In the beginning...there was a boy of 19 years of age who left for Kobe Japan on his mission wondering, "what have I got myself into"....In the middle there was a blooming young man in search of himself and in search of ways to please his Heavenly Father....In the end...there stands a Man....grown strong in the Gospel...Strong in his convictions...Strong in his Faith....Strong in his love for God and his family....
Dear Mother, Father, Sisters, Brothers, Family, and Friends
Phew! Life is precious life is great. There is simply beauty all around. Summer is now drawing to a close and autumn is coming. The weather is cooling and I am growing.
I`ve had a great week this week. Monday night we had a companion exchange with the Senboku missionaries. I was with Elder Bailey and the two new missionaries where together over in Senboku. Me Elder Bailey had a great time together, teaching a few good lessons and feeling the spirit as we had many good conversations about faith and about President Zinke`s vision. It was a great day and we had lots of fun together.
Wednesday we had basically no time to do anything, we taught a lesson to a less-active and then had Eikaiwa which went just fine. Thursday we were out with a member all day and then we taught Eikaiwa again up at Mikunigaoka`s area, so nothing really happened then. it wasn`t very exciting at all.
Friday was a great day. We had District Meeting and I had no idea what I was going to teach the District. I had spent the whole week studying for it but nothing was really coming to my mind and jumping out to me as to what I should teach, so I was unsure and finally just decided to teach from my personal study about faith. It was a great experience as I felt the Spirit guide me as to what to say and what to do, helping me to teach the District to grow and become better missionaries.
Saturday was basically just planning and then we visited Nishiguchi Kyodai, who is doing awesome and really working hard at rebuilding his faith. Sunday was beautiful as always. We had 4 less-actives to church and 1 investigator so it was really cool. We had an awesome lunch party after church with lots of delicious foods. Then we hopped into Ward Council to try to work with the ward more. That was really good. We also got a call from the Ward Mission Leader in Hashimoto branch, the Branch just south of us that doesn`t have any missionaries there at the moment. He had apparently found a new investigator that wants to hear the message and so we are going down there for church next Sunday. It sounds like it will be loads of fun.
I`m sorry if my emails are short and uninteresting. It just seems that everything blurs together a lot. I am so busy as I work with calling the District and working with members as well as seeking to find new investigators. It`ll be even more busy if this investigator in Hashimoto works out. But I like it this way. I`m happy when I am busy, moving along and doing the Lord`s work. There is nothing I`d rather be doing now than this.
Elder Tateishi`s Gospel Message of the week.
I wish to take time this week and talk about Faith. We members of the church have long known that "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." That is the simplest and best way to explain what faith is. We don`t need to know perfectly about something in order to have faith, we simply need to hope for those things which are true and follow and act upon them.
It has often been said that Faith is an action word. It is not simply an attitude or a belief but it is an ACTIVE belief that drives us to do something based upon those beliefs. We may believe that if we go to work we will get paid, but that belief is useless unless we act upon it and actually do it. When that belief turns into action it is Faith.
Now for the key part. TRUE Faith, is faith in God and in his son Jesus Christ. True Faith is trusting that God`s ways are better than our`s, trusting that God knows more than we do and that he desires the best for us. This TRUE faith comes when we gain a correct knowledge of the attributes of God and gain a personal testimony and witness that it is true. Once we obtain that witness, that knowledge, everything else just comes down to Faith, whether or not God`s ways are better than ours. If we remember that God is God and Man is Man this should be a lot simpler. We can also remain humble and act as God desires us to act, for he knows what`s best for each and every one of us personally. Not collectively, for he doesn`t desire a bunch of clones that are all the exact same, but individually. He knows what each and everyone one of us needs right now in order to become the best person that we can be. IF we have Faith and trust in him, then we can become that person. IF we trust that God`s happiness is greater and better than any happiness that we could ever make on our own, than we can have it. The only thing that stands in our way is ourselves.
With Faith comes power. If we have Faith we will be able to do all things, because we will be doing what God would want us to do, and nothing can stop God. With Faith we can move mountains, split oceans, and cause rain to stop falling. But more useful and more important than that, we can move the sometimes mountainous tasks that lie before us, we can overcome the challenges and difficulties that face our lives. We can know which path to walk and we can know how to help our families. With Faith we can pray unto God for help and recieve it. With Faith our families can become Eternal.
I know that this wonderful Church is God`s Church. I know that he Lives that he watches over me. I know that he loves me, that he is pleased with what I am doing. I can taste the fruits of Faith daily as I go about doing his work. I may not know what lies ahead for me in the next few months or years, but I know that if I continue to follow God all will be will. It is written "For we know that all things will be for the good of those that Love God." (Romans 2:28) I trust in God. I may not be perfect, I may not have a perfect trust but I know that I am trying that I keep moving forward everyday trying to do just a little better. I bear testimony of this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
With Much Love,
Elder Randall KK Tateishi
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