Braden's Homecoming will be on August 26th, at 10:50am at 2977 East Saddle Rock Road, Eagle Mountain.
We hope to see you there!
Monday, August 6, 2018
Week 102 Senri: The Best Two Years
兄弟姉妹の皆様、
It has been by far the greatest and most worth while 2 years of my life. I have been having a lot of mixed feelings and thoughts and emotions swirling through my mind this past week, and I have been talking to Trevisan Chōrō about a lot of things. It is hard to summarize everything these past 2 years have meant to me. I am so grateful for all of the people that have changed my life and have taught me things that I will never forget. I am grateful for companions who have supported my ideas and have laughed with me and cried with me in the good times as well as in the hard times. I am grateful for members who are examples to me of a missionaries who never stopped being a disciple of Christ and who are Joyfully living the Gospel the way it is meant to be lived. I am grateful for missionary leaders who have inspired me and trained me to succeed as a missionary and taught me that numbers are not the only way to measure that success. I am grateful for my family at home who never missed a week sending me love and prayers and support, who have been with me this whole time in the principles they taught me in my youth and who will be with me for eternity as we work towards exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom of God. I am grateful for President Smoot and his Christlike example of Charity and Love and of a true disciple of Christ working with all your heart might mind and strength to serve God and help us become converted to the Lord. And most of all I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and my Father who is in Heaven watching over me. I am grateful for the strength, and courage, and comfort, and peace, and Love, and Joy, and Desire and so many more things that He has given me throughout these past 2 years, the countless miracles, the answered prayers, the tears of Joy and every Spirit filled testimony. I am grateful for Their words contained in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. I have gained an unshakable testimony of the Book of Mormon’s ability to answer the Questions of the Soul and bring the Spirit to both lessons and contacts. I will never forget the lessons that I have learned here in the Japan Kobe Mission walking with the Lord, serving alongside Him in His vineyard, inviting all to come unto Him and taste of the immeasurable Joy and Hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am a Disciple of Christ and will be forever. I am still very imperfect and weaker and less than the dust of the Earth, but I know the God in whom I have trusted and I know that in His strength I can do all things. I have a long way to go in putting of the natural man, but I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ my heart can be changed to be more like Him each day. I will never stop progressing and finding hearts that need healing and pressing onward ever onward in the Work of the Lord. I love my Father and Savior so much. I will forever be Their servants. I will miss this land and the people here so much, but I can’t wait to transfer home and continue serving amongst my family and friends. Well I will be back in America this Friday, so I guess this is my last one of these Emails... It has been fun.
It has been by far the greatest and most worth while 2 years of my life. I have been having a lot of mixed feelings and thoughts and emotions swirling through my mind this past week, and I have been talking to Trevisan Chōrō about a lot of things. It is hard to summarize everything these past 2 years have meant to me. I am so grateful for all of the people that have changed my life and have taught me things that I will never forget. I am grateful for companions who have supported my ideas and have laughed with me and cried with me in the good times as well as in the hard times. I am grateful for members who are examples to me of a missionaries who never stopped being a disciple of Christ and who are Joyfully living the Gospel the way it is meant to be lived. I am grateful for missionary leaders who have inspired me and trained me to succeed as a missionary and taught me that numbers are not the only way to measure that success. I am grateful for my family at home who never missed a week sending me love and prayers and support, who have been with me this whole time in the principles they taught me in my youth and who will be with me for eternity as we work towards exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom of God. I am grateful for President Smoot and his Christlike example of Charity and Love and of a true disciple of Christ working with all your heart might mind and strength to serve God and help us become converted to the Lord. And most of all I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and my Father who is in Heaven watching over me. I am grateful for the strength, and courage, and comfort, and peace, and Love, and Joy, and Desire and so many more things that He has given me throughout these past 2 years, the countless miracles, the answered prayers, the tears of Joy and every Spirit filled testimony. I am grateful for Their words contained in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. I have gained an unshakable testimony of the Book of Mormon’s ability to answer the Questions of the Soul and bring the Spirit to both lessons and contacts. I will never forget the lessons that I have learned here in the Japan Kobe Mission walking with the Lord, serving alongside Him in His vineyard, inviting all to come unto Him and taste of the immeasurable Joy and Hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am a Disciple of Christ and will be forever. I am still very imperfect and weaker and less than the dust of the Earth, but I know the God in whom I have trusted and I know that in His strength I can do all things. I have a long way to go in putting of the natural man, but I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ my heart can be changed to be more like Him each day. I will never stop progressing and finding hearts that need healing and pressing onward ever onward in the Work of the Lord. I love my Father and Savior so much. I will forever be Their servants. I will miss this land and the people here so much, but I can’t wait to transfer home and continue serving amongst my family and friends. Well I will be back in America this Friday, so I guess this is my last one of these Emails... It has been fun.
Love you guys! Thank you so much for reading these emails and supporting me throughout my mission! See you soon at the home-front.
What an adventure!
Elder Allred
オールレッド長老より
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| Ishikawa Kyoudai was finally Baptized. He has so much Faith. What a happy day! |
Week 101 Senri: Exchanging Miracles
Loved ones and relatives,
This was a week full of lots of Comanion Exchanges and tons of miracles. The first Exchange of the week was with Huber Chōrō. He is such an amazing missionary and he taught me so much. We met a man while we were doing companion study in a mall and he was so prepared to hear the Gospel. We taught him of the Plan of Salvation and the Hope and purpose that it brings about in our life and he wanted that same hope. He was so excited to meet again and told us over and over again how happy he was that we sat down next to him at the mall. Then on that same Exchange we saw the most amazing miracle. We miraculously met a kid our same age who is studying English in preparation for a 9 month foreign exchange in Utah that he leaves for on the same exact day that we do August 10. He knew that we were Mormon because he has been studying about Utah a bunch to get ready to live there for the next 9 months. It was so amazing we told him that we could be his friends when we get home and can show him around. We also told him that we can teach him about the Church and meet with him! He is interested and way excited to be friends and he felt like it was definitely divinely guided that we met each other like we did. I am so excited that I have a friend that I can introduce the Gospel with from Japan even after I return home. It is such a miracle and tender mercy form God. I never have to stop being a missionary.
I also went on a Exchange with the assistants where we taught a college student the message of the Restoration and he received it so well and wants to learn more and read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if this is truly God’s church. He was so sincere and humble that I am confident that he will feel that it is the truth.
Lastly I went on another exchange with Haroldsen Chōrō where we again saw such an awesome miracle where Haroldsen Chōrō felt like we should go to McDonald’s and try to talk to someone in there. We sat down with a shake and started talking to the guy next to us. We eventually did the Book of Mormon Challenge with him where he asked us how he could be more confident. We opened the Book of Mormon and answered his question with Helaman 5:12 and he suddenly opened up to us and told us of his grandma who had recently passed away and how he was feeling really sad. We comforted him with the hope of the Plan of Salvation and asked if he wanted to know more about where his grandmother is and how he will be able to meet her again someday. He was so happy to hear that news and joyfully set up a time where he would go to the church to meet us and learn about the rest of God’s Plan for him.
It was such a week of miracles and finding people prepared to hear the Gospel in all sorts of areas outside of our own. In the end me and Elder Trevisan didn’t really have that much time all week to work in our own area, but Sunday night we finally had a couple of hours and we prayed to find someone who we could lift with the Gospel and could exchange contact information with and set a return appointment. We went walking down some of the main streets where there were a lot of people but at one point felt to turn down a very empty street. We walked behind a big public building and found in the back a man on a bench about to eat his dinner that he bought at the convenience store. We walked up and started talking to him. We did the Book of Mormon Challenge and he told us how he is now struggling to figure out what to do with his life. We shared 3 Nephi 13:31-34 and he became way happy. He told us that he was having a really bad day but that we turned it completely around. He really wanted to learn more and agreed to meet again in a couple of days. We got his contact information and he thanked us so much for finding him and talking to him. He told us that he felt like it was fate that we met and was really excited to meet again. I am amazed at the Love of God and His willingness to answer prayers when they are offered sincerely. What a blessing it is to be made an instrument in the Lord’s hands in finding those who are honestly seeking truth. I love my mission. I love the Gospel. I love my God! I hope you all have a fantastic week! Believe in miracles and Joy in the Gospel!
This was a week full of lots of Comanion Exchanges and tons of miracles. The first Exchange of the week was with Huber Chōrō. He is such an amazing missionary and he taught me so much. We met a man while we were doing companion study in a mall and he was so prepared to hear the Gospel. We taught him of the Plan of Salvation and the Hope and purpose that it brings about in our life and he wanted that same hope. He was so excited to meet again and told us over and over again how happy he was that we sat down next to him at the mall. Then on that same Exchange we saw the most amazing miracle. We miraculously met a kid our same age who is studying English in preparation for a 9 month foreign exchange in Utah that he leaves for on the same exact day that we do August 10. He knew that we were Mormon because he has been studying about Utah a bunch to get ready to live there for the next 9 months. It was so amazing we told him that we could be his friends when we get home and can show him around. We also told him that we can teach him about the Church and meet with him! He is interested and way excited to be friends and he felt like it was definitely divinely guided that we met each other like we did. I am so excited that I have a friend that I can introduce the Gospel with from Japan even after I return home. It is such a miracle and tender mercy form God. I never have to stop being a missionary.
I also went on a Exchange with the assistants where we taught a college student the message of the Restoration and he received it so well and wants to learn more and read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if this is truly God’s church. He was so sincere and humble that I am confident that he will feel that it is the truth.
Lastly I went on another exchange with Haroldsen Chōrō where we again saw such an awesome miracle where Haroldsen Chōrō felt like we should go to McDonald’s and try to talk to someone in there. We sat down with a shake and started talking to the guy next to us. We eventually did the Book of Mormon Challenge with him where he asked us how he could be more confident. We opened the Book of Mormon and answered his question with Helaman 5:12 and he suddenly opened up to us and told us of his grandma who had recently passed away and how he was feeling really sad. We comforted him with the hope of the Plan of Salvation and asked if he wanted to know more about where his grandmother is and how he will be able to meet her again someday. He was so happy to hear that news and joyfully set up a time where he would go to the church to meet us and learn about the rest of God’s Plan for him.
It was such a week of miracles and finding people prepared to hear the Gospel in all sorts of areas outside of our own. In the end me and Elder Trevisan didn’t really have that much time all week to work in our own area, but Sunday night we finally had a couple of hours and we prayed to find someone who we could lift with the Gospel and could exchange contact information with and set a return appointment. We went walking down some of the main streets where there were a lot of people but at one point felt to turn down a very empty street. We walked behind a big public building and found in the back a man on a bench about to eat his dinner that he bought at the convenience store. We walked up and started talking to him. We did the Book of Mormon Challenge and he told us how he is now struggling to figure out what to do with his life. We shared 3 Nephi 13:31-34 and he became way happy. He told us that he was having a really bad day but that we turned it completely around. He really wanted to learn more and agreed to meet again in a couple of days. We got his contact information and he thanked us so much for finding him and talking to him. He told us that he felt like it was fate that we met and was really excited to meet again. I am amazed at the Love of God and His willingness to answer prayers when they are offered sincerely. What a blessing it is to be made an instrument in the Lord’s hands in finding those who are honestly seeking truth. I love my mission. I love the Gospel. I love my God! I hope you all have a fantastic week! Believe in miracles and Joy in the Gospel!
Next week will be my last email...
最後まで頑張りましょう！
Elder Allred
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| One of my friends that I will miss so much |
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| The Guy we found that is coming to Utah August 10 |
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| Ward Music Night |
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