The Work is Great and I Love It!

September 19, 2010---Hey Family! You guys had a pretty busy last two weeks! It was good to hear from you again. Sorry about last week. Rudy, I have started to like bikes too. On my speedometer it says I have gone over a thousand miles! This was from about 5 months ago. I bike everyday but am not in good shape. Olivia your pictures look good. The Japanese people always say that you look pretty. The baptism looked sweet! That was really cool for you guys to see that. Mom thanks for thinking about the Ise`s and putting them on the prayer roll. Well a lot has changed since last time we talked. I am in a new area called Yonaga. It is in the Tottori prefecture. I am still right by the ocean but the winter is about the same as Maizuru. Way cold. Right now it is cooling off and it will be cold again soon. Crazy how time flies. The Yonago ward is way big. About 60 active members with tons of little kids. The sacrament meeting is just like in America. Tons of babies crying and making noise. Kinda refreshing. O and one crazy thing is that one of my companions family lives in the ward. Do you remember Elder Iwasa? When I went to Maizuru he was my first companion. His family is way cool! It was sad to say good bye to everyone in Niihama especially the Ise family but this is where I am supposed to be. My new companion is named Elder Kimura. He is from Hokaido. The Schenk kid went there on his mission. He is way cool and also proselyted in Maizuru so we have some good stories. I am a zone leader again and I am really motivated to help out the missionaries in the zone. The zone isn't performing very well and I am excited to help the missionaries find joy in the work. I am not perfect by any means but I know why I am here and I love sharing it with everyone. I have to go but Ill share one quick story. This week on Sunday there is a baptism scheduled. The guys name is Kamitani San and he is about 30. His sister is a member and he is a way good guy. Yesterday I asked him why he wants to be baptized and his answer was pretty sincere. He said, "I want to start a new life and live with God." He is struggling right now with a few things but his desires are pure. I felt like I was in the scriptures when in Mosiah 18 Alma asked the people " Is this the desires of your hearts?" I am very thankful for the opportunity to help people make steps towards baptism and eternal life. There are tons of prepared people all over the world. I am here to teach the elect. This week in Yonago I honestly can say that a few very elect people accepted to meet again. The work is great and I love it. You guys are awesome and I love you. Till next week!

No News Tonight!

September, 12, 2010--No email this week! I hate it when this happens! He warned us last week that he might not be able to email this week. Oh, well, we know he is fine and doing what he should be doing. We just so look forward to his Sunday night emails and when they don't come, it's a little dissapointing--o.k.--a lot disappointing! But we've gone much longer than this without a letter, so all will be fine!

Practicing Patience

Niihama-- Grady, Elder Kudo and the Sister Missionaries. This is the District and Grady is the District Leader!

September 5, 2010
I'm posting this letter on Grady's blog on Monday, September 6th--his 16 month anniversary! Wow! He's already served 2/3 of his mission and only has 1/3 left! I can honestly say that it is going fairly fast! We all still really miss him, but we love getting his letters and hearing about all the things he is learning. We especially love hearing how much he loves his mission. What a blessing that is!

Hey everyone! Thanks for the emails this week. It sounds like the Middle Fork was fun as usual. I can't believe that you are having a baptism in our pool! Pretty sweet. Have you guys done any lessons with the missionaries? Convert baptisms are sweet. I can`t believe school is starting up again. Everything is going so fast. These last three months have flown by! Transfers are next week and I really don't know what is going to happen. I think one of us is going to transfer but You never know. YOu guys wanted to know a little bit about the city I am in. One famous thing in Niihama is the Breshiin copper mine. It supplied 1/3 of the world's copper about a hundred years ago. Dad you might have interest in that. My area has three cities. Niihama, Saijo, and Shikokuchuo. I live in Niihama and this is also where the church is. Saijo is famous for its water. It is pretty funny. There are a lot of natural springs throughout the city and its free. People are always filling up big containers full of water. Today I was planning on going to Imabari and some islands by bicycle. The plan fell through but next week Ill go. Sorry next week I may not be able to email. Things are going great! I am forgetting English and I don't like speaking it but my Japanese needs work too, so it is pretty wild. When Kudo asks me for a definition of a Japanese word in English I have to think way hard. Kudo wants me to speak more English because his English is getting worse but it is hard. I should be better. The investigators are great. The Ise family came to church and we are planning on having a baptism in the beginning of October. Yesterday was a little miracle. An investigator named Katsumi came to church. His is in his mid 20s and owns a shop called Wild Youth by the train station. He sells clothes and has a bar. He came to church had a lot of interest and accepted to be baptized on October 10th. This is kinda how the commitment for baptism went. When you know the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet will you get baptized? He quickly said yes and asked if we could meet every week on Thursday so he could prepare. He seems way prepared and I was way thankful. In Niihama a lot of things have happened that have tried me and Kudo's faith. I have really learned how to be patient. Elder Uchtdof gave a talk about patience and defined it as not simply waiting for an answer but going about and patiently working hard for the goal. I have really tried to become more patient and the Lord has helped. This week was short but I am loving the mission. So many things I can't put into words but to put it simply, awesome. The church is true, the gospel is straight forward and clear, and Christ atoned for everyone. I love you guys and till next week. Peace.

Waiting to Hear the Familiar Ring of the Gospel

Leadership Training in Okayama

August 29, 2010

Hey everyone! Or I guess maybe just Mom. Thanks for the email this week. I really appreciated it. That Picture in Okayama was pretty funny. Those three days were pretty fun. It felt like how the missions in Japan used to be about 20 or 30 years ago. Now there is usually just 2 missionaries per ward but there used to be 20 in some wards! Pretty crazy. That is pretty cool how everyone is going on the Middle fork this week. Lately all the missions in the world have been focusing on teaching more effectively. We are doing this by focusing on 8 principles found in the Preach My Gospel. I think these are way applicable in life to so I'll share them with you.

1. The Doctrine of Christ
2. The Holy Ghost`s Role In Conversion
3. Revelation through Prayer
4. Revelation through The Book of Mormon
5. Revelation through Church Attendance
6. Teach People, Not lessons
7. We invite, they commit, and we follow up.
8. How to Begin Teaching

Focusing on these things have made missionary work more real to me. I thought that you might like a little inside scoop on what the missionaries are learning now. By the way, what do the missionaries in our ward do? Have you had them over recently or helped with missionary work? Have they asked you to do anything? All right Ill tell you about the Ise family now. Yesterday I had a good long talk with the Father Riuji. He is way sincere but thinks he isn't worthy to receive baptism. He really wants to help his family but doesn't exactly know how. Somehow him and his wife Eri think that they need to be perfect before getting baptized. This is why it is so important for members to study the Preach My Gospel. In PMG it states clearly the requirements for baptism and it doesn't say that we have to be perfect or have a perfect relationship with our spouse. These two things are needed for receiving exaltation but fall in the category of enduring to the end. I am sorry if I sound frustrated but if every member read and applied the PMG in there lives and interactions with nonmembers miracles would happen that I can even describe. The Ise family is doing well and progressing in the gospel and I really want to help and improve the way I teach for them and the other people of Japan. I haven't received a letter from Kody yet but time will tell. I have one quick story that I will tell. Me and Kudo visited a lot of less active members this week. One of them was named Sister Takino. She is 69 and still works full time at a coffee shop. 8 A.M to 7 P.M everyday. She lives alone because her kids move out and her husband died about 30 years ago. When she answered the door she was kinda hesitant and I could tell she didn't want to talk. I get this response a lot so it almost doesn't faze me. I started talking to her and she opened up and by the end of our conversation we were good friends. When I first saw her I literally thought that she was around 40 years old. It was amazing. I am always way surprised. I know this story wasn't really exciting or anything but I have learned time and time again on my mission that some people need time to open up. People are naturally apprehensive about a lot of things especially the gospel. This doesn't mean that we don't Share it! I wish I would've known this before my mission. We never know what people have gone through until we ask, or if they are interested in learning about true happiness, the Doctrine of Jesus Christ until we ask. I love The Gospel of Christ because it is so simple and clear. I know that many people are waiting to hear the familiar ring of the gospel and I know that the spirit will guide me to them. Thanks again for everything. I love you guys and Have a great week!

Learning to Listen Better

Hey everyone! Thanks for the email and Dana`s address. Sounds like a pretty fun summer in Idaho. When does school start for everyone? Ill try to memorize the Living Christ with you guys. It sounds fun. I`ll answer your questions first. I didn't get to see Harris and Kody hasn't written me back yet. Kinda a bummer I guess. It is sad to hear about grandpa but what does failing mean? Like dying? I`ll write grandma today and try to help out. Well this week was pretty wild. I was outside of my area more than I was in. I was in Okayama for 3 days. All the district leaders, Zone leaders, and trainers received training from Pres. McIntyre for 3days. It was awesome! I really learned a lot and I am excited to share it with other missionaries. This is the direction missionary work is going now. We are getting trained better so we can be better leaders. The one main thing that I took from the training was that I need to listen better and ask inspired questions. I feel that I am lacking in this category and I want to improve. Teaching to people`s needs is so important and I want to focus more on this. I don`t have much to say this week but yesterday was pretty cool. The Ise family came to church except the mom Eri. She had work. I had a chance to sit down and really talk with RiuJi san, the dad. He is really trying to come closer to Christ. Every night he gets his family together for prayer. They all sit in a circle while holding hands. I know that I always made fun of you mom about the holding hands thing, but it is really helping this family. Pretty cool. I can feel him really getting closer and closer to baptism. Yesterday he committed to quit smoking too. Their family is starting to experience the blessing of the gospel. They just need to enter the gate of baptism and receive the Holy Ghost. I have always tried to listen to my investigators but because of whatever excuse I haven't been the best at it. Lately I have really been seeking the gift of discernment and I have really felt God`s help. This week was great and I really do love the mission. I know I say this a lot but it is true. I feel that everyday I can improve something so that my brothers and sisters can some closer to Christ. I am excited to do this. I love you guys and God bless you!

Things Happen for a Reason

Grady with Moriya, an investigator that he taught in Osaka--

Grady and Elder Kudo with the sister missionaries in their district, at a member's house.

Beautiful Niihama!

President and Sister McIntyre with the new Niihama Branch President, Brother Aoba. His son just returned from serving a mission and is one of his counselors.

August 15, 2010

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the emails. My week was great! Before I forget how is Andrew Wardell doing? If you could I would like to write him a letter. Oh and the only thing that I need is Monkey but. I am almost out. I love that stuff. Well it sounds like everyone is having a great week. Ill answer some questions first. Yes my apartment has an air conditioning in the study/ sleeping room. If I slept in a room without an air conditioner, lets just say it would be disgusting. My apartment is on the second floor so it is pretty hot. Ya I am still in Niihama with Elder Kudo. About the picture thing. I cant go on that website but I think I might send home my camera cards from my old camera for you. It is kinda scary but I think it will be alright. Olivia, it sounds like you are pretty happy. Keep up the good work. Mom, I liked what you said about no matter how strange or random some things are, if they are helping someone we do them. I have felt this a lot on my mission. . These last two transfers have been a little different for me. Because Kudo is very honest, almost brutally honest sometimes I have realized that my Japanese skills aren't where they should be. He is very honest with me and I am learning a ton. He is a good teacher. My other Japanese companions weren't honest with me because they were way nice. I am learning a lot right now. For the first year of my mission I focused on trying to understand Japanese. I didn't really focus a ton on talking. It just came with talking to everyone about the gospel. But recently I have realized that my listening skills are better than my speaking skills. I have a long way to go but I am really trying to learn fast so I can express my feelings better. When this happens it will be easier for the people to feel the spirit. This week some pretty crazy things happened. The Ise family is doing well but is struggling with the Word of Wisdom. The other morning I got a call from a member and he was a little upset. He told me and Kudo to stop committing the Ise family to baptism. His idea is that when they are ready they will tell us. This member is a really great member and shares the gospel with people but has never read "Preach My Gospel". About 8 months ago the 12 apostles told all the missionaries to commit people to baptism almost always in the 1st lesson, and always by the second. The spirit is everything in teaching but the 12 were very direct with this statement. One apostle even said that baptism should be the most used commitment a missionary says. This was hard for me at first but I followed their counsel and miracles happened. I explained this to this member and he was still very set on his idea of helping others come closer to Christ. I am not perfect I make tons of mistakes but I follow the Apostles counsel. I am very optimistic on how the spirit can change people. I have seen this change in my life and tons of people in Japan. This week was definitely a week where I needed to stay positive. Things happen for a reason and I am excited to try to teach through the spirit everyday. I love you guys and your the best. Till next week/

Boldly Testifying

August 8, 2010

Wow! Thanks for all the emails! A lot of new things happened that I didn't know about. Lenzi is pregnant, and Drew is getting married in September! Pretty wild! Rudy keep it up man. I couldn't help but laugh when I heard what happened because I remember how the last week of the river was for me. Maybe not as dramatic but still amusing. Dad, I liked your story about the camera. I guess in my case on a mission it deals with investigators, companions, or members for the most part. My week was pretty interesting. Saturday and Sunday I was in a place called Kochi on an exchange because the Ise family was going to be interviewed for baptism by an elder from Kochi. Kochi was sweet! It was a lot more city than Niihama and there was a ton of people to talk to. I was with Elder Nishio. His dad was my bishop in Amagasaki. Pretty wild, huh? His family lives within the mission boundaries. In Kochi 4 people accepted to hear the message another day. It was nice. One of the investigators, Shiozaki was pretty interesting. He is 20 years old half Australian and half Japanese. When we were talking to him I shared Alma 34:32 with him about our life's purpose. It talks about us preparing to meet God. He bluntly told me that God didn't exist and that scripture had no meaning to him. His comment didn't sit well with me. I boldly testified to him that God existed and that I knew through something called the Holy Ghost. Shiazaki sat there and thought for a moment and then said, " I want to know more about the Holy Ghost and your guys' message. I want to know if God really exists." I learned from this experience that people's hearts can change. Lately in my mission I have felt more meaning in my words. I feel that God has really helped me by having the Holy Ghost testify through me. I can't explain the feeling I get but I love boldly testifying to people and telling them that they can know for themselves. Pres. McIntyre has been telling us to preach repentence. When I first heard this I imagined the old movies with the ministers yelling, telling everyone to repent. But recently I have realized how to do it. Everyone on earth needs baptism to go to the Celestial Kindgom. To recieve baptism we need to repent. This is honestly what I tell people on the street. Looking these Japanese people in the eye who don't even know if God is there and telling them that they can have eternal life with their families is way rewarding. I learned a lot in Kochi. Well, about the Ise family. Well to make a long story short they didn't get interviewed this past week. They are having marital problems that we didn't know about but it looks like Eri, the wife, will still get baptized this coming Sunday. It seems like every time someone is so close to baptism Satan just pulls them away. Me, Kudo and the branch are working hard to help them out. I know that things happen for a reason and I will do everything in my power to help them out. Well, this was kinda long but I love you guys and good luck with everything. The gospel rocks and Jesus is our Savior.