This is the email that got away....

This is the email that was never sent. We were supposed to get this email on May 2nd but he had some technical difficulties.



Dear Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, Family, Friends, And the rest of the world

First off, here are some pictures!! Hopefully Mother posts them, All of them. Starting from the first one, labeled as 0214: My bag of travelling skittles posted on the balcony of my apartment in Fushimi Japan. Traveling tropical Skittles will make an appearance in each area I serve. 0191 is the Baptism of Inokouishi Masaya-san (middle) and me and my companion Elder Mclaws. 0155 is on my first Preperation day. It`s with President McIntyre and a few others at Fushimi Inari. Lastly and my favorite is 0156 of the Beautiful Sakura that was in my area. It`s only a little glimpse at what it really was like. I`ll never forget Sakura! Anyway, I`ll be sending the whole SD Card home soon, so there will be even more pictures. Be warned of "The suffucation" (Japanese English makes me laugh)

Secondly I`ll go into how my week was. Costco was alright. I had real American Pizza, which I hadn`t eaten in a LONG time. Twas delicious. But other than that I didn`t buy anything, I didn`t really need anything. So I just followed my companion around the whole time and helped with stuff.

This week was really good. My studies were all pretty awesome and going out and dendoing was even more awesome. We`ve been jam packed with lessons this week so our dendo time was few and far between. I can hardly remember all the lessons we taught this week, ugh everything is starting to blur together time is moving so fast! I can`t believe that next week is transfer week already!?!?!?!? That`s 1/14 transfers. It seems I blink and there goes another day. I wish quite often that time would slow down just a little bit more.

We did another Companionship Exchange this week with Joyo. I went off to Joyo with Elder Neff, from Layton Utah. Twas funny because I found out that we had actually met before the mission! He was going to Dixie State as a VT major and I was a CS Major. Interesting how small the world is. Found out we had a lot in common and became really good friends during the short period of time we were together. It was a lot of fun. I stopped quite a few people and talked quite a bit. I love companionship exchanges almost as much as I love my Companion!

Thursday we went to a Flower field for a ward concert activity. It was fun talking with people and seeing an excellent few. Even more fun to get away from the city for just a little while. Afterwards we went out and only found one person. It was funny because we had actually gotten lost for a while and didn`t know where we were before we found him. But that one person just happened to say after we were just about done with the contact "This is what I`ve been looking for" We taught him on Saturday, and He has a baptismal date for May 29th. It`s just a goal right now, he wants to learn more and talk with Native Japanese Members about it first though. Amazing how the Lord places people in your path.

O yes! I was going to talk about food. What kind of food do I eat?

Well, for those of you who knew me before my mission I was about as picky as you can get. I hated vegetables and a lot of things. But I just changed my mind when I got to Japan and said: "If it`s placed in front of me, I`ll eat it, so long as it isn`t against the Word of Wisdom." I`ve stuck with that so far and It`s actually worked. Ate a little sardine that had been soaked in vinegar for who knows how many decades. Ate raw fish, raw bacon, Squid, Octopus, and things that I don`t even know what they were called. It`s all decent food, maybe not the best, but MEH!! I`ll eat it! I actually do like Onions now though, odd, because I hate cutting them. Note for those traveling to Japan: Mugi Cha= Wheat Tea (Drinkable, not against Word of Wisdom) It is not for those who are picky. It honestly tastes like someone took a whole bunch of unsalted saltine crackers and shoved them in a bottle of water. It`s an acquired taste which I`m still working on.

Ok! It`s about time for:

ELDER TATEISHI`S GOSPEL MOMENT!

Now I have learned a LOT of things in my short 4 months away from home. If I were to try writing all of them, or even half of them I wouldn`t quite have time to do my true work. So I`ll share a few, starting with my favorite.

"Prayer"

What is the power of prayer? Isn`t it just rambling a bunch of words to someone that you hope will hear you? No it`s not. True prayer is from the Heart! True prayer is conversing with someone who you know will hear you! God answers prayers! How true it is! If I were to answer the question: "What has helped you the most on your Mission?" I would answer without a single doubt in my mind, without any moment of hesitation: "Prayer!" You might already have expected this if you have read my earlier stories and Gospel Moments. But those prayers were only in my moments of despair and sorrow. I have learned since then that the greatest prayer ever to be offered is not the prayer when trapped within the depths of grief and pain and sorrow, but when one is truly happy and seeks to call out in great praise unto the Lord God! When one, simply asks the lord "Which dost thou want me to go?" How great is that joy! As it is commanded within the Scriptures "Pray always!" It does not have to be a long extended prayer, it can be as simple as a thought from the heart "Thank thee lord for this!" or "Please lend me thy strength!" I turn to D&C 4, the last verse. In English it Reads "Ask, and ye shall recieve. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen." In Japanese, of which I can quote the exact words but I know of the basic from, it reads "Kikinasai..... Motomenasai!" The post-fix of the words is "nasai" which in Japanase is a polite command form. It is used when the Lord gives unto his people a commandment. He says to all of us, "Ask, and ye shall recieve, Knock, and it shall be opened! Amen." He is telling all of us that we need to ask him, we need to seek after him. He has promised that as we do, we shall be answered and we shall find!

"The Holy Ghost"

A touching matter for me. I spent a long time wondering to myself. "What does the spirit feel like?" I always, with my wild imagination, pictured some voice whispering in my ear telling me what to do, or some deep and strong impression that sticks within the mind. O how I learned that those are only the most powerful of the manifistations of the Holy Ghost. When the Holy Ghost is truly with you, He is a part of your very mind. The times that I have been guided by the Holy Ghost are when I let my mind flow, when, as I focus upon the gospel, ponder upon the scriptures I have read, or ponder upon what I should say next. In the end it`s always been things that I thought were my own thoughts. That`s how I write, I simply pour out what`s in my mind and in my heart and it fills the pages of my study Journal, fills the emails that I write.

"Meekness, Humility, Patience"

3 of the many Christlike attributes. But to me they have helped me a lot. Humility, being humble. It is so important to be humble. In Alma 32, Alma talks about how the poor among the Zoramites have been humbled by the lord, but one thing that stuck out to me was his words "But how much better is he that humbleth himself." I saw that and then thought about this scripture "But he that seeketh to exalt himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." But how does one `humble` himself. It`s hard, and not an easy thing to do to humble oneself. I cannot say that I am the best at humbling myself but here is how I try. When problems arise, when I begin to feel negative emotions and have negative thoughts about another person I pause. I think to myself "Why am I thinking that?" and "Is it something that I am doing wrong?" When my companion does something I dislike, or he annoys me I always pause and follow those thought processes. Most of the time I find that it is simply me LETTING myself be annoyed, or frustrated. The other way and probably the most effective is when I look to other people I first seek to find the good in them. I seek first to see what strengths they have and how I can learn from that. For being Humble is being teachable. Take every opportunity you have to learn and grow.

Remember Patience also. "With Patience ye shall possess your souls." In Luke it reads this, and in the footnotes it tells us that "possessing" your soul is to win mastery or self control of your souls. Be patient with yourself, and with those around you. Remember always that the people around you are Human beings just like you. They make mistakes, and many times they don`t even mean to offend you. I`ve heard it said "A fool is he that takes offense where none is given. A bigger fool is he that takes offense when it IS given." When someone tries to "push your buttons" and purposely pushes you towards the brink, think of this "Should I give him the satisfaction of winning?" At those times when someone really intends to offend you and you take offense think about this: You just gave away your agency, you gave them what they wanted and in the end they won. Do not give in. Either leave if possible or ignore them. If appropriate say something simple, calmly and gently. It`s not easy to do, but in the end they`ll lose.

"ARISE! Let us go hence!"

I end by quoting Jesus Christ in John 14:31. "But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise! Let us go Hence!" When I found and read this scripture it struck me. Previously in the same Chapter, Christ Talks about those how love God, keep the commandments. And so he talks, but then he ends and says "ARISE! Let us go Hence!" I may write all I want, I may touch a heart or two with my words, but if one truly loves God and Christ he will grab onto these words and do more than speak, he will say "ARISE! Let us go Hence!" Followed immediately by acting. I have learned that talking can get you only so far. As Christ taught us the principles he followed afterwards by acting. He led the way, as an example to us. He showed us how. Will you follow in his footsteps? Will you be as Nephi, who said in his last words in the Book of Mormon, "Even as the Lord Commands, I MUST obey. Amen!"? I can honestly say that the best way to learn a principle is to live a principle. And so I end here, again bearing my testimony that Jesus is the Christ, that he Lives, that he is my saviour, my lord and my redeemer. Without him I am nothing and only upon his strength do I rely. "Even as the Lord Commands, I MUST obey." In his Sacred Name, Jesus Christ. Amen.


Your Elder

Elder Randall K.K. Tateishi