Elder Watkins Japan Nagoya Mission: Transfer 15: My Very Young Apprentice


"Elder McArthur, the Lord has called you to serve in the Toyohashi Ward of the Nagoya East Stake. Your first companion will be Elder Cullen Watkins from Conway, South Carolina!"

Bean chan!!!!!! Wow this was a dramatic week! So many things and every
second was awesome and exciting and just crazy!

On Tuesday we went to the gold clock, the first person I saw was my
trainer, Elder TuAkoi, who finishes his mission this transfer. I've
been thinking about him a lot and how he changed my life so much and
taught me so many things and now I would be that to someone else. He
was way excited to go back to Nagano.

I saw many other of my dear friends and I realized this would be my
last chance to see many of them. These elders and sisters are such
great examples to me. There were some surprise faces there too, my
doki sisters who recently finished their mission, Aso shimai and
Nakamura Shimai were there exploring the mission. Way cool to see them
again. Then I took off with the 21 other trainers to Meito ward for
trainers training.

My dad!

It was a fun and spiritual training, the current trainers and
trainees gave talks and demonstrations to us. All of them, except for
one companionship were sisters, it felt like a relief society or young
women's meeting, but it was really good, haha.

Then I had to spend the night, but I had to look for a new place to
stay. I then had an option of staying at two of my past areas that
were close to the honbu, Seto or Nonami. I haven't been to Seto in a
year and would've loved to go back, but I, for some reason, felt like
I should return to Nonami. Recently Nomami went back to just two
elders, and now my friend from Toyama and fellow trainer, Elder Eadie
were going to be reopening the second set of elders there, that I
originally started.

Boy what a feeling as I came up from the subway on those streets.
It was like traveling back in time. It seems like a lifetime ago when
I was walking these very streets with Elder Tallent and Elder
Laumatia. When really its only been 6 months. We ate at the indo
curry restaurant that we always went to, and the workers remembered
me! The Nonami elders had an appointment with the Filipino members, so
I had a chance to go with them and see them all again. They remembered
me as well and it was so good to see them again. They also had some
investigator friends their and I got to bare my testimony of the
Savior with Elder Eadie and Elder Mahony. It was a good experience.

Mitchell sama

We were staying in the Nonami 1 apartment, but we needed more
pillows so we dropped my old apartment to get some. Talk about
nostalgic. It was clean but otherwise everything was as I left it. I
sat at my old desk and thought how I was a different missionary now
than back then. And now Elder Eadie and his bean were in my shoes
opening it back up. How exciting, they will do well.

The next day back at Meito chapel we waited anxiously for two hours
for our beans to come in. We practiced the mission song and stuff. We
were all nervous, what kind of bean would we get? Would he be
Japanese? Brazilian? Canadian? Will they be prideful or really shy?
Can we be good trainers? What if I mess up? What do I even say to
them? I think we all caught a small glimpse of what it's like to be a
soon to be parent. Then the moment came and 21 brand new green bean
missionaries stepped in the room. We sang the mission version of
"Armies of Helaman" to welcome them in.

Elder Gifford and his trainer

President Ishii began the announcement of the new areas and trainers
for the beans. One by one they met their trainers with a hug. I
remembered meeting Elder TuAkoi in this fashion, so long ago. Then the
words: "Elder McArthur, the Lord has called you to serve in the
Toyohashi Ward of the Nagoya East Stake. Your first companion will be
Elder Cullen Watkins from Conway, South Carolina!" What a great moment
meeting my companion! Elder Jared McArthur from Utah! Indeed all of
the new missionaries are really bright and have such desire, they have
no idea the great things that are ahead of them. So exciting!

When they found out who I was, the beans said "it's him! The legend,
Elder Watkins!" What!? Apparently all of them had followed and read my
blog prior to coming out. Two of them were being assigned to my past
areas. That was pretty cool and funny as well, haha.

My bros Elder Nakamoto and Mitchell are companions!

So now I'm with Elder McArthur and he's really cool. I've been
teaching him just what I know and we are having fun. His Japanese is
probably about as good as mine was when I came out, maybe better then
mine actually. He has a lot of faith. He's way cool. He's also way
tired from the trip and the new adventure life, but he also loves
japan and sharing this gospel. How blessed I am as we enter these last
days, because my last two transfers are his first two transfers, and
we are going to make them the best two transfers.

Please pray for Elder McArthur as well as Elder Miranda and Elder
Gifford as we work in Toyohashi. And give thanks for all the
missionaries around the world, especially the 157 that I have the
privilege of working with in the Japan Nagoya Mission.

12 weeks left, let's get em!

Love,
Elder Watdawg Watkins