Change.....

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

I actually debated whether or not to skip writing this week. But even if I had, I wouldn`t have been "raptured" as a few of you have predicted. Because it would have been equivilant to lying, and we allknow that liars don`t go to heaven.

On a Cheerful note: Life is going Great. Despite the fact that I`mgoing to have to suffer 5 months with the rest of you until the end ofthe world.

Let`s see, this week has had it`s ups and downs, it`s bumps andbruises. Tuesday was utterly amazing, we had Zone Conference, and I got to hear some amazing testimonies as well as recieve some amazing training from the mission president. It was so amazing that President McIntyre made the rain stop so we could get home without getting soaking wet. Over the pulpit he said "And the rain will stop so you can all get home safely." And shortly after he said that, the heavy rains stopped and we all went home all dry and warm.

Wednesday I went off to Senboku for a companion exchange. I cleaned up and fixed the Elder`s bike that I was using. It was horrible.....But I had fun hanging out in Senboku. Thursday we came back and then we had fun with a Potential Investigator, my companion was doing some skateboarding, as we fellowshipped him and invited him to Eikaiwa and Church.

Friday..... was Friday, I don`t remember too much, Saturday, we found a giant Bhudda, and taught a Less Active. Sunday was fun at church and during ward Council meeting. Then we spent Sunday night at a members house and ate dinner with them. It was awesome, I love the Yoshikawa Family. Little Chie-chan(4yrs.) was jumping up and down when we gotthere saying "The Missionaries are here! The Missionaries are here!"and "Missionaries are a pair!" She is so cute, reminds me a lot of Hannah. Last week during Eikaiwa she even invaded my Advanced class along with her older sister Taka-chan (8 yrs.) and they both kept trying to push me over and steal my flashlight. x.x Luckily theEikaiwa students just laughed. Ahhhh! I love missionary life!! It`s always so much fun.

Elder Tateishi`s Gospel Message of the Week

Change.

Everyone experiences change. Both good and bad. Everyone throughout their life has new things come their way, both the expected and the unexpected. It is a simple fact of life, the world changes, our lives change, people around us change, our situation changes, and countless things change. And with each change will come trials, both big and small, both significant and insignificant. But trials will come. Starting a new job, moving to a new house, haveing a child, losing a loved one, sickness, or disaster.

All are changes from the norm. But as each change comes, we have a choice, we have a decision. We can say, as sickness strikes that we will push forward and do our bes tto overcome it, when we lose a loved one we can hope that they are at rest with God, when disaster strikes we can choose to rebuild and move on instead of wallow in sorrow. Or when the new job comes we can choose to be overwhelmed and worry, or with the new house we can complain about how the neighborhood is or isn`t, or with the new child we can worry and panic about how we will raise it. The point is, we must be optimistic about change.

Open your scriptures. Look at many of the countless stories that are written within and think about how the people reacted to their own trials and changes within their lives. Adam, cast out from the Garden of Eden, yes he did sorrow, but he moved on and found joy with his Wife Eve as they raised Children. Or you have Job, who lost everything, his children, his wealth, his health, and yet he said tha the would trust God and that he would continue to praise the Lord, even when his friends betrayed him. Then you have people like David, when he fell. He saw Beth-sheba, he lusted and his heart failed him. When he found that she was pregnant, he feared again, and sought to cover his sin by killing her husband and then marrying her. Or there is Lamen and Lemuel who complained because of their journey in the wilderness and were chastized by the Lord.

The point is, when change comes we really have two options. Be Positive, or be Negative. As we strive to be Positive, we will be blessed, as we seek for the silver lining we will find it. In the darkest night, there is still some light that shines. When Elder Hart came, I chose to be positive about this new companionship. Despite the fact, that at times I find him annoying I still love him, and choose to laugh instead of complain, to smile instead of frown. In opposition to that, when ever I had those hard times it was mainly because I had a negative outlook on my companion or my area.

Our attitude makes all the difference. How many times is it written within the scriptures: "Be of good cheer!"? God has revealed to us that "Man is that they might have joy." So when trials come, we must stay positive, we must act instead of REact. There of course will still be times to mourn, when we lose our loved ones or when tragedy strikes, but we must not let it weigh us down. If we think about it too much, if we worry about it too much,the problem simply gets worse, not any better. Trust me I know! I`m a thinker, and I think way too much!

Lastly, just remember to rely upon the Lord. He is there for you, he knows your pains, he knows what you are suffering, and what you have suffered. He knows how to help you through, and he also knows that with each trial you overcome, the stronger you will become. He looks at us in the eternal perspective, he sees what these trials will forge us into. Trust in him, and believe in him, and your outlook on life will be all the better.

I love the Lord, and I know that he is there for me. I know that he loves me and that he will guide me through each of my trials and all my difficult times. I am simply his servant right now. I follow him the best I can, and seek to do his will. In his Holy Name, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

With Much Love, Elder Randall KK Tateishi