weekly email: Alda and Airy

Elder Canuto is transferring. My wish to stay in Ichinomiya until the end of my mission came true. The member missionary work here is incredible and I should’ve planted those carrots sooner. I Definitely feel the responsibility and trust that was given me to be put in such a model area. 

Elder Canuto and I saw miracles here. The biggest ones went all the way to baptism. After our first month, my friend Elder Reis (who was serving in 犬山 next door) sent us an address to check out. One night when our investigator didn’t answer the door (and we ended up dropping them), we only had 1 hr left, it takes 30 to get home and 20 to visit the address but we went for it. 

Hahaha the lady recognized us as the Mormons, we went inside and had a great lesson that went way overtime. They came to church that Sunday. The next week, we referred them to the Sisters. Over the next two weeks, they came to church consecutively but for some reason the lessons weren’t moving forward. 

Then, we held a FHE with a member family and taught the POS. Also ate too much spaghetti for my delicate stomach. It was almost awkward how long the invitation to baptism was prolonged, they accepted it in a heartbeat. The mother and daughter cried with joy at the prospect of the Celestial Kingdom. 

Then the WML went all out as he set up for a baptism in two weeks. There was daily contact, and like  three lessons a week. Some sicknesses and unexpected events made it look sketchy, but it was ok because Alda and Airy sucked in the lessons like fish breathe water. Alda quit smoking. Airy threw out her huge immodest wardrobe. They read the BOM and shared passages that moved them, confirming the truth. 

The baptismal Service on June 24th was so sweet. I don’t know how but I baptized Alda and Elder Canuto Airy. A surprise gift to Alda came, a video of several cousins she hadn’t seen or had contact with for 30 years congratulating her. Alda broke down, her husband (who came special to see the baptism) broke down, everybody tearing up and the the Spirit we had all been feeling went overflow. 

The details are incredible and truly witness that God has his hand in the minutos, loves each of his children and provides a way for them. 

Sorry that my emails recently haven’t been all that, we’ve just had so much going on it’s hard to write down.

愛しています！

カードん長老より

Elder Cardon 

weekly email

I had an interview with President Ishii for a short-term temple recommend, and afterward he asked me what I’ve learned on my mission over two years. 

In a nutshell, Genki + Obedience = miracles. 

The most effective way to spread the gospel is to live it! We say the gospel is the way to happiness, but we must show and be every ounce of that happiness! It’s not just 

When we are obedient we bind the Lord to our side, and then he will direct our paths and provide. 

愛しています！

カードん長老より

Elder Cardon 

weekly mission email

Elder Canuto is taking charge of our Dendou this week and it’s really insightful to see how much he has progressed, how much he was relying on me, and what’s still missing in his training before he can train on his own. Most of the problems are restricted to Japanese, though, so that’s good because we use Japanese for everything. But a solid week, and we saw a miracle when several less actives we’ve been working with for forever actually come to church on Sunday. 

General Conference April 2002 Elder Scott “Full Conversion Brings Happiness” recommend, it was interesting to reflect and see what kind of conversion I've gone through on my mission. How much I struggled to always remember baptism and Christ, and to put enough faith in every moment as I call out to a stranger on the street. But, there’s still a lot more left if my conversion is ever going to be “continuous.” I feel that that's one of the biggest struggles I’ve fought against. Elder Scott succinctly summarized what my mission has been like.

愛しています！

カードん長老より

Elder Cardon 

weekly mission email

What is Family History? 

Most people think that it’s for old people and mostly involves looking up old records. 

If you don’t know your immediate family, you haven’t done family history. If your records are complete and don’t look like they’ll go anywhere soon, maybe the best family History you can do is asking about your living relatives and their immediate connection s. A good family History is also just knowing the difference between each great-grandparent, their stories, and their legacies. Certainly, when we know these people they will play a larger part in influencing, guiding, and supporting our lives as spirit angels. 

We’ve learned so much about the huge role family history plays in missionary work recently. “The field is white, already to harvest.” Are you going about working without reaping off the work of your predecessors, and their planting? I bet the field is much whiter in the Spirit world than it is on Earth right now, but we often ignore it. 

D&C 43:16 is a PMG quote directly linked to Family History. 

You can never run out of questions to ask about the family. It’s the greatest social unit of Time.  

愛しています！

カードん長老より

Elder Cardon