Hey everyone! Another week has gone by, and just like you said, it seems like it was just yesterday that I was here at email. It has been another busy week with even more travel: we spent only a total of three days actually in our area again! That makes visiting everyone and appointment creation really difficult, but we are doing our best.
The responsibilities of being in the branch presidency are really setting in. We created a Home Teaching chart for the Branch (which isn’t that hard, we only have eight active members and about 20 less actives), and that took a lot of time. We spent a good three hours with the Branch President working it out, trying to find who would be the best match for who through lots of prayer and discussion. I think it ended up pretty well.
I gave a talk in church this week, and the District President for all of Nagano and his wife were there. Pretty intimidating, but it went really well. He said he was impressed, and that my Japanese sounded more like a year and a half old missionary, rather than a seven monther. I was pretty grateful for his words. After the meeting, we went driving for hours, visiting various less-active members in nearby cities, and inviting them to come back to Ina. It is hard for many of them, since they are a good two hours away by car, but we got a few people to commit to come at least once a month. We are praying for their commitment to hold through.
During that time, we did, however, have a lot of time to talk about our missionary vision for Japan. We set goals with the District President, and brainstormed ways to achieve those goals. I won’t say Japan is a hard mission, because we are counseled not to and we have plenty of people to teach, but he certainly drilled it into us that we are in one of the most difficult places to baptize (Japan) and probably one of the most difficult areas in that country (Ina). I think that is part of the problem in Japan: even the leaders have this idea that Japan is a slow-growing mission. Right now, it is, but I think that is only because of the outlook of the members and some of the missionaries. Hopefully we can change that.
I’m really excited for LeeAnne, who already has a baptism coming up this Saturday I hear, from the email. I have had a hard week this week, feeling really down on myself for not having personally baptized anyone yet. Alot of the people I have taught have been baptized, but I haven’t had the opportunity to be there for the baptism. Transfers and loss of jobs makes it difficult here. I had been kicking myself all week, wondering why I am working the hardest I have ever worked on anything in my life, not wasting a second, talking to everyone, and teaching correct doctrine, yet not personally seeing the fruit of my labors. It has actually been a pretty down week because of that. Not to mention, I haven’t gotten a letter from any friends, including LeeAnne, in almost a month - so I was getting pretty down on myself. But after reading LeeAnne’s letter, I remembered the scripture about rejoicing in the success of your brethren. It really cheered me up just now, and might actually make my next week a little better. Just because I have been transferred at the wrong time, or my investigators have moved at the wrong time, doesn’t mean my labor isn’t bringing blessings. When I get their letters thanking me for bringing them the gospel, or their baptismal announcements, it makes up for it. It is the law of the harvest, if you work as hard as you possibly can, the outcome is going to be seen somewhere, sometime. I really can’t forget that, and if I keep working at this pace, I’m bound to personally see the blessings eventually. It is when I give up that I will become an unsuccessful missionary - I don’t plan on it any time soon.
We also had a Mission Conference with Elder Stevensen of the Seventy, Nagoya’s previous mission president, as I think I explained last week. It was an excellent conference, but again, ate two days by the time we got down there and back again. I learned a ton, which was good, and also learned how to understand a deep American Fork, Utah accent. It was almost harder than Japanese.
Transfers are soon, we get the calls a week from today. I honestly have no idea what might happen here, even though I am pretty sure one of us will go. I can’t decide if I want to go or stay, but that isn’t my decision anyway, so it is no problem. I’ll be happy to go wherever I’m called. I am a little bit worried about getting a little bit of culture-shock if I leave Ina, I think I have turned into a small-town-boy for the past three months or so. I’m sure after about an hour or two, I’ll re-adjust to the city inside of me.
Thanks for the packages! I got both the one from you guys and one from LeeAnne’s mom. They were both awesome! Karen sent me two awesome ties and some photos (much appreciated, I’m wearing the yellow-ish one right now). I’m not sure if you guys knew this, but the soup you sent me was the soup I ate a ton with LeeAnne freshman year - specifically the tortilla soup. It was delicious, and as we say in Japanese, natsukashii (nostalgic, maybe? there isn’t really an equivalent English word). My companion enjoyed it too.
Oh yeah, and any and all companionship issues, which were small to begin with, are gone. We are completely fine, don’t worry. There wasn’t even any reason to be worried in the first place. We have the Spirit all the time, so it must be a decent companionship I think.
Let’s see, other than that… I don’t have anything I need or want. I’m all good. Oh, actually, since I’m not getting ANY handwritten letters for a month and a half or so, if you want to hand out my address to people (Nicole Rawlins, the Siebachs, cousins, Kathryn’s boyfriend (I need to approve of him), Bro. Edwards, Teerlinks, etc.) some letters would really be appreciated. They keep me going. That goes for you too, LeeAnne, if you want to hand it out to Kendall Williams, Becki, etc, please do. I need some written encouragement - I’m running a little low. Oh, and I forgot in the letter I wrote to you this morning, LeeAnne, there is another missionary here who knows Evan Stock, Kendall (he thinks) and that group. He is from Oregon too - Elder Ogden. He has a little under six months left. Way hilarious guy. Thought maybe you would like to know. Hopefully you will get my few letters I have sent soon, there is a big stack of pictures in one of them…
I think that is really all. Investigators are the same - still progressing but we could use a few more. We will be pounding the pavement quite a bit this week I think, two make up for the past two weeks in which we were out of our area for almost half of the time. I’m glad to hear everyone is well - I hope to hear from you soon. Oh, and no news about Mother’s Day calls yet - we will probably know when transfer calls come. I’ll keep you posted. Tell Kathryn to get her boyfriend on the phone if she plans on being engaged. Write letters, force other people to write letters (ok, don’t force, but kindly and strongly encourage), and take care over the next week. We might email a few days early next week since the library is closed on our normal day. Be prepared for that.
Talk to you soon! Love you all!
Elder B.
Greg Burnham
gregburnham@myldsmail.net1-304 Itakadai
Meito-ku Nagoya-shi Aichi-ken
465-0028 Japan
