Monday, March 16, 2009

New "calling"!

Hello!!
Minna genki? Hows it going?! No its not a holiday in kure today... so why the heck am I on the computer? you might ask... well, I was called last Saturday by President Isa and i got the news that I will be becoming the new Mission Recorder. So Im in my new area, in the Mission Office, Hikari. So, thanks to the mercy of our Heavenly Father Ive once more avoided the dreaded "inaka" (or country area). So Im pretty happy, although I am pretty sad that I will be leaving Kure, where we saw a lot of miracles. It truly is a blessed area and I feel very humbled to have had the opportunity to have worked there. The hand of the Lord was guiding us every step of the way and I'm looking forward to working and learning here in Hikari.
So last week we had mission conference and we had the area presidency come and speak to us. It was a great learning opportunity and we feel that the same things that they talked about there (such as the Spirit and Revelation) are being put into practice and the mission as a whole is becoming more united. We also received instruction about the importance of unity in the mission as a whole and more importantly as companionships. Its obvious that you need the Spirit in order to teach, and if there are any problems which are creating contention between the 2 missionaries, the Spirit won't be present and you won't teach effectively. So all in all it was a really good opportunity to learn.
In Kure we had quite a few miracles happen in the last 3 weeks or so, so I'll share them with you. 3 weeks ago we found 6 investigators in one week. It was truly an amazing miracle, a number that is rarely seen here in Japan. It all started on a Friday when we felt that the best use of our time was to hand out english class flyers in front of a rail station. We handed out about 200-300 flyers and met a lot of people. One of them was Nozomi Hara, a 17 year-old high school student. The next class her and her mom came, and said that they had interest in our message. We called to thank them and asked if they had any questions, and they asked about Church on Sunday, I didnt completely understand what they said, but it seemed like they had interest.
That same week we had found and taught a Brazilian couple the Noguchi family. It was really good and they are a good Christian family. They had interest and the husband (Arnaldo) asked a lot of good questions about the Spirit and the Priesthood. It was really good. Then we also met and taught Randy and Charlie, 2 phillipino guys who were really cool, and accepted the message, but so far its been a little sketchy as far as if theyll actually commit to do something.
Anyways, so Sunday, lo and behold, Asami Hara (the mom), Haruka Hara (19 year-old daughter), and Hijiri Hara (10 year-old daughter) came!! It was awesome! We taught them the first lesson and watched the Restoration DVD and they accepted the commitment to read and pray. Haruka seemed a lot more willing, asking how much she should read - I told her "as much as you can"! I followed up and she had read 33 pages within a couple of days, and then I invited her to read Alma 37:37, and later she told us that as she read that, she read it over and over, and she felt the Spirit and that the love of God was real, that He does love her. It was a miracle. She prayed and received the answer. She is progressing and doing great, reading the Book of Mormon and everything! Then her sister (Nozomi) came the next Sunday, and became an investigator. They are currently studying the Book of Mormon together and praying. The mom is not progressing as fast, but still reads every day. And even the 10 yrold likes primary, and while the mom was struggling through the prayer, helped her finish it off the right way! They are a great miracle, and I'm sad to have to leave them there, but when they do get baptized, I'll be able to see them, because Kure baptisms are performed here in Hikari - I'm anxiously awaiting!
Anyways, I am grateful for all your prayers and your help and love. Keep up your faith, trust in the Lord, and all things will work together for your good, despite the bad economical recession and all the problems of this world. Remember that the Brother of Jared saw the Lord because of his faith. All of us can see the Lord's hand in our lives if we trust on Him, rely on Him, and faithfully act according to His will. Thank you so much for everything, and I miss you - well, I do but I don't, there's a lot to do here so there's not too much time to think about home. I love you guys and hope all is well. I can't wait to hear from you guys!
Love,

Elder Mourao