Week 80 Senri: Turn none away

This week was fantastic!

And I learned a great lesson. We have been seeing so many amazing miracles here lately and we have a few investigators who are looking like they will be able to receive baptism soon. One of whom is a man named Ishikawa san. We met him because he came to Sports night with a chess kit and had us play with him. He is 76 and apparently met with missionaries a long time ago but he is Buddhist so he did not believe the things that the missionaries had been teaching him. But he came to Sports night and I played him in Chess. It was way crazy to play Chess again because it has been a very long time since I had played but this man was very good. We went back and forth and taught him a Gospel lesson as we did it because he had lots of questions. It kind of felt like I was in the movie Sherlock Holmes or something because he would ask a question and I would answer with the teachings of Christ and then finish by making my move and saying, "Check" In the end he invited us over Saturday to play more Chess and talk. And I unfortunately felt inside of me that it wasn't going to be effective

use of our time seeming that this man can hardly walk or talk and all it seemed like he wanted was to hang out with us. I am sad to say that there was a lot of pride in my heart and when Saturday came I made the trek over to his house with somewhat of bitterness in my heart. But when we got there and started talking he told us that he didn't want to play Chess he just wanted to ask some questions about the Gospel. We answered his questions and he then he told us that he has been feeling lately that what the missionaries have taught him is true and that his Buddhist traditions have been incorrect, and at the end of the Lesson he told us that he wanted to be baptized. I immediately felt so humbled by this experience and was reminded of what the Savior taught about turning none away. I thought about this Scripture in the

Book of Mormon:

48 I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say

unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto

you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only

Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And

behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea,

the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name.

49 And now I say unto you that this is the order after which I am

called, yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren, yea, and every one

that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and

young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you the aged, and also the

middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them that

they must repent and be born again. (Alma 5:48-49)

Ishikawa san then came to church the next day and really enjoyed it and wants to continue coming and receiving lessons so that he can be baptized soon. I love the teachings of Christ and I want so deeply to

love like Him. The Church is True!

I love you all! Have a great week.

Elder Allred

Me and Elder Mecham

Coming down Rokko Mountain on a tram with the Wakayama Elders