Ping Pong anyone?

I won the Ramen Noodle eating contest 

    This week was so fun. We were riding through the city the other day and I looked up at this big screen and it was showing a trailer for Jurassic World, and I was like Noooope. Pulled a hard left haha. Cannot be tempting me with that! Too hard. 
     We made a poster that in English that basically says who can beat the white man in ping pong. We are trying to get more youth to come to our ping pong night every week. It is actually pretty effective because I am the only white person in this whole city because we are so far from Tokyo and other big cities. It is going to be awkward though when the first kid I play beats me and everyone else just walks out, so I need to step up my game!

     This week has been an awesome week! I pray every day to see miracles.. according to my faith. It has been so humbling to see that the days I have faith I see more miracles. I mean I always have so much faith in my Father in Heaven. But the days I truly act on that faith I see miracles and see His hands at work, but the times when I do not open my mouth to everyone or I do not give 110%, I do not see them. 

     Our goal in this mission is to have a baptism every month. We have been told that Japan needs to see many more baptisms than we are seeing. President Whiting, the General Authority who visited our mission, said that, "if you think for one second it is about the numbers, your judgement is misplaced. I could not care less about the numbers. What I care about is the increased faith to baptize." 

     That hit me so hard. I do not know if I shared that quote last week but I do want to focus on it in a different light this week. I have pondered that all week and strived to act upon it. But what I realized, along with everything else in this mission, is that everything that we learn as missionaries, in my opinion, is not centralized on who we become as missionaries, but men and women for the rest of our lives. This is just the MTC for life, no matter how cheesy that may sound. Baptisms are important, but I need to learn to hold that faith, not just for baptisms in Japan, but for my whole life. This world is darkening around all of us and many people, instead of turning towards Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, to light their way, they are adjusting their eyes in the darkness of the world and seeing what they want to see. If I do not have the faith to help bring other souls unto Christ as a missionary, how can I have faith to bring my own?  In these latter days, faith is not important, it is essential!  It is required. But I will go further. Like in Alma 32, we need to push our strong faith to a perfect knowledge in as many aspects of our life as we can in order to withstand the evil and temptation in this world today. Do as Elder Richard G. Scott said about faith, "Understand and apply this vital principle to your life: Your exercise of faith builds character. Fortified character expands your capacity to exercise greater faith. Thus, your confidence in making correct decisions is enhanced. And the strengthening cycle continues. The more your character is fortified, the more enabled you are to exercise the power of faith for yet stronger character." What character are you building? What memory are you leaving to those around you? Elder Richard G. Scott built his character in faith everyday and we need to do the same. 

     I might be saying this with the boldness of a missionary but it cannot be said any other way I do not think. We need to plant that seed now and let it grow. Now this, like everything in this Church basically is so much harder said than done. This is the advice I received and it has changed how I spend my thoughts, words, and actions. Choose, in every thought, word, and action, "To Receive the Holy Ghost." When we were baptized we received the gift of the Holy Ghost and thereby received its constant companionship according to our actions. Though, we could not be conferred the "constant" companionship of it unto us, because we have agency and we can choose to not have that power in our life. The Holy Ghost could not be sealed upon us. Hence the words, when we are confirmed are "receive the Holy Ghost." How are we choosing to receive the Holy Ghost since that baptismal day? Are our thoughts uplifting and pure? And our words kind and caring? Are our actions charitable and righteous ones? We choose every day, just as we do when we partake of the Sacrament each Sunday, to receive that Holy Ghost. 

     I plead with you to be able to have the faith to withstand the temptations and trials of the world we live in today, consciously CHOOSE to receive the Holy Ghost in every thought, word, and deed. Think to yourself if what are you are doing in those moments, not only keep the relationship of the spirit in your life, but do they strengthen your relationship with the spirit in your life? As you do so I promise the power of the Lord will fall upon you and you will receive strength from him to withstand the fiery darts of the Adversary, and like the Stripling Warriors, you will not fall. Not one of us will. The Lord knows our hearts, and where our treasures are our hearts will be also. I hope we can all set our hearts on the treasures of our mansions prepared above. Let's keep our feet on the path, our hands on the rod, and keep our eyes on Christ. 

Have a great week!

エイケン長老 

Aiken Chōrō