You know, it's kind of funny how a 6 hour drive home seems so short to
us in America, but for most Japanese people anything longer than a 2-3
hour trip seems unbearable! I've heard so many times that Tokyo is so
far from Odawara, but in reality it's probably the same distance as
Twin Falls.
This week I've spent a lot of time reflecting on past experiences,
past companions, past problems and working to learn from them in order
to help both in the present and in the future, and one thing that
stood out to me is that I've always hesitated to commit fully to
anything, people, goals, etc. and it's led to me not achieving as much
as I think God has planned for me. Part of it comes from a fear of
failure and part of it comes because I like so many things that it's
hard to make up my mind between what's right and what's a fleeting
fancy. Coming on a mission has taught me several things. First, God
does not expect us to do everything by ourselves. There are 15 million
people living in the Tokyo area, and there is not possible way I can
help all of them by myself, but I can do my best to help those few
people that God has blessed me to come in contact with. The worth of
souls truly is great in the sight of God, and there is also a time and
a season for everything under the heavens. God has his own timing for
everything, and our responsibility is to be ready, worthy, and willing
to do it. With that in mind, I've made a firm commitment to be a more
dedicated, compassionate, bold, diligent, and Christ like missionary
to my companion Elder N, our investigators and friends, branch
members, and random people on the street. We were blessed to meet 3
new people who have agreed to let us teach about the restored gospel
of Jesus Christ, and one of them, A, lives about 30 seconds from
the church, but had never heard anything about it before. We first saw
him as we were walking down the street, but he turned and went into
his home. Not to be deterred, we went and rang the doorbell, and to
our surprise the door opened to him sitting on the floor. We started
talking, and it turns out he had thought about joining a Christian
church years ago, but had never taken any steps to do so. After he
came to church yesterday, he has a lot more questions than before, but
we're working to help him build his faith step by step until soon he
can go on his own! Keep us in your prayers!
Let us not take any relationships or the trust of others for granted.
It doesn't matter how much time or effort it takes because one can't
place a price tag on a true friend. Someone who loves you enough to be
straight with you sometimes and tell you when you're doing something
wrong, but will never, ever abandon you and will always make you a
better person than before.
And don't forget that the little acts of kindness are the most important!
Love you with all my heart,
Elder Christensen
The man with me in the picture lives n Meridian and came here for work and to visit a
mission companion who lives in our branch! I just can't seem to escape
Boise!
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