Week 104 (last one!): How Great Shall Be Our Joy!

Hello Everyone!

It was a fantastic week. Like, one that when it ends, you just want to go out and talk with people more because you realize how blessed you really are.

As a few people have been flaky recently, we just prayed hard and went to talk to everyone on the way to some members homes. We particularly prayed that we would find those ready to be baptized each day. There were a few times I really felt that we did.

Here was one such occasion:

His name is Brother A. He felt that he is directed by meeting with people, and had good interest in our message. Unfortunately, he lives in Kansai, but he is just about to graduate and get a job - just the perfect timing to get his life started in the right direction! While the contact was a somewhat normal successful contact, after the contact, my companion and I just looked at each other and knew it was an answer to our prayers.

On another occasion, one of our New Investigators just messaged us and said "tell me the process of Baptism" followed up by the question "how long does someone have to study to be baptized?" He had been searching about our church, and is pulling the Gospel into his life. We will meet him on Wednesday this week.

I am so grateful to be able to meet great people like these who are ready to change their lives and come closer to their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They inspire me to want to do the same in my life.

I am also grateful to know that Christ lives, and allows us to draw near to Him! I testify that He was chosen by the Father before the world began, and we chose to place our hope, trust, and faith in Him there. Only by doing the same thing now can we have the peace and strength that comes with consistently staying true to Him.

He suffered for each of us, and He truly knows our circumstances. He experienced our greatest trials, and rejoices - probably more than we do - at our greatest triumphs.

As we daily repent, and change, and become more like the Savior, we experience great joy in this life, and as we guide others to do the same, "how great shall be [our] joy!" (D&C 18:15) it truly is a privilege to participate in the sacred work of the salvation of God's children.

Love you all!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder O'Reilly

Thomas is coming home!! He flies in on Friday afternoon, July 7th! His homecoming will be in the Manila 7th Ward at 1:00pm on July 16th. Food and celebration at our home afterwards. Thank you for all of your love and support! 

In his letter to Mom & Dad:

I'm honestly just boggled. I am excited to see the family, though! :) but I couldn't get my mind around it last night when I finished up all the prep for transfers, and I wasn't a part of it... didn't sleep for a long time, but I guess all good things come to an end. And I recognize good things are coming, too.

Love you both! So excited to see you all again!
Elder O'Reilly

Week 103: Turn Outward

Hello Everyone!!

It was a crazy week. We had appointments with 8 or so different people... and 7 cancelled, and people fell through for church as well.  So, we ended up having a lot of unexpected time.

But, that was alright. In that time, we found just about the same amount of new people. I guess God just had a different plan then we did.

This is one of the people we found this week. Bro S is a great young man who is going to college. We are excited to meet again and talk about the purpose of life!

We also did some "Free English Challenges." We laminated some English material, and went and taught it on the streets to high school students. Two of them came to our class this week, so that was way fun!

Also, an investigator in the ward was baptized this week! So I got to interview him, and he was so prepared! It was great to attend the service.

Little bit scattered this week, but it was all in all a great week. Looking forward to meeting up with some more people this upcoming week, both new people we met, and also Sister S - she just got back!

I guess what I learned this week is just to always be aware that God has a plan for us in our circumstances. I never want an appointment to fall through, but several AWESOME people I met this week were people I met because things fell through. So, when things are hard, turn outward and serve! God certainly has someone for you to help - and you will be blessed with joy and comfort as you do!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder O'Reilly



Excerpts from a letter to Mom when asked about his feelings about coming home:
"You are right - I'm pretty mixed on feelings for coming home. I had to weigh bags today... :P"
"It's an interesting shift. I'm not fully ready to make, but I'm sure I will figure it out in a year or so. Haha."

Week 102: The Lord's Hand

Hello Everyone!

We had some great miracles this week!

We tried a new way to find this Week. We laminated a sample of some English teaching materials, and went out to teach it on the streets. People came and learned with us on the street, but honestly, it didn't go that well for me. I only taught one person interested in coming to our class, and they weren't in our area. Maybe they went, I'm not sure. It sounds like it worked alright for my companion, though. (We were on splits this day)

However, the last person that walked up to us said she really wanted to learn English. When she found out we were teaching as Christian volunteers, she asked if she could go to church. We said yes, of course. We switched lines, and we are still in contact. She is not in our area, either (Tokyo problems. Haha), but sounds like she is going to church. :)

Then, as we walked away from the activity - note, we had put away the sign and such, so we were just walking down the street - a man walked up to us, and we started a conversation. He told us he knew Mormons, and wanted to try coming to church. He was busy this week, so we set up an appointment for this upcoming Sunday. We're still in contact, so we are excited for him to come. :)

Super nice man.

As we went to get our bikes from the parking place, we met a man who did a home stay in Utah, and had a really good experience. He wants to come to Mission School to learn English - but again, not our area.

I guess what I learned from the experience is that 1) most of my ideas tend to flop. 2) As we give all our heart might mind and strength, the Lord always makes up the difference. Those 10 minutes at the end of the activity were probably the most effective finding I had all week!

We were also able teach Sister S! She is in Taiwan, but we had a lesson over Line.

On the top, Sister S, right, our Taiwanese Douseki that lives in Tokyo, and Elder Miller and I in the bottom left. We also had a Douseki with us on our end, but I guess he didn't make it in the picture. :P

It was a great lesson. When it started, she said she wasn't sure she wanted to try going to another church. But, in the end, Sister S said she was really excited to go! She went this week, and said it was a really great experience! It was cool to see her desires grow and change in just one lesson!

Then, we had a really cool miracle! Remember this man?

Bro K. Super 素敵 right? He lost contact with us because he accidentally deleted his line app and lost all his contacts. We thought he had Unfriended us and left the conversation. But he went through the trouble to email the goeigo office and try to get into contact with us. So got his new line account and email, and he made the 1 and a half hour journey out to meet us.

He had also gone to English class at a place 8 minutes from his house, but he wanted to meet with us again because he felt like it was destiny that we met. He is very interested in Christianity, and is very open to learn. The missionaries in his area will probably teach him, but it was fantastic to get to meet him again!

It's been a great week! I see the Lord's hand in my work everyday. And more importantly, I can see the Lord's hand and power in the lives of others as they make changes to live His Gospel. Truly, Christ lives, and His hand is always stretched out to each of us individually! He will encircle us in healing wings if we will but let Him. (3 Ne 10:4) All it takes is sincere prayer and repentance. I know that as we make these a daily part of our lives, we will be blessed with greater joy, deeper faith, and a greater sense of confidence, direction, and hope.

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder O'Reilly

Week 101: Went to the Temple

Hello everyone!

It was a great week! It felt pretty normal, so I'm not really sure what to write about.

Another three Conferences. This time, there was a lot more travel... went all the way up to Niigata! So we left at 6:45 Thursday morning to go to Kiryu Conference and came back 8:50 Friday night after Niigata conference. Tuesday was Matsudo.

Wednesday, we had Eikaiwa. Had some new young students! That is always exciting. We also took a challenge from Elder Yamashita with all the members. Every time we go to a restaurant, dendo (proselyte to) the workers. Two of the people at the restaurant were interested! So we switched contact info. Of course, we always talk to everyone on the streets, but store workers is a new level for me. But I'm always willing to push myself!

Saturday, we got to go to the Temple! I also went today, thus my p-day was on Tuesday. Saturday, we went with Bro O. First time for baptisms! Also got to see lots of Niigata members. It was a good day.

What I definitely can say from this week is that the temple is the house of God. It is operated by His power. It is a place of comfort, peace, and revelation. Certainly, I can say "that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord's house may feel [The Lord's] power," for I have felt it there (D&C 109). I recommend it for all who are seeking direction, peace or strength. Which is me everyday. I just wish I could go there more. :)

Love you all!

Hurrah for Israel!
Elder O'Reilly

With Bro. O at the Temple!

Went to Asakusa today :)

Week 100: A Friend I Can Rely On

Hello Everyone!

It was a fun week! Three Zone Conferences and an exchange.

The exchange was fun. I went with my District Leader, Elder Wilcox.

This man wants to come to our English Class next Saturday. Unfortunately, I won't be there (but Elder Wilcox will be). I will be in the temple. Bro O is coming down from Niigata, and I get to go with him! And on the way, I will meet with Bro S, since he lives in the area of the Temple. Saturday is going to be a fun day. :) Hopefully, they can both go to the temple.

We taught one of their investigators as well. He has an addiction to gambling, and from my perspective, is hurting his own life in so many ways!!! Obviously, he needs the Gospel. I don't think he sees that yet. However, by sharing some experiences, and testifying together, he committed to at least try reading the Book of Mormon and praying. He just doesn't want to give up too much time. I'm praying for a change of heart... but I guess, in the end, he is in control of that. I hope he opens his heart to the message of the Book of Mormon.

Afterward, we taught Eikaiwa, then Sister S. She is going to Taiwan for the rest of the month! That means the next time I see her will likely be the last week of my mission. She has been progressing well, so seeing her leave at this point is hard, but she plans on going to church while she is there. And she has found a reason to really pray and know if the Book of Mormon is true; she wants to know God better and how He loves her. So I hope she continues to progress well and keep changing.

The next day was a Zone Conference. We trained on Charity. The more I talk and testify of it, the more I am convinced of two things.

1) Most problems are solved by thinking of ourselves less. The more we think of others, what they need, how we can help them, and then put it into action, the natural result is to feel God's love and to be magnified by Him to accomplish great things.

Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed, and frustrated. To be honest, I don't feel like I measure up to most of the tasks. I am a bit disorganized, and I have a lot of weaknesses. However, when I focus on others, pray for them, and work for them, things just work out. I'm certain the Lord's hand is in it, and these are the moments when I am happiest. Just have to work on making those moments expand until it is every moment. That'll take some work. :)

2) Christ loves each of us, and is the only one who understands who we are now, and who we can become. He understands how much it hurts to make mistakes, to go through trials, and go through mortality, and only He understands how joyful it will be when we return to be with Him. When we understand the love and experience that Christ has, the only intelligent thing to do is to strive to become like Him through Him.

I know that Christ lives! He loves us. He suffers with us, and comforts us when we turn to Him through prayer and repentance. How grateful I am that I have a friend I can always rely on!

I hope that each of us remember Him and rely on Him this week!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder O'Reilly

Week 99:

Hello Everyone!!!

This week was transfer week... so it was a bit crazy...


Tuesday, we went and picked up the new missionaries. Meet Elder O'Reilly. Elder Thomas O'Reilly. No. Not me. Him. He is Elder Thomas James O'Reilly. So.... now everyone knows our middle names. Haha. Super strange to hear my name, and not have them be talking to me.

Elder O'Reilly with Elder O'Reilly

Wednesday we trained the new missionaries, and sent them off. Taught English class, and Sister S! The Nagano's were the members with us, and it was AWESOME! She is reading the Book of Mormon and praying daily. Even without reminders now. :) She came to church this week too! :) Struggling a bit with coffee (her doctor said it causes headaches to stop and stopping is also causing fatigue. So... he told her to drink it.) But she is still trying! Pray for her!

Thursday... driving test... me and my companion passed!!!

My old companion, Elder Nitta is now in the mission office, and he drove us there. So... we took a pic together with our licenses.

Friday, we sent off the old missionaries and had Mission Leader Conference.

Saturday, we had splits, and it was AWESOME! Met some cool people!

Bro. H. wants to learn English! Met him as we ate lunch near a university. 

Sunday, we went to a member's home with Bro. M. They are the M family (different name though). Such cute kids!

On the way home, we proselyted with Bro. M, and found Bro. I!!

He was looking for a church... and we offered to give him a church tour just before 9:00. He got excited, and said, can we? The Spirit was strong as we shared a brief version of the Restoration, and he wants to come to church this week! We have already been messaging back and forth this morning. :) He seems WAY AWESOME!


Yep. So this week was GREAT!!

I love the Lord, and His work! He supports us and strengthens us as we rely on Him through repentance. It is amazing to share those blessings every day! Hope you take time each day for real, worshipful prayer, and real, committed repentance. That is what we talked about with Sister S. It makes ALL the difference. It is really what turns night to day! :)

Hurrah for Israel!
Elder O'Reilly

Mother's Day Skype/Last Transfer!

This is mom/Denise writing!

I just wanted to include a couple pictures from our last Skype with Thomas on Mother's Day! He LOVES his mission! He is so happy and we can just see it in his face! It was fun to hear him speak Japanese to Skeets & Mayu. And it was wonderful to hear his testimony and feel the Spirit.

We are so excited that he is now in his last transfer! He will be returning home on July 7th! And the plan is for him to speak at 1:00pm on July 16th in our old ward, Manila 7th.

It is quite the adventure and wild ride to send your children wherever the Lord calls for 2 years! We have missed him terribly and have anxiously held our breath for each email to arrive. While it is difficult to let them go, we are all greatly blessed for his service! We have had an added measure of the Spirit as we feel his testimony and see his growth. We are grateful to the Lord and to the many people who have helped to support Thomas both in the mission and at home.

Thank you for your love and support! :-)
Hurrah for Israel!!

Waiting for his call...

Yay!! I love Skype!

We're so excited to see him again in less than 7 weeks!

Week 98: A busy 2 days!

Hello Everyone!

I feel like I wrote just a couple days ago. Probably because I did. But looking at our schedule for next transfer, our p-days should be a lot more consistent. This transfer will be a little more free, so I'll be able to focus more on my area. I'm grateful for that. :)

I wrote you Friday night. Since then, Saturday was District Meeting in the morning, followed by a lunch birthday celebration for Elder Dibble (he covers the finances of the mission)! Then, TOEIC in the afternoon. Our goal is to make a younger class. Currently the average age is 60. Makes it difficult to get young students to stick. They feel
uncomfortable with the class sometimes... but we made good friends with two young students that came this week, so I think they will keep coming! :)

In the evening, I "taught" drum. I did teach a few people who are really just beginning. I taught how to hold a stick and stroke properly. But the main student has years of experience on me. But she needs a place to practice, and it gets her to church, so hey, it's all good.

Then, yesterday, Sunday, Sis S, AJ (nick name) and Bro Y came to church!

Sis S is struggling a bit with the word of wisdom, but is keeping it, and is progressing well.

We teach AJ Japanese, and he decided to come to church! Mostly for Japanese practice, but he really liked it, and said he'll bring friends next week! So that is exciting.

Bro Y... I was on splits so I could be with AJ (they went to two different wards; Family ward and YSA group) and I honestly haven't met him yet. He's only met my companion, Elder Miller. He seems like a really nice man when I talk to him on the phone, though.

AJ also came back after church to a Recent Convert Fireside. Missionaries and recent converts gathered from the closer zones. It was a great opportunity for AJ to feel the Spirit and see how great the Gospel is. We heard from several recent converts how they met the missionaries, what was difficult about accepting the Gospel, and the
blessings they received from joining the church.

It was a great chance for me to think about how important God's work is as well. The blessings that each mentioned was different, but they tended to come back to one point. God loves us, and we can feel that love. We can let it direct our lives for good. Certainly, there are challenges in accepting the Gospel. However, the blessings are of far greater value. While challenges and trials are ever present in the world, when we choose to follow Christ, we can be of good cheer, for He already overcame all of it. I could see the joy and light beaming from each of the recent converts faces.

I am confident that as we consistently repent, renew our resolution to keep our covenants, and then actually renew our covenants each week at the Sacrament, we can have that joy and light always with us. It is as important for each of us to strive to overcome the difficulties and more fully accept the Gospel each day as it was for each of these recent converts to accept it the first time. And as we overcome our weaknesses and the natural man little by little, that same overwhelming light, Spirit, peace, and joy that comes through the grace of Jesus Christ and His Gospel is available to us each everyday!

I am so grateful for Christ and His Gospel!

Hurrah for Israel!
Elder O'Reilly

We went to Costco today. My companion was pretty excited about it!

Week 97: The Gospel is Everything!

Hello Everyone!!!

Just have a minute... but it was a great week!

I got to go back to Niigata on Wednesday for an exchange, and Thursday for a conference. It was a BLAST!

Some highlights:

Met with Brother O:

His faith is stronger than ever! :) He studies so deeply. He has read the Gospel Principle book, Most of the Book of Mormon, and has goals to study EVERYTHING! And he studies sooo deeply. So many markings and questions.

Also met with Brother R. He is a youth who is struggling a bit right now. He hadn't been in contact with the missionaries for a while, so I hope that our visit helped him. He said he had quit his job and could come to church this Week! Probably just good timing more than anything. But he had bleached his hair... so he said no pictures. :P

One of my favorite miracles was getting in contact with Brother M for the trip. He is actually moving down to Tokyo. So I didn't get to meet him, but he video called me. Before, it was so difficult to time it right and barge into his apartment with breakfast in the morning and wake him up. He was so sad, and so separated from the Gospel. But now, he has introduced his girlfriend to the Gospel, she is accepting it well, he is coming back to church, and is looking for a good ward in Tokyo to move into when he gets married. And he wants to meet up again. It made me sooo happy to see him happy again!

I knew him when he was going to church, and when he was most separated, and now. It is more than a night and day difference. From bright, to darker than night, to bright again. The Gospel is everything. It is there to make us happy. It is true - and the honest pursuer of truth can know it, and gain that happiness. So let's do that today. :)

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder O'Reilly

Week 96: "The Lord Thy God Shall Lead Thee"

Hello Everyone!

It's been a packed week! Nearly every day has been either splits or a conference. Really puts me on a Spiritual high, but it's also really exhausting at the same time.

Because of how busy we've been, I only really had one night with my companion to go out and work. We met Bro. N. Our appointment had fallen through on Sunday night. We had biked pretty far, and we prayed to know how we could still use time effectively. It's been my experience that as we pray in faith, and adjust plans to match the impressions we receive (whether or not they are the strongest impressions), we see the Lord's hand perform miracles in our work. This is true regardless of placement, time restraints, etc. There is nothing too hard for the Lord. (Gen 18:14)

As I go to each of the meetings we had this week, we get a moment at the end for closing remarks. I never know what to say at the beginning of the conference, and, it is easy to stress about it. But, as I pray for the missionaries, and observe them throughout the conference, impressions come to my mind, and I know what the Lord wants me to speak to them. Whether it has connection to the conference, or not, it always ends up that my companion and I speak on the same subject. He tends to share a personal experience on the subject, and I add a scripture, testimony, and a few remarks of my own - only we never plan it. But of the 3 or so chances we had to do that this past week, we spoke on the same subject every time.

I know the Lord guides this church, despite the weakness and mistakes it's leaders make. I know that God loves each of His children, and all He does is for their benefit. When we choose to follow the Lord and His leaders, it opens the door for Him to direct us and answer our prayers (D&C 112:10). This is when we can experience miracles, and find the greatest joy in our lives!

Love you all!
Hurrah for Israel!
Elder O'Reilly

Week 95: Perfected in Christ

Hello Everyone!

This week was AWESOME! We had a couple of Zone Conferences, and I got to go on splits to Shibuya, so it was a busy week.

Last week on Monday, we finished up prep for Zone Conference. Tuesday was the first conference,  and it went surprisingly well. We trained on obedience, English teaching skills, teaching about Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost from pamphlets (the church produces them and they are super simple, good resources, so we want missionaries to be using them more), and asking questions and testifying and teaching to meet peoples needs in finding. In all, it was about 3 and a half hours of training. Of course, it was interactive, so we weren't talking the whole time, but it is definitely the most time that I have been in front of so many people (the larger of the two had 43 or so missionaries?)! So... doing that on Tuesday and Thursday was a little tiring, but I'm glad it went well and we are off to a good start for the transfer.

On Wednesday, I went on splits with Elder Ikegami in Shibuya. He's actually one of my past companions, so it was a lot of fun! We had lots of cool miracles.

For example, we volunteered at a college and participated in their ESS. Nothing came of it yet, but I feel like as we continue to build relationships, it could go really well. Of course, it isn't my area, but I feel like this could be really good for Shibuya.

We also found a good amount of cool people on the street. Recently, we have been getting contact info from so many people because Line became available for use. This is what most Japanese people use, so people feel a lot more comfortable giving it out. But there is a new problem... we don't remember who they are... :P On a good day, we can get 7 or more... and then it is just hard to tell which account is who. So, I take pictures on the street - the order of the friend requests is the order of the pictures.

Then, on Friday, we got to teach Eikaiwa! We taught the mothers as the Sisters taught the children. At the end, we gave a Spiritual message. This week we spoke about being friendly and respectful. The kids were sooo cute!

Then, on Saturday, I taught English in the Morning to a diligent student at 9:00 am! Bro Y is 16 - and he is performing all our commitments for English and Spiritual Messages - still not quite an investigator, but he is gaining more confidence and light each time he comes. He gave a note to his mother this week with the reasons that he loves her. Just simple commitments like that, but I can tell he is happier, and is enjoying applying some of the simple church messages.

Also helped with some programming this week... this time I taught the Tech Staff, so hopefully they can handle problems in the future. They caught on really fast!

As I worked with the Tech Staff and with Elder Ikegami this past week (my companion when I was Tech Staff), I had a great chance to reflect on things.

When I was companions with Elder Ikegami, it was my first time being senior companion or district leader. I remember feeling overwhelmed at the time - specifically with giving trainings in District Meeting. Standing in front of my district of 9 missionaries made me nervous, especially since I didn't feel like I had too much to contribute.

In fact, for that entire transfer, I put my training at the end of the meeting. I let the first trainings go long... so long that I never actually trained the entire time I was in Nakano! I couldn't actually get myself to stand in front of the group of missionaries!

Well... I don't honestly feel like I have too much more to contribute than I did then, but I have had a little practice, and a lot of prayer as I have done my best to overcome that weakness. I still get nervous the days that I have to give trainings, and it certainly still isn't something that I would choose to do for myself, but I can clearly see how the Lord has strengthened me. While it takes time, I truly know that Christ can help us overcome our weaknesses; He can take us where we are at and make us enough.

While I still don't enjoy some of the tasks I am asked to do, I am confident of one thing: they are certainly for our benefit. As I have learned and grown - though I still certainly have a long way to go - I can say as Moroni did that when we are "perfected in Christ," or even in the process of it, we can no longer deny Him.

He lives! He loves us, and He stands beside us. As we perform His work, He directs us, and helps us feel the true joy that He always had planned for us.

Remember Him this week, and rely on Him to be perfected little by little - I can promise that it is a joyous process.

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder O'Reilly

With Elder Ikegami in Shibuya

 Way nice people interested in a church tour and coming to our English class!
They are musicians, and were really nice college students!

With Elder Miller and the kids after Eikaiwa (English class)

One of the trainings (got this from the mission president's wife)