Focus on Christ

It feels pretty weird that I have been out for almost a year! I feel like I just barely got to Japan. But I absolutely love it! I wish I could just push a time brake that would stop this experience from going too fast.

Mom I hope your English skills are pretty good, because when I get home I am going to need some serious help being able to speak. I struggle with remembering words and using correct grammar and well most everything I say is Japanglish.

 

The Work here in Kitakami is amazing! I absolutely love it. It was a little bit of a slow start but things are starting to pick up now. My companion and I have really been focusing on helping people gain faith in Jesus Christ.  We have really felt that that is the most important thing for investigators. Though it may seem like a DUH type of thing you would be surprised how many people do it but don't really do it. So we have focused really hard and old investigators and eternal investigators our now progressing reading the Book of Mormon and are now asking for lessons from us. This week our investigator Hamato san, who has a tabaco problem, read the Book of Mormon and absolutely loves it. At first he had no interest in reading it but we encouraged him and now he reads it faster than the missionaries can. Also a young mom and her son (Kudou san) have really started liking and loving the lessons we teach. We have been using Mormon Messages to help her feel and recognize blessings of the Gospel. We watched a video about not judging others and as soon as it ended She shouted in English "THAT IS RIGHT!" it was really pretty cool. We picked up a new investigator from Eikaiwa who we planned on teaching 30 minutes of Eikaiwa and 30 minutes of Gospel. But when he met us he just asked if we could do the gospel portion. We also have another investigator that has severe depression that was somehow triggered off really bad a few years ago.  He wakes up every morning and stares at the mirror for 2 hours and says, "I can forgive people." And I guess it wasn't working so he called us and asked, "Do you know a better way to Forgive people?" So we are focusing on Christ with him too.

I can't really think of too many things I want. A letter would be nice though ;)

We have been talking a lot about hastening the work here in Japan. I think that it is cool that they said things on the other side of the veil are hastening too. You can definitely feel the urge for the work to move faster.

I love you a ton! Can't wait to hear from you again soon,

Elder Nebeker

Friendly Fire

Yo, Im not gonna lie - one of the biggest temptations on my mission so far is to go swimming and now knowing that my family is out on the lake is not helping!

Just kidding I hope you are having a blast and that it wont be windy for you.

This week was a really good week, and a little sad. I said goodbye to President and Sister Rasmussen as they are returning to Arizona and in a week we will be getting our new mission president. President Smith. Everyone is a little excited and scared to see how the mission is going to change, but I think it will be fun.

This week we were able to pick up a few new investigators. We found them through Eikaiwa, and it's pretty funny. Because Kitkami is so small our area has three cities in it, Hanamaki and Mizusawa. So we started up another Eikaiwa in Mizusawa. This last week we had a little problem with the other elders old investigator who got mad because the missionaries had stopped teaching her English.  But it was because she had no interest in our message. So she called the mission offices and complained so now we are teaching a third Eikaiwa class which is also in Mizusawa. So we have a lot of Eikaiwa teaching to do but we are finding a lot of investigators through it.

The earthquakes are starting to slow down a little. That or I am just sleeping through them now. Yesterday we had a crazy rain and lightning storm. Probably the craziest I have ever seen in my life. We got so soaked.

This week I also heard an amazing talk that I would like to share some things from.

We were in zone conference when A couple missionary stood up and bore testimony and the wife said something that I agree whole heartedly.

I labeled it Friendly Fire.

Now friendly fire is in war accidently or purposefully shooting your teammate in combat. Now why on earth would you want to do that, you wouldnt right? Its just like gossiping or telling rumors or attacking members and the people who have the same eternal objective as you. Why are we trying to shoot them down. Is it out of our own pride? Shoot at the right enemy, you will never win the war shooting your teammates. 

I really liked that and thought how applicable and how easy it was for me to understand.

This week we also had a special broadcast that was for all of the asia North Region, President Christopherson presided and they talked about becoming stronger members and that there is a lot of spiritual dangers but they are not labeled. It was way cool and I think that everything they said was very inspired for Japan and Korea. It was really weird to see so many American old men speaking Japanese. There was Elder Walker and Elder Stevens. Who I believe are in the seventy who gave both their addresses in Japanese.

Anyways. I don't have a whole lot of time this week, But have fun In Lake powell!

Love,

Elder Nebeker

Father's Day Letter

Recently, I have been reading in 1 Nephi from the start. And I have noticed some pretty funny things that I think would be fun to share. Now I look at Laman and Lemuel, They are pretty normal people for the most part.  If my father told me to go into the wilderness and leave everything behind I would probably mumble too, and if  I was told to take a week long journey back to get a Book I would probably mumble again. Now you notice in this pattern they are always mumbling.  When they get back, Sariah their loving mother who was very much a worrier was very relieved.  Then we reach Chapter 7, which I think is really funny.  This time Lehi asks his sons again to go to Jerusalem and find wives.  Now if you look closely at the wording in this chapter it does not say that they mumbled going to Jerusalem this time and when they found Ishmael's family, it was not, "I Nephi taught Ishmael's family." It says, " And it came to pass that WE went up unto the house of Ishmael and WE did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that WE did speak unto him the words of the lord." I thought that it was really funny to see how it was women who had power to make Laman and Lemuel not mumble for at least a little bit... :)

Pretty interesting, sorry there isn't more of a punch line.... I guess what you could say is that no matter how much Mom worries this Lake Powell trip she still has power over you Dad. :) Love you!

So this week we met with a lot of our investigators but a lot of them have been investigators for a really long time so we are looking for new investigators. We are working with the few members that are here to get referrals and teach their friends and families. There are a lot of part member families so I feel pretty strongly that we need to work with the part member families.

The area I am in right now is really spread out so we are always taking the train to get to places. And we are doing 3 Eikaiwa classes now, 2 in one city and one in Kitakami. It is getting pretty good results.  We are able to set up a lot of activities with the people and slowly introduce them into the Gospel.

This week I was able to give a blessing to a member in the ward who is having surgery, it is such a wonderful blessing to know that the priesthood has been restored, Im always grateful for the blessings dad was able to give us children growing up. Thanks Dad!

Just to tell you a little bit about Japan right now, In Kitakami there has been an earth quake everyday this past week! I LOVE it! I think they are pretty cool. It is also rainy season here in Japan so It rains everyday! It is starting to get humid, but isn't very hot in Kitkami so were alright. Kitkami is probably one of the prettiest areas I have served in so far because it is very open and there are parks and GRASS! There is no grass in japan it is either dirt fields or weeds. So that was a shock to see. They also have a big river that flows through the city but because of the rainy season, it might flood.

The investigators that we are working with right now is a man trying to get off cigarettes.  He was a referral from a member. We have a young mom and her son who are looking for peace.  She is really nice and can feel the spirit. There is also a young mom and her 2 daughters that really like church things but aren't sure whether or not to enter. And we have another Mom who we are teaching and a young man to whom we are also teaching.

We have a lot of prospective investigators that I am excited to work with that will be mostly this week. There is so much that happens in one week I just don't know how to write about all the experiences! But I am doing fantastic. I love Japan and the people.

P.s. now that I have a Japanese companion I eat fish Everyday!

Love,
Elder Nebeker

Kitakami

So I have transferred to good old Kitakami,

Just to tell you about the area, it is really small, and really spread out.  There is not a whole lot of people. Our church is on Main Street and shares a building with a wedding bridal shop. We have the bottom floor. There are about 17 active members and they are all way nice. For my first Sunday here, I got to see my MTC teacher.  He was here visiting because he had served in kitakami for 8 months. So that was pretty fun.

My new companion is Elder Kobayashi.  He has 2 transfers left until he goes home, so I will probably be with him to the end. He is really funny. He is Japanese but his English is fluent. He is from Hokaido but before his mission, his family was living in hawaii for a little bit. We have really fun elders in the apartment too.  After planning, we usually pull out dart guns and turn into little kids...... The apartment is really small. I have to duck under all the doors.

We have a couple of investigators.  One of them, Himatosan is trying to stop smoking so we are working with him.  He was found by a member refferal. We also have a young mom and her son that we are teaching too. The kudou family. She is really nice and very receptive to the spirit. We have taught her a couple times now.

Oh, funny story. So before I left on my mission we watched a video together where people in Japan were trying to get in to a train and they had police men shoving them in so they could all fit.  Well, I experienced that for the first time! Yeah lets just say that it was the most humid uncomfortable train ever, but was pretty funny.  You can't really move because you are just crammed in their like sardines.

The area is pretty, you kind of feel like you went back in time or something a little bit. Every single person here plays baseball too, so it is pretty easy to talk to the highschool students.

Well this week has mostly been traveling so I have no idea what to type about.　But I am glad everyone else is doing good and hope to hear from you again soon!

love Elder Nebeker

Time to Grow and Help Somewhere Else

Dear Family & Friends,

 

My new mission president comes in 5 weeks.  His name is President Jeffery R. Smith and he is from provo Utah.  He is some kind of surgeon. So basically, after this transfer he will come.

 

Speaking of transfers I have been transferred! I am going to Kitakami.  It is a really small town that is working on trying to get another branch built because everything is so spread out. So that will be really fun and a good focus for me. My new companion is Japanese, Elder Kobayashi.  He is almost finished with his mission so I will get to serve with him until he goes home. He is really funny.

 

Now as sad as it is to transfer, I had a really good reminder from our recent convert Tatsuya.  I told him that I was transferring and he looked at me and said, "There is a reason for transfers, you have accomplished the things that the Lord wanted you to do in Aizu and now he wants you to grow and help somewhere else, and whoever comes here has something that the Lord wants them to accomplish...."

 

I love Tatsuya Kyoudai! He is so cool!

 

This week we were able to meet with the Hoshi family.  During the lesson we talked about their thoughts about religion and Hoshi Tatsuya said that when he had first heard that his wife was going to the church, he was kind of mad and thought that she was really stupid and wanted nothing to do with religion.  Then on a winter day the missionaries came (Me and Elder Kuiken) and we helped him shovel his drive way and he thought there is no way he could ever become friends with a foreigner because they don't speak Japanese and don't understand us.  He said he would have never pictured himself where he is now and that he would have a friend with that is a foreigner, and be listening and applying religion in his life. He thanked me for helping him.

 

During that lesson we talked a lot about baptism, and they said that they want to be baptized but they want to prepare, so we made goals to help them prepare. Tatsuya wants to quit drinking Sake (alcohol) and talk to his parents about it, so we had them make goals to do that and they are repenting and striving to change their lives right now, and will eventually be baptized.

 

I have made so many new friends here in Aizu over these last 6 months. I will definitely miss Aizu but I am excited to see what the Lord wants me to accomplish in Kitakami.

 

I forgot to tell you, on Tuesday I had a split.  Me and the zone leader drew the plan of salvation in a park with chalk, which apparentley is bad here in Japan, so we had to avoid the park keepers.  However, they kept it there and a ton of people have been looking at it and visiting Mormon.org.

 

So yay for adrenaline Rushes!

 

teehee...

 

Love you all and hope that all is going well,

 

Elder Nebeker