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| The ward members brought me a costume for the Halloween party. It was a little on the small side. |
So much has happened this week!!!
Interviews with president, an investigator`s baptism, and running into Brazilians,
Colombians, and many other people from South America, who are ready to hear the
gospel, and then a fun Halloween party with the ward.
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| Halloween Party |
The weather is getting cold, and we
are bundling up. We are living in a constant typhoon. There has been almost one a week for the past
month. The typhoons haven`t directly hit
our area, but we get nailed with a ton of rain!!! That means I got to bust out
my super sweet trench coat, which makes me look so much bigger than I actually
am, so I can stop almost anybody on the street.
My companion and I also wanted to
see if we could live off of $10 each for this entire week, and I am proud to
say that we did it!! It was just a lot of rice and some gyoza. Gyoza is a Chinese
food similar to pot stickers, but better!!
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| Halloween Party |
My Japanese skills took a nice leap
and I feel like I am getting closer to where I would like to be. We had a baptism
this week, and that was an amazing experience. My favorite part was that even
though we explained to our investigator what was going to happen, he wasn`t at
all ready to be fully immersed into the water. My companion, who baptized him,
basically had to slam him down under the water. We definitely had a fun time
teaching him, and it`s a little sad that now we have to step back and let the
ward take over. I caught a little glimpse of what it is like for parents to see
their kids go off and start their own lives. I felt like my investigator was my
kid and now he has grown up and I have to step back and let him figure things
out. Even though we still get to be friends, we have to focus our efforts more
on bringing many more unto this amazing church.
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| My bike is back! |
I had a thought this week that I’d
like to share. Here in Japan, the position of a teacher is a very well and
highly respected position. The Japanese show the utmost respect to their
teacher. While teaching my English class, there would be moments when a lively
discussion would be going on, but as soon as I opened my mouth, the room would
become quiet as I answered the question. Many followers did the same with Jesus
Christ. When Jesus Christ answered the questions of life, many would stop
discussion among themselves to hear this great teacher speak. This got me
thinking about prayer. We teach that prayer is a two-way communication with our
Father in Heaven. More often than not, I believe we put most of our focus on
what we need to say and fail to take the time to hear what HE would teach us. I
do not have to raise my voice for my English students to listen, and neither
did Jesus Christ when he taught. Heavenly Father speaks to us in a still, small
voice. We all know that Heavenly Father wants to help us succeed and return to
live with him in Heaven. Then why not take the time to listen when we say our
prayers. "Ask and ye shall receive". This gospel is truly so simple.
It brings peace to my heart to know that Heavenly Father, the greatest being
that exists, listens to my simple prayer and will take the time to answer me. I
challenge whoever is reading this to listen when you finish your prayer, and be
ready for the answers to come.
Elder Skyler Wilcox
