Miracle Baptism and Other Good Things

Late saturday night. The phone rings. It`s the missionaries in Suwa, my previous area. "Elder Fuller, we had a lesson with Komatsubara. He wants to get baptized!"
"That`s fantastic, when?"
"Monday!"
"Woah..."
Yesterday Elder Pratt went down an interviewed 72 year-old Brother Komatsubara. After his second meeting the missionaries, he recognized that he needed to be baptized for a remission of his sins. As I write this email now, the service is taking place in the church I served in just two months ago.

What amazes me is how prepared this man was. What was more amazing was how well the members in that ward help to bring that to pass. Just one week ago, in Ueda, another area in my zone, a Chinese man named Brother Yoohi was baptized in a river. Amazing miracles are taking place here in Nagano Japan.

Tomorrow morning Elder Pratt and I will be taking the 7am express train to the Nagoya mission home for the zone leader meeting. Zone leader council is by far my favorite meeting we have. President sits with us in his family room and we discuss very openly how the work in our respective zones is going and recieve personal training from President Traveller. Sister Traveller always cooks an amazing luch for us as well - last time it was beef strogenoff.

Since this is Elder Pratt`s last transfer before he returns home to England, he really wants to do some special things this transfer. We`re going to try to make nagano zone shirts for the missionaries here, and try to put together a dvd as well. Most of all, we are working hard.

Lately, something very nice has being happening as we`ve gone talking to people. Somehow, we have gained better access to the hearts of those we talk to and a much smaller percentage of those we approach straight-out reject us. Lately we have been able to at least talk with them for a couple minutes before the door closes. This makes everything a lot more fun - and we meet some interesting people.

I always thought the mhardest part of being a missionary would be persection. I thought people would just yell at us - say we`re completely wrong and that they were right.

Now...that happens - but very rarely. What surprised me so much was how little people care. When we ask them questions - they just have any opinion at all. When we ask what they think about the purpose of life or life after death, they just shrug and say something along the line of `well, whatever, I`m not the kind of person that thinks about those things.`

However, there are also the people who do care. The people that take us seriously and who open their hearts and allow the Spirit to enter within. Seeing several of those a day is an experience hard to compare with anything else. Seeing people who God has prepared so well to recieve the fulness of the gospel personally reaffirms and strengthens my faith a great measure.

Ken and Enni, our two Chinese friends, continue to do well. Sister Wang went to Kyoto this weekend before her college starts in October, but she is doing well too. She gave Elder Elmer a good-bye present - she`s way fun.

Well things are just fantastic here. There is so much work to be done - and we really need the help of angels - but with faith, the miracles will come. Faith does always preceed the miracle.

That the Lord will bless you and keep you is my prayers,

Always,

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