission is that everything happens for a reason, and the best thing I can do a lot of the time is trust in God. I show up and do what I can, I try to teach and tell about Christ, I seek to develop faith, hope, and charity, I seek to strengthen Zion, and I seek the prepared. And really, what I’ve found is God has put at least one person in my path every day who could use the message we share as missionaries. No matter if the time we have for finding is 30 minutes (a blessed and prosperous day in [what can be] an idolatrous, like mega delinquent land of Japan) or 6 hours (the average lol), we go and find. And through His guidance, I’ve found Asaumi-shimai, Huang, and Gi sure, but I’ve also found so much hope and joy in the work and in my ward. And it’s not amazing by the books per se, I mean, I see people in Brazil all the time who are like “Today was my 10th baptism for the week!” but in a way I’m grateful and it’s amazing to me because it makes those who discover Christ even more special to me. In a way I feel as if Asaumi shimai and I knew that this interaction would happen before this world and that because of the fact that I just showed up to the mission, she found Christ. I couldn’t speak a lick of Japanese when we first met, but we became immediate friends. It really is a special, perhaps even preordained work. The Spirit guides me and my companion and those we meet all the time here on the mission. My companion stopped someone riding a bicycle, which you should probably never do, but because he felt soooo strongly to do so, we found someone new who needed the message– that there is someone who loves you and knows you perfectly. Elder Seegmiller’s grandpa (Happy Science member) finally understood why people are Christian because Elder Seegmiller wanted to bear his testimony and what he’s learned during his time as a missionary on New Years to them, and he resonated with the message that God helps us through our trials. Gi understood he wasn’t alone in Japan because we’re his friends and God loves him so much that he sent his Only Begotten Son to die for him and his trials. Huang found the message of the Restoration and realized that through prayer we can still connect with God even today. Miracles are not over now, they are not over in the past, nor are they over in the future. The work in Japan is slow, perhaps because of the slave-like work culture or the prominence of pornography and other enslaving addictions, but it is not hard. The only thing that can make it hard is when you give up on Christ. It is through the power of Christ that our weaknesses are made strong, that we may prosper and be blessed, and that we may find joy even in the face of adversity.

Also member work is great. Do member work, it is the most important work perhaps. It has certainly brought me the most miracles so far on the mission. And sometimes if you have a lunch or dinner break that lines up just right you get free food!

See yall next week, hopefully!
愛してますよ、
Elder Son