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| Tokyo |
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| Fuji from Mt. Takao |
Whale, whale, whale I dolphinitely didn't think the week would go by this fast. Oops! Did I do that on porpoise?
Alright so this week had some real fun happenings. The first one is going on splits in Hachioji with our Zone Leaders. It's always a great learning opportunity and the station in Hachioji is just so much fun to do finding at. There are just a lot of groups of friends that go to hang out there and it's always a lot of fun stopping them and getting some type of conversation going. Also having spend the last 7 months or so in quiet mountain areas it was definitely a change of pace.
The next one was Zone Conference. Our mission has been making a strong emphasis on finding. There was just a lot of good ideas on using a lot of different finding tools and ways to help others. After our Zone Conference I remember I was way pumped and the next day we set some goals to really get some big time finding done. We got out on the streets and... I've never had so much rejection happen in one day. I was confused. Also really frustrated. Sunday rolls around and I was still upset about Saturday's lack of success. We had Stake Conference and that night we had FHE with the YSA's and we brought Yamaguchi San. One of the activities was a discussion, we were given a situation, had some time to discuss with our groups, then everyone went around and shared their thoughts. The situation was, "What if you made some goals, but despite your best efforts you fall short and don't achieve what you planned/wanted to achieve? How do you still stay happy?" It could not have been more direct. The Lord answers prayers.
Referring back to Zone Conference, It was a lot of good stuff obviously but there was a part where our mission president's wife talked about being able to fulfill our purpose despite circumstance. Our Mission President served in Sapporo, Japan; and our Mission President's wife served in Taiwan. Culturally, they don't make a lot of sense when it comes to missionary work. Especially here in Japan, people tend to be Buddhist, skeptical about religion, and just don't like talking on the streets. Also members have said that especially in the Tokyo area people tend to be very business like and "cold". But I've found throughout my mission that those cultural circumstances are nothing more than excuses. Personally I've found a lot of the opposite to be true. I've found that despite being primarily Buddhist, or skeptical, a lot of people are very open. I've also found that, yes, a majority of people don't really like to talk on the streets, but there are plenty of others that are very friendly, and will take a moment to talk to you, even when they only have a brief moment before going home or to work. No, it is not the "perfect place" for missionary work. But it is a wonderful place with a wonderful people and the work here is awesome.
Sorry to hit everyone with a long email but in closing I just want to say that we can choose to be happy. I've found that the more we turn outward and put our focus on the joy of others, we start to discover real joy, and who we are. I've also found that our attitude makes a very big difference in that aspect. If we do service for others only to find joy for ourselves in doing said service, we're gonna have a really hard time finding it. But if we sincerely turn towards the welfare and happiness of others, there is a much bigger difference in how we serve, how we feel, and who we choose to become. I'm not a very smart guy, or an expert in anything. But I have come to see that there is so much more satisfaction in life when we truly put the happiness of others, ahead of ourselves.
I'm really happy to be here and hope everyone has a wonderful week!
愛しています、
Elder Cuff
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