May 29, 2017: Iwaki: 🔥🔥its hot!

Hello everyone is going great here in Iwaki!  Elder Dance and I are having a great time and seeing some miracles.

By Wednesday I had seen a guy yell at somebody at the station while urinating on a bench.  A woman told us to "pop off" (go back to America) and tried to chase down Elder Dance and I before we got in the elevator.  Finally another woman was trying to lure Elder Dance and I to her Barr.  She wouldn't leave us alone even though we rejected the offer haha after that I was ready for anything to happen for the rest of the week.

 

The other day while waiting for a train to come, we went to visit a recent convert, we stared to talk to this kid sitting next to us.  This causal conversation turned into a talk about why we are here.  And while we are riding the train down to Izumi machi we go over the plan of salvation and share scriptures from the Book of Mormon.  We talked him for a good 2 hours and began to be good friends.  We are going to meet him again on Friday!

 

Last week,  we found a kid named Hakozaki Kin and he has had the boom for a week and has already read 440/744 pages of it.  Crazy right??

Every time we meet him we talk about his favorite scriptures and places that he marked on his own.  He has a bap date for the first of June.  It's kinda ironic cause that day President Smith goes home and the change over happens.  We have another meeting with him tonight!! Turn up!!  Elder Dance and I are PRPing.  Planting Reaping and Parting!

 

I bear my testimony to all you reading the email that this work is the Lord's work and we are not alone.  I can't tell you how much of a blessing senior couples are, we are so grateful for them!  This is fun!  This is rewarding!  This joy can be brought by more than missionary work!  I encourage you to pray and if you find that it is the right thing, serve a couples mission!! Please, I promise it will be worth it!!  Love you all and God lives!

 

Elder Halverson

ハルバソン長老~日本仙台伝道部

 

 

May 22, 2017: Iwaki lets 💃

Hello everyone.  The days of being the solo zone leader, district leader are over.  We had transfer calls last night and my new comp is Elder Dance from Logan Utah.  We actually graduated the same year and he went to Mountain Crest.  I am way excited to work with him.  As for the weather in Iwaki.. it's hot!  Everyday last week reached at least 30c with 100% humidity.  It reminds my of last year when I was in Miyako.

This week we had two days of service for a member who is moving houses.  This member is the one who is always way happy and takes the missionaries to all you can eat sushi and stuff.  So for years she has lived in this "shack" (for lack of a better word) and is moving into a brand new "palace".  Her circumstances kinda forced her into this old place but even though she lived in this crappy place she was always very happy and smiling.  It gave me a new look on trials and adversity.  After that, I was totally fine with going out and housing all day even if I got rejected all day cause some people have it worse but are still happy.   Really cool experience.  Let's choose to be happy!

Excited about this 3 week transfer and the business!  See you all next week.

John 3:16!

Elder Halverson

ハルバソン長老~日本仙台伝道部

May 15, 2017: 母の日

Hello everyone, going to make this quick!  Hope everyone had a good Mother's Day!  Moms are great right??  Well this week was really busy with combining two areas and having to cover appointments.

A miracle: on the last night we were companions,  Elder Fonoimoana and I were heading home and we went to the station and it being late in the evening there was drunken people everywhere.  To salvage the situation we biked a little farther and before I knew it, I was talking to this young kid.  Come to find out that he is an old investigator and had been down to the church at some point.  His name is Suzuki Takashi.

So glad we could find him!

Also another experience.  Friday night Elder Taylor and I were heading home when all of the sudden this guy comes from the shadows and makes the craziest noise I've ever heard.  At first he is nice and expressing interest and then he mentions that he wants to take us clubbing.  We turn his offer down saying that we don't do that stuff.  As soon as he is told that, he cuts off the conversation and wants nothing to do with us!  haha He did receive a pamphlet though 😆 just remember kids "gods ways aren't always as popular, but they are better."

Love you all and have a great week!

 

Elder Halverson

ハルバソン長老~日本仙台伝道部

 

 

May 8, 2017: Hello everyone!

I'm sending a quick email cause some craziness is happening here in Iwaki.  So just this morning we got a call from President Smith and told us that there is an emergency transfer.  I am staying in Iwaki but my comp and the district leader will be leaving.  So for the next couple of weeks I will be the only zone leader of the Koriyama zone and the district leader of the Iwaki district.  My beloved Elder Fonoimoana is going to become comps with my last Elder Price up in Morioka.  It's sad to see him go especially in the middle of the transfer.  But it is what it is.  So for the time being the next two weeks are going to be with Elder Taylor who is a great guy and really wants to improve.  It's going to be great working with him. 

Love you all!

Elder Halverson

ハルバソン長老~日本仙台伝道部

 

7 hours of labor equals a pretty good sunburn! 

 

May 1, 2017: Car Rides!!!

Hello everyone!  How are ya?  Sorry I forgot my journals again so I'm going to rely on memory for this email... again.  Well this week we had another zone conference and Elder Fonoimoana and I had a good training.

I felt like it went good and it was fun!  The theme was the Book of Mormon and it was one of President Smith's last ones so for the most part it was President Smith's time.  I learned a lot but more important than that was how I felt.  The spirt was strong and I felt very good when I left the conference.  It's a very often used cliche but it's true.  It's what happens when the spirit touches you!  Also got to see a few old comps the day before which is always great.

 

Yesterday Elder Fonoimoana and I were going to go house a few places but then decided to go streeting at the station instead.  It was great cause we were lead to 3 kids who exchanged contacts with us.  They are all now potential investigators!!  They weren't the only ones. We were out finding inactives in the area. We decide to visit members Sister and Brother Akiyama with the Pounds and it turns out that she is a return missionary but even though her husband is a member won't let them come to church.  But it doesn't stop there cause Elder Pound, the senior missionary who gave us a ride there, served in the mission 40 years ago when this sister was baptized and he knows the elder that baptized Sister Akiyama.  They were sharing experience after experience and you could see this sister getting happier and happier as she was remembering her baptism and the missionaries.  We left a small message after it was all done and are praying that her husband will let her go to church!

 I gotta go but I testify that the atonement is a real thing that anybody can access.  It is a gift given to all man kind from a man who came to do the will of the father .  Love you all have. Have a good week.

 

Elder Halverson

ハルバソン長老~日本仙台伝道部