Week 8: Declaration of War

hey guys,

this lAst week went by so fast, i feeL like it was yesterday that i was sending my last email. maybe it is because i have been so excited because i got my fLight plans! it is so awesome! i can't believe it is already time fOr me to leave the mtc because i still can't speak japanese! jUst the oTher day i meant to ask an investigator how their english classes were going, but i instead asked him how his english crows were doing. well it's definitely going to be an adventure. also this week i decided that i am going to start acting like a WARrior in god's army. i went back through the war chapters in the book of mormon and found all of the quAlities of the army of the nephites when God was on their side, And i have decIded that i am going to be like them. it turNs out that being a mighty warrior in the nephite army is a lot like being a succeSsful missionary of god. so i am puTting on the full armor of god from now on. and i am going forth to battle with courage and might. i know that the lord will help us in the battles in our lives when we go forward in faith, and when we keep his commandments. like it says in d&c 35:13-14 it doesn't matter how big or small or strong or weak we may feel becauSe the lord shall be our arm and our shield, and we will fight manfully for him, and our enemies will fall before us. i know that the lord is at the head of the work. he is our ultImate commander and he will not let us fall.

i wish all of you the best of weeks and an amazing geNeral conference weekend!

elder allred

Here are some pictures of my zone

And my glasses on the statue in the MTC courtyard

A LITTLE MORE… Here are the qualities of those warriors as Braden (Elder Allred) relayed them to us in his family letter:

I made a list of the qualities of the people of Nephi during the war chapters that made them successful. Here is what I've got:

The qualities of a mighty warrior of God

- (Alma 48:11-18) Be strong and mighty. Gain a perfect understanding. Have joy in the liberty of you fellow men. Let you heart swell with thanksgiving to your God for the many privileges and blessing which he has bestowed upon you. Labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of your fellow men. Have a firm faith in Christ. Defend your fellow men, and your rights, and your country, and your religion, with all your heart. Never give offense, or be the one to start a conflict. Have faith that God will defend you. Be faithful in keeping the commandments of God. Know that God will guide you, and follow his guidance. Resist iniquity. Be a man of God.

- (Alma 48:7-9) Fortify your weaknesses. (See Ether 12:27)

- (Alma 51:17) Pull down your pride and your nobility and level them with the earth.

- (Alma 53:20-21) Be exceedingly valiant for courage, and for strength and activity. Be true at all times in whatsoever thing you are entrusted. Be a man of truth and soberness. Walk uprightly before God.

- (Alma 55:31) Be quick to remember the Lord your God.

- (Alma 46-48, 56) Go forth and know that the Lord will not let you fall. Do not fear death. Listen to your mothers. Do not doubt, for God will deliver you. Fight with the strength of God.

- (Alma 57:21,27) Obey, and observe to perform every word of command with exactness. Let your minds be firm and put your trust in the Lord continually.

- (Alma 58:40) Be strict to remember the Lord your God everyday. Observe to keep his statutes, and his judgements, and his commandments continually. Strengthen your faith in the prophesies concerning that which is to come.

• (Alma 60:36) Seek not for power, but to pull it down. Seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of your God, and for the freedom and welfare of your fellow men.

I've been trying to be more like them because all of these qualities are also great qualities of a missionary of God.

I just love that kid!! - the Mom

Week 7: Loving the Lord's Love

konichiwa minasan,

There isn't much to report on this week. i have just been trying harder and Harder this week to be a better representative of christ! i'm falling prEtty short seeming that he is perfect and i am far from it, but i can see a distinct difference in the days when i filL the day with hymns and service, as opposed to the days when i'm distracted and not as in tune with Our purpose. so many times this week i have heard the message that thRough going on a mission, you get way more than you give. this has really lifted my spirits because right now i feel pretty spent. it is harD work being a missionary, but as they say here at the mtc, "everythIng that was ever worth doing, was hard." i believe this to be true. it Seems like every day that i put MYself aside and work as hard as i can to become better, i am so much happier than the days when i slack off. the most amazing thing about this gospeL is that everything that we put into it, we receIve back 10 fold! i know this. and i know that we owe so much to our savior jesus christ. i know what he did for each of us and i love him for it. i love this Gospel. i love the Happiness and the peace that we feel as we serve him. i love how i know who i am because i am a child of god. i love his love and i can't wait to share it with The people of japan! 

i hope that this week is a great one for you all!

elder allred

This is the view of the mountains from where my companion and I study

A selfie of me writing emails after realizing that I didn't take any pictures this week (sorry next week I will repent and do better)

Week 6: Feasting Upon the Words of Christ

happy hump day everyone,

this week at the mtc was a phenomenal one! i have been eating up the Book of mormon! i have really learned what it means to truly fEast upon the words of christ. the stories and the teachings that are in the book of mormon are so Amazing! there are so many truths and principles both easy to find and hidden within the book of mormon, and ever since i have been a missionary i have been noticing so many more of them and also understanding the stories and feelings behind the stories so much more! i literally can't Wait in between personAl studies to be able to read it some more. also everyone laughs at me because i have been trying to read it like it is my first time, and so i am sincerely concerned when a daily reading assignment leaves off at a cliff hanger! i just don't Know how captain moroni is going to get out of this one, and i sure hope that those two thousand sons of helaman, that havE never seen battle, are going to be alright! 😓 

besides book of mormon studies thIs week has been all over the place. but we've Now had three apostles come and speak to us in a row which is unheard of! the spirit has been quite abundant here in the mtc as of late, and it just keeps getting better. my japanese skills still have a long way to go, but i am definitely improving fast. we watChed meet the mormons 2 a couple nigHts ago and theRe was a segment on a japanese famIly and it pumped me up So much i honestly haven't been able to stop bowing to people ever since! it is going to be so great! i love this gospel so much and i can't wait to share it with oThers! 

みなさんあいしています！

elder allred

Friends at the MTC

Week 5: Wars and Rumors of Wars

hey y'all,

this week was great! it started out with nauboaki, he's a japanese karaoke master who shared his conversion experience with us in japanese. and the crazy thing is i understood all of it! my japanese is getting a lot better, and it is FiRing me up! i am so pumped to get to japan so that i can find people likE him to teach the gospel to! 

we got nerf gunS in a package to one of my district members this week. so wHat do you get when you have a bunch of nerf guns, and you add a group of eight japanese elders who have been studying the war Chapters in alma for their bOok of mormon reading this week? you get a bUnch of japanese lamenites playing captuRe the plAtes, one in the quiver, and king of the hill kumorah. yeah, it's been a blast! much strataGem is involved. and the best part is that me and my companion are the champions of war. we have out flankEd and ambushed every other companionship in the district and have claimed the title of captain moroni and teancum. 

well while the nerf wars begin the war for righteousness still rages on. we are all in the lord's army and he promises us thaT as we fight in this fight to bring to pAss the salvation of his children that our arm will be his arm and that he will be our shield and that we will triumph over all of our enemies. (d&c 35:13-15) i know that even though we may feel weak at times that through the lord we will be strong. so put on the lord's armor pick up the sword of the spirit and let us all go to battle against the evil temptations and trials of this world, for the lord will never forsaKE us. amen

elder allred

Here is Nauboaki and the District

Our Weekly Temple Trip