So, I really don't have much to report this week. It was transfer week and I obviously stayed. Dying here in Tamana. Anyway, the reason I don't have much to report is because I got sick with bronchitis.  I've been out since Wednesday. So, I literally sat in the apartment all week.  Wednesday night Eikaiwa was brutal. I thought I was going to collapse. Then we went home and took my temperature and I was at 102 degrees. The Asthma loves a good bronchitis so I feel like I've been running since Wednesday. I still pray that one day I'll outgrow my asthma. I had to whip out the nebulizer two or three times. I thought I was going to pass out.....and my roommates thought I was going to die. Haha, I feel bad. I finally had the energy to get up yesterday and I went to church. Turns out that everyone in the branch already knew I was sick. Word spread fast. People brought me soup and ice cream and stuff. It was really sweet.

Now, I'm doing fine. Just a little cough. My energy is back and I'm ready to get back to work.

Oh! I forgot to tell you. The mission president was called down to our stake to give a talk at Stake Conference next week. The stake president really wants to get everyone excited about Dendo. I got a call from the Stake President and he said that he wanted a missionary to raise everyone's dendo fire and the Mission President had recommended me. So, now I have to give a talk at Stake Conference for everyone in the Kumamoto stake. I'm awful at speaking in front of people in Japanese. I'm pretty nervous, but I guess we'll see how it goes. I've been preparing a lot.

Anyway, that's really all I've got. I'm sorry. It's been a pretty awful week, but I haven't had a lot of awful weeks, so I guess I had to have them sometime. Time to get back down to business this week. I'm so pumped.

Love you all,

Elder Randy Kazuhiro Low

Well, I didn't get to go to Disneyland. That's too bad. It looks like you all had a lot of fun. I don't recognize Sam anymore.....except that he's wearing my shirt. ;)

I had quite the week. Let me get started.

Transfers. Nothing happened to me. SO I got to spend the day in the airport waiting for people to come in......it was especially stressful because there was a rainstorm so nobody had correct times. So, Elder Gordon and I got to spend the entire day with Elder Chung from Okinawa. He's possibly my favorite missionary in the mission. I just love hanging out with him. He's so funny and really gets how to be a missionary. Because we had so much time, we had to eat TWO meals in the airport. SO expensive. I hated it.

Zone leaders waiting at the airport

Eating at the airport

Eating out

Ice cream!

So, here's the big news this week.

We had a Okinawa conference. All the members for the entire Island. First, we were separated into stakes for the Saturday session. I was translating for an American woman who had a talk. Sister Jennifer Chenney from Logan. She has lived in Okinawa for 7 years and is the best member missionary I've ever heard of. It was such a pleasure to translate for her. While we were waiting for the meeting to begin, I just talked to her about all the people she knew. All the missionaries she'd worked with.

Then we had a surprise visitor interrupt our conversation. Elder Aoyagi came up to me and shook my hand and said, "Elder Low. It's been a while". Then he gave me a big hug. He is the greatest guy. AND his Japanese is SO easy to translate which was a relief.

The next day, we went to Okinawa to meet with everyone on the island. Every missionary in both zones were there. I walked into the meeting and I heard someone calling my name. Brother Miyagi from the Nago ward came up to me and gave me a huge hug. He bought me two little notebooks. Haha, it was a very thoughtful present. Then he grabbed my hand and dragged me around the HUGE church and introduced me to everyone he knew among the members....which I was surprised at how many that was. He apparently talks about me a lot. All the Nago missionaries laughed and said, "We know, Brother Miyagi. You've told us before". I was so Ureshi.

Then, in stake conference, it was proposed that he would receive the Melchezedic. Priesthood. It was the greatest experience. He was so happy and everyone knew him. He's now building the church.

In other news, the two Okinawan stakes combined and so did the Naha wards....so we now have 8 missionaries in our ward. It's getting really busy over here. We might grow a little bit as a zone as well because of the reorganization of wards. It was pretty nuts. We watched Elder Aoyagi release entire wards. It was kinda sad. Entire wards closed and were combined with others. Nago became a branch. We have lots of work in Okinawa.

Anyway, that was the big news my week. As far as the work, it's SO hot. We sweat all day long. It's great though! I love talking to people. We've met some really awesome people in the last week and now that we have so many missionaries in our ward, I have some really cool Dendo ideas. We'll let you know how it goes!

 

Exhausted in Weekly Planning

 

Weekly plan like a BOSS! Elder Otani always said. 私たちは末日のくみちょうだよ！！！

(We are the boss of the latter-days.) He's way funny.

Love you all. Thanks for photos!

Elder Low

June 4, 2013

At Nago Falls

Click on any photo to enlarge.

 

 

Another week in Nago gone by...but I'm dying right now. Today, we receive our transfer calls and I'm getting so anxious! Elder Gandy and I pretty much hate everything about waiting for transfer calls. A lot of people in the zone know what's going on because they found out early from President. I feel like everyone in the zone knows what they are doing except Elder Gandy and I. Also, we have NO idea what's going to happen. Last transfer, we were both pretty sure that we weren't going anywhere......and we didn't.....but now we don't know.

 

So, the rain has been so mild recently that we don't put on our rainsuits......that sounds really dumb, but we usuallly get more wet from sweat than rain when we put on our rainsuits. Yeah.....the weather is pretty much the worst part of the mission right now. It's really hard. Haha, we usually take two or three showers a day because.....we have to.

 

This last week, we had Stake conference. At stake conference, President Gustafsen came with two general authorities. The only two Japanese general Authorities. Elder Aoyagi and Elder Nakatsuka. They were really awesome. Also, we had our investigators at Stake Conference. One of them drove us. He's really progressing. I hope I can stay in Nago so that I can Baptize him. :)

 

I talked to president about Elder Wirthlin. He's super excited for him to come......but I'm freaking out right now. I can't wait! My zone is going to have four beans.....so there is slots that Elder Wirthlin can fill!! If he's in my zone, that would be so awesome.

 

Really quickly.....you said that I probably won't be Elder Wirthlin's trainer.... I was thinking I wouldn't go trainer this transfer, but President called Elder Gandy and said there was a mix up in the Honbu and long story short, he was wondering if Elder Gandy thinks I'm ready to be a trainer........That's another reason why Elder Gandy and I are freaking out right now. I might have to go trainer. I'm super nervous. However, on the upside, I'm super happy that President even considered me to be a trainer.

 

Other than that, not a lot happened this last week.

 

This work is really moving along. In district meeting, we had our farewell to Elder Kurose and it was so so sad. He had everyone bear their testimonies. He's an amazing missionary and I'm very grateful I had the chance to work with him. Haha, I also was very happy that I could understand what he was saying. The gift of tongues is working miracles out here.

 

With Elder Kurose

 

 

The spirit of coming on a mission is really strange. I never thought that I could feel like I'm constantly feeling the spirit. It's amazing and all thsoe who still are not planning on going on a mission......if they don't come, they are missing on the biggest testimony builder possible. I'm so grateful for all the prayers from home and I guess you'll all find out what's happenening with transfers soon.

With the District at the Aquarium

Elder Kurose made Kimchi Nabe

It was sooo good.

 

Okinawa Shaved Ice

 

 

Love,

Elder Low