March 30th 2014 Email From Yee Chorro

Herro glad to here that everything is ok with our famiry.  I am doing fine.  As of right now i dont need anything. today can i buy a bike? not sure if i will find what i want but if i do is it ok? probably around 250-300 dollars ish.  

Funnest thing this week was seeing everyone at transfers.  lots of friends and it was nice to hear about all the success everyone is having.  Miller went home this week which is weird haha.  time moves so quickly out here. Most spiritual thing this week was the lesson we had with itou and kumai on saturday. Kumai shimai is 87 so its hard for her to get to church but i believe that if she did she would get baptized this transfer so we are trying to get her a ride to church but she lives pretty far away.  

The comp is cool.  Hes from okinawa so he besicaly is local.  His name is Uehara Chorro. he loves spam and works hard so this transfer should be a good one.  Last pday yoshida and langford had to pack so it was a chill day.  Today we are going to head over to aeon mall with the ZLS. Its getting pretty hot here but probably normal for home.  everyone cant wait for conference and i am extremely excited as well. 

This week has been pretty crazy so study has been barabara. This week my mind blowing fact was that Christs atonement also sanctifies the planet. All the trees and mountains and stuffs like that are able to be celestrialized through the Saviors atonement.  Pretty cool stuffs.  This next few weeks are gunna be tough speaking only japanese but ganbarimasu hahaha anything is possible through the Christ so im gunna work to do all i can to qualify for his divine help.  I will also pray for the cousins.  if you talk to them tell them that i said hi.  i will be writing letters every now and then so ill write them some as well.  Anyways not much time to email but LOVE YOU GUYS.

Maguro & Corned Beef for Breakfast

Robot Thingy......hhhhmmmmm

Uehara Chorro (New Companion)

Met some rock stars with Yoshida Chorro

March 16, 2014 and March 23rd : Staying in Wakayama

March 23rd, 2014******  Staying in Wakayama

I am doing good. I don't need anything right now.  The funnest thing we did this week was uh dendo(missionary work)  haha.  The most spiritual thing was our lesson on the first vision with demojah.  We taught it powerfully and although he didn't really see the importance, Elder Yoshida and i were edified and uplifted. 

 Hardest thing is trying not to go crazy when people no like listen but its ok we tried.  The comp is ku cant complain.  We got transfer emails today and i am staying in wakayama.  Yay no moving! oh and i am gunna be with a nihonjin companion so this is the transfer that my Japanese gets epic.  

The investigators are still chuggin along which is good.  we taught this 87yr old lady on Saturday and she was like "the bible is hard to read but this book of Mormon thing is easy so I'm gunna stop studying bible and just read this every day" she is way awesome.  Last Pday we went up to the new Aeon mall next to the college that they shoot archery at. it is huge! like bigger than alamoana.  

Today we are taking a chill day cause Yoshida choro has to pack and all that stuffs.  nothing cool this past week but maybe we will try this famous ramen place this week. 　Last weeks weather was good and its really warm today so hopefully it will get warmer.  this past week i was studying book of Mormon and restoration because that is where most of our investigators are.  I read through those again today for study.  I don't really have any questions for you guys except the usual hows everyone doing kine stuffs. just keep filling me in on everything.   

A view that was "found"

March 23rd 2014 email to Grandma Linda

Hi Grandma!

Thanks for the bday wishes! oh and i got your other email as well. 

Missionary work is hard haha.  I didnt think it was going to be this way at all but it is definitely worth it.  I just wanted to thank you for being an awesome example for our family.  For as long as i can remember we would always find you working or reading scriptures whenever you came to stay with us or we visited you.  I think the rest of the family was with me on this one but i always used to think "grandma is a little bit crazy how come she is always studying scriptures" and stuff like that.  Now i get it.  I have only been out for 6 months and i have changed to the point where my old self would be very confused.  I have had more fun studying from the Bom and scriptures in such a short time than i have after years of playing videogames.  I have learned more from scripture study than from all of high school and its important stuffs im learning as well.

These past few weeks have been difficult with all the crazyness at home but i cant imagine what it would be like to experience the loss you did.  I talked about what would happen with mom and dad if anyone passed away while i was gone which helped a lot.  I too have had my testimony in the plan of salvation strengthened through the trial of a passing loved one.  I can testify with power and conviction like never before.  When i received the news my entire mission was actually working on a training plan in which we were studying for two weeks on answering the question that the savior posed to his apostles "whom say ye that i am."  In those short two weeks i had the opportunity to take upon myself the yoke of our savior and to learn of him as i went out each day into the field.  I cannot express my gratitude to the savior for his atoning sacrifice in our behalf that we can be lifted and made strong through him. 

Oh and that is sooooo coool that you are working in the temple with asl.  I didnt even know that they did that kind of a session.  oh and did you see the new movie? mom said it was awesome and i wanna go so badly but gotta wait haha. anyways Love you!!!

Yee Choro

---

March 16, 2014 **********

Herro Family.  You guys are probably still in the water right now and btw i am so j.  beach withdrawals! anyways i is fine.  I got the second box arigato ne.  bday dinner was great. it was also dignam choros bday so we was like lets just go big so we had steak haha.  I don't need anything that i cant get here.  The comp is cool. The investigators are doing good as well.  We had no zeros this week on our weekly report which is a first in wakayama for something like 6 months. 

 Most spiritual has been these past few nights ive taken time to just sit and ponder for like 30 min by myself and study something cool like revelations or second coming or Christ and i get some mind blowing stuffs sometimes.  the latest was that Christ was talking about the second coming in his prayer when he was on earth.  "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" refers to the time when the Savior will come down and establish the kingdom of heaven on the earth during the millennium.  Oh also learned that glorified beings don't need to open doors, they just pass through. Jesus after he was resurrected moved the stone so that people could see that the tomb was empty not so that he could get out or anything like that.  Cool stuffs like that.  

Most fun was probably our service project at wakayama jo on saturday and the hardest was staying awake in church LOL. the weather is actually starting to get pretty warm and the sun is out every day like at home so its really nice. The sakura are also starting to bloom so the city is starting to smell less like poop and more like flowers and poop hahaha. The mish is going well and im having fun out here serving the Lord.

Come Unto Christ & Be Perfected In Him (Moroni 10:32)

konnichiwa ohana!

Archery at Wakayama College

Moroni 10:32
"Yea come unto Christ and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and LOVE God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace (enabling power) sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God"

I am doing good.  This past week was pretty hard but i'm fine no worries.  bdays kinda suck on the mission haha, it was a day of reflection and gratitude. 

 i kept thinking to myself "what the french toast" am i doing here? i could be helping my family or hanging out with my friends or at the beach surfing and then,  every time the thought would come to me: You are doing the Lords work. I am here laboring for such a short time in his vineyard for this the last time.  I am a servant preparing the fields for the coming of our savior.  

HOW GREAT IS THIS WORK! 

I dont need anything right now that i can think of.  The investigators are doing good and all progressing at their own pace.  we found two more this week which was cool.  Most spiritual thing this week was ZTM.  Our zone leaders are awesome. 

 Most fun was going to the archery range and watching them shoot.  Btw how did you see pictures of that? Hardest thing is that riding my bike so much has made my legs pretty beastly so some of my clothes are like skinny jeans lol.  The archery place is up at wakayama college. we talked to this random bro on our way up there and he said that we could come watch if we wanted so of course we did.  there were about 15ish college students practicing so we watched and talked to them for like an hour.  Pretty sweet day. 

 Last pday we went to kimindeta pretty cool i have some pics later.  Today is a chill day and then we are going to probably go eat a nice dinner for me and Dignam choros bday dinner cause viking was kinda cheepy but also free from a member.  im actually losing weight this transfer which is bad.  all of my stuffs are fine so no worries.  i ate some ootoro, some uni and some unagi on my bday from this little market place, was ono.  and no squirrel (there is a debate as to whether or not squirrels EXIST in Japan).

Love you guys!!

Entrance to Ookii Buddha Building (my mama is so so glad that i remembered to take pictures!)

Ookii Buddha, so zen!

Aloha Brah, das how we do!  LOL

Kireii Sakura

Sakura

The great debate: Did Yee Chorro gain weight?   Just a little i think...LOL

Archery at Wakayama College

February and March Emails: Colossians 2:5-7

Peace be the journey uncle B:

5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your lives, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

 6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so ^awalk ye in him:

 7 ^aRooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with ^bthanksgiving.

Jonah and his snow man



Family Picture Dec 2012

Brandon Rodd (Uncle B who passed away 2/14/14 from a rare cancer)
He's now watching over Jonah from Heaven....Peace Be The Journey

Uncle B watches over me from heaven now, he is my guardian angel

February 16, 2014

 (Jonah was told by his mission president that Brandon had passed away 2/14)

 

wow where to start.... Kaicho (Mission President) called me this morning.  It was pretty rough.  Please give my love to aunty val, coco, jared and aunty aimee.

 I will continue to pray for them and the rest of the fam in every prayer.  Hows everyone doing?

Today is such a great example of how truly blessed we are to have this gospel.  The passing of uncle Brandon is very sad and yet i am filled with peace and comfort despite being so far away from all of you.  I know that he is in a better place.  He is free of his past ailments and worries and is probably surfing or something up there. I am so gratefull for the knowledge that we will see him again.  This knowledge is the exact reason i came to japan.  I left all of you, my family, for just a short time so that i could help other families be together forever.  The gospel has allowed for this moment, despite the sadness, to be filled with joy and hope.  

 

I know that this church is true and that it contains the fullness of the gospel of our savior Jesus Christ. I know that our redeemer atoned and died for us that we may return to live with him and our families throughout the eternities.  I know that we will be reunited with our loved ones again. I know that we can one day recieve exhaltation and eternal life in the life to come predicated on our obedience to the Lords commandments.

I am doing fine dont worry about me.  Nothing will stop me from doing all i can to serve the Lord.  uh idk where the new pad is except its super close to the church.  i love my new area it has some city so its way better cause there are people here haha.  my new comp is cool. hes pretty quiet but we get along well.  church was good we had an investigator come which was pretty cool.  most spiritual thing was uh takashi sans last lesson with me and smart back in miki. Hes a cool guy and im sure he will get baptized soon.  hardest thing uh transfering was pretty crazy.  most fun was also transfering cause i got to see a bunch of places.  today we are going to a sports store and then to a couple of recycle shops with the other two missionarys that live with us. i live in the ZL apartment so thats different. i dont really need anything right now.  didnt eat anything cool yet but we are in the same district as the elders from shingu and they are gunna get me some dolphin so ill lyk when i taste that.  no hawaii people but like 60% of everyone in japan has been to hawaii and no gaijin in the ward but the ward is pretty big and theres a lot of good people here.  should be a fun and interesting transfer.

March 2, 2014

 

Herro everyone! im am doing well so no worry.  the language is coming along but its still tough. tough to stay focused on language stuffs when i have scriptures to study as well.  The investigators are chuggin along. we have a couple of really cool guys but they are all progressing pretty slow. sometimes i just wanna yell YOU GOTTA PRAY BRO but i remain silent haha.  today we are going to kimii deta which you should be able to google. its a shrine to the south of the city.  didn't get the box yet but ill be watching for it.  Favorite thing this past week was going back to ibaraki to hear Elder Whiting of the 70 speak to us.  he is awesome.  Hardest thing is just the daily grind of no thank yous but its all part of the job.  I don't need anything.  we are going with an investigator and with the other two elders to a all you can eat yakiniku/shabushabu place for lunch on my bday so should be good.  companionship is going good.  this week we are finishing following the training plan on knowing the savior so all of my study has been to better understand who he is.  the weather is pretty nice, not too cold.  the new area is good we can actually street here which is nice. its a kind of grody city but there's also lots to see here and i can see the ocean from time to time.  other than that nothing new except im gunna be 20!!!! holy moly where did the time go.  next transfer is my 1/4 mark. pretty cray anyways

Love you guys!!!