Week 49 Sumoto: Just Dendoing

whoa, it's p-day!

man, the weeks have been flying By. it was another great week of dendo. we were able to go visit that person that we committed to baptism during the week and teach him again. shimizu san is progressing so fast. we went over planning on talking about the gospel of christ, but changed it to word of wisdom because he kept telling us how much he loves coffee. he seemed a little sad about the commandment at first but then was like, well I guess I'm going to have to switch my favorite drink to something else. it was awesome! he also spoke to his friend about us and about his no drinking coffee and his friend now wants to switch from coffEe too! it is so crazy! also shimizu san came to church again this week and met a lot of the members. they got to know each other really fast and it was great. he said that next week he is going to invite his friend to church. man, meeting him has just been such a miracle.

also this week we were able to go on an exchange with the zone leaders. it was way good. i learned a ton about finding effectively and making my contacts more interesting. we also tried a bunch of different new ways of dendo. my favorite is when we go to the mall and find the bencH that is right outside of all of the clothing stores and there are just a bunch of super bored middle aged men waiting for their wives as they are shopping. it is way easy to get a conversation going because all i have tO do is say "man, japan is hot!" and then everyone is asking me where i am from and what i am doing in japan. it's super fun to meet so many different people, but my heart is constantly aching for them to accept the gospel. if they could only uNderstand how much of a difference it would make in their life, and if they could only taste of the joy and peace that is just right in front of them. man, somEtimes it just drives me nuts, but i guesS that we just need to keep Trying our best and be worthy so that when we do meet a prepared person, they will recognize the voice of the good shepherd and will follow him. 

頑張りましょうね！

愛している！

elder allred

We asked this guy to take a picture of us, and then we taught him the gospel.

It's getting really hot!!

Week 48 Sumoto: A Good Week in Deed

hello, how are you?

i am fine, this week was all over the Place! we had a few really great potentials that we found last week that we were Able to visit again unfortunatelY all of them told us that theY weren't interested right now. i was a little down returning to the appartment that night and just was feeling like i wasn't dOing enough, i prayed that night and felt comforted by the feeling that the lord knew what he was doing and jUst wanted us to keep working hard a being obedient. the next day, yesterday, at church we got called by a man that had approached us the other week who we had invited to church, and he told us that he was coming. he came and we had a an amazing spirit filled lesson with him wheRe we taught the plan of salvation. he expressed that he was feeling great happiness and wanted to follow jesus christ. we invited him to be baptized and he now has a date for september 2nd. iT was so amazIng and taught me some very important lessons. sometimes as missionaries we need a reminder that there is a god working 100% of the time backing us up and shaping us into the people That He knows we have the potential to become. he knows each of us and he knows exactly how he is going to use us to refine ourselves and all those with whom we serve. i love being a missionary and can't explain the joy that it fills me with.  i know that the lord is at the head of this work. i know that he hears prayers and knows each of us indIvidually and personally. i am so grateful for the opportunity and blessing that it is to serve here on awaji island. i love this area so much and have Never felt as much charity as i feel right now towards  these people with whom i am serving, and also towards my savior. it was a Great week and i am looking forward to the next one. i hope that you all have a great week! love you!

elder allred

Our District

Japan is Beautiful

Week 47 Sumoto: Good Stuff

friends!

this week was so great! we had a conference with smoot kaicho to get to know him and receive training. it was so fantastic, he is going to to be such a great mission president.

this week also we taught our investigator emi san. we started reading the book of mormon together starting from the titLe page with some members. the spIrit was felt Very strong as we rEad and then one of the members started to choke up and beAr her testimony of the truthfuLness of the book of mormon. it was so good! and emi san was definItely feeling it. we finished reading and testiFied, and she told us that she has been praying and reading on her own now! it is so great! missionaries have bEen meeting with her for so long and she is just now finally starting to act. that is the power of the book of mormon. i love THAT book so much. it truly has become my favorite book. before my mission i couldn't have said that, but now having felt the power time and tIme again that comeS from reading, and having grown to loVe each and every amazing mIssionary that is written about in that incredible book it has now tRuly become my favoriTe book. i literally get bUtterflies when i Open it up. i would read it all day and into the night if i coUld. and no matter how many times i read it i always learn something new. lately i have been reading it in japanese and even then i am learning tonS! i just finished jacob and As i finished jacob chapter five there were tears in my eyes. whether it's in eNglish or a language that i still Don't fully understand the Power is the same and the language of the spirit is the same. if you haven't read it yet, read it! it will change yoUr life. it has changed mine. then continue to Read it Each day. man it is awesome! i love this work. i love all of you! have a fantastic week full of reading the book of mormon!

elder allred

Meeting President Smoot Conference

Week 46 Sumoto: Bye Bye President

Another week has flown by!

how are you my famiLy and friends? this Week was nuts! why? because we got A new mission president. president smoot. president welch flew out this last saturdaY after doing his bye bye conference on friday. that was way harder than i thought it was going to be. for the conference he gave uS all His interview questions that he asked as his final interview tO returning missionaries and it was so powerfuL. he gave us his 13 articles of never going less active and haD us All covenant together that we will never leave the truth of the restored gospel of jesus Christ. i'm not going to lie i wept quite a bit, bUt they were tears of joy for the blessing that it has been to be a missionary of ouR lord jesus christ with president welch. i am so grateful foR the guidance and love thar president welch gave to us and the immense change that he made in my life. i covenAnt with all my heart that i will Never stray from the gospel of chrisT. i will follow him to the biTter end and give Everything that is in Me to Prove my Love to him. he is my savior and my greatest hEro and as we have seRved together he has bEcome my best friend. i love this gospel with all of my heart. i am so exCited to cOntinue to share it with others for the rest of My life. i can't wait to see what adventures are to coMe as i continue to prEss forward as a missionary of the lord with our New mission president, presiDent smoot. love you all!

elder allred

Bye bye conference

This says Kobe