2/2/09 Email Message
Konnichiwa!!
Hows is everything going with my favorite family in the world? It sounds like everyone is having fun and enjoying life. Im glad to hear it!
This week was pretty eventful for us. On Friday Elder Stevenson from the Quorum of the Seventy came and spoke to our mission. It was so fun to sit and listen to him and his wife speak to us. I learned a lot from what they said and even more from the spirit in the room. One of the most powerful topics Elder Stevenson spoke about was the sword of the Spirit. He told us as missionaries, our most powerful tool is our testimonies. Our testimony is literally the sword that we bring to every lesson and every encounter. He then used a lesson on the Word of Wisdom to demonstrate the difference between a lesson without a testimony and a lesson with one. He said the exact same things in both lessons, but in the second one he bore a simple, incredibly powerful testimony. The spirit was so strong, that it literally felt like all the little doubts and questions that were in my mind were pierced with a sword. That little demonstration taught me so much about the power of a testimony. It is the source of our strength and the foundation of our faith. It is the most powerful we posess.
After church on sunday, an old investigator (his name is Kobayashi) who I have never met called us and told us he wanted to meet. He came to church and met us and Yoriko Shimai. He started to talk about how he met the missionaries in the past and has heard all the lessons. He thinks everything about the church is good, but it is just really hard for him to believe in God. He had a list of reasons why he doubts the existence of God. We tried to answer each one individually, but I could just feel like it wasnt working. I couldnt feel the spirit at all - it felt like we were just wasting our time. In the middle of the lesson I said a little silent prayer so I could receive guidance on what to say. And then I remembered Elder Stevensons lesson. And thats when I knew it was time to pull out the sword. I opened the scriptures to Mosiah 2:41[* ](one of my favorites), read it out loud, and then began to bear testimony of God. I have never felt more sure about my testimony than I did at that moment. I have never felt so strongly about my own words than I did at that time. When I was done bearing testimony I felt a prompting to do something I would have never done on my own.
I had never met, talked to, or known anything about Kobayashi san before that lesson. I didnt know anything about him at all. But as I sat there I could clearly feel the spirit telling me what to do - so I followed. I asked Kobayashi san if he would commit to baptism right then. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said yes. I was shocked! I didnt even know who this man was, but I had just committed him to be baptized. It was the strangest experience I have had so far. It was like the moment I began to bear testimony, the spirit took out His sword and destroyed all doubts Kobayashi san could possibly have. It was amazing! I wish you could have been there to see it. I know God is real. I know Christ is our savior and I know this is his church. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and the Book of Mormon is true! That is my testimony. That is my sword.
Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
[*Mosiah 2:41 - And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. ]
Monday, February 2, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
If they receive an answer, they want to set a date this week!
1/26/09 Email Message
Family,
こんいちわ! (Konnichiwa!) Hows it going? I dont really know what to talk about in this email because Im not really sure this last week even happened. It went by sooo fast.
Oh! There is one thing that is pretty exciting. Do you remember a long time ago I told you about that family from Myanmar? Well we have been teaching them a lot lately and they have come to church a few times. They have a lot of interest (especially their two kids) and they really like meeting with us and talking about the gospel. The lessons are kind of difficult because the Church actually does not print the Book of Mormon in Myanmar and as far as we know the Church doesnt even have a presence in Myanmar. However, we were able to get a hold of a gospel principles book and a joseph smith pamphlet in Myanmar. Those have been a lot of help with the parents. The children speak great Japanese so they are fine. They attend church and learn a lot from the teachers there and they are able to read from the Book of Mormon in Japanese. The parents speak decent English and basically no Japanese. So we've been teaching them a lot out of the gospel priniciples book and from an english book of mormon and a Myanmar bible. Sometimes, if the parents dont understand our english we have to say it in Japanese to the kids and then they translate it into Myanmar for their parents. It gets pretty crazy sometimes with three different languages going at the same time, but somehow it works. On Saturday the family committed to pray together about baptism. If they receive an answer, they want to set a date this week! Its pretty exciting. Ill give you an update on that next week.
But thats about all the time I have left. I love you all and think about you all the time. I hope all is well! Tell Merritt I said hi! Do you think she will remember me when I go home?
I love you!
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Family,
こんいちわ! (Konnichiwa!) Hows it going? I dont really know what to talk about in this email because Im not really sure this last week even happened. It went by sooo fast.
Oh! There is one thing that is pretty exciting. Do you remember a long time ago I told you about that family from Myanmar? Well we have been teaching them a lot lately and they have come to church a few times. They have a lot of interest (especially their two kids) and they really like meeting with us and talking about the gospel. The lessons are kind of difficult because the Church actually does not print the Book of Mormon in Myanmar and as far as we know the Church doesnt even have a presence in Myanmar. However, we were able to get a hold of a gospel principles book and a joseph smith pamphlet in Myanmar. Those have been a lot of help with the parents. The children speak great Japanese so they are fine. They attend church and learn a lot from the teachers there and they are able to read from the Book of Mormon in Japanese. The parents speak decent English and basically no Japanese. So we've been teaching them a lot out of the gospel priniciples book and from an english book of mormon and a Myanmar bible. Sometimes, if the parents dont understand our english we have to say it in Japanese to the kids and then they translate it into Myanmar for their parents. It gets pretty crazy sometimes with three different languages going at the same time, but somehow it works. On Saturday the family committed to pray together about baptism. If they receive an answer, they want to set a date this week! Its pretty exciting. Ill give you an update on that next week.
But thats about all the time I have left. I love you all and think about you all the time. I hope all is well! Tell Merritt I said hi! Do you think she will remember me when I go home?
I love you!
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
It was a great day to be a missionary!
1/19/09 Email Message
Family,
Wow things sound like they are going great. Thats so cool that you got to see Asher in such great detail! Im excited to see pictures of him in a couple of months. Im sure he is going to be so cute.
I cant believe the weather is as cold as it is right now. Its nothing like that in Nagaoka right now. It has snowed ALOT but it hasnt been too cold really. The snow is so high now we cant use our bikes anymore though so thats kind of a bummer. We are definitely getting a lot of walking in now.
Apart from the weather things are going good. Yesterday I had the best day at church. I taught Gospel Priniciples class for some investigators and Su san and the lesson was about "Jesus Christ Our Chosen Leader and Savior." It was so much fun. They were so into it. The looks in their eyes when we talked about Jesus and His special relationship to us was so cool. And then afterwards my companion and I attended Primary because our 10 year old investigator came to church and brought her friend with her. We hung out with the kids there and then had a big snowball fight after church together. It was so much fun. We told them all that God loves little boys and girls so much He made snow for them to play with - and after seeing them have so much fun with it Im sure thats true! It was a great day to be a missionary!
Today is P day and the elders from our district came to spend the day with us. It should be fun - we are planning on going to the foreign import food store and buying dr pepper and junk food! Haha nothing tastes more like America than a cold can of Dr Pepper.
I love you all so much! Im so blessed to have the family I have. I dont know what Id do without you! I miss you! Enjoy the nice cold Alabama winter!
Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Family,
Wow things sound like they are going great. Thats so cool that you got to see Asher in such great detail! Im excited to see pictures of him in a couple of months. Im sure he is going to be so cute.
I cant believe the weather is as cold as it is right now. Its nothing like that in Nagaoka right now. It has snowed ALOT but it hasnt been too cold really. The snow is so high now we cant use our bikes anymore though so thats kind of a bummer. We are definitely getting a lot of walking in now.
Apart from the weather things are going good. Yesterday I had the best day at church. I taught Gospel Priniciples class for some investigators and Su san and the lesson was about "Jesus Christ Our Chosen Leader and Savior." It was so much fun. They were so into it. The looks in their eyes when we talked about Jesus and His special relationship to us was so cool. And then afterwards my companion and I attended Primary because our 10 year old investigator came to church and brought her friend with her. We hung out with the kids there and then had a big snowball fight after church together. It was so much fun. We told them all that God loves little boys and girls so much He made snow for them to play with - and after seeing them have so much fun with it Im sure thats true! It was a great day to be a missionary!
Today is P day and the elders from our district came to spend the day with us. It should be fun - we are planning on going to the foreign import food store and buying dr pepper and junk food! Haha nothing tastes more like America than a cold can of Dr Pepper.
I love you all so much! Im so blessed to have the family I have. I dont know what Id do without you! I miss you! Enjoy the nice cold Alabama winter!
Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Monday, January 12, 2009
The gift comes and goes in a way I never thought it would
1/12/09 Email Message
Family!,
Things are going pretty good. Its been snowing like crazy lately and the temperature has dropped drastically. But life is still good. Because of my increased responsibilities I have grown a lot in a these past few weeks. My Japanese has noticeably improved. Both my understanding and my speaking has gotten better. They are no where near where Id like them to be, but they have been just good enough to do what I need to do. The Lord gave me a bigger responsibilty and then gave me the tools to fulfill it. Why did I ever doubt?
I was reading the scriptures the other day and a came across a pretty cool scripture. I dont have them with me right now so Ill just try to paraphrase it. Its in D&C somewhere and it talks about the Lord giving us the words to say when we need to say them. Ive read that before, but I used to have a different understanding of it. I used to think it meant the Lord would teach me Japanese and I wouldnt have to worry about it. After a few months in Japan I started to wonder when the Lord would start teaching me the language. Why couldnt I order food at a restaurant properly? Why couldnt I have a full conversation with the kids in primary? Didnt the Lord promise me He was going to give me full command of the language? Now I know that is not what the scripture means. I have started to realize it is much more subtle than that. Now I know the Lord will give me the language skills I NEED and only WHEN I need them. There have been numerous times over the past few weeks where my Japanese has been good enough to teach a full lesson to a stranger on the street and pick them up as an investigator. And then there have been times where I cant even put together a complete sentence to one of my best friends at church. Its actually pretty shocking when it happens. The gift comes and goes in a way I never thought it would. But Ive started to realize thats because when Im teaching that person on the street I need the gift. When Im talking to my friend at church, I dont need it. Its that simple.
The Lord knows what He is doing. He knows when I need to talk and when I dont need to talk. Its been both very humbling and very inspiring to witness this first hand. I wish you could see it happening.
I love you all! I miss you so much! But just know Im working hard and stretching far. Your emails, letters, thoughts, and prayers help me through the tough times. Thank you so much for being so amazing! I love you!
Much Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Family!,
Things are going pretty good. Its been snowing like crazy lately and the temperature has dropped drastically. But life is still good. Because of my increased responsibilities I have grown a lot in a these past few weeks. My Japanese has noticeably improved. Both my understanding and my speaking has gotten better. They are no where near where Id like them to be, but they have been just good enough to do what I need to do. The Lord gave me a bigger responsibilty and then gave me the tools to fulfill it. Why did I ever doubt?
I was reading the scriptures the other day and a came across a pretty cool scripture. I dont have them with me right now so Ill just try to paraphrase it. Its in D&C somewhere and it talks about the Lord giving us the words to say when we need to say them. Ive read that before, but I used to have a different understanding of it. I used to think it meant the Lord would teach me Japanese and I wouldnt have to worry about it. After a few months in Japan I started to wonder when the Lord would start teaching me the language. Why couldnt I order food at a restaurant properly? Why couldnt I have a full conversation with the kids in primary? Didnt the Lord promise me He was going to give me full command of the language? Now I know that is not what the scripture means. I have started to realize it is much more subtle than that. Now I know the Lord will give me the language skills I NEED and only WHEN I need them. There have been numerous times over the past few weeks where my Japanese has been good enough to teach a full lesson to a stranger on the street and pick them up as an investigator. And then there have been times where I cant even put together a complete sentence to one of my best friends at church. Its actually pretty shocking when it happens. The gift comes and goes in a way I never thought it would. But Ive started to realize thats because when Im teaching that person on the street I need the gift. When Im talking to my friend at church, I dont need it. Its that simple.
The Lord knows what He is doing. He knows when I need to talk and when I dont need to talk. Its been both very humbling and very inspiring to witness this first hand. I wish you could see it happening.
I love you all! I miss you so much! But just know Im working hard and stretching far. Your emails, letters, thoughts, and prayers help me through the tough times. Thank you so much for being so amazing! I love you!
Much Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Friday, January 9, 2009
Its almost like I was literally stretched out to fill the space
1/5/09 Email Message to Kimberly
Kimberly,
First of all how in the world did Alabama lose? Was it even close? Im pretty much in shock right now. I bet Jason went into cardiac arrest. I hope hes ok...but I guess thats what makes college football so fun. It would be boring if the underdog never won.
Primary sounds like its going to be fun. Primary teacher is definitely my favorite calling Ive ever had. Second counselor will be different from teacher, but I bet it will be just as enjoyable. All the little kids will love to have a pregnant teacher I bet. I remember being fascinated by babies when I was little.
And New Years sounds like it was a blast. I miss Dads gyoza. Its funny because Im in Japan, but Ive yet to find any gyoza that is as good as Dads. Maybe its just the tradition that makes them taste so much better. Somehow sitting on the floor in a smoky little Japanese restaurant just isnt the same.
New Years here was pretty much the same as any other day. We just went out and knocked doors and talked to people about the gospel. It was a pretty slow day though because we were in the middle of a snow storm and everyone was too busy to talk to us. We ended up calling the day short. We went home and had our weekly planning session on Thursday instead of Friday and then sat by the heater and listened to some old General Conference talks. It was a great way to usher in the New Year.
Last week was a pretty big adjustment. Without Elder Gross my workload and responsibilty has drastically increased. If I am talking to someone and I dont know what to say or I dont know what they are saying to me, chances are my companion doesnt either. It was a pretty big shock the first couple of days, but it was cool cause now that I look back at last week I can see that Ive already made huge strides. Its almost like I was literally stretched out to fill the space that I have to occupy now. And Im sure Im not done stretching. This transfer should be a time of needed growth.
Things are good though. Its a little tough right now with all the changes but Im learning to deal with them one by one. The training wheels have come off now, which is a good thing because I have to grow up sometime.
Im excited to see the pictures of you and asher though. His birthday is fast approaching. He will be here before we know it. Im so excited for you!
I miss you and Austin! I hope all continues to go well. I also hope Austin is able to recover from the game. That must have been devastating for him.
I love you! Talk to you later.
Much Love,
Elder Kingsford
Kimberly,
First of all how in the world did Alabama lose? Was it even close? Im pretty much in shock right now. I bet Jason went into cardiac arrest. I hope hes ok...but I guess thats what makes college football so fun. It would be boring if the underdog never won.
Primary sounds like its going to be fun. Primary teacher is definitely my favorite calling Ive ever had. Second counselor will be different from teacher, but I bet it will be just as enjoyable. All the little kids will love to have a pregnant teacher I bet. I remember being fascinated by babies when I was little.
And New Years sounds like it was a blast. I miss Dads gyoza. Its funny because Im in Japan, but Ive yet to find any gyoza that is as good as Dads. Maybe its just the tradition that makes them taste so much better. Somehow sitting on the floor in a smoky little Japanese restaurant just isnt the same.
New Years here was pretty much the same as any other day. We just went out and knocked doors and talked to people about the gospel. It was a pretty slow day though because we were in the middle of a snow storm and everyone was too busy to talk to us. We ended up calling the day short. We went home and had our weekly planning session on Thursday instead of Friday and then sat by the heater and listened to some old General Conference talks. It was a great way to usher in the New Year.
Last week was a pretty big adjustment. Without Elder Gross my workload and responsibilty has drastically increased. If I am talking to someone and I dont know what to say or I dont know what they are saying to me, chances are my companion doesnt either. It was a pretty big shock the first couple of days, but it was cool cause now that I look back at last week I can see that Ive already made huge strides. Its almost like I was literally stretched out to fill the space that I have to occupy now. And Im sure Im not done stretching. This transfer should be a time of needed growth.
Things are good though. Its a little tough right now with all the changes but Im learning to deal with them one by one. The training wheels have come off now, which is a good thing because I have to grow up sometime.
Im excited to see the pictures of you and asher though. His birthday is fast approaching. He will be here before we know it. Im so excited for you!
I miss you and Austin! I hope all continues to go well. I also hope Austin is able to recover from the game. That must have been devastating for him.
I love you! Talk to you later.
Much Love,
Elder Kingsford
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Real men ask God for help
1/5/09 Email Message
Family,
New Years sounds like it was a blast! I missed you all last week! and ironically I especially missed Dads gyoza. Even though Im in Japan I have yet to find any gyoza that matches Dads recipe. I think the Japanese restaurants around here could learn a thing or two about how to make gyoza the right way.
The Japanese are crazy about their New Years though. Its a huge three day event for them. The entire extended family comes together and they have tons of little traditions and rituals they do together. Its like Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one super holiday.
Unfortunately, while New Years was tons of fun for Japanese families, it was bad news for us missionaries. The temperature dropped significantly and we had a snow storm settle in for a couple of days. But we decided to stick it out, so Elder Hill and I we went out and dendoed anyway. Even though everyone was so busy we managed to find some new investigators - including a young family that wanted to pay us for the Book of Mormon. But the bad weather reached its peak on New Years day, so after spending most of the day knocking doors in the storm we decided to cut the day short and we went home and held our weekly planning session on thursday instead of friday. Then we spent an hour laying on the floor listening to old General conference talks. I guess it would have been more effective to study Japanese, but seeing as it was New Years day we decided to indulge ourselves.
Also last week was a pretty big adjustment. Without Elder Gross Ive had to grow up real quick. Two weeks ago I had Elder Gross as my bilingual, super charismatic, experienced senior companion. Now Elder Hill and I are just two very young missionaries who barely know what we are doing. We have a lot to learn and not very much time to do it in. But the Lord is helping us.
A few days ago we were talking to Su san about how hard its been for us. She sat and listened to us for a while and then she said "You both sound like girls. You are men right? If you were men you wouldnt complain. Real men ask God for help." That stunned me. I could have sworn I was the gospel teacher and she was the student. But it also made me smile, because it made me realize how much she has grown. She is awesome.
I have to run. I love you all and I miss you like crazy. Have fun with the New Year!
Much Love,
Elder Kingsford
P.S. - Kendall I got your letters! Thank you! Im writing you back today! Love you!
Family,
New Years sounds like it was a blast! I missed you all last week! and ironically I especially missed Dads gyoza. Even though Im in Japan I have yet to find any gyoza that matches Dads recipe. I think the Japanese restaurants around here could learn a thing or two about how to make gyoza the right way.
The Japanese are crazy about their New Years though. Its a huge three day event for them. The entire extended family comes together and they have tons of little traditions and rituals they do together. Its like Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one super holiday.
Unfortunately, while New Years was tons of fun for Japanese families, it was bad news for us missionaries. The temperature dropped significantly and we had a snow storm settle in for a couple of days. But we decided to stick it out, so Elder Hill and I we went out and dendoed anyway. Even though everyone was so busy we managed to find some new investigators - including a young family that wanted to pay us for the Book of Mormon. But the bad weather reached its peak on New Years day, so after spending most of the day knocking doors in the storm we decided to cut the day short and we went home and held our weekly planning session on thursday instead of friday. Then we spent an hour laying on the floor listening to old General conference talks. I guess it would have been more effective to study Japanese, but seeing as it was New Years day we decided to indulge ourselves.
Also last week was a pretty big adjustment. Without Elder Gross Ive had to grow up real quick. Two weeks ago I had Elder Gross as my bilingual, super charismatic, experienced senior companion. Now Elder Hill and I are just two very young missionaries who barely know what we are doing. We have a lot to learn and not very much time to do it in. But the Lord is helping us.
A few days ago we were talking to Su san about how hard its been for us. She sat and listened to us for a while and then she said "You both sound like girls. You are men right? If you were men you wouldnt complain. Real men ask God for help." That stunned me. I could have sworn I was the gospel teacher and she was the student. But it also made me smile, because it made me realize how much she has grown. She is awesome.
I have to run. I love you all and I miss you like crazy. Have fun with the New Year!
Much Love,
Elder Kingsford
P.S. - Kendall I got your letters! Thank you! Im writing you back today! Love you!
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