Week 79

Mission Tour, Miracles, Elder Wada!

Elder Wada came to the Kobe Japan Mission! We learned so much from his example. We talked about some simple things.

1. Learn the scriptures with your friends.

　1. Read

　2. Ponder

　3. Liken

　4. Apply

2. Raise your visions. Remember that this is the Lord's work. 

3. God is using our efforts. Big and small. One of our Senior couple, Elder Allan, he found Takashi Wada as a 15yr old who later became a mission President and is now the Area President of the North Area. So cool!

So part of the mission tour included:

Wednesday- MLC at 8AM and then Zone Conference with Elder Wada at 9. We then had a two hour district council from 1-3 and President and Sister Halvorson came to our District. During that time, Elder Wada interviewed a bunch of missionaries. 

Thursday we had Zone Conference at 10 and then we had some lessons that day. We also watched his devotional through Zoom with Tsukui San. 

On Friday we had our last Zone Conference from 9-12. We then went home, had a quick lunch and then did another MLC. We had a great discussion about the mission and what we learned. It was so cool to see the AP's turn the time over to Elder Wada and he used that time to focus on us. I've noticed that Elder Wada and Elder Bednar do a lot more asking questions than preaching. The best teachers use questions to learn. Because the learner and the teacher learn. 

A cool thought a lot of us had was that we don't want this mission tour to turn into a "a great 3 day FSY", but rather an experience that we ponder, liken, and apply. We can apply those same principles to what we learned. 

We had an honestly crazy past week. A visit to our apartment with the Allan's. Talking to a bunch of highschoolers with the STL's from another Zone on the train. Going to the doctors for my ears. And of course the Mission Tour!

And Sunday was SO busy haha. 

Got to church. Sat with our new friend Ueda Shimai (we asked her if we could call her Sister Ueda and she said she would love that!). We taught her a lesson about the Book of Mormon and the Spirit was really felt. She will be praying about it! And we are meeting again this Tuesday. 

Elder Marks gave a great talk on missionary work. Visited with the youth. Received a generous amount of food from the ward. Ueda Shimai was invited to the Relief Society activity this Saturday. Had a great opportunity to give two cupcakes to two widows. Found a person outside the church that wants to learn English after church next week. Let's just say, it was a great day led by the Spirit of the Lord!

Love you all! Thanks for the prayers and the thoughts :). 

Elder Robertson 

Week 78

God is a God of Miracles

Wow! Truly, God is a God of Miracles!

We've been streeting so much this past week and we have seen so many miracles. We met two Chinese guys named Ou and Maryu. And we talked for a bit and we ended up walking to the church and they said they wanted to come! Ou San ended up coming, which was great. We talked about church and the Book of Mormon and he wants to meet! And Maryu San wants to come to church next week which is going to be great, so excited!

We had another friend named Ueda San come to church for the first time and she loved it! It was funny as we were doing Eikaiwa (English Lessons) for the first time with her last week and near the end of the meet-up she literally said "I want to Christian" and so we invited her to church! 

And on top of those we have seen so many miracles big and small. It's been so cool to see our paths run into those who are ready to listen to the Gospel and to at least have a conversation with us. 

We have a mission tour this week with Elder Wada! I'm super excited to be able to learn from him. 

Quick spiritual thought. Sometimes we subconsciously think certain things are impossible or unchangeable. Kind of a broad thought haha. But Christ came to Earth to overcome those things. What a blessing that Christ overcame those "impossible things" that we might be able to overcome them. When we overcome things with Christ we don't just survive it, but change through our trials, and learn so much! 

Love you all!

Elder Robertson

 

Week 77

I wonder what I usually say at the beginning of these emails. Sometimes I think about it too hard haha. 

But Elder Marks and I have been seeing a lot of small miracles. I think we are still finding the streeting and finding rhythm in Abeno, but we have a lot of great opportunities to serve God's children everyday. 

We had another lesson with Tsukui San and we were able to apply pictures and super simple language. Basically the translator's said that using Preach My Gospel language is bad as that is too complicated for her because of some challenges she experiences. So we use Primary language and along with that we used a lot of pictures and we only taught one principle. And we really did feel the Spirit and it was a very interesting lesson. Using pictures and writing on the white board and just restating the same things over and over. But I think Tsukui San did gain some understanding about Christ and why He came to earth.

We are going to teach her next time using the Children's hymn "He Sent His Son"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How could the Father tell the world of love and tenderness? 

He sent his Son, a newborn babe, with peace and holiness. 

How could the Father show the world the pathway we should go? He sent his Son to walk with men on earth, that we may know. 

How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice, of death? He sent his Son to die for us and rise with living breath. 

What does the Father ask of us? What do the scriptures say? 

Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, help others on their way. 

What does he ask? Live like his Son.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are now translating it into Japanese as the Japanese version in the hymnbook is a little different and we want to preserve the questions. It was cool to learn that by the Spirit and feel confirmation that teaching her through pictures and the Children's hymns would help her understand.

And just read those words! They are such a simple and profound and beautiful way to explain the need of our Savior, Jesus Christ. My favorite line is "What does he ask? Live like his Son". I just love that line of song! 

What is your favorite line?

Quick thought, do you read the scriptures and just over complicate them? I do! A lot! But the Gospel is simple and not supposed to be confusing, but like light. 

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5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. 

6 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do. 

7 And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search dknowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Literally, when we search the Book of Mormon, study out our problems in our minds, pray, and seek for revelation, read again, we are promised to be shown all things that we should do. Nothing more or nothing less. When I drop an apple, it drops. Gravity just is. 

The Gospel just is. So when the Savior invites us to come unto Him and to put your burdens at His feet. He will do it. Key word, will. 

So I invite you to not overcomplicate the scriptures. Of course there are parables and shouldn't be taken at face value. But take the scriptures at face value, put trust in God in the words that are written and you will see miracles! I promise!

We had Stake Conference at this event center down in Sakai which was fun, Elder McCune spoke as well which was great! I liked how he said that we need to speak of Christ not just on the Sabbath, but throughout our week! This week is going to be great! I pray for you all! 

Love you all!

Elder Robertson

Week 76

New Transfer!

So we had a new transfer! Elder Marks is my new companion!

We had a great MLC (Mission Leadership Council) and we rode an hour to that. We talked about the mission as always and just really focused on our missionary purpose and how when we focus on it, truly apply it to every aspect of not just our work, but our life, we can solve most, if not all, of the issues missionaries face. It was a great place to be and to discuss as a council how to help the Kobe mission!

Elder Wada is doing a mission tour in our mission in a couple weeks which will be a very special experience! We are doing three zone conference's around the mission and two devotionals and two MLC's. Whew!

So how has the transfer been so far? It's been great! We have already seen so many miracles from just being cheerful and saying hello to everyone! We even had two people come to church by accident haha. I guess they wanted a different church, but the girlfriend took English lessons from some sister missionaries and she came to church with her boyfriend from Hawaii! And she wants to come to church every Sunday which is great! Super cool miracle :).

Something I learned this week was more about trust in God. Not trusting in our actions, but trusting in God. Nephi, the Stripling Warriors, yes they had amazing qualities, but they didn't trust in the "arm of flesh", but rather in God. They used their arms of flesh, but didn't trust in it. Let's put it this way, do you trust a hammer to build a house or a builder? Yes the builder isn't physically putting in the nails, but he is the "builder". The hammer is the tool.

So throughout our weeks let's put our trust in God and not in our actions. We still need those actions, praying, reading the scriptures, but those actions don't save us. Christ does! But we still need those things to bring us unto Christ and God!

I can't remember the other thing I wanted to talk about haha. But always focus on Christ and trust in Him!

We went to Namba on pday today, it was a little too much for me haha. 

Love you all!

Elder Robertson