Now after she prays she goes right to sleep

10/6/08 Email Message

Family!,

Wow D.C.! Ive always wanted to go there. I bet its so cool. The first thing I would want to do there is tour the Smithsonian. Let me know what you think the coolest thing is or what your favorite part of the trip is. Also, Dad let me know what you think of General Patreaus. Im jealous of you that you get to hear him speak.

Haha yeah Yoriko Shimai wrote me a letter about her conversation with you and snuck it into my bicycle helmet with a piece of candy while I was in a meeting after church. She is so cool. She is our best friend here - we love her. Also, our branch is amazing. Yesterday they gave us the biggest food basket I have ever seen. We dont have to go shopping at all this week now! They are so cool.

Im excited for General Conference this weekend. The broadcast is delayed one week to Japan, so we wont see it until this Saturday and Sunday. But Gross Choro and I are going to spend the weekend in our Zone Leaders area and watch Conference with them. Im super excited.

Also this week was great. We had a cool experience with one of our investigators this week. Her name is Yuko San and we met her streeting a few weeks back. She wasnt really interested at first, but we set up an appointment to teach her. The first time we went to her house she was really busy, but we asked her what we could do to help her. Turns out her dog really needed to go on a walk - so we took her out for a trip around the neighborhood. Then last week Yuko San called us and said she needed someone to talk to. We met her at the church and visited with her for a while. Its turns out she has had a pretty hard life. She has survived a stroke, lymphnode cancer, and breast cancer. But now because of all her medical bills she has really bad money problems. She has been really worried about her life and very stressed from all her problems. We taught her about Christ and how His atonement can help her life. We shared with her the miracle of the Restoration and how it can bless her. At the end we prayed together. I said the prayer, but it was very simple. When I finished I looked up and she was crying. We gave her a Book of Mormon and asked her to read the Introduction before our next meeting. Two days later we met her again. She had read up to Alma 40! She said she didnt understand it all of course, but when she reads it it calms her down and she feels peaceful. Also she prays at night now too. She couldnt sleep very well before apparently, but now after she prays she goes right to sleep. She said she believes in Jesus Christ and knows he lived. She feels like God led us to her to help her life. It was so cool! Gross Choro and I just sat there in awe while she bore her testimony of the gospel. She just learned about it two days ago, but she already knows its true! The gospel is true! Its power is real. Im not just fooling myself or making things up. Other people feel it too! Yuko San has felt for herself the power of Christs love. In just two days her life is so much better than it was before. How amazing is that! I love being a missionary.

Im so glad that I get to have these experiences. Im helping people help their lives. And I get to see the gospel work in peoples hearts. Not only that, I get to feel it in mine too. I know I am here to help other people, but I feel like I get more benefit out of this than anyone else. I almost feel slefish sometimes because of the gifts Im getting from this. Im supposed to be giving gifts - not taking them! I guess thats how the mission works though. So cool! I love you all so much! Im glad you are having so much fun in D.C. Tell me all about it! I miss you! Ai shite imasu!
Love, Elder Kingsford

P.S. - Also, if you ever want to send me anything CDs would be nice. I can listen to anything with a church music label on it - including EFY, Mindy Gledhill, Kenneth Cope, and John Schmidt. Word on the street is classical music will be approved soon too! Haha thats sure gotten everyone excited ;-)