80th week in Japan
2/20/2017
戒めは祝福です (Commandments are a Blessing)

Dear Family and Friends,

We have had a pretty crazy week this last week. We have been really
busy, but it has helped us to learn to use our time more wisely and
get our highest priorities done first. Over the past week I have
learned a lot of things, but the biggest thing that I have learned is
that the commandments are a blessing.

As missionaries we have a lot of extra rules in order to keep our
focus straight and our eye single to the glory of God. We only have 2
years to serve the Lord with all of our heart, might, mind, and
strength, so we must do it wisely. God has given us an extra set of
standards to live by for our benefit. One thing that Elder McArthur
and I really want to work on together is our obedience to the Lord's
commandments.

Sometimes God's commandments can seem binding, restricting us
from being happy, when in reality God has given us them for the very
opposite reason. Elder McArthur and I made the decision to strive to
do all that we can do to be 100% obedient this transfer. We have been
looking for little things that we can improve on and repent of each
day. I know that God has truly blessed us for striving to be obedient.

On Wednesday sometime before the afternoon we stepped outside of the
church to start finding. We said a prayer asking God to help us find
those who he has prepared to hear the gospel. Half-way through the
prayer we hear a voice that said "hello" (in Japanese of course). We
finished the prayer and the man told us that he had been looking for
our church. He said that he wanted to join our eikaiwa class. He
preceded to tell us that he has no current religion and he wants to
know more about Christ. We were astounded. That has never happened to
me before on my entire mission. After he told us that he wanted to
learn about Christ we took him inside for a church tour and started
"how to begin teaching." He was very receptive and committed to
meeting again the next day. We met him again and a member came to help
us out. We testified of the Savior and committed him to following the
Savior by being baptized on the 19th of March. His name is brother
Shirakawa.

I know that God works miracles among us according to our faith. He
gives us commandments because they are a blessing. We must trust him
and show him our love by keeping his commandments (John 14:15). He has
promised that we will be "blessed in all things, both temporal and
spiritual," and "if [we]  hold out faithful to the end [we] are
received into heaven." (Mosiah 2:41)

Questions:

Is there snow in your new area?  Is the city very big?

1. It snowed but just a little bit. The city is very wide, but not
that many really tall buildings.

 What is the ward mission leader like?

2. He is an American named brother Rees. He is a good guy. He teaches
English in Japan.

 How do you like your new District and Zone?

3. The new district and zone are amazing. There are a ton more missionaries too.

How was your ping pong game last week?

4. It was very fun. There is no way anyone will be able to beat me
when I get home :)

Did you do anything for Valentines?

5. Nope... We got some treats from Eikaiwa students though

How do you like your new apartment?

6. It is good. We have had to fix it up a lot. Maybe I can send a video.

Have you met some new fun investigators lately?

7. We met Shirakawa kyoudai! He is absolutely amazing!

Have a great week!

Elder Justice Hirschi

79th week in Japan

2/13/2017

Short One from Elder Justice Hirschi

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry I don't have much time to write this week. We have been pretty
busy today. I love this new area and Elder McArthur is an awesome
missionary. It is good to be back with him. I am grateful for the
chance that I have to be here and I am constantly seeking improvement
every day.

Ponderizing Scripture: Jacob 2:18

Questions:

How is your new area?  What is the city like?  Is it warmer there?

1. It is awesome! I already love the members and the new missionaries
in this zone. We have a lot of trainees in this zone. City is great!
We can street again, which is nice. The people are a little bit more
hard hearted, but it makes it good because then we can find those who
will receive us. It is a little bit warmer, but I am surprised to say
that it is not that much warmer than Fukuchiyama.

What is it like being back with Elder McArthur?  How has he liked the mission?

2. It is crazy! He is a very good missionary. We talk about times we
had at the MTC so much. I miss the MTC... He has loved the mission.

 How was your trip to Amagasaki? 

3. The trip wasn't too bad. We almost missed our train though. We got
up at 4:00 a.m., got ready, went to the eki, packed up our bikes, and
went off to Kobe.

How far are you from the mission home?  Will you see President Welch more often now?

4. We are about 25 minutes away from the mission home. We won't be
seeing President Welch more than we would before though.

 Have you met your new ward/branch yet?

5. Yes. They are amazing!

Did you get to see some other missionaries you haven’t seen for a while?

6. I have seen a few.

How are things still going with your new year goals? 

7. Thanks for the reminder! I think that I doing pretty well, but I
still have a lot of room for improvement.

Love you.

Elder Hirschi

78th week in Japan
2/6/2017
"Just like old times!"

家族、友達の皆さんこんにちは！
Dear Family and Friends,

It has been a crazy last week full of miracles and now we are in for
some huge changes around the mission. Transfers have come again. Both
my companion and I will be transferring! I am headed to Amagasaki,
which is the area that includes the mission home. It is in Kobe. My
new companion is going to be the companion I had when I first came to
the field! I am back with Elder McArthur! I am way excited to work
with him again and see what Heavenly Father has planned for us in
Amagasaki.

It will be really sad to say goodbye to the people in Fukuchiyama.
Recently we met a new investigator who has become a close friend of
mine named Shingo. We have only met with him a few times, but he came
to church and he has a desire to be baptized. He has a date set up to
be baptized on March 5th. He said that he will miss us, but we told
him to keep working towards being baptized. I have full confidence that
the missionaries who replace us will be able to help Brother Shingo on
his path back to Heavenly Father.

We will also miss Sister Nakajima who I have taught almost every
week since I have been here. She has progressed so much and is so
close to being baptized so that she can help uplift the members of the
Fukuchiyama branch. I am grateful to have had the chance to meet with
these brothers and sisters of mine in these short months that I have
been in Fukuchiyama. I will sorely miss them, but I know we will meet
again someday.

I don't have much time to write today, but I do know that Heavenly
Father is watching over each and every one of us. He truly does love
us. He wants us to come home. All we must do is follow his guidance.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Ponderizing scripture: 2 Nephi 27:23

Questions:

Can you tell us a little about what you have done this week? 

1. We taught a lot of people and found some cool new investigators. 
We saw some huge miracles including setting up a baptismal date
for Shingo.

Do you think you will have a Valentines party in the branch there?  Do you see many Valentine’s things in the stores?

2. We didn't have a party, but Japanese people love buying chocolates.
They make them look super fancy. I will send a picture of some that an
investigator gave us.

When are your next transfers?  Have you had interviews with the president lately?

3. We haven't had interviews for a little while. Transfers are going
to happen this Thursday.

 Have you made very many changes yet since the broadcast came out about the focus and schedule for missionaries?

4. Yes. There has been quite a few changes, especially in the way that
we dendou(do missionary work).

 Who usually comes to your English classes?  How long are the classes for?

5. It ranges. We have a few kids and a few older people. They go for 1
hour. We are going to be switching up our classes though.

What is something you have learned from Elder Zollinger?

6. I have learned how to have faith when I dendou(do missionary work)
and talk with everybody. Elder Zollinger is a great example of having
faith especially when finding.

 Have you guys ever done karaoke at a ward party?  Does Elder Zollinger sing or play the piano?

7.  We have not. He does not sing or play piano, but he learned how to
play a little bit when he was younger.

Elder Hirschi

77th week in Japan
1/30/2017
"Ask and ye shall receive"

Dear Family and Friends,

Last Friday we had the chance to watch a worldwide broadcast for
missionaries. There is some changes in our schedule and completely new
focus on the key indicators that we have. With this new announcement the
whole way that we do missionary work will change. We are really going
to be focusing on teaching people rather than lessons. I am excited to
see what happens to missions around the world as we continue to move
the work of the Lord forward with these new changes.

It is incredible to see how much missionary work has changed in the
short time that I have been on my mission. I have learned so much and
yet not nearly enough. I recognize that one of the most important
things in this work is our continual progression and improvement.
Always seeking to improve has helped me gain a testimony of the Lord's
promise in John 16:24 "ask and ye shall receive."

God is looking out for us. He can see the potential in us that we
can't. In order for us to reach that potential we need to continually
ask God for help, for answers, for guidance. I am truly grateful that
I can rely on God to find answers to my questions. It is an incredible
gift to be able to pray and receive answers to prayers. I know God
loves us. I know he is waiting and willing to answer our prayers. All
we must do is ask with sincerity of heart.

Ponderizing Scripture: 2 Nephi 22:3

Questions:

How are your investigators doing?  When are your next training meetings?

1. Doing well. We have 2 investigators with baptismal dates. They are
progressing well. We have one today in Kobe.

What is the snow like now?  Has it melted?  Have you been able to get around well enough in the snow?  Have you ridden your bike much in the snow?

2. It has mostly melted. We road in the snow and actually didn't get
slowed down too much. There was only a couple of days where we had to
walk.

Have you heard about the changes in missionaries’ daily schedules and p-days being a little more flexible?  Do you think that will affect you guys much?

3. Yes. It was in the broadcast. It will affect us a bit. President
Welch will arrange it to the needs of this mission.

What has been your favorite dessert you have eaten there or some you have really liked?

4. They don't have too many special desserts that are different here.
They really like treats and snacks, but they don't eat that much
dessert. Mochi with anko is pretty good.

 Besides the language what has been one of the most challenging things about your mission?

5. The language is actually a lot less challenging than seeing people
who will accept the gospel, but their spouses being against it. I
think that is probably the most challenging thing that I have faced in
my mission.

What has been something you have really liked about the area you are in?

6. I love the members. This area doesn't have too many unique things
but we have a fun eikaiwa class on Saturdays.

How is everything holding up?  Your clothes? Bike?

7. Pretty well. I have had to replace a few socks and my bike brakes
again, but I did the brakes on my own so it cost a little bit less.

Have a great week!

Elder Hirschi

76th week in Japan
1/23/2017
The Path to Conversion

Dear Family and Friends,

It is another snowy P-day in Fukuchiyama, which means more chances to
serve and changes in our missionary work. It is cool to see a lot of
snow because in St. George it only snows once or twice a year. We got
up to about 3 feet last week, and then everything cleared up for a few
days. Anyways last Friday we were able to have zone conference, and I
had the opportunity to train about the progression of our
investigators.

Lately something that my companion and I have noticed a lot, and it is
actually one of the coolest things about being a missionary, is the
changes that have taken place in our investigators. Helping our
brothers and sisters in Japan come to an understanding of God's plan
for them is something very unique and hard to describe.

For example, we have an investigator in our area named Setsuko. She
has known missionaries for long time. When I first met her she was not
an investigator at the time, but she was willing to hear the lessons
again. We taught her many lessons, but she always struggled with
reading from the Book of Mormon. No matter what stories in the Book of
Mormon we related to her life, no matter how much we testified of the
truth of the Book of Mormon, no matter how many times we promised
blessings from reading the Book of Mormon, she did not act to keep our
commitments. Even when she was going through difficult things in her
life and seemed unhappy she still did not act upon the invitation we
gave her to read and become happier.

Finally, we decided that we were going to have to drop her if she had
not read from the Book of Mormon by the next lesson. We decided to drop by
her house one day while we were in the area. We rang the doorbell, and
she came out with a big smile on her face. In the past she had seemed
down when we visited. She was always glad to see us, but she just
didn't seem happy. However, that day was different. We asked if she
was able to read from the Book of Mormon and she told us yes! You
could just see her attitude change. Her face was brighter and she
seemed so much happier.

Seeing our brothers and sisters around us go throughout life with no
sense of direction is truly heart wrenching. They don't know why we
here. Helping them come to understand God's plan through prayer and
the Book of Mormon is a great privilege. It is truly amazing to see
someone pray for their first time. The feeling you get when you see
someone speak to their Father in Heaven, when he hasn't been able to
hear from them for years, is so unique. I know that God loves all of
his children, every single one of us. He wants us to return home, and
it is our duty and privilege to help those who are lost to get on the
right path back to their Heavenly Father. In the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.

Ponderizing scripture: 2 Nephi 7:10

Questions:

Has the snow melted yet there?  Has it snowed anymore?  Do they have snowplows there to clear the roads?

1. The snow melted towards the end of the week last week and it came
back last night. They do have snow plows I think.

 Have you or your companion talked in church lately?

2. Yes, I gave a talk in church yesterday on the teachings of the
prophets, President Hinckley chapter 2.

Do any of the families there have trampolines or basketball hoops at their homes?

3. I have never seen a trampoline in Japan because they don't have
much room. I see basketball hoops every once in a while.

What has been your favorite season there in Japan?

4. Spring is probably the best season. Winter is by far the worst
haha... well rainy season is pretty crazy too.

If we visited Japan what is the best way to get around by train? Subway? Car? Is it expensive to travel around Japan?

5. Probably by train or bus. It depends on where you are going. It
doesn't seem to be too expensive. Taking a trip from Fukuchiyama to
Kobe by bus is about $17.

Do you know if there are any holidays there like our President’s day or Martin Luther King day?  When is the coming of age day?

6. They have quite a few different ones. Like the emperors birthday.
They also have children's day and respect for the age day. They have
Green Day and golden week, which is when a lot of people get a week
off from work. I am not sure when the coming of age day is.

Have a great week everyone! Try to find someone who you can share the
gospel with.

Elder Hirschi

75th week in Japan
1/16/2017
Covered in Snow!

Dear Family and Friends,

Last Saturday my companion and I woke up in the morning only to see
everything outside buried in the snow! It came a little late for
Christmas, but it has been so much fun to take advantage of the snow
and use it in our missionary work. Riding bikes around in the snow
isn't the most effective thing to do, so we have been walking around a
bit, but it has helped us find more opportunities to serve and love
the people.

Something that I have noticed lately in my study and focus on how I
can improve myself is the importance of desire. Sometimes it is very
difficult to have faith, but having faith really just starts with our
desires. I think Alma describes this principle perfectly in the Book
of Mormon. "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties,
even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith,
yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire
work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place
for a portion of my words," (Alma 32:27).

For example, President Welch gave us a challenge from around October
for each companionship to get a baptism by the end of the year. When I
received this challenge I feel as though I did not have the complete
faith to accomplish it. What my next step should have been was to look
at my desire to believe and let it work within me. I failed to do so,
but I have learned from my mistakes. Now I have the opportunity to
repent and improve. Even though we may not have complete faith in
being able to accomplish something God asks us to do, that is okay.
When God gives us a commandment he always provides a way to accomplish
it (1 Nephi 3:7). In order to do so we have to look at where our
desires are, where our will is, and align it with God's.

I truly believe that this simple principle can change our lives. I
invite each one of you to try this in your lives. When you feel like
you can't find time to pray together with your family, to read your
scriptures at the end of the day, or to help someone in need, look at
your own personal desire. Then trust in the promise that Jesus Christ
himself gave the Nephites many years ago. "And whatsoever ye shall ask
the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall
receive, behold it shall be given unto you," (3 Nephi 18:20).

Ponderizing scriptures: 2 Nephi 4:28

Questions:

How are the members doing in your area?  Have you met any new fun people lately?

1. They are doing well. It is getting pretty cold so everyone always
talks about how cold it is, but they are so faithful. They work hard.
We have met a few really cool younger kids who we set up lessons to
meet with again. We are trying to focus on younger people to help
strengthen the future generation of the church in Japan.

How did your leadership conference go?  How are the new Elders in your area?

2. It was incredible. The spirit is there the entire time and I was
able to learn so much. The Maizuru Elders? They are doing very well
actually. They found someone who has a strong desire to know the truth
and it seems like he will progress very well.

 Have you been able to play any ping pong or any sports lately?

3. Not much... we want to start something with the branch, but most of
them are older so we don't know if it will be the most effective thing
to do.

 What has been your favorite area that you have been in and why?

4. That is an extremely tough question. I don't know if I can pick
one, but if I had to I would probably say Uwajima. It was able to meet
with Sister Katayama and help her come unto Christ by having faith,
repenting, and being baptized. I also loved the Hasegawa couple so
much! They were like my parents away from home. I wish I could go
back...

How are your English classes going? Does anyone that come to the English class sometimes have a gospel lesson too?

5. Our English classes are going to be completely different now. We
are changing up a bunch of stuff to turn it into more of a finding
activity. All of Japan is going to be changing their English classes.
Some people listen to the gospel, but with the new English classes we
should be able to find a lot of new investigators.

How has your health been?  Is there anything that you need?

6. Actually very good. Dad and I have been setting some new goals and
I haven't gotten sick or injured at all. I have been trying to eat
healthier foods. My companion and I eat smoothies for dinner almost
every night. I am good. Thanks so much for the protein shake stuff
too. It is really good and helps me get up in the mornings.

Do you know if they have water parks, ice skating rinks or bowling alleys there in Japan?  Are there activities like these that the Japanese like to do a lot?

7. They do have bowling. I don't know much about ice skating, but I
bet they do up north. I am not sure what they like the most. Karaoke
is very famous though in Japan. People love it.

Thanks for all of your support everyone. I hope you all have a great week!

Elder Justice Hirschi