I told you so....

Strong words I know, but needless important. Once upon a time, a mother told her son to be prepared to be in a Branch Presidency, play the piano and lead music. The son didn't listen and believe and so he went forth into the kingdom unprepared for things to come. One day he was sent to a far off land in a valley by the ocean, where fish abound and green lands appear out of nowhere. One day he was made a counselor in a Branch Presidency then asked to lead music and asked to speak in Sacrament meeting, not once but twice in one day. Moral of this story "listen to your mother" she know everything.

Sorry, but I have to laugh and I believe Randy has a great sense of humor and is laughing right along with me. He has been transferred to a small town in Japan on the ocean. I will just let you read his letter because he describes it much better than I do.

Dear Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, Family, Friends, Mentors, and all you other people.

Well This week I have quite a bit to say. I`ll just go in order of date, starting from Monday Last week till today.

Last week Monday after Email, me and Elder Escalante went out to Kyoto mall and did some shopping for him. I didn`t have much money so I didn`t do much shopping. Just a lot of walking. It was fun actually, we talked a lot and had some good laughs. Other than that we didn`t do much on Preperation Day.

Tuesday we Got transfer calls, I got transferred. So I spent the day packing and getting ready to head out. Wednesday we had some time to go out and do some proselyting but not much happened. Just a lot of walking, and a lot of biking. That night we had Eikaiwa, which I failed to attend because I was busy running around on splits trying to get my bags sent off to my new area. By the time Eikaiwa was finished we had both my bags sent off and everything ready to get my bike sent off. I then said my goodbyes, sadly to all of my Eikaiwa buddies and also Masaya, the recent convert. It was a little sad, but no tears were shed. We all knew it would happen eventually and that the Lord was calling me where he needed me.

Thursday Transfers began. I was told that my new area would be pretty far away, but I didn`t expect it to be THIS far away. We started out from Kyoto at 9 am, and hit the main Transfer Hub in Osaka. I met with a lot of the missionaries that came with me from the MTC, and got to say hi to them and see how they were doing. It was lots of fun because I could actually talk to them a little bit. Then we left there and headed off to my new area, I still hadn`t met my new companion yet. At around 12:30 we hit Wakayama, where I met with my new companion, Elder Mizuguchi, a native Japanese Missionary who speaks no English. We ate Lunch and left Wakayam at around 1:30. We then proceeded to have another 6 hours on a train to my new area.

Mother.... You once told me that I would be sent somewhere where no one could play the piano, where I`d be the branch President and I would basically be doing everything for the ward. I hate Mother`s intuition. I`m in Shingu right now, Before Hiroshima entered the mission it was the FURTHEST place away from the Mission home in the entire mission. I spent a total of 10 hours and $50 to get from Fushimi to Shingu. I wish you good luck finding it on the map! Well At least I`m not the Branch President, I`m just the Clerk. I was the 2nd counselor in the Branch Presidency before one of the members recieved the Melchezidich priesthood.

Now Let`s begin the Adventures in Shingu!

Friday we attempted Weekly planning meeting.... Attempted is the keyword here. I speak very little japanese, my companion speaks no english. We didn`t get much done. I met with most of the ward members that night. 4 out of the 5 that come to the regular sacrament meeting session, and out of 8 of the active members. Yes, count them, -8- members in the Branch, excluding the missionaries. The Church consists of 3 rooms, The sacrament room, a little bigger than the average living room, the Branch President`s office, and a small class room. The Church is approximately 10 feet below the Missionary Apartment. Yes We live ontop of the Church.

So I spent Friday listening to people talk in a language that I can barely understand, speaking even faster than people in Fushimi spoke, and speaking almost as fast as the speed of Light. Most of the time I simply stared blankly trying to understand what sounds like a machine gun firing at full speed. I think I would have better luck trying to translate Binary.......

Saturday was about the same as Friday, except we went to a nursing home and I got to listen to old people language. Which in Japan is practically an entirely different language because of the whole politeness factors and impolite and yadayadayada. I Understood nothing while I was there. Afterwards we did a little proselyting in the rain, which consisted of me knocking on doors, having them slammed in my face... and not because I`m a missionary, but because I speak to slow. On the way home my brakes slipped and I ran into a wall on my bike. Luckily I`m alright and so is my bike. The only thing that happened was the chain came off and I had to put it back on. In the process I stabbed myself on the gears and got my hands covered in grease. Fun fun fun. That night we met with the members again and had a little lesson.

Sunday was fun. The stake president came down because one of the members was recieving the Melchezidich Priesthood. Please note, that there are actually 2 sacrament meetings for the same Branch, because there are so few people we can be flexible, there is the main sacrament meeting at 12 and then one at 7 at night. The one at night is a short sacrament meeting and the Sacrament meeting at 12 is followed by Gospel Doctrines. Note there is no Priesthood or Relief Society Class because the Branch is so small. During Church I conducted the music, gave two talks, one in the morning session of Sacrament, which I hda been prepared for and ready to do, and one at the evening session which I was unprepared and unready to do, because I didn`t know that I was giving a talk at that time. Well we had a total of 6 members come to church, 3 in the morning session, 1 in the evening session, and 2 that walked in during Gospel Doctrine class, seperately. I heard the sacrament prayers given 4 times that day. Spent most of the day talking with the members, finally starting to understand what was being said, since my mind is now adjusting the hyperspeed rate at which these people talk.

So let me describe Shingu.... Think of Washington State... Outside of Seattle.... Lots of Trees.... LOTS of Trees.... LOTS OF TREES.... On the coast of Hawaii and about twice as hot as Hawaii. Welcome to Shingu, where the people eat Whale, Dolphin, Squid, Octopus, and all other sorts of animals. I`m waiting for someone to tell me that they eat Dogs and Cats too... Lol No I haven`t eaten Whale or Dolphin yet, keyword YET. But yes they do eat Whale and Dolphin.

Today was kind of dull, we did shopping, I cleaned, I read, I napped. My companion gutted and cleaned a fish in front of me while I was eating lunch. He happened to land a small piece in my bowl of rice. YUMMY!! Sashimi!(Sarcasm)

Don`t get me wrong. I actually love it here in Shingu already. The ward members are awesome and the scenery is beautiful. The language barrier is just another challange that I am confident that I can overcome. Here in Shingu I will speak nothing but japanese, and according to what I`ve seen most people are here for 3 or 4 transfers. So I guess I`ll settle in and get to work. I have a lot of Japanese to learn, but it`ll come, with patient Study and practice it will come.

Elder Tateishi`s Gospel Moment of the Week

This will be another short message.

"Cheerfully enduring."

In the past 3 days I`ve learned a LOT more about what patience really is, and what it really means to Patiently and Cheerfully Endure. We all have times where we are suddenly thrown about by unexpected changes and challenges that are heaped upon us without a moments notice. Work suddenly picks up and becomes extremely busy, or some unexpected family emergency appears, there are countless scenarios that happen to all of us. But what is the key thing that we should do?

"Whatever you do... Don`t Panic." It`s quite that simple. Take a quick pause, take a breath and calm down. Not easy to do when it all happens at once. Just take a little bit of time, and think about what you`re going to do. Trust me, whatever you think, you do have time to pause and think. Situations in which a decision must be made instantly are very few and far between, and even those you can afford yourself a few minutes to think about what you want to do. But when you do think, whatever you do don`t frett over the "What if this happens?" or "What if that Happens?" There are always a Thousand "If"s that could appear and push yourself into second guessing yourself and end up making the wrong decision. I Call it "The Death of a Thousand Ifs." Patience is the key.

As you come to a decision, or an idea of what you can do, immediately start working on carrying out your plans. Do what you can there and then to correct problems or to calm yourself down. Dive into the plan as soon as possible and get to work. Lastly, and most importantly is do all of this with a smile on your face. The greatest thing I`ve learned so far on my mission was this: "Carry your own weather." Pick your own attitude, choose to be happy, it really is within your power. Too help you do this I shall quote my favorite scripture, graciously pointed out to me by my Mother and Father.

D&C 123:17 "Therefore, my dearly beloved brethern, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, and then we may stand still and wait to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

Always remember that wherever you are, whenever, whatever, no matter what that you are NEVER alone. God is with you, he walks beside you when the sun shines bright, he supports you when the winds howl, and try to pull you down, and when those winds tear you down, He`s the one carrying you onwards. If anything, the best thing to do, is to say a small prayer in your heart, and remember, the words of Christ. "Peace be unto you."

Your Son, Brother, Friend, Student, Mentor, Missionary

Elder Randall KK Tateishi

Transfers?

Ok...so Randy does not know by the time we got his letter if he will be transferring to a new area or not. I guess we will find out next week. He sounds like interesting experiences are starting to happen more and more. He is still upbeat and enjoying his time. He will have been on his mission a whole 6 months soon. I only have a year and a half before I get to see him again:(, but I'm still happy he is in Japan.

Dear Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, Family, Friends, Mentors, and Everyone Else

Another Week flies by and well... Most of it is blurred together. But this week there are quite a few highlights that I can talk about. Lots of laughs and lots of fun.

Let`s see.... where do I even start. I can`t remember exact dates but I`ll just pop out stories from this week.

Ok, many of you probably have never heard of this Religion, but I have recently encountered it. The name of this Religion is SGI, or Sokka Gakkai International. I Don`t know the english translation for the Japanese words but I`ll explain what happened to me and why I bring this up. Me and my companion were out Housing a large apartment complex that was right next to our apartment. Not long into our housing adventure we happened across an Old man. Well it was my turn to do the talking. This old man comes out after we tell him we are missionaries and proceedes to question us a little bit. Asking some strange questions, that I wasn`t quite understanding, or understanding at all. My companion decided to stand back with a smug smile on his face and let me atttempt to work out what was going on. Well After about 15 min. of failed talking at the door the old man invited us into his apartment, sat us down and talked some more. Well it was then that I started to understand a little bit of what he was saying. It was along the lines of this:

"There needs to be only 1 religion in the world, then there won`t be war. Your Religion is wrong, because it isn`t SGI."

I then proceeded to testify about how our belief is that everyone should love each other and be peaceful. His reply was that I was wrong because it was based in Christianity and not SGI. What I got out of it was that anything I said would be wrong, and that he was always right. After about an hour of this, we simply said we had to go and got up and left. The Lesson Learned: When you can`t speak Japanese, it protects you from listening to long drawn out annoying topics.

But wait! There`s more! We were housing yet again and happened upon a Protestant Missionary from Korea. I liked this guy though, he was much nicer, and as he did try to preach to us he at least wasn`t like the Old man telling me that whatever I say is wrong. I can`t blame him either cause He`s doing the same thing I`m doing, just for a different Church.

Well.. Those are my highlights for the week... Other than getting caught out in the rain again, pretty far from home too. This time we at least had our rain suits on, but they didn`t help much. I was still soaked to the bone.

Transfer Calls will come in tomorrow Morning. I can`t believe that I`m already heading onto my 3rd transfer. That`s 3 out of 16. I`m also heading towards the 6th month mark in just a couple more weeks. Time is flying far too fast, I just wish my Japanese skills would come just as fast.

Elder Tateishi`s Gospel Moment of the Week

This Weeks message will be very short and simple, but since it happened to me this week a couple times I guess I`ll touch on it very quickly.

Tolerance!

I`ve always believed in being a tolerant person, of being respectful of other peoples beliefs and other peoples opinions and ideas. As a Missionary it`s sometimes hard to think that way, but there is one simple way to do this. It`s to find the common ground. Don`t look at the differences, look at the similarities. In almost every culture, and every Religion there are points that cross over, that are similar and can link us together. I have found myself saying quite a bit "Yes, well we believe that as well." My purpose as a missionary is always to Invite, never to force. As I stop people on the street I ask them simple questions, and state simple truths about our beliefs and then invite them to meet with us again. If they do not wish to hear more we do not bother them, or force them to hear more. Everyone has the Agency to choose and so we must let them choose. But it does not mean we have to compromise our own standards for others. I know what I believe and I will not step down if it offends others, because I know the truth of this for myself.

Your Son, Brother, Friend, Student, and Missionary
Elder Randall KK Tateishi

Short but sweet....

Transfer week for Randy is next week. I wonder if he will be transferred. He says that if he is then he may be transferred to a place where he will be only able to mail letters and not email. What am I going to do? This will be agony to not get his emails on Sunday evenings. I guess I will survive.

Many of you don't know but the Hiroshima mission will be dissolving as of July 1st. The Kobe mission will pick up about half of the Hiroshima mission. There will be many more places and people for Randy to contact and introduce the Church to. He is excited and hopeful.

His spirits are high and he is feeling that the Lord is on his side in all things. His message this week is a good one, although he does hate the work Potential. As you read you will see why, but he does make some very good points. Life goes on for him and he is happy and knows that he is right where he is supposed to be. Read on....

Dear Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, Family, Friends, Mentors, World

Well, well, well! Another week rolls by and time seems to fly faster and faster. This week is all blurred together and well... Sadly to say I Don`t have anything really exciting to share this week. Tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday was all out in the heat of the day talking to people, teaching people, and speaking to people. Sunday was full with church and a YSA Family Home Evening session which was loads of fun and full of food. All I really can say is that life is good, the sun is hot, and the search goes on.

Onto the pictures, all of them were taken on Friday in the same area. We were Walking around an area known as Higashiyama looking for people to talk to. I saw a couple cool birds, a few old man going fishing with giant fishing poles and SWAT Car parked on the street. Why it was there I have no idea. Although we did see A LOT of police officers in the area, but we never found out what was going on, I did see a whole bunch of people standing on top of a car with megaphones, but I didn`t understand what was going on. Other than that I don`t have anything to say, sorry guys I have a horrible memory and well, just generally nothing happened.

By The way, Transfers are coming up next week. I may know next week Monday before I email but I may not know until afterwards on Tuesday. I may go, I may stay, I may get a new companion, I may not, I have no idea right now. Also if I get sent to the Inaka, or the countryside, I may not be able to email and may only be able to write letters. I`ll have to say I`m sorry if that does happen, but the Lord sends me where he needs me.

Elder Tateishi`s Gospel Moment of the Week

"Potential"

All of my Companions know that I despise this word. To me it`s almost like a swear word, and on occasion my companion likes to tease me by using it. But why do I hate it? Well it`s not that I necessarily hate the idea of what it means, it`s I hate the Timing that goes along with the word. I hear frequently and read frequently that "You have the Potential." Well I hate the word because it implies that I CAN be something, but am not that something at this moment. If any of this makes sense, it might in a little bit. What it all boils down to is that I see, and others see, in me the "Potential" to do great things, to become a great missionary, to be a great man, to do anything. But the fact is, is that I`m not that great man, that great missionary, capable of doing great things, right now. What I`m trying to get at, is that I have potential, I have a possibility, a capability of almost anything, but at this moment in time I am not those things, not yet. I hate the word Potential only because it has the implied meaning that we may never reach it.

The point of this topic is this. Everyone has Potential. Everyone has the Possibility, the capability to do anything. Each and everyone of us has the same potential, the same possibility, not one of us is better than another. Of course everyone is different, of course everyone has advantages and disadvantages that they are born with or life circumstances that fall upon them. But we all still have the Potential to accomplish things. Despite of handicaps, or life situations we can achieve anything. I have a saying, and many people have probably heard me say this "There is no such thing as Smart or Dumb, There is only Motivated, and Unmotivated." That is the key. Motivation. We need to Motivate ourselves to achieve those goals, we need to push ourselves to reach our potential. How many stories have we heard of those who came from the bottom of the world and ended up standing atop it. Einstein who was once a C student in Math ended up being a Legend in the World of Science, that is only one of many examples. You have stories of people who overcame impossible odds, The Spartans and Thermopolyae holding of the Horde of Persian Soldiers that although they lost their stand helped to save the rest of Greek, David a simple boy who Fought Goliath a giant among men, Alexander the Great who`s army was outnumbered yet still he conquered the Persians, and the list goes on. You have young Joseph Smith, who but a poor 14 year old farm boy, with little education, having only faith, saw God the Father, and Jesus Christ. You have Jesus Christ himself, born the son of a carpenter, raised as a simple boy and taught from the scriptures, who was opposed at every turn by wicked men. Who healed the sick and raised the dead. Who Boldly Declared the will of the father, who suffered all for us and was raised up upon the Cross, yet 3 days he did rise again.

We all have the same Potential, everyone of us. Because, as I have heard it said "We are each, just imperfect Gods." Every human being that ever has been, ever will be, and is in existence is a Child of God. Each and everyone of us are Sons and Daughters of a Perfect God. Our souls were created long before our bodies ever did, we lived in God`s presence, we learned from him, we followed him, and we all agreed to follow his plan. As such, as sons and Daughters of God do we not have the same potential, the same capability of becoming as he is? Think about that. Even as your father or your mother is, you have the potential to achieve that. Why wouldn`t we have the same possibility with our Heavenly Father and God?

The only thing stopping us from anything is ourselves. As Christ said to three of the disciples at Gethsemane "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Although each of us is a child of God, we are still human right now, we are in a fallen state and we are subject to the weaknesses and frailties of humanity. We are as was stated early "Imperfect Gods." We are not there yet, we are far from being like God. We are not perfect, in spirit or in body. Our human bodies are frail, are weak, subject to sickness and disease, damage and corruption, and as the way with us all Death. Our spirits are weak as well, we are tempted, we are stained with sin, we are, each of us, imperfect in thought and mind. We are only human, we are not like God yet.

Remember, each and everyone of you is a child of God. Remember, Remember, that anything is within your grasp. Have Faith, that God is on your side. He Loves you and he wants the best for you. He has shown us the way to become like him, he has taught us what we must do. If we do that, no matter how hard it seems at times, no matter how many times we stumble and fall so long as we pick ourselves back up we can become like him, we can reach our potential. It may not come now, it may not come in a long time, but we can reach that Potential.

I end by sharing my love unto all my Brother`s and Sister`s, this great family of God, and say these things in the name of The Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

With much Love
Elder Randall KK Tateishi

I apologize!

Sorry I haven't posted this letter sooner, I was on a cruise for the week and didn't get Randy's email in time. I got it and love it! I will just go ahead and post it now and make more comments on the next email that comes.

Dear Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, Family, Friends, Mentors, and Readers

This week has had its ups and downs, the highs and lows, but I`ll start with the good and end with the good, leaving the bad mingled in the middle where hopefully its badness will be smothered out by the good news around it!

I`ll start on Monday. Monday was beautiful. We went to Kyoto Station and ate at an all you can eat buffet with our dear friend Brother Doke, who likes to spoil us rotten by taking us out and stuffing us like pigs. Bless the old man`s heart, He loves the missionaries so much and does so much to help them. Afterwards we simply wrote letters and took a nap.

Tuesday was an interesting day. But it was an awesome day. If you look at the two pictures, The first is that of a boy walking up a hill in a quiet neighborhood. You might be able to see that it was a nice day outside with the sun shining brightly and overall it was a beautiful day. BUT look at the second picture. That`s rain by the way, falling extremely hard. Yea, that was the same day within about 15 min. of each other. Welcome to Japan.

Now the story behind the pictures. We were out housing, not the usual apartment housing, but actual house housing. Traditional Home and all. It was bright and beautiful with only a few clouds in the sky, but with about 15 min. clouds came rolling in and rain began pouring down. We didn`t have umbrellas with us or our rain suits, just long sleeve white shirts and our dress slacks. Within about a minute of the rain starting to pour down we were drenched to the bone. Like literally I could not have jumped into a pool of water and gotten more wet. Yet still we housed for another hour or so in the rain. We had quite a few people give us strange looks, but I never quite figured that one out. It was an unsuccessful day with finding but it was successful for us in the fact that niether rain nor storm could stop us from being happy. We returned home, showered, changed, took a quick nap and headed out, rain gear and all awaiting the heavy rain. But, the sun was shining again and the clouds had passed, laughing along with us.

Wednesday was in stark contrast to Tuesday though. It was bright, sunny, hot, and humid. The rays of the sun seem to beat down on me and, for me personally it was a miserable day. I had lost all will power to do anything. It wasn`t that I didn`t want to do anything, I simply couldn`t push myself to DO anything. I was tired, mentally, emotionally, physically. I was just drained, and my mind wandered upon negative topics. I felt inadequate and weak. I`ll explain more in my gospel message about this, and how I overcame it.

Thursday awas slightly better, I went out determined to redeem myself from yesterday, and did so slightly. I worked for the little time that we had before we did our weekly planning and had District Meeting. That Night we started companionship exchanges with Joyo, just south of Fushimi, and I went with Elder Suzuki(native Japanese, speaking only Japanese) to Joyo.

Friday I simply followed Elder Suzuki around, not able to do much simply because I couldn`t say anything in Japanese and Elder Suzuki could. It was entertaining though while we went housing. I can do Housing quite a bit, but everytime I rang the doorbell no one answered the door, where as Elder Suzuki got all the people.

Saturday... I can`t really remember what happened Saturday..... Wow, everything blurs together way to much.

Sunday was a bittersweet day. Yamashita came to Church again, and had a wonderful experience, filled with the spirit. He Loves church, and although he`s too busy to attend all of Church he said He`ll come whenever he can to sacrament meeting.

We were scheduled to have a baptism this coming week on the 13th, but it fell through on Sunday. While we were teaching him(Yuta) the Ten Commandments, he looked at the simple one of "Thou shalt not bear False Witness." He agreed to keep the commandments, and to strive to live them, but he said that because of that, he couldn`t be baptized. He doesn`t belief in God yet, or Christ. Bless his big heart. He loves the church, he loves the people, he loves what we teach, but he just can`t believe yet. He wants to, but he just hasn`t found out for himself yet, and therefore he does not want to lie when he is asked to testify. He will still come to church and all the activities, he simply said, he needs more time. He`ll be baptized, now is just not his time.

We also had a third investigator come to Church, Kenji, who I haven`t seen in quite a while because he`s been busy and so have we. He came late, towards the end of church and me and our Ward Mission leader shuffled into another room and taught him the plan of Salvation quickly. He loved it, and he has strong faith, he told us how has felt the Holy Ghost already in his life as he`s read the Book of Mormon. We plan to meet with him again, and teach him more, hopefully getting him baptized soon.

ELDER TATEISHI`S GOSPEL MOMENT OF THE WEEK!

"Endure to the End."

We often hear this phrase repeated multiple times at church. "Endure to the End!" It is the fifth and final point in the simplified explanation of the Gospel of Christ. It is repeated in D&C 123:17. It is repeated throughout the scriptures in different ways, and it is a motto held tightly to by the youth of the church worldwide. But what does it mean to Endure to the End? What does it mean to Endure?

As a Missionary, I go about and I promise happiness to those who participate in this wonderful Gospel. I go about and teach of Joy, of Purity, of Eternal and True Happiness. I teach people that when they follow the commandments of God, when they live the word of God, that they will recieve blessings untold, that they will grow and become strong and wonderful happy people. All of it is true, we do recieve wonderful blessings of Happiness, Joy, and Purity, as we strive to live according to God`s Commandments. We grow, we become strong, we love, and we find ourselves and our own strengths from within.

But just because we recieve these blessings, just because I promise happiness and Joy does not mean that we will not face Trials and Tribulations. The Greatest of us all, the man who`s joy exceeded all, who followed with perfection the commandments of God, suffered the most grueling and difficult trials and tribulations of us all. Christ, who did all that God ever asked him to do, suffered both mentally, emotionally, physically, and Spirtually, to a point where he as the scriptures report "His sweat, as were great drops of blood," "Which caused me, to bleed from every pour." Yet still he suffered more, It is written that after he had died upon the Cross a Roman Soldier Pierced his side and heart with a spear and it was reported that Blood and water poured out. It is a peculiar thing to see both blood and water pour out of a wound, and the cause of such a thing I cannot explain to the fullest due to my lack of knowledge on the subject. But Suffice to say that according to modern medical knowledge such a thing is caused be the literal breaking of a heart (Note "Jesus the Christ" By James E. Talmage, At the end of the Chapter expounding upon Christ`s crucifiction.). Christ literally died of a broken heart, of intense mental, emotional, and spiritual stress. He died of a broken heart, not from his physical sufferings upon the Cross.

Joseph Smith, who rejoiced in the gospel and restored the Gospel of Christ to its final and greatest glory, suffered great things at the hand of persecutors. He was Tarred and feathered, mocked and spit upon, incarcerated and beat many times before he finally died a Martyr at Carthage Jail, sealing his testimony of this gospel with his blood.

I could go on, and list many others who have suffered as they preached and taught about Joy, about Happiness. From Abel, to Daniel in the Den of Lions, To Abinadi burned at the stake, to Paul and Peter and the other apostles of old who died as Martyrs to the cause of love. To the members of the church both old and new who suffered the persecutions of hateful men. Countless people have suffered because they believed, and because they sought to follow the Commandments of the Lord. But that is not what I wish to dwell upon. In these latter days, hardly are we ever called upon to suffer persecution from wicked men. Never are we called to be recieved as Martrys into heaven. The worst we recieve is a hateful or spiteful word, as our sufferings from exterior causes.

My point is this, although we follow what is right, although we stand upright before our God and King, although we obey the commandments to the best of our abilities, trials do not go away. We still have our problems, we are still numbered among the Human race, we are still imperfect, both body and soul. I am Missionary, I can honestly say that I strive to do my best to obey the commandments, to set myself aside from the world and stand as a witness of Christ and testify of his work and glory, I am still imperfect, I am far from perfect, and thus I still have my troubles and my trials. There are days were I am simply tired, I am exhausted both physically and mentally and emotionally and spiritually. When the weight and continued stress upon body and soul of working to push forward and do this work comes crushing down upon me. When I am weak and let thoughts of doubt, or inadequacy slip into my mind and weigh me down, when I see disappointment after disappointment sink into my heart. These are days when I lose my willpower, my abilty to push myself, to do do things any more than walking and speaking as little as possible.

Everyone has their days when they are down. Everyone has a time when things come crashing down upon their shoulders. But what do we do when this happens? Some say: "Why me?" others whine and groan, and complain. I personally will sometimes wallow in my thoughts, simply letting them stir within my heart and mind. But what do we do?

The simplest answer I have is endure. It is commonly said in a less polite manner: "Bad things Happen." Things fall upon us when we least expect it. Sometimes it`s simply a "bad day" where are minds and emotions are simply filled with negativity, or other times it`s when some physical, mental or emotional problem suddenly falls upon you such as an unexpected death, an accident, or the discovery of a friends betrayel, or the feelings of inadequacy or depression. They happen even to the best of us all. But again here is the solution, the magical solution spoken so majestically and splendidly by Joseph Smith, during the trials of the early Persecution of the Modern Church.

"Therefore Dearly Beloved Brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power. Then we may stand still and wait to see the salvation of God and his arm to be revealed."

There are two parts to this scripture. First, "let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power." Note what I accented in the first section, three words that I believe are important to note. First "Cheerfully", second "All" and lastly "Power." We must first look upon our trials and tribulations with a postive cheerful attitude, it is not easy sometimes but it`s one thing that will help beyond almost all the others. I love the phrase "carry your own wheather." Each of us is an agent unto ourselves, WE choose how WE react to situations, wether interior or exterior influences press upon us we still have our agency to choose for ourselves. WE choose to view something with offense, WE choose to view something negatively or positively, and when we ALLOW other things to press upon us negatively we willingly give up our agency to pressures and influences of exterior forces. Remember, CHOOSE to be postivie, CHOOSE to be happy, even in the face of trial. Second, "all". We must do all that we can to solve are problems. We must push forward and give our all in overcoming our situations, wether it simply be changing our attitude or confronting the exterior force that pushes upon us or changing our inner selves to remove that negative force. We must first give it our all in rooting out our own problems. The Third, "Power", is a warning. We must "do all things that lie in our power." Do not try to push yourselves beyond your capabilities. In Mosiah we read "It is not requisite that a man runs faster than he has strength." I will tell you that I have long hated the word "potential" because of its implied meaning of future possibilty and not present attainment. Many times I have heard people tell me, "you have so much potential." Yet I cringe at the word, because I want that potential NOW, I want to be what everyone else sees as a possibility, but I cannot skip the process of Growth. I have quite often been `chomping at the bit` trying to push myself to be my potential at that exact moment, trying to jump past all the growth and ignoring my weaknesses along the way, and then I fail, unable to complete or attain what I was hoping to be and I come crashing down. Patience is the key to the last word. Do what lies within your power to do, push yourself hard, but don`t push yourself beyond what you have strength, even if what you can do is not sufficient, for this brings us to our second part of the scripture.

"Then may we stand still and wait to see the salvation of God and his arm to be revealed." If we do all that lies in our power, with a cheerful heart and having faith in God he will do the rest. It`s as simple as that. Have faith, be patient, work hard and you will overcome any obstacle in your path. Wether it be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual you can overcome that problem. I have seen it in my own life, and experienced how it works many times. In the past week I simply had to come the the acceptance that right now I am not the greatest speaker of this language, right now I`m not the best at talking with people at speaking to others and opening up. I had to realize that I don`t have that capability at this moment, But I still needed to this work lacking those skills. I came to the conclusion that although I don`t have the skills right now, I need to keep trying to talk, keep trying to understand, keep trying to work. I needed to watch, to learn, to practice, and to grow slowly and that eventually it will come. I saw the blessing of my endurance on Sunday, when I sat and taught Kenji, without my companion and with just me and the Ward Mission Leader. I was the lone person in the room that spoke english, and yet I understood most of what was said, I took it patiently, accepting the fact that I didn`t understand what exactly was happening, and when they asked me questions I slowly, carefully, in broken Japanese reiterated their question to confirm what they were saying and then I spoke, I answered and I testified. I taught, I spoke, interacted, even with my lack of skill in the language, or my lack of knowledge in teaching. I simply did, and the power of the Spirit of God ended by sealing my testimony upon his Heart. He felt the spirit, I felt the spirit, and I endured.

Remember my Brothers and Sisters, that even in the deepest pit of despair, even when locked within the gaping jaws of steel that is sin and sorrow and despair, God and Christ are with you. Upon the Cross Christ uttered these words "My God, My God, Why Hast thou forsaken me." At that moment God withdrew his presence from his beloved son, Christ at that moment, was completely and utterly alone. Christ walked that lonely path, he suffered the pains and afflictions of all both mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional. He Knows your pains, he knows your sorrows, he knows your Grief. In Alma 7 It reads that he suffered these things that he might know how to succor his people. He suffered the worst the human mind could imagine and more so that you don`t have to. O Remember this, let it guide you, let it help you. Have Faith! God is on your side! He stands with open arms, waiting simply for us to come to him, and when we do he will rejoice, and all the angels of heaven along with him. Remember the Story of the Prodigal Son. Each of us has been the Prodigal Son to one degree or another, each of us is imperfect, each of us because of our own actions will suffer painful consequences of varying degrees, and for each of us the Father waits, with open heart, with loving eyes, and patient mind. Just take the steps, and follow him, he is waiting for you, not you for him.

I stand as a clear witness of this truth. I have felt God`s loving arms around me many times. I was once lost, but now am found. I once stumbled alone shrugging away the calls of a loving Father, but now I have stumbled back into his arms. He healed my wounds, he washed the tears from my eyes, he mended my tattered clothes and sated my hungers and thirst. He set me back upon my feet and with a loving smile he helped me on my way. He lives, what more need I say than this! He lives... He loves me.. He sent his only begotten son to die for me. Christ lives too! Standing beside the father, a loving brother, willing to help us and guide us on our way. He lets us lean upon his shoulder in our weakened state as he carries us back to the Father. The Holy Ghost as well! He whispers softly in our ears, although unable to do more than speak he encourages us, he uplifts us. He tells to us that the Son is coming, that he is there. He reminds us that our Father Cares. Thus Stand the Godhead, all three are one in purpose, but each with a different role. So in prayer, through the son we come to the father and through the spirit doth the father speak to us. And thus I say unto you, they live, they love, they guide, they teach. In the most sacred name of my Savior, my Redeemer, My Lord, The Son of God, Jesus Christ. Amen.

With Love unto all
Elder Randall KK Tateishi

He loves us...

Randy never ceases to amaze me. I often wondered what went through his little head. When he was younger he always wore his feelings on his sleeves for everyone to see. He was caring, giving and always concerned with other people. He would cry for others at the drop of a hat and was especially concerned for people if they were not doing the right things. As he grew up he became more reserved. Although, I still could look into his eyes and see the hurt he held for friends, brothers and family if they did something wrong or didn't live the gospel. I also think he felt responsible for their welfare and salvation. I remember when he was the 1st Assistant in Priest Quorum and the worry and feelings he had when people weren't "doing what they were supposed to be doing". Sometimes I would see him tear up, but not want anyone to know he was feeling these thoughts.

I am proud to say now he is becoming a man. He is feeling again. I can see his concern for others in his letters. Not only concern for the people he is teaching in Japan but for family and friends. It is much appreciated. Unfortunately he is a lot like me...LOL...I remember Bishop Gough saying once "Sister T., he is a lot more like you than you think". I too worry about others and wish I could fix everyone's problems, but I can't. I think both Randy and I would gladly take on other people's problems, fix them and give them back to the person healthy and healed.

I am happy to see that he noticed things in our family that are to me, perfect. He noticed the small things his dad has done for me, he noticed the love that he has for his brothers and sisters. He noticed the Love we all have for each other. We may not be the perfect family (cough, cough), but we are a loving family who would drop whatever they were doing to help each other. I love that about our family. We may live miles away from each other, but the care and love is still between us all. Some of us may not show it all the time, but I can guarantee the love is still there. We may not agree on each others lifestyle, but the love is still there. I am proud to say and shout I LOVE MY FAMILY!

Without further ado....

Dear Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, Family, Friends, Mentors, and everybody else

It`s another week rolled by and life is good in Japan. A brief overview consists of lots of walking and lots of biking.

Monday after Emails ended up being a regular day, we didn`t go anywhere because we wanted to catch up on some letters, which I still have quite a few to catch up on. Currently on my list of letters to write are: Ian James, Gypsy Bowler, Dell Okamoto, Reynolds Family, Adam Jentzch. I think that`s all of them, and I may only get one or two done today, but just to let those people know, you are on my list and I`m slowly working on writing you! Just have patience with me, I don`t have much time to write letters ever.

Tuesday and Wednesday were great days, I had my first solo Contacts. We saw some people playing baseball and my companion ran off to go play with them, leaving me to talk with one of the young men on the sidelines. I talked with him for a good 15 min. alone. It was fun, and I really felt the spirit working through me as I knelt on the grass, beneath a shady tree, on a bright sunny day and taught about the gospel. He was a nice young man and looked like he had interest and hopefully we can teach him more. The other Solo Contact was on the train ride back from Kobe (where we went for Zone Conference) My companion simply gestured for me to start talking to the young man next to me, and stood back and watched me struggle. His only comment was "You talk very loud."

Wednesday was Zone Conference. It was a great Zone Conference and we mainly talked about keeping the "Goose Genki." Taking the example of the Goose that lays the golden Eggs, and not killing the goose in an attempt to get all the golden eggs out of the goose at once. We went over how to keep ourselves physically and mentally fit in order to stany genki and happy and work efficiently and productively. The whole thought is that a steady incline and increase gives a better overall result than bursts mingled with down periods. All in all it came down to not pushing yourself too hard, which is something that I realized I needed to work on. I keep getting on myself for not being as good at contacting as I think I should be. But I`m all good now and realize that I`m steadily improving all around. It`ll just take some time.

Thursday and Friday we had awesome days, we had one person contact us and say "Hey your Mormons right? Where`s your Church I want to see what it`s like." We were both very surprised. We found a few others that seemed to literally fall from the sky and just land in our hands. A Korean that spoke really good english wanted to come to church and said he would next week. Along with a few other people. We also visited a couple of the members this week. At one of the families ate Raw eggs for the first time in my life. It was.... interesting. At least I got to mix the eggs with lots of meat. It wasn`t too bad actually, just something entirely new.

Saturday and Sunday were really good as well. Saturday we went out Proselyting all over and did a little bit of housing. Towards the end of the night, when we were returning to our apartment I decided that we should stop by one of our investigator`s house to check up on him and see how he was doing. He wasn`t home, but I left a note in his mail box just telling him that we really wanted to meet again. The next day on Sunday he came to church and surprised me. He said that he really liked the Note I had left for him and that he thought that he should go to church that day. I was so excited to see him, because he is an investigator from when I first got here, he`s an older man with a kind heart and very loving.

Sunday was extremely busy, we didn`t leave the church until almost 6 PM, when church ends at 3. We taught a lesson to one of our other investigators, and were setting up appointments to meet with members throughout the week. We barely had any time to go out and proselyte. We didn`t find anybody but it was good because I had a few more chances to step out and take the lead in the contacts. So that was my week, in Japan, nothing exciting.

Elder Tateishi`s Gospel Moment of the Week

So Life is good is it not? But what makes our life so joyful and happy? What is it that we need to live out enjoyable, happy and fulfilling lives?

I would simply Quote Christ, when he listed the Two Greatest Commandments.

"The Lord thy God with all thy heart, might, mind, and Strength."

"Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself."

So what is it that we need? Simply put it is Love.

Love brings us joy, loves brings us happy, it is the basis of all other emotions that revolve around making us feel good. When we are happy it is because we love what is going on, when we celebrate it is because we love the occasion. Love, it is as plain and simple as that. Paul taught that without Charity(Love) we are nothing. But what is Love? There are various kinds of Love. There is Love and pure affection for a spouse, a Beloved. There is Love and Affection for one`s child. There is Love for our Siblings, and Love for a Friend. I will simply start from the bottom of the list.

Love for a Friend. All of us have friends that we love to varying degrees. Some we love enough that we say "He`s practically my Brother." Others we simply say that they are acquaintances. But all the same we love them, we are willing to sacrifice for them to varying degrees. Whether it simply be time as a companionship to be together, or assistance in completing an activity, or being there to support them in times of trouble and help counsel and overcome their problems. The very basic description of Love is simply this, being willing to sacrifice something in order to assist the person you Love. Christ once said "There is no greater love than this, That a man would be willing to lay down his life for a friend." As we Love, and sacrifice for others we help them to become happy, we see their joy and return it makes us happy. It is a simply revolving cycle. If you Love someone, if you sacrifice even a little and assist them, they in turn will Love you, and be willing to sacrifice a little for you. Therefore as Christ said "Do good to them that hate you." Show love even for your enemies, love them, and it will help to deflect their anger, and even if they continue it is to their condemnation and not yours. As Christ Said, "Love thy Neighbor as Thyself." We are to love everyone, for everyone is our neighbor. We need to help them and assist them. Be Charitable, loving, caring, kind, sensitive to all of those around you. As you see the joys of others around you, as you share your love with everyone, your love will grow and in turn your happiness will grow.

Love for our Siblings. This Love is forged deeper than just friends and those around you. There is simply something about being of the same blood and the same parentage that helps to forge a bond between siblings. Sometimes we neglect it, for it is easy to do so, we live with them for 24/7 for almost 18 years before we move out on our own. We just get tired of the same old people. But time and time again I hear the stories of Siblings who fought as children yet when they were older and moved out they reforged their bond and grew even closer as Adults. Many regret that they did not have a close relationship with their siblings, many wish that they had done better as a Brother or a Sister. I am one of those. I neglected that bond I had with my siblings while I was in my teenage years. They were simply another person I lived with, and at times they were annoying to me, simply getting in my way of hanging out with friends or doing what I wanted. I regret that. For in the last year or so before my mission, and in the last month more so, I grew to know one of my brothers really well, then I realized how much I had missed out. To have a sibling you could trust, to have a brother or sister who could help you and lived with you would have been such a great blessing in my life. I Honestly say that I neglected those bonds when I was younger, but now I hope on reforging all of them with my older brothers. I want to be able to be there for all my brothers and my sister, I want to be a true Brother to them all. I want to be able to help them when they ask for it. Christ is Our brother, and is ultimately the Greatest example we have of Brotherly Love. He Suffered for each and everyone of us, he "Laid down his life" for us.

Love for our Children. I can easily, and honestly say that I have no Children, Never had, and although I will it`s still a ways into the future. But I do know something, if not as fully or brightly as most parents do, of the love for one`s Child. I simply have to look at my two nieces, Hannah, and Tavie, Possibly the two cutest little girls in the world. I love them dearly, and always wish the best for them. I held them, I played with them, I helped them, even if it was only a fraction of what their parent`s did for them. I know that I would do anything for their well being, for their safety and continued growth to become strong and wonderful adults in the years to come. I look as an example of parental love to my Parents. I never ever doubted that my parents loved me. I knew it from the time I was born and still know it today. I have seen it in the way they raised me, in the way they helped me. As Parents they were always there for me, whether I sought for their help or not, they were waiting to pick me up when I fell, to clean my scraped knees and to set me on my feet again. My Parents were far from perfect parents, they could even tell you that, but the one thing that sines so brightly to me, above all the other things they did for me was simply Love. That`s all it took. Simply knowing that they loved me, helped me through my difficult times, hearing their soothing words when I was down, the warm and gentle hugs we shared, the happy smiles, the tears that we shed together. That`s what I remember. I also knew of their Love for my other siblings, for many times I looked from a far and watched what my parents did for my brothers and sisters. I watched my mother cry when my siblings hurt, I saw her rejoice when they rejoiced, I saw that she hurt when they hurt, she shared what they felt, and what they did. My Father Likewise, although he stood silently in the background, talking little and never saying much. He was the silent sentinel upon the hill. Waiting patiently to step in and assist. I remember the few times that he actually spoke words of wisdom to me, when he gave me advise. So gentle and quiet was his voice, so simple and delicate were his words. Rarely he raised his voice, but always in tender Love did he help me.

God is our Father. He is the Father of our spirits, and likewise he is a perfect father. He feels all the pains that we feel, he rejoices when we rejoice, he cries when we cry. He Stands as a silent sentinel in the Heavens, waiting patiently, sometimes suffering the pain of watching us fall because he knows it will help us grow. He watches quietly, waiting for us to call, and when he acts it is almost always, quietly and gently to pick us up, dust our knees and set us on our feet again. How firm is his resolve that all of us can attain a perfect happiness. He loves each and everyone of us, he knows us by name. He calls to us through tears of pain, as we stumble blindly in the Dark. His Light soft, but brilliant. We must call to him and then he will guide us.

Finally there is Love for a spouse, a beloved. In this I have little experience. I am young, I am unmarried, and I know little about True Love. I do have a little experience, I do Love. I know what it feels like to Love and I know what I would do for Love. But I look not to myself but again to my parents as an example of Love. Although I never see my father embrace my Mother, I rarely see them so much as sit beside each other on the couch. But I know that they Love each other, because I see it in the way they treat each other. Always do they refer to each other in all things, always do they trust each other with everything. They frequently seek each other`s advice and are always there for the other. I always say the greatest two words my father ever taught me were simply these: "Yes, Dear." In those two simple words, he shows his Love. He shows he is willing to sacrifice to help my mother be happy. To do even the menial house work to make her happier. My Mother Likewise, cooking dinner, and cleaning the house, assisting in all things and helping to keep the finances in order. Although they are quiet towards each other, their actions speak so much louder than words. Love is not Physical contact, nor is it expressed in words, It is in what we do, and how we think. Respect is part of it, but more fully it is trust and honest, unfeigned care for the other. A willingness to put aside everything for the other. I cannot wait to be married. I wish to love my wife with all my heart, I wish to be there for her always and devote my life to her. For we must remember, that marriage is not limited to this life alone, but it extends into the eternities as well.

I end by simply saying, I love you all. I may not know all who read this by name, but I do know that I am willing to sacrifice for all. It may be to a varying degree, for I am imperfect. But as a Missionary you learn that Love is greater than all. I love these people, and that is why I am here. I have felt peace, I have found Joy, and I wish for all to partake of this most sweet and joyful fruit that I have found. That is my dream, that is my goal. To share this fruit with all. My heart goes out to you all, and especially to a certain person who knows who she is. I love you.

Share your love, be charitable, be kind, be sensitive. Help each other, build each other. Love each other as God Loves you. With true love, and Charity you will truly find yourself happier.

I know that God Loves me, and I know that Christ Loves me, I know that they love each and every person upon this earth and that they care for them. We simply need to reach out to them. I bear my witness to you that they Live, they can guide our steps, and help us live. I know they have for me. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, My savior, Amen.

Brother to All, and Loving Son,

Elder Randall KK Tateishi