the one with the boar 🐗

 "Boom, you looking for this?"

Starting with Monday we went back to the Indo curry place but this time we got the all you can eat deal...most all you can eat places just give you one thing thats unlimited and you end up running out of other stuff to go with it. This place is not so. You can get everything on the menu 1 time, and you will run out of room far before you will be able to eat everything on the menu. It was phenomenal, and we ate SO much food 😋 

Wednesday, we went to go play baseball but it was raining again so we didn't play, however on the way back we saw a bunch of kids playing soccer so I asked if we could play and we ended up playing soccer with these kids for like an hour and it was awesome😆😆 also starting today we have a big mission tour. So, a member of the 70, Elder McCune, started going around to a couple of places to talk with all of us. We each have one day of being in person and ours isnt until friday but we have meetings every day until then.

Thursday, we left and started traveling to okayama, which is where our in person meeting is. We stopped and stayed with the toyo elders, but one of our trains got delayed, so we didn't get there until midnight. 

Friday, we had to leave early to get there on time so we were up at 4:45am. Needless to say, I was hekkin tired, so I slept the whole way up. The meeting was great, though! He talked about strengthening member relationships and how import members are in the work! There were tons of missionaries there from all over, and I got to meet up with Sister Guth and Elder Shoplift from the mtc, who I haven't seen in a minute, which was awesome. When it was all over, we headed home, and surprisingly, we made it back to our area that day. 

Saturday, we started out the day strong with making some wild boar for lunch. It's about as good as it sounds, maybe worse, so I didn't eat much. It smelt like a wet dog, and our apartment reeked after we made it. We had to use it at some point, though, because a member gave it to us. The rest of the day was pretty normal besides the fact that back home, my sister got married 🤯🤯 Still hard to believe that I missed a full wedding out here.

Sunday was kinda crazy! First, we had a deaf homeless dude show up to church, so that was dope. We talked to him the day before and told him to come to eikaiwa, and then he just pulled up to church. We also had a member meal that night (my first in Uwajima), and she fed us tacos! Holy, I miss America. Our food just wins

Spiritual Thought:

2 Nephi 33:2

But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught

If nothing, or nothing we recognize comes through, we imagine [God] has let us down and reject Him, perhaps at the very moment when help was on its way. 

–C.S Lewis

It's not always easy to hold on, especially when we feel abandoned by everyone, but remember, remember, God will never abandon us. He would not do that. No matter how alone you feel, never forget that God is always with you. 

"If your prayers don’t always seem answered, take heart. One greater than you cried, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived."

–Jeffrey R. Holland 

That's all I got this week! But feel free to email me! I love hearing from you guys!

Mission Tour!!

District Conference!

My old enemy...Stairs.

Hand-washing station at this sick shrine

Went to another sic shrine

Found some kids and played soccer with them

DOG 50!!🔥🔥--there is a video on the google drive!

And #51

Big spider for my mom 🕷

Finally headed home

Dog #52

the one where your mom got out of bed

"Boom, you looking for this?"

Well, starting with Monday, we had another basic P day... it was raining all day, so we didn't end up playing baseball, but we had indo curry again, so that was fire!

Tuesday was just a regular Tuesday. We had DCM, we went finding, and we ended the day with ping pong.

Wednesday wasn't raining, so we played more baseball, and I'm really starting to get better😆😆

And that night we had a little surprise... we got woken up by an earthquake (hence the title)! It wasn't anything too crazy but our apartment was shaking a lot, and my lego Boba Fett Slave 1 fell off my shelf😭 That was pretty traumatic, but other than that, it was all good

Friday, we went to a city that was pretty far south that we had never been to. Missionaries haven't been down there in a while, and we found out why... nobody lives there. There are TONS of abandoned houses and stuff. Still a fun day, though.

Saturday, there was a big board game night at a community center, so we pulled up, and I steamrolled these guys in every game we played. It was pretty funny and we all had a good time. We invited them all to our ping pong night some hopefully they come 🙏 🤞

Spiritual Thought:

Alma 32:42

And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

"My beloved brothers and sisters, Christianity is comforting, but it is often not comfortable. The path to holiness and happiness here and hereafter is a long and sometimes rocky one. It takes time and tenacity to walk it. But, of course, the reward for doing so is monumental. This truth is taught clearly and persuasively in the 32nd chapter of Alma in the Book of Mormon. There this great high priest teaches that if the word of God is planted in our hearts as a mere seed, and if we care enough to water, weed, nourish, and encourage it, it will in the future bear fruit “which is most precious, … sweet above all that is sweet,” the consuming of which leads to a condition of no more thirst and no more hunger.

COVID and cancer, doubt and dismay, financial trouble, and family trials. When will these burdens be lifted? The answer is “by and by."” And whether that be a short period or a long one is not always ours to say, but by the grace of God, the blessings will come to those who hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ. That issue was settled in a very private garden and on a very public hill in Jerusalem long ago."

– Elder Jeffrey R. Holland 

Yeah, I don't got much to add to that... Elder Holland is just the best. But I'll just add my solemn testimony that in the gospel of Jesus Christ, blessings come to those who are diligent. 

It's been raining a lot most days, so hopefully, it will start to slow down🤞🤞That's all I got this week, but feel free to email me!

"My old enemy, stairs..."

–Po  

the one where he played a lot of ball

"Boom, you looking for this?"

Starting with Monday, we had a pretty boring P day, but we had a super fire lunch! Sadly, it was pretty rainy so we didnt end up playing ball...In Uwajima, it is SUPER rural so they dont have very many restaurants but a new Indo Curry place just opened last week and its so good! We are going there every P day from now on😆😆

Tuesday, we had DCM in Matsuyama, and President Sano came! We did interviews as well because we dont have a Zone Conference this transfer. Instead, we are going to have a mission tour, and a member of the 70 is coming! After DCM, we got lunch and then headed back to our area in time for Ping Pong night.

Wednesday, we finally got a game going the with the お祖父ちゃん which was the first time in and while and boy was it refreshing

Friday, we met up and played more baseball, but not too many of the guys came, so we just practiced for a bit. After that, we went to the worlds best crepe shop and said hi to the super nice ladies that work there.

Saturday, just like last week, we played some basketball with a bunch of guys from the Phillipines, and they absolutely love having us there...its been a ton of fun😆😆

Sunday, we had District Conference, and so we had lots of people pull up to the church! We also had a couple from America come who were visiting because the husband served here 50 years ago. He actually baptized some of the members and opened up the branch, and they were really excited to see him. 

Spiritual Thought:

Mosiah 13: 12-24

And now, ye remember that I said unto you: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of things which are in heaven above, or which are in the earth beneath, or which are in the water under the earth. 

13 And again: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate me; 

14 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 

15 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 

16 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 

17 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; 18 But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; 

19 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 

20 Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 

21 Thou shalt not kill. 

22 Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. 

23 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 

24 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.

"It may appear to you at times that those out in the world are having much more fun than you are. Some of you may feel restricted by the code of conduct to which we in the Church adhere. My brothers and sisters, I declare to you, however, that there is nothing which can bring more joy into our lives or more peace to our souls than the Spirit which can come to us as we follow the Savior and keep the commandments. That Spirit cannot be present at the kinds of activities in which so much of the world participates."

–Thomas S. Monson 

Sometimes it can be hard to follow all of the rules God has made for us but, when we follow them, He will give us blessings that will not only help us now, but also in the life to come. And the Spirit is able to comfort us and bring us so much joy as long as we are striving to have its constant companionship in our lives. 

Well, that's all I got this week. Overall, it was a good week, and we are starting to see a lot of success come from the people we are starting to build relationships with! Uwajima is a ton of fun, and I'm loving it here!

The whole Gang we play B ball with

Oh yeah dog #47

#48 and counting

#49....almost at fifty!

One of the boys we ball up with every Saturday

the one where he went to a garden party

"Boom, you looking for this?"

Starting with Tuesday, we spent the P day with the Toyo elders again and just spent the day going around their area and finding fun things to do. We went home that night and got back to Uwajima late. 

Wednesday we had a seminar that we got invited to by some members in our ward who live in America but visit because they own a house in our area and he made it seem like it was a gospel seminar or something but it was about quantum physics, pressure points, and some other crazy stuff. So that was when we found out that guy is a little crazy because he was like "Yeah these pressure points help out with stress and stuff and so does the Word of Wisdom so this is basically the Word of Wisdom." So that was a fun day.

Thursday, we had eikaiwa, and a new person showed up! She is super cool and seemed mildly interested in the spiritual message at the end. Hopefully, she keeps coming and wants to learn more!

Friday we went to the field to play ball with the boys but it was raining so we didn't end up doing much so hopefully the next game has better weather. We also found a massive blue worm with a rainbow tail so that was fetchin' sick. 

Saturday, we got invited to a garden party by the ward, and not only were we 60 years younger than everyone there, we were the only dudes. We just sat, talked, and then ripped random plants from the ground and ate them... it was eventful. And then that night we played basketball with one of our friends, Dexter. He brought a bunch of his buddies, and all 20 of them are from the Phillippines, and it was a blast! They invited us to come again next week, so hopefully, this becomes another weekly sports activity.

Sunday was General Conference!! Oh yeah!! It was so awesome!! Lots and lots of talks about covenants and the temple!! That took up pretty much the whole day, but it was so good!

Spiritual thought:

Mosiah 16:9

He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

"But the thing for us to do is to live according to the light and intelligence that God has revealed to us in this dispensation, that we may be in harmony with the heavenly powers and with heavenly beings, and especially with our Lord Jesus Christ, who stands at our head, who is our lawgiver, our exemplar, and the way of life and salvation to all the world, through whom we may enter into the celestial kingdom of God, and without whom we can never enter that state of glory worlds without end. He is the way, the light and life of the world; and whosoever will obey the commandments He has given, and do the works which he has done, and commanded us to do, shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have in them the light of life."

–Joseph F. Smith

Today I want to talk about Christ because he is the reason all of us are here, why we have all the amazing things we do (like General Conference) and through him we are able to return with God again! He really loves us SOO much, and if we do what he has asked us, we will be UNBELIEVABLY happy! I know that through Jesus Christ, all things are possible, and I am so grateful for everything he has done for us. 

I hope you will let Christ be the light in your life and the one to help guide you through this unpredictable life. I know that if you let Him, He will fill your life with amazing blessings and fortune untold. 

Well, that's all I got this week! I hope everyone had a great week and that they loved General Conference! Feel free to email me!

We found a fetchin' sick blue worm

Oh yeah first day in the promised land

New comp new dogs #46

I caught a butterfly...

Thought it was dead...

Turns out it's alive...

桜 outside our apartment

The trek up to the baseball field we make like 3 times a week

View of Uwajima

Wanted to make it look like I was sneezing it out,

but it just looks like I'm gonna eat it

It's got a rainbow tail

Another flick of the Jim (uwajima)

Found a wolf spider my mom would like

Oh yeah dog #47

the one where he lost his brother in christ

"Boom, you looking for this?"

Monday was district P Day, and we had a sweet time in Matsuyama with everyone! We went to a castle and got to put on some samurai armor, which was so sick!

Tuesday, we went on exchanges and Lau 長老 and I had an awesome time in Uwajima! We went to uwajima Castle, crepes, and talked to TONS of people, so it was a good day! At the end of the day, we got transfer calls, and Elder Holmes is leaving the promised land😭😭 and my new comp is Elder Perkins! We lived together and then were comps in Nishinomiya, so it's crazy we are gonna be comps again! 

Wednesday, we played baseball, as per usual, and it was pretty chill day besides that!

Saturday, we packed up Holmes, said goodbye to people, and got ready to leave!

Sunday, we had a short sacrament meeting, and then right after, we got our stuff and said goodbye to everyone. We met up with the Toyo Elders (Elder Lau and Elder Coates), and then Holmes and Coates were off to Osaka! Lau and I spent the rest of Sunday night together!

Monday, we spend most of the day just doing missionary work and then meeting up with our new comps in the evening! We didn't have time to go back home, so we are spending the rest of the night and tomorrow with them!

Spiritual Thought:

Mormon 9:21

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.

"In the same way, the Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, “doubting nothing.” Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ “giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Few things will accelerate your spiritual momentum more than realizing the Lord is helping you to move a mountain in your life."

–Russell M. Nelson 

I don't have a ton of time, so I'll keep it quick, but I know that prayer works and that it is powerful! I know that if we have "mountains" in our life that we need help moving, the Lord will be there to help us! 

Well, that's all I got this week... Sorry for the short email. I ran out of time to write it! Feel free to email me!

Up to 39

40 dogs an counting

41...he's loving the dogs too

District P Day in Matsuyama

Pics with the sakura

On our way to the castle

More Sakura pictures

Twas a little foggy

Inside the castle

Yours truly makes a fire samurai

🔥

Few more flicks as a legend

The beautiful city of Matsuyama

Wow you can see everything

Matsuyama district flicks

You gotta wear these slippers inside the castle 😆

More samurai in the castle

Lots and lots of sick stuff

...and some katanas

So many armor sets

I need to get a katana...

Even more pics

Last flick of the weapons and stuff

Exchanges with Elder Lau and we HAD to hit up the crepe shop

Uwajima Castle with Elder Lau

Sick art at the top of it

🤯🤯😱

Get ready for the 4 corners of Uwajima

Corner #2

And #3

Lastly #4

Ping pong night with the ward!

More flicks at 卓球

Ah yeah we chilling

Our 同僚いち is through the roof

What a champ

Our boy そらと is going to Australia 😭

42 🔥

43 dogs