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