IS THIS WHERE I GET THE DRUGS?

皆さんこんにちは！

So as you probably have noticed, the titles for my weekly's are quite strange..This week is no exception! We didn't get to do too much this week because our transfer was kinda strange, especially because we closed our apartment.

We did a TON of cleaning on Wednesday. We went to the care home to begin our weekly service.  They had us clean the floor, tables, chairs, and windows of the cafeteria. Nothing better than service! After that, Gutierrez 長老 and I packed all of our stuff; it took quite a while and wasn't easy, especially because we had acquired more stuff since we first got to 川崎. Then we did some heavy duty cleaning! We wiped the dust off everything, vacuumed, got rid of junk, and scrubbed the mold off under the bath. It definitely wasn't easy and took pretty much the rest of the day. That's what happens when past missionaries didn't clean up the apartments regularly! So please do everyone a favor and keep your living areas clean! That includes non-missionaries too! Just a quick analogy. This is what putting off our salvation is like. If we keep waiting to repent, it continues to build up and makes it harder for us to repent in the future. We must repent everyday! (^o^)/ 

The other elders came over when we were finished to help us move all of our stuff and food to their apartment. We then said goodbye to our freshly cleaned apartment and locked the door for the last time :( Gutierrez長老 and I "transferred" that night because we are just moving apartments, not areas. Bradford長老 made a cake in a rice cooker to celebrate the end of an amazing transfer and the end of 紺野長老's mission! It was pretty good, especially for being made in a rice cooker! Gutierrez長老, Bradford長老, and I also did the egg challenge; we ate a whole raw egg(yes the shell too). It wasn't that bad haha (⌒▽⌒)

Transfer day was pretty crazy. Gutierrez長老 left early to pick up his bean at the 本部(honbu-headquarters), Bradford長老 and Morris 長老 then went to their areas, and then 紺野長老 went to the 本部. Schow長老 and I stayed behind and became 同僚s! Gutierrez長老's new companion is Brimhall長老; To姉妹's is Patch 姉妹. We had an awesome 英会話 in the evening. I am super excited for this next transfer!

So we met a lot of interesting people on Friday. We went to the church after studies to look up the area we planned to 伝道 at. While standing outside, a guy came up to us and asked(in 日本語）"Is this the Mizonokuchi church?" . We said yes and asked why. He mumbled some stuff in 日本語 that both Schow 長老 and I didn't understand. He then asked if he could go in; we said yes and then walked with him to the door. We asked him why and he made some weird gestures and said in broken English "Is this where I get the drugs?". We said no and said he had the wrong place and invited him to come to church on Sunday but he just left. At night, we went to 武蔵新城 to street. We passed a bunch of people waiting in line outside for a popular ramen shop. We asked a guy in line if the place was good and that just turned into a really awesome conversation! We shared that we are all children of God and talked about what we do as missionaries. After about 10 minutes, it was his turn to go in so he had to leave, but we invited him to church and 英会話。He was super nice! If we didn't eat dinner an hour earlier, we probably would've gone in with him so we could talk to him more! To wrap up the night, we talked to this guy who owned a shop that sold food from Okinawa. We got to know him a bit and talked about church. Unfortunately he can't get off work on Sunday because he owns the shop. But it was a great day for 伝道! 

Sunday was pretty 長い(nagai-long). The new missionaries gave a little introduction in sacrament meeting. I passed out the cookies we made to the members. Brother Wells' gospel doctrine class ended up just being us missionaries and Ricard; the lesson was about missionary work haha (^-^) We then had a lesson with Ricard; we gave him the after baptism "Temples and Family History" and "Learning and Serving in the Church" pamphlets. Then Suzuki姉妹 asked Schow 長老 and I if we could sing a hymn in Spanish for her friend, which happened to be Yokoyama姉妹. We sung "Las familias pueden ser eternas" or "Families Can Be Together Forever" for you non-spanish speakers :p Before we sung, Suzuki姉妹 thanked Yokoyama姉妹 for helping her and testified a bit; Suzuki姉妹 started crying a bit. It was so sweet :') After lunch, we came back to church because 今野兄弟 asked us to sing with the ward choir for the upcoming ward conference. We are singing "Press Forward, Saints" (in 日本語). Both of us are singing the bass part; it's so much fun! I never thought I would like singing so much! 

Just to wrap things up, I want to share something I came across while studying this morning. Some people don't believe in God because they think that there are no more miracles. But as the scriptures states many times, "God is the same as yesterday, today, and forever". Also, Moroni 9 talks about miracles.

15 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.

16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?

20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.

21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.

There are miracles all around us. They may be small but they do exist. God has given us so much and each day we wake up is a miracle. One stops seeing miracles when they stop believing. We must have faith before we receive/see. I love the promise stated in the last verse. As long as we believe in Christ and ask in the name of Christ, as long as it be good, it will be granted to us. What an amazing promise! I am so thankful for that knowledge. I am thankful for our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know that as you turn your life over to Him, you will begin to see more miracles than ever before. I love all of you! I hope you have a great week! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

-Elder Chab

チャブ長老 or 茶武長老

愛しています^_^

The rice cooker cake!

A great way to end a transfer! 

Scrubbing the mold under the tub wasn't fun!

Behold, the mighty egg challenge!

District sleep over!

Kawasaki district and the zone leaders! Brimhall長老, Gutierrez長老, Me, To姉妹, Patch姉妹, Molen長老, Schow長老, Hemi長老!

TRANSFER 4! THE GOSPEL IS LIKE KIMCHI!!

皆さんこんにちは (^o^)/

This week was packed full of amazing experiences! On Friday, we had a conference with Elder Choi (General Authority Seventy). I learned so much from Elder Choi. And the best thing is that they all have a connection to one another. 

His first remark "Don't hide your talents" stood out especially because he related it to music. Prior to the mission, I loved to play music. I had many opportunities to perform in front of others, whether it be alone or in a group. But I was never afraid; in fact, I felt happy by watching others enjoy my talent . The same can be done with the gospel. We must be excited to share it. A talent doesn't have much meaning if we keep it to ourselves. 

Another thing I learned is that we should strive to simplify our lives. God knows what is best for us and has provided us a way to achieve that. We need not look elsewhere for guidance. If overthink/complicate things, we will "miss the mark". The stress created from overcomplicating things will cancel out some of the blessings we could have received if we didn't question anything and just follwed God's counsel. 

Third, we need to give everything a go and get out of our comfort zone. From past experiences, I know that by getting out of my comfort zone, I opened the door to many more opportunities. Now I just have to keep doing that. I feel like I hit a plateau this past transfer and didn't grow as much as I could've. I won't let that happen again. One of the biggest parts of repentance is growth so if I want to truly repent everyday, I have to grow each day by stepping out of that comfort zone.

We must also do these three things in order to progress, strengthen our conversion, and prepare for the future:

1.Study scripturesan/PMG everyday

2.Pray with sincere heart

3.Have confidence; Learn from mistakes, be grateful,and do your best

By sharing our talents, simplifying our lives, getting out of our comfort zone and doing those three things, we can find joy in the gospel and we'll be blessed more than we can imagine! I know that is true! (*^_^*)

During the conference, Elder Choi said we should strive to love the culture of the place we serve in. For example, part of Korea's culture is a dish called kimchi. It's basically spicy pickled cabbage and you eat it with rice. He said most people that eat it for the first time don't like it because it is spicy and has a strong smell. He then gave the advice "If you don't like something, like it!" "The more you eat kimchi, you will like it!" "The gospel is like kimchi. Some people won't like it  or may have no interest. But the more they are invited to hear about it or as they take more lessons, they will grow to understand and like it." I haven't been in Japan for too long but I know that is true!

Now about loving the culture. He mentioned that if missionaries are doing their best to be one with the people around them, people will open up. I've experienced that and I can say it's true. When first meeting people here, whether they be members or random people, because we are foreigners, they will often ask "Do you like natto?" (Natto is basically fermented soy beans and it is part of Japanese culture). I actually do like it so of course I say yes! And when I say yes, they get super excited and open up to more conversations! I can testify that as you strive to be one with the culture, you express your love for the people and you will be given many opportunities. 

Saturday was exciting! We had river cleaning again, which was great! Then we had Indo curry for lunch, in anticipation for transfer calls. However they didn't come until dinner time; President Warnick was quite busy this week with Elder Choi's spectacular visit. とにか,I am...........transferring.....kinda!!! So I am staying in the wonderful area of Kawasaki. However, we are moving to the other apartment. My area, Kawasaki C, is closing. Gutierrez 長老 and I are splitting up, but we'll be in the same apartment. Gutierrez 長老 will be training a bean(new missionary)! Schow 長老 is staying in Kawasaki as well and he will be my next companion! 紺野長老 is done with his mission so he is going home! Bradford 長老 is going to Kamiooka and Morris長老 is going to Yamato! Also, we are getting sisters! To姉妹 is coming to Kawasaki and will be training as well. Instead of 6 elders, Kawasaki will now be 4 elders and 2 sisters! Yay transfers! (*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)

Instead of P-day yesterday, we went were asked to do baptismal services at the temple! I won't get into too much because it's lengthy to explain; sorry to my nonmember readers ('ω') But it was such a blessing to go to the temple, especially twice in one transfer! After we got back, we tried to make cookies to give to members as an expression of gratitude...But we baked them a little too long and they became crispy (T . T)

Today(Tuesday) became our P-day instead. It rained pretty much all day so we didn't do much. But we are currently making more cookies. This time, we got it right. They are amazing! I feel so exhausted though. That's okay because working hard is great! 

I hope all of have a fantastic week! If you don't like something, like it! またね! 

-Elder Chab

チャブ長老 or 茶武長老

愛しています^_^

Chef Chab is back! I made my grandma's mint chicken!

We visited one of our PI's this week, Kapil! Sadly he isn't interested in learning more :(

Another splendid trip to the temple!

HOMEMADE COOKIES

Making cookies!

We even made the dough ourselves!

We made about 70 cookies!

6 MONTHS?? WE CAN SMELL LIKE JESUS??

皆さんこんにちは！

Tomorrow (the 14th), I hit the 6 month mark! I can't believe it! I feel like I've learned and accomplished a lot within that period but then I also feel like I haven't.  It's a weird feeling. Either way, I am still going to strive to do my best and make the most out of the mission. 

We had a mini conference on Wednesday at the Fujisawa(藤沢) stake center in Shonandai. It was 懐かしい(natsukashii-memorable, nostalgic) because I hadn't been there since Christmas. I was able to get a picture with ALL of my companions! Anyway, Sister Warnick talked to us about 英会話 and how to improve the quality of it. President Warnick talked about some goals and the new missionary schedule. We also watched the training broadcast for mission presidents. 

We had zone meeting early Thursday morning. Then Friday night, Gutierrez 長老 and I went to the Kanagawa(神奈川) area so we could start zone leader splits. I was with Murata(村田) 長老 and Gutierrez長老 was with Molen 長老。The next day, 村田長老and I tried to street after studies but there weren't too many people around. So we began housing. Again, not too much success; people either weren't home or didn't answer the door. However, one of the few people that did answer, came out to talk with us. We had a good discussion about God and how he can help us. We also talked about prayer a little bit. She was involved in the little discussion; she seemed super 金人(kinjin- golden investigator). But at the end she said she wasn't interested :( That's okay though; she wasn't as ready as we thought. There are other fields ready to harvest :) 

We had a special sacrament meeting on Sunday. Elder Choi(Area Presidency), Elder Whiting(of the 70), Elder Gong( of the 70), and President Warnick along with their wives came to sacrament meeting. Most of them shared their testimony. Then Elder Gong talked about the strengthening power of the Atonement. All of their messages were amazing! You could definitely feeling their spiritual presence as they were in the room. 

Gutierrez 長老 and I taught the English doctrine class. The lesson was about "The Only True and Living Church". When we talked about the importance of sacrament, Sister Esther made a comment, with no offense intended, "Indians always eat curry, so they smell like curry. If we keep taking the sacrament, we will smell like Jesus".  What an example haha :p The implied meaning was "By taking the sacrament often, we can remember Jesus and become like him". Always remember our Savior when taking the sacrament!

Later in the evening, I did some contacting as Gutierrez長老 finished backing up his iPad. He hasn't had the email app on his iPad for almost this whole transfer and the iPad would act up every now and then. He wiped everything off it after backing it up and restored it to almost factory settings and lo and behold, the mail app came back! 

It was an odd week. Especially since our P-day was on Tuesday and we had all those meetings. But it was good nevertheless. I also tried to focus on being more optimistic this week. Even if the day was slow and no one wanted to listen to us, I tried to maintain a positive attitude. I wasn't able to do it 100% of the time but I can honestly say that by just trying, there was a huge difference. Helaman 5:12 states:

" And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Make Christ your foundation and the adversary will have no power over you. Go to church because you actually want to, not because you have to. Read the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, because you want to. Turn off that autopilot mode and remember the reasons for doing these things. God knows what will help us in our lives and he has given it to us. We just have to take that first step with real intent before we receive all his blessings :) I know that is true ^-^ I hope all of you have a splendid week! Remember to make Christ your foundation! またね!

-Elder Chab

チャブ長老 or 茶武長老

愛しています^_^

All of the companions I've had out in the field! Coleman長老, Gutierrez長老, Jödicke長老, and Lind長老!

Maeda兄弟！Our investigator cancelled on us so we texted Maeda兄弟 but he didn't read  it and thought the lesson was still on so he showed up at church. We had a mini lesson/testimony meeting with him instead!

Some of our amazing 英会話 students!

Zone meeting!

Suit coats serve as great pirate jackets!

I got meishi(business cards)!

I GOT SICK :(

皆さんこんにちは！

Yup. You read the title right.Last Tuesday I caught a cold. Because of it, I had to take some time and rest in the apartment. We also studied a lot. And unfortunately, our investigator Raki姉妹 cancelled our appointment on Wednesday night(I was feeling well enough to do it of course). So we didn't really get to 伝道 much this week :( And I'm still recovering from the cold; I just have super annoying coughs now.

However, I went on splits with 紺野長老 from Sunday night to Monday night. We visited 川崎 City Hall and asked if there was any community service we could do each week. They gave us a booklet and we looked through it and found a nearby senior citizen care home that we could work at. We went there and told them that we wanted to help. They said that would be great but they will have to contact us later about that. But yay! Community service!

I went to the temple today!!! Hence why my P-day wasn't on Monday. I love the temple! It's soo beautiful! Other than still being sick and coughing like crazy, it was a great experience! 

Before I wrap things up, I want to share something that stood out to me while studying. I've been reading a lot from Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley recently. In chapter 8, it talks a lot about Jesus Christ. Section 3 asks the question, "What shall we do with Jesus, who is called the Christ?" Notice that is the same question Pilate asked the people before Jesus was crucified. This is President Gordon B. Hinckley's response to that question: 

"Learn of him. Search the scriptures for they are they which testify of him. Ponder the miracle of his life and mission. Try a little more diligently to follow his example and observe his teachings."

I love that. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have not only to learn more about our Savior, but also to share that knowledge with others. It has changed my life for the better. It truly is a great blessing! I invite all of you to take up President Hinckley's challenge! 

That's about it for this week. I only got about 3 hours of sleep last night because I was coughing up a storm and we woke up early to go to seminary, which was 久しぶり(hisashiburi-It's been a while). Hopefully I recover soon because I just wanna get out and go to work! As always, feel free to email me! Let me know how you're doing! Thank you for the love and support! またね!

-Elder Chab

チャブ長老 or 茶武長老

愛しています^_^

I'm officially Japanese now! (Masks are commonly worn if you are sick)

Just Gutierrez 長老 with his clone :)

District dinner before splits!

This is just some of the food we got from the ward fruit basket! I love the ward!

What's a temple P-day without a district photo?

Squats for days!

Gorillas!

Temple magic.... flying!!!