09/11/2016 - Well This is It...

Good-bye ritual??

Well never thought it would come, but it's here. I'm pretty much done. I don't have to much time left. (81 hours, but who's counting). Sorry I don't have a lot of time to email today. Still have some "funeral arrangements" to take care of. But I will definitely sit down when I get home, and type out some of my final thoughts, and send out 1 last email. This isn't the last! mwahahahaha! "I'm not dead yet... I feel Happy" -Monty Python.

Well as I do wind down, of course, everyone asks, if I'm excited to go home. My answer, of course. Yes. I miss my family and friends, I'm excited to start school, I'm excited to eat a real AMERICAN hamburger, I'm stoked to get to watch all the movies that I've missed, I'm ready to play Minecraft, and other games again, I'm excited to get to date again. I am excited to come home. But honestly, what I have told everyone, is that it is a mix of emotions. Yeah I'm excited, and just like the rest of my family I've got a countdown going on (80 h 53m), but I'm not just looking forward to it. At the same time as being excited for all of those things, I am really sad. I don't want to leave. I love Hokkaido. 

I love working for, and representing my savior. I love the spirit that you can feel in this work. I have so many friends here, the bonds of which are a lot stronger then other friendships. I love the language, I've come to like it more than English and have even come to forget a lot of English (for those that hear my talk in church this Sunday, I apologize). I don't want to leave the wonderful Japanese people here, that are so kind, and so loving. I don't want to go home. I said it. I don't want to go home. 

I gave my final testimony, and remarks in church yesterday, and I bawled like a baby. I don't think I have anymore tears in me. I really don't want to leave. I have so many "Mothers" and "Grandmothers" here in Hokkaido that don't want me to leave either. It breaks my heart to leave them. But, just as I talked about a few weeks ago, Life doesn't end on a mountain. That's for later. I've got to continue on. I've got to come down the mountain, no matter how much it pains me to do so. But, I will not, Cannot forget the things I've seen, learned, and done here. 

A couple of month's ago, a good friend of mine from the MTC (Missionary Training Center), had to go home a little early because of medical issues. He didn't want to leave either, but he did send one last email out, and part of it was this poem he wrote, that I thinks describes my feelings better than I can write, so I'm jut going to use that.

It Won't Be the Same

By: Kengo Adachi

It won't be the same after you go back

On Wednesday night at 6:30 there will be no Eikaiwa(english class) to prep

Monday's won't really be a thing that you look forward to

Thursday's will just become a day and not the day where you plan your week

Lights won't have to be on at 6:30 or off by 10:30

You won't have to check the clock to make sure your lunch isn't going over an hour

You won't have to always have someone within sight and sound

You won't have to play Rock Paper Scissors at the door before you leave

When you meet with someone you won't have to worry about what message you will share

Suddenly no one needs to know about the conversations you had with someone

When you get home at night you won't have to plan your next day

There will be no more reporting what you did that day

The clothes you wear won't be the same thing over and over and over

People will no longer call you sister or elder

Your name will no longer be written on your chest

It won't be the same but that doesn't mean it will not be similar

What will be left of your 18 months or 2 years

Not stats, transfer numbers, how good your language is or, leadership positions

But friends, seeds, influence, example, and change

What kind of mark did you leave on your mission?

Do you have people to follow up with for life?

Will you go back to the life you had before?

Will you waste hours on your phone "liking" life?

Not talk to people around you and seeing who's day you can change?

Will you just worry about what you want and not how you can serve your roommate?

Will you watch what you say and what you do?

Will you jump at a random opportunity to serve someone?

Or will you hesitate and think... I don't need to do that someone else will

Will you read the good word and discuss with God your plans and problems?

Will you go back to a prideful life asking what can I get not what can I give?

Will you take for granted the way of living or the family and friends around you?

Will you view everyone like you did before? Or will you view them as you learned so well on your mission as a child of God?

Will you continue the Christlike attributes you worked on and studied so hard?

Or will you say that's not something I need to worry about anymore?

I hope you keep the change you made and don't lose it

Because even if you changed the place where you served it doesn't mean much if you didn't

If it won't be the same now that the badge comes off did you really change?

Or was it just a good act for a little while、

There's much to think about when you go home from your time

But I hope you go back and you don't say I'm excited to get back to my life

But rather can say with confidence... It won't be the same

And then I'd like to add "It won't be the same. It'll be better"

I will not, cannot forget this experience. It will define my life from here on out. People talk about just how much their lives have been influenced by their missions. Mine will be the same. This is God's work. This is his Church. It is true, and I know it. That'll be about it for now. Look forward to my one last email next week. 

Until then, God we with you.

愛しているよ

Elder Eliot

PS. Looking forward to seeing all that can make it to my homecoming this week. Love you!

Sunday 09/18/2016, 1:pm, LDS Chapel 259 E Alpine DR, Elk Ridge UT

Plane takes off in 80 hours, and 33 minutes XD

09/04/2016 | Military Bases, and Disaster Drills

Well this week came and went didn't it. That was really fast. So we had an interesting experience this week. We had found an advertisement a few weeks ago, for a Disaster Drill thing that was going on, and they wanted about 5 foreign residents to join them. Well we are foreign, and technically residents, so we decided. Heck. Why not. So we called them up, met with people, and went on over. So we joined up with a guy from Germany, a guy from Indonesia, and then 3 girls, one Chinese, one Korean, and one Polish, and we headed to the Military base here in Sapporo. I'm pretty sure we are the only missionaries that can say we've been on the base here. That was all cool and everything. So our little group went over to the base, and joined up with a bunch of other random groups that specialize in stuff like that, and even a bunch of Jr. High Students, and learned what to do in the case of a disaster. Apparently there was a really large earthquake, somewhere in Japan on Sept. 1. So to remember that, they do this drill every year. Honestly, I personally didn't learn an awful lot from it, because the 2 largest things they were teaching was CPR (or "heart massage" in Japanese), and how to make a stretcher with sticks and a blanket. It was like I was back at camp again. I even got to correct them on CPR in a few spots. It was really fun though to hang out with those people. Kind of a fun little activity to do toward the end of my mission.

Alrighty I have another interesting thought for everyone today. So I've been reading through the Old Testiment. I want to try to get through the Standard works from cover to cover, so I've started. I just today finished Proverbs. While I was reading through proverbs, a lot of cool parts stuck out to me, but there was one in particular that reall stuck out to me. 

Proverbs 13:7

7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

Of course the second I read this scripture, It brought to mind another of my favorite scriptures

D&C 6:7

7 Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.

Just ponder this for a second. Think about Jesus. How rich was Jesus? "...foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Not only was Jesus poor, Jesus was homeless. He had nothing pertaining to worldly things. Yet, did he ever have problems? Now of course, our mission in life is different than Jesus's. And despite always trying to be like him, we won't be. There were some things, that only Jesus could do. But the point is, don't go looking after Worldly things. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Seek for the things of the Kingdom of God. Think of Solomon, the one who wrote most of the Proverbs. When God says he'll give him whatever he wants, he doesn't ask for power. He asks for wisdom. He had just been made king, and is a little frightened and doesn't want to mess up. But instead of asking for lot's of money, so that he could build big walls, or a large army, or have a really comfortable home, he asks for wisdom to judge righteously. And how does God reward him? He gives him wisdom just like he said he would. Then, because of his righteous desire, he gives him all of the money anyway. Because he did need it. But, he wasn't searching for it. Does that make sense? Don't try to make yourself "rich" Don't Seek for [worldly things]. Seek for the kingdom of God. The last scripture that came to mind after reading and pondering this verse was this.

Matthew 16:25

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

I think I'll leave my ponderings at that, and now leave it to you to continue to ponder and learn from. 

OK well have a wonderful week. 

I got clarification on my Homecoming by the way. My homecoming will be on Sept, 18 at 1:00. I've even got the address for you here.

259 E Alpine Dr, Elk Ridge, UT 84651

Hope to see some of you there.

愛しているよ

Elder Eliot