I have to say that I really feel like this week went so soo fast what
do you all think? This week, the weather was seriously so crazy. We
had wind, snow, and crazy rainstorms all week! But even though we had
unbelievable storms, we were still able to go out and find, teach, and
just mission work it up! It really was way too fun of a week and it
definitely is just amazing here in Japan right now. We really are
seeing the work being hastened right in front of our eyes it is
amazing!
Ok so first, this weekend as a district leader I had the chance to
go on companion exchanges in Ushiku. We had a District Meeting this
Friday, and I was able to give some trainings on Goals and how to
focus our efforts more on our investigators, and less focus on
ourselves, and how goals can really help us do that! I really felt
like the training went good and that we were able to all come out of
it strengthened and ready to get out and work hard! After that I just
stayed in Ushiku and had the chance to work with the Elders there,
while my companion and the other Mito Elders returned home. We went
and taught some amazing people in an immigration center, and then were
able to go around and do some great finding activities. I can't tell
you how much I learned from those two elders. One of them, is a
transfer 15 and is about to go home. The other, is one transfer below
me and they both have so much dendo fire! I was so blessed to be able
to have worked with them and learned from them. They really
strengthened my faith, and made me a better missionary! Coming home
from that exchange the following morning though was intense. The
train ride is normally 1 hour, but this time it was 3 1/2 because of
the rain and wind storm! We finally make it back to Mito and as we
are riding our bikes home, there are parts in the streets where cars
are under water! We took some pictures on Elder Nielson's camera,
however we don't really know how to get them to the ipads yet, so I
will work on that! But we have some awesome pictures of our adventure
back home!
So I am glad that you all liked the new way of sending a big email,
but then this week came and I got so busy so I only wrote two days! I
will have a perfect 7/7 week this week I promise, but hopefully this
will do for this week! This tells about some of the miracles and a
couple of the fun days of this week!
2/12/14 - Today was another amazing day out here in the dendo world.
I seriously love Japan, and I love Mito. Today we had Eikaiwa, and I
was just able to talk to some of the members here, specifically the
T____ family, which Brother T____ is the bishop of the ward, and
they are amazing! He actually told me to tell my mom hi, and that the
T_____'s love her and my family! They really are just the best family
ever and I just feel so blessed to have been able to come here and
spend so much time here! Three transfers in one area is pretty
normal, but it is also pretty long! But it really has been amazing
and I have loved every second of it. The members really have just
been incredible, and if I had the chance to bring my parents out here
someday I would because I feel like this ward has just become family!
It is crazy how close you get to people as a missionary, and then you
just end up leaving them and going somewhere else. One of the
craziest things happened today too because one of the members in our
ward who is really awesome Brother T_____, his daughter just returned
from her mission and had just had her interview with the stake
president and everything! It was so crazy to think that missions
actually end at some point, and that this isn't forever! It is kind
of sad to think about sometimes! I feel like I definitely miss things
from home, but I will be so sad to stop being a missionary and will be
so sad to leave Japan! I love these people here and I am in love with
the country of Japan. I love this work! I am loving my mission so
much and I am so blessed to be in such an amazing mission. Tokyo
Mission really is the best, and I am so blessed to be where I am
today, working with the amazing people that I am working with.
2/13/14 - Today was another amazing day and I just can not believe how
many miracles we are seeing right now! The district is just seeing so
many miracles and we are just so blessed to be here right now! Today
we had a really good day here in Mito! We were able to do some weekly
planning which was really good, and then we were able to get out and
have some dendo time at the eki! We hadn't been to the eki for a long
time, and so we were able to go and have some time there! We started
talking to people, and the first person I talked to ended up being
really nice! I talked to him for a while, and he wanted to buy us
drinks. This was about when I found out that he was wayy drunk
and has no idea what is happening. We end up telling him that we are
ok just to have a coke, and so he bought us cokes and it was way nice!
We then just told him that we would try to give him a call later this
week and that we would love to meet him...when he isn't drunk haha.
After that, we were able to have a lesson at this man name C_______
that we met housing the other day. He really seriously is one of the
nicest old guys I have ever met in my whole life! When we met him, I
was kind of shocked that someone lived there because it was literally
like a shack that he was living in, but we knocked on the door and he
answered and said that we could come back Thursday. So, we came back
today and he invited us in! We kind of walked into the genkan, and it
was really one of those moments where I just wished I had my own
personal photographer to snap my sweet pic inside this crazy ghetto
house just to remember the good ol mission days. The house was way
tiny and completely trashed, but he was so nice to let us step in. We
were able to follow up with how the Book of Mormon was and asked if he
would like to come to church this week and he said that he would! So
we are going to go pick him up about twenty minutes before church and
walk over with him! It really was one of the coolest points in my
mission where I really just had to stop and look at where I am and how
cool it is that I get to live here in Japan and meet such amazing
people and go to such amazing places! All is well here in Mito and I
really have nothing to complain about right now! Hope that tomorrow
is as good as today was!
So that is the journals from this week, but I will try to be better
next week! Cool part about the story above is that that guy actually
came to church! We did walk with him and just talked with him as we
walked to church and then he came right in and sat down by me! He
loved the meeting and really loved the singing and the hymnbook!
Right after the closing prayer he turned to me and said, "I am coming
next week I promise!" It was such a cool miracle! We are planning on
visiting him tonight, and teaching a little more about those church
things that happened! Please keep him in your prayers!
I hope you all know how much I love you and how many prayers are
coming from Japan your way! I think about each of you specifically in
my prayers, and I know that God is blessing us as we do turn to him
when we need help! All he asks of us, is to ask! I love this gospel,
I love this work, I love missionary work, and I love my Savior Jesus
Christ and the amazing sacrifice he has given me. I know he lives,
and I know he wants each of us to return to live with him and our
Heavenly Father again. All we have to do is accept him and try our
best!
I will talk to you all soon! Have great weeks and be safe!
All my love,
Elder Cottle
Sent from my iPad
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