Hey guys!

Another week in the big O-O-Osaka!

This week I hit my six months as a missionary. It’s a little crazy to see how fast time has flown by. I feel like I’ve grown so much and yet not at all. I’ve got a pretty good grasp on Japanese now and yet it’s still terrible. I’ve learned everything and absolutely nothing at once. I wish I had something more profound to say about six months in the field. Half of a year. Quarter of my mission. I’m so grateful for it all — and I’ve been given so much for every last drop of effort I’ve put into it. I know the Lord is behind every success I’ve seen.

Sunday, we had an opportunity to hear from a General Area Seventy in a stake conference in Osaka. [See us in the above picture with our friend Anthony who is on date for baptism]. In her talk, it seemed the area Seventy’s wife was weirdly obsessed with charcuterie boards, even to the point of finding a witness of God’s love for her through her trials in picking up the very, very last one from Costco (I’m sure it was very important to her but to me it was hilarious). Our Area Seventy leader was obsessed with…uh…I admittedly zoned out for most of his talk. I’m sure it was incredible. He mentioned one quote from President Nelson, though, and below I’ve mentioned my take away from his quote.

President Nelson said, “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” I think this applies more to us now than ever. The world is a crazy place, and it’s only getting crazier. It’s easier to be politically polarized more than ever, easier to believe misleading information more than ever, easier to judge your neighbor more than ever, etc. In any of these situations can the Spirit of the Lord be found? No! Seek shelter in the comfort of the Lord. Find His peace. Be like Joseph when he was tempted by the harlot. Arm yourself with the Spirit and “get yourself out” of spiritually dangerous situations. And when times get rough, look for those Costco charcuterie boards like the General Area Seventy’s wife!! In more sane terms, look for those evidences of God in your life! Realize He’s there and you will be able to press on. Today was hard, tomorrow is another story. Despite our fallen and imperfect world, our imperfect circumstances, and our imperfect perception, our perfection is attainable through Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Maybe it is a pretty reasonable reaction to a charcuterie board.

My other writings: elder.son.org