Letter from Alex - 10/24/06

Genki?! Mochiron!!

So here in Hibarigaoka, Tokyo area, it`s starting to get a little bit cold outside. I am so thankful for sweaters, they feel so nice under my suit jackets. I still need to buy some thick socks, but I think I have found a place.

So I`m sure this letter is thouroughly entertaining so far. If anyone you know woul like to recieve Elder Fuller`s weekly email updates, let me know.

So anyway, Elder Miller, my companion, has been very sick since thursday which means I stayed inside everyday since then studying while he slept. On friday we went to a hospitol/clinic to see what was going on. He has a really bad cough and cold. An inactive member took us to the hospitol, waited with us for 2 hours, and filled out all the forms without being asked!! That`s how amazing people are here in Japan. His name is Yuichi Nakazawa, he owns the bike shop across the street from our house where I bought my new bike.

I got to talk to him for 2 hours while Elder Miller was zoned out. He joined the church when he was 18 and then went to Provo, Utah when he was 19 to go to BYU. He has a ton of funny stories from there, but unfortunately, he met some rotten people there and became inactive because of them. It`s so sad. The church is true, not the people. Anyway, he`s still a very amazingly nice man, and I have hope he`ll return someday, probably after he gives up smoking.

So anyway I have been studying like crazy these last few days, just dying to get out and preach the gospel. I did manage to memorize Doctrine and Covenats 4 in Japanese. Yeah, way hard, but now it`s fun. I also read the book of Job. I like it, but when combined with Alma 40, which has the answers to the questions Job asks, it`s is some of the most powerful and touching doctrine I know of. "If a man die, will he live again?" There is no more basic question than that I feel. All of us are bound to ask that sometime in our life. Hopefully sooner than later.

So my prayers and desires combined into a miracle on sunday. The Lord knows I want to serve and be out there working so hard, and that I was unable. So he blessed me and Elder Miller with a self-referral that showed up at church. How merciful the Lord is! It was amazing, he was very interested in everything and was an extremely interesting man. As I sat next to him in Sacrament meeting, I felt the Spirit very strongly. I know that he felt it as well. He heard the Lord`s voice, and it now is up to him to see if he will respond to it or not. If not, then I simply know that this miracle was to show me how much God is watching over me and knows the intents of my heart.

Yesterday we met with a less-active man who has a fiery testimony, but can`t come to church because his wife is completely bed-ridden due to a blood hemorage. Elder Miller was about to die/pass out so he didn`t say anything the entire time. I talked with this wonderful son of God, Brother Kohara, for an hour and half all in Japanese, with very few words needing to be looked up. He is now like a 60-year-old brother to me. We talked about faith and the Spirit was so strong there. No one can ever convince me otherwise that I have not been blessed with the gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues. To talk with him in Japanese for that long and have the Spirit so strongly present was yet another miracle I`ve witness on this amazing island.

Well, things are quite well here. I have some hopes for a few people, and I have been fasting and praying that the Lord`s elect will be able to be led to us or us to them.

When we are in the service of our fellow men, we are only in the service of our God.

The work is moving forward. I am living in joy. Thanks for all your support back home. I send you my love and assurance that I am serving God with all my heart, might, mind, and strength.

Yours,

Elder Alexander Todd Fuller
Tokyo South Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Letter From Alex - 10/18/06

Hi from Japan, It`s Elder Alexander Fuller or (Fula Choro).

So its time for some fun observations about Japan and my experience so far. One great one is that they use Fu and Hu as the same sound, so Hula as in a hula dancer is pronounced Fula, so I am Elder Hula (Dancer). Yeah, a bit funny.

Another thing that I just can`t figure out is the trash system here. It`s very very complicated. You have to seperate everything, even at mcdonalds. Theres burnables, plastics, metals, hard plastics, and a couple other catagories. The trash trucks come by 3 times a week, and here`s the part I just don`t understand at all, the garbage trucks play music like an american ice-cream man. I`m serious! These stinky trucks play that annoying happy song that repeats and repeats, with occasional telephone rings inbetween. Maybe it`s so little kids can run to the streeets and throw their trash to them, I`m not quite sure.

So I got a basket for my bike. I`ve put so much stuff on my big it`s no longer a bicycle but an airliner. In the couple weeks I`ve had it though I`ve already put about 400Km on it. I didn`t realize most of missionary work is riding around. I`ll tryto get a picture of it home soon, it is quite fun. Also, getting around is sometimes faster on bike than by car. we`ve beaten members who are going to Kichijoji, about a half hour away, while they were in their cars. It`s way fun.

So today is transfer day, but I`m staying in Hibarigaoka with Elder Miller for another six weeks. Elder Barros is going back to brazil so at least there will be someone new in the Apartment. Yesterday was cleaning day and we went crazy. We spent the entire day cleaning and produced several large piles of garbage. At least things are sanitary now. I got to clean the bathroom, my room, our study room, the genkon (the place where you tae off your shoes and step up into the house. A very, very important part of the house to the japanese), the kitchen, and a couple other things. It was way fun,or at least as fun as cleaning can be.

Wow, so much has happened this last week. We had a long time english student read M. Russell Ballard`s book "Our Search For Happiness" in 3 days. He loved talking about it. He came to the comclusion that "Mr. Ballard would not tell a lie. I Trust him." Yeah, amazing faith. Only problem is he`s a rather old guy and I don`t know if he would change his life even if he did recieve confirmation from God that Jesus is the Christ. I have very high hopes though, he is amazing none the less.

We met a gaijin, meaning foreigner, from Wisconson that lives quite close. His name is Dustin and he and I had one of the best conversationgs I think I`ve ever had. He is pretty diligently lutheran, and was pretty condescending and rude at first as we talked. We backed off a little and just kind of talked about why he was in japan, his life, etc. I finally somehow asked him what his purpose in life was, what drived him, and that caught him quite off guard. He finally decided that to learn was his passion and that he loved learning stuff, especially philosophy. He talked a lot abouit Nietche, which was fun to talk with him about thanks to Philosophy 200 last year at BYU. He became quite receptive when he started realizing that we`re just normal people out here to try and help people find absolute truths and happiness. We committed him to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it, asking whether it was the word of God or not. He will, and we shall once again have a great lessong soon. Mostly Elder Miller was blown away when I started in on the conversation keeping par with all the quotes he threw at us and then returning some of my own. It was a discussion, and not a debate at all. There was no contention but rather felt the Holy Ghost bring things to my remberance at the exact time I needed them. It was increadible. Most of all, I realized the power that a personal testimony has. Facts only go so far, faith must take over and a personal witness from the Holy Ghost conquers all doubt.
One of my favorite quotes, which I shared with him and touched him was by Sir Francis Bacon. Something along the line of "A little knowledge estranges man from God. A lot brings him back again." Such is so true. Of course I don`t have a lot of knowledge, but I just haven`t gotten that "little knowldege" yet, so I`m still believing. :)

No time left today, and so many miracles have been happening. I`ve felt promptings and followed them to see others` prayers answered. I would love to write all of you as well via letter, so please write me at the address shown on this webpage.

All my love!! Represent Christ because He represents you.

Yours,

Elder Alexander Todd Fuller