Kiseki shu!

Dear Everyone!


This week was a really amazing week! We were really blessed by the Lord and saw a lot of progress in this part of the vineyard the Lord has given us.

I had some struggles earlier in the week. Not so much anything specific, but just a feeling of, I don't know. But I wasn't on my best game, I think it came from worry about various investigators and things, but it's all good. I did some "stress book recommended" breathing exercises. "Imagine all the stress leaving your body, like sand running through your fingers" And it was great!

Lately we have been trying to really think in advance how we can fill the next few days with appointments to teach and meaningful activities and then still find on the way to appointments and the Lord has really blessed us a lot! We taught more this week the any other week of my mission. I don't know where they came from, but the Lord has given us many people to work with, and from all over the world, we taught people from 9 different countries this week, including:

Myanmar
Cambodia
Indonesia
Malaysia
Japan
China
Taiwan
Mongolia
Brazil

In many of their countries they would not have a chance to hear the gospel, but Heavenly Father has guided them here and given them this chance and it is so wonderful!

The one from brazil was an amazing miracle! I often read missionaries miracles of finding way prepared people and sometimes feel, "How come I never find people like that?" But this week we were biking to eikaiwa, we were pretty rushed, but my awesome companion Elder Rees felt the spirit guide him to talk to this guy on the way. Turns out he was a 20 year old brazilian (but his Japanese was native level) We quickly became friends and introduced the Book of Mormon, then he told us, "For a long time I was interested in the Book of Mormon, but I could never find out where to buy it." Boy is that something you love to hear as a missionary. So we set up an appointment, gave him a book of mormon and he is coming to church next sunday! All thanks to the Lord giving us help as we try to talk to everyone.

Recent Convert Zaima is having a rough time being able to come to church, which is sad to him too. He loves the sacrament, but we keep praying for him to be able to come to church. He told us he wants to be a missionary! And he is still progressing in the gospel, but church has become way difficult. Sometimes it makes me worry that we shouldn't of baptized him, but then I remember that at that time it seemed like it would be no problem for him to keep coming, and it felt right, and everyone else felt it was right too. I know he will be all right in the future, he does have such strong faith, he will overcome it. Please pray for him!

I worry often that I make mistakes. I have many weaknesses as a missionary. But I know He will make up for all of our mistakes as we do our best and follow him. I'm so grateful for that.

Also amazing was the miracle in the recently reactived brother Yorioka. He is alll the way back! We had fast sunday in Hiroshima and he got up and bore his testimony. I couldn't understand all of it. But he talked about rescuing the lost, how he had been less active for a while but he was grateful to be standing there before them, and he was just an awesome member bearing his testimony. Whenever we met him when he was less active he talked about this other less active sister he still was friends with. In gospel principles he showed me this note he had written for her, to help bring her back to the gospel, and he asked Elder Bowler to write one too. He said, "We're going to help her get back, we're going to rescue the lost."

It's amazing seeing so many people's lives change! I am so grateful to be a part of it.

Love,


Elder Walton

Pictures:
-Me and our cambodian investigator Bandos.
-Beautiful Saijo