Monday, August 1, 2016

JT - Sweat, Bats, and Disappointments.

Dear Everyone,

It's August 2016... I never thought this month would come. I can't believe that I will end my mission this month... Done thinking about that!

So, August is the hottest month in Japan. Humidity is kicking my trash. I sweat so much, it's so gross. As soon as you leave the room with Air Conditioning, you just hit a wall of water and you start sweating from everywhere. So bad...  持ち悪い. (Not good feeling.) I am constantly wiping sweat off of my face and arms... Ugh

So, this week on Thursday, I was awakened at 4:15 in the morning to my companion saying that there is a bat in the apartment. I didn't believe him, but I look up and what do you know, there is a bat flying around in circles right above our heads! There were also like 4 bats outside of our apartments screeching to the one inside maybe trying to tell it to go outside. We were able to lead it into the kitchen so it could fly out of the window. It's not working, so we decided to find a badminton racket and try to push it out. Came back to the kitchen and it was gone. We thought it had flew out of the building. However, we came back that night after everything was over and again, the bat was flying around the apartment! So, we were able to get it out of the window with a badminton racket, but unexpectedly killed it... But, we come back on Saturday night after a long day of dendo and ANOTHER bat is flying around our living room! We have no idea how this is happening and why in the world a bat would want to come into our apartment. Anyways, we locked it into a room and came back the next day and it was gone... We called Sister Welch about it though and so everything will be okay. I will send an interesting video of us and the first bat. (Ps, we didn't mean to kill the first bat...)

We've had a couple disappointments with our investigators this week. A few of our Vietnamese friends are going back to Vietnam for a month, so this past week was the last time I would see them. Also, we haven't been able to make any contact with Moose, our 18 year old college student investigator, for 2 weeks, until yesterday when he came to church! It was so cool to see him come to church! (Even though he dyed his hair Orange....) However, he left right after sacrament meeting because he "had something." But then we invited him to a BBQ we had later that day at a church member's house. . He met us at the church, but because there weren't any other investigators coming to it, he didn't want to come and just went home. It seems like his interest and desire to join the church has just died. It was really sad to see him biking away as we were heading to the BBQ.

With what has happened this week and a lot of my mission, I have grown to love these words from PMG, "When people do not accept the gospel, do not be discouraged. You have raised a warning voice. You have given them a clear choice. Disciples of Christ feel sorrow when people choose not to repent, but they maintain a vision of who they are and what they are doing. They continue to diligently move forward." People have their agency and it is hard when they use their agency in a way that you know isn't right. However, our responsibility is to teach, instruct and love these people. If they choose not to follow, that doesn't mean you are not doing a good job. I am confident that most, if not all, of my investigators that I have taught will get baptized someday. Maybe not while I'm here, maybe even not in this life, but I know that because of the work and care of the missionaries and faithful church members, somehow, they will come to feel that this church and this gospel is true.

Well, that's the week folks. It's already August, I've only got a little bit of time left, but that won't change what I do each day. I'm gonna live it up in Japan for as long as I've got. Love you all! Have a great week everyone! Keep smiling and, well, you know the rest!

Love,
Elder Lamoreaux ラムロー長老
Japan Kobe Mission 日本神戸伝道部



Seminary!!



At a baseball activity with the ward!


BBQ activity at a member's house after church!  I love this ward so much!


   

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