Area: Kariya city
Companion: Elder Bradshaw
日付: 2016年4月18日
赴任地: 愛知県刈谷市
同僚: ブラッドシャー長老
This week started off with me getting sick. Yay my favorite! Then the
next day we had an exchange! Elder Jenks came here to Kariya and we
hit the train station, focused on just handing out English class
fliers. We handed out a ton and had great success! Haha the funny
thing is, we do this about once a week and so far we have seen no
direct success through it, BUT the Lord has blessed us through our
efforts and random people keep randomly finding their way to our
English class! It's exploding! We have seen, on average, about 2 new
students every week for the past month! Not all of them keep coming
back but at this rate we will still double our English class
attendance in no time. And all we do is go to the train station and
hand out fliers once a week for an hour. God is blessing us through
our English class LIKE CRAZY!
It's awesome! I love our English students.
English class food party 英会話のパーティー
Then we went back to the apartment and Elder Jenks unfolded the secret
to unlimited missionary power to me. It is something that both of us
have been studying for a long time, trying to figure it out. I had
always wondered what had fueled legendary status missionaries like our
zone leaders and some other great missionaries that I knew back in
Nagano. We used the same techniques, at the same places, talking to
the same people but they always had dramatically different results.
The people actually wanted to talk to them and they could find solid
investigators all the time, no matter what form of missionary work
they were doing. Even when people would turn them down, they would
still have a really good conversation and people would ACTUALLY TALK
TO THEM.
Goodbye to Hanai family 花井家族とさよなら
Goodbye to Mizuta family and Brother Nomura 水田家族と野村兄弟とさよなら
We talked to people on the train all the way home and nearly handed
out a Book of Mormon! Once we got off the train, it was around, about,
close to, exactly 8:47 and normally we would have just walked home but
elder Jenks turned to me and said, "if we start teaching a lesson
right here on the street we can keep working until 9:30!" So we
started talking to EVERYONE at the station and came very close to
handing out another Book of Mormon! Unfortunately we didn't quite find
someone to teach in short time that we had so we had to go home at
9pm. But we had SO MUCH FUN! Attitude is everything.
Peace out Kariya - Korean style? 刈谷よ、さらば - 韓国スタイル？
4/16
TRANSFER CALLS
As I'm sitting down to write this, I don't even know what to say. We
were not expecting a transfer call. But it came. I'M GOING TO INUYAMA.
I'm going to my mother's hometown. I'm going where my family lives.
It's incredible to me to think back to when I opened my mission call,
and got called to the mission where my Japanese family is, and now
here I am on my way to the very place. Since coming to Japan, I had
always kinda hoped and guessed that I would probably get sent there
eventually but now the moment is here. Out of the hundreds of missions
and billions of other people I could be called to serve, I am called
to serve my very own family.
In the missionary application form, it specifically asks where your
relatives live so that they know to NOT send you there. I believe that
by revelation the Prophet has called me here with the intent that I
might have the chance to serve my family. I love them a lot and I want
just want them to be happy, as I am happy. I want them to experience
peace, as I have experienced peace.
I wish I were a missionary of power right now. I wish I knew how to
masterfully teach lessons and make the room burn with the Spirit. I
wish God had sent in one of the legendary missionaries, someone who
was good at being a missionary and who knew the scriptures better.
Someone who could masterfully and lovingly serve my family.
But instead he sends plain old me.
I feel the burden of responsibility and it scares me to death. I'm not
ready. I'm not a good teacher or even a good missionary yet. I don't
know what I'm doing yet. I feel extremely inadequate and unprepared.
But God thinks it's time.
If God believes that it's time, then He will prepare a way. He always does.
I will trust in the fact that God does not call the qualified but
qualifies the called.
To all those reading this, I bear testimony that God is very real and
that He takes a very real and personal interest in each of our lives.
He knows each one of His children by name and wants us to come home.
He WANTS us to be happy. He does not value one of us above the others
but gives us all our fair chance to accept Him as our Father and Jesus
Christ as our Savior.
As I leave for the adventure ahead, I take comfort in the fact that
God has a plan for the events that are about to unfold. My job is just
to teach so the Spirit can bring the message unto their hearts.
Whether or not they take it in is still their choice.
Alright love y'all!
Have a great week!
Elder Johnson
4月16日
I made Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki - A LOT OF IT 広島風お好み焼きをいっぱい作りました
Random stuff that happened this week:
I crashed Elder Jenk's bike in Toyota. Yeah :)
We had a great food party with our English class students!
Romney Shimai finished her mission! She's gone now.
今週起こった事あれこれ:
Aight here's what I know about transfers:
Kariya Elders: Elder Nakamoto, Elder Bradshaw
Kariya Sisters: Sister Durant, Sister Sergeant
Toyota Elders: Elder Nakatsuka (HE WENT DISTRICT LEADER YEAH!), Elder Dana
Toyota 2 Elders: Elder Decker, Elder Miyaki
Okazaki: Elder Tsuru, Elder Klein, Elder Yamada (2 Zone Leaders and a District Leader in a 3人? Woah)
Toyohashi: Elder Hunsaker and Bean Chan (HE WENT TRAINER YEAH!)
Inuyama: Me and Elder Sheppard (way stoked to meet this kid) - apparently they are closing down Inuyama Sisters this transfer :(
next day we had an exchange! Elder Jenks came here to Kariya and we
hit the train station, focused on just handing out English class
fliers. We handed out a ton and had great success! Haha the funny
thing is, we do this about once a week and so far we have seen no
direct success through it, BUT the Lord has blessed us through our
efforts and random people keep randomly finding their way to our
English class! It's exploding! We have seen, on average, about 2 new
students every week for the past month! Not all of them keep coming
back but at this rate we will still double our English class
attendance in no time. And all we do is go to the train station and
hand out fliers once a week for an hour. God is blessing us through
our English class LIKE CRAZY!
It's awesome! I love our English students.
今週はしょっぱなから、いきなり風邪をひいてしまいました。あ〜あ！そしてその次の日は、同僚交換の日でした！ジェンクス長老が刈谷にきてくれて、駅で英会話のパンフレット配りに集中しました。沢山配る事が出来て、大成功！ちょっと余談ですが、このパンフレット配り、大抵 週一の割合でやるんですが、今の所、このパンフレットをもらったからと言って英会話に来てくれた人は、ひとっこ1人もおらずなんですが、神様は私達の努力をちゃんと報いてくださっていて、たまたま見つけたという人達を毎週、送ってくださるんですよ！英会話のクラスは、ズンズン大きくなってるんですよ！この1カ月で、平均して毎週2人ずつくらい新しい人が来てくださっています。みんながみんな、ずっと続けてくるわけではありませんが、この調子でいくとそのうちすぐクラスの大きさが二倍に膨れ上がるんじゃないかなー。毎週 1時間きっちり駅で英会話のチラシを配るだけで、これだけの祝福がいたただけるんですよ！嬉しいな〜！英会話の生徒さん達も、最高です。
Then we went back to the apartment and Elder Jenks unfolded the secret
to unlimited missionary power to me. It is something that both of us
have been studying for a long time, trying to figure it out. I had
always wondered what had fueled legendary status missionaries like our
zone leaders and some other great missionaries that I knew back in
Nagano. We used the same techniques, at the same places, talking to
the same people but they always had dramatically different results.
The people actually wanted to talk to them and they could find solid
investigators all the time, no matter what form of missionary work
they were doing. Even when people would turn them down, they would
still have a really good conversation and people would ACTUALLY TALK
TO THEM.
そしてアパートに帰り、そこでジェンクス長老が、宣教師の無限のパワーの秘密を教えてくれました。それは私達2人が長い間ずっと研究していた事で、何とかその謎を解こうとしていたところだったのです。長野で働いていたゾーンリーダーや、他の宣教師達のように、伝説的レベルに達する秘訣は何だろう、といつも不思議に思っていたのです。同じ場所で同じテクニックを使って、同じ人達と話しているのに、結果が全然違うのです。人々は彼らと話をしたがり、いつも求道者が見つかるのです。福音については断られたとしても、人々は、彼らを無視するのではなく、ちゃんと話をしてくれるのです。
When I came to Okazaki Zone, Elder Jenks and I discussed this
together on our exchanges and he got me thinking. We have both been
studying to try to figure out what made them so successful. This week
he cracked the secret. Or at least part of the secret (I believe there
are many sides to this secret).
The secret is attitude and motive.
Legendary missionaries couldn't wait to leave the apartment every day
because they wanted nothing more than to talk to anyone and everyone
they saw about Jesus Christ. They don't go housing or open their
mouths to 100% of the people they meet on the street out of
obligation. They don't do it because the mission president asked us
to, not because they need to report it in their stats, not because
people back home expect them to work hard, they do it because THERE IS
NOTHING THEY WOULD RATHER BE DOING. They serve the Lord with all
their, "...heart, might, mind and strength..." I now realize that
giving your heart to God doesn't mean just giving up what you want but
actually WANTING WHAT GOD WANTS. Just serving God isn't enough. It's
about serving God for the right reasons. It's about serving God
because there is nothing else you would rather do. I'm six transfers
old and understood this concept for the first time. There are still
many facets of the secret to unlimited missionary power but this is
the big part that I needed to hear. I'm forever grateful to Elder
Jenks for teaching me.
together on our exchanges and he got me thinking. We have both been
studying to try to figure out what made them so successful. This week
he cracked the secret. Or at least part of the secret (I believe there
are many sides to this secret).
The secret is attitude and motive.
Legendary missionaries couldn't wait to leave the apartment every day
because they wanted nothing more than to talk to anyone and everyone
they saw about Jesus Christ. They don't go housing or open their
mouths to 100% of the people they meet on the street out of
obligation. They don't do it because the mission president asked us
to, not because they need to report it in their stats, not because
people back home expect them to work hard, they do it because THERE IS
NOTHING THEY WOULD RATHER BE DOING. They serve the Lord with all
their, "...heart, might, mind and strength..." I now realize that
giving your heart to God doesn't mean just giving up what you want but
actually WANTING WHAT GOD WANTS. Just serving God isn't enough. It's
about serving God for the right reasons. It's about serving God
because there is nothing else you would rather do. I'm six transfers
old and understood this concept for the first time. There are still
many facets of the secret to unlimited missionary power but this is
the big part that I needed to hear. I'm forever grateful to Elder
Jenks for teaching me.
この岡崎ゾーンに最初来た時、ジェンクス長老と交換した時に、この話をする機会があって、あれ以来ずっと考えていた事でした。ジェンクス長老と、成功の秘訣とは何か、をお互いべんきょうしていたのでした。今週、とうとうジェンクス長老が、その答えを見つけ出したのです。成功の秘訣はこのひとつだけではないとおもうので、要は、まあそのうちの一つの種を明かしたという事です。
その秘訣とは、「態度と動機」にあるのです。
伝説的レベルの宣教師達は、出会う人々全てにイエス様の事を教えたくてしょうがないので、毎日出かけるのが待てないでいるのです。彼らは義務で戸別訪問したり、会う人全てに話しかけているわけではないのです。伝道部長さんからいわれたからでもなく、その日の統計の報告をしなければいけないからではなく、故郷の家族の期待に答えようとしているわけでもないのです。彼らは、ただ単に、それが今一番したい事だからやっているのです。彼らは神様に全身全霊を捧げて、支えているのです。自分の心を神にさずけるということは、自分の欲しい物ややりたい事を諦めるのではなく、神様の御心を自身が欲するという事だというのを、今回の事を通して学びました。神様に仕えるだけじゃ、ダメなのです。神様の御心を行う、これ以上の喜びがないから、という心で仕えなくてはいけないのです。私はもう6転勤にもなる宣教師なのに、やっとこれが初めて分かったのでした。他にも秘訣はあるんだと思いますが、これは今の私が、一番聞いておかなければいけなかった事でした。これを教えてくれた、ジェンクス長老に感謝です。
So then we set out from the apartment and hopped on a train to go to
Nagoya Institute. I LOVE THE INSTITUTE. On our way there, we were
anxious to try out this new attitude thing so we prayed for the desire
to serve God for the right reasons. At the station, I tried talking to
this kid but he didn't even turn to look at me so I turned around
started talking to the guy behind me. Turns out he spoke perfect
English! He was from Mexico and was super cool! We talked all the way
to Nagoya and became friends!
On our way into the institute building we bumped into an old friend
from my bean area, Andrea Shimai! She seems to be doing well and it
was so good to see her again. Then we went to institute with Kan
Kyodai and Kailin Shimai. They're super cool and institute was so fun!
There are few times I have laughed so hard in my life! There were some
new folks there (less active and non member I think) that we got to
chat with a little bit. The Spirit is always very strong there.
Institute is the highlight of my week!
Nagoya Institute. I LOVE THE INSTITUTE. On our way there, we were
anxious to try out this new attitude thing so we prayed for the desire
to serve God for the right reasons. At the station, I tried talking to
this kid but he didn't even turn to look at me so I turned around
started talking to the guy behind me. Turns out he spoke perfect
English! He was from Mexico and was super cool! We talked all the way
to Nagoya and became friends!
On our way into the institute building we bumped into an old friend
from my bean area, Andrea Shimai! She seems to be doing well and it
was so good to see her again. Then we went to institute with Kan
Kyodai and Kailin Shimai. They're super cool and institute was so fun!
There are few times I have laughed so hard in my life! There were some
new folks there (less active and non member I think) that we got to
chat with a little bit. The Spirit is always very strong there.
Institute is the highlight of my week!
それからアパートを出て、名古屋のインステチュートに行くために、電車に乗りました。私はインステチュートが大好きです！行きの電車で、さっき学んだ新しい「態度」を試してみたくて、神様に正しい動機で仕えることが出来るように、お祈りをしました。駅について、ある男の子に話しかけたんですが、振り向いてももらえなかったので、私の後ろにいた男性に声をかけてみました。その人は英語がペラペラで、メキシコ出身のとてもいい人でした。名古屋駅につくまで喋りまくって、仲良くなる事が出来ました。
インステチュートのビルの前で、私が日本に来て一番最初に赴任したところで友達だった、アンドレア姉妹と偶然ばったり会う事ができました！相変わらず元気そうで、何よりでした。インステチュートにはかん兄弟とケイリン姉妹と一緒に行ったんですが、2人とも本当にとても良い人ですよ。インステチュートはすっごく楽しかったです！こんなにいっぱい笑ったのは、本当に久しぶりでした！新しい方達(おやすみ会員か、教会員じゃない人達？)がきていたので、その人達ともちょっとお喋りしました。とても霊的な気持ちになれるし、毎週楽しみにしています！
We talked to people on the train all the way home and nearly handed
out a Book of Mormon! Once we got off the train, it was around, about,
close to, exactly 8:47 and normally we would have just walked home but
elder Jenks turned to me and said, "if we start teaching a lesson
right here on the street we can keep working until 9:30!" So we
started talking to EVERYONE at the station and came very close to
handing out another Book of Mormon! Unfortunately we didn't quite find
someone to teach in short time that we had so we had to go home at
9pm. But we had SO MUCH FUN! Attitude is everything.
帰りの電車でもずっといろいろな人と話をしました。もうちょっとでモルモン書も渡せるところまでいったんですよ！電車を降りると、時間はきっかり8時47分でした。いつもだと、ここで歩いて帰るところなんですが、ジェンクス長老が、「今ここでレッスンを教え始めたとしたら、9時半まで働き続けることが出来るよ！」と言い出したのです。私達はいろんな人達に声をかけまくって、またまたモルモン書をもうちょっとで渡せそうなところまでこぎつける事ができました。残念ながら、その短い間にレッスンを教える人は見つける事はできなかったので、家に9時の門限までに帰らなければいけなくなりましたが、とっても楽しかったです！心持ちと言うのは、本当に大事ですよね。
4/16
TRANSFER CALLS
As I'm sitting down to write this, I don't even know what to say. We
were not expecting a transfer call. But it came. I'M GOING TO INUYAMA.
I'm going to my mother's hometown. I'm going where my family lives.
It's incredible to me to think back to when I opened my mission call,
and got called to the mission where my Japanese family is, and now
here I am on my way to the very place. Since coming to Japan, I had
always kinda hoped and guessed that I would probably get sent there
eventually but now the moment is here. Out of the hundreds of missions
and billions of other people I could be called to serve, I am called
to serve my very own family.
In the missionary application form, it specifically asks where your
relatives live so that they know to NOT send you there. I believe that
by revelation the Prophet has called me here with the intent that I
might have the chance to serve my family. I love them a lot and I want
just want them to be happy, as I am happy. I want them to experience
peace, as I have experienced peace.
I wish I were a missionary of power right now. I wish I knew how to
masterfully teach lessons and make the room burn with the Spirit. I
wish God had sent in one of the legendary missionaries, someone who
was good at being a missionary and who knew the scriptures better.
Someone who could masterfully and lovingly serve my family.
But instead he sends plain old me.
I feel the burden of responsibility and it scares me to death. I'm not
ready. I'm not a good teacher or even a good missionary yet. I don't
know what I'm doing yet. I feel extremely inadequate and unprepared.
But God thinks it's time.
If God believes that it's time, then He will prepare a way. He always does.
I will trust in the fact that God does not call the qualified but
qualifies the called.
To all those reading this, I bear testimony that God is very real and
that He takes a very real and personal interest in each of our lives.
He knows each one of His children by name and wants us to come home.
He WANTS us to be happy. He does not value one of us above the others
but gives us all our fair chance to accept Him as our Father and Jesus
Christ as our Savior.
As I leave for the adventure ahead, I take comfort in the fact that
God has a plan for the events that are about to unfold. My job is just
to teach so the Spirit can bring the message unto their hearts.
Whether or not they take it in is still their choice.
Alright love y'all!
Have a great week!
Elder Johnson
4月16日
転勤コール。
今ここに座ってこれを書いているんですが、全くと言って何と説明したら良いのか、自分でもよく分かりません。今回は私達には転勤は無いだろうと思っていました。なので、全くびっくりしてしました。
私は犬山に行く事になりました。
私の母の故郷に行く事になったのです。犬山には家族が住んでいます。この伝道の召しが入った封筒を開いた時の事を、思い出しました。日本の家族がいる名古屋伝道部に召されて、今、まさにそこへ向かう事になったのです。日本に来てから、いつか犬山には送られるだろうとは予想はしていましたが、とうとうその時がきたのです。なん百とある伝道部から、何億という人々が世の中にいる中で、私は自分の家族に仕えるという機会をあたらてもらえたのです。伝道の申請をする際に、何処に家族や親戚が住んでいるかを書く欄があります。そこには送らないようにという事なんだと思います。しかし、私の場合は、私が自分の家族に仕える事が出来るように、という預言者が啓示をうけて、わざわざここへ送られたと感じています。私は家族がだいすきで、幸せになってほしいと願っています。私が感じている平和を経験して欲しいのです。私が今、パワフルな宣教師だったらどんなにいいか、、、とても巧みにレッスンをおしえて、部屋中を霊的な雰囲気で満たせられるような宣教師だったら、、、。神様が、伝説的レベルの宣教師を、聖典に詳しい素晴らしい宣教師を送ってくださったのなら、どんなに良かったか、、、。私の家族に、完全な愛を持って支えてくれる人を送ってくれたら、、、。
でもその代わりに、この何て事無い、ごく普通の私をお送りになったのです。
この重大な責任に、怖くて気持ちが押しつぶされそうになります。私には、まだその準備が出来ていません。私はいい教師でもないし、まだ素晴らしい宣教師にもなれていません。自分が何をやっているか、まだ自信がありません。自分は、とってもふさわしい宣教師だとは思えませんし、準備も出来ていません。
でも神様は、今がその時だというのです。
もし神様がそうおっしゃるのならば、道を示してくださるに違いありません。いつもそうですからね。神様が、ふさわしい人を召すのではなく、召された人を相応しくする、という事を信じる事にします。
このブログを読んでいる皆さんに、証をしたいと思います。神様は本当に生きていらっしゃって、私達一人一人、個人的に興味を持ってくださっていらっしゃいます。私達全員に幸せになって欲しいと望んでいるのです。私達、子供の一人一人の名前をしっていて、自分の元に帰ってきて欲しいと望んでいます。みんなを平等に見ていて、神様を天のお父様であるという事、そしてイエス様の事を救い主だという事を受け入れられるように、平等のチャンスを下さいました。これからこのアドベンチャーに出るにあたって、今から起ころうとしている事も、神様の頭の中では、みんな計算済みだという事を信じて、全てを神様の御心のまま、と身を委ねることにしました。私は教えるだけ。聖霊がちゃんと彼らの心にメッセージを届けてくださいます。そのメッセージを受け入れるか否かは、彼ら自身次第なのです。
みんな大好きだよ！
良い一週間を！
ジョンソン長老
Random stuff that happened this week:
I crashed Elder Jenk's bike in Toyota. Yeah :)
We had a great food party with our English class students!
Romney Shimai finished her mission! She's gone now.
今週起こった事あれこれ:
豊田でジェンクス長老の自転車でこけた事。ハハハ マジです。
英会話の生徒さんたちとパーティをした事！
最後にロムニー姉妹が伝道を終えた事！もう帰っちゃいました。
Aight here's what I know about transfers:
Kariya Elders: Elder Nakamoto, Elder Bradshaw
Kariya Sisters: Sister Durant, Sister Sergeant
Toyota Elders: Elder Nakatsuka (HE WENT DISTRICT LEADER YEAH!), Elder Dana
Toyota 2 Elders: Elder Decker, Elder Miyaki
Okazaki: Elder Tsuru, Elder Klein, Elder Yamada (2 Zone Leaders and a District Leader in a 3人? Woah)
Toyohashi: Elder Hunsaker and Bean Chan (HE WENT TRAINER YEAH!)
Inuyama: Me and Elder Sheppard (way stoked to meet this kid) - apparently they are closing down Inuyama Sisters this transfer :(
今回の転勤で移動になった人たち:
刈谷の長老 中本長老とブラッドシャー長老
刈谷の姉妹 デュラント姉妹とサージェント姉妹
豊田の長老 中塚長老 (彼はディストリクトリーダー昇進 やったね！) とデイナ長老
豊田2の長老 デッカー長老と宮木長老
岡崎 鶴長老とクライン長老と山田長老
豊橋 ハンセーカー長老 と新米宣教師
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