Week 72!

We are having a huge worldwide mission broadcast this next Thursday to announce schedule changes so there will be a changes! (I know that they have to exercise in the morning so I asked what does he do?) For exercise we just have some weights in the apartment that we lift (nothing major haha) and push-ups  and sit ups and stuff like that. I hate running so I avoid that. We ride bikes up mountains everyday so I think that covers it haha. 

(I asked what has been his hardest responsibility so far, District leader, Zone leader or Tech Person) Hardest responsibility is zone leader I would say. (What transportation do you use the most in this area) I use the trains all the time. Not every day but we easily burn like 2000 yen a week on trains. Every week we ride trains for a couple hours in total. But when we just dendo we usually walk or bike. Sometimes train if we want to go to the other side of the area. (The houses look tiny, are they?) The houses are tiny here! Although I've been able to learn what is a big house in Japan. Our house is easily triple the size of a normal Japanese house. 

This week was very fast! Our basic schedule for the week is: Monday pday; Tuesday visit brother Noshiro; Wednesday English class; Thursdays are weekly planning; Friday we have district meeting in Yamate and in Yokosuka. That usually takes the whole day until 6:00pm; Saturday is District meeting in Kamiooka; Sunday is church! 

We had splits twice this week. First was with the yamate elders and then with kamiooka elders. It's so interesting to go on splits with missionaries. The point of the split is to help them and train them and to show them an example in dendo but I feel like every time I end up learning so much more than I feel like I taught! 

On the way to yokosuka district meeting I was reading a conference talk. Trains are interesting because you can't just bring up gospel topics in a very bold way because the chance of getting missionaries kicked off of trains isn't zero. But you can talk to people and try to let them bring it up and I love it! It's seriously so fun. To me it's the most natural way to dendo. Anyways so I was reading a talk and I felt that I should put it away and say hello to the guy to my right. So I did. The guy basically freaked out. "Why did you just say that to me!?" He asked. "I just felt like I should say hello" is what I said to him. Turns out that some missionaries not too long ago had called out to him in yokosuka and he wondered why. He said they had the same black name badge. It was an awesome opportunity to share basically with him what we do as missionaries and about the message we bear. 

The same day I was waiting for the train and a guy walks straight up to us and just stares at us about a foot away. "Konnichiwa!" I said. I didn't say too much after that because the guy went on to tell me about the problems he had in his life. He talked of how he lost his wife some time  ago and how it was really sad. Unfortunately he didn't really give me time to teach him anything about the plan of salvation but I did manage to testify to him that God lives and he loves us. His plan and his point of view is much larger than ours. Sometimes we don't know why something’s happen but we can always be sure that God loves us. I had to get off the train at the next stop but I love the truth that we have a God who is our  Father and He loves us more than we know. It doesn't matter how low we feel that we have sunk, or how dark our days may seem, that love can lift us and fill us with the most wonderful feelings of peace. 

I made some killer bread this week! We visited a young family in the ward and I made them some bread and I made us some bread. It was seriously so good. 

Thank you for being he best mom ever! I had some time to reflect on how amazing of a mother you are. You did everything to me! Thank you so much. I know it's not easy to deal with me but you always did so with love and patience. Whenever I had a hard time or was upset, you comforted me and I always felt better afterwards. You always made delicious food for us and I regret not helping you more with chores and things but I thank you so much for all you do for me and us!

I love you Mom! 

Elder Draper

ドレーパー長老