See...Do....Get

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

I`m not sure where I need to start off this week. It kind of flew
past really really fast. I had a Companion Exchange with the Senboku
Elders this week on tuesday and Wednesday. That went pretty well. I
had loads of fun talking with Elder Bailey from Las Vegas, plus had
fun trying to talk to people.

Wednesday went awesomely as we taught English and had quite a few
people show up. Thursday and Friday were regular days of Dendo, except
we did go to a Handbell concert. Yes Handbells. It was very beautiful
and productive, we contacted another investigator and a less active
member. We also met with a part member family and met their HUGE talk
that slobbered all over my suit..... yea the dog was almost as big as
I am.

Saturday and Sunday we were in Sakai for General Conference, and that
was just plain awesome, I loved the talks that were given, all of them
and it was just splendidly amazing. On Sunday we were given a ride
back to our apartment by a member and his family. I got to listen to
them talk in Kansai-ben the whole 40 min. ride back. Which you might
compare to a Southern accent of English, except.... it really doesn`t
sound like Japanese. If you learned basic japanese you would have no
idea what these people were talking about. But it was loads of fun for
me and I laughed the whole way back because it was just so hilarious
to hear the Ben. I love Kansai.

After that we had a lesson and then had a dinner party at some
Senboku member`s house, there were over 30 people squashed in a single
apartment, but that was fun.

I love my Mission!

Elder Tateishi`s Gospel Message of the Week

This General Conference we had many amazing speakers stand up at the
podium and declare the word of God unto all nations, all kindreds, all
tongues, and all peoples. As Elder Holland said at the end of the
Conference any and all can learn something personal from the Talks
given over that podium. If only my writings could be the same.

I feel impressed to talk about Potential again. My least favorite
word, but now my favorite word.

In the priesthood session of Conference President Uchtdorf talked
about many priesthood holders living beneath their deserved level, not
obtaining to the level of power they are entitled to have as holders
of God`s Holy Priesthood. He used the analogy of a man who wanted to
take a cruise of the Mediteranean, who wanted to go see the famous
places of Italy and the Mediteranean. So this man, skrimped and saved
and bought a ticket. He also brought with him beans, and spam, and
little curmbs of food so that he would have something to eat
throughout the cruise. As the ship sailed he watched the others having
fun, and eating endless amounts of food and felt left out, as he sat
alone in his cabin living off of beans and spam. In the end he got to
see the wonderful places he wanted to see, but as the journey neared
its end a steward asked the man which of the farewell parties he would
be obtaining. At this point the man realized that all of those games,
the food was included in the price of his ticket, but it was too late
to enjoy it all, and he only got a taste of what he could have had the
whole time.

The moral of the story, many of us live far below our actual
potential. Many of us do not realize that we can obtain a far higher
level of Happiness, of Joy, of Power, of Success than we ever thought
of. Many of us live off of beans and spam(although I wouldn`t mind the
spam personally) when we are entitled to all we can eat buffets of the
most delicious food. Many of us hunker alone in our cabin when we are
entitled to feel the joy of friends around us of laughter and
happiness.

Potential. All of us have it. All of us are Children of God, are Sons
and Daughters of an all powerful, all knowing, deeply loving Father in
Heaven who is God. Just as the catipellar turns into the butterfly, so
are we entitled to transform into greatness and Godliness. We all have
that potential, and God, our Loving Father in Heaven knows we do and
seeks to help us obtain that potential.

In my last training meeting with President McIntyre he showed us
again the "See-do-Get" model. What we see, influences what we do, and
what we do influences what we get. So if you see a candybar, you eat
it, and what you get is a delicious snack! If what you see looks
incredibly disgusting than what you do is not eat, and what you get is
nothing. Get where I`m going yet?

I invite each of you to look at yourself. What do YOU see? Who are
you? Where are you? Then I invite you to look at yourself in the
future, who you want to be. Then ask yourself "What do I see? Where
can I go? Who can I become?" See yourself as that person! Don`t look
at just the here and now. Don`t simply say "Well.... I`m just me and
nothing can be done about it. I`m lazy, I`m boring, I`m stupid, I`m
ugly" Those are all just lies. What you see, in the end, is what you
get. Remember the saying "Monkey see, Monkey do!" Then choose to see
something better!! Than you`ll DO better.

Let me ask you this last question. What does God see in you? In me?
In those around us? Who does he see you as? Who does he see us as? If
you don`t know the answer to that question, imagine that you are a
father, or a mother, and you look at your children. Don`t you love
them? Can`t you see them as successful adults, raising their own
families? Well let me tell you this. God sees even more in them than
you do, and he see more in you than you could possibly imagine. So
what does he do? He loves you, he cares for you, and every single day,
every single night, every single moment he sees you and wants to help
you. He tries to show you how to get to where he knows you can go. He
loves you enough to place trials and challanges in your way so that
you can grow. He loves you enough that he was willing to send his only
begotten son to die for you! He loves you. He loves you individually,
he loves no person any more or any less than another. And his love is
far deeper than you could ever imagine.

So I say to you, Open your eyes and see! See your own potential, then
do, then get! Don`t be content with the fact that you`re on the cruise
boat, go out and enjoy it. Be postive in the face of adversity, smile
into the snarling teeth of trials. And Remember that God is by your
side, and he KNOWS that you can do it. He is the ultimate cheerleader,
the one that not only sits on the sidelines and roots you on but
stands beside you as you go. "As you draw near unto me, I draw near
unto thee. Seek me." Is what Christ has said. He is there with open
arms and as the quote that I have seen so many countless times this
transfer says: "I never said that it would be easy, I only said that
it would be worth it."

I Testify to you that it IS worth it. That it IS hard. That it`s so
hard every single day. To try to open my mouth and speak to people. To
try every single day to obtain that potential which I know lies before
me. It is hard as I slip, as I stumble, as I fall. It is hard as I cry
out in pain and sorrow as I push myself farther and farther than I
ever thought I could go before. BUT IT IS WORTH IT! What do I remember
more than those dark times? I remember those brilliant times! Those
great times, those lovely times. Pain is but a moment, lost upon the
wind, but when it passes, then, as winter turns to spring, the
blossoms come and beauty springs forth. All those answered prayers,
all those comforting thoughts, those comforting feelings that God has
give unto me. Those are what I remember. When he reached out with
loving hands, brushed the dirt from my knees, cleaned my scrapes and
my bruises and set me on my feet again. I look back now and see that I
stand high upon the mountainside, far higher than I had ever dreamed
before, far better than I ever thought I could become.

It IS worth it. I say again, I know that Christ lives, that he is
there, and I, as is humble servant, testify of his great and
everlasting sacrifice. In his Holy name. Amen.

With Much Love,

Elder Randall KK Tateishi