I guess I will start with our Zone Conference that we had this
weekend. So on Friday, President Budge and the Assistants came up
from Tokyo to do our 2 mission Zone Conference! It was really fun to
have them come up and get the 2 Zones together! It is always way cool
to see so many missionaries in one place. We had the meeting in
Niigata, and it was just a way good meeting. We talked a lot about
facebook, because that is kind of the new thing we are officially
rolling it out to everyone in the mission, so they went over a few
things with that, but we also talked a lot about the mission culture,
and how it is. It was really cool because we talked about how we felt
like the culture was and we had a really awesome discussion.
President Budge really thinks that we have a really obedient mission,
which is a huge blessing, but that we might be lacking a little bit on
the diligence part, and that we need to be working a little bit harder
to see more baptisms and miracles here, because those miracles are
everywhere if we just look for them! It was a really great
conference, and I always feel like I learn so much from president
budge when he trains us. I actually gave a training in this
Conference, the Zone leaders and sister training leaders were all
assigned to teach a topic, and I had the "privilege" of teaching about
reformers and world religious leaders..haha it was actually really fun
to learn more about the reformers in history, and to be able to train
on it!
The next day we actually had out "district conference," so all of
niigata gathered in niigata and we had a conference together. On
saturday we had priesthood, and then a session with everyone at 6 and
it was really good! it is really cool here because president budge
actually holds the keys for these area, so he basically runs niigata
and was able to focus the whole conference on missionary work which
was way cool! it was awesome to see the members getting excited about
working with missionaries more to see more people joining the church,
as well as coming back from less activity. I don't know if i have
told you this before, but in the Tokyo mission, and the tokyo south
mission, there are almost 17,000 less active members. 17,000! It is
terribly sad, but the new focus here in Niigata is to help bring them
back. It was actually awesome because in the conference, there was a
member in nagaoka who has recently come back. he was really close to
the missionary who baptized him, and so in the takai he actually got
up and gave like a little testimony about coming back. after he sat
down, president budge called the missionary(now really old and living
in america) on skype without this member knowing, and putting it on
the projector in the meeting to talk to him! It was such a cool thing
because this newly returned member was just crying as he got to see
his missionary that had helped him receive baptism so many years ago
but hadn't seen him since then, got to see him for the first time
since! it was a really cool experience and the spirit was crazy strong
in there. yeah i don't think that member is going less active again;)
The best part about this week was yesterday. On sunday, I got to talk
to all of the Sanjo ward members! it was so great to see them, and
see them recognize me and to go and shake their hand and talk to them
for a little bit! I love the members in sanjo so much! it was super
funny cause all they could say was how my japanese was really good,
but it was only because i couldn't speak at all when I was there cause
it was my first area! haha but then we were sitting in the meeting,
and Y___ came and sat in front of me! I don't know if you all
remember him, but he was my way good less active friend in sanjo, and
we were really able to bring him back to church which was amazing! he
came all the way from niigata just to see me..haha and the other
elders were telling me that all he talks about is me which is so
funny! he really is one of my best friends in Japan, and I get to go
on exchanges this week and talk to him as well as Sister M_____! I am
really excited that I get to be back up here in Niigata, just to be
able to see my first area again! Such a blessing.
One last amazing miracle is going to be this next weekend! I have been
talking a lot about A____ lately, the kid that I found when I was back
in Sanjo, but he is getting baptized this weekend! Me and Elder
Killpack should be able to go so it is going to be such an amazing
experience to see him be baptized! I don't know why I am being
blessed to be up here for it, but I am so grateful for it! I will
take lots of pictures and send them next week!
This week was great, and I know that this next week is going to be
amazing as well! I hope you all are enjoying your summer! I love you
all so much and I am grateful for each of your amazing examples to me!
I will talk to you all soon!
Love
Logan
Ps - GO USA!
Sent from my iPad
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