This last week has been truly wonderful! There were so many small moments where I couldn't help but rejoice at the thought that I was a missionary declaring His gospel. There are so many trials as a missionary, but there are also so many amazing moments where I return home feeling absolutely amazing, feeling like I'm floating on clouds from feeling the spirit so strong.
This week we had so many miracles where I felt that way.
-One night me and my companion were planning on taking a bus an hour away, but part way there we found out there were no buses to take us all the way there. So we had 3 hours of nothing planned and weren't sure what to do. In those decision points our mission president has taught us to always ask the Lord what we should do, so we prayed right there on the street to know the next step.
While we prayed I felt like we should go housing near this former investigator, Dawn and Te's house 30min away from where we were, but I was for some reason hesitant to say it, I asked my companion "what do you feel" and then he left me flabbergasted by saying, "I feel like we should go house near Dawn and Te.
He had felt EXACTLY what I was thinking. It was crazy. So we get down there and begin housing. We do the bottom part of an apartment, but no one was home so we decide to move on, about 20min later though I just got a strong feeling that we needed to go back to that apartment, so we went back and housed the top part of it.
The third door was a bright young college student who seemed interested and made an appointment for us to come back and then the last door was a young mom who spoke english. We told her our message and asked if we could come back, she said essentially, "Yeah I have heard about God from my Mom you can come back, how about tomorrow?"
"Yeah sure!" we said. This was no normal night for us! We left just feeling on clouds for how God had used us to do His work and guide us by the spirit. It was amazing.
-Then the other miracle was a few days later, we were biking on the street and my companion saw a couple he felt like we should talk to, the husband was a professor who it turns out had actually been to Salt Lake and seen the temple! We asked if we could share our message, but he told us he was too busy, we left him with a flyer and went on our way, but the next day he called us and said, "Hello, this is the gentleman you met yesterday" (He spoke fluent english)
He wanted to meet us that day at 5pm at his office! (people almost never call us from flyers) so we go down to his meeting room and sits us down at this big table and he brings some of his staff to meet us, an associate professor from Nepal, a PHD student from Ghana and then another Japanese associate professor a lady about 25. He sits them all down at the table and then after simple small talk he asks us why we would give up 2 years of our lives to come here?
To be honest I was terrified, I have never taught such a large group of people all much smarter than me, but with my companion at my side and the spirit in my heart I felt the spirits promptings and pulled out 2 Nephi 2 and had them read
7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.
8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah,who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise."
Then my companion and I bore a sincere testimony of Jesus Christ, of our Savior and the amazing atonement he has performed for us. Immediately the spirit came into the room and we were able to share what we believe and why it is so important, and leave them with a pure warm feeling and 2 book of mormons for them to ponder themselves.
It's amazing how the Lord has used me as an instrument in His hands. Some times Satan tempts me to doubt myself, to think that I am a failure for this or for that. I think he does that to all of us. He tries to pull us down into the darkness in dark thoughts and dark places. But Christ has paid the price that we could rise to the light. Whenever I feel trapped in that swamp of darkness I know that through the Saviors light I can be brought through and return home.
Tomorrow will be my last day in Nagasaki. On Thursday I will take a plane down to Shuri in Okinawa to be a district leader down there. My new companion is named Elder Chung! He speaks chinese! And I am determined to be able to do the same at the end of next transfer!
My time is winding down here as a missionary, but I am loving and savoring each precious day as a disciple of Christ.
Love,
Elder Walton
Pictures:
Me and Elder Murphy in traditional japanese clothes
Two high school kids who live near the church (nonmembers) who came to our waffle party.
President Gustafson is always watching
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