Minasan genki?

How's everyone doing?! We had mission conference this week in Fukuoka but we are back on Ishigaki now! Feeling a bit more homesick now! I can't believe it's already been 4 months but I am really starting to miss American things like brownies and cookies (we have most of the stuff to make them but no ovens). Japanese is chugging along, my language study plan is going strong now and I'm learning lots!

 Mission Conference!

Super fantastic! I actually got to see missionaries! I saw my amazing dokie and former douryou Elder Phillips <3. Elder Soares talked about joy and how we need to try to find joy in everything! We often have to change our perspectives to do that because it's easy to focus on our present situation and how we feel now rather than what we can learn from our experiences. True joy comes only through Christ. That joy lasts forever. Joy is a principle of power. Joy is ours, it comes from Christ and is taken away through Satan but neither can give or take without us first following them. Follow the savior in all things, and He will manifest himself unto you in joy as He has to me.

 Nin San!

Nin San (our friend who was on baptismal date) talked to her parents and her dad is against her being baptized. She still wants to learn and he is ok with that but at some point she will choose to continue or not. Please pray for her and her dad!

 BBQ!

We had a ward BBQ this week! It was a lot of fun, the Shimadas (from north japan) cooked some special food, it was delicious! We had 8 friends come to the BBQ! There were more planning on coming but cancelled last minute but 8 was a good number for me and Elder Nagao to be able to divide and conquer to create meaningful interactions with each of them! I taught Tomoya about the Book of Mormon!  

 My Trainings!

This week the district leader asked me to give a training over Social media in our District Council Meeting, the Zone Leaders also called and asked me to give a training to the Zone about it. I decided to focus less on how to find people on Social Media and more on obedience. In my mission we focus on social media as our main finding source, we still prioritize in person contacts but focus more on going were people gather than going door to door (at least for now, next month we get a new Mission President and he may change our focus!) because it is our main focus, we receive a lot of training over it. I've only been here a transfer and a bit and I've heard and read everything probably twice. I did exactly what I was asked, built on that foundation, and then I saw miracles. Because of that I decided to focus more on obedience, trust, and faith. President Hara received revelation that social media was what we need to focus on and he has taught us how we need to do it. I used President Nelson's most recent talk about priesthood keys, the Book of Mormon, and Preach My Gospel to emphasize the importance of obedience, trust, and faith.

 Visitors!

On Sunday one of our friends came to church! Auki san is great! Also, it was like 9:59, we wer about to start church, I stuck my head out of the door of the chapel room and *bam* 4 white people walked into church. Crazy, I know! (not crazy lol, just different for our little japanese island) They live in Futenma on Okinawa Island and were visiting Ishigaki! The wife, Sister Tibbits, is a military doctor. She and her husband had 2 little cute toddler daughters!

 Charity!

I'm about to finish the Book of Mormon again! Yesterday when I was reading Moroni 7 it stuck out how a charitable person "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." (verse 45). Charity is about love but also about loving when it's hard to love. When you are struggling and Satan is pulling you down, remember to love. Love God, love yourself, and love those around you, even if you can't love your situation try to see it with a growth perspective. In a talk by Elder Renlund "Through God's Eyes," Elder Renlund talks about how, in this work and in this life, we HAVE to see those around us as God does. If we can do that we will change all of our actions because that love we will feel for them will overcome the power of Satan and the natural man in us!

Keep growing, keep loving, and keep failing (and trying again)

愛しています！

Elder Rasmussen <3