Hello all,
Christmas was very nice. Very quiet. But I got to talk to my family this week, which is always nice. Although talking to them makes me notice a lot how I've changed. I'm a lot different than I used to be. I behave differently around them than I did before.
However, on Saturday, during an exchange, I had a bit of an accident. I hit an icy patch in the road on my bike, and I slipped and fell. I was mostly okay, and luckily there weren't many cars on the road. However, my hands hurt a bit, and things seemed a little strange, so I went to the doctor this morning and they taped things up. However, something was hurting just now that didn't earlier, so I might need to go back tomorrow.
Things are good. The gospel is still true.
Love,
Elder Mueller
Hello!
The snow here this last week was ridiculous! And I'm really sore from all the snow shoveling that we did. It probably snowed about a meter and a half in two or three days! We were supposed to have a Christmas Zone Conference, but it was postponed because the trains weren't running at all.
Things should be good for Christmas this year. It's a lot quieter here. They don't celebrate it that much. Everyone just eats cake aparently. That's about the extent of the celebrations. But we have our ward Christmas party tomorrow; it's going to be really fun!
I love you all,
-Elder Mueller
...in a good cause! Missionary work. It's good stuff, you know!
Hello, everyone!
This week, our mission got a special visit from Elder Ringwood of the Seventy. He did a mission tour, and so there were three conferences in different parts of the mission. But because the zone I'm in is so far away from everything else (Even just to get to the stake center takes three hours by train. Longer, if the tracks are icy), so we had a special one that was just our zone. The Spirit we were able to feel there was magnificent, and I was able to learn a lot and receive special revelation that I needed.
Last week, we also found our that Elder Ballard of the Twelve is visiting our mission in February, so that's going to be great to look forward to.
I'm working things out with Elder W. He's opening up more and being more honest with me about what he wants to do and how he wants to do it, and I think we are starting to understand each other more.
One thing that I've been learning more and more about is to be less judgmental of people, especially myself. I am sometimes very hard on myself, but it's better to be more patient with myself and with others as we all try to get better.
We also started to prepare things for the Christmas Party that we are having for the branch next week. The youth are putting together this ridiculous play based on an idea they stole from the Toy Story short that Disney made with the Hawaiian vacation. And at the end we are singing "Oh, Happy Day," a song from some Whoopi Goldberg movie. I feel so white when I sing it. And I'm singing with other white people and Asians. Oh well. しょがないね.
Keeping my head up,
Elder Mueller
Hi, Everyone! Alex didn't send a general email this week, but he is an obedient missionary and wrote to his mom. Here are just a couple of thoughts I wanted to share...
"Well, things are a bit rough right now....But I'm figuring things out. And I'm learning a lot too. Of all the times on my mission, this is the one when I feel most connected to Heaven's power."
"It snowed here this last week, so things have been pretty cold. I'm staying warm though. I got some boots today, so when it snows again, I'll be able to walk through the snow more easily. We can't ride bikes in the snow very well. And it snows a lot here."
So, please keep Elder Mueller in your prayers. I know it helps him a lot! Have a great week!
Hello,
This week was transfer calls. Aaaaand. . . . . . . .everything is exactly the same. All of the Takayama Elders are still the same.
Because everything is still the same, I need to work really hard to do things differently. We didn't get a lot done last transfer. And though it's a lot easier to change things with a new companion or a new area, there isn't the luxury of that this transfer. This whole situation is just really. . .confusing. But I asked my district leader for a blessing today, so I am hoping for some guidance to come through that.
It's been kind of rainy today. But I think it's supposed to start snowing soon, so we will probably have to switch to working on foot. That will be a new adventure.
Lately, I've found just how much the Book of Mormon can help in times of trouble. Whenever I have been feeling confused or lonely, I just open the Book of Mormon and lose myself in the stories in there. I guess it's not that surprising that I do that. I did that with other books before my mission all the time.
I really like Japan. Japanese is really fun to speak and I like talking to Japanese people. Especially the members. I think the biggest bummer about eventually going home is that I won't be able to speak Japanese all the time. Maybe I'll have another Japanese companion, so I can just speak Japanese 24/7 again.
Love you all,
Elder Mueller
Hello, my dearest correspondents,
The weather here has been a little obnoxious. This week it got really cold. Not below freezing yet, but it was pushing it. And then it was really nice for a couple days, and today it's raining cats and dogs. It's been a bit ridiculous. But fun too. But the members are saying that it could snow any day now, so I'm a bit anxious for that. I'm not quite sure how it will be, trying to work in the snow. It will definitely be an adventure.
This week, I have been surprised at how bountifully the Lord gives me help even when things are difficult to understand. My companion, Elder W, though he said he had changed dramatically in the course of a week, still seems to be upset by the same things that he was before. And I try my best to support him and to help him and devote a significant portion of my day praying and pondering about what he needs and what I should do.
In the midst of this, I am working to overcome my own problems. Specifically, my lingering discomfort about talking to strangers. This makes it really hard to do streeting or housing. But more than I ever have before on my mission, I've been able to do these things. All of my own volition. It's just that having the companion that I have, it is extremely difficult for me to be able to stay calm and in control of finding situations. Perhaps because he has such a hard time staying calm and in control. And then he tears himself apart in his mind after he does things. But we don't have a lot of investigators right now. And so we have a lot of free time and a neccesity to find. But we haven't been able to find an investigator all transfer. And that makes it hard to not get discouraged.
It's difficult to communicate just what is going on, but this transfer more than any other, I have tried to admit my weaknesses to the Lord and to do what I can, despite of my circumstances. And the Lord has helped me. I know he has because I went on an exchange last week with a different Junior Companion and it was great. I was fine. And I worked hard. And I felt good, because I knew that I was doing what I was supposed to.
So, what I guess I'm trying to communicate is that I have been trying so hard to just keep going and to do what the Lord would have me do. Even though things aren't going as well as maybe they could have. This mission has been the hardest thing I have ever done, and I have had more extreme emotionally straining experiences than I thought would ever be possible before being set apart. But I'm still standing. I'm still doing what I can. I know the Lord is proud of me because I have not given up. And I won't ever give up. That is the only way to fail in this situation. I know there are unimaginably fun and good and happy times waiting for me ahead here in Japan. Right now is not very fun overall. But there are fun things. And more importantly, I have learned in the dross-consuming forge of the Master Refiner's fire, that Christ lives. That he knows me. That he loves me. That he has redeemed me from sin, and has provided a way for me to rise above my infirmities. And that through my experiences He is preparing me for life above.
There is still much I do not know. There is still much about me that is far from perfect. But I know that in Him, I can be made perfect.
I send these things with love.
Sincerely,
Elder Mueller
Dear people who read these e-mails,
Things have changed a lot this week. My companion has gotten out of the pit of his depression, and is going to do some great things. He's going to be okay.
There still isn't a lot that's happening here. We have yet to find some new investigators. But we're doing the best we can with what we have.
One thing that's been a bit difficult is the fact that bears have started being seen all over the city. Someone actually died about a week ago. They don't have any food because a bunch of extremely big moths ate it all in the summer, so now the bears are hungry and aggressive. It's a bit scary, but I still haven't seen one yet. I expect that the missionaries will be fine. But there is still the need to be careful.
Other than that it's been a pretty slow week. Well, more like just a really slow transfer. But there's some fun stuff going on next weekend, so there's something to look forward to.
With love,
-Elder Mueller
