3/29/10 Email Message
Dear Family,
I dont have a lot of time, but I just wanted to say I love you. Things are going great here. This is definitely the best time of my mission. Im really glad I chose to extend to the end of June. Im so happy to be here and to be a missionary. I wouldnt chose to be anywhere else than right here in Hachinohe Japan.
Its snowing right now. Im pretty sure it will never warm up.
I love you! I hope Kendall has a great time with the musical. Break a leg ;-)
Much Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
We aren't ready to handle all the success
3/23/10 Email Message
Family,
Hey! Thanks for all the awesome pictures mom! It looks like you had a lot of fun in chattanooga...or at least Asher does...what a cute kid.
I cant think of anything interesting to say today...its cloudy and snowing again today. but we have an exciting new development. In addition to raining, snowing, and just generally being cold all the time the wind has decided to start blowing at record speeds. I was going down the hill on my bike the other day and had to get off and walk it down because the wind wouldnt let me roll down straight. Im starting to wonder if this place even has summer...
Imoto san (the guy that came to our window) has decided to get baptized at the end of April...yayy!!
I played basketball today for the first time in almost a year - it was a blast...but I learned something. As a result of it being so cold outside for the past few months I havent gotten much of an opportunity to go outside and run around. As a result I am unfortunately serverely out of shape. An hour of half court, pick up basketball has completely worn me out. From here on out I will now be running outside in the morning instead of lifting weights inside. I dont care how cold/windy it is ;-)
We worked really hard last week though and saw a lot of blessings. It was basically the most productive week on my mission. We now have three investigators with solid baptism dates. All of them are so cool, and so interesting. Especially Wang san - our Chinese kinjin. I have decided that I really like Chinese people now. When the Church finally gets into that country those missionaries are going to have a free for all. Ive met soooo many prepared Chinese people on my mission. Im starting to think the reason the church cant go yet is because we arent ready to handle all the success we are going to see. There are billions of people in China - and if even a fraction of those are anything like Wang san look out. Its going to be something special.
Now its time for the sad but necessary part of this email...
I got my dying papers last week - sad day. They basically told me Im about to leave soon but that if I endure to the end I will be blessed. It also had my basic return information. My last day in the field is June 24 but my return day is Friday June 25. Apparently they will try to get me home in the early afternoon if they can, but they havent bought the tickets yet so they dont know for sure. They asked me a few questions, but I just want to clarify with you before I answer. Our airport is called the "Huntsville International Airport" right? Also am I right in assuming that Bishop Blake and President Draughon are still our bishop and stake president? I am guessing if there were any changes with that you would have let me know, but I just want to make sure.
Also Ive got my classes lined up for BYU next year. Kaicho told me to make sure Im prepared for it, so I got on and mapped out my next two semesters. Ive decided to stick to Accounting for now - but also to explore some other fields a little and make myself stretch more. Im going to take all the preRecs for the accounting program but also go the honors route and take a bunch of honors classes. Ill be taking Honors Biology 260, an honors PoliSci class (international relations), as well as Japanese, and a world religions class. (I threw in film and weight training for fun) As of now Ive got 18 credit hours for both semesters. Im guessing registration will be in a couple of weeks...
Anyways thats kind of depressing so Ill stop now. We are on our way to a Family Home evening from here so that shoud be fun.
I love you! thanks for the great emails. And awesome pictures. Talk to you soon!
Love, Elder Kingsford
p.s. - happy 21st birthday to me this saturday - i feel old already
Family,
Hey! Thanks for all the awesome pictures mom! It looks like you had a lot of fun in chattanooga...or at least Asher does...what a cute kid.
I cant think of anything interesting to say today...its cloudy and snowing again today. but we have an exciting new development. In addition to raining, snowing, and just generally being cold all the time the wind has decided to start blowing at record speeds. I was going down the hill on my bike the other day and had to get off and walk it down because the wind wouldnt let me roll down straight. Im starting to wonder if this place even has summer...
Imoto san (the guy that came to our window) has decided to get baptized at the end of April...yayy!!
I played basketball today for the first time in almost a year - it was a blast...but I learned something. As a result of it being so cold outside for the past few months I havent gotten much of an opportunity to go outside and run around. As a result I am unfortunately serverely out of shape. An hour of half court, pick up basketball has completely worn me out. From here on out I will now be running outside in the morning instead of lifting weights inside. I dont care how cold/windy it is ;-)
We worked really hard last week though and saw a lot of blessings. It was basically the most productive week on my mission. We now have three investigators with solid baptism dates. All of them are so cool, and so interesting. Especially Wang san - our Chinese kinjin. I have decided that I really like Chinese people now. When the Church finally gets into that country those missionaries are going to have a free for all. Ive met soooo many prepared Chinese people on my mission. Im starting to think the reason the church cant go yet is because we arent ready to handle all the success we are going to see. There are billions of people in China - and if even a fraction of those are anything like Wang san look out. Its going to be something special.
Now its time for the sad but necessary part of this email...
I got my dying papers last week - sad day. They basically told me Im about to leave soon but that if I endure to the end I will be blessed. It also had my basic return information. My last day in the field is June 24 but my return day is Friday June 25. Apparently they will try to get me home in the early afternoon if they can, but they havent bought the tickets yet so they dont know for sure. They asked me a few questions, but I just want to clarify with you before I answer. Our airport is called the "Huntsville International Airport" right? Also am I right in assuming that Bishop Blake and President Draughon are still our bishop and stake president? I am guessing if there were any changes with that you would have let me know, but I just want to make sure.
Also Ive got my classes lined up for BYU next year. Kaicho told me to make sure Im prepared for it, so I got on and mapped out my next two semesters. Ive decided to stick to Accounting for now - but also to explore some other fields a little and make myself stretch more. Im going to take all the preRecs for the accounting program but also go the honors route and take a bunch of honors classes. Ill be taking Honors Biology 260, an honors PoliSci class (international relations), as well as Japanese, and a world religions class. (I threw in film and weight training for fun) As of now Ive got 18 credit hours for both semesters. Im guessing registration will be in a couple of weeks...
Anyways thats kind of depressing so Ill stop now. We are on our way to a Family Home evening from here so that shoud be fun.
I love you! thanks for the great emails. And awesome pictures. Talk to you soon!
Love, Elder Kingsford
p.s. - happy 21st birthday to me this saturday - i feel old already
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tender Mercies
3/15/10 Email Message
Family,
First of all - that looks like one beautiful reception you put on. Where was it held? It looks fabulous! Mom and Dad strike again...
How is everyones spring break? Its this week right? Let me know how it goes!
We had a pretty crazy week. By monday of last week the ice and left over snow from the winter was pretty much all melted away. We were looking forward to the beautiful spring months here and dreaming of warm days ahead. When we woke up Wednesday morning there was 60 centimeters (two feet) of snow on the ground and it was still falling in blizzard proportions. Around lunch time we went out to shovel snow for some of the old ladies in our branch, and we were at least knee deep in snow everywhere we walked. On top of that the snow/hail/sleet was falling so hard and the wind was so strong that we had to hold our shovels in front of our faces to protect our eyes. It was unbelievable! I felt like Parley P. Pratt trekking through the snow on his way to preach the gospel to the Indians. Crazy day...
But Saturday was amazing! We held Sandras baptism service in the afternoon and it was wonderful. Sooo many people from the branch came to support and love her. I was so happy for Sandra. She was beaming the entire day. When we sang the opening hymn, ("Baptism" from the childrens hymnbook) she held her baby close and gave him soft kisses on his head while tears fell from her eyes. The scene melted my heart and I felt the special, sweet love from the Spirit that I have grown to treasure on my mission. It felt like Heavenly Father was smiling at that exact moment because of Sandra. She is one of the most special people I have met on my mission. She just radiates the light of Christ. I am so happy for her and for her family. Ive felt so light and joyful since she was baptized. I dont know why the Lord has blessed me so much lately. Theres a phrase Ive really grown to love recently - "the tender mercies of the Lord". Ive heard it many times in the past, but I never really knew what it meant. After my experiences these last few months, especially meeting and teaching Sandra, I now know what it means. I have felt "the tender mercies of the Lord" in my life. My heart seems to be filled with them.
Our Chinese investigator (Wang Zun) came to the baptism and had the entire thing translated into Chinese for her by a personal translator (returned missionary from Taiwan). Afterwards she kept saying how amazing she felt and how excited she is for her own baptism next month. We are too.
Also this morning we were sitting in our apartment just relaxing (p day) when someone knocked on our back window. It was a young man we met on the street a couple of months ago late at night on our way home from a long day. At the time he told us he wasnt interested because he didnt need God. But today he told us he felt something when we talked. And hes been thinking about it ever since. And now he has decided he does need God. He wants to learn more about what we believe and why he felt so special when he talked to us. I didnt even know what to say. That was the first time I have ever found an investigator while literally just sitting in my apartment. We are meeting him on thursday.
I love you! Thanks so much for being amazing! Talk to you soon!
Elder Brendan Kingsford
The Tender Mercies of the Lord
Family,
First of all - that looks like one beautiful reception you put on. Where was it held? It looks fabulous! Mom and Dad strike again...
How is everyones spring break? Its this week right? Let me know how it goes!
We had a pretty crazy week. By monday of last week the ice and left over snow from the winter was pretty much all melted away. We were looking forward to the beautiful spring months here and dreaming of warm days ahead. When we woke up Wednesday morning there was 60 centimeters (two feet) of snow on the ground and it was still falling in blizzard proportions. Around lunch time we went out to shovel snow for some of the old ladies in our branch, and we were at least knee deep in snow everywhere we walked. On top of that the snow/hail/sleet was falling so hard and the wind was so strong that we had to hold our shovels in front of our faces to protect our eyes. It was unbelievable! I felt like Parley P. Pratt trekking through the snow on his way to preach the gospel to the Indians. Crazy day...
But Saturday was amazing! We held Sandras baptism service in the afternoon and it was wonderful. Sooo many people from the branch came to support and love her. I was so happy for Sandra. She was beaming the entire day. When we sang the opening hymn, ("Baptism" from the childrens hymnbook) she held her baby close and gave him soft kisses on his head while tears fell from her eyes. The scene melted my heart and I felt the special, sweet love from the Spirit that I have grown to treasure on my mission. It felt like Heavenly Father was smiling at that exact moment because of Sandra. She is one of the most special people I have met on my mission. She just radiates the light of Christ. I am so happy for her and for her family. Ive felt so light and joyful since she was baptized. I dont know why the Lord has blessed me so much lately. Theres a phrase Ive really grown to love recently - "the tender mercies of the Lord". Ive heard it many times in the past, but I never really knew what it meant. After my experiences these last few months, especially meeting and teaching Sandra, I now know what it means. I have felt "the tender mercies of the Lord" in my life. My heart seems to be filled with them.
Our Chinese investigator (Wang Zun) came to the baptism and had the entire thing translated into Chinese for her by a personal translator (returned missionary from Taiwan). Afterwards she kept saying how amazing she felt and how excited she is for her own baptism next month. We are too.
Also this morning we were sitting in our apartment just relaxing (p day) when someone knocked on our back window. It was a young man we met on the street a couple of months ago late at night on our way home from a long day. At the time he told us he wasnt interested because he didnt need God. But today he told us he felt something when we talked. And hes been thinking about it ever since. And now he has decided he does need God. He wants to learn more about what we believe and why he felt so special when he talked to us. I didnt even know what to say. That was the first time I have ever found an investigator while literally just sitting in my apartment. We are meeting him on thursday.
I love you! Thanks so much for being amazing! Talk to you soon!
Elder Brendan Kingsford
The Tender Mercies of the Lord
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Its really a treat to teach her and learn from her at the same time.
To My Family!!
Wow cant believe Michelle is getting married. Tell her congratulations from me. Im sure her reception will be amazing. No doubt Mom and Dad will make it beautiful...its what you do best ;-)
Ashers party sounds like its going to be a blast. Whats the theme? Take tons of pictures and send them to me! I just hope he gets some of his own cake...
Is Cassie fully moved in now? Did she carve a space out of Kendalls back wing? Haha I bet its weird having two kids again. And the pictures look awesome! i love the red dirt shots!!
Things are going wonderfully here. Sandra is firmly committed to being baptized on the 13th! She is so good. Everytime we meet her she surprises me with her depth of understanding and her faithful willingness to believe. The scriptures just speak to her heart and she understands them in ways Ive never even thought of before. Its really a treat to teach her and learn from her at the same time. But that brings me to the favor I wanted to ask. Sandra is a single mother of a one year old baby boy who is just the coolest little kid ever. I was wanting to get her some stuff that will help her raise her son in the church. Mom can you help me out with that? What kind of stuff would be good? Little picture books, stuff to play with at church, etc? Can you find a few little things and send them to me? I think she would like that a lot.
Also last sunday we had a special night time sacrament meeting for our Nepalese investigator Rajesh. 5 people attended - the branch president, anjiki kyoudai, rajesh, me and my companion. President gave a talk, and blessed the sacrament. Anjiki kyoudai also gave a talk and passed the sacrament. My companion played the organ and gave the opening prayer. I translated the whole thing and gave the closing prayer. and Rajesh got to enjoy his first sacrament meeting. It was a neat experience. Although it was the smallest sacrament meeting Ive ever been to, It was one of the most special. As I sat there on the front (and only) row and sang the hymns (in a mixture of Japanese and english) and partook of the sacrament with our small little congregation I felt such a strong feeling of peace and joy. I could feel that Heavenly Father loved us and was proud of Rajesh for coming this far even with so much adversity. He is getting baptized next week and Heavenly Father is smiling because of that.
I love my Heavenly Father. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. Im so happy to be a missionary and Im so grateful for these little moments that I will never forget.
And I love you too! Keep sending me those pictures...Im sending you some of my own so you can see what life is like in Hachinohe. Talk to you next week!
Much Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Wow cant believe Michelle is getting married. Tell her congratulations from me. Im sure her reception will be amazing. No doubt Mom and Dad will make it beautiful...its what you do best ;-)
Ashers party sounds like its going to be a blast. Whats the theme? Take tons of pictures and send them to me! I just hope he gets some of his own cake...
Is Cassie fully moved in now? Did she carve a space out of Kendalls back wing? Haha I bet its weird having two kids again. And the pictures look awesome! i love the red dirt shots!!
Things are going wonderfully here. Sandra is firmly committed to being baptized on the 13th! She is so good. Everytime we meet her she surprises me with her depth of understanding and her faithful willingness to believe. The scriptures just speak to her heart and she understands them in ways Ive never even thought of before. Its really a treat to teach her and learn from her at the same time. But that brings me to the favor I wanted to ask. Sandra is a single mother of a one year old baby boy who is just the coolest little kid ever. I was wanting to get her some stuff that will help her raise her son in the church. Mom can you help me out with that? What kind of stuff would be good? Little picture books, stuff to play with at church, etc? Can you find a few little things and send them to me? I think she would like that a lot.
Also last sunday we had a special night time sacrament meeting for our Nepalese investigator Rajesh. 5 people attended - the branch president, anjiki kyoudai, rajesh, me and my companion. President gave a talk, and blessed the sacrament. Anjiki kyoudai also gave a talk and passed the sacrament. My companion played the organ and gave the opening prayer. I translated the whole thing and gave the closing prayer. and Rajesh got to enjoy his first sacrament meeting. It was a neat experience. Although it was the smallest sacrament meeting Ive ever been to, It was one of the most special. As I sat there on the front (and only) row and sang the hymns (in a mixture of Japanese and english) and partook of the sacrament with our small little congregation I felt such a strong feeling of peace and joy. I could feel that Heavenly Father loved us and was proud of Rajesh for coming this far even with so much adversity. He is getting baptized next week and Heavenly Father is smiling because of that.
I love my Heavenly Father. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. Im so happy to be a missionary and Im so grateful for these little moments that I will never forget.
And I love you too! Keep sending me those pictures...Im sending you some of my own so you can see what life is like in Hachinohe. Talk to you next week!
Much Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Friday, February 26, 2010
It almost feels like we are starting all over again
2/22/10 Email Message
Family,
First things first...the Church had google renovate their email system for them and now all missionaries are using a version of gmail. So this is the first email sent from my new missionary gmail account. Its awesome! Soooooo much better than the last one we had - and you can send me as many pictures as you want and i never have to delete! woo hoo!
Also that is so cool that Kendall went on a date! She is so gorgeous! That outfit is so you kendall! was it fun?...Mom said Wesley has a cool car - but really, is it as cool as my Mazda Protege- doubt it. Mom you should send me more pictures of Kendall!
Mom you have a facebook? I think thats cool. Too bad Kimberly wont befriend you, we'll see how long that lasts. What do you do on it? Talk to your girls? Do you facebook stalk people? Do you take emo photos of yourself in the mirror and turn them into albums? Thats what all the cool kids do. Im excited to see it. Dont worry...I'll be your friend.
Kimberly's baby is the cutest kid ever. Im so jealous all of you get to play with him all the time - I havent even met him!! The pictures Kimberly sent me are awesome. Looks like it was a fun picnic at the river.
Tomorrow we have a mission conference with Elder Choi of the Seventy. Im pretty excited. I really enjoyed his talk in last general conference so Im glad we get to meet him and get training from him.
Things here are going good. Last week was kind of tough though. We had to let quite a few of our investigators go. They werent really interested in actually putting in the effort it takes to change their lives and repent. They just wanted to be our friends and meet with us because we are so nice to them. I wish we could keep meeting with them and be their friends too, but thats not what we are called to do. We only teach people that are willing to follow Jesus by repenting and keeping commitments. We had quite a few sad meetings the past few days, but its for the best. Now we just need to rely on the Lord to lead us to his prepared people. It almost feels like we are starting all over again, but its ok. We'll just work hard and have the faith and the Lord will make up the rest. I guess thats what the mission is all about. We'll see what happens...
I love you! Sorry I dont have more exciting things to write about. I feel like the last few emails have been really boring. Haha Ill keep my eye out for something cool I can tell you about next week. I cant make any promises though
Much Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
P.S. - Ive eaten American cereal every morning (and sometimes nights too) for the past week. Blueberry Muffin Frosted MiniWheats, Marshmallow Mateys, Honey Nut Chex, and Reeses Puffs. Im in heaven.
Family,
First things first...the Church had google renovate their email system for them and now all missionaries are using a version of gmail. So this is the first email sent from my new missionary gmail account. Its awesome! Soooooo much better than the last one we had - and you can send me as many pictures as you want and i never have to delete! woo hoo!
Also that is so cool that Kendall went on a date! She is so gorgeous! That outfit is so you kendall! was it fun?...Mom said Wesley has a cool car - but really, is it as cool as my Mazda Protege- doubt it. Mom you should send me more pictures of Kendall!
Mom you have a facebook? I think thats cool. Too bad Kimberly wont befriend you, we'll see how long that lasts. What do you do on it? Talk to your girls? Do you facebook stalk people? Do you take emo photos of yourself in the mirror and turn them into albums? Thats what all the cool kids do. Im excited to see it. Dont worry...I'll be your friend.
Kimberly's baby is the cutest kid ever. Im so jealous all of you get to play with him all the time - I havent even met him!! The pictures Kimberly sent me are awesome. Looks like it was a fun picnic at the river.
Tomorrow we have a mission conference with Elder Choi of the Seventy. Im pretty excited. I really enjoyed his talk in last general conference so Im glad we get to meet him and get training from him.
Things here are going good. Last week was kind of tough though. We had to let quite a few of our investigators go. They werent really interested in actually putting in the effort it takes to change their lives and repent. They just wanted to be our friends and meet with us because we are so nice to them. I wish we could keep meeting with them and be their friends too, but thats not what we are called to do. We only teach people that are willing to follow Jesus by repenting and keeping commitments. We had quite a few sad meetings the past few days, but its for the best. Now we just need to rely on the Lord to lead us to his prepared people. It almost feels like we are starting all over again, but its ok. We'll just work hard and have the faith and the Lord will make up the rest. I guess thats what the mission is all about. We'll see what happens...
I love you! Sorry I dont have more exciting things to write about. I feel like the last few emails have been really boring. Haha Ill keep my eye out for something cool I can tell you about next week. I cant make any promises though
Much Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
P.S. - Ive eaten American cereal every morning (and sometimes nights too) for the past week. Blueberry Muffin Frosted MiniWheats, Marshmallow Mateys, Honey Nut Chex, and Reeses Puffs. Im in heaven.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENDALL!!!!!!
2/8/10 Email Message to Kendall
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENDALL!!!!!! I hope you have a fantastic birthday. Its already February 8 here on the other side of the world. And let me tell you February 8, 2010 is amazing. Its a wonderful day to turn 16! I hope you enjoy it...also I sent you a birthday package a while back and it should get there in a few days. So be on the look out for that!
Not much going on here. Still unbelievably cold. A couple of days ago we went to a Joseph Smith fireside put on by the mission president and his wife. I was the undefeated stick pulling champion!! Ive now been to 3 of these firesides all over northern Japan and I havent even come close to losing once!! Of course I am about 40 pounds heavier and a head taller than everyone else but hey they get what they ask for ;-) Also we are going on base today and going shopping at the american grocery store - so exciting. I dont even know what to buy!
But anyways I hope you have a wonderful birthday. Happy Sweet 16!!
Love you bunches,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENDALL!!!!!! I hope you have a fantastic birthday. Its already February 8 here on the other side of the world. And let me tell you February 8, 2010 is amazing. Its a wonderful day to turn 16! I hope you enjoy it...also I sent you a birthday package a while back and it should get there in a few days. So be on the look out for that!
Not much going on here. Still unbelievably cold. A couple of days ago we went to a Joseph Smith fireside put on by the mission president and his wife. I was the undefeated stick pulling champion!! Ive now been to 3 of these firesides all over northern Japan and I havent even come close to losing once!! Of course I am about 40 pounds heavier and a head taller than everyone else but hey they get what they ask for ;-) Also we are going on base today and going shopping at the american grocery store - so exciting. I dont even know what to buy!
But anyways I hope you have a wonderful birthday. Happy Sweet 16!!
Love you bunches,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Monday, February 1, 2010
I gave a talk yesterday in English! yikes.
2/1/10 Email Message
Family,
Thanks for all the emails! Especially the pictures you sent me mom - did kendall really create that? Its incredible. How did you learn how to do that?! how come I didnt get any of the talented genes? The house looks good - did we paint the front door that color before i left? I cant remember...I love when you send pictures with your emails. Thanks so much mom! The pictures look great.
Things are going good here. We have sooo many people we are teaching and sooo many good things going on. We set another baptism date last week. I gave up sweets to help our friend give up tobacco and alcohol. Anjiki kyoudai got the priesthood yesterday and he was so happy. I gave a talk yesterday in English! yikes. Speaking japanese has now become a habit. I recently realized that I havent had a prolem with it in quite a while. Its pretty amazing. I am just full of thanks.
The weather has been surprisingly warm the last few days. But thats about it.
Life is good. I love my family. Talk to you soon!
Much Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
Family,
Thanks for all the emails! Especially the pictures you sent me mom - did kendall really create that? Its incredible. How did you learn how to do that?! how come I didnt get any of the talented genes? The house looks good - did we paint the front door that color before i left? I cant remember...I love when you send pictures with your emails. Thanks so much mom! The pictures look great.
Things are going good here. We have sooo many people we are teaching and sooo many good things going on. We set another baptism date last week. I gave up sweets to help our friend give up tobacco and alcohol. Anjiki kyoudai got the priesthood yesterday and he was so happy. I gave a talk yesterday in English! yikes. Speaking japanese has now become a habit. I recently realized that I havent had a prolem with it in quite a while. Its pretty amazing. I am just full of thanks.
The weather has been surprisingly warm the last few days. But thats about it.
Life is good. I love my family. Talk to you soon!
Much Love,
Elder Brendan Kingsford
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