Washed Clean

Another chapter in the increadible adventure here in Japan. THis last Saturday, two of God`s children entered the waters of baptism and made that saced covenant with our Heavenly Father to follow His Son. It was probably the most spiritual baptismal service I`ve been to thus far. So who are they?

First was an eleven year old named Braian. (crazy way to spell Brian). He is almost as cool as Andre, and speaks a few more languages. He is from Bolivia, but becaude he grew up in Japan with lots of Brazillian friends, he speaks Spanish, Portugese, and Japanese all pretty fluently. His testimpony on saturday was this, `my mom (another investigator) always taught me the difference between right and wrong. Then I met the "Hermanos" (the Brothers in spanish, referring to the Missionaries), who taught me some more things. Everything they taught, I felt was right and true. They were pretty fun and nice as well. So, I decided to be baptized.` He`s the first one in his family, but his older brother has a date for June 28th and the mom said she`ll follow her son`s example sometime soon. Braian is definitely one of the purest, and coolest kids I`ve met. What a future he has.

Next was Thais. She`s the mother of two boys, and her husband is named Fabio (I still laugh about that). She`s been coming to English class for about a year now. She`s in her 20s, Brazillian, but has very good English. She wanted to be baptized for so long - though she didn`t want to join the church without her husband coming as well. Finally, after months of prayers, she decided to go on and take the first step in her family as well. We had Fabio talk at the baptismal service, to intruduce his wife. He said that he loved her, respected her decision, though hey wasn`t ready yet to follow (he said yet :) ), but that she was doing a good thing. She looked so pure after the baptism.

I played my saxophone at the service, along with another missionary, Elder Clark, who played the Piano and sang `I Know that my Redeemer Lives` It went well. What was almost more powerful was the fact that even though there were around twenty people at the service, and little kids, everyone was reverent and we all enjoyed the peace of the Spirit. Almost like the temple.

There was a couple that Elder Smith and I found - Luciana and Fernando - who were also supposed to get baptized this last saturday, except a little problem came up. I think it was tuesday or wednesday, the other Elders were talking with them and found out they weren`t actually married. Uh oh... because of legal problems with a former divorce, they actually weren`t able to get married, so they just moved in together and have a beautiful baby girl. Well, we got to work on that problem, talked to the Brazillian Embassy, and after their birth certificates arrive form Brazil, they will be able to get married. So you know what that means???

We get to plan a wedding reception!! Heliane is already spear-heading the planning - the colors are going to be white and dark blue - and it`s going to be a fiesta. They`ll get legally married sometime in about a week, and then on June 8th, we`ll have their baptism at 5 o'clock, and then a wedding reception at 6. Luciana has asked me to baptize her - because I was the first one she saw. What an honor and a blessing.

Elder Smith and I also have some good investigators coming through - it`s been a slow transfer, but from here on it`s serious. We`re going to work like crazies. We had transfer calls this morning, and all four of us are staying in Suzuka for another one (haleilujah!). The final six weeks have begun - we`re going to be running house to house. I am so very greatful to be here, and for all of your prayers. God be with you.

Love always,

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

Rising Sun

There`s a fun thing to do when one rides the train - look for the two-second snap. So when we stop at a train station to get on - the everyone boards, and then you can count to your self "One...two.." and bam - the cell phone is flipped open. Everyone does it- checking to see if anyone has maybe tried to call between when they were waiting for the train, and then walked five feet onto the train.

I`m sure I would do it too if I had a cell phone - but it`s pretty amusing.

We have been quite blessed this last week. Kentaro - our way good investigator, however, had gotten increadible busy and we haven`t been able to meet with him at all. People`s lives always get busier after they meet us- it`s almost strange how that happens. Nevertheless, we were blessed in other ways.

A lot of doorbells were rung, and a lot of people were talked to. The best was when we dicovered a medical college fairly close to our apartment - so we focused a big churck of time up there, finding some rather promising people.

Thursday was interviews with President Traveller - I alwyas love to be around him and just try to soak up everything he teaches. We talked about all kinds of stuff - I usually ask him more questions than he does me. He shared a couple experiences and gave me council in relation to service, finances, and leadership. He`s such a kind person - I`ll have to go drop by his home in Logan in a couple years when he returns home.

Last Monday was zone soccer day - and it was exceedingly fun. One would think that after riding bikes everyday for two years, that I would be in better shape...although, an hour and half of soccer could wipe off almost anyone, I guess. Everyone had a good time, and the Brazillians - even though they dominated - were also very fun to play with.

So Brazillians do not like the Argentina soccer team - they`re like fierce enemies. So, whenever I start talking with a Brazillian about soccer (one of their favorite subjects) I always suggest that Argentina is a pretty good team. THey all laugh, but then they get seriously and say "you`re joking, right?" Good times.

Elder Muniz and Elder Matias are ripping it up here in Suzuka with us. This saturday, four people are sceduled to get baptized, with three or four more that are very close - probably next month. That means all this week, Elder Smith and I will be pairing up with both of them and getting everyone ready for baptism. Of those getting baptized - two are a Brazillian couple, then an eleven year-old boy from Bolivia, and then another Brazillian lady who`s trying to bring her husband with her. It`s a fiesta down here.

This last Tuesday, I had to go to Nagoya and back for a stake meeting. I figured I`d read up a little on Elijah in the old testament, starting in the end of 1 Kings. Since the train was pretty long, I just kept reading into 2 Kings for quite a bit. It was so interesting - it`s been a while since I`ve read those stories. One place really hit me as personal: 2 Kings 8:11-12

Hazael, servant of the king of Syria comes to ask Elisha, the prophet at that time, a question. After answering, " 11And [Elisha] settled his countenance stedfastly, until [Hazael] was ashamed: and the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child. "
What an interesting thought. Elisha has the spirit of revelation - is most likely a Seer - and thus can see the sadness that will take place. I think a lot of prophets wept because of the knowledge they recieved. I think our Heavenly Father weeps as he watches the sadness we expereince. I don`t think there will ever not be sadness - though when we obtain our eternal felicity - it will be of a different nature. Certainly there is joy that will and does surpass all the pain - when we walk towards the day of reunion with our Savior and Father - but along that way, if we sometimes, like Nephi, wet our pillow at night - we stand in leagues with others, like Elisha.

I am so very grateful for the Savior, who will wipe away our tears. He`ll wipe away our sins and mistakes as well. I am so excited to tell more and more people about him - and help them walk themselves towards him.

Life is an increadible adventure.

I love you all so much,

yours,

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

Heart

This week was packed with spiritual adventures.
Tuesday brought Zone Conference and a great Spiritual boost. President Traveller talked on the heart. Growing up, a couple times a year, at random, his heart would start beating very quickly. It subsided for after a few moments, and everything was fine. For years this went on, until it started getting worse and worse. At age 38, he went to the doctor, who gave him some medicine to calm it down - though they weren`t quite sure what the problem was.

The medicine relived the pain, but after another ten years, the problem became much worse - with the heart beating for days at a time at an accelerated rate. Finally, after much prayer, consultation, and consideration, President Traveller decided to go in for an out-patient sugrery. They put four cathoders into four different veins and went in to look at his heart. Through the video screens, they were able to actually see the situation, that an alternative path had been created for blood to travel through. They then went in through an artery, closed off the passage way, and there was never a problem, and no need for medicine, ever again.

He then talked about our own heart - how God knows our hearts. He asked us if at that moment, God looked at our hearts just as the doctors looked at his, would they see Christ`s name written upon it? We can take medicine for years, and still not get down to the real problem. Our hands can be clean, but we can still ahve an unpure heart.

President also talked about this last transfer - how when he started arranging for where people were to go, he didn`t feel any revelation. So, he fasted, and after his fasting and prayers, the revelation came.

Talking about this story later that night, Matt. 7:7 came to mind, and I was impressed more than ever about how Ask, seek and find are all in there. Perhaps, sometimes asking isn`t enough, and when we don`t recieve we need to seek. Sometimes even after seeking, we need to continue and go so far as to knock. That all seems like there`s going to be a lot of effort behind our requests.

It was Golden Week in Japan - a week of several holidays so most people get the entire week off of work. Two Bolivian members, Ricardo and Nancy, spent there entire vacation with the missionaries, driving to and teach investigators and friends. The lessons were all in Portugese and Spanish, but I went with them a couple nights. It was increadible the spirit that washed over all of us this week. It was as if the windows of heaven were opened.

On Sunday, Nancy got up and spoke about this experience. She said that this past week has been her best vacation ever, because she`s been with the missionaries testifying.

Missionary work isn`t too fun if there`s no one to teach, but when you have that chance to teach, and the Spirit comes to the lesson, it`s simply joyful.

Elder Smith and I have been praying and even fasting to find someone to teach. Friday, our prayers were answered.

We housed into a seventeen year old named Kentaro and he is amazing. Half Phillipino, half Japanese, but has lived here since he was three. Now out on his own, he has a lot of interest in things religious.

He read the plan of salvation pamphlet and understood it all perfectly. He asked us on the phone next day, "That baptism ordinance, is that to overcome the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve?" We thought for a second, and said to ourselves, `wow, I`ve never thought of it that way, but yeah, that`s pretty good.`

We met with him on Saturday, and rode our bikes together to churh on Sunday. I am so excited to meet him again. He`s everything we`ve been praying to for.

Yesterday evening, I was able to play my saxophone at a baptismal service. It was pretty fun.

I love you all so much. Life is just thrilling - and God is so kind.

I love you all so much,

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