Week 93: Seek and ye shall find 求めなさい。そうすれば、与えられるであろう。

This week we again went many times by bike to distant places. We visited many many people. Had an exchange on Wednesday with Elder Dos Santos.  It was a crazy day!

So we wanted the full day to just find people since we had no lessons, so as soon as study was over, we started biking. We stopped just for a few minutes at..... McDonalds. (SOOOO MUCH BETTER THAN AMERICA>>>>> SHRIMP AVOCADO BURGER)  Then biked the rest of the way to Kami-shi. Its pretty far, but we can get there in 50 minutes. We visited a bunch of people and confirmed several that were clearly moved away. (one of them the place was a mess inside and it was COVERED in greenery!)  It was getting later in the day, and we went south to konan-shi. Lots of biking but way beautiful!

Then we visited a less-active priest. We got into the area and asked someone on the street if she knew the person. (addresses are almost never written on the houses!) she asked her friend, who was apparently the wife of the person we were looking for (not a member). She told us that she didn`t know he was a member of our church! she was very surprised.

Then she invited us into the house. ALRIGHT! haha. We were about to explain that we can`t go in unless her husband was there too, but then the husband rolled up in his car. SCORE!

We went in and had a lesson with the two of them and their 2 children, ages 3 and 6 (so cute!) and it was awesome. The husband doesn`t remember much about the church, and the wife doesn`t know anything, but they both have interest in the Book of Mormon and Prayer. Those are good things to have interest in! haha. ^^

Then we went to another house. The person we were looking for was not there. But there was a Filipino guy.....! haha what? set up an appointment to share our message with him for this week.

A new student at our English class came up to me and after short conversation said she loves church. Oh really? So I invited her and she came yesterday! The members and her got along way good and we even all made crepes after church. It was excellent.  We have a lesson with her on Tuesday and it looks like we can meet twice a week.

I was really hoping we could find a few more people that will be able to receive baptism before I go home. Looks like we found them just in time. ^^  Just when I thought all this biking was taking way too much time and was extremely tiring, the Lord blessed us.

I`ve been thinking recently that the way we can show our faith changes with time. While before, a long bike ride I would have thought of as fun...... is not so fun anymore. When I feel impressed we need to visit a bunch of people far away, it takes faith to follow that prompting. But the Lord will always bless me for it!

Loving the work!

Elder O`Reilly

The people in Kochi are ridiculous. EVERYONE likes to feed missionaries. Our table looks like this all the time. This is Tuesday night after English class. its GOOD FOOD! ^^

Kochi church chapel

Kochi church

On the road to a member. Lives on the top of this crazy mountain! 

ALL RIGHT FREE BUS! TOTALLY RIDING THIS THING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN!

Woah.

Some lady in this field called us over to help her plant ginger roots. We planted a row. It was fun. Turns out she was neighbors to the person we were going to visit.

The lady in the field took us with her husband to dig up baby bamboo in the bamboo forest. coolest thing ever! search the forest ground for little green sprouts like this, and dig it up with a pick-axe. You can eat the inside! pretty tasty. She gave us her son`s old high-school backpack to carry it back.

CUT IT OPEN!

Week 92

Oh goodness. we have visited all the less actives in the near-by area, so we went a little further out. every day. We biked to far places every day. Kochi is really really big. haha.

We kept pushing though, and we were able to find more people who have potential to come back to church. but holy cow I`m tired.

And....... the 15th Elder in Kochi was ordained, Yesterday, on Easter. So that means that a Stake can be formed on Shikoku! It was a branch conference, so other priesthood leaders including President Zinke came to the meeting. It was a great meeting. I sang in the choir as well.

Looking forward to another good week,

Elder O`Reilly

pretty cool

The beach! actually this is on top of a museum for a guy named Sakamoto Ryoma. He was actually a pretty cool guy.  We didn`t make it to the beach. One of the other missionary`s bike tire went flat and we decided to figure it out right away rather then going to the beach.

It was Elder Dos Santo`s birthday on Thursday! An investigator took us out to eat...... at the hotel where the Royal Family comes to stay in Kochi. yeah, it was pretty cool.

Week 91: General Conference! 総大会！

Wasn`t General Conference great?  I may be a little late, but I just watched it all yesterday and the day before. My favorite talk was Saturday Afternoon, first talk. Elder Nelson. He states that as long as we have a distinction for our `best behavior` or our `Personal Life` that we will never reach our fullest potential! How true that is. We have one investigator with which this is seen clearly.  He tells us all he wants to do is sit and read his books and he doesn`t want to come to church dressed up or stay all 3 hours. He is so focused on his `personal life` that he is missing the big picture!!

With the work we have been doing with less actives, it is clear that by small and simple things, great things are brought to pass.

Scripture study, prayer, meaningful Sabbath day worship, HOME TEACHING, is SOOOOOOOOOO important! This isn`t just to help us get through the next day, or a struggle we are going through. These things are designed to help us to gain Eternal blessings. How cunning is the Devil to convince the children of God that skipping these things once in a while is not a big deal? Didn`t we come to this Earth to prepare to meet God? Is not all else merely distractions to make us stumble on the path?

We had interviews with President this week as well. My interview was way short. `ready to go home?` haha. oh gosh, its not that close, is it? Actually, I am the most experienced missionary in the field, along with the missionaries that came to Japan with me. (6 missionaries total, and 3 go home in 3 weeks)

President gave us training  before interviews, and we talked a lot about `Sweet Boldness`. This is very important for helping those in need, the less actives. When you start to hear them give excuses, rather than folding to those excuses, answering them with passionate Boldness. It reminded me of the time in Matsuyama when our recent convert began to list off reasons he couldn`t come to church anymore. If I hadn`t listened to the spirit and acted with boldness, he could have become lost like the hundreds of other less actives. We really have the power to make real, lasting differences in people when we listen to the spirit and act in the power of the Lord! It is incredible that the Lord gives us opportunities to do that.

Well today was kind of a ramble... haha sorry about that. Today for Preparation day we are going to katurahama (beach). There is an aquarium and stuff, should be fun.

Love you all!
Elder O`Reilly

We had a lesson early morning Friday. We are usually studying at this time, so it was kind of fun to see the school rush. SOOO MANY BIKES!!! haha. all going through the shopping district.

Kouchi sure is a beautiful place.

Hey its Elder Weir!

Week 90: Gift of the Holy Ghost 聖霊の賜物

So we`ve been teaching only less actives, and there is one thing that I`ve noticed. They are a lot more sensitive to the spirit than those who have not received the gift of the Holy Ghost. What a blessing it is! I am so glad to have it in my life.

We found this one less active member. He was baptised in Tokyo over 30 years ago. Moved here to kochi and never even went to church once in kochi. He said he felt like he was pushed into being baptized.

We met with him, and basically the first thing he says is he was not interested, that our church wasn`t for him.

We kept talking to him. As we talked to him, I realized he was a really good person, that he was trying to do what is right. I told him that the fact that we as people want to do what is right is evidence of a God. I also asked him if he feels good when he does something for someone. This is also evidence of a God. He told us to come back and tell him more.

We came back and were able to teach him all about the restoration of the Gospel, and invited him to pray.

His wife is not a member, and we will be looking for ways we can bring the gospel to them. We teach him at his hospital, after hours.

Looking forward to another great week,

love you all,
Elder O`Reilly

One of the main streets in Kochi city

Ok...... just 99 miles to go.  ( actually we found out it was actually 113 miles total )

THE TIP THE TIP WE MADE IT

Made it to the tip. Oh yeah.  Lets not think of the return trip and just enjoy the ocean. haha.

Lots of cool sights in muroto zaki!

Me and the ocean

LETS GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! .......... the opposite direction that I am pointing......... approximately 60 miles............

Sakura was at full bloom! also I think this picture is awesome.

Sakura! Just for you, mom. ;)