Sakura Season: Week 72 in Japan

What is up my dudes!

I can't remember a ton of details about this week and Elder Nagaoka is trash talking me so I've got to hurry up and thrash him in some ping pong.

We went to MLC this weekend out in Kichijoji and it was nice to meet up with some of the other missionaries and council with President Warnick on the direction of where the mission is going. Myself, Elder Smith, and Sister To'angutu got to give a training and it was overall a really good time. Afterwards we stayed the night and had splits with the AP's. I got to run around with my good friend Elder Morris.

There's a park right by the mission home which is apparently nationwide famous for Sakura. I love Sakura Season, it's beautiful, everything smells nice, the weather gets warm, and it's so much fun talking to people. I love the Japanese people; they're so incredibly nice. Even if they're not too interested they're so incredibly kind.
But we had a really good time on splits before coming back home to Kamiooka. Lots of good stuff learned and I got an amazing package filled with M&M's and Skittles because my parents are the best!

We got a referral Sunday night and the members jumped on it so quick. After an amazing lesson (I'll talk about it later) a couple of the funniest members picked us up and we took off for the address. We couldn't find the house at all and it became a game of knocking on doors and asking about people. Finally we rechecked the address, found out we put it in wrong, and went to the right place. This old lady comes out and wants to learn more about family history. Sweet, we're stoked. But then next thing we know she starts talking a million miles an hour. I’ve met some fast talkers in Japan, but I've never dealt with a human being who can fit that many syllables in such a short amount of time. It was comical. The members with us were laughing so hard because they had no idea what to do. We would try to interrupt but she would just hold up a finger, tell us to wait up, and keep going. It was awesome! She mainly about how she has a special phone with a protector that apparently stops radiation so she can't get cancer. In the middle of her talking about a bunch of random stuff we somehow set up an appointment. Still confused on how we did that. But apparently we're meeting next weekend. The member who was with us was the family history specialist. He doesn't want to go back.

We had some awesome lessons this week but the one that stuck out the most would have to be the 2 we had with our man Alec and this other guy we've been working with named Kouta. Both of them have absolute hearts of gold and have been doing awesome. I get so excited asking them if they've been reading or praying because they don't really tell us much about what they studied, but how they felt.

I wouldn't say I had one big event where I came to know if the teachings from this church are true and worth giving time to. It came from little experiences and moments here and there that gradually built. There are feelings that were hard to describe. I don't remember who, but they explained it by saying it's like salt. I've tasted it, I know others who have tasted it, I know what it's like, but I can't explain it. I know that God is there and that he watches out for me and my family everyday. Jesus Christ lives and loves everyone and performed a miraculous Atonement so that we can live again. And the only way I've really been able to figure that out is by trying it. Have an awesome week!

愛しています、
Elder Cuff