weekly email

This week was great, it’s always another great week in Ichinomiya. We got a couple inches of snow last week which was crazy, I thought I was done with that stuff for a while. Hahah absolutely everyone cancelled coming to our Eikaiwa because of the snow, except one guy who didn’t get the memo I guess (there never was a memo, though). 

My companion describes Thursday as something close to Divine Design (sometimes it’s hard to understand him). We spend the morning with a member, late afternoon teaching, and then got lost at night when we wanted to go Finding. We mistook a factory for an apartment building, so that’s where it got wrong. 

But it was ok! Behind the putrid factory we found other apartments, and all of them were full of people with open hearts! Especially this one guy named Paulo.

Paulo lost his father that very day. (Like, his father passed away). He was on special leave from work to mourn with his family for only that night. Normally, you can hardly catch Paulo at home. And now The whole family is interested. He's definitely the most prospective person we found last week.

But there was also this other guy who was pretty cool named Tatsuhiko. We had decided to try walking that night, instead of bicycling, and within a minute of leaving the apartment ran into this guy who had only gone outside to take a smoke. Mid 50s, living with his parents, not particularly a productive type of person. But still a son of God. We invited Tasuhiko back to the church for a quick tour, and he said 5 minutes would be fine, and then the next 15 minutes were some of the most guided, Spiritually confirming minutes of my life. The tour was good, and we covered a lot, but we ended on the sweet note of baptism in front of the font, and asked the universal question if he would be baptized. He said yes! Hahaha 

Hahah he said yes! But also he needs permission from his parents, so we’ll see how that goes. 

Well, other than that a main point last week came in the form of a Slightly crazy restaurant Brazilian mom. Like, we only wanted a nice foreign burger 🍔 and perhaps some Brazilian spice to sweeten our night out in the freezing cold. But, this lady asked about our missionary activities, and then gave us complimentary drinks and desserts out the door just for being the servants of God. Sometimes I love missionary work.

愛しています！

カードん長老より

Elder Cardon 

weekly email

Things are picking up and starting to roll in Ichinomiya. 

Zone Conference focused on setting sights higher, putting behind expectations based off prior experience, and focusing on using the power of Christ's Atonement to achieve the impossible sounding prophesy. It’s real intense, actually. 

Eikaiwa had a small miracle walk in the door. All these new students I haven’t met before, and we shared a message from President Monson as tribute to his legacy. Many students were touched and expressed sudden interest to hear the story of our church. 

Drop one, pick up another. In the same day, we found the only man home in the late afternoon of a weekday, and he happened to have interest, as well as decided to discontinue meeting with another investigator due to his lack in progress in anything spiritual; he only liked to argue about political matters. 

Saturday hounding. We spent all day finding, and it was really good. I love finding. At the very end, we were far away from the apartment and it was late at night; we were at the last couple doors, and they all opened up to us. Appointments and contacts, even a long lost investigator found again. Also, a call came in giving us a referral. Funny how it always happens this way. 

Souda. There is a young man in our ward who is of age, yet is indecisive about serving a Mission. Last night, we harnessed his testimony on a follow up appointment with a potential investigator. Honestly, the lesson was crap. Well, not exactly, but it definitely wasn’t what I would term a good, spiritual lesson. But, the lesson did two things: one, it forced my companion to try teaching in Japanese, something he's very timid about, and two, it forced the young man to answer questions and think about his own current standing with God. The young man made a lot of progress in just 30 minutes. 

Everyone needs a personal experience with the Savior. I learned last night how important it is to earnestly seek and then feel the amazing healing power of the Atonement for spiritual bruises. Perhaps you don’t even realize what you have sinned for, and you won’t feel the liberation until you come to a realization and then repent.

愛しています！

カードん長老より

Elder Cardon 

We had an emergency drill where we grab the survival kit and run for safety! Well, there wasn’t enough in the kit to survive for very long. A couple fishes...

weekly email

I’m in the promised land! 

Lots and lots to do up here in Ichinomiya. The apartment needs a spot of cleaning, and there’s some mundane organizational stuff left between our phones, but the icing takes the cake in Finding and Member work. Ooh, so many miracles yet to see! I’m giddy with excitement. 

Last week, we reached out to about 200 people. Not bad, but I’m expecting more like 700. 

There’s a bawler Member up here who goes knocking on doors with missionaries for an hour every week. He’s also a recently returned LA. 

Eikaiwa is a small mess, but it has a ton of potential. 

We work with about 10 ward missionaries here. That’s insane! 

Last week, it froze over in cold. I think we approached Record levels for this area. Like, it snowed two days in a row! Whoa... :0 

Hahaha my companion helps me to always check if I have double socks before leaving for the day. He’s the best. 

One night, on the return trip home we followed up with a man of potential (MOP) (hahaha that acronym isn’t real) (I wish’) and he puts on his coat to step outside, and hounds us with questions about churches and beliefs. It was kinda rocky, but we taught a couple things and he expressed interest in going on a rant again, so we offered to trade LINE and come back another day. It worked. Good man. 

Small miracles everywhere. A different appointment was canceled last second, but we had a member with us to help teach, so instead we visited two people that I didn’t know existed! (They weren’t in the missionary records). The second one opens up to a Peruvian Member, and I knew it. Time to shine. I pulled out every bit of Portuguese and Spanish that I knew was somewhat comprehensive, and this guy was impressed! Like, I bore a short testimony and asked how his BOM reading was. Then, he replied asking what culture I was, and I had no clue but I guessed “American,” and that was the correct answer. The man came to church on Sunday. 

I’m approaching the verge of lonnng Email, but last one I promise. Sunday night, we had big plans to book out to a huge apartment complex and talk with everyone there. But, our bike lights both went out. Then, after a bit of charging and on our way, Elder Magalhaes crashes hardcore over some black ice on a corner! Now limited in range, we knocked on the nearest apartments and got fortunate, but not quite favorable, replies. This continues, and then next to one apartment is a garage-looking type small apartment. Kinda sketch, and I didn’t even notice it, but the last door opened up and a nice young Japanese man who responded favorably to us. Finally. Actually, we taught half a lesson and got a return appointment on the spot. It was miraculous! 

Hahaha and then Elder Magalhaes crashes again, hardcore, on some black ice on the way home. Poor fellow ripped his new Dendo pants.

愛しています！

カードん長老より

Elder Cardon 

food blog

Sushi rice and udon salad 

Japanese (western style) eatery 

Some weird Philippine dish made out of boiled pumpkin 🎃 

Some weird Philippine dish made out of fried eggplant and omelette 

愛しています！

カードん長老より

Elder Cardon 

weekly mission email

This week in Tsu 

Is my last week is Tsu. I’ve been transferred up North, up into the heart of Japan. I’m going to Ichinomiya! (Technically, Gifu is called the heart of Japan, but I’m in the same district so that counts, I think.) 

My new companion is Elder Malghaes, probably. I can’t make heads or tails of his name, but it’s ok, he’s Brazilian. 

I’ve been serving in the same stake for basically my entire mission. This will be number 4 area serving in, but including exchanges I’ll have been in 7/9. I keep meeting the same people over and over again, it’s great! 

Shoutout to MTC comp, Elder Wesemann, my new District Leader and training! I’m so excited for the upcoming exchanges. 

Tsu will become a 4 Elder/2Sister Area. Funny how I closed the foursome, and now it opens again as soon as I leave. Hmm.. 

Elder Miole is also receiving a Brazilian companion. What does this mean?

愛しています！

カードん長老より

Elder Cardon

food blog

Japanese traditional New Year's foods (I guess) 

Anyone know what Devil's Tongue is? 

Top right is chestnut. That was good. 

The Center middle tastes gross, but I guess people eat it so that they can enter an Abrahamic covenant type thing and have very good posterity for the year. 

That special soba I was talking about 

Philippine food. The pig blood thing isn’t on here, but it looked like chocolate gravy

More Japanese traditions. Like a red bean paste encasing rice on the left, and a pastry thing I can’t describe covering rice on the right 

愛しています！

カードん長老より

Elder Cardon