9/30/13: @_@ Now Sept. is over too!?!?

This week hasn't been too different from the last couple weeks, except that I think that Elder Nakayama and I are starting to improve our relationship. I think we still have a ways to go before we're anywhere near perfect, but I feel like this week we've finally started (at least to try) to understand each other, and I feel like we're making steps to overcome the gap between us. I'm super excited for that! Whether it happens while we're companions or not, I'm just glad that we're not at each others throats any more (figuratively speaking).

While our number of lessons taught this week is... well... non-existent, we did have a great week with our LA members. We were able to make our goal of teaching three lessons. I think one thing we can do to improve would be to shorten the length of the visits, and to be sure to share something every time we do visit. We've been making great progress with Bro. M!! Having him come with us to meal appointments has been great for helping him build friendships with the members. Slowly more and more of them are getting to know who he is. Hopefully soon he'll be able to meet with bishop and start working towards blessing the sacrament and receiving the higher priesthood! I'm also glad to know that he'll be moving to Salt Lake to go to University of Utah next fall, so it's going to be easy for me to keep in contact with him after my mission.

I've been able to stay in contact with the N. family all week, though we didn't ever get an appointment set up. They had a good weekend out at her parents house, which seemed to have reduced a lot of the stress they've had built up (yay!). Sister C. has also been in contact with Sister N., and regularly invites her to church (more yay!) . Since they were out of town this week they didn't come, but she also told Sister C. that she couldn't go because she doesn't have a skirt. Her reply was a prompt, "I can get you a skirt, I'll bring it over before Sunday next week" (even more yay!). The YM also visited Alex to try and cheer him up. It's so great to know that the N's have so much member support! I am concerned that the reason they're not coming to church is more than just because the son's knee hurting and not being able to go. I think if that were truly a concern than they also wouldn't be able to have him go to school, or drive clear out to visit her family. I'm praying that we can meet with them and try to lovingly discuss their concerns. I can tell something is holding them back, but we just haven't been able to meet with them recently to figure out what it is. They read and pray daily, so I know they're seeking for the comfort the gospel has to offer, but I wonder if they have some kind of fear of what church will be like.

I read a great talk this week given by Elder Bednar in the MTC the summer before I got there. It's about being a PMG missionary, and what that exactly means. I wish I'd have read this talk earlier in my mission, not because I feel like I haven't been a PMG missionary for my whole mission (because I do), but because I never had a good definition for what a PMG missionary IS. Obviously there are a few things that they would have to be, but I couldn't ever really put it into words so I avoided the phrase. This talk explained it simply. The talk in entitled "Becoming a Preach My Gospel Missionary". Absolutely great talk.

Love,

-Jeff

ジェッフ　モスデル

Side note from Mom--

Hey Everyone!
I just wanted to let you know that I received an email from a member of the Tokyo South Mission Presidency this morning.  It has been confirmed that Elder Mosdell will be home on November 19th.  We are awaiting additional information concerning flight numbers, times and all that seemingly tedious stuff.  We'll let you know when we find out more info!

9/25/13: The last P-day in September already?!? Where does the time go...

Well, this week has been interesting again...

*sigh* I could rant all day about my feelings this past week, but it's probably better that I don't. Here are some good things that have come out of this last week:

With the "extra time" I've had in the apartment, I've been able to study and ponder ways for me to become a better more Christ-like person. I've also had enough time to get through over half of Jesus the Christ (I'm somewhere just before the end of his public ministry). Jesus the Christ has really helped me develop a more personal relation with the savior. Before I didn't really have a connection with him. He was just a name associated with a lot of miracles and establishing the church, along with creating the world and this thing called "the atonement" that supposedly cleanses the repentant of their sins. I've believed all of these things to be true for a long time, but my believe and faith was based off of results I'd seen, "Judging them by their fruits" as it were. However I've come to understand how real the savior of the world truly is. It's not just some story, but rather a real account. Christ DID live, and he WAS resurrected. Now that I have such a strong understanding of that, I understand the need for a true church today, and how this church is truly Christ's true church restored to the earth today. Though we didn't get out and help many people become converted, I was able to deeply strengthen my conversion and understanding. For that I am grateful.

I also was able to use the time to mail the Long family and have a good conversation with them over the last few days. Though I don't feel like I can count them as lessons due to it being broken up through emails and the lack of a prayer, I do feel like I was able to help Sister Long's understanding. Though they're still suffering through their trails, it seems that she has a slightly happier disposition about live. I also was able to find out that the reason Brother Long stopped being active in his church was because when they got married, Christianity scared Sister Long and he loved her more. Now that she's extremely interested and is reading and praying daily, I think that he has a great potential as well. I sadly haven't been able to talk with him lately, but hopefully we'll be able to drop in one evening and have a good chat with them. It's been wonderful to have the Addington couple working with the Longs as well. The ward has also expressed a desire to help and support in any way they can. The Young Men are hoping to go over and play games with Alex sometime during the week, and the Money family has offered to give them (even if only mom or dad) a ride to church next week. I'm so excited for the Long family! :)

We've also been working with a less active. He was out of town this weekend so he didn't come to church, however (again with the extra time I had) I was able to mail him while he was waiting to do interviews and such with people at the event he was at, and created a good relationship with him. I'm super glad to have been able to do that! I finally feel like I have a pretty good relationship with everyone we're working with now. (I have to admit, sometimes I'm jealous of Elder Nakayama's ability to strike up a friendship right off the bat with anyone, even if I've known them for 9 weeks longer. He's really good at that. :P )

 

Well anyways, this is getting kind of long, and I REALLY don't have time so I'm going to send it. Hopefully there's not too many spelling errors and jazz like that.

 Hope everyone is doing well!

 -Elder Jeff Mosdell

ジェッフ　モスデル

9/17/13: I turn 21 in in a month!? @_@

Good Morning!

 (written yesterday)

What a beautiful Typhoon day! :D I love Typhoon weather, it's always so interesting to watch. In some ways I wish it was a stronger one today, but I also don't want anybody to be hurt or have property damaged. Nature is so cool though! :) I'm looking forward to the service opportunities that may arise from this storm though. Should be fun!

This last week has been kinda up and down. The start of the week was kind of slow, with lots of appointments canceling. Exchanges with Elder Hill was great, I loved working with him! He's such a happy guy all the time.  I'm excited to possibly be roommates at college with him, but that's still not for awhile so. :) I really enjoyed being in the 4-man apartment as well, and am excited to hear that Yokosuka is on the list to become one (though not sure when). I think working in a 4-man for my last transfer would be awesome! But yeah, we got back from exchanges and I got to meet up with Brother Anderson from my home ward, which was AWESOME! It was so good to see him again, he had lots of advice for both Elder Nakayama and I about working hard to the end. Elder Nakayama and I have been so busy meeting with members and less actives members that we still haven't had time to do a full weekly planning yet. I'm a little upset that we haven't planned for our investigators at all for this coming week. We held a companionship inventory during a companion study, but that's all we've been able to do.

I really want to work hard in Yokosuka for the last 2 months of my mission. I don't know how I'm going go figure Elder Nakayama out, but I know that if I work with the spirit we'll get there eventually. I'm praying for it at least.

-Elder Mosdell

Got to visit with a bishopric member from our home ward!

Elder Hill

Splilts with Elder Scott including pizza and the Testaments.

p.s. I'm sending photos! :D

9/9/2013: @_@ wait... how many weeks!?!?

Hey howdy!

This week nothing too new happened. I got to go on splits with the new elder (Elder Scott) in my district, and that was AWESOME! I love new missionaries. :) In some ways I wish I was training one last time before I finished my mission, but I'm happy being the "5" the Lord needs me to be here in Yokosuka. Elder Scott is a great missionary, He loves to go and share the gospel with people. His Japanese is also awesome! Granted he's half Japanese but still, I was very impressed. We had a great day of walking down the coast of Tokyo Bay and talking with people while they were fishing. We met a lot of interesting people, sadly none of which wanted to hear our message, at least not yet. We made several friends, and did our best to try and serve the people, even if it was just by picking up trash as we went along. I really enjoyed having a good full day of finding, it reminded me of being a new missionary and working with Elder Welch.

Nagaii Family: Dad's ship is back and thus he's working all the time again (I just found out yesterday that he's an O6 for those of you who know what that means @_@ I had no idea he was so high up there). With him being gone to work, Mom's sprained ankle, and their son's knee, we've not been able to get a time to go over and visit. We're hoping to maybe go on Tuesday, and bring the ward mission leader or one of the bishopric members with us. Mom has been reading the Book of Mormon like crazy (she's not supposed to be up and moving around, so she has a lot of reading time). I gave the family a list of like 15 different scriptures that talk about hope, faith, and Christ. She's read all of them and then some. She loves the Book of Mormon, because it's helping her to make it through all of the trials she has right now. I'm so happy to hear that she's been applying the Book of Mormon and has such a great testimony of it. I haven't had a chance to follow up with Dad about it yet, but I have a feeling he's not had a lot of time. Hopefully he's found some time though.

Bridger: He finally answered his phone! He's been busy with school and always misses our calls, but he said he'd come to church yesterday. Sadly he didn't and we haven't been able to contact him since we called on Saturday, but it's good to know that he's not ignoring us. :) Hopefully we'll catch him in a couple days again for a lesson.

Step Mom: She still progressing at a slow rate, but slow is better than not at all! We have the Book of Mormon stories book that we're thinking about giving her as well to help her understand some more of the things in the Book of Mormon. We're planning another lesson this week, hopefully with Brother and Sister Tanaka who live not too far away. I think having a Japanese member there instead of an American that speaks Japanese will really be good for her. Not that there's anything wrong with the members who have been coming, but I do think that a Japanese mom will relate better to a Japanese mom... plus they speak fluently. :D

I think that's all I've got for this week. Elder Nakayama and I are still struggling to work together a bit, but as time goes on I think we're both giving in a little bit and starting to be more unified on things. I'm trying to find ways to serve and help him, I've found that makes things a lot easier for both of us.

I got another couple of the " post-mission and Marriage" talks this week. >.< It's like these members think that I've only got 6 weeks left or something... I have at least 10 :P

I've got a package ready to send and will be sending it off hopefully this week, I still had to finish writing the slips for it yesterday and thus couldn't hand it off at church. Once it gets to it's destination there'll be some new photos and such to look at. :)

Much love,

Elder Jeff Mosdell

Note from Mom

Things have been a bit more hectic around here lately.  I'm terribly sorry for the delay in posting Elder Mosdell's messages to you all.  I'll attempt to be better about getting the posts up quickly over the remaining approximately 11   make that 10 weeks of his mission.  Yes, that is right, Elder Mosdell only has about 10 more weeks in the field!  When we know his travel information we will share. :)

On a somewhat less exciting note, Elder Mosdell can no longer send pictures home using the method that we have been using.  We are attempting to find another acceptable method for photo transfer, but it may not happen.

9/2/2013: "Boy, what a beautiful summer day in... GAH!!! Natural 20 backstab from September!" (>.<)

Howdy everyone, sorry if this is a little scattered today... short on time and dead tired... Plus I'm still recovering from that blasted natural 20 of September's.

 I was so excited to get my transfer call and hear that I'll be staying in Yokosuka for at least another 6 weeks. I love working here, it really is a great area with a lot of great opportunities. Carpe Diem (機会をとらえよ) as some would say. Sadly I think that Elder Nakayama and I still have some work to do as far as being unified on the seizing part. Hopefully we'll work out the kinks quickly.

We've had a super busy week this week. We hadn't even had time to do weekly planning until today after the Japanese Branch's meetings. We came back, made our phone calls, and then started into planning for the coming week. It was weird to actually be planning for a 7 day period, and not for 10 like usual. I really hate doing weekly planning at such a prime time for being out working but it really was the first chance we've had all week. I'm trying to impliment a new method for looking at what investigators need into our weekly planning. Though thus far it's only been somewhat effective, but I think that as we use more we'll figure it out.

I love working with Elder Nakayama, I think he's a great person, but sometimes I really just don't understand him. He tells me he wants me to show more faith in him as a missionary, and yet he doesn't seem to show faith in our investigators when they have a problem come up. Again I love Elder Nakayama, and I'm so glad to get to be working with him. He's given me many chances to learn more about myself and the things I want/need to improve on personality. I just hope I can learn them quick enough to hopefully solve our problems.

I've taken up listening to Jesus the Christ during out Personal time in the evenings now. Greatest idea ever! I've had so many small spiritual moments while listening, and I think I'll be able to finish the book before my mission ends. I just haven't had the time during personal study time to read it, and at night I'm just too tired to try and pick up a book and read... I have a hard enough time trying to write in my journal. :P

We've not heard from Bridger since our first meeting with him. I really hope he's just gotten busy with college and hasn't had time to contact us. He had a lot of potential

We visited with the Nagaii family shortly before heading to another apointment last Friday. They're doing pretty good, though they feel like their son's taking 3 steps forward 2 steps back relative to his physical progress. He is progressing, just every time he progresses a lot I think he over works himself and ends up having to take several days to recoup. As you can imagine, this isn't doing a lot of good for anybody's moral, and mom and dad have become worried that the constant pain and the depression that it brings may be too much for their son. That being said, when their son gets to interact with people from outside of home he gets MUCH happier, (thus the last minute visit). Our solution to his problem, start introducing him to the YMs group. Hopefully we can get him a few new friends that can stop by and cheer him up from time to time.

Step Mom's lesson was an interesting one. We really need to get a native couple to join the lessons with us. The Japanese speaking Americans are a great, great, great help, but I feel like Yukiko would be able to relate so much better if a Japanese sister was there. Also having some native speakers present I think would greatly help her to understand the restoration and other things we talk about... We just need to figure out what times the limited number of priesthood holders we do have in the branch are available.

*sigh* I think that's all for this week. I'm sorry it's so long winded again, though I'm sure many of you don't mind. :P  I've had a lot on my mind, it's hard to stay excited and motivated sometimes when you feel like you're the only one really running the show.

We had a great meeting yesterday morning in Yamate. Sunday marked the anniversary of Japan being opened to missionary work, so the stake met at the site (conveniently on the same hill as the church now stands in Yamate). To sum it up the meeting was for members to recommit to helping with missionary work. Here comes the wave!

I guess that's it for reals now! Have a great week ya'll!

-Elder Jeff Mosdell