56th week in Japan
9/5/2016
イエス・キリストを信じる信仰 (Faith in Jesus Christ)

Dear Family and Friends,

It is so great to be able to email you on this wonderful Monday
afternoon! I am grateful for the chance that I have to tell you about
all of my experiences in Japan and I hope and pray that everyone is
doing well back at home. I am also appreciative to be able to start
this new transfer with a great companion. It is great to get to work
and to be able to learn together everyday. We have set some goals and
are striving to do what we can to accomplish them daily. One of my
biggest goals that I want to work on this transfer is found in the
gospel of Jesus Christ. The first principle in the gospel of Jesus
Christ is faith in Jesus Christ. I know that having faith in Jesus
Christ is where everything begins. He is truly the center of our
gospel and the message that we share with others.

I am constantly full of gratitude to be in the service of the Lord. It
is such a privilege to be able to share about the Savior with those
around me. Being a missionary and sharing about the Savior has really
brought me so much joy in my life. I love being able to help others
find that joy as well. Because Jesus Christ is the center of our
message, it is our responsibility as missionaries and members to help
invite others to come unto Christ. Serving in a country where those
you teach have little to no Christian background makes it a little bit
more difficult to help those around you develop faith in the Savior,
but I know that as we continually testify of him and his great
sacrifice we can help our brothers and sisters find that faith.

Towards the end of last week we had the opportunity to meet with one
of our investigators named Komori kyoudai. He is a little bit older
and seems to struggle with finding faith in the Savior. So we decided
that we should read Mosiah 14 with him. This chapter in the Book of
Mormon is about Abinadi who testifies of what Isaiah wrote about Jesus
Christ and his atonement. The words in this chapter of the Book of
Mormon are so powerful. As I have read through this chapter I have
really come to strengthen my own testimony of the Savior and what he
did for us.

Sometimes gaining faith in the Savior may not seem that easy.
Sometimes it may feel difficult to believe without being able to see;
however, I know that through doing what God has asked us to we can
strengthen our faith. We can believe and truly feel the power and
strength of the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is real. Jesus Christ is
our Savior. I know because I have felt the power of his atonement many
times on my mission and really throughout my life. Jesus Christ has
suffered for us. He went through pains beyond our comprehension. He
suffered, he was smitten and afflicted, and he died so that we could
be saved. I am truly grateful for the Savior's great sacrifice, and I
say these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Ponderizing Scripture: Mosiah 14:5

Questions:

What is your new companion like?  Has he been in Japan very long?

1. My new companion is great. He works hard and we get along great.
His first name is Darren. He has been in Japan for about 8 months or

so.

Are the meetings in church in Japan similar to what our meetings are like here?  Do they have young men and women’s and primary in your ward there in Katsura?

2. It is fairly similar to church in America. Of course there isn't as
many people and they don't get to do as many activities during the
week because they all live far away, but it is mostly the same. They
don't have a young womens or primary because there is nobody in this
Ward that fits that age group. There are a couple of young men though.

How do you like your apartment in your area now compared to the other areas you have been in?

3. It is great. It used to be an old sisters apartment, so it is
really nice. It is a lot cleaner as well. The only thing I really like
better about Okayama was that I had a dryer. Everything else is great here.

How is your new companion with the Japanese language?   Does he like the new area?

4. My new companion really likes the area. He is actually really good
at Japanese especially for only being a 5th transfer missionary. He is
really good at memorizing vocabulary.

Have you had to sing in church much?  Does your new companion like to sing or play piano?

5. I have not done that yet, but I gave a talk in church last Sunday
and was able to give my testimony in church yesterday. My companion
doesn't play piano, but he does like singing.

How is your bike holding up?  Any flat tires yet?  Is it easy to get around Katsura?

6. My bike is holding up great. I have a pretty crazy experience about
my tire popping last week that I didn't tell in my email though. Maybe
when I have some more time I will write to you about it. I did have to
replace one of my tires because after a year of riding on it, it was
getting pretty worn out. The rest of the bike is holding up really
well. It is pretty easy to get around in Katsura, but everyone lives
really far away so we have to travel around a bit on our bikes. Lately
we have done some pretty crazy traveling.

I love you all. Have a great week. Don't forget to always strengthen
your faith in the Savior!

Elder Hirschi

My companion gave me a haircut