Well... If I were to sum up my week briefly, we talked to A LOT of people! Always way fun. Wave down a bike and say, "Excuse me! Excuse me! We're teaching people about how they can become happier and find peace through Jesus Christ, are you interested?" And we found some people that said yes this week! So, we have a couple appointments, and we'll see how they go.
As for teaching this week, we decided to drop the last person we were really meeting regularly... He didn't want to accept anything besides the bible, so there just wasn't much we could do. Man. I wish I could just make people see this the way I see things! But I guess it doesn't work that way. God wants people to walk by faith, because that is the way people grow.
That can be pretty easy to forget sometimes - even when we do have the Gospel. To be honest, I asked myself a few times this week, how come I can't find people to teach? Couldn't following the Spirit be easier? Why can't I just know exactly where I should go, what I should do, and what I should say? But, walking by faith, not knowledge, is what makes people grow. When I think of the Saviors example - His wisdom as He taught the woman caught in adultery, His love as He forgave the Jews as He suffered on the cross, His strength as He performed the Atonement, His humility as He said Thy will be done - I feel grateful for the opportunity to grow. Even though sometimes I want the easy way, when God grants me a glimpse of His way, I am grateful that He knows a better way. I hope that some day it will lead me to do, serve, and love as He did!
Loving everyday of this awesome work!
Love you all!
Hurrah for Israel!
Elder O'Reilly
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| The Beach! Niigata is the most beautiful place in the world! |
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| My companion being a beast... he ripped his pants making this picture...haha. |
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| Me, trying to be as cool as my companion. |
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| Selfie with a dolphin! Went to the aquarium as a zone today. |
Some questions answered for Mom this week:
Q. How is the language coming along?
A. When I try hard and I'm not tired, it comes very naturally, and it is actually pretty fun. Listening, especially to old people can still be pretty tricky. :/ Praying for the gift of tongues definitely helps though! :)
Q. Do you feel like you can understand more now?
A. Depends on the topic. I can talk about the Gospel and understand most of what is going on, particularly when reading the Book of Mormon. Airplanes? Wedding photography? Other random topics that come up as we talk to people? Not so much. Don't have enough vocab for that yet...
Q. How are you doing with your companion? And all your apartment-mates? Are you all getting along well?
A. Elder O'Connor is pretty laid back, fun, and super hard working guy. All the Elders in my apartment are good missionaries. The other companionship are the zone leaders.
Q. I'm glad you are being so greatly taken care of in the food department by the kind members there! How are you liking the food? Do you like everything? Have you found anything that you don't like?
A. LOVE the food! I LOVE everything. There are some things that took longer to love, like Nato, but I actually plan on having that tonight for dinner in my apartment. It is a good, healthy, cheap meal.
Wow! Lots of questions! Haha. I'm doing good, Mom. :)
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