Awesome week, but boy am I tired! Week 32

Hey there people.

It's been a goooood week in the Japan Kobe Mission. Lots of great things and miracles happening! It was a first full week back in the work (Meaning normal schedule everyday and being out and about) in about three months now. And all I have to say is...

IM FREAKIN TIRED

I forgot how tiring it can be sometimes, but there's nothing like it that's for sure 😊
I wanna thank all of you for showing so much love not only to me, but to my friend Wysteria Meadow. He is doing great right now. He has some food and is trekking along. Thanks so much for all your help and love! It's just what this man has been needing.

Had the opportunity to go on a companionship exchange this week with Elder Gass. A good friend of mine here in the mission. Together we had a lot of fun finding the elect and making mission memories together! Recently we have found the Nintendo HQ's. It's in my area here in Kyoto! So...Elder Gass and I on our companionship exchange decided to go proselyting there trying to talk to the workers, asking about video games and finding someway to connect it to the gospel.

For example:
"Hey! Don't you have fun when you play Nintendo video games? Aren't you HAPPY? Me too! But I'm happy when I go to church! Please come! It's WAY cooler than Nintendo games."

We ended up only getting to actually do that to one guy...and he denied us. That booger.
Oh well. I hope his life is full of fun and happiness!

During that exchange we had a good lesson with Salt River. We set a new Baptismal Date with him for the 7th of June. He's been doing great, just been really busy with his Job.

The last few days or so we're the best part if the week. We transformed almost our entire teaching pool, into investigators with a baptismal date! Which now means there are 4 of gods children who have accepted the invitation to be baptized within the coming months. I've never been so happy. I've had faith, lots of faith for a long time that I would begin to see miracles. But despite that faith, I've had challenges, and hardships, dropped investigators, emotional hurricanes, and just life smacking me down lower than the dust of the earth. But the lord has been with me through it all though. 

Mosiah 11:22 of the Book of Mormon 

22 And it shall come to pass that they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people.

He has been there to lift me up and has heard my prayers.

Mosiah 27:14 of the Book of Mormon 

14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.

I have been longing for someone to be baptized here, not just so I could say,"I have a baptism" but so that I could so, whoever that person may be, experience a true, and real sense of happiness in their life, to know that they have a purpose and are worth something no matter who they are, and so that they can know that there is a living, Father in Heaven, he loves them and is worth EVERYTHING to Him. That's all I want. That's why I am here in Japan. Is to tell people these eternal truths, and help them find what they, and many others, have been missing in their lives.

Like I said, the lord has heard my prayers ever since in began my mission to find his children in whom are ready to receive these blessings. And within the last days he made a miracle happen. 

For me, it provides a sense of joy, but also it provides me another opportunity to testify. 

GOD HEARS AND LISTENS TO OUR PRAYERS.

There is no such thing as a wrong, a bad, too short, too long, weird, or UNHEARD prayer. Such talk is blasphemy. As we just read that verse up above, we know that God listens to us, and he helps us always. But an important thing to remember in all of it, is to have faith in Him. Have the faith to know that your prayer, is being heard. Have the faith to also know that it will be answered. That's having faith in God. It's following Him, and having the faith that he is there. Most importantly, having faith in God, also means having faith in His timing.

It's been nearly a year now since I've began my mission, and it's been nothing of what I expected. But, I've had the faith that I'd be able to fulfill my purpose on His behalf, and that is to bring others unto CHRIST, by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. I've always held that within. And I know and testify that he HAS seen my faith, and my heard my prayers, and has now prepared  his children, in his time, to receive baptism. The blessings are pouring from heaven and I feel his love.

I'm happy. I'm happy because I feel gods love. Because I'm trying to be like Jesus Christ, and to emulate his example. I don't know how well I'm doing haha. I'm not perfect, but I'm perfect in one thing, and that's my effort, and my trying to be like him. I just feel blessed. 

I love all of you, I'm tired, :)

Elder Preciado

Mom insert...He has NEVER taken piano lessons! Amazing the things he comes up with! :)

 Elder Gass