Getting housed while housing... in a new area!

❤️ Good Morning America! I hope you all are having a fantastic December! I made a Christmas banner with pictures in my new apartment! I have a Lego StarWars advent calendar that my Parents sent me! OK bear with me... this email might be a little bit long. Pics: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LKr5qY3i11DHJsTs6 Transfer! Kumamoto, Yatsushiro! I got transferred from Shimonoseki to Yatsushiro! Elder Miller will be sticking back in Shimonoseki to support our new member, Brother Ayumu! The Shimonoseki Branch was so amazing, the YSA and Adults are so strong, they have already made Ayumu feel so welcome and one YSA, Brother Makoto already took him on a road trip down to the Fukuoka temple. I am sad to say goodbye to all of the members in the Shimonoseki Branch, they really represented Christ and supported the missionaries in their work. It was amazing One Flock, One Shepherd Going off of that I want to share one of my spiritual thoughts for this week. I was studying in the climax of the Book of Mormon when Jesus came to minister to the people. Jesus taught that Israel needed to be gathered as "one flock and one shepherd." It's easy for us to be part of the flock, but as baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we also have the responsibility to be the shepherd. In an MTC Leadership Training meeting at the beginning of this year they displayed a picture of the shepherd holding a sheep and explained that as leaders we are often called to be the shepherd to love, serve, and protect God's sheep. As missionaries this calling is easier to see, we are commanded to "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." But as members it is a little harder to see our part in that work, but one thing that I've begun to realize is that Jesus desires for there to be "one shepherd" we need to do this work side by side with the members. When we do that, that is when we can gather Israel and build Zion. We cannot do it alone. I have never seen that power anywhere greater than I was able to see it in Shimonoseki. I hope I am able to connect with this ward and involve them in the work even more than we were able to in Shimonoseki. Friends and families, when you see the missionaries next offer to help joint their lessons, plan a dinner appointment at your house where they could invite their investigators to come and see how the gospel can bless their lives. Pray to Heavenly Father to know how you can become one with the Shepherd, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Chirst. ❤️ Getting Housed OK! The title of this email is about us getting housed while we were housing. Ok so housing is just were you like go door to door and knock and offer to share a message about Jesus. We came across a model home that was super big and pretty and I kinda felt like we should go knock on it, we did and I asked the workers how much the house costed, the lady said one second and came back with a dude and offered to give us a tour, I explained that we were just volunteers and weren't interested in actually buying a house and they said that it was fine. We went in and walked around with the dude and it was a pretty big and nice house, (for Japan) the floor felt a little unsupported at some places on the 2nd floor. The salesman kept talking to us about the house and stuff trying to see if we were actually interested, and when we got back downstairs the lady had placed a clipboard with some papers on the table but we said we needed to get going. 😅 Elder Billings! Baptismal Date My new companion Elder Billings is from Virginia! He started his mission at the same time as my last companion, Elder Miller, this is his 3rd transfer and still first area. He was trained by another new missionary (who only had one transfer before he started training Elder Billings). Elder Billings hated his first transfers because he and his companion didn't do very much missionary work, they were disobedient, and not unified. I was scared going into this, Elder Miller said that I was "what Elder Billings needs" and then when we met up with Elder Billings and the other missionaries at Kumamoto station the ZL (who I know pretty well) whispered "Good luck" into my ear when I gave him a hug. Before we left the station Billings Choro needed to use the restroom and I said I'd hold his phone (its against the standards to go into the restroom with your phone), he paused for a second and seemed a little frustrated, but then he gave me his phone and went. After that I haven't really corrected anything but I have seen him striving to be obedient, which is often hard for the first little bit, but we have begun to see miracles. We had the opportunity to invite one of the friends he's been teaching for a few months now to be baptized! We made Akmal's baptismal date for December 29th! It will be a bit hard for him to get to church, but I know that God has a solution for his problem! Please pray for Akmal san! Me and Elder Billings taught that lesson so well together (it was in english, something I'm not used to) and because of that we had the spirit with us. Akmal san at first said not yet and was hesitant but we were able to answer his questions and make a goal for his baptism. 🎉 Elder Billings also likes Pokemon, he said he didn't really collect in America but he has started buying quite a bit here, he said he has spent about $50 and he pulled a card that is worth $500-600... its a rainbow pikachu.🌈⚡ Today I bought my first pokemon cards in Japan but I'm definitely not going to get addicted, the packs are pretty cheap though, like $1.20 for the cheapest one. There is a new pack that came out on the 6th (he hasn't found it in stores yet) that is like $3 and has more cards and guarantees a good card. On our call with our District Leader last night Elder Billings was talking about how he's changed since I got there, I'm so grateful that he feels like he can work with me and that I can help him grow to become a more obedient and spiritually powerful missionary as we teach and learn together. Yatsushiro! Sorry I didn't explain much about Yatsushiro yet! There were 10 branch members at church yesterday plus us and 1 friend, that's about how Ishigaki was during a busy Sunday. We are in Southern Kumamoto and there is absolutely nothing here. There are lots of foreigners who work on tomato farms nearby but it's hard to teach them because they aren't really able to speak English or Japanese, but we help serve them by teaching English and Japanese classes every week! There are also a bunch of really rich people too, before I figured the foreigner route would be good and I still think it will but I think the Japanese okanemochi (rich) people are also being prepared to hear our message, in the little bit of housing we have done they almost always listen to our message and talk with us, we just have to find the ones that God is preparing for us! We are getting in contact with missionaries who speak Thai to help us teach two of our friends who have been coming to church lots. In Thai culture women don't get baptized until after they get married, then they join their husband's church. That has been hard, apparently one of them liked the missionary who just got transferred so there goes that shot. 🤣 I'm being better with members' names here than I was in Shimonoseki, I'm buckling down for the long haul here (which means I'm probably out of here in two transfers) 🥲 . We are going to work with and serve these members so much! It will be a good Christmas! Bye bye Shimonoseki 🥮 Sorry this email is so out of timeline order but I wanted to write about this too! Last Pday after I called my family I decided to make cinnamon rolls and then me and Miller choro delivered them to lots of members over the next few days. It was such an awesome experience getting to meet lots of the active members who we hadn't visited yet (Its really hard in Japan because they all live so far away and we only have bikes) . Part of me wishes I had gotten to stay back a little bit longer in Shimonoseki. 🥺 I want to remember the things I was able to see, hear, and talk about with the members. I want to remember the fun times me and Miller choro had trying to get on buses and pay with 4 plates of cinnamon rolls. (I think we single handedly delayed the whole bus system a few minutes) I'm gonna try to make cookies soon and deliver them to members here but the public transportation here is way worse than Shimonoseki so there would be very long bus rides (or maybe our awesome branch president can drive us one sunday) OK I know none of yall read all of that except maybe, just maybe, my mom, but I still love you! Have a good week! One last thing I felt while I was reading from 3rd Nephi was that Jesus is praying for and blessing each of us. In chapter 17 when Jesus begins to pray for the Nephites they were filled with [unconceivable joy that filled their souls]. What I felt when I read that Jesus Christ is praying for me, even if I can't hear it. Jesus is with me, giving me strengths to bear my afflictions, and strengthening me when I am ready to turn back home. I know and testify that He is praying for you too. I have seen the power that each worthy member can hold in the fulfilling of the prophecies of God. With the power of God you can do anything in righteousness. After the Nephites heard the Lord's prayer they were overcome with joy and, because of their faith, they were blessed. The heavens opened, angels came and ministered to them, they were healed of their infirmities, and they were taught things too powerful and holy to be written. Their faith and conversion led to generational faith and blessings that lasted for what would become hundreds of years, but for each one of them, it will last for eternity. I testify and promise that your faith can do that too. Through your righteousness all generations of the world can and will be blessed. Through your faithfulness you can receive these same blessings that the Nephites did, you can receive eternal life. This is my testimony and promise, in the name of Jesus Chirst, Amen.❤️ Elder Rasmussen :)