Fastest Six Weeks Ever!

This week there were so many events it is hard to keep track.

Yamashita san, an investigator I taught in Saijo got baptized! He overcame a huge tobacco problem in only 2 weeks!

We got to go on splits with the Mission President's Assistants. It was so great! I learned so much about finding by the spirit and having fun while doing it. Also there was a great moment where I went with Elder Coehlo and our ward mission leader to a huge lookout point of nagasaki and Elder Coehlo pulls out a map of area and then tells me they want to split our area and are going to send me and Elder Willis down the the south part of Nagasaki and find us a new apartment.....So I guess we're opening a new area!

General Conference was amazing! We had 3 investigators come! Two of them we hadn't even taught yet, but we had them right questions for their life and they both got answers it was awesome!

And then yesterday was a typhoon. We had to stay inside all day (presidents orders) so we had tons of time to study, call, clean and share our testimonies with each other It was actually way awesome!

I was thinking the other day about how sometimes I say that my life has been "fluffy bunnies and clouds" because I feel like I have had so many blessings and so few trials in my life. But then I realized the other day, that's actually not true! I have had some of the hardest trials in my whole life the past several months, ones where I wept on the balcony of our apartment because of the pain of them. There were extreme times of stress or anxiety, blaming myself, lack of success fears worries rejection. Sometimes I had to deal with huge problems worries in the lives of others, things I never would have expected a 19 year old kid to deal with and yet...

Even though the wagon and burden I was pulling was filled with heavy rocks at times, looking back it feels like it was so lgight, so much that I could say it felt like "fluffy bunnies and clouds" And I know that's because I wasn't pulling alone it alone. I remembered this scripture

"28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavyladen, and I will give you rest.

 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I ammeek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest untoyour souls.

 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." -Matt 11:30

I know that despite those trials and afflictions the whole time the Savior has been along side me. Taking those burdens those trials upon him and making me whole. He has truly made my burden light. And I am so grateful for His atonement and gift to me of that. I know it is a REAL power in our lives. 

Love you all! 

Elder Walton

Pictures: 
-Me and my companion and our golden investigator Udomoto, mongolian. At his birthday dinner

-Nagasaki at night

-us with the assistants (the two in white shirts in the back) 

Temple and General Conference

Dear Everyone!

This week I rode in a big 15 seater van to Fukuoka driven by a 50 year old Japanese man who plays eagles music in his band every friday night wearing a way cool headband. No I was not getting kidnapped because of Elder Murphy's much desired singing ability. But I was going to the temple! (Our driver is the 1st counselor to the branch president named Ogawauchi Kyodai He is hilarious!)

It was so wonderful being able to be there and just feel so at peace. I love the temple! Also miraculously there were members from every area I served. I got to talk to Bishop Saito from Hiroshima who was going the next day to Saijo (my last area) to interview Yamashita san, the investigator I taught who got baptized right after I left for the priesthood. I'm so happy for Yamashita san and how the lord helped him to quit smoking, repent and be baptized and have that joy. 

This week we had some amazing experiences teaching the first lesson. In a lot of my mission I have kind of struggled sometimes with helping the first lesson be spiritual. Especially for non Christians sometimes it is hard for them to understand why should be so special. But thanks to advice from my best friend Elder Jeppesen I learned how to really make the sharing of the first vision really special, to have them close their eyes and imagine it. We did this yesterday with a chinese investigator named Tei san. He closed his eyes and listened imagining he was really there. 

Afterwards we asked, "How did you feel?"

"Amazing" He replied. 

"You too can know this is true through the book of mormon" We said, teaching him about the book of Mormon. 

Then finally we asked "When you know these things are true will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone with his authority?"

 He answered nodding his head, "Yes, yes I will."

The spirit was so so strong. The spirit truly testified to him that It was true and his heart was changed. 

Then also last general conference Elder Anderson challenged youth to record the first vision in their own voice then listen to it. I did that and I felt so much peace and assurance from the spirit as I listened to it in my own voice, I really felt that it was true. 

We did this with a less active too, had him listen to it in his own voice. Afterwards we asked him how he felt. He said, "I felt like I wanted to cry, my whole body felt warm" 

He was just so amazed and had such a fire to want to learn more, he committed to bear his testimony of Joseph Smith at the next testimony meeting. 

I'm so grateful for the counsel of modern day prophets, everyone should all try Elder Anderson's counsel! It is amazing! A testimony is one of the most worthwhile things in the world. I know Joseph Smith really truly was God's prophets. His simple sincere prayer brought more blessings in my life then I can ever explain. And one day in Heaven I will shake his hand and say "Thank you, thank you brother Joseph."

Love you all!

Elder Walton

Nagasaki Japan

Pictures:

-Nagasaki Dry Docks, SOO COOOL!

-Captain Moroni on the temple in bountiful, which little did we know was made out of ramen packets we got from a member. 

A Blast to the Past

This week I got to go on splits with the elders from my very first area.

I felt so nostalgic walking the streets that I had been walking exactly 1 year earlier. Many things were similar, but it also felt different. Like just like me it had moved on to others things, but it was an amazing moment I had to reflect on my life, on how much I had changed in this 1 year.

I really have changed so much from this work, I have become so much more filled with faith, so much more loving, and patient, especially with myself. I see so many things so much clearer than I did before.

I'm so grateful for so much of what this mission blesses me with, but especially for this change. Change to become more like my Savior Jesus Christ. Nothing is of more value to me.

I love him and I love this work!

Elder Walton
Nagasaki Japan

Pictures:

-Nagasaki Sunset

-Me overlooking the same castle I saw everyday 1 year ago

-Me and a member family that had given me so much love when I had needed it so much.