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