65th week in Japan
11/7/2016
従順になるのは成功をもたらします (Obedience Brings Success)

Dear Family and Friends,

I apologize for the short email last week, but I hope that this one
will be a lot better. The work is going well right now. We have a few
people set up for baptism and we just need to keep helping them build
a good relationship with the branch in order to help them reach the
waters. I know that through hard work and obedience we can do so.

This past week we had the opportunity to go to Kobe for Mission
Leadership Conference. It was great to see a lot of good friends from
around the mission and talk with them about how they were all doing. I
feel like it was, in a way, similar to Alma reuniting with the sons of
Mosiah. I learned a lot at the meeting and I have been thinking about
how we need to lift each other up in order to see this new vision from
our mission president happen. President Welch has challenged each one
of us in the mission to see a baptism before the end of the year.

As I went about the last week pondering on the things I learned from
the Mission Leadership Conference I was reading in Alma chapter 29.
The chapter is shortly after the sons of Mosiah had been up to the
land of Nephi and converted thousands of their brethren to follow the
gospel of Jesus Christ and be baptized. Alma talks about the joy that
he had to see his brethren and their success.

13 Yea, and that same God did establish his church among them; yea,
and that same God hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word
unto this people, and hath given me much success, in the which my joy
is full.
14 But I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full
because of the success of my brethren, who have been up to the land of
Nephi.
15 Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much
fruit; and how great shall be their reward!
16 Now, when I think of the success of these my brethren my soul is
carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were,
so great is my joy.

He had so much joy that his spirit literally began to become separated
from his body. I feel like sometimes it is hard to stay focused on the
joy of others and always look outward because we may not be seeing
success ourselves; however, I know that we are all doing the same work
together. This is the Lord's work and he wants every single one of his
children to return to him. We should always find great joy in the
success that others see.

The biggest thing that I learned at Mission Leadership Conference and
that I gave training on at our Zone Training Meeting is that in order
to see this challenge happen we need 100% obedience. Sometimes it may
not feel like being obedient is actually helping and it is very
difficult to be obedient, but the only way to change the hearts of the
people is through the spirit, and the only way to have the spirit in
our teaching is by our worthiness through our obedience.

I love this gospel. I love the scriptures. I am grateful for all of
the great men who came before us and sacrificed their lives to give us
the scriptures. I know that we can learn from their example and can be
guided in our lives through continually reading the word of God. I
know that through following their example of obedience we can see
success in our lives. The Book of Mormon is true. Jesus Christ is our
Savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Questions:

How patriotic are the Japanese people?  Do they have a national anthem or a holiday like the 4^th of July?

1. They don't seem to be all that patriotic. They have a national
anthem but they don't have a day like the 4th of July here.

Are there things the Japanese do for Halloween that are different than here?  Do they eat any special foods for Halloween?

2. They don't really celebrate halloween all that much. We 

 had a party, but nobody goes out and knocks on doors to get candy.
They think it is pretty cool that we do that in America though. They
don't really eat any different food. They have a lot of pumpkins but
they are different here in Japan.

What are some of the jobs like in your new area?

3. Do you mean people's jobs? They don't seem to be too much different
from other areas. Because it is pretty countryside there are a lot of
people out in gardens.

Are there some fun investigators in your area?

4. There are a few really good investigators here. I really like
Nakajima shimai. She has an absolutely amazing testimony and wants to
be baptized so bad. All she has to do is get married and then she can
be baptized.

 When are the next transfers?  Did you feel the earthquake a couple weeks ago?

5. We get the announcements next Monday. We actually didn't really
feel it much. Most of the other missionaries said that they did a
little, but we were on a bus on our way to Kobe.

Have you played any sports lately?

6. I haven't been able to play any sports lately... I think we might
be able to go play some basketball next Monday.

How is your zone and district?  Do they have any plans for Halloween?  Do you go on many splits or exchanges?

7. The zone is doing pretty well. WE are really working to get this
baptismal challenge. The district is also good. It is pretty small we
only have 12 people in the zone and 6 in our district. Everyone's
Halloween was different most are all done. We get to go on exchanges
with missionaries every once in a while. We also get to go on a split
with the members almost every Sunday in this area because the members
are amazing!

 How was Halloween and have you seen your package yet with the debit card in it?

8. Halloween was fun. We had some games and ate some good food. My
companion and I didn't have time to dress up but the members seemed to
like it. I got the package! Thanks tons. Do I need to do anything with
the card other than write my name on it?

Have a great week everyone!

Elder Hirschi

64th week in Japan
10/31/2016
Short One

Hey sorry this is going to be a short one. I had a bunch of long
emails written out to everyone and they all got deleted. It has been a
good week. We have seen some miracles and I am excited to talk about
them next week, but I don't have too much time this week. Just know
that all is well and we are working hard. I hope everyone at home is
doing well. Have a great week!

Elder Hirschi

63rd week in Japan
10/24/2016
Work, work, work ー there is no satisfactory substitute

Dear Family and Friends,

The time that we have to serve as missionaries is so short. I know
that we have been called to serve God with all of our heart, might,
mind, and strength. Sometimes we come home at the end of the day and
can do nothing else but collapse onto our beds; however, in all
honesty there is no greater feeling than that.

My favorite quote in all of Preach My Gospel is by Joseph Smith.
"After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is
to preach the Gospel." I have come to understand why this is so
important. We are literally out here for the salvation of the souls of
our brothers and sisters and if I only have two years to serve them
here in Japan I want to serve them to the best of my ability. This
week we saw a lot of appointments fall through and even a baptism that
we had scheduled for Sunday got canceled, but we still choose to
continue to work our hardest.

I know that God gives us trials for a reason. He wants us to become
stronger from them. Heavenly Father was once where we are now. He
knows exactly what is best for us. Even though sometimes trials seem
to difficult for us, through facing our trials with patience we can be
made strong. Some of the greatest men to ever walk this earth faced
some of the hardest trials I have ever heard of. Think of Aaron and the
other sons of Mosiah. They faced some extremely difficult trials
trying to convince the lamanites the wicked traditions of their
fathers. "And when Ammon did meet them he was exceedingly sorrowful,
for behold they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly
because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered
hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were
patient in all their sufferings." (Alma 20:29) However going through
all of those trials helped them become stronger and have even that
much more joy when they saw thousands of their brethren repent and be
baptized.

I believe that there is nothing in this world that brings more joy
than serving others and sharing the gospel. Recently Elder Bernard
gave a devotional to the people of Japan and he talked about joy. He
talked about how in order to receive the spirit and feel joy we cannot
look at ourselves. We must be like Christ and make a constant effort
to look outward. Elder Christofferson said that "The more we serve our
fellow men in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our
souls. It is easier to find ourselves because here is more of
ourselves to find." Serving others takes work. Sometimes it is hard to
keep focus on others and not think about yourself, but as we try to
serve others we can remember what Christ did as our perfect example.
He never thought about himself. He came to the Earth to serve every
single one of us by performing the atonement. Through this greatest
act of service that has ever been given we can be saved from our fallen
state.

I am grateful for the opportunity to be in the service of God. I know
without a doubt that if we keep our focus on others that we can truly
find the joy that the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring is in our
lives. Christ is the perfect example of service. He loves us. He truly
does. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Ponderizing scripture: Alma 41:8

Questions:

How do you like your new apartment?  Are you close to the church?

1. We aren't to far from the church. Maybe 10 minutes by bike. My
companion is great. He works hard and he makes missionary work fun.

 When you watch General conference do you watch it in Japanese or English? 

2. We watch it in English. Sometimes people do it in Japanese, and I
probably could, but it is better in English so that I can get 100% out
of conference.

 What is the new ward mission leader like in your area?

3. He is awesome. He loves to dendou with us (do missionary work with
us). He is about 50 years old. He loves to pray. He prays so many
times when we go out to dendou.

Do the members ever feed you there?  What are some members you like in your area?

4. Yes, sometimes they will feed us. Not that often though. I like all
of the members, but Toku Kyoudai and Yokoyama kyoudai are pretty cool.

Have you had a chance to play basketball with your new companion yet?

5. I have not, but when we go to MLC (the zone leader conference) I
think we might be able to play.

 Have there been any fall festivals or Halloween parties in your ward?  Are the leaves changing color for the fall?

6. Yes we had a Halloween party. It was fun. The leaves are changing color.

Have a great week!

Elder Hirschi

62nd week in Japan
10/17/2016
福音を分かち合うこと (Sharing the Gospel)

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been a great first full week in my new area of Fukuchiyama. I
am grateful for the opportunity that I have to work with Elder Johnson
and this great branch. We are working our hardest to do all that we
can to help each of the missionaries in the Fukuchiyama zone to see a
baptism by the end of the year.

This past week has been full of a lot of hard work and helping members
recognize the joy of sharing the gospel. The branch that I am
currently in has about 20 active members. They all have great faith
and a few of them love coming to dendou with us. We have been able to
work hard with them and see many miracles through doing so. One of the
members is named Yokoyama kyoudai. My first Sunday here I got to go on
a split with him, which was fun. We went out and worked hard. We were
able to teach a few people and by the end he said "dendou wa tanoshii
desu ne!" Which means missionary work is fun! He was sad that we had
to head back because he wanted to continue sharing the gospel.

Towards the end of last week we also had the opportunity to work with
a member named Toku kyoudai. He is a fairly recent convert to the
church and he has a powerful testimony. The first lesson that I ever
taught with him was with a less active. The less active isn't going to
church because of some problems that he has, but during that lesson
Toku kyoudai testified boldly of what the less active would need to do
in order to overcome these problems.

We also were able to do some finding with this same member on a
different day. It was late and as we began our dendou we did not see
much success. We knocked on a few doors, but they all rejected to hear
the message that we had brought them. After knocking a few more doors
Toku kyoudai said to us "You guys are doing it wrong, you have to
start with a prayer." We had totally forgotten to pray before we
started. So Toku kyoudai offered us a simple but powerful prayer
asking Heavenly Father that we could see a miracle. As soon as we
finished the prayer the first person who's door we knocked on was
prepared. He met the missionaries previously and he had received a
book of mormon. He had read 1/3 of the Book of Mormon and he said that
he reads at least a page a day. We were able to set up another
appointment with him for the next week. It was amazing to see the
faith of this great member.

I love these people. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to
share this gospel. There is truly nothing else like it. My favorite
quote from Preach My Gospel is by Joseph Smith. It says, "After all
has been said and done, the greatest and most important duty is to
preach the gospel." This is the salvation of Heavenly Father's
children, our brothers and sisters. There is nothing more important
than this work. I know that God loves us and all of his children. We
can see miracles if we continually seek to do his will. In the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.

Questions:

Does the Ipad have a timer on it so you can have it take a picture?

1. Yes, it does.

Is your companion also a zone leader?  Do they usually put two zone leaders together?

2. Yes, he is also a zone leader. The zone leaders are always companions.

 What is your companion’s first name?  Does he like to cook?

3. He doesn't really like to cook, but it is all good because we don't
eat much anyways. His first name is Erik.

What is your ward like in your new area?  Are there many youth?

4. It is actually a branch. It is absolutely amazing. I love these
people already. There are no youth in the branch, yet.

How is it being a zone leader?  What are some of the things you do as a zone leader?

5. It is good. It isn't that much different. We plan and do meetings
for the zone. We also have follow ups with the district leaders.

 Is there anything else you think we should send with Logan that you would have liked to have or that you think would help him?

6. I think he should be good. I can't think of anything else.

When you transfer do you just package up your luggage and mail it to your area?

7. Yes, we pack it up and send it through a system called sagawa.

Love you all. Have a great week!

Elder Hirschi

Fukuchiyama castle

61st week in Japan
10/9/2016
総大会 (General Conference)

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope that everyone had a great conference! I know that I am a week
behind, but let's try to continually treasure up the words of life and
not forget the things that we learned this conference. I know that
there were many powerful talks given and hopefully many of you were
able to have specific questions answered. My companion Elder Johnson
and I sure received a lot of revelation through conference and we are
excited to apply it to the missionary work in this area.

Recently we have received a challenge from President Welch. He told us
that he has been fasting and praying a lot about how to help the
mission and he has received revelation that each companionship in the
mission can see a baptism by the end of the year. I know that
conference only boosted our spirits to help us gain the faith required
to achieve President Welch's new vision. We are excited to get to
work, to do all that we can to labor so that we can see
miracles happen.

One of the things that really stuck out to me from conference was the
talk "There is Power in the Book," by Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr. He
talked about a few different stories of people who's lives
dramatically changed by reading the Book of Mormon. Through hearing
this talk it made me think back at when I first came to know for
myself personally that the Book of Mormon is true. Knowing that the
Book of Mormon is true is just the beginning of our testimonies. I
believe that it is truly the foundation of where our testimonies
should stand.

As Elder Stevenson mentioned in a talk just previous to Elder Curtis's
talk, the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. The entire
truthfulness of the church all relies upon whether or not the Book of
Mormon is a true book. That being said how important is it that we
each gain our own conviction individually that the Book of Mormon is
true. Our entire testimony of the church depends on it. I can truly
say for myself that I know that the Book of Mormon is God's word. It
was translated by a modern day prophet, Joseph Smith. God loves us so
much that he carefully and thoroughly created a plan for us to have
this book today. Many people have sacrificed their lives so that we
can read this book and come closer to Christ through abiding by the
principles written within.

It is truly a great blessing to hear from the prophets and apostles 2
times a year to know how we can come closer to Christ and follow his
gospel. I am grateful for these great men who sacrifice their lives in
the service of our Heavenly Father. I love them and sustain them will
all my heart. I know that through following the counsels that we
receive from the prophets and apostles we can live happy lives. We can
grow, progress, and gain more faith in the Savior. We can find
strength to endure, and one day we can return to live with our Father
in Heaven. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Ponderizing scripture: I have to be 100% honest and say that I think I
left it on the wall when I transferred, so I forgot what my scripture
was, but a good scripture that I would like to share is Colossians
2:5-7.

Questions:

Did you make it okay to your new area?  How is the area?  Do you like it?

1.  Yes, I arrived okay. It is a good area. It is pretty flat and the
roads are nice. The members are amazing and have great faith. I
actually got to do my first split ever with members yesterday, so that
was fun. My companion is Elder Johnson. He is awesome! He loves
basketball. He is about 6  foot 6 inches. He likes to work really hard
too. We are going to have a blast this transfer!

Have you ever had any Asian pears there in Japan?

2. Yes! They are called Nashi. They are absolutely the best fruit I
have ever had. I got a huge one from a member in my last area, but I
forgot to take it with me. They are really juicy too.

Do they decorate there for Halloween?  Have you seen any Halloween stuff lately?

3. Yes they do. They actually had a little Halloween party thing that
anyone in Fukuchiyama could go to. It was kind of fun. The church will
also be doing a party pretty soon.

Do you ever use your mini hymn book that is in English that we sent with you?  We are wondering if we should send one with Logan.

4. I actually have one on the iPad, so I never really get the chance
to use it. He probably doesn't need one.

What is your new companion like?  Where is he from?

5. He is awesome! He is from Woodland Utah. He lived in Spain for a
while and used to be able to speak Spanish. He is way good at
basketball! Loves to work hard and is pretty funny too. I am excited
to work with him this transfer.

 When will you get to watch conference?  Will you do anything for your birthday?

6. We were able to watch it on Saturday and yesterday. I actually
forgot it was my birthday yesterday until one of the members blurted
it out in the middle of while we were eating lunch together, so
everyone sang to me. It was very nice of them. Other than that it was
a normal day. I got to do a split though. Also I didn't get my bags
yet, so I wasn't able to make cake, but we will probably do that
today.

Were the slacks we sent for you good ones and enough of them?  We are trying to decide how many to send with Logan? 

7. Yes, they work good. He probably only needs about what you sent me
with 3. They still work for me and honestly you can get some that
missionaries leave behind for free that work when the other ones wear
out. He could probably also get some in Chile and they might be cheaper there.

Have a great week everyone!

Elder Hirschi