the one where the baker became a chef

"Boom, you looking for this?"

Starting with Monday, we had a pretty chill day... We went to a steakhouse with a member for his birthday and for one of the guys I'm living with's birthday! After that, we went home, and my comp took a FAT nap because he wasn't feeling too hot. After that, we pulled up to Kai's house and had a Takopa! It's a Takoyaki (octopus balls) party! We had a great time and he had bought a bunch of cakes for Elder Seegmiller's birthday, which was so fun!

Thursday, we went out to Starbucks with our American friend Jake. He's also Christian, and we had a really good conversation about the different things we believe in, and we're gonna meet up again sometime soon! We also went to lunch with one of our members and it was a great time!

Friday, we had our ping pong night again! We had quite a few people come and it was as fun as usual... I'm getting pretty good if I do say so myself. When I get home, I'll be ready to take anyone on (Yep, that includes you, Short Stacks).

Saturday we had eikaiwa (English class) and it was so great! I was able to have a really good conversation with one of the other elders' friends about the gospel and what we do as missionaries! I also got to talk with this sick dude named Tokuhara who loves classic rock! We had a good time talking about our favorite bands and different concerts we have seen!

Sunday, we had Kai and Mima both come to church! It was Mima's first week after being baptized, and he is just the best! We started doing the after baptism lessons with him, and he is going to get the priesthood and a temple recommend next week! We also are having a big concert right at the beginning of next transfer so we all (like a ton of missionaries) got together to practice it! After that, we went home, and I started going crazy in the kitchen. I mean, like some serious cheffing was done... I made some nice, deep-fried chicken and turned it into an absolutely delectable sandwich. After that, I made my first blooming onion, and it was pretty fetching good... I've got pics on the album if you wanna check 'em out. 

Spiritual Thought:

2 Nephi 26:12-13

And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God; 

13 And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith.

"Almost certainly God is not in Time. His life doesn't consist of moments following one another. 

The point I want to drive home is that God has infinite attention, infinite leisure to spare for each one of us. 

He doesn't have to take us in the line. You're as much alone with Him as if you were the only thing He'd ever created. 

When Christ died, He died for you individually just as much as if you'd been the only man in the world."

—C.S. Lewis

Well, that's all I got this week! Feel free to email me! 

That's all, folks.  

Takoyaki party with Kai and Takafumi!

This is what a steak looks like in Japan...

Steakhouse with the Irie 兄弟

Ah yeah... Got my boys with me

A couple of late baptism flicks...

Ah yeah....

Birthday flicks...

Made us some nice chicken sandwiches🔥🔥

So fetching 美味しい😋😋

Had to finish it off...

Blooming Onion baby😆😆🔥

the one where mima got baptized

"Boom, you looking for this?"

Get ready. We got a long one today... (ごめんね)

Starting with Monday, WE WENT TO WENDY'S 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆 I finally unlocked the achievement😏😏 it was a little small but man it tasted JUST like America😆😆😆 other than that we did some other stuff not worth noting (shopping). But holy... I finally made it 😁😁

Wednesday, we met up with Mima, and first we went to Denny's (yeah, they have it in Japan 🤯🤯) and then went to a temple together! It was SO cool, and he wanted to go because he used to go as a kid and basically wanted to tell Buddah that he was becoming Christian! It was a super fun day, and we got some sweet pics... Also, we found a monkey wearing a jumpsuit at the temple and got some fire flicks😁😁

Thursday, we were super busy! We started with a lesson with Ayane over Zoom, and then we left and met up with one of my friends, Takuya, from my first area! He was so excited to see me, and we had such a good conversation! He is still meeting with missionaries and we want to go out to lunch sometime soon (he works in our area so it's easy for us to meet) He also gave me a super cool pen with my name engraved on it... He's such a sick dude. 😆😆😆 Finally, we visited one of our friends who comes to our English class every week and we ended up talking in his garage for a while... Turns out he LOVES classic rock (only the best kind of music), and we talked about it for such a long time. Then he started showing us around his garage and the kinds of things he does... It's super cool, and he said we could visit anytime... I wanna go back SO bad😆😆

Friday, we had another lesson with our friend who is in Canada right now, and then we had ping pong night!! We had lots of friends come, and it was SUCH a good night. When we came home, disaster struck. If yall remember, a couple of weeks ago, our air conditioning unit fell off the wall and leaked water all over my comps bed and the floor. Well, apparently, Japan walls REALLY suck because when we came home, it had fallen... Again. And to make things worse, it had been leaking water for far longer because water was EVERYWHERE. It got my comps bed, mine, and the entire floor was covered in water. So that was my night, cleaning up the water, taking all of the wet stuff outside to dry, and trying to set stuff up to stop the air conditioner from hanging off the wall. Don't worry, I got lots of pics, so go check them out 😁😁

Saturday, we started the day with a summer festival at our church! We had tons of games, food, and people there! We even had a bunch of our friends come! It ended up being an absolute party, and everyone had a good time! After that, we stayed at the church and prepared stuff for Mima's baptism! We finished the day with English Class and Ping Pong! We had maybe 20 people come, and it was about as crazy and fun as usual! 😆😆

Sunday, the big day. Well, today is the day! We started the day by getting up at 5:30am and left to the church to go and fill up the font. The baptism was starting at 8:30, and we needed about 2 hours to fill it up. While we waited for it to fill up, we finished making the programs, and one of our members came, and we baked a cake with her for his baptism! When Mima got there, we started going through what the day was going to look like, and he told us how excited he was! We then changed, took lots of pictures, and sat down for the baptismal service! We got through his introduction, a talk, and us four missionaries even sang a little song for him (I'm trying to be like Jesus). Then it was time! Me and Mima went down to the font and when we opened the door, I noticed the water was low...like really low. When we had filled up the font, a member kinda took over and filled it 3 or 4 inches lower than what we had wanted, but we figured it would be OK. Then, while we had been doing the service, it had somehow gone down another 4 or 5 inches. So, the water made it about to my knee. That was a nice little treat, but I was able to get him all the way under on the first try, so it all worked out. Then Mima and I got dried off and changed and made our way back up to the top. We finished with a testimony by Mima (he talked about his conversion story and when he had met missionaries and stuff), then some last remarks by the bishop, and we were done! It was absolutely amazing, and I couldn't have been happier for Mima! It was such a special day for both of us!

The rest of the day we spent at the church. We had a devotional by one of the Area seventy and then lots and lots of congratulations for Mima. We ate the cake we had made for him and just talked with him and all of the members for a while! Finally at about 4 o'clock most people had left and we were able to eat lunch that a kind member had made for us (we were supposed to eat it for breakfast but we never had time). Then, we had some studies and our ward missionary coordination meeting. By the time we left the church, it was 8:00pm. New record of 14 straight hours spent at the church 😆😆😆

To end, I want to share the text that Mima sent Elder Campbell and I after his baptism. 

"We've become not only best friends but also brothers!

I'll never forget my baptism today!

Thank you so much, Elder Thompson, and Elder Campbell!"

I know that this gospel is true, and I have been able to have the transforming experience of seeing, first hand, how the gospel can change anyone's life. Jesus is the Christ, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, and our Redeemer. Of this, I earnestly testify, in His name, even the Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Well, that's all I've got this week! Feel free to email me!

That's all, folks. 

Lots of pics of the baptism....

Achievement Unlocked: Wendy's in Japan

Heck yeah😆😆

We hit up the sickest park one night...

Denny's with Mima!!

Monkey?

Monkey with a jumpsuit😆😆🐒🙈

Flick of Tennoji Temple

Flicked up with Mima at the temple

Lots of pics of the city

Takuya and the Pen he gave me! (it's got my name)

More pics with Takuya

久しぶり!!!! Dog #69

More chicken, mahsed potatoes and gravy

Part 2....

Fixed it 👍

Remaking a flick from last time this happened....

Some pics at the festival at our church!

Photo Bombed...

best day

The cake we made....

Flicked up with everyone...

Breakfast at 4:15pm😆😆

osaka zone conference

the one with Mima's interview

"Boom, you looking for this?"

Starting with Monday, we had a Ping Pong Pizza Party! We played ping pong for about 5 hours😆😆😆 my comp is trying to get good so he can beat one of our friends at ping pong night 😆😆🤣

Wednesday, we had Zone Conference!!! 😆😆 It was SO great, and we talked a lot about teaching simple, clear, and frequent lessons with our friends! We also had interviews with President and he told me I will probably be leaving Osaka at the end of this transfer... I want to stay for another one SO BAD so maybe if I put it in my weekly email enough times, he might let me stay😁😁🤣

Thursday, we started the day with a lesson with Manami! She is still doing good in Canada, and it was great to talk with her! After that, we met up with some other missionaries, and Mima had his baptismal interview! It went perfectly, and he is good to get baptized next Sunday! I LITERALLY CAN'T WAIT😆😆😆😆 We also had another lesson with Ayane, and hopefully, she will want to get baptized soon!

Friday, we met up with one of our friends before ping pong night and got some okonomiyaki with him! It was super good, and then after, we all went to ping pong night together! It was a really fun day, and my comp finally beat Ayane! We have been practicing for two P days straight, so I'm glad he finally did it🤣🤣

Saturday we eikaiwa and Ping pong as usual and we had like 25 people come! It was such a fun day with everyone, and I love playing ping pong with them😆😆

Sunday, Mima, Kai, and Ayane all came to church! We had such a good time, and after church was over, we showed Mima the font and found some clothes that would fit him for his baptism!!! The rest of the day, we just talked with him about his baptism, and I straight up couldn't be more excited!! It's gonna be the best day of the mission..... 😆😆😆😆

Spiritual Thought:

1 Nephi 13:37

And blessed are they who shall seek to 

bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.

"Our Heavenly Father asks that we represent Him in the noble work of reaching out and blessing the lives of His children. He asks us to stand firm with the power of the priesthood in our hearts and souls and give the calling we have at this moment our best efforts.

Brethren, as strong as you are, you cannot and you should not lift a piano by yourself. Likewise, none of us can or should move the Lord’s work alone. But if we all stand close together in the place the Lord has appointed and lift where we stand, nothing can keep this divine work from moving upward and forward.

Brethren, may we cease to aspire and cease to retire!

May we always remember this profound lesson: that we are banner bearers of the Lord Jesus Christ, upheld by the Holy Spirit of God, faithful and true to the end, each one devoted to give our all to the cause of Zion and bound by covenant to stand close together and lift where we stand."

–Dieter F. Uchtdorf

That's all I got this week! Feel free to email me! 

That's all, folks 

the one where he played sting pong

"Boom, you looking for this?"

Starting with Monday, we played ping pong for like the whole day... We'll, I guess, that's not entirely true... We did play sting pong for like an hour. Pretty fun, and we just listened to music the whole time. Overall, pretty solid P day

Tuesday, we had a last-minute DCM and then spent the rest of the day visiting members and knocking doors.

Wednesday we had a lesson with Mima and it was so great! We finished teaching about all the commandments, and he is SO EXCITED TO GET BAPTIZED! It's so cool to see his excitement grow with each passing day! Every time we talk with him, he always relates whatever we are talking about to baptism and how excited he is.

Friday, we had a lesson with our friend Manami, who is in Canada right now! She's there for about a month to study abroad and it was so cool to talk with her! We ended the day with ping pong and usual, and it was such a fun day!

Saturday, we had eikaiwa, and like 25 people came! It was so great to see everyone, and after eikaiwa, we played ping pong and just had a good time with everyone! We also had this chick that was definitely not there for English... She was pretty in love with my comp, and it was funny to watch... She kept asking about if we could go on dates and was VERY sad when we said no. Before she left, she asked me comp if she could hug him and I was dying in the corner... Funny stuff

Sunday, we had four of our friends come to church! It's so much fun when all of our friends come and they are all becoming so close. Today, Mima also told the entire elders quorum that he was getting baptized and everyone was extatic! Lots of clapping, cheering, and congratulations followed his announcement... I can not wait to see this guy get baptized. It's gonna be such a good day.

 Spiritual Thought:

1 Nephi 10:17-19

And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men. 

18 For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him. 

19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

"Those who truly repent receive the Spirit of Christ and are baptized into this Church unto the remission of their sins. Hands are laid upon their heads, and through the priesthood of God they receive the Holy Ghost. It is “the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him.” As Elder Parley P. Pratt characterized it, the gift of the Holy Ghost is, “as it were, … joy to the heart, [and] light to the eyes.” The Holy Ghost is that Comforter promised by the Savior before He was crucified. The Holy Ghost gives worthy Saints both spiritual guidance and protection. It increases our knowledge and our understanding of “all things.” This is of immense value at a time when spiritual blindness is increasing."

–James E. Faust

Well, that's all I got this week! Feel free to email me!

That's all, follks.  

This one was pretty sick

More eikaiwa flicks

Church with Mima

Made more chicken and mashed potatoes