54th Week in Japan, 62 Weeks

I love reading all of your guy`s emails! Thanks!

This week we had the Mission Tour with Elder Ringwood! He is an awesome guy! I have never had such a spiritual meeting on the mission. My mind was blown. And it wasn`t that it was some special new doctrine, or some crazy in depth analogy about missionary work and other stuff, he just loved the missionaries so much, the Spirit confirmed everything that he said. It was AWESOME!

So this week the other highlight was talking to some Jehovah`s Witness missionaries for an hour at the train station! They go out and dendo almost just as much as we do! And 90% of it is all member work! That is why they have 20 million members. They do member work. We can`t let them beat us!(Not like it is a race or anything...but it kinda is). This week I really understood urgency.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, full, and true. When people do understand this, the Holy Ghost bears witness to them that it is from God. But unfortunately, many churches like the Jehovah`s Witnesses, do not allow their members to accept flyers, pamphlets, or to listen to anything having to do with other religions. The missionaries at the train station would not even take my simple mormon.org card. So we have to get out, and go dendo! If we dont find those who are looking for Christ, they might not get a chance to know of His goodness, and His Atonement, and His relationship with us. And I am not bagging on the J.W.`s, they are fantastic people, I just want everyone to have a chance to hear our message! So next week our finding numbers will be fantastic!

Okie dokie I love you guys and I apologize for no pictures(:

Elder Swenson

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53rd Week in Japan, 61 Weeks

This transfer is half way gone! :0 That is so weird! I really can`t believe that I am living in Japan. Tomorrow marks my 1 year anniversary for living in Japan. 1 year ago today I was on a plane headed to Japan! I still remember when I was walking through the streets in Sapporo smelling all of the ramen shops, Bakerys, and old rotting fish! It was like walking into Disneyland for the first time. The only thing that has changed over a year has been me! My testimony of the gospel has grown deeper and stronger, God has taken my Japanese skills and improved them, Christ has replaced my heart with one more like his. I am so grateful that God loved me enough to entrust me with His mighty work of bringing hope, light, and love that comes from His Son, Jesus Christ.

This last monday we had a zone activity at Shinkotoni and played sports! I was a part of team batman (really original name right?) and we destroyed the comepetion. That was a blast! Thanks to my family, I was able to share the joy that Hostess treats bring with my district and zone leaders at DTM. And the rest of the week was just teaching lessons to eternal investigators!

This sunday I had the opportunity to bless the sacrament and it was a super special experience.This week I was reading in 2 Nephi 16 and it talks about Isaiah`s vision in which he saw God. Isaiah realizing his unthworthiness exclaims " Wo is unto me! for I amundone; because I am a man of unclean lips; and I dwellin the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyeshave seen the King, the Lord of Hosts."　Then a coal is placed in his mouth and he is told "Lo, this has touchedthy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sinpurged." When I was blessing and partook of the sacrament, my mouth became very hot almost as if the bread had just come out of the oven 2 min earlier. But it hadn`t. Then that scripture popped up into my head and I knew that it was the Spirit confirming to me that I had been forgiven and renewed. It was so cool! The sacrament is the most sacred ordinance in the church and everyone can partake of it and be clean! Isn`t this gospel awesome!?

Ok I love all you peoples, especially my family and Nephi Bushman! (Soon to be Elder Bushman!)

Elder Swenson

52nd Week in Japan, 60 Weeks

Hey everyone!

So this last week I did my first Workshop as a District Leader! It was way fun! Got to talk about how to properly start of first contacts! It is cool to see others feel the Spirit and be edified!

So last monday I went for a follow up appointment with Shingo san at the dental office and the the Hygienist who was working on my teeth told me that she was LDS and had not been to church since she was a little kid! That blew my mind! Heavenly Father used my teeth to find His lost sheep! Yay! So the bad thing was, after she said that, she started to work on my teeth so I couldn`t say a whole lot...but I go back again Wednesday for the final appointment! So I will invite her to come back and visit church! This last Wednesday we went to the borders of our area. There we went and visited a PI who is now an Investigator! Toriumi san. She is an 80 yr old woman who loves religion, and is super genki(energetic)! She moved to this place we went to about 20 years ago and tried to find a Church to join, but it is such a small place that there weren`t any churches out there. So she just waited. Now she is listening to The Jehovah`s Witnesses and us. (Jehovah`s Witnesses is a bigger religion in Japan than in America. They do almost as much missionary work as we do.) So we are gonna teach her let her feel the Spirit! Then we went to this place called "Sweden Hills" in Futomi. The place was just this stereotypical Sweden place. Blue horses, viking helmets and Antlers on all the light posts and bridges. Thursday, all of our appointments canceled on us...which kindof stunk. So we made Steak. Thanks Australia for the cheap beef! Friday was the cool day/

One of our Eternal investigators Nakazawa san has been listening to the missionaries for 4 years. He will take any reading commitment but has not said a single prayer in 4 years. So we thought about it and he always uses the excuse that he is Buddhist and that he cant. So we asked him about what buddhism was and what is the blessing or outcome in the end (heaven so to speak). But he couldn`t answer. Then we asked him about his specific class of buddhism that he is aligned with and it`s main essential requirement is prayer to Buddha. So we asked him if he was doing that and he said no. The whole lesson really got his brain going into thinking mode and it was fantastic. Then we promised him blessings and talked about what God has in store for us if we follow Him.

So this week was awesome and hard. We walked so much that my feet split open on the bottom. (I am fine). But the joy that I feel fromt the Holy Ghost is priceless. Ok I love you guys and keep moving steadfast in Christ!

Elder Swenson

Then we went to this place called "Sweden Hills" in Futomi. 

The place was just this stereotypical Sweden place. 

Blue horses, viking helmets and Antlers on all the light posts and bridges.

So we made Steak. Thanks Australia for the cheap beef!

51st Week in Japan, 59 Weeks

This week was super busy! Tuesday we had the doctors from the Asian North Area come and talk to us about a bunch of health tips and concerns. They were a lot of fun and gave us some good info on how to be healthier missionaries. Next we had some workshops and testimonies from some soon to be returning missionaries. And then, we were finally able to watch Meet the Mormons! It was so good! It really was like a documentary but really fun and true.  And the fun didn`t stop there! Next we went to go and see my first and last Sapporo Snow Festival! Their were so many gaijin there! I am not used to seeing so many people who arent Japanese unless they are missionaries. So that was fun! On the way home some Europeans were on a train trying to speak in English to this Japanese guy so I joined the conversation and Dendo`ed everyone! It was really weird teaching the gospel in English to people who knew about Jesus Christ and stuff. So if your ever in Latvia, France, or a small Russian speaking village near Romania, Talk to people about the gospel and it might just be someone who I talked to here!

The next day we had Zone Training and that was a super cool experience. The ZL`s asked us to mogi or roleplay teaching obedience to some of our investigators. Everyone felt the spirit so strongly, it was crazy! So the ZL`s told us to mogi again and try to improve. And we felt the spirit again! It was awesome!

Investigator wise we are working with a few Eternal investigators here in Shinoro. Dino and Nakazawa san. Dino is from Philidelphia and has quite a strong opinion on the church. He loves Jesus and likes to do good stuff, but wants to do stuff his own way.  Nakazawa san will keep any reading commitment you will give him, but chuch and prayer are impossible. I do not know what to do with them, but the Lord is really helping out.

Friday I got to visit one of my old investigators from Moiwa, Shingo san! He is a boss! Unfortunately, he had to fix my teeth:( He squeezed me in between some appointments to try and get everything done, but he got too busy and told me to come back today. And luckily thanks to the Socialized Medicine in Japan (Dad dont shoot me for that sentence) Everything only cost me $20. So yay!

Saturday when we were out, it was just about time to head back to the train station, but we hadn`t gotten our minimal contact goal of 10, so I saw the most family looking house and rang the doorbell. As soon as a did a lady and her friend opened the door and walked out to the cars and I was just like, ok that is akward, but she told me to talk to her husband. So I did but my Japanese was really weird and stuff, but I did not know why.  It turns out that he had been an English Class student 20 yrs. ago and had just recently been thinking about coming back! So we invited him and he said he could start coming in April! Go goals!

Ok I  hope you all had a good Valentines Day and keep having fun!

Elder Swenson 

50th Week in Japan, 58 Weeks

I am in a Ward!

So my new area is 篠路 Shinoro! My new companion is Elder Hishii and I am the District leader! But you want to know what the funny thing is? Their are no Elders in my district only Sisters! So I don`t go on splits at all! Shinoro is the dreamland for missionaries. Nothing but houses. It is like the Suburbs of Sapporo. I really like it. Plus, I am in a ward! I love wards! So many people to talk to and all I have to worry about is dendo! Yesterday I gave my introduction in Sacrament meeting, and whenever that happens I usually say something funny. I started to talk about how I like to camp, and camp is not in the Japanese language so you say it in Katakana. So I said kanpu. But I guess in "correct" katakana camp is kyanpu. So everyone thought I was talking about kung fu for a while. It was funny because after church some of the Sisters from the ward came up to me and asked if I learned Kung fu in America. That was a good first day at church.

Well for the most part this week was transfers and a really long leaders meeting. When you become District Leader for the first time, you go to the Zone Leader meeting at the mission home and talk about the condition of the Mission, what needs to be changed, and some workshops from the STL`s, AP`s and from President Nakatsuka . That takes about 8 hours to complete. But the good thing was that we got to eat Costco Pizza!

Tomorrow the doctors who are over the Asain North Missions are going to do some workshops and stuff at Zone Conference. Plus we get to see "Meet the Mormons" and go to Yuki Matsuri (That is the festival where people dance and their are huge building size ice sculptures) ! So tomorrow is going to be a blast!

Ok Love you guys and remember, Valentines day is coming! SO dont forget to show some love to your moms!

Elder Swenson

Elder Israelson

My new companion is Elder Hishii

Leadership Training Meeting

Message from Kanno Yuji

Elder Swenson
KUSHIRO→SHINORO　
Move
Thank you!!