Staying Focused on the Work

This week I have been thinking a bit about goals, and since it is a big part of our lives I guess I'll write about how the Lord helped us to achieve these goals this week. I really feel like they have helped me to focus on what I ought to focus on and given me something to work for. What a blessing it has been!

The first goal on our weekly list is baptisms and confirmations for the week, usually it is empty.

The second is baptismal dates, our goal for last week was one, and it was filled! Sister Egawa Etsuko finally decided that she wanted to be baptized! We have met with her almost daily for a long time now, and she has been such a blessing to us. Even before this week we had decided on a date that we thought she could make. We set that date with her on Wednesday (for this coming Sunday) and went over the baptismal interview questions with her. I think that she is ready! We do have a little bit to teach her but that will be Ok I think. One of her big hurtles has been coming to church and she committed to keeping the Sabbath day holy by Saturday, and kept that commitment yesterday. 

That is the third goal: sacrament-meeting attendance. This week our goal was two, and it was also filled. Sister Egawa and Brother Sato were the ones who came. Sato was the boy (he is nineteen) that came last week in the rain. He kept his promise and came again this week. It was wonderful. He could even stay for the full three hours! They were both taken care of by wonderful members.

The fourth goal is lessons taught with members present. We have wonderful members that help us so much but I think mostly by my fault as a senior companion we did not fill this goal. We will need to be working hard to get that goal from now on. I think it is important for the progression of those we teach. 

Our goal for other lessons taught was filled.

We are working on others, things like referrals and new investigators and such. We need to work hard for these things and we are so blessed to see success!

I think that making and filling goals is one of the biggest lessons I have learned on my mission. It is a great blessing to see the Lord help us to fill them. I am grateful that He does so. I am so grateful to See the Lord's hand in this work. I know that this is His church. It is His gospel. I have asked and received that answer. What a blessing that is!  I love this work!

Love to all,

Don't be afraid to write! :)

Elder Bevan :)

Food is fine. Sister Egawa has just given us so much food that we cannot keep up with her :) Church members don't really feed us. 

We get about 280$ a month. Money is fine. 

Thanks for caring! 

Japanese  school is year round, but they do get a summer break... i'm not really sure about schools here, their school system is completely different than ours. 

Love you! 

Us "young" missionaries in Nago

We see miracle everyday. We are not very good teachers and we are not good at Japanese, and Elder Robinson and I are still pretty young in the mission (between us we don't even have ten transfers total, sixteen transfers is a two year mission), but we still see miracles.  This week we got all of our goals for lessons taught, sacrament meeting attendances, new investigators, and member involvement visits. One of the investigators that came to church we met on the street. He said he had interest in religion (what!), we shared the first vision and invited him to church. He said he would, and true to his word he came in the pouring rain. Wearing a white shirt and tie none the less! The other investigator was Egawa Etsuko, who we have been working with for maybe a month or more now. (She has been basically our main source of food since we met her. She never sends us away without some food.) What a blessing! We have wanted her to come for so long! It is so wonderful to see the Lord working in us to fill our goals. I feel like if we can keep up the good work and continue to rely on Him we will see success. 

It is pretty hard on Elder Robinson, the little things that get at all of us sometimes are hard for Him. We have been working hard though and he is improving dramatically. His Language has gone from un-understandable to passable (a huge jump). He has improved in so many ways. It is so good to work with him and see him work so hard on things. I love all of my companions, and couldn't be happier :) 

I love the Mission!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know this is the work of Jesus Christ, the son of God, the Savior.

With love to all,

Elder Bevan