Monday, November 16, 2015

Futenma, Okinawa - 1/2 way there! (Total, week 52)

Futenma, Okinawa - Week 28 (Total, week 47)

Transfer Week! 

This past Tuesday we got out transfer calls, and I am staying with the same companion. Our whole apartment stayed the same, so not too much of a difference. 

Wednesday, Elder Barker and I had to go to the doctor to check his wrist. It looks like he will be getting the surgery sometime this month. He will be staying in Japan, and we will just be walking everywhere for a few weeks. 

Thursday we had a lesson with Moto, but his joint didn't show up for the lesson. Said he forgot. But we still had a good lesson. He still is wanting to get baptized on 1/23/2016, and may even want to move it up, but too scared to ask his dad about getting baptized. We are going to have a lesson with him this week with his sister in law, about talking to his dad about getting baptized. If he gets permission, I think he will get baptized pretty soon. 
We were also supposed to have a lesson with Tai (our other baptismal date) but him and his joint forgot about the lesson. Looks like we are going to be making calls the day of and reminding them. But he is doing good as well. Still seems like he wants to get baptized on Christmas and in the ocean. It will probably be way cold, but I guess it will be a cool experience. 

Friday we met with Sil again. He is Brazilian, 25, married to a Japanese woman, and they have 2 kids. He feels the spirit so strongly but doesn't want to make any commitments to come to church or anything. He feels that when we come to his house, his apartment becomes a church for a little bit, and that's good enough for him. 
We also received a referral a month or so ago, but the Mission Home didn't get her name, phone number, or apartment number. All we had was the apartment address, and there was probably about 25-30 doors. We decided to knock the entire apartment. One of the last doors we knocked on was her! Her name is Naka-san, and she is 84 years old. She was about to go to the hospital, so she said we can come back on Saturday. 

Saturday we went over to the Naka's apartment, and she was way interested in the message. She has known some people the have been Mormon before, and always wondered why they were so different, and so happy. She really likes how the church focuses so much on family. We are going back this next week with a member, and teach her more.

Sunday we were at church pretty much all day. The American ward is from 9-12, and the Japanese ward is from 1-4. Then we talked with people, and practiced a song we will sing with the YSA later this month. Then a baptism at 5, and we got home at 6:30 to eat dinner. 

It has been a really good week. Elder Barker and I worked really hard, and got the most contacts we have ever gotten in this area. 

Hope everyone else has an awesome week!

Love you!

Elder Davies

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Futenma, Okinawa - Week 27 (Total, week 46)

Well what has happened this week.. 

We have been to the hospital several times for Elder Barker's wrist. He is going to be staying in Japan for it, but we will be walking everywhere we go. 

This week we played basketball with a guy named Shoy, who became a new investigator. We played with a bunch of little Japanese guys. It was way fun, I was about a foot taller than everyone. 
We had a lesson with Moto. He hasn't talked to his dad yet, but said that when he turns 20 he will get baptized. He turns 20 in January, so we made a baptismal date with him then. 

We also had a lesson with Tai. Tai is a 23 year old college student. He is from Tokyo. He comes to church every week, and we have lessons with him all the time. But he won't read the book of mormon. He says it is too boring. So we have been finding ways to make it more fun for him. 

This past week was Halloween! We had a big trunk or treat Halloween party at our church. We just went as missionaries, but it was a blast. It was done by the American ward, but we had a lot of Japanese people come. 

We had a Zone pday this past Monday. That was a blast. Played capture the flag and other games on a playground with all the missionaries on Okinawa. 

Transfer week is this week. The 4 elders here are probably staying, but ya never know. 

Love you guys! 

Elder Davies