One year in 日本🇯🇵

Hello hello!

Not too much to talk about from this past week due to getting sick! My
companion and I have both caught colds which kept us inside a little
bit (which we were not happy about). And other than that, it's been a
hard week as far as the work has gone. Here is a bit of the update...

Jay: was progressing super super well. It was looking like he was
going to hit his baptismal date for this coming week, November 13th.
As he was preparing, he talked to his family (back in China) to tell
them about his decision to get baptized, and he ran into a few
problems. His dad won't let him be baptized right now, and doesn't
want Jay coming to church. Jay and I talked on the phone for a while
on Saturday. He was frustrated, but he told me that he is going to
keep reading and praying and if he feels like he should still get
baptized in a few months, he will let us know. I still feel like Jay
will get baptized eventually. Please keep him and his family in your
prayers!! It's just a minor set back!

This area is FULL of less actives. So we have really been working to
help get all of them back to church. We aren't just going to their
houses and saying "hey get your butt back to church!" We are trying to
help each of them build their testimony and find the reason,
personally, why going to church is so important. But with that, we had
4 less actives who said they were going to come to church this week,
not show up. Not one of them came. Which was a bit of a
disappointment. But now we are just going to switch our mindset a
little bit, and try something new working with our active members to
get the less actives back to church!

On a better note, we had a great ZTM this last week! I learned a lot
about the importance of bringing the spirit into our teaching. I've
thought a lot about that as well. Looking back at Jessica shimai and
her baptism, it was the spirit that did everything in her conversion.
As missionaries, and as members, it is our job to make an atmosphere
where the spirit can be welcomed. The spirit is doing the teaching, we
are the tools it is using.

That's it for this week! Love you all!! And congrats to Drew on the
engagement!! Wooh wooh!!

I love you more than Deschamps choro loves Halloween 👻
Evans Elder