Dear Mother, Father, Brothers, Sisters, Family, and Friends
Ok! Well, it`s another week. Ummmm.... Where do I start? Monday was hectic, ran around getting a new washer and were barely able to have it delivered in time before we had an appointment to go eat at an all you can eat pizza restuarant with a less active high school kid. So that was a little crazy. Tuesday we had all you can eat at a members house, and wednesday I skipped lunch because I was stuffed and decided that I didn`t need to eat for another month because I was over fed. Thursday me and Elder Perry from Joyo area worked together and lots of fun running around and visiting members. Friday me and Elder Toyosato spent the day planning and had only a little time for Dendo. Saturday I was absolutely destroyed in a game of Table Tennis by a 15 year old girl and then obliterated in a game of Shogi (Japanese chess) by a man in a wheel chair. Sunday I ran around like a chiken with its head cut off trying to work out lessons and Splits in order to teach two teenage girls and get one extremely shy investigator to the christmas devotional. So that was my week in a nut shell. Pretty hectic but really good.
To go into more detail about Sunday we had two of our investigators at church, both of them are teenage girls. One is the daughter of a less-active couple and the other is the girlfriend of one of the YSA that is preparing to leave on a mission next year. Both of them get along really well and act as if they have been members their whole lives and have instantly created great friendships within the ward. When we taught them after church we had to do splits and so I taught the member`s girlfriend which was way fun and way surprising. She told me flat out that as she hears the lessons she doesn`t want her boyfriend to be there. She also had the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Bible on her Iphone before she had ever come to church. I was sitting in utter amazement and my Member companion was just saying "Kids these days are so different." Then our extremely shy investigator came to the Christmas Devotional and actually talked with the members and was very open and had a good time. It was just a miraculous day yesterday and full of surprises.
Not sure what it is I need to write this week, other than everything is going to get even more hectic this week as my companion prepares to return home to Okinawa. We have to get all of his stuff packed up and sent off before Sunday and then Sunday night we have to head of to the Mission home in order to get him home by Sunday. Things just keep getting busier and busier, which just makes time move faster and faster.
Elder Tateishi`s Gospel Message of the Week
D&C 25:12 "The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me."
Singing hymns or songs of praise is a wonderful way to invite the spirit. The Lord has caused that many hymns should be written and he himself enjoys those beautiful melodies and lyrics that are sung. Songs can bring comfort, peace, love, and Joy both to those that sing and those that hear.
A few years ago as I was travelling about with my High School Choir for Christmas we sung in a Hospital Lobby as worried parents, friends, spouses, children and patience scurried in and out. I always remember one little boy, who was rolled up in a wheel chair and hooked up to an IV bag, he was hairless and his skin was pale and his body frail. He asked us to sing one of his favorite christmas melodies. As we sang through that song again I remember seeing him smile and his parents, standing behind his wheel chair cry, moved with emotion. I felt the joy that comes from sharing the love of Christmas through singing as I saw his family obtain just a small little piece of joy on that day.
With much love,
Elder Randall KK Tateishi
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sometimes, the Lord knows exactly what you need....
Dear Mother, Father, Sisters, Brothers, Family, and Friends
Well, this week has been hectic and fun. Just everything not working out the way I thought it would, plus my birthday and a load of surprises along with that.
Monday, was just absolutely crazy. We went the department store to buy a new washing machine, found one and called the mission office to get the money put on our cards so that we could buy it. They said they`d get it to us ASAP, well a few hours later of waiting and calling them again, they told us it would be a couple days before they could get back to us. By that time our P-day was over and so we just had to go out and work without getting anything else done.
Everything was pretty normal up until thursday night when we went to a member`s house for dinner. He fed us to the point where we were about to explode, bought me a very expensive wallet for my birthday and then still had more food for us to eat, but we couldn`t fit anything else into our already overpacked stomachs. But time was up and we had to rush back to our apartment to make it on time for Curfew.
Friday was just another friday but saturday was when everything started to pick up.
Saturday was my birthday and so I`m now 21 years old, and despite all my attempts on Saturday to avoid the Happy Birthday Song and lots of attention being drawn to me, I was foiled time and time again. The biggest of which was a member lunch that we had been invited to. Brother Mercado, an immigrant from Peru made us lunch and it was way delicious. As we finished up lunch and he was putting away the dishes and talking to his little boy when I heard the words "Birthday Cake." Then out of the kitchen he came with a birthday cake and him and his family and my companion sang for me. The biggest surprise was that the way he had found out about my birthday was because Mom looked him up and added him on facebook, and then he looked at my profile and saw that it was my birthday, and thus prepared for me. It was a very wonderful surprise and very welcomed.
The next surprise came that night at the Christmas Music night that we had, well after at least. During the program I was the announcer so I made absolute sure that my Birthday was not announced at all, but afterwards as almost all of the members were sitting around talking and we were talking to a few less actives my companion gathered everyone and they sang happy birthday for me. It was the beautiful Happy Birthday song I have EVER heard, and I`m serious to, they were all in perfect tune. It was almost like listening to a choir. They also bought me pizza from pizza hut.
Those were my birthday surprises, and Sunday was wonderful as well, we had 3 investigators at church and had some awesome lessons. Everything seemed to just work out and we had a great time with the YSA and Youth at the ward Family Home Evening activity, where 2 of our investigators came.
All in all it was a great week with loads of fun.
Elder Tateishi`s Gospel Message of the week
3 Nephi 13:30ish "For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
This week has been a very wonderful, but quiet and simple week, as I was really able to feel the truthfullness of this scriptures. God as our loving Heavenly Father knows all the things that we need. He knows what will make us happy, what will comfort us and what will be best for us. I feel as if God celebrated my Birthday along with many other people, that he reached down from heaven as if to say that he knows who I am and to wish me a happy birthday.
I`m far away from home, many thousands of miles away and speaking a language that is compeletely foreign and strange. To be honest it does at time feel lonely and sad. Yet this far away from home I can still feel the radiant Love of God and his many blessings. It was a miracle that Brother Mercado knew about my birthday, as I do not know how my Mother would have known that he was in my ward at all. That small gift, that sweet and tender moment wwas very powerful for me.
Also, in this work as a missionary, times have been tough and when things seemed to not be going so well I came across this scripture. Almost immediately I felt that everything would be all right and everything would turn out good. Then on Sunday we had huge success with our investigators coming to church and we have been recieving many referrals of late. God knows what we need to do his work, he knows what we need to achieve what he wants us to do.
I testify that God loves each and every one of us. That he knows us by name and by face, by voice and by action. He knows what we need, he knows what will bring us the greatest joy and he strives to use all of his infinite power to bring to pass our Eternal Salvation and Happiness. Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
With much Love,
Elder Randall KK Tateishi
Well, this week has been hectic and fun. Just everything not working out the way I thought it would, plus my birthday and a load of surprises along with that.
Monday, was just absolutely crazy. We went the department store to buy a new washing machine, found one and called the mission office to get the money put on our cards so that we could buy it. They said they`d get it to us ASAP, well a few hours later of waiting and calling them again, they told us it would be a couple days before they could get back to us. By that time our P-day was over and so we just had to go out and work without getting anything else done.
Everything was pretty normal up until thursday night when we went to a member`s house for dinner. He fed us to the point where we were about to explode, bought me a very expensive wallet for my birthday and then still had more food for us to eat, but we couldn`t fit anything else into our already overpacked stomachs. But time was up and we had to rush back to our apartment to make it on time for Curfew.
Friday was just another friday but saturday was when everything started to pick up.
Saturday was my birthday and so I`m now 21 years old, and despite all my attempts on Saturday to avoid the Happy Birthday Song and lots of attention being drawn to me, I was foiled time and time again. The biggest of which was a member lunch that we had been invited to. Brother Mercado, an immigrant from Peru made us lunch and it was way delicious. As we finished up lunch and he was putting away the dishes and talking to his little boy when I heard the words "Birthday Cake." Then out of the kitchen he came with a birthday cake and him and his family and my companion sang for me. The biggest surprise was that the way he had found out about my birthday was because Mom looked him up and added him on facebook, and then he looked at my profile and saw that it was my birthday, and thus prepared for me. It was a very wonderful surprise and very welcomed.
The next surprise came that night at the Christmas Music night that we had, well after at least. During the program I was the announcer so I made absolute sure that my Birthday was not announced at all, but afterwards as almost all of the members were sitting around talking and we were talking to a few less actives my companion gathered everyone and they sang happy birthday for me. It was the beautiful Happy Birthday song I have EVER heard, and I`m serious to, they were all in perfect tune. It was almost like listening to a choir. They also bought me pizza from pizza hut.
Those were my birthday surprises, and Sunday was wonderful as well, we had 3 investigators at church and had some awesome lessons. Everything seemed to just work out and we had a great time with the YSA and Youth at the ward Family Home Evening activity, where 2 of our investigators came.
All in all it was a great week with loads of fun.
Elder Tateishi`s Gospel Message of the week
3 Nephi 13:30ish "For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
This week has been a very wonderful, but quiet and simple week, as I was really able to feel the truthfullness of this scriptures. God as our loving Heavenly Father knows all the things that we need. He knows what will make us happy, what will comfort us and what will be best for us. I feel as if God celebrated my Birthday along with many other people, that he reached down from heaven as if to say that he knows who I am and to wish me a happy birthday.
I`m far away from home, many thousands of miles away and speaking a language that is compeletely foreign and strange. To be honest it does at time feel lonely and sad. Yet this far away from home I can still feel the radiant Love of God and his many blessings. It was a miracle that Brother Mercado knew about my birthday, as I do not know how my Mother would have known that he was in my ward at all. That small gift, that sweet and tender moment wwas very powerful for me.
Also, in this work as a missionary, times have been tough and when things seemed to not be going so well I came across this scripture. Almost immediately I felt that everything would be all right and everything would turn out good. Then on Sunday we had huge success with our investigators coming to church and we have been recieving many referrals of late. God knows what we need to do his work, he knows what we need to achieve what he wants us to do.
I testify that God loves each and every one of us. That he knows us by name and by face, by voice and by action. He knows what we need, he knows what will bring us the greatest joy and he strives to use all of his infinite power to bring to pass our Eternal Salvation and Happiness. Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
With much Love,
Elder Randall KK Tateishi
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