Week 68 Sennan: On Line...

Hello everyone!

This last week was crazy and we had some great experiences even amidst the big changes and long days of setting things up and planning so here we go. We are now an online mission! So if you see me on Facebook, fear not, I am not being a disobedient missionary this is the way it is supposed to be. But it is really strange to be back on Facebook and I honestly feel like I would almost just do without Facebook and keep dendoing the way it has always been done. Saying, "Facebook? Facebook? We already have lots of dendo tools and we need no more." But we learn in the scriptures that,

30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. (2 Nephi 28:30)

So I am doing my best to receive this huge change and follow the Lord as we do our best to learn how we are going to use Social Media to strengthen others without getting distracted or trying to find out how many of our friends are married, or all-star athletes, or in prison and stuff like that. I will stay focused!

But besides that we also had transfers this last week and my poor one-armed Wieland Choro has moved on to better things and has been replaced here in Sennan by Cotterall Choro who is straight from down under. Yeah, Australia. It has been really interesting to see how many English words are being used in Australia that I had no clue existed. So now I am studying two languages, Japanese and Aussie. I am super excited to see what great things happen this transfer as well for all of the Christmas magic. I love all of you guys and hope that your week is excellent!

"Fire up the Barby, Sko!"

Elder Allred

Facebook Profile Pic

BEAUTIFUL!

Week 67 Sennan: 感謝

happy holidays everyone!

i am so grateful for this incredible thanksgiving week that I had this week. they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in japan, but i am just so grateful for the blessing it is to be a missionary and to have the opportunity to sHare the restored truth of the gospel everyday. i am really thankful that even though finding new investigators has been hard lately, we have been seeing miracles everyday. i Am filled with gratitude for the excellent leaders in this mission and ward where i have the blessing to serve as we had zone conference this last week and also a stake musical conference. i am appreciative of the hoNor that it was to be able to participate in that musical fire side as the whistler in our ward's performance. and although my whistling part was brief, i would like to say thanks to all of the people who complimented my ability to whistle my part and hit those notes that were needful in order to harmonize to our ward’s beautiful song. i would also like to express my gratitude for our bishop who diligently drove us to and from that musical activity, who also fed us dinner and trusted us to meet with his non member father who doesn't really like the church missionaries. but i am incredibly grateful for the spirit of the lord who guided our interaction and helped us to teach and who softened the heart of his father and changed his outlooK on the church.

also the new light the world video came out which i am so grateful for. it has filled me with a sense of appreciation towards this holiday season as we have used the video to teach those we find each day. my heart is filled with gratitude towards god as he has softened the hearts of those we have shared the video with and allowed us to share the message of the birth of his beloved son. i am also verY thankful for the fact that the lord led the bishop again later in the week to meet us in a guitar shop as we talked to the college kid who we saw and decided to gO talk to. i am grateful then for the bishop testifying with us of the savior and the gospel. and then when that college student told us that he was interested in receiving lessons and set up an appointment to meet again thanks filled my soul that we were able to see the hand of the lord in leading and guiding each of us to meet there at that time in that spirit filled contact. christ lives, and i cannot describe the gratitude that i feel towards our heavenly father because he does live and guides me each day. i love you all and am so thankful for all of your love and support. i would very grateful if yoU could all go and have a great week this week.

gratefully,

elder allred

A blurry picture of me very thankful for this Japanese bean that i

received from the bishop at his family's house.

Week 66 Sennan: 雨、雨、触れ、触れ

hello everyone!

i unfortunately do not have a whole lot of time today because we are at the hospital doing various things with broken arm stuff but, i had a fantastic week despite our lack of wheels. We saw a cool miracle where we talked to someone as they were coming home from the train station. We talked for a minute but he told us that he wasn’t interested and didn't believe in God. As we were walking away I joked that we should follow him home and then knock on his door later and act like it was a miracle. But the Lord showed us that he can perform those miracles without faking it as we were housing several days later and he answered the door super suprized to see us. He explained how it was the only time that he had been home all week and how he rarely is home at that time either but how it was a rare exception. He felt like it was a miracle, and as we shared our message he started to feel like there is a God. We finished the door contact with him saying a closing prayer and then he gave us his number so we could plan a time to teach him the missionary lessons. すごいね！i will repent and have more faith that God is indeed a God of Miracles

Also this week we met the mayor and performed at a little festival. We were able to talk to a bunch of people about what we do as missionaries, our english class, also about the book of mormon. it was way cool! i will attach photos. well i am so grateful for all of you and hope you have a fantastic week. 

Love you!

Elder Alllred

The Mayor of Sennan City

Halloween Party

Haircuts at the Bishop's house.

Week 65 Sennan: I Broke My Beanchan (Greenie)

ハロー エブリバーディー (harro eburibadi),

this was one of the craziest weeks of my mission! it started out with a terrifying near death experience where my companion and I were going at about 35 kmh on the side of a road so that we could get to an Appointment on time, and my companion realized that he needed to turn at an intersection a little late and slammed on his breaks. his bike flipped forward and sent him over the handlebars, but somehow he got over his handle bars and landed on his feet as his bike flipped over him! it was like a movie! i was following behind him and could hardly bElieve he was still alive! miracles, i love it.

then i had a near death experience when a giant killer japanese wasp (literally the size of my index finger. go ahead and look up pictures, i'm not lying) landed On my thigh as i was riding my bike a couple days later. i freaked out and smacked it but it held on and returned to my thigh this time angry. i just about aborted ship and crashed my bike on purpose but iNstead swatted it a second time barely getting it off before it stung me. phew! more miracles.

and then for the first time in my life i got pooped on by a bird as i was riding my bike... 恥ずかしい i cleaned it off and pressed on in the work, but then the next day i got hit again! why are all the birds pooping on me all of the sudden?? or maybe it's the same bird… anyways i now have a fiRm testimony of the importance of wearing a helmet as you ride your bike. nasty!

last but not least after me and my companion volunteered at the lOcal gym playing basketball we started a game with several kids. to make a long story short my companion ended up falling hard after going up for a clutch time rebound and broke his arm. i didn't save him, i am an awful dad. so he's in a cast and we are on foot for a while, but some of the kids who we were playing with said that they would Come to our english class this week so at least some good came out of it.

yeah so it was a pretty crazy week and i couldn't figure out what we did wrong, but then last night as i was reflecting on all of our many sufferings and hardships i realized something, that we forgot to pay fast offerings last weeK on fast sunday! so i will repent and quickly fill out a slip and am going to Submit it soon so hopefully we will have a better week. that is my bad. i'll take that one on me. hopefully you all have a fantastic week this week. i love you all!

elder allred

We went to Kobe for Trainer Trainee Training

Poor Wieland Choro

Week 64 Sennan: Talent Dendo

hello family and friends,

wow what a week! we have been seeing lots of good things working here in sennan this week. we met a family from peru and it helpped me realize just how much of my spanish i have lost. everytime i tried to say anything in spanish it would Come out completely backwards in japanese order of speach and i would connect japanese particles tO all of the words. it's real sad. i guess My head just isn't big enough for 3 languages. or really not even 2, recently i have been accidentally saying japanese words in the middle of speaking english and randomly spitting out english words in the middle of sentences when speaking japanese. but it all worked out okay because in the end we were able to give a simPLIfied japanese restoration to the family froM peru and thEy wanted a book of mormoN and to meeT again!

also this week wE have been working on opening our mouth more as we find and as we teach. we have found that the most effective way that we have been doing to find is by using our talents to start meaningful conVersations with people. we have been studying this scripture.

"2 but with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them. 3 and it shall come to pass, if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, even that which they have." (D&C 60:2-3)

the lord has given each and Everyone of us special talents and abilities, whether it is a talent of spoRts or instruments  or a talent of teaching or smiling or sharing a special testimonY or experience, as we use those talents that the lord has given us we will be able to more effectively share the light of christ in our lives to those around us. i love how incredible it is that everybody though so different and unique with their Own style and personalities can all live, love, and share the same perfect gospel of jesus christ and become instruments iN his hands for the bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of so many of his beloved children. i know that he lives and that he is my savior, Even jesus christ, my lord and friend. i hope that you all have a great week!

頑張りましょうね！

elder allred

District Meeting

I love the Japanese man who wrote this broken english on my cup

The Coolest Slippers I've Ever Seen