Quite An Experience...

Elder Raia sounds like he is doing great! His letters are always so up beat and positive! It is nice to know that he is working hard, learning and growing.

They have two baptisms scheduled for this coming Saturday and one for the following, and they are so excited about it!


Here is what Nick has to say:

"Everyone is doing soooo great! Also we had 6 investigators at church this last Sunday. We were so busy! But we taught a lesson to one of our new investigators he is truly prepared by the Lord. We were teaching him that when we are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, we start over. We’re clean through Jesus Christ’s atonement. When we asked him what he thought about it, he said one of the most profound answers I’ve ever heard. He said that he’s not a terrible person, and hasn’t done terrible things but he said he has done a lot of things in the past that he regrets and that he wish he wouldn’t have done. He said for a while that he’s had a wish or hope that he could "reset" his life. Just to start with a blank piece or paper without marks. Then he said if that’s what baptism is, then I would love to receive it. I felt the spirit in that lesson but it was different that I’ve felt it before. Sometimes in lessons I feel it very strongly testify of Jesus Christ or The Book of Mormon but this time it was a very quiet humbling feeling. I felt like this man has been searching for something but didn’t know how to find it. I realized how much I take this gospel for granted and how I don’t appreciate what I have very much. Then this morning, I was reading "Finding Joy in the Journey" by President Monson and he quotes a scripture from D&C that says something to the extent that a gift goes to waste if the receiver doesn’t accept it or if the receiver takes it but doesn’t thank the giver. It was quite an experience...


Like I told you before, we focused on "Our Purpose" at our last zone conference and it seems like everyone was really affected by it, in good ways and in bad ways. A lot of people remembered the importance of this work and their fire grew, and others realized that they became missionaries for the wrong reasons and kind of got depressed. Apparently it happened all over the mission and President has been trying to help a lot of people."
我々はあなた年上の Raia を愛します！

Elder Raia Needs A New Suit!

Here is the latest from Elder Raia. He sounds like he is doing good. He is keeping busy, sounds like he has his hands full being Zone Leader.

"On Monday we went to Sendai and had zone leader council. It was really good. This transfer we're focusing on our purpose as missionaries. I'm really glad were focusing on this. Its a pretty broad subject if you go through all of Preach My Gospel but on page 1 it explains it really well. 'My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.' The Zone leader council was really spiritual! I really enjoyed it.

Last week I bought a new suit. It was around 8000 yen or 80 bucks I think. My old ones are falling apart pretty well"

He says things are pretty stressful. Their Mission President is making some changes, and it is his companions last transfer, so he is going home soon. But he did say that every Sunday 4 or 5 of their investigators have been coming to church, so that is great! He sounds a bit homesick, so I think he could use some prayers and some letters!