"Time is Flying and I Love Being a Missionary"

July 25, 2010

Hey guys! I just got your email-- thanks. I am on a college campus about 3 minutes away from my apartment and they have free internet access. It is way cool. Well thanks for all the good emails this week. It was nice to hear from you all. Rudy, the Japanese you wrote on your helmet means 'gay' in Japanese. Just kidding!! It has something to do with an Alaskan boat or something. Pretty sick. Oh. Dad I asked about the tenkara and no one knew what I was talking about sorry. Good luck on the river. Olivia --riding a bike everyday eh. That's cool and congrats on losing 20 pounds. I got on the scale the other day and I was down to 140! Weird huh! It is so hot here! I think I am just sweating all the weight off. Ill be talking to someone at their door and sweat will be just dripping. I have a big hand towel that I bring around. It has been 92 to 95 degrees but with the humidity it is insane. I got a little tan though and I make my own weather so it is all right. The Ise family is doing great. They have almost quit smoking completely and accepted to pay tithing after baptism. They seem really ready to be baptized. Next Sunday is their interview for baptism so Ill let you know how it goes. Kinoshita hasn't been able to meet but there is a new guy getting ready for baptism. His name is Kan and he is from china. He is 18 and is probably one of the nicest people I have known. He still has a long ways to go but things will work out. Oh, and do you remember Hayashi in Amagasaki? He is 23 and taught kindergarten. Well, me and Campbell found him and set a date with him and then I transferred. He got baptized on Saturday and was confirmed yesterday. Way cool. Oh, and Yamashita, the recently baptized convert in Amagasaki has a place to live now! The ward really helped him out and things really look good for him. He got the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday. Things really look good for those two. This week I had some cool experiences. They were simple but they meant a lot to me. I felt that I wasn't loving the people as much as I should and not testifying about Jesus Christ enough. I focused on these two things and I just felt a lot better. The spirit is awesome and I am so thankful to have its' guidance. Oh ya, and Dad I am not a Zone leader anymore. Yesterday during the Ise familie's lesson a lot of cool things happened. The Manabe family, a family in the ward, was sitting in on the lesson. They tesfied so boldy, and told so many good experiences from tithing that it was probably hard for the Ise family to say no. Jk, but really tithing is real and the spirit was so strong. Elder Kudo's dad also had a good experience. His dad was baptized at 19 in Sendai. When he got baptized he said that he wasn't considered family anymore and his family never talked to him again. After getting baptized his dad wanted to serve a mission. He worked really hard and got all the money he needed and then it was all stolen by a robber. Pretty sad but his ward all got together and helped out but he still didn't have enough money. Kudo's dad needed a miracle. His dad's friend had worked for money to go on a mission too but his dad was against it and didn't let him go. Kudo's dad's friend gave him the money that he had saved and it was exactly enough. Pretty sweet miracle and I thought you would like it. His dad returned with no money and the first thing he did was pay tithing. He really had a testimony of the church. Sorry for all these stories but I was really touched. Well this email has been long but to sum it up I am doing great. Time is still flying and I love being a missionary. This is the most rewarding thing I have done and it is because I am helping people learn about the most important thing on earth--Jesus Christ's pure gospel restored to the earth. There is only one way to eternal happiness with our families and it is through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you all and I hope to hear from you soon. Oh, and thanks for the package!

Niihama is Sweet!!

This is the Branch building in Niihama

July 18, 2010

Hey everyone. Sorry about last week. The email I just sent was the email I wrote last week. I was at a free computer but it couldn't handle emailing it. Bummer. Today I am at a nice Internet cafe. Well thank you so much for getting Kody`s address for me. I'll write him today. Sounds like he had a really good experience with the missionaries. How is Niihama? Well Niihama is sweet! I love it and I can't even tell you how blessed I feel to be here. The Ise family is doing well and a new guy named Kinoshita is getting ready for baptism too. These last two weeks have been insane! There are tons of people to teach and I am loving it. A ton of miracles have happened and I am really thankful for the spirit. Do you remember Moriya? He was the guy in Osaka that I taught that had a lot of baptismal dates. His daughters were baptized. Well his family lives 2 minutes from my apartment. His daughters aren't coming to church but I met the mom yesterday and I really feel that I was sent here for a reason. I'll tell you about a quick thing that happened yesterday. Me and Kudo went to a girl named Anris' house to teach her. Her dad was there and I could tell that their relationship wasn't normal. Her dad didn't like us very much but we taught her the restored gospel none the less. She is the same age as me and really sincere. When I looked her in the eyes and testified that her life could become better through the gospel the spirit was really strong. It seemed like she understood and she wanted to change her life but she still didn't accept to meet again. I know this kinda sounds like a sad story but as I was riding my bike home I felt prompted to pray for her. When I prayed I felt that everything would be all right and she would have a good life somehow. I know that unseen things happen everyday and God really loves ALL his children. Niihama is awesome and the mission is awesome. I'll send you some pictures next week. Sorry. I have been bad about that lately. Well I love you all and I'll talk to you next week!

The Church is True No Matter Where We Live and I Love It!

July 18, 2010 (This was really written on July 11, but it didn't send!)

Hey guys! Yes I have email! But I just found it so I dont have much time. Sorry. I got the conference talks and they are great. Thanks Mom and lenzi. From Kobe it took almost 5 hours to get to Niihama. I got my camera-- an Olympus 12 megapixel and it only cost $75. The pool looked pretty wild! Good luck. I'll be quick, but to put it simply-- Niihama is sweet. The people are way nice and it is a little more city than Maizuru, but not much. The branch has about 20 active members and the church building is pretty funny. These week was awesome! A lot of new investigators were found and the Ise family is getting ready for baptism. The Ise family has 3 kids and one is baptized but the rest aren't. They have been coming to church every week for the last 6 months and we set a baptismal date with them for August 8th. The mom said that she felt good at church and she wanted to feel that more. The Holy Ghost is a great gift that I know that I take for granted. Anyway the branch is awesome and I definately feel something special here. My companion is elder Kudo from Tokyo. He is cool and more outgoing than my other Japanese comps. I am excited for Niihama. The church is true no matter where we live and I love it. I am sorry this was short but next week I promise I'll have more time. I love you guys and till next week.! Oh and if you could get me Dana Cooper's address that would be sweet

No Email but Some Pictures from President McIntyre's Blog

July 12, 2010-- Zone Leader Council in Kobe. In the morning they hiked with President and Sister McIntyre. Grady is in the orange shirt.

Well, we didn't receive an email last night. We thought this might happen because of the new area and especially because they weren't replacing any mssionaries who could show them where to email. Hopefully he'll find somewhere to email for next week, but if not, we'll just send letters! These pictures were on President McIntyre's Mission Blog. These must be right before he transferred to Niihama.

These are the toys Grady sent! The little one says three things in Japanese when you push a button! So funny!

The New Japan Kobe Mission

July 8, 2010--Today is the day that they are combining part of the Hiroshima Mission with the Kobe Mission. The Kobe mission will be adding 32 more missionaries from the Hiroshima Mission. Grady will be transferring to the area of Niihama on the Island of Shikoku. It is in the Hiroshima Mission area. He will have a native companion, Elder Kudo. They will be in an area where there haven't been missionaries for six months. I'm sure he'll do great!

Today we also received the box he sent two months ago. I've been so worried it wouldn't get here because he sent it by boat--but it did get here!! Inside it were some letters and a couple of funny Japanese toys. I have heard such horror stories about sending things by boat and I'm so grateful his letters didn't get lost!

On the Way to Niihama

July 4, 2010

Hello everyone! Well Sounds like all is well with the family. Thanks for doing all that research and stuff for me. That is cool that Rudy gets to go on the Middle Fork every week. This week I really don't have much time. I am sorry. Yesterday church was pretty cool. 4 Investigators came to church and it was a good testimony meeting. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone but I am excited to go to Niihama. Quick story about fast offerings. When I paid fast offerings before I never saw first hand what it was used for. This week I saw what it should be used for. Brother Yamashita is still homeless and and sometimes goes a day or two without food. It is also hard for him to sleep because it is raining a lot. He gets really light headed and just isn't good. This is where our fast offerings go. To humble people in need. He hasn't accepted help yet but I think he will come around. This is how our fast offerings should help. Well , I'm sorry it was short but I know this church is true and it is really neat to experience the change the spirit can do. I love you guys and Ill send pictures soon. Smell ya later.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

June 27, 2010

Hey everyone! Thanks for the emails and pictures! Sounds like you guys had a fun time this week. Did you get Kody Graham's address? And how is Andrew Wardell doing? Drew looked pretty good. Sounds like he had a good mission. Sorry I haven't sent many pictures. My camera is not charged because I left my charger in Maizuru. OOps. But before I forget here are the Camera choices that I have. Olympus FE-400, Olympus u water u-550wp, Casio ex-512, Casio Ex-gi, Niko coolpix 53000. Here are some of the choices. One of the Casio's is pretty expensive. I am transferring so I have to buy it next Pday so if you could find the best one and in the email next week tell me about it. Thanks. You guys are too nice. But ya I am transferring. I transfer on July 8th to the island of Shikoku. It is in the Hiroshima Mission and like Maizuru. It is like 5 or more hours away from the mission home. Pretty out there. My area is called Niihama and missionaries haven't been in it for a while. Me and a Japanese elder named Kudo are going in knowing nothing about it. The branch has about 20 members and I am excited. It is definitely in the middle of know where and I am saying goodbye to civilization. I don't know if I will have email or not but it was fun while it lasted! lol. I won`t be a Zone Leader anymore either. Pretty much I will be with Campbell choro for a transfer and a half when it is all said and done. When I leave another elder from the Hiroshima mission will replace me. All right, there is all the boring informational stuff. Sorry. Yamashita is doing good but he is still homeless with no job. It is really sad and I can't do a whole lot for him. This is where the ward comes in but it is hard because there is no way to contact him. Kind of a tough situation but he has all he needs, which is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. You all will probably like this story. Me and Campbell were riding home for the night trying to make curfew. I was truckin along on my bike when I saw this guy in a park playing the guitar. I felt that we should talk to him so we stopped and went up to him. His name was Hirano and is way nice. He is really good at the guitar and you will never guess what song he played for us. You guessed it Guns and roses knockin on heavens door. He was way good at imitating Axel rose. It turns out that Hiranos son had recently died and that Hirano almost committed suicide because he missed him so much. We shared the special message of the Plan of Salvation and he wants to hear more. I wish you guys could've been there. It was just super special because I know he was prepared to hear the message. Oh, and this is another good story. There is this other investigator named Hayashi. He is 23 and has already seen two baptisms. At the second baptism the spirit was really strong when the guy Shota got baptized. I asked Hayashi if he felt anything different when Shota got baptized and he said doki doki, which is like excited. Hayashi felt a feeling that is hard to explain because it is from a higher force. Hayashi felt the spirit and he wants to feel it more. He has a baptismal date for July 24th. If I look back on my mission so far the people that have progressed towards baptism or have gotten baptized was because of personal experiences that they felt. Hayashi accepted to be baptized without hearing any lessons. He simply saw a baptism, felt the spirit and wanted that in his life. On the way home he asked if we were Catholic or Protestant. This tells me that perfect understanding is impossible but perfectly understanding a feeling isn't. Well I have to go because I am going to a Brazilian all you can eat restaurant with Sarai, the Brazilian investigator, and some other people. The mission is great and I love it. I am very happy and loving it. Best experience of my life. I love you all and feel blessed to be apart of such a great family. Till next week.

Homeless with a Strong Testimony

June 20, 2010 Brother Yamashita in Amagasaki was baptized by Elders Campbell and Bowman.

Hey everyone! Happy Father's day Dad! I am not going to lie, I found out that it was fathers day like 2 days ago so I didn't get you a present. Sorry. I have thought a lot about what I learned from you dad. One thing that I realized the other day was being giving. You would always be so generous with customers, maybe even to giving to much in me and moms opinion sometimes, but we were wrong. I have realized that you can never be too nice to someone. I can't believe Kody got baptized! I want to know more because I think I could've done a better job. Maybe I could've invited him to church or something. I remember when I was little and me Kody and karl used to play together. Kody would always make fun of Joseph Smith and Mormons. This just tells me that God has a plan and is in control. We have been doing a thing lately with the members here that you guys might want to do if you haven't all ready. We have the members right down all there less active and nonmember friends names down on a list and start praying for them. Maybe if I would've done this I could've helped Kody out more. Could you please get his address for me so I can write him or give him my address or something. Thanks. Well this week for me was great! Yamashita got baptized! He was so happy and was really changed through the atonement. He is still homeless but now he is a homeless man with a strong testimony of the Restored Gospel. I learned that if we follow the commandments our circumstances won't always drastically change but we will be blessed no matter what. I wish you guys could talk to him or something. Yesterday was Stake Conference and Elder Nelson spoke. He testified about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and I know he is an apostle of God. Another cool thing happened yesterday. There was an investigator named Fujimoto that came to the Stake Conference. He wants to get baptized but has some problems. Yamashita looked him in the eye and boldly testified of how the Holy Ghost and Christ's Atonement changed him and that he got baptized just a couple of days ago. Anyone can gain a testimony through the Holy Ghost. Oh, and before I forget I looked at cameras and they are way cheap. I forgot to bring the paper with the names of them so you guys could look them up for me. But next week. They are all 12 megapixels and between 80 and 130 dollars. Pretty cheap I think. Well I have to go but thanks for everything and don't be afraid to share the gospel. I share it with complete strangers everyday and I kind of regret not being a better friend to Kody. People are being prepared every day to hear this amazing message but they usually aren't who we expect. You guys are awesome and I love you. Till next week!

God Really Loves His Children

June 13, 2010

Brother Kawabe, who Grady and Elder Thayer found, was baptized in the Sea of Japan by Elders Thayer and Kimura.

Hey family! Thanks for the email. It was interesting to hear about all the news and stuff. I'll quickly answer some of the questions first. About the exercise thing, that program must have picked the cream of the crop because I definitely don't run 3 miles every morning. My workout usually consists of sit ups, push ups, stretching, and studying vocabulary. But recently I have been running and practicing soccer in the church parking lot. It is pretty fun. I am definitely not in the best shape but I feel healthy. Last week I went to a volleyball league and played. It was way fun and a lot of people to talk to. Ya I got everything. Thanks. The shoes are great! The package should take a month or so to get to you. Last Pday I went to Kobe for a sports activity. They are pretty fun but I haven't been to a temple for a long time. I am doing pretty good. But thanks. I like what Riley said about people repenting. It is super true. This week was way crazy. A lot of ups and downs but I have made it a goal to not to be acted upon, but to make my own weather. Yamashita was looking super solid up until last Saturday, the day of his baptism. On Friday he had a job interview and on Saturday he had to go and tryout for the job. Me, Campbell and Yamashita fasted for him to find a job and it happened but on the worst possible day. Kind of a bummer but he said that he had Sunday off so we changed his date to yesterday. Yesterday was crazy. There were about 7 investigators that were supposed to come to church but none of them showed up uncluding Yamashita. This was disappointing and everyone was bummed. The worst part is that Yamashita has no address or cell phone. After church I met a new investigator at the church named Emi. She is about 24 and is way open minded. She committed to be baptized on July 10th. I really needed this because I was just sick to my stomach. God really answered my prayer. After the lesson I went to look for Yamashita. Me and Campbell found him and he is getting baptized tommorrow. He missed church because he wants a job that has Sundays off and because he really wants to pay tithing. He feels bad because he can't pay it right now. He went to Osaka for a job interview with his friend that helped him get the interview. He was in a pretty tough situation. Sorry that was a long story but yes, he is still getting baptized and is really thinking about after baptism stuff, which is rare. In my experience most people just look at getting baptized then kinda worry about enduring to the end later. Yamashita is thinking about eternity which is great. He has really been changed through the spirit and sincerely repented. This gospel is true and thousands of people are changing through the spirit everyday. I love my new family in Japan but not as much as you guys. Thanks for always being there. Time is flying which makes this work more urgent. I know that I was sent here for certain people and I really want to meet them. Maizuru had a baptism on Saturday. It was a guy that Me and Thayer found that smoked 50 cigarettes a day. God really loves his children. Till next week. See ya later!

" This Week Was Awesome!"

June 6, 2010

The Kobe District--Sister McIntyre made Elder Campbell, Grady's companion, a Birthday Cookie! Yum!!

Most the elders ordered this triple decker hamburger thingy. And all the rice and soup you can eat made them happy missionaries.

Hey everyone! Thanks for the emailed pictures! It was nice to see the family again. I'll try to send some pics pretty soon here. I'll answer the questions first because I really don't have much time. I have a lesson in 30 minutes. Sorry. I don't know yet if I'll transfer to the Hiroshima area or not. The Costco here is huge a way busy. It is hard to shop at because it is so big. It has a food court like ours but is about twice as much (I'm not sure if this means twice as big or twice as expensive). It is still way good though. I haven't looked for a camera yet because mine takes really good pictures I think. If the pictures were bad I would buy another one but they seem good. If you guys think differently, ya I'll buy another one. It sounds like dad is still buying some sweet rides. That is too bad about the Volkswagen but good luck. Dad said Olivia had a wreck on her bike? That sounds pretty wild. Hope you are all right Olivia. Rudy, how is the bicycle? Hope you like it. This week was awesome! Yamashita is getting baptized on Saturday. He has a way strong testimony. I'll tell you a little bit about it. After we taught the Plan of Salvation he went to where he sleeps, ``on a bench underneath a tree`` and prayed to God. When he was praying he started to cry and felt a burning in his chest. He explained it as a force that was not from him or human. From that experience he realized that the gospel is real and not just a nice story. He accepted every commandment willingly and bore a sweet testimony at Sacrament yesterday. He is homeless but is looking for a job. He said something yesterday that touched me. Yesterday we taught how to pay tithes and offerings with the bishop. After the lesson Yamashita looked at me and said that he couldn't wait to find a job so he could pay tithing. This is how commandments should be looked at. They are for us and we should be excited to follow them. Again, I feel super blessed to be part of such a life changing process. Yamashita is as prepared as someone could be to receive baptism. And it isn't because of anything special that me and Campbell did. Yamashita is prepared because he experimented of the good news that Joseph Smith died for. This has been a great transfer and I am way excited to see Yamashita progress in the gospel. The gospel is true and people are realizing this everyday through the power of the Holy Ghost. I love you guys and thanks for being good examples to me. till next time. BYe BYE

This Work is Special

May 30, 2010

Hey everyone! Thanks for the email this week. That is pretty cool about all the wedding stuff with Jess. Dad, thanks for the email. Now I can understand the missionary language like Zone Leader and stuff now. That is pretty cool that you were traveling around like that. Right now we have three of those guys in the mission. With the combining of the Hiroshima mission in a couple of weeks things are pretty wild. I might be sent out in the Hiroshima area pretty soon. Transferring is going to be a lot harder. Some of those areas take days to get to. It will be interesting. Work sounds good but don't work yourself to death. Oh, the good old days of the work one day a week at Thursdays. This week for me was way busy and fun. Some more people with baptismal dates but then some fell through too. Takei and Taketo don't have a date right now. Teketo didn't feel ready and Takei won't get baptized without him. It was a bummer but they'll get baptized soon. The Brazilian lady, Saraia is going to take a little more time but she loves church and comes everyweek. Yamashita, the 30 year old guy that is homeless right now looks way solid. He loved church yesterday and got along well with the members. He is getting baptized on the 13th of June. It is amazing to see how the gospel changes people inside and out. There were two new people that now have baptismal dates now. Mamie is 29 and she is way honest nice. She is struggling with the word of wisdom but things look good. Her date is for July 7th. The other guy is Mochizuki. He is about 40 and Buddhist. He came to church this week and absolutely loved it. The gospel doctrine class was about baptism and he understood well. After the lesson ended he asked me if anyone could be baptized. I told him that he needed to prepare and he accepted to prepare for the 26th of June. People are prepared in unseen ways everyday to receive the gospel. If a Japanese guy that thinks going to church will offend his ancestors and possibly have his family hate him forever, can prepare for baptism, anyone can. This work is so special and it is hard to sum up in words but I love it. In the next email if you could send some pictures and remind me again what everyone is doing for the summer. Thanks for the shoes. I am sorry about that. They are way expensive. This week I got a little sick but luckily the brunt of it was on p-day so I slept a little bit. I hate taking naps when I am sick because I feel lazy but I realize that if I don't I may not be able to go out and tract the next day. Because I wasn't feeling good I was struggling feeling the spirit. This was a bummer because I really wanted to help everyone out. I let the sickness be an excuse but it also made me pray harder. I learned that these experiences I am having are fantastic but they are for God's children. God really does answer prayers and this has helped me a lot. Oh, I just remember something that would be nice to have. I have the old conference talks on CD but I think I have them memorized now. If you could send some more conference talks it would be sweet. They are my favorite. If you found them in Japanese that would be awesome too. Listening and talking is the best practice for me. Thanks. Well I better go but I love you all and have a great week!

Always Be Positive

Eating at Zone Conference

May 24, 2010

Hey guys! Thanks for the good emails this week. They were stupendous. Dad I liked the Churchill speech. I'll answer some questions first. There is a Zone Leader conference once a month where all the Zone Leaders go. I had it yesterday and it was awesome. Ya, District Leader is probably busier because I only have to talk to one district leader every night now. Before it was three sets of missionaries. I still do kokans but not as much as before and they are way easier because of how close the zone is. My comp is a Zone Leader, too, and he only has 2 transfers left. He is way cool and we work well together. Oh, and about the new shoes. You really didn't have to get them for me. My shoes right now are a 42 and please don't send both of them. If you could send me a black slip on size 42. You are may too nice but I appreciate it a lot. My time is short but Rudy, Ill write you a letter today and tell you all the cool date spots. O and tell the Haymores thank you for the letter. This week was pretty sweet. I now am teaching 4 people with baptismal dates. They all are getting baptized in June. There is Sariah (the Brazilian lady), Takashi Yamishita, (He is homeless right now but read over a hundred pages in the Book of Mormon already) and Takei and Taketo. Takei is 25 and Taketo is his sister's 10 year old boy who Takei pretty much takes care of. They are both way awesome and really want to be baptized. It is really special because Takei knows the gospel so well that he pretty much teaches Taketo. It is really cool to see people share the gospel who aren't even members yet. At the meeting yesterday I heard a quote that was like this, a truth isn't a lie. This is simple but it is true. One lesson that I have learned on my mission is to always be positive and only fix the things that are in my power. This has helped me a lot. This gospel is great and so simple. A member that was inactive for 11 years said that the Book of Mormon is his guidebook. This guy has seen a lot of bad things in his life but he has a simple testimony about the Book of Mormon. This really touched me and made me want to have the Book of Mormon as my guidebook, too. I love the people here and you guys. Thanks again till next week.