I'm gonna apologize in advance here. I only have 1 picture
this week. BUT, we're visiting downtown
Yokohama today so next week there will be plenty.
So to start off, Elder Poff and I have been wanting to try
different ways to go about finding people rather than just your regular
knocking on doors, or walking up and down the streets talking to everyone. Well, I receive the emails of an Elder I met
at the MTC who is in the Tokyo North mission and they have been trying
something called The Free English Challenge. (Thanks Elder Pool, keep working
hard!) And let me tell you, it is sweet. Basically we made a big sign that
says "Free English Challenge"
on it and invite people around train stations to try it out. We have a jar with
folded up pieces of paper that have questions on them, and the challenger picks
2 then gives them back to the missionary. Since we do a free English conversation
class for service, the questions are read off to the challenger. Then the last question
involves a picture, we ripped several out of an IKEA magazine and we just
choose one for the challenge. In English, their job is to describe the picture.
If they can answer all 3 correctly they get a piece of chocolate and a high
five. Then we invite them out to Eikaiwa
(Free English Class). The best part was that most people didn't really
care about the Free English. They were wondering what a couple of really young
white dudes in suits were doing in Japan. That then led to some very awesome
opportunities for missionary work and sharing this amazing Gospel. It's funny,
most people don't stop around here when you try to talk to them or say hello,
but put a giant sign that says Free English around your neck and run around
town, you'll do just fine.
In other news, in my personal studies I've been checking out
The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter. In Chapter 8 he makes an analogy using the
Berlin Wall. As big and protected as it was, it did eventually come crashing
down. He then compares that to a lot of mental barriers we have that hold us
from really reaching our full potential and leading balanced lives. Such as the
"I'll do it later wall";
"Complacency Wall"; "Lack of Self confidence Wall";
"Self-Satisfied Wall"; "Indecisive Wall", etc. The list
goes on. But in all honestly, the stone master behind the building of these
mental barriers is mainly yourself. Sure there are outside influences that can
cause the initial creation of these mental barriers. But in all honestly it's
how those influences are taken that determines how they were built. But like
the Berlin Wall, they can come crashing down.
There's a quote from President Warnick that I’ve mentioned before, "Happiness is based on a set of attitudes
rather than a set of circumstances". And finally I want to leave you with
a quote from President Howard W. Hunter. "Does anyone really doubt that
with the help of The Lord, he or she could bring those walls crashing
down?"
As missionaries, we're asked to be out of our comfort zone
on a near daily basis. We're asked to help people and talk about religion in a
language that can, at times, be very difficult to understand. There are plenty of mental walls. But we are
not alone, and we never will be as long as we ask in fervent prayer, stay worthy,
and practice patience with not only others, but especially ourselves. When
speaking Japanese, I tend to use a lot of simple sentences because, well, it's a
difficult language and I've got to use what I know. But one of my favorite
sentences is, "God loves us". It's so simple. So incredibly simple.
But it possesses so much truth and power.
Determine your mental barriers, pick one at a time, and break them
down.
愛してる、
Elder Cuff
No comments:
Post a Comment