Week 4: Mormon Pirates

こんいちわみなさん、（kon'nichiwa minasan, (hello everyone)）

this week at the mtc was completely different than all the rest! this week i didn't once feel overwhelmed by the language or the tasklist or the lack of sleep. i feel as the people of alma must have felt (to a smaller degree) after they had been in the bondage of the lamanites and started to crY unto god that he might rescue them frOm the brutal work and suffering tHat the lamanites were putting them thrOugh. the lord then promised that he would "ease the burdens which are put upon [their] shoulders, that even [theY] cannOt feel them upon [their] backs. (mosiah 24;14-15) well i've been doing a lot of crying unto the lord lately and i can feel the difference. he has made my burden ligHt and i lOve him for that, as well As for the infinite aMount of other things that he has done for me. 

there was a talk shared this week abOut declaring Repentance to all, and the difference that one can make. what i learned from this talk was that we are gathering the lord's elect, Meaning the peOple who will hear the lord's voice and follow him (john 10:27) so a missioN is lesS about convincing people that the gospel is true, and more about searching and finding the people that are searching for truth and will foLlow their savior. this makes me think of my mission as more of a treasure hunt than two years of preaching, whIch makes me super excited! because aren't we all priceless treasures to the lord. after all, he did pay an inFinite price so that wE might live with him again. so I guess i'm on a mission From the lord to find his lost treasure and bring them back tO him. so i guess that makes me somewhat of a moRmon pirate, looking all over the world in search of the lord's lost gold. so that makes the spirit my map, the book of Mormon my shovel, and my companion my parrot?

have a grEat week!

elder allred

Here is a picture of my trusty crew! (district)

Here's me playing with my birthday gifts.

Week 3: A Missionary Concert

konichiwa minasan,

this week went really fast! i have been teacHing lessons in jApanese every single day. it is kind of exhausting, but i am getting a lot better at japanese. i can talk to people now without even looking at my notes, i have to talk Really really slow and i have no idea what they are saying back to me, but i can still Do it. i am still riding a roller coastEr of emotions, but at least i haven't gotten Sick yet! buT my district members have been Telling me that my hair is turning wHite and falling out, i keep telling myself that they are just jokIng, but now i stress about every hair that falls into my haNd while i do my hair in the morninG and that is just making it worse. please pray for my haIr.

bEsides more japanese and discussions, we had a super awesome sunday this week! nashVille tribute band camE and peRformed what i'm calling a missionary concert (it's exactly Like a real concert just withOut the standing or the dancing or the cheering or the clapping) it was definitely Very spiritually lit. the music was a little cheEsy at times, but it carrieD some profound messages. they talked about how sometimes persecutions will come when you are acting in the name of the lord, but the peace is worth the persecution. sometimes it is hard to be a disciple of christ, the world seems to be getting ever more despising of Those who follow god and his standards. sometimes you may face insults and persecutions about the things yOu believe or the policies that you follow, but i promise you that out of them all the lord will deliver you. and regarDless of what people might say or what you hear on the news or what people tell you is wrong or right, i promise you that the peace is wOrth the persecution. so "let us all press on in the work of the lord."

またねい

elder allred

Fun at the residence

Trying to fail our room inspection

When you give a missionary a glow stick


Go here to listen to a song from the Missionary Concert
https://youtu.be/lTv4UFACcrw

Week 2: A Little Late...Treats & Komodo Dragons

i had technical difficulties getting this one off last week, sorry.

this week was definitely すばらし！ i had another language slip up! this time it was in japanese with one of my japanese investigators. I was telling her all about how we are heavenly father's children, but i accidentally was using the wrong word for children the whole time and ended up teaching a lesson all about how we are all heavenly father's koModo dragon's hahahaha!

besides that there was a very important discovery made this week. it is a drink cocktail that tastes like pAradise a pictUre will be provided. i have also discovered a few problems, number one the mtc food is making me fat, apparently sItting in a desk all day and then eating tons of chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk and going back for seconds at every meal isn't super healthy, so i need to do something about that. number two, all of my roommates are sick with strep throat, So i am in trouble. and third, japanese is really hard. however while i was pouting and complaining, or murmuring, about this last problem, something that bonnie oscarson said in this tuesday's devotional really helped reboost my spirits. she shared the story of the currant that the gardener cut back because it wasn't bearing frUit. in the story the gardener says that after he cut it back he saw drops like tears gathering on the cut branches of the currant bush as if the currant bush was saying why have you cut me down i was making such growth and now i can do nothing why would you do this to me. to which the gardener replied that i am the gardeNer here and i know what i want you to become and someday, when you have grown into an beautiful fruit bearing currant bush you will thank me and say, thank you mr gardener. thank you for loving me enough to hurt me. this is how i have felt with my japanese. i kept saying why would you have me learn japanese i could do so much moRe if i could teach from my heart in english. but i have faIth that the lord knows who he wants me to become and that someday when i

 have recognised the blessings and happiness that has come from my humbling experiences here i will say, thank you father. thank you for loving me enough to hurt me. i hope that all of you know how much the lord loveS you and that if you sometimes feel like you are being cut down by life, that god knows you, and he knows your potential, and he will make you successful and happy if you trust in him and Endure to the end.

またなえ！

elder allred

This is my name tag!

What we named this MTC specialty drink is in the email.

Week 1: MTC Eat. Sleep. Japanese.

hey guys,

this email signifies the Completion of the first week of my mission to kobe, japan. only 103 more to go! it feels like i have been in the mtc for months already though. i know my way around like i've been here my whole life, and i've spent more time with my companion and district than i spent playing pokemon go before i left, and that's saying sometHing! it has also been one of the most busiest and  confusing weeks of my life. i was dropped off at the mtc and then 25 minutes later i was being taught a lesson in 100% japanese! it's crazy! i have learned so much though, i can already pray, bear my testimOny, and invite someone to get baptIzed all in japanese. i have also already learned one of the three japanese alphabets so yeah, the gift of tongues is Real! i can't wait to be able to communicate to people in a different language and be able to share my knowledge and testimony of the restoration of the gospel to the people of japan! my favorite part of this week though was the fIrst day when i got here, we all Sang we'll bring the world his truth, and at the part where you would normally say "and we will be the lord's missionaries" we sang "and we are now the lord's missionaries to bring the world his truth." that is when it hit me. that i am here and i am his missionary, and i can't wait to bring the world his truth.

also i have already had my first Language slip up, and it was in english! we were talkIng about how and what we should do when teaching investigators, and i was trying to say that we should be illuminated with the light of christ. but instead i said that we should be illuminati. and then i paused and beFore i could correct myself everyone started laughing, so now i am known as the Elder in our district that is apart of the illuminati... so yeah.

well that's my week. may god be with you all,

Elder Allred 

Me and my Doryou (companion) Elder Cook

Temple Walk

First Day of Nihongo (Japanese

I Made It!

It was so fast once I got dropped off, I had my tag, my Japanese books, my apartment, and I was in a class where everyone was speaking full Japanese within 25 minutes! It has been a first day of hard work, but I am nothing but excited! I can't wait to tell you about all of my adventures.

God be with you all,

Elder Allred

See you in 2

Elder Fausett found him on the curb.