Aug. 31, 2014

Quick Update On Egawa:
She really wants to change her life and be baptized. We have needed to work patiently with her and slowly, but she really is a joy to be around. She literally gives us food every day. Tons of it. We have to bike it all back to our apartment everyday, and we are constantly having to rearrange the fridge to fit it all. :) She is great.
She often says she hears voices, and before we began meeting with her she believed in a thing called "Yutaa", which is like a religion or belief that teaches that people can communicate with spirits and with God. That was kind of a worry this week, her baptism was delayed, but we think it will be OK. She is doing well.
The best thing about being a missionary is working hard, doing well, and coming home utterly exhausted because you worked as hard as you could all day. The worst is the times when I don't know what to do, or we get sick or something and have to spend time inside, not doing missionary work. I HATE that. I was sick yesterday... I swear, I cannot stand that feeling. Sometimes, all I have to go on is the knowledge that the Savior will pick up the slack, and that He knows my burdens and mistakes, and that is what keeps me moving.Jesus Christ is faithful to all of His promises and all that He has said. The blessings of Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost, of the sacrament, of the Priesthood (and all that includes), and the blessings received in the Temple are so aparent in my life. He is merciful to the overcoming of all of our weakness if we will turn to Him. I know that those blessings are absolutely, truly, real.
Love to all,

 Elder Bevan

This is zone p-day... with real live American style Hamburgers!

                                      This is also zone p-day, feeding each other M&M's with chopsticks

Miracles!

This week was incredible!

 It hardly seems like this week at all, it seems like ages ago, but on Monday we found a new investigator. That was a time where I was still recovering from a bad cold, and Elder Malen had no voice, and we had just spent a lot of the last week trying to dance around sickness and rain, (oh yeah, it's rainy season,) and anyway it was just rough.... So we went out to an area that is pretty far away, 45 or thirty minutes minimum by bike, and on the way tried to talk to people, but no one listened, and so we stopped on the path and prayed. I prayed that we would be able to see a miracle that would lift us up and give us courage, that we would find a new investigator, and that we would eventually be able to baptize in the waters there. 

After that, we kind of took a fun way, by the ocean, to the area we wanted to try. We went to the very end of the area and went from there. In answer to prayer, probably not more than fifteen minutes later, Elder Malen tried to stop a man who was just getting home. When we finally got his attention, he said rather straightforwardly, and VERY unexpectedly, that; yes, he was interested, and, yes, he would like to meet again, and weekends would be best, 'lets do Saturday'. And that was that. 

I about fell over. 

This last Sunday we met him again. He gently scolded us for being late, he was expecting us on Saturday, (we had to be in Okinawa city for a big stake conference,) and explained that He knew in his heart that Jesus Christ was his God, and had for a long time, he was feeling like he should look into religion lately. He asked where the church was and what time, and said he would come. He gave us his business card (he is a boy scout'er), we gave him the Book of Mormon and asked him to read the introduction. And that was that.

We prayed hard that the Lord would bless him and us as he comes to learn about this The true Church of God.

I have never met someone, anyone so prepared, It sounds almost fake, but I am a witness to it. I know that The Father of Heaven does answer prayers. I know that He loves us!

With love to all,

Elder Bevan

This is what happens when it rains here. Usually everything is wet regardless of if you have rain gear or not. I love Okinawa! :)

Funniest thing I've seen!

Well I hope you are OK with a kind of short message with a few pictures. 

I know that the Savior, Jesus Christ is the Atoneing One, and that through Him our trials and pains can all be lifted. I know that through Him We may have Eternal life. Through Him we can have hold on love, joy, hope, peace, faith, and patience, Through Him are all good things.

I LOVE THIS MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been a little sick lately, but our kind Father in Heaven has blessed me with an enormous outpouring of love and strength and support and I am filled up. I would that all the world could know this kind of joy! 

Here are some pictures from my adventures here in Japan:

This has got to be the funniest thing I have seen in Japan yet!!!!!!!!!!

Not everyone owns a western-style toilet you know! : )

The Streets are narrow here, and yes, I think they parked that close to the wall on purpose. Japanese are crazy good drivers. This car was actually pushed up against the ivy on the wall!

Malen Choro's B-day package!!

And the same day all you can eat, cook it yourself meat. Yaki niku Tabehodai!