Well, the weather here is about as strange as it gets. Mother nature just wants to humiliate us missionaries. Every day we've gone out this week, it has been hot and humid as it gets. Remember me telling you about the heat here last week? It's back. Sweating from every single part of my body. However, this year is a little bit strange. Randomly, for about 2 minutes, we'll get buckets of rain. Not even kidding. We'll be in the middle of a street contact and suddenly we are soaking wet. There isn't even time to pull out rain gear or anything. By the time the gear is out, the rain has stopped. Haha, it's crazy!

We have also been meeting with our Baptismal date F san. He's had a pretty awful past. His depression is severe. Basically, three years ago he had a girlfriend that he broke up with. That day, she jumped off a bridge and died. So he feels like he killed her and he walks every day for about 5 or 6 hours thinking about suicide. We're kinda worried about him. He doesn't have a lot of hope that these things are true. It makes it really hard for him to keep commitments and such. However, we're doing the best we can to help him out.

Also, this week was our first week as a combined ward. It was quite a mess. People are still getting used to it. This Friday, Elder Gordon and I have a meeting with the Stake President, Mission President, the AP's, and the Ginowan Zone Leaders in order to figure out what we are going to do with the missionaries. So, that will be fun.

Anyway, That's really all I have for this week. I love you all and I'm working hard.

 

Love,

Elder Low

Well, this week was just really, really busy. Like I said, we had a training meeting for all the missionaries in the zone. Actually, we had two of them. We had a really wonderful training on Tuesday with everyone on Okinawa, and then Elder Gordon and I flew down to Miyako (see it here) to do the training with them there. It was really stressful. However, everything went really well. The missionaries seemed to all love the training. I was pretty relieved. Also this week, we had a companion exchange with the Miyako Elders.....That was Elder Redd and his new bean. It was absolutely fantastic. Elder Redd is probably the strongest missionary in the zone. He knows what he is doing and he knows how to train his companion. I was really impressed. I haven't had such a good exchange in a really long time!

After training in Okinawa

The only bad part was that it was SO rainy. On Friday, Elder Redd and I had planned to work all day together. When we headed out on our bikes, the rain and wind got way crazy. By the time we were out in the city (not really a city....there isn't much out in Miyako) there was flash floods. It was so crazy! As we rode our bikes, our feet were being completely submerged by water.....our rain gear didn't really help at that point. It got so windy that we started tipping over on our bikes. I had to call the other Elders and tell them it wasn't safe to come out to Dendo. Elder Redd and I headed back and then we had an all day study/practice session. It was so fun. We went through a lot of PMG and did a lot of Practice lessons. It was actually a really good use of time.

Rain

In Miyako

Miyako is struggling. There are about 3 active members on that island.  Elder Redd was reading the Prophecy by President Eyring about Japan. The missionaries down on Miyako are getting discouraged. However, we were still able to find some new investigators and teach some awesome lessons. People were pretty surprised that we were working so hard even though it was raining.

So, I'm pretty tired this week. It's a good tired, but I think after we are done emailing here, we are going to take a big nap. We have to do reporting, as well......Haha, I can't wait to sleep.

We came home and went to church and it was great. This week, the ward called the missionaries to start translating sacrament meeting for all the english speakers. It looks like we are going to start next week. We'll get to sit up on the stand with a little microphone that is hooked up to headsets in the congregation.....So cool!

Anyway, I'm just really excited to work in my own area this week. We are planning on working with the members really hardcore so that we can get them involved in this awesome work. We'll let you know how that goes.

Thank you for all your emails of encouragement. I love you all.

Elder Low

 

Well, it's been a pretty long week. It's been a good one, but lots of weird things going on. I really don't know what to report. We have been working really hard, but it was just one of those slow weeks where you kinda get down from being rejected so many times. It happens though. Here are some of the good things that are going on.

 

K kyoudai is doing awesome. The only problem is he lost his apartment key.....haha, and he doesn't have a spare. Poor guy. He's spending most of his time in his apartment because he's scared someone will take it while he's gone one day. Haha, he's a funny guy. BUT, he  has such a testimony. Last Sunday I taught Gospel Principles about the atonement. When we went to visit him the other day, I asked him what he remembered about the Plan of Salvation. He said that he doesn't really remember anything....but then continued to draw out the entire atonement. How it works and what we have to do. He drew the two obstacles from the fall : death and sin. Then he drew how we overcome them; through the Resurrection and Gospel of Jesus Christ we can all return to Heavenly Father.....then he said, "I'm sorry. I've forgotten most of it." I was pretty impressed though. If he taught what he showed us to an Investigator, it would have been solid. He's a solid guy, and now he laughs....Something that didn't happen 5 months ago.

 

Also, I was able to talk to Y san again. Her chemotherapy is pretty rough and we still haven't been able to have a formal lesson with her. However, she's praying on her own and reports that she feels God's love. I hope we'll be able to meet with her soon. For now, we just pray that she'll be ok.

 

Elder Dursteler and I had a junkai in Yonabaru with Elders Ho and Robinson. They are great Elders and both work really hard. It was a little rough though. With Elder Robinson, we worked all day long and hardly even saw anybody. We tried housing and it wasn't really effective, so I thought we would go streeting, but nobody is out on the street. It's a tough place, but those two are really great.

 

Rain season just started up. It makes Dendo a little more difficult. I really hate the rain when you're riding a bike. But missionaries who work hard in the rain get blessings. 

 

Geez, I don't know what else to say. Church has been pretty rough. I was surprised attacked again and asked to teach Gospel Principles again. The sister missionaries were assigned, but they "weren't prepared" so I got to do it......It wasn't so bad though. I think the ward mission leader was a little upset though. He sat in my lesson and asked why I was teaching again and that he had asked the sisters......So, I don't think I'm going to be teaching again next week. However, he did comment that he loved the lesson...Haha, probably just to be polite.

 

I love our Ward mission leader. He does way too much for us and he knows missionary work really really well.

 

Other than that, I had a pretty average week. I'm sorry I didn't have much to report this week.

 

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

July 29, 2013 - Crazy week. Things are looking great!

 

I had a lot happen this week so listen in carefullly.

 

First, training the bean. I didn't realize how much I could have improved my relationship with my last two companions until now. Yes, I got along with them and I love them both....but Elder Alger and I have so much fun working. He's a blast. His Japanese needs work but I'm so grateful that he laughs off his mistakes and keeps pushing forward. He doesn't get discouraged very easily which makes me want to work with him more. This week gave him lots of chances to be angry but he was great. Here we go!

 

On Monday, we spent P-day going to Okinawa to buy him a bike. He's been using a bike that belongs to a missionary who went home before Christmas. It's a piece of Junk. So we took a bus to Okinawa. The stupid bus took 3 hours though. It's normally an hour and a half but it was super long on Monday for some reason.

 

We finally got there and met the Williams couple and bought Elder Alger the same bike that I have. It's a good one. The Williams then drove us back to Nago (which only took 45 minutes by car) and then we worked hard that night.

 

The next day at District meeting, we went out to eat with the district. When Elder Alger and I walked back to the church to get our bikes, Elder Alger's bike had been slashed. Yep, he had the front tire slashed the day after he bought it. So today, we have to go buy him a new tire. On top of that, Elder Alger doesn't have any rain gear.....and on Tuesday, we had a crazy surprise rainstorm. It was so bad that the upper part of my shirt got soaked. I had my rain suit and everything. The rain just leaked down my neck all day.

 

Keep in mind that Elder Alger was still pretty happy and pushing hard the whole time.

 

One Wednesday, we taught Y-san. She committed to come to church finally, but canceled on Saturday. I was super bummed. On top of that, she's going to be in Kin every day from today until the 14th so we can't meet her. I told her I was still going to call and make sure she's doing good......but I'm really concerned about her....She's still very optimistic and keeping other commitments so that's good.

 

On Thursday, Elder Alger and I went down to Futenma to meet the President for a training meeting. It was awesome. I love being with President. THEN, after that, President had to go meet with the Stake President of Ginowan Stake so he assigned Me to go with Sister Gustafson and the Williams couple to translate for them for the day. Sister Gustafson had to go talk to some of the sister missionaries in Okinawa and then I had to help her check into a hotel. That was SCARY. I don't know any hotel vocabulary. It went ok though. After that, the Williams took us back to Nago to meet President and our investigator M-san so that President could interview him one last time.

 

President showed up while we were teaching Eikaiwa. The Stake President drove him up to Nago. I went and grabbed M-san and showed President a room that he could interview M-san in. After that, I asked if the Stake President was going to sit in on the interview as well. Then President said, "No....you are".

 

I was kinda surprised. I had to leave Elder Alger to teach Eikaiwa which kinda scared him but he did fine. Miyagi was very open with President and at the end of the interview President turned to me and asked why we were still waiting for him. He's ready and anyone can see it.

 

So we'll have a baptism this week. :) As the President left, he shook my hand and told me that he was really impressed with me which made my Dendo Fire go through the roof. It was an excellent day.

 

That's the big stuff of our week though. I'm having a lot of fun with Elder Alger. Good things are happening. My biggest concern is Elder Alger's Japanese. But he'll learn. He always says, "I can't Sprekkin" (I don't know how to spell that exactly but....he's so fun).

 

A dang good bowl of Ramen. (Click on any photo to enlarge)

With Elder Alger

 

We'll keep working hard. I also bought a pair of machine washable pants and I LOVE them. :) I got the package from Clint. Thank you so so much.  :)

 

Thanks for sending the new tie.

We had the Nago festival which had lots of fireworks. It's kinda hard taking a picture of fireworks.....it's like taking a picture of a movie. Makes me miss 4th of July.

 

 

Love,

Elder Low

April 23,2013

I'm really sorry that this has taken so long to get to you. Nobody told me that P-day this week was going to be on Tuesday until Sunday evening. I'm just glad I didn't miss mom's birthday! I hope it's great and I miss you mom!

 

Other news, I loved all the photos from you! I hope I can get more photos to you. I wish I could have been at the family party. Those are the best. I miss everyone tons!

 

News from here: We have had a rough week. Let me start from a week ago

 

We had our zone p-day which was a blast. We all went bowling and I won this huge prize thing. The entire bowling alley shut down for a few minutes while this guy came out and said that the first person to get a strike would get a huge prize. The lights all went down and lazers were shooting (totally Japanese style) and then we began.....I was the first person to throw the ball....and my first ball was a strike. The lights came back on and the guy ran over to me and I got my picture taken in this huge Bowling pin suit and I have my picture on the wall at the alley and I got some fun other stuff! I'll try and send you pictures. It was way funny.

 

Then we returned to Nago. Elder Gandy's bike has had a puncture the entire week so we walked all week long....which is rough in Nago because it takes about 30 minutes by bike to get into the city. I've been super stressed because we wouldn't see people for such a long time and then when we finally did, they would just reject us.

 

Here's the good news this week. We taught our investigator from China and it was super successful. At the beginning of the lesson he told us about the bombing in Boston (which is super scary) and then we taugh him about Joseph Smith and the importance of the Book of Mormon and praying to know if it is true. When we closed we didn't have the chance to ask if we could pray. He just said "Would it be alright if we pray right now....maybe we can ask God to help the people in Boston". Elder Gandy and I were shocked....He's amazing.

 

We walked in the rain for a few hours on Saturday (If I didn't have my rain suit I would have been 100% wet). It was extremely unsuccessful, but we did run into one guy that ran back into his house after we gave him a BOM and he came back with towels. He told us that He would read the book and said that he admired us and thought we were amazing and that he could tell our message was from the heart. He was the sweetest man and he kept apologizing for not being able to give us more. BUT HE GAVE US TOWELS! He was way too kind.

 

Other than that, today, a member took us to Nakijin castle site.

 

Nakijin Castle ruins, from the 14th Century

 

 

It was way cool....but I really want to get out and Dendo because we only have 2 investigators and one of them is not progressing. I don't know. I'll keep working hard.

 

I miss you all and hope this school year is ending well.

 

Love,

Elder Low