Michael's Good Experience: Temple Pday in Yamate‏

Dear Family,

Well this week was... Wait For it...... Yet another good week! Bam! I like to be optimistic, so it's kind of hard to look back on a week and not have had a good week, BUT, it was a good week none the less. Elder Carlini and I are still getting along well and are finally seeing some success. It seemed like the first couple week of the transfer was a mission wide struggle. But this last week some success came! Seeing how you all got the email of last week on Wednesday I don't have a whole ton to report about, but I will give you the most entertaining while yet still effective email home you've had yet! Hopefully. So we didn't have any official lessons until Sunday when we had some great miracles, so now I will summarize up until that point.

それで行きましょうぜ！ (Translated: So lets go!)

This last week we were privileged to get to meet and spend 12 hours listening to the one and only Elder Yamashita of the seventy. I believe he gave a prayer in general conference this last time. But, he came so there was a huge conference in a place called Shonandai, at the stake center there. Basically we spent from 9:15 am until about 10:10 pm ish at that building. The missionary conference was only until 4 but then president Wada did his presentation thing for investigators where he shows a movie and teaches from it. Then Elder Yamashita did another conference to all the missionaries and ward council members together. Basically he talked about all the things that they are doing right and wrong and how they can work better with us. It was cool! It was an awesome opportunity to hear from a general authority, we're definitely blessed as missionaries to get that opportunity so often. And on top of that we run into them a lot at the temple which is also a great blessing that we get to go to the temple every transfer. Speaking of which, it was way good today, I really do enjoy going to the temple, hopefully if my plane comes in early, we can go to the Seattle temple "on the way home" even though it's a little out of the way, right?

So here comes the miracle portion. I believe I wrote about a guy named Aoki in my last email. We met him right next to a part and got his phone number. Well we were in texting contact with him all week and on Saturday we found out Nakamoto (who is still suspending lessons) wasn't going to be going to an activity our ward mission leader made to watch meet the Mormons. So at around 1 in the afternoon we had time to call people and we thought, hey it's normal to call your friends on short notice to hang out, so we called and invited him. Then with as much heavenly help as when we met him, his friend had just barely called and canceled their plans so he was free and looking for something to do, so he came! And we got to give him a really good intro to church so that Sunday wouldn't be completely overwhelming for a guy who gets more nervous than anyone I've ever seen. Then next miracles are that he came to church, and had a great time, he got to meet tons of members, and we did a lesson with the bishop during Priesthood hour. That last one is good for a lot of reasons, one is that the bishop's dendo Fire is as large as a forest fire, and sometimes that causes problems because it burns people's branches too soon. But now that he had a nice calm lesson with the bishop he won't be afraid to talk to him. And lastly he is now taking lessons and has committed to come to the church on Saturday before Suzuki gets baptized for a lesson, and then to stay for the baptism! So we've got an investigator now, a real live investigator! And we also met with a guy Elder Carlini met in Machida named Nakamura, who just moved here and he's taking lessons now too! So now we've got one solid new investigator and a new decent new investigator.

So that was really good! Then I also got my new futon, and NO BUGS!! I did get a couple mosquito bites this week but that's all, it's amazing not having to worry about being bitten while you sleep. So now I'm sleeping quite joyfully on 2 brand new futons. I'm way happy about that. A fun thing that we did this week though was we helped sister Takahashi move again on Monday, but this time there were 12 missionaries and her father. So we were able to get a lot of big things done. It's nice to get to do service, I wish I could do more, but hey at least we get to do the things we do.

Real quick this is for Kaiden, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MAN! I can't wait to be there on your next one! Good luck in everything you do, and get ready to do all kinds of things when I am back! You're the best bud! Love you!

Pretty crazy that in only 10 months I'll be home... It's going by too fast. When my current companion goes home I'll only have 8 left... I'm practically dead as a missionary! As time gets unfortunately shorter and shorter I'm still trying to work harder and harder, so thanks for all your support everyone. I hope all continues to go well with Oliver! And I hope everyone has a great week next week. Remember, the lord guides us in crazy ways, all we have to do is follow, always be looking for those times! Love you!

Love,

Elder Gailey

P.s. I can't think of anything else, thanks mom! I'll be on the look out! Can you send me some pictures of the stuff around the house? I wanna get the whole picture lol thanks!

P.p.s. It took you long enough to like driving Morgan! But I'm glad you like it now!

Landmark Tower at night