Lots of biking this week

April 25, 2016

This was from our hike.  The church is kind of on the left.  The red
tower thing is right next to our apartments.  So that is how close our
house is to our church.  It is way nice!  Our apartment is the brown L
looking building next to the tower.  Pretty city! :)

This is brother Yarita. 
Elder Munro made a Weird face.... Dork.

Again with Elder Munro...  The dork...
But this was a cool shrine we found!

Way to go Elder Munro.  Finally a good picture of us.

This tree was hollow in the middle and still alive!  It was way cool.
Elder Gibson standing by it.

We got these fans from Brother Yarita.
 We put them in our helmets and
thought it looked pretty cool! 
People looked at us kind of weird.. 
But it was fun! Haha

Hello everyone!  So first off, sorry I am writing on the wrong day.  I

had something come up on my normal pday and after everything was done

we made some phone calls and got it changed to Tuesday, instead of

Monday.  But next week it should go back to normal time.  Sorry for

all the confusion.

But I am doing great!  The Togane area is doing amazing and the

members are the best part.  I have been thinking a lot recently about

what I need to be doing in this area and the thought came that I need

to work more with the members.  So that is what I did this week.  Man

was it fun.  We had dinner with some members the other day and it was

so much fun.  I don't know how, but I was able to talk with them and

understand them!  I know I always say this, but I think my Japanese is

getting better each week!  I love the feelings I get when I am able to

speak with people and understand them.  Sometimes I feel like I am

still an elementary school kid because of how I talk, but at the same

time I am okay with it because I am able to talk with people! :). The

members in this Ward are amazing.  They love the missionaries and they

want to help us in any way that they can.  One funny thing that

happened was we were having meeting with the bishop and his wife and

we talked about how we wanted to do like a barbecue party.  THe

bishops wife sat up and said that would be a great idea!  Why not this

Saturday.  This Friday we have a sports party already planned....

These members are willing to do anything for us.  They want to see new

members and new faces coming to church.  They are willing to do one

party after another so then we can have more people come to church.

It is great.  But we told her that that is a bit soon for the party so

we moved it to a couple weeks away.  Over all, if you ask these

members to do anything for you, they will do it.  They love the

missionaries, the missionaries love them, it is a great relationship.

That is my most favorite thing about this area.

This week we also did a lot of finding and we were able to find one

new investigator!  He is from China and only speaks Chinese, so that

will be Elder Lin teaching him.  But we also found another

investigator who came to church last week and we found out he is

fluent in English!  So yay!  I can teach someone in English now!!!  It

was an amazing week for investigators and I feel like we are finally

seeing some blessings from all the finding we have been doing.

There is one thing I would like to share with everyone.  This week I

was in a meeting and someone read this poem to us.

"After All We Can Do" -Author Unknown

I'd been in that hole for a very long time.

In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.

the shaft was above me; I could see it quite clear,

But there's no way I ever could reach it from here.

Nor could I remember the world way up there,

So I lost all my hope and gave into despair

I knew nothing but darkness, the floors, and the walls,

when from off in the distance I heard someone call,

"Get up! Get ready!" There's nothing the matter!

Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder."

This had never occurred to me, had not crossed my mind,

So I started to stack all the stones I could find.

When I ran out of stones, the old sticks were my goal,

For some way or another I'd get out of that hole.

So I soon had a ladder that was really quite tall,

And I thought, "I'll soon leave this place once and for all!"

Then I climbed up my ladder, It was no easy chore-

For from lifting those boulders my shoulders were sore.

So I worked and I climbed and at last had to stop,

For my ladder stopped short-some ten feet from the top.

I climbed back down the ladder and felt all around,

But there were no more boulders nor sticks to be found.

I went back to my ladder and started to cry.

I'd done all I could do; I gave my best try.

But in spite of my work, In this hole I must die,

And all I could do was to sit and think, "why?"

was my ladder too short? Or my hole much too deep?

Then from way up on high came a voice: "do not weep."

And then hope, love, and faith entered my chest,

As the voice said to me that I'd done my best.

He said, "Nothings the matter. There's no reason to mope.

Just climb up your ladder; I'll throw down my rope.

You have worked very hard, and your labor's been rough,

But the ladder you've built is at last tall enough."

I climbed up the ladder, then climbed up the cord.

When I stood at the top, there stood the Lord.

I've never been happier; my struggle was done.

I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son

I fell to the ground; his feet did I kiss.

I cried, "What can I do to repay thee for this?"

He looked all around Him- there were holes in the ground.

They had people inside, and were seen all around.

There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark, and deep.

Then the Lord turned to me and He said "Feed my sheep."

Then He went on His way to help other lost souls.

And I got right to work, calling down to the holes,

"Get up! Get ready! There's nothing the matter!

Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder."

It was now my turn to spread the good word

The most glorious message that man ever heard.

that there's One who is willing to save one and all,

And we've got to be ready when He gives the call.

He'll pull us all out of the hole that we're in,

And save all our souls from death and from sin.

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:

Just build up your ladder; He'll throw down His rope.

This poem is so powerful to me.  I know that as we give it our all, we

still won't be able to save ourselves from our "holes".  It is not

until we rely on the saving "rope" or the saving atonement of our

Savior Jesus Christ that we can be rescued from our "Holes".  I know

that I am on my mission to save people from their holes.  I am here to

tell them to get up, build their ladders and try to make their way to

the top.  It is not until they put forth their effort that they are

able to be saved by Christ.  He loves us and he wants to save us.  He

has the tools necessary to save us, we just need to put our trust and

our faith in him.  We also have to put for our effort.  I know that as

we rely on the Savior and as we follow his example and teachings, he

will not let us fall back down into our holes.  He will save us and he

will keep us next to him.  I know that he lives and I know that he

loves us.  I have seen it in my life and the lives of others.  I am

here in Japan to spread the good word, to help others, and to bring

them back to Christ.  I love this work.  How grateful I am to be out

here to help other people and save them.  I love this Gospel with all

my heart, it means the world to me.  I love the Savior and His atoning

sacrifice for us.  He is our Savior and Redeemer.  I know this church

is true and I know that it is Jesus Christ's true church.

I love you all so much.  I hope you enjoyed this little poem and this

weekly email from me.  I love you and I can't wait to hear from you

again next week.  You are all amazing and you all have a special place

in my heart.  Take care and talk to you next week! :)

Elder Unsworth