This week me and my companion Elder Rees were looking at our family history and I saw his fan chart and guess what I found? I found my own ancestor Drusilla Dorris! Apparently we aren't just best friends and brothers in the gospel we're 4th cousins! It only took us 7.5 months of being companions to find out.
Just in time because it turns out I'm getting transferred out of Saijo after a year of serving here. I still don't know where I am going yet. But I am definitely gone. I'm sad to go, but I know the Lord has a bright future for me and great work for me to go!
In the bible there is a story of a Israelite captain named Gideon. At one point a large, I think Syrian army, comes to Jerusalem to capture and destroy it, far larger than any army the Israelites could gather, but the Lord tells them He will deliver them into the Israelites hands. So Gideon goes up with an army of several thousand, but the Lord says, no too many, and he narrows the army down to only a few thousand, then still the word is still no too many, narrow it down. So the army is narrowed down to just 300 soldiers, that way when they win there will be no way they can ever attribute it to any strength but God's. So God uses that little army, to confuse an army of tens of thousands to fight itself so that Israel does win without losing a single man.
Our President received revelation in order to help more of God's children come to Him feel the joy of church and the spirit to set for this mission a goal of 200 non members at church throughout our mission on this past Sunday. To put this in perspective...
Our average mission amount is like 60 or 70, and our high is 85.
How could we possible get 200? Over double our entire mission high?
Well how could 300 beat 30,000? When we have faith, the Lord performs miracles.
In Saijo we took that to heart and decided our goal for just saijo would be 15 non members at church. About double the best we had ever done. So we gave it our all. Maybe my faith wasn't quite up to President Gustafsons but I believed and worked to see it.
Then this Sunday was crazy! We just watched as person after person came into church. People who have never been before, people who haven't in a long time. We hit our building capacity! (Which is actually pretty small because we are a small group in a small room haha) But it was a miracle! And we just barely hit our goal!
We waited that night for the news from the mission home, would we reach that crazy goal? Would we even get somewhat close?
Then the news came in.
208 people came to church and felt God's love there.
So many people will come to know God because of this miracle!
I was astounded! That was like two and a half times our best!
I felt like the soldiers of Gideon, because I knew right then. There is no way that was because of us. That was all because of the Lord.
This week we taught Yamashita san about the word of wisdom. He has a smoking addiction. Please pray for him that he can overcome it! He needs your prayers!
Love you all!
Elder Walton
For the last time, from Saijo Japan
Pictures:
-All of our various language proselyting materials
-Saijo at night
-Elder Woods Birthday
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