Monday, May 31, 2010

Hey friends and family!

I hope everyone is having a good start of the summer. It is getting hot here. And yesterday the wind was coming from the direction of sakurajima (the volcano) and the ash came down like rain. It was a crazy experience. We are really close to the volcano! Well this was fun week and luckily the weather was way better than the week before. One really fun thing we do here is volleyball club. One of the members has been doing a volleyball club for about 20 years. We do it at a local Elementary school gym and we are the only members of the church there. It is truly a great missionary opportunity. But, something I didn't foresee was how good these people we going to be at volleyball. It is just like on t.v. It isn`t just some family BBQ volleyball game. They play for real! They can spike it really hard! I came home with some bruises on my arm. But, it was definitely the most fun volleyball I have ever played! Well, Katsuyuki kun`s baptismal date was moved back a couple weeks. He needs to come to church another time and work hard to be reverent. He has a tough family life and is a real trooper. We are just trying to help him recognize the importance of prioritizing church over play. He is slowly but surely changing his priorities. It is great to see and hear how far he has come from before he starting learning about Jesus Christ. That is definitely the most fun part of missionary work...seeing people change through the atonement of Jesus Christ! That is the purpose of the gospel. To change and overcome our weaknesses and become more like Jesus Christ. And only through His atonement and grace can we overcome the natural man and become like Him. I love this gospel and feel the love of Jesus Christ in my life all the time. He is the reason I am here in Japan right now. I love Him and want to become like Him. I love you all as well! And I know that if you rely on the atonement of Jesus Christ, everything and anything wrong in your life can be made right! I know that is true! Stay safe and happy this week. Keep up the good work!

Stubbs choro

P.S.　Dont forget to smile today!