Rain Keeps Falling on my Head

In Japan, especially in the rural areas, they have a giant city-wide speaker system that’s like a national intercom type thing. It plays a song everyday at 5pm that signals it’s time for children to come home, and they also announce any weather warnings. Well, it seems nice - but they will also announce things like "strong winds" at two in the morning - which is maybe not the nicest thing. Anyway, the last week there has been all kind of warnings. Intercoms (like drive through speakers) are hard enough to understand in English - but throw it in Japanese and it takes a bit more brain power. I have come to learn the word for typhoon though, "taifuu" (yeah, like typhoon without the n for some reason), and they have been announcing that a lot.

So, we’ll be riding around talking to people - perfectly clear and hot day, and then all of the sudden, it will rain like someone pouring a bucket onto your head. Quite crazy. Saturday we had planned a barbeque with all of our Brazilian friends, and of course, at 2pm it rained. However, by 3pm, everything was dry and hot as ever. The Barbeque was fun, and we were able to meet lots of good people. I wore my Brazilian soccer jersey that I bought here, and that made me pretty popular too. They try so hard to speak English, it’s hilarious.

Our one really good friend, who we meet with, Kenji, is doing well. We watch the restoration movie with him and then asked him to pray. I don’t think he had prayed in many, many years - but after some explanation by a member, he tried. It was in Portuguese, but even I could tell it was a powerful and heartfelt prayer. The Holy Ghost was strongly present, and a definite feeling of love entered the room. It was a choice experience.

Lately I have been fascinated by the story of the three Hebrew children in Daniel chapter 3. Nebuchadnezzar (what a name) is a lot like Satan - the Prince of this world. The idol he set up are like the idols set up in our society today - money, cars, fame, perfect body, being better than others. The clamorous noise of "musick of all kinds," is not only the noise called music on the radio, but the thousands of advertisements we see each day. They all tell us "if you don’t do this, if you don’t buy this, if you don’t act this way, then you won’t be happy." Indeed, it seems that if we go against the mainstream of things, then we get thrown into a fiery furnace of adversity. When Satan sees that we want to follow God rather than him, I bet he makes our trials seven times harder as well.
But it is just so amazing the faith that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego had. In verse 17 they day essentially `if it’s God’s will, He can save us from you, or the furnace, or anything.` And then in 18 we see true faith, `BUT IF NOT, we will still not give into you!` Wow, what faith. It didn’t matter if they died or lived; they were not going to give in to wickedness.
Well, of course, they get thrown in and another comes and saves them. A quote I like that I heard this morning - "If we follow God, and we die, we will come to Him. If we live, He will come to us." In the midst of trials, I don’t think we are ever alone if we are doing His will. He will come to us - perhaps through delegation and perhaps directly.
Then in 27 is where it caught my attention. "...upon [their] bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them." Not even the smell of fire was on them. Truly, if we trust in God, we can live IN the world, IN the fire of wickedness, but not be OF the world, with not even then smell of wickedness.

I really thought that story - applied to today - carried a lot of meaning. It helped me a bit. Truly, psalms 34:19 is true - "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all."

For me, at first, that promise is a little unsettling. I’m promised that even if I do everything right - it’s going to be hard. Well, I don’t do everything right, and it’s still hard. But as you and I try, He’ll help. Our faith isn’t perfect, but it is completed by the Finisher of our faith. I’m thankful He endured everything and provided the way for you and me. That we can recognize how close He is at all times, is my prayer.

Yours,

Elder Alexander Todd Fuller
Japan Nagoya Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Zone Conference in Nagoya

So my area, Suwa, is a pretty small place. Actually, all my areas so far have been pretty small. Suwa is part of the Nagano zone - which has five area is all - four of which missionaries are working. Thus, I am one of eight missionaries in the Nagano zone - preety small. Because we are so far away from everyone else, and since we`re a small group, we combine with the Nagoya zones for our zone conference every month and a half - travelling about 150 kilometers (I think that`s 100 miles, but I forget miles) via train to Nagoya to the mission headquarters.

Well, it was great to be back in a big city again. There`s just some feeling one gets when hundreds and thousands of people are scurrying about going to and from their jobs and homes. I like it very much. We got to know our new mission president and his wife - the Travellers - from Cash valley Utah. We talked about changes - had some fun activities - ate some great food - and had a short testimony meeting. It was a great experience. It was like climbing a mountain - I`m back down at the bottom again, but having been to the top, I can remember the view and have it carry me forward.

Yesterday at church I sang and gave a talk. Yeah, I really can`t sing, but I figure if only 35 people are there - I won`t offend too many people. Actually it went quite well. Elder Brough played the piano for "Did you think to pray?" from the arrangement of Rob Gardner`s "Missionary Hymn Project." That`s a fantastic CD, I recommend it. But yeah, the song went well - I hit the high notes too - and my talk was fine as well. The topic was family history. i am quite glad I wrote my mom and asked a little about my family.

I talked about one of my great-great grandmothers who at age six, walked across the entire plains to Utah. I still can`t imagine such a thing at age six. I also talked about another great-great grandmother who lived in England. At age 19, she had a dream of two men and a book. Well, a bit later she met two missionaries, carrying a Book of Mormon. I am so thankful for the strength and courage my ancestors showed.

And so here in Japan as well, people are embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ and laying the foundation for generations to come. The members here are generally first-generation, and sometimes second. The rare third-generations are so strong in the faith. If ever there was a place where people live in the world, but not of the world, it is the faithful members we serve here in Japan - as well as many other places I`m sure.

I`ve been so blessed this week - no crashed, so major storms, no major sickness (well, my companion is just learning how to cook), and no major dissappointments. Satan is always there - but so is the Spirit which gives us strength.

I hope you too may feel His love through the Spirit. Have a fantastic week.

Always,

Elder Alexander Todd Fuller
Japan Nagoya Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Typhoons and Earthquakes

Well if there`s one thing I learned this week it`s that nature is very, very powerful. Really, if God didn`t want us around, he could wipe us out so fast. Yesterday, we got a phone call early in the morning that church was cancelled because of a really bad typhoon down south that might move up to where we were. A member of the ward came by and warned us to stay at home. But...we`re missionaries, and no little rainstorm is going to stop us. So we packed up our stuff and headed to the train station. I felt very impressed to go down south to the next area - which currently doesn`t have missionaries in it - and try to attend their small sacrament meeting.

Well we tried valiantly to get down there, and several trains and an hour and half later - we were stuck in a station because the train line we needed got cancelled. Well, that was unfortunate. So we hung around this tiny town for an hour, and then just went back home. However, I feel there was indeed a purpose in everything. We met a nice family from Australia visiting for vacation, and also a nice man and his sister from Thailand. They were all very happy to talk with us and we made some good friends. Maybe that was what was supposed to happen.

This last tuesday we visited our Brazillian friend named Kenji. He had read our pamphlet and a little from the "O Livre De Mormon" He talked to us about how he wasn`t sure if there was a God - but that he didn`t really have any friends. He was very impressed that we would come by and visit him, and counted us as his first true friends in Japan - after six years of living here. Above all, he is a very humble man with a very cute three year old son. His wife works everyday from 8am to 10pm, so I don`t know if we`ll easily meet her, but they are a fantastic family. We taught about prayer and it was a very spiritual lesson. I think he was keeping back tears as that all encompassing feeling of love filled the room. I found another one of my brothers.

Just a whole lot of rain this week really. My "waterproof" jacket and pants have just given up trying to keep my dry. I would give up too if I had to keep someone dry for eight hours of rain. Poor Elder Brough, my companion, didn`t have things in his backpack well bagged up. He`s been drying off his scriptures for the past three days. All I can say is thank the Lord for grocery bags. The hard part now is tryin gto dry off our stuff before it gets moldy. I never knew mold could grow on so many things.

This morning, during our Japanese study, my desk began to shake slightly. I look over at Elder Brough and he smiles, thinking that I`m shaking his desk. The ground starts to shake a little more and he looks up. A fun little sway develops for about twenty seconds, but then boom! we get a couple good bumps. It was quite an intense earthquake. Japan is like a giant amusement ride - one of the really wet ones. I highly recommend it.

Things are going so well. So many nice people to talk to. So many not so nice people too, but they`re fun too. It is such a blessing to serve here. I have been recently jumping back into the New Testament and have found some fantastic scriptures. Perhaps one of my favorites has been Rev. 21:4. I can`t imagine any greater feeling than meeting my Savior, him embracing me, and wiping away all my tears. It`s kind of like my mom or dad doing the same when I was younger. What a great day that will be. However, until then, I am stiff recieving His guidance as we work to bring that day to pass. That we may all have that hope planted deep within our souls - even in the midst of typhoons, earthquakes, or whatever is thrown our way - is my prayer.

Always,

Elder Alexander Todd Fuller
Japan Nagoya Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Bless4 Concert and Lots of Fun

Well we`re certainly in the middle of the rainy season here in Nagano. I don`t think my shoes will ever dry out again - but oh well. It`s kind of fun to go tracting in huge rainstorms though - people at least open the door to see what kind of crazy person is outside. The Lord has been with us though - guiding us to prepared people. More on that momentarily.

So this past saturday, a Japanese musical group called Bless4 came to Suma (my area) and put on a concert. They are all members of the church and have lived in Okinawa and Utah - so they are fluent in Enlgish and Japanese. I was very impressed by their show - I had seen them in my first area about 10 months ago - and they were even better. Feel free to check them out at bless4.jp - it might be in Japanese, but oh well. We had lots of friends, investigators, and less-active members come to the concert which was great. It really brought the members here together - and was just plain fun.

Sunday, we met with a Brazilian man that we had met a week before named Kenji. He likes everything we say and teach, and we have another appointment for tonight. It just amazes me how we are led to those waiting to hear the Gospel. Truly, there`s nothing quite like His work.

Yesterday I met my new mission president - President Traveller. He seems very laid back and a very good leader. It will be exciting to serve under him. He`s from the same place as my trainer Elder Miller - Cash Valley in Upper Utah.

Another quick experience that was interesting happened the day of the concert while we were going around housing. One nice moan said he was busy, but then an hour later as we walked back to our bikes, he called for us. He asked about our English class and we got to know him a little. He is 23 and is named Kazuki. I gave him a flier for the concert and invited him. Well he came that night, and brought his 20-year-old sister with him too! He had a great time and wants to meet with us again sometime.

I went back through my journal for the last year or so and was just so amazed at how much I have changed. I can look back even a month or too and see how far I have come. Adversity certainly does bring growth. I still have so very far to go, but yet it was a bit comforting to know that progress is indeed being made.

Thank you so much for your emails and letters. I hope everyone will have a great week and enjoy the sunshine - or even enjoy the rain too.

Yours,

Elder Alexander Todd Fuller
Japan Nagoya Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

First Impressions

Suwa place is an absolutely Beautiful location. It is a rather large city in a huge valley with a big lake in the middle. All around are tall, green mountains and through the opening in the valley one can see Mt. Fuji on a clear day. It is probably one of the prettiest places I have been.

For those wanting to play along with Google Earth, our church coordinates are:

N 36 Degrees 00.344
E 138 Degrees 08.347

I live just down the road in the apartment right by the big curb - maybe 100 meters away.

The weather has been either hot or rain - but it has been fun. We have been able to find three people so far that show interest in our message - one Japanese, one Brazilian, and one Phillipino. 　The Phillipino lady - Roxanne - seems very promising. Her Aunt and Uncle are a nice Mormon family in the Phillipines and she said that she wants to be Mormon like them. Unfortunately her Japanese husband shows no interest in religion, but says it is perfetly fine for her to join. Roxanne also has a good Bolivian friend who is a member here. Quite the diversity. Mostly, I am so glad I am a native English Speaker. So many people want to learn English in order to be an English teacher or get a good job. What a blessing.

The branch here consists of about thirty active members. They are all amazing - especially the Branch President. His sons take notes of the lessons - I don`t know if I was ever that attentive in church at twelve years old.

Elder Brough is a great companion. He has been here in Japan for three months and is doing very well. It`s amazing to see where he is right now - six months as a missionary, and to see where I am at one year. Somehow through the grace of God, I`ve been able to learn Japanese. I have a strong testimony of the Gift of Tongues - it is a real gift of the Spirit which missionaries around the world are blessed with. Japanese is now just a really crazy game for me now - not hard, just fun. Okay, well, still hard - but in a "playing monopoly with your sister and brothers who are really good at monopoly" kind of hard.

Our new misison president - President Traveller, got into Nagoya on June 30th. I haven`t heard anything about him yet, but I`ll get to meet him next monday for an interview. It`s quite an amazing organization in which leadership can change so easily.

Developing the faith to find people who are ready to recieve the gospel is one of the hardest yet most important things for a missionary. I still don`t have enough faith, but it seems that somehow when we leave our apartment with a great deal of expectations - things seem to happen. We meet people who want to talk. We meet people who speak really, really rudely. We meet people who have been to Christian churchs fifty years ago and still have questions. We meet people who have seen "The Ten Commandments" with charleton heston and LOVE that movie. I tell them my mom loves that movie too - and then we talk about how Moses was a prophet. And we meet a whole lot of very busy people.

Somehow - things work out. In the end, as Alexander Pope says, "Whatever is, is right." And it is - because God is always there leading, guiding, and walking beside us. I have felt Him near. His Spirit is preparing people, even here in Suwa, Japan. Perhaps especially here.

I am so happy and enjoying being a missionary.

May the Lord bless and keep.

Yours,

Elder Alexander Todd Fuller
Japan Nagoya Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints