4 months to go!

Hey there mom and dad! 

  

Happy Birthday dad! I hope you had a good day. Thank you so much for the Christ-like home that you and mom raised us all in. You two are the biggest and greatest examples of the Savior that I can think of. I love you so so much. It's interesting how much I loved you before but now, being away and being so focused on the Savior, I love you two and respect so much more.  

 We did teach quite a few lessons this week! His name is Tsunoda and we were able to move his baptismal date up to May 13! It's still after transfers so there is still the possibility that I won't be here. But that was the earliest he could get baptized! He was SO excited when he found out he could get baptized sooner! 

 I'm so glad the missionaries came over to help! How long have they been out on missions? I don't know why, I think it is so interesting to think about how some missionaries get called to the Mountain Home area. I can't wait to work with missionaries at home too! The field looks way good though! It sure will be easier to take care of.  

 Tripp is looking so big! I love my nephews and niece so much! 

 Ya so yesterday and the day before we had general conference! It was SO good! I had more questions answered in this conference than in any other conference before. I swear the whole general conference was made around things that I needed. Tsunoda came for the Sunday morning session as well. We were able to have a quick lesson with him about prophets and obedience! We moved up his baptismal date to May 13th! That was pretty exciting! 

 Last Monday, after p-day, we were walking around Kamiooka eki and we saw a guy across the street laying face down on the sidewalk with one leg kind of entangled in the small railing along the road. We quickly crossed the road and ran over to him. We poked him a couple times but he didn't move. W kept asking if he was ok or not but only his hand would twitch every now and then.  We asked if he needed the police and he slowly nodded his head without saying anything. So we sprinted through the eki to the nearest police box and got the cops. Then they rushed over to him and helped him.  

 We were very busy with zone Conference and zone meeting and general conference this week! It was so fun but busy! I gave a training on teaching like the Savior. I love my Savior so much! When we come to a real knowledge of whole he is and the things he does for us and the reason behind those things, life becomes much more peaceful and beautiful. I love the scripture in Mosiah 18:30 how it says, talking about Mormon (the place), "the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to a knowledge of their redeemer". When we focus our lives on Jesus Christ, life is just better. Even if the circumstances around us may not be ideal, we can feel heavenly peace inside us.  

 A brother in the ward asked me to maybe interpret from Japanese to English in stake conference in a couple of weeks! I am pretty nervous but apparently we will get the talks in advance and have time to translate them to English before hand, so that's good.  

 By the way! Next week is temple P Day so it will be on Tuesday, not Monday!  

 This week we left the apartment to go find people and after we prayed, walking towards the stairs, I had a thought to go a different way than we usually went. We got to the bottom of the stairs and I asked elder Yoshikawa if we could go right instead of left like we usually do. We started walking that way and I knew exactly why we were walking that way because I had another distinct image of a man we had met the other day pop up in my head. We turned a couple corners and in the shadows there was a guy with his back turned to us. I yelled out to him "good evening!" He turned to face us but because it was night and he was standing in the shadows I still couldn't see his face, but I knew it was the guy I was looking for. I said, "do you remember me?" And he said, "yes, I remember." We didn't talk much more than that, but I know that the God led me by the Holy Ghost to find this man. He was just about to go into his house too so if we had been even a couple seconds late, we wouldn't have been able to talk to him.  

 I love this work! I love being led by the spirit and inviting others to come unto Christ. I love Kamiooka. I think I have grown more in this area than any area I have served in before. I know Christ lives, I know this is his work and that he guides it.  

 During conference I just kept having impression after impression that these people really are called of God and that this is his church to bring people back to him, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that we have purpose in this life. I love you all and I know that God loves you as well.  

  

Elder Draper 

 ドレーパー長老