Everything can be a Learning Opportunity

Wow this week was crazy eventful, Ill have to tell you after my mission because its a little bit too crazy... :)

 

Anyways, this week was super awesome we had about 10ish Eikaiwa students last week and we have been getting 2 new students every week but this week something changed and we had 8 NEW students come in 1 week! My district Leader who leaves in 1 transfer said that is the most new students he has ever seen come to Eikaiwa at one time. So we were are very grateful for the the blessings that brought us. We are super close to our goal now and we have a about 1 month to accomplish it. (25 students). It was really awesome to see the results after standing out in the cold on main street handing out thousands of flyers, and even though 8 new students might not seem like a lot it's actually a miracle. 

This week I was able to do the translation for the Sacrament in Sign language it was a really neat experience. I really like Shuwa ( Japanese sign language) because they use so much emotion and things when they sign.  Japanese people are usually passive people, but Shuwa people aren't, and I like that. After Sacrament we had dinner with basically the whole ward at a members house and I sat down by the Shuwa members and had good conversations with them. They are super funny! I really enjoy them. 

Recently I have learned that everything in life has a learning opportunity. When we do something wrong or when we do something right, as long as we look at as improving our selves. In 3 Nephi Jesus says, ``Be perfect even as me.`` None of us are perfect, and that's what is so great about the Gospel because it is a Gospel of personal improvement. When we learn and recognize and change who we are for the better we become one more step closer to to being like Jesus and keeping this great commandment. 

On Sunday also, I got to hear a lot of the members conversion stories. Its really amazing how people found the Gospel in their lives. I really enjoyed Kanazawa Kyoudai's conversion story. When he was young, his brother got Baptized and his brother was super happy and showed his brother a picture of the missionaries in white helmets and riding bikes.  Kanzawa Kyoudai looked at it and was like ``cool man`` and tossed it off to the side. And later his brother invited him to Eikaiwa and he went with his borhter and met the missionaries, and after Eikaiwa the misionaries asked if they could share a message about Jesus and he look at them and said, "Heck No". He then apologized to us missionaries while sharing this story and said that he was arrogant and he understands what missionaries go through. I thought it was pretty funny because it's so true. But His brother basically just kept persisting and he finally met with the missionaries and got baptized. 

I don't actually see anyone from American Fork here in Hachinohe, but that's okay because I get to make a lot of new friends.

I got your package too! Thank you so much I opened up and I could feel a whoosh of love streaming out of the package, I was pretty happy. Im actually going to use the stuff for a pot luck that we have at Eikaiwa and share it with the students. Unfortunately in Japan, Thanksgiving doesn't exist.... But thats okay!

Anyways I love you all and I appreciate your Letters each week! Love you!

The Journey Continues

Family!

So many things happen in a week that I don't know what to say! But we had another earthquake a couple of days ago during personal study, or it was awesome revelation... one of the two. Just kidding it was both! Recently I have been reading in 3 Nephi about when the Savior came to visit. I have been taking notes on everything that the Savior commanded and how I can apply it to my life to follow the Savior better.  It's been very beneficial to me because I can find my weak spots and study them and try to strengthen them. I really suggest doing it, if you would like too. You can just start in Chapter 11 I think and continue to go on from there. 

This week I realized just how powerful the priesthood really is. One of the sisters in the ward was riding her bike on a fairly stormy day and the wind blew her off her bike and she fell face first into the gravel leaving a big wound on her face.  One that didn't look like it could heal well, (at least when I saw it), but she asked if we could give her a blessing of healing. When we gave the blessing you could feel the power of the Priesthood and the faith of the sister.  She was very grateful for us and gave me a nice looking tie afterwards. We didn't get to see her again until the next Sunday at sacrament meeting, but when we saw her she was completely healed. It's amazing what faith and the power of the Priesthood can do. 

She is also a teacher and she planned for our District to come and teach her students for a class. I'm super excited!

(side note)

Oh I almost forgot we celebrated Okada Choros birthday, He is a stud muffin. He is currently Hachinohes district leader and a trainer but he leaves once he is done training his new missionary. So we ate a good meal for his birthday, (steak), which is very expensive in Japan. Like ridiculously expensive. We love Okada Choro. He says he wants a present. He is selfish. But we still love him, Ill pray about sharing my package I get with him.

 

I don't know if I have told you about Angel House yet, so I will talk about angel house. Once a week I get to go to Angel house which is where people with Downs Syndrome and other problems live and work. We go there every week and perform service to them and do activities with them.  My favorite activity with them is doing Yoga! Its the best! I always feel so much better after I am with them because they really are perfect Spirits. 

I have done so much Eikaiwa streeting that basically all the teenagers know me on main street. They like to take pictures with me because I am a gaijin ( foreigner) so I might be randomly on someones facebook in Japan.

Funny fact about Japan. Kareoke is HUGE here in Japan. There are like 60 kareoke bars in Hachinohe alone and they make pretty good money which I think is hilarious. We visited a two story kareoke bar to see if they could put up an eikaiwa poster there and we ended up talking to the head honcho of the business He was a little bit Kouman (arrogant) but before we even asked if we could put up a poster in his place he asked if we came here on bikes with white helmets. We were surprised and said yes and found out that he has seen the missionaries before and without us even asking he asked if we had Eikaiwa flyers and a poster for him to take. I thought that it was pretty omoshiroi (interesting/ funny). 

I can find food here but Its not very healthy food so I'm becoming a debu (fatty) but that's okay because yamanaka kychou ( President Yamanaka, Branch President) asked if I would be santa claus for the Christmas party. 

Eikaiwa is starting to pick up a little especially from when we started. When we started we only had 2 students who have come for like 20 years, but since we started we now have 12 consistent students who come and our goal as a district is to get 25 consistent students to come to Eikaiwa by Christmas.

Grocery stores are very similar except they don't have any American things. Like at all. So you Definitely have to learn to cook Japanese food.

I'm staying fairly warm although it has started to cool off here real fast. It snowed once but it warms back up and then cools down fast again.

Love you! 

Elder Nebeker

I Have Faith

Well Hello there family!

Recently in Japan it has been very cold! We have had so much wind and rain! It actually hasn't felt that humid in the winter here so I haven't had to do too much adjusting. This last week we have been focusing on Eikaiwa so we have been handing a ton of flyers out! Our district in one day handed out 2000 flyers to try to get people to come to Eikaiwa, and we got 3 new students! Which is actually a miracle. The crazy part is  one of the girls who came to Eikaiwa name is Zion..... interesting huh? Our hope as a district is to get a substantial amount of people to come to Eikaiwa during the winter and find people to teach the gospel through Eikaiwa. 

Our district leader said that's how he has found all the people he has baptized so we have high hopes for it. 

This last week we had the Primary program and because there are only 3 kids in the branch the missionaries got to participate! It was fun to be back on the stage with the kids. I got to bare my testimony, but I totally forgot all my Japanese. It was so embarrassing! But, it's all good because I got to redeem myself later on teaching Sunday school and Priesthood. 

So just to update you on something fun, I am currently learning how to play the Piano from Pattysan so that we can play a duet together at the Christmas Party. I will try to get it on film when we play I think you will enjoy it. 

And yes I do use Sign language very often.  Sometimes for fun, my companion and I will do companion study in sign language (shuwa). We really want to get our sign language strong because we believe that if we could get good enough we could ask for referrals from a lot of the church members and its a great way to gain the trust of the church members. 

Last time I wasn't able to give you a lot of detail that happened when we visited the church member who is deaf, so this time I will try to go in more depth.

So me and my old district leader were on a split and his Shuwa is pretty decent so we felt that we should go visit a deaf member that day. We were just planning on it being a way to build a better relationship with the church members. But when we visited her she looked at us and began to cry and said, ``I'm sorry I missed Church last week! I didn't feel like I wanted to go, I'm sorry``. We were stunned! I wasn't sure at first why she was crying so we asked her if she was okay and that we weren't there just to tell her to come to church. She explained to us that she has had a headache for the past 9 years and that every time she reads the book of Mormon that pain worsens and she feels like a bad person and her heart aches. She looked at us and asked us to please help her. She said that there are just so many Commandments and she doesn't know how to keep them all. I looked at her and I felt so much love for her. We explained why Jesus Christ's Atonement was given to us, because God knows we can't be perfect in this life, and that when we go to church and partake of the sacrament we can be forgiven and feel peace in our lives. I then shared a scripture in DC which I will probably have to write next time because I don't have a whole lot of time. But she said she is grateful for missionaries and our help and we saw her at Church the next Sunday.

Anyways, I'm still praying to find that one person who will listen to the Gospel and feel of the Love of our Savior and Heavenly Father.

Shinkou ga motte imasu!

I have Faith!

Love you,

Elder Nebeker

Making Contacts

Family!

So you want to know what my typical day is like here in Japan? Huh?

Well serving in Japan is much different than serving anywhere else in the world in my opinion. For my first transfer (6 weeks) I did a lot of Housing which was knocking on peoples' doors and introducing the church to them. And also I would go to main street and contact people there too. It's pretty fun, you get rejected a lot but there is always that 1 person who will listen. 

Recently though we have had a transfer and we got a new District leader so our focus has changed quite a bit. Now we are focusing on Eikaiwa, That is the English class which we teach each week. It is probably one of my favorite things to do so far. So my companion and I have been trying to do our best to advertise Eikaiwa. This last week I have visited with Newspaper companies, Radio station companies, and all sorts of stores to try and get Eikaiwa popular. It is certainly a new experience but I really enjoy it. I kind of feel like a businessman talking to all these businessmen. Our hope is that we can find people to teach through Eikaiwa because its one of Japan`s best finding tools. 

This week I have felt every ones' prayers and I am so grateful for my Father in Heaven for giving me the opportunity to come to Japan and serve these people. I have certainly learned fast that we need to be grateful in life and always have a positive perspective on everything. That is when we feel Joy even in the rough times of life.

Oh I almost forgot to tell you about Patty!

So Patty is a foreigner to Japan..... (she says) But she totally understands Japanese even though she says she doesn't.

Anyways a little bit about Patty, She speaks 7 languages (fluent) and that is not a joke. She is crazy talented at the piano.  She doesn't need sheet music and she can play all the beethoven and bach songs and basically all the classics. It's crazy. Apparently she is royalty in Russia, (I'm not sure If I believe that one.) She said that she has been in hiding because people are trying to kill off her family. Apparently she was a pro ice skater too. Shes also lived like everywhere in the world, which I might be able to believe because she really knows the history about everything.... Like everything. She can look at your name and the spelling and tell where your ancestors came from. She is pretty good. But she tells a lot of half truths too.... Apparently she is also a fortune teller in her words.... She says she can see the future.... She doesn't show her eyes and she wears a wig (I think). Apparently in her past she was a sniper too, to take of special business (she says). She says she has 20 children all around the world. She is a pretty interesting lady. She sent me a big letter about her life story. And I'm suppose to sign it and and yeah... I think she is a bit crazy but I will try to send you pictures of it. 

I love you all keep up the good work!

Love Elder Nebeker