 |
| The Oyama fam and the missionaries who taught him. |
 |
| After the baptism |
 |
| Brother Oyama, Yuto and Shintaro |
Hello everyone!!!
First off, Happy one year on the
mission Anniversary to me!!!! January 26th of last year I entered the MTC! I
can't believe how fast time has flown. Elder Stratford, who is my district
leader and also entered the MTC with me last year called me on the night of the
26th and we had a little jubilee over the phone, haha.
 |
| a Chinese lady we taught |
Ok, this is going to be short and
sweet because we have a lot to do today to get ready for transfers this
week.
 |
| Cleaning the font! |
Yep, we have transfer calls on
Wednesday morning! I have been here in Fukuoka for three transfers now so there
is a pretty good chance I will go to a new area, but I'm definitely crossing my
fingers that I don't for a few reasons...
This Saturday Brother Oyama Kunio
was baptized!!! Out of all of the baptism services I have attended on my
mission, the spirit was the strongest during his. The whole day was stressful
with teaching Eikaiwa twice, teaching a lesson, filling up the font (the first
time we filled it up we didn't realize but the water was freezing cold!haha!),
actually getting the Oyama family to the church on time, etc. However, once it
started the spirit was there and TONS of members showed up to support him. He
looked very spiffy in his suit and bore powerful testimony that he was led to
the true church through various events in his life. He talked about his strong
belief that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and his love for the Book of Mormon. I
think most in attendance probably couldn't believe that he had only been
learning about the church for a few months. He spoke with more conviction,
power, and love than definitely I can muster. I feel so incredibly blessed and
humbled that I was able to be a part of guiding him towards baptism and
watching him go through that process. Like I've said before, I feel more than
anything that nothing I, Uchida Shimai, Tagawa Shimai, Elder Neki, or Elder
Stratford did helped him secure that sure testimony. It was his determination,
his willingness to listen to the spirit, and his humility that allowed him to
feel Heavenly Father's love. He started reading the Book of Mormon all on his
own, before we even challenged him, and gained a testimony of Joseph Smith one
day while at church listening to the Priesthood Meeting lesson. It has really
been an amazing experience watching him and his family grow in the gospel.
With all of that said....I am
looking forward to continuing to teach their family and see them follow Brother
Oyama's example by being baptized. I don't want to transfer!! :(
 |
| Making gyoza for the first
time! |
Wish me luck this week with
transfer calls and what-not. If I happen to stay in Fukuoka and have the
experience of becoming a trainer, I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot about it
next week...haha.
Your prayers in behalf of the
Oyama family are DEFINITELY being heard. Please keep praying that they'll
progress and grow closer as a family. I love you so much!
Love, Tingey Shimai
No comments:
Post a Comment