Elder Watkins Japan Nagoya Mission

Monday, May 19, 2014

We gonna throw a Bar B Que!

Took these last Transfer, thought y'all'd enjoy!

Hi!!

I'm not sure what to write about for once. Haha. I was riding my bake down a hill, and crashed it. But the Lord protected me and my bike and we only got scratches. And we found new investigators!

   One of our new friends is American and came to the branch BBQ and church on Branch Conference. It was way awesome. Speaking of, The BBQ rocked. I can't say how awesome these members really are! And the kids are so cute! We had good food and family fun.

   We also had Zone Training Meeting with all the missionaries who just transferred to the Zone. It was strange that Bills wasn't there since he transferred out. Now I'm the only member of my doki in Nagano Zone. But all the new missionaries are cool and half the zone is Japanese now. It was funny to see them all sit together and listen to the translator.

   On Sunday, Yamashita kaicho and Shimai came to Branch Conference and gave great talks. I wanted to share a part of President Yamashita's talk; He told a story of a young lion who was friends with sheep. He was raised by sheep, and thought that he was a sheep. One night he was sleeping with his sheep family when a pack of wolves attacked. When this happened the lion was scared, but he ran toward the wolves to protect his friends. He realized then that he wasn't the child of sheep, but a child of lions. And with this realization he scared off the wolves and saved his friends. Then Yamashita Kaicho asked a question to all the children and adults too, "Are we the children of sheep or of lions?" He gave us a hint, its in Hymn number 301, even though the words lion and sheep are not in the song. Think about it. I looked at the hymn and realized the answer.

   We have a great inheritance from Heavenly Father. The fact that we are His children is simple and great, and while I doubted some things in the past I always knew that this was true. And now I know that the whole thing is true and I'm so thankful for the blessings that Heavenly Father gives us all the time.

   Well today I shall rediscover free haircuts as I visit a members beauty shop and have their delicious home made pizza! Love you all very much and ganbatte as some of you come to the end of your school year!

Love,
Elder Watkins in Nagano!

Branch BBQ!!!!

So cute!

Branch President with the kids.

These kids are awesome!

These Members totally rock!

Family fun!

Got this guy for way cheap. He's from 2009. Just a chillin on my desk Kamen Rider.

Old toys!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Transfers Episode III Revenge of the Smith

All 3 of my Doryos!

My grandpa, father, and me!

Brown and I

TuAkoi and I at transfers.

First of all, thanks for skyping with me yesterday family! It was so great to see you all before church!

On Monday we had our last pday with TuAkoi and Avarell Shimai. We Had a sort of campfire party except at the church and no fire. We sang hymns, told stories, and ate bugs. Yep. Avarell Shimai and I ate soy sauce covered grasshoppers as Nagano tradition. Not sure if I'm up for that again.

The next day was the big day for the whole mission, one long train ride and bam! Army of missionaries so large, it looked like the Clone Army from Star Wars, And once again, I reunited with my doki! All of them where there except for my boy Tanner Choro who's transferring from one desk to another in his same apartment. Omoshiroi desho? I also saw some of my MTC DaiSempai and some of the Kokohai from the MTC too. And my bud from Ueda Vaughn Choro. I saw my grandfather, Tsukamoto Choro, brother of Tsukamoto Sensei. And many other friends I did see. How great it was! All of us united in the cause of the Lord!

    Sunday after church the Branch did Shuon Dendo for the first time. Basically it was an operation. A bunch of the members gathered under direction of the Branch Mission Leader and split into 4 groups, each with one of us missionaries, and visited a bunch of less actives. We talked with them and invited them to come to Branch Conference next week. It went very well and was way fun. I would like to see this done in America too. It is really great.

   This week was also my first week with Chiba Choro. He is way chill. He works hard and plays hard and makes good food. He speaks no English, mostly, so neither do I. I am starting to think in Japanese even. Its so strange. Haha. I'll tell you tho, I really miss TuAkoi and Avarell. Things just aren't the same. But I will get to see them again. Its more the time that I miss. I treasure the time I have and take photos to catch part of it for a memory. Memories are very powerful to me. Its like time travel in your mind. But its also important to make new memories. Thus today for pday all 4 of us visited Zenkoji once again. Way fun!

    Yamashita Kaicho once told me, and you can see it in my bean video, that we will see many eternal friends here. I believe that's true. The people I've met out here don't, for the most part, feel like new people to me, rather I get this feeling as though we've met before. Its like finding long lost relatives. I feel this for all the members and missionaries I've met so far.

Well time for some photos. Until next week, matta ne!

Love,
"Wat-chan", new nick name from Nielson Shimai and the Branch President

Tokkyuger at Don Kihote!

Mother's Day Skype!

Apple Ice CREAM!!!

Yamashita Art Studio. Omoshiroi

My man Bills.

Cinnamon in Space!

Visiting the District Presidents family.

In the Japan Nagoya Mission We Eat Bugs!

I'm a Kamen Rider!

Cinnamons!!!!

Haha no Hi Omedeto! Happy Mothers Day!

Peterson Shimai is way tall!

Winners! Yes, that's the Olympic winner stand.

Look who I found!

Behold A Royal Army!

Found Sentai DVDS!

Revenge of Smith, look how much hes changed! That's the power of the spirit! and Brown Choro

The Transferees

Bills don't leave me!

At the Eki. Baird is leaving too!

The Transferees

TuAkoi meets Chiba

Hand off to Moulton Choro!

TuAkoi and the kids.

Pday at Zenkoji!!


Pday at Zenkoji!!

Monday, May 5, 2014

Bean Chan no More!

Chillin in Togakushi mountain!

Very interesting and fun week as we end transfer two here in Nagano. The Assistants to the President gave us the call on Saturday and told us who was voted off the island. Unlike back home, there are no mysteries after the transfer call so we already know our new areas and companions.

So here are the results: I am staying in Nagano, yay! My new companion will also be the new District Leader, his name is Chiba Choro, never heard of him before. He's my first full Japanese companion from Japan! That's way exciting. We got to call him on the phone, he seems pretty nice. Y'all will get to meet him next week.

    TuAkoi Choro will be going to Fukui, this is his first time transferring. His new companion is my MTC buddy Moulton Choro! I got to talk to him on the phone too. That should be a fun companionship. For the sisters, Avarell Shimai is transferring to Nonami as a trainer and Nielson is staying here. This is interesting since Neilson has been here longer, she was already packed and everything, haha. Furthermore, every companionship in the mission has someone transferring out, so basically tomorrow every single missionary will be together at the Golden Clock. And that's a lot. So expect some pretty cool photos next week!

    This week we've worked hard and played hard. We had a member in all of our lessons, went to a ninja house in Togakushi, and had a pretty spiritual testimony meeting at church yesterday.

     The circle is now complete, I am done with the 12 week training, but as a missionary, training never really ends. Heavenly Father is always finding new ways to make us stretch, stand a little taller, and come unto Him with as many souls as we can find and teach. This is His work and I know that He has put me in Nagano Branch at this time with these people, for me to learn, and for me to teach. So please pray for our new adventures and also yoroshiku onagaishimasu with Chiba Choro.

I hope that you all will read Preach My Gospel like I asked before, it will help you all in your missionary work too.

So here we go into a new time, new doryo, same place. Number 3!!!

Love you all,
Cullen E. "Watdawg" Watkins