1. Suzuki Misako from Kariya, written by Elder Spencer Sarager
and Elder Brian Doll
When Sister Suzuki Misako was 13 years old in her English
class at school, the missionaries came to her school. Since she was a kid, she has been really
interest in English. She asked the
missionaries what they do on Sunday, and they said, “We go to church.” She thought that all Americans go to church
on Sundays. The missionary gave her a
flyer and told her to come to church.
She was baptized soon after that.
When she was about 15 years old, she became less
active. She did not go to church for 11
years. During these 11 years, three sets
of missionaries came to her house and asked her to come back to church. Even though these missionaries who knocked on
her door thought they didn’t have any success, it is because of them she came
back to church. She and her kids became
active.
Throughout her life, she has always kept in touch with her first missionary, the one she meant at her school. When her son was about to leave on his mission, that same missionary offered to pay for the portion of the boy’s mission that he didn’t have money for. Her son said that he was going to work harder, now knowing that it was someone else’s money who was paying for him to be on a mission.
Throughout her life, she has always kept in touch with her first missionary, the one she meant at her school. When her son was about to leave on his mission, that same missionary offered to pay for the portion of the boy’s mission that he didn’t have money for. Her son said that he was going to work harder, now knowing that it was someone else’s money who was paying for him to be on a mission.
Now Sister Suzuki is an active member of the Church. She is actually an English teacher as
well. Her son is married in the temple
and is an active member as well. Sister
Suzuki is known as the “Missionary Mom” here in Kariya. She always feeds the missionaries and helps
us out. She always inspires us to work
harder and always says, “If you don’t work, then you don’t get fed.” She is a great member and inspires us to work
hard! (Her nickname is Missy.)
2. Sister Endou, written by Elder Charles Hilton
Endou Shimai is a very strong member and helps out the
missionaries so much. She joined the church
around thirty years ago and was one of the first members of the Inuyama
Ward. She is the only active member in
her family, but that does not stop her from making the foundation of her home
the Gospel or sharing her faith with her family and friends.
Endou Shimai has a dream to one day see a church built near her house and have a strong ward in her area, which is very far from the current Inuyama church building. She does all she can to make this dream a reality. Her house is always open for the neighborhood kids and she every month has FHE’s, eikaiwa, and other activities that neighbors, friends and families can come and be with the members and missionaries, and feel the joy of the Gospel. Her home is always a spiritual environment where people feel the spirit strongly. She is not hesitant to share the Book of Mormon or introduce people to the missionaries.
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| Sister Endou with Sister Baird (right) |
Endou Shimai is a true example of Jesus Christ. She has such a giving heart. It is impossible to leave her house without
being given something that she joyfully presents to you with a warm smile. She will do anything to help others. She always puts the needs of others before
her own. Her testimony is so powerful
and when she shares it with others, they truly can feel the love she has for
them and the love Christ has for everyone.
Her faith is evidenced in the sacrifices she makes and the lengths she
goes to helping others.
3. Branch
President Aihara, written by Elder Andrew O’Hara
Branch
President Aihara is a good man. He tries
his best to fulfill his calling. He has
many responsibilities as branch president, but he works hard to do everything
he can.
President
Aihara really likes to meet with the missionaries. He comes to us before we have a chance to go
to him. The times we set don’t always
work, but he is willing to sacrifice his time to meet with the
missionaries. President Aihara does
whatever he can to help.
President Aihara is a convert to the church. He met Brother Takagi’s daughter and if she was going to get married it would be in the temple. Aihara accepted the restored Gospel and he has been growing in faith since then.
4. Kawamitsu
Kumiko, written by Elder Samuel Shimohara and Elder Jarom Roney
Sister
Kawamitsu was born and raised in the Church.
When she was in high school, she invited one of her friends to a church
party. Her friend had a good time and
agreed to hear the missionary lessons when the missionaries invited her
to. Sister Kawamitsu was a tachiai
(member participant) for most of these lessons.
She says that it was a good experience for her to hear the principles of
the Gospel explained simply.
During
one lesson, she was shocked when her friend said that she had always believed
that God existed and that she had been looking for Him. Shortly after that, Sister Kawamitsu’s friend
was baptized. Her friend even later went
on a mission. One day, Sister Kawamitsu
received a letter from her friend explaining the impact that “her missionary”
had on her life. She then said that she considered
Sister Kawamitsu “her missionary.”
This
experience lead Sister Kawamitsu to go on a mission herself and make the
decision to be an “eternal missionary.”
She currently serves as the president of the Primary in Suzuka Branch. She is married to the Branch President,
Brother Kawamitsu, and they have four children.
5. Brother
Sato, written by Elder Axel Kerksiek
Brother
Sato is an amazing member! His example
has helped me with my own pursuit to follow Christ. Brother Sato was baptized when he was in
college. He was never a full-time
missionary, but he served as a stake missionary in his youth. His life is kind of a sad story, but it is
full of hope.
He
married a member who was active in the Church and they started a family
together. They had four children. The sad tale begins with his wife leaving the
Church when their family was still young.
As a result, all of the children are inactive. Sato Kyodai alone has still managed to be completely
active in the Church.
His
children are married now, to people who aren’t members of the Church. His only desire is for his family to be
together, to receive the blessings of eternity.
However, his family has no interest.
I
see faith, hope, and charity in Brother Sato.
He has a calming effect on people.
He never got angry once during the time I was in Suwa. He is gentle, friendly, and will serve anyone
and everyone. When I was having bad
days, he would cheer me up. He would be
a friend. I am grateful that I was able
to know him. I hope he will be happy all
his days. I will never forget him, and
how he helped and showed me how to follow Christ each and every day.
6. Wakura Kyodai, written by Elder Kyle Macdonald
Wakura Kyodai is an incredible example of a strong father in
the church. He currently lives in
Sakahogi with his family who regularly attend the Inuyama Ward. He frequently has to travel on weekdays for
his job and is often away from his family.
However, when he returns home on the weekends, church and family
activities are most important. He has
raised a strong family in the Gospel, who are all individually good influences
to others. He was formerly bishop in the
Inuyama Ward and has put in countless hours of time helping and strengthening
the church and its members.
Wakura Kyodai is a convert to the church, and found the
Gospel in his early 20’s. His friend in
college was taking the missionary discussions and referred Wakura Kyodai to
them. Although his friend lost interest,
Wakura Kyodai was fascinated by the message and proceeded to be baptized. This decision surely has and will continue to
effect the lives of others in a positive way.
Wakura Kyodai is a good example of a disciple of
Christ. He is extremely humble. After being released as bishop, he continued
to work hard and do all that he could.
It is common to see him filling in and blessing or passing the sacrament
with his son on a weekly basis. He often
takes time from his Saturday mornings to clean the church as well. On one instance, he helped the missionaries
drive an investigator to a baptismal service in Gifu. The drive was about an hour each way and
surely it was not his first choice for a Friday night activity after returning
home from a business trip. However,
without any complaint, he was accepting of the request and it turned out to be
a real faith builder for the investigator.
He exemplifies selflessness and always puts others before himself.
He never got angry once during the time I was in Suwa. He is gentle, friendly, and will serve anyone
and everyone. When I was having bad
days, he would cheer me up. He would be
a friend. I am grateful that I was able
to know him. I hope he will be happy all
his days. I will never forget him, and
how he helped and showed me how to follow Christ each and every day.
7. Written
by Elder Danilo Duarte
One
day in April, 2012, after having lunch, my companion and I went out to
proselyte as we usually did. For some
reason, the day before during our planning session, we had felt we should visit
this less-active member. It was unusual
for us to go right after lunch, but even though we did not comprehend why we
had that impression, we were obedient and followed the promptings we received.
As
we headed to this less-active member’s house, we were stopped at a stop light
where we saw a Philippine woman. We
looked at her and then when she realized our presence, she looked back at us
and smiled, which for us, was a signal telling us we could open our mouth and
start a conversation. It began with a
shy “hello.” Our conversation lasted for about five minutes. We were able to get her phone number and
address. Unfortunately, she had to
return to the Philippines. But she said
she would be back after a month.
We
held on to her contact information, and exactly one month later, we called her
up and asked her if she was still interested in meeting with us. We set an appointment to meet her that same
week. Our first meeting was unforgettable. We walked in and, as usual, did a small
introduction. For our big surprise, she
said she knew about us and about the Church.
That was because she had been baptized ten years ago. Her name is Ella.
She
told us that after she moved to Japan she lost contact with the Church, and for
that reason, she hadn’t attended meetings.
Here in Japan she married a Japanese man and she had a little girl named
Hiromi. Hiromi was 8 at the time we met
her. Ella san told us of the desire she
had to go to church again and have her daughter get baptized!! We were struck
after she said that, only nodding back to her.
After that event, we met with them one more time and we were able to set
a baptismal date for Hiromi. Hiromi got
baptized one month later. They have
remained active ever since.
8. Hibiki Shuji, written by Elder Kaminishi and Elder Olsen
Brother Hibiki is one of the most diligent Ward Mission
Leaders we’ve ever met! He makes many
efforts to be involved in the missionary work we do and the work the ward
does. He magnifies his calling in many
ways, organizing our efforts, and helping us work with ward leaders. He never stops trying, and never
complains when things get hard or when we’re unsuccessful. He can make time, day or night, to talk to us
and help us when we ask for it.
Aside from the responsibility of his calling, he still makes personal efforts to do missionary work! One way he does that is by organizing and putting on special events for the ward to invite their friends to. One of those is “Minna de Night,” a talent show that is done annually for anyone to participate in. Brother Hibiki puts a lot of time and effort into organizing the performances, making the programs, and getting it announced. His sacrifices bring a lot of good in the ward and show a good example of member missionary work to others.
We know that Broth Hibiki makes many sacrifices out of love,
not obligation. He works hard, serves
others, and is kind to all of God’s children because he cares about them and
truly understands what the pure love of Christ is. People could say he works so hard because of
his calling, but we know that he does all that he does in love and
humility. For all that he does for
Ichinomiya, he deserves much more than our thanks. He is incredible!
9. Katakura
Akiko, written by Elder Samuel Shimohara and Elder Jarom Roney
Katakura
Shimai first met the missionaries when she was 19 years old. She received an Eikaiwa flyer from them. She had been studying and researching other
churches. When she read the name of the
Church on the chirashi, she immediately felt the spirit.
The
sister missionaries started teaching her on her twentieth birthday, and she was
baptized three weeks later. She later
went on a mission to Sapporo. She and
her husband both currently teach the Suzuka Branch Sunday School.
She
is married with two small children, Kou-chan and Mi-chan. They are two of the most energetic children
on the planet, but she works hard to raise them with a love of prayer. Mi-chan is always quick to volunteer. Katakura Shimai comes to Eikaiwa almost every
week and almost never misses an activity.
10. Brother Fabio Yukio Korogi’s testimony Written by Elder Dong Ho Heo
Brother Fabio was baptized on March 22, 2010. Brother Fabio was searching for real
truth. At that time, missionaries
knocked on his door and he learned of our church.
What is real truth?
He thought a lot and asked God.
He struggled to know if the message was true and sought a sign from
God. He read in Alma and came to know
that this message was true. Then he was
baptized.
Since then, he spends his time working with and for the
missionaries. When he does missionary
work and when he sees miracles, he feels like he did when he was baptized. He has a strong testimony that the Church is
true. Through receiving ordinances in
the temple, he wants to grow closer to God.
He is always trying to be a worthy person.
11. The Otani Family, written by Elder Zach Gish
The Otani family are amongst the most amazing and faithful
members I have met on my mission.
Brother Otani is our Branch President with a loving wife who is the
Primary President. They have four
amazing and angelic children, three girls and 1 son. Nonoku is the oldest, followed by her sister
Yuku, then their brother Yuji, and last is Mitca. These are four of the greatest dendo
fire-filled kids! We did FF with them and they have loads of friends they want
to reach out to and bring into the Church.
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| From left: Elder Kerksiek, Elder Hiruta, Elder Kaminishi , Elder Sambongi, and members of the Otani family. |
Brother Otani really loves the people of Tsu. He really goes out of his way to make sure
everyone is well and happy and you can feel his love anywhere you go. Sister Otani has a ton of dendo fire! Any time an investigator comes to church, she
makes sure they don’t leave without hearing about the Gosepl. And little Mitka taught beautifully what it
means to have faith to Yuri. I love this
family! This family is strong in the
Gospel. They are united with each other
and the Holy Ghost. They are outstanding
followers of Christ and friends. And
they are legendary members here in Tsu.
12. Sister
Kawase in Ogaki, written by Elder Axel Kerksiek
Sister
Kawase is the sweetest, shortest member that I have met. Her faith is unshakable and she has hope that
is contagious. Sometimes she has a
little bit of military in her, but that’s what makes her strong.
Only
she and her husband are active in the Church.
All of their children have fallen away.
She loves her family so much.
Even though she must be sad, she lives each day with a smile on her
face. She comes to church on Sunday
because she wants to be there. She is
happier at church.
Kawase
Shimai’s Christ-like example of patience, love, service and faith are some of
her brightest qualities. She brings
less-active people’s children to church as well as her own grandson. She is patient with everyone, even when
10-year-old boys tackle her!
She
has hope for her family and she has faith in Christ. She acts every day to try to make her hope a
reality. That’s what I have learned from
her. Act on our hopes and dreams. She is an amazing member, mother, wife, and
friend to the missionaries!
13. Iwamoto Family, written by Elder Niklas Metsatahti and Elder
Zach Gish
The Iwamoto Family!
They are originally from the Philippines, but they moved to Japan and
are working here now. They speak
Tagalog, English, and a little bit of Japanese.
From what I have heard, they have been members all their lives. Ken Iwamoto served his mission in the
Philippines. And Brother Iwamoto is now
a counselor in the branch presidency.
Ken and Shishi met at a single’s ward. Ken was dating another girl at that time, but
his friend told him to date Shishi Shimai.
They got married about four months later. Sophie is their daughter and she is four
years old right now.
The Iwamotos are really an energetic family. They love to have fun and they love
missionaries a great deal. The Iwamoto’s
show love for everyone and they are always ready to help others in need. Brother and Sister Iwamoto are saving money
now so they can move back to the Philippines and help and teach their friends
and families back there.
They are members with a lot of faith and strong testimonies.
14. Saito Kyodai, written by Elder Kyle Macdonald
Saito Kyodai is an amazing member! He has a very large family of 11 people, who
he loves very much. His occupation is
teaching people how to construct aircraft materials, specifically the
wings. Due to his current job, he lives
alone in the Inuyama Ward boundaries, while his family remains in Chiba, a town
just north of Tokyo. He does this so
that he can support his large family. In
the economy today, good jobs are increasingly scarce, and Saito Kyodai realized
that although inconvenient, this move was necessary.
Saito Kyodai was converted to the Gospel in his early 20’s
after taking lessons from the missionaries.
He went on to marry in the temple and to raise a large family in the
gospel. Nine children is large for any
part of the world, and particularly Japan.
He is very proud of all of his children and wears all of his decisions
proudly. Raising his children in the
Gospel can surely lead to countless others being influenced by the Gospel and
the blessings that it entails.
Saito Kyodai is always happy and full of energy. He is currently the ward Young Men’s
President and he magnifies his calling.
Although living away from his family is surely difficult, he never lets
it show. He is always willing to help
other people in any way he can and help them to smile. He loves helping the missionaries invite
others to receive the same happiness from the Gospel that he received for the
first time almost 40 years ago. He is
very active and loves to play soccer, and he is very good at it as well. He is an awesome example to everyone around
him and truly is a follower of Christ.
He exemplifies diligence in all that he does.
15. Takeno Hisako, written by Elder Jordan Olsen and Elder
Shimon Kaminishi
When Takeno Hisako was a girl, she met missionaries that
might have been from another church. She
met missionaries from our church two years ago in Niigata. They were able to talk about church and gave
her a Book of Mormon. After she came
back to Ichinomiya, she met the elders again and began taking the lessons. She would ask for commitments from the
missionaries before they could even invite her to do anything! They couldn’t challenge her to be baptized
because she already wanted to. She was
well prepared by the Lord.
She has a great passion for the Temple and Family History
work. After hearing about it in her
after-baptism lesson, she immediately began working on her own roots. Even if she only has a little bit of spare
time, she’ll try to work on it, as much as she can. In August of 2012, just three months after
her own baptism at age 72, she went to the temple to do baptisms for
others. She felt then that the spirits
of those who passed away were rejoicing with her in the temple. Because of that, she worked with more vigor
on her own family history. She has a
solid testimony of the salvation of the dead.
Above all, she is a very humble, sweet member of the
Church.
She studies often, because she understands that she doesn’t
know everything and has a lot to learn.
She rids herself of personal pride and is open to the advice of
others. Even though she has many
talents, she will never boast about them.
She goes to church every week, and church activities throughout the week
in order to follow God. She is a
wonderful lady and will continue to uplift and inspire others throughout her
life.
16. Kato Family, written by Elder Jack Koch
Basically, the Kato family loves missionary work. When they began their marriage, neither were
members. Even when Sister Kato was
baptized in her 30’s, Bro. Kato remained fairly opposed to the Church. Around 20 years later, at age 52, Brother
Kato was also baptized. With their newfound
unity, they spent the next decades working miracles and spreading the gospel.
Shortly after Brother Kato’s baptism, they decided to serve a mission together. Under then-Mission President Stevenson (now Bishop Stevenson) the Kato couple served in the Japan Nagoya Mission as service missionaries. Once they were released from that calling, they moved on to being temple workers in the Tokyo Japan Temple.
Now the Kato couple have invited the missionaries to have
FHE at their house with any investigators every week! They love to help and are very involved when
they are here. Unfortunately they spend
half of the year on the plantation they own in Hawaii with their daughter’s
family (who are sealed in the temple.)
We love, them, and feel their love for us. They rock!
17. Odani Kumi, written by Elder Naohiro Hiruta
Odani Shimai is now the Relief Society President. She has five people in her family. One of her children is a member as well, but
the others are not.
She met the sister missionaries about 1984. Before this she had been interested in
religions a little bit, but every religion didn’t fit for her idea. When she was afflicted, sister missionaries
appeared and she learned about the Gospel.
She still remembers the words of sister missionaries that first time
they talked with her. They said, “We
came here because we felt we should come here.”
Odani Shimai had been investigating the Church for over four
years because her husband was adverse to her joining our church. But the true reason was she wanted to grow
her faith more.
On October 2, 1988, she was baptized in the Church. She wanted to bring up her children to be
able to have faith and to live in the Gospel.
After all, one of her sons was baptized and went on a mission. His name is Satoshi and he is now one of the
greatest ward missionaries ever.
Odani Shimai is always kind and helps the missionaries a lot. Her strong faith makes us stronger.
18. Itakura Kyodia, written by Elder Thomas Petersen
Itakura kyodai is a farmer who lives in the mountains. He loves working with the missionaries and
really cares for his wife. He teaches
Sunday School for the young men and young women of the ward. He also teaches a cooking class near his
home.
Itakura Kyodai was converted on the Island of Okinawa. He was baptized at the age of thirty-seven on
May 15, 1976. When he attended
university he studied to be a brewer.
However, he hasn’t touched alcohol since he was baptized. His wife was the first to be baptized, about
three years earlier. His heart softened
towards the missionaries and the Church after driving his wife to church for a
while. He is now one of the most active
members in the Yokkaichi Ward.
Itakura kyodai has some of the strongest faith ever. Whenever he works with the missionaries he
has faith that the best things will happen.
His faith leads him to act, and he is an awesome member missionary
because of it. He also loves everyone
and can always find the good in people.
He has a strong testimony of the Gospel and the changes that can happen
in people’s lives when they accept it.
19. Brother Kotetsu Jo, written by Elder Shun Sambongi
Brother Jo is a member from Taiwan. He is 26 years old and is studying
Japanese. His whole family was converted
in Taiwan. He has a father, a mother, a
brother and a sister who all are members as well. Right now he is living in the dorms of the
college he is studying at.
Brother Jo was converted when he was a teenager. The missionaries first came in contact with
his father. His father quit smoking and
drinking and was baptized. There was
quite a different atmosphere in the home.
Then, Brother Jo’s brother and sister were converted. Three or four years later, he and his mother
were also baptized. They really felt a
difference in their lives and the Gospel really brought the Jo family together.
Right now, Brother Jo is serving as a ward missionary in the
Gokiso Ward. Although he does not speak
or understand Japanese well, he works hard.
In the past, he also had the opportunity to work as a part-time
missionary in Taiwan. During that time,
he did what he calls “Dan Jones Dendo,” at the super market. He has strong faith, is enthusiastic toward
missionary work, and is the nicest person ever.
(Note: Dan Jones was
an early church missionary who served in the British Isles. He would stand on something high, and preach
to people as they came by. He may be the
person who has personally baptized more people than anyone else in this
dispensation.)
20. Sakura Hojo, written by Sister Nishimuro and Sister Ishihara
Sister Sakura Hojo got baptized in 2010. Her father was an investigator. At first, she didn’t have interest in the
message from missionaries, but when she listened to spiritual music such as
hymns or primary songs, she felt the spirit.
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| From left, Sister Ishihara, Sister Hall (with her daughter Sarah-Mei in front), Sakura, and Sister Nishimuro |
She decided she wanted to become a missionary. She wants to feel the joy from missionary
work and to know how great the joy can be through doing it full time. Now she is preparing for a mission. She goes to Eikaiwa and Institute. She is doing missionary work with the
missionaries, such as housing or tachiai.
She is a hard worker and diligent.
She is positive. Recently she
brought her sister to a church activity and FHE at a member’s home.
21. Kazaki Yuki, written by Elder Peter Farnsworth
Kazaki Yuki is a young woman of great faith. At the moment, she is the only active child
in her family. She attends church every
Sunday with her parents and actively participates in seminary and other church
activities.
Even though Yuki’s schedule is pretty crazy with her school, work and a part-time job, she still makes time for her family and church responsibilities. It is normal to see her helping people out with a big smile and kind words.
Even though Yuki’s schedule is pretty crazy with her school, work and a part-time job, she still makes time for her family and church responsibilities. It is normal to see her helping people out with a big smile and kind words.
Yuki loves the Gospel and isn’t afraid to share it. She has been a good influence for her friends
and family. She’s always looking for
ways to reactivate the less active youth in the ward along with her family
members.
22. Oscar Inoue, written by Elder Thomas Petersen
Oscar is a seventeen year old who loves performing
magic. His mom is Peruvian and his dad
is Iranian. He is bilingual, speaking
Spanish and Portuguese. He has lived in
Japan most of his life.
Oscar’s faith is rock strong. He blesses the sacrament almost every week at
church and is also in charge of assigning the people that will bless and pass
the sacrament. He has also helped
missionaries work with Peruvians and other Spanish speakers in Yokkaichi. He also actively participates in his Sunday
School class.
Because of his mother’s health, Oscar attends church by
himself. Right now he sacrifices his
time and energy, and his high school education so that he can work full time in
order to earn money for his mom and himself.
However, he is still active in the Church and is planning on serving a
mission in a couple of years.
23. The Yuda Family, written by Elder Peter Farnsworth
The Yuda Family is a really special family with incredible
faith. Even through challenging
circumstances they have chosen to continue on in faith, patience and hope. Even more than saying they love the Savior,
they show it in their actions. Sister
Yuda is actually the only baptized member in her family. Her two children, due to some challenges
concerning permission, have not yet been baptized. But that doesn’t stop Kenta or Karin from
doing all they can to follow our Savior Jesus Christ.
Kenta and Karin have been going to church with their mother
since they were born. Now 16 and 12
years old, Kenta and Karin are still actively participating in church and
seminary.
Kenta and Karin also love finding ways to serve others. Kenta finds great ways to serve others as he
comes early to church every week to set up chairs in the classrooms and
sacrament room, then stands by the front door to greet people as they come
in. Karin, with her sweet and loving
personality, has found ways to serve by helping the parents in the ward keep
their children reverent and happy, as she works and plays with them. She also has a smile to give to everyone.
Though not even baptized yet, the Yuda kids are a great
example to anyone who sees them. They
work diligently, keeping the faith that one day they will be able to be
baptized, as well as their father. They
want to become a family blessed by the everlasting gospel. With faith as strong as theirs, it is only a
matter of time.
24. Sister Satomi of Takabata Ward, written by Elder Ryuga
Nakanishi
She was baptized when she was 21 years old. One day sister Satomi was consulted from a
friend. It was a human relationship
problem. Then she thought about it so much
after that, she talked with a company colleague. The colleague introduced a missionary to
them.
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| Elder Nakanishi and Elder Matsunaga on right |
She always sincerely prays and through the whole experience,
she has grown up in her faith in Jesus
Christ, becoming very strong. She also
learned from many people’s good examples and is obedient. She knows if we trust God and sincerely pray,
God will bless us.
25. Brother
Hayashi of Okazaki Ward, written by Elder Shimizu
Always Brother
Hayashi is smiling because he recognizes the blessing that God has given
him. And he greets everyone with an
attitude like Christ.
Brother
Hayashi comes to Eikaiwa every week.
This makes everyone who comes to Eikaiwa feel relieved. Everyone who comes to Eikaiwa knows Hayashi
Kyodai, unless it is their first time.
He has charity
and love. No one can feel uncomfortable
when they meet him. He loves everyone
and everyone loves him. He creates an
atmosphere of peace. His love makes
investigators feel that it is easy to go to church again.
26. Kato Hironori
from Nakatsugawa Branch, written by Elder Mark Gillespie
Brother Kato
is a recent convert to the church. He
came to the free Eikaiwa class offered by the missionaries, then began
listening to the message of the Gospel.
He was baptized on September 25, 2011, in the Nakatsu River. He is 26 years old (as of Fall, 2012).
Brother Kato
overcame many challenges on the road to conversion. He quit smoking and committed to stop other
habits in order to obey the Word of Wisdom.
He also faced the daunting task of explaining his choice to join the
Church to his family. But because of his
great faith, he was able to succeed despite the difficulties along the way.
Brother Kato
is one of the most enthusiastic members of the branch when it comes to
missionary work! He frequently gives the
missionaries help (especially in helping to teach lessons, where he shares his
experience in becoming converted). He
has also put in his own mission papers and received a mission call of his
own. Brother Kato, soon to be Elder
Kato, leaves at the end of October 2012 to begin a two-year term of service in
the Japan Kobe Mission. His faith,
diligence, and enthusiasm will make him an exceptional missionary—just as they
have made him an exceptional member.
27. Branch
President Jindo Yutaka from Nakatsugawa, written by Elder Ian Sanderson
President
Jindo has been branch president for a year here in Nakatsugawa. He is working hard to turn Nakatsugawa Branch
into a ward. He works with less-active
members a lot and accompanies missionaries to teach lessons very
frequently. He is the epitome of Dendo
Fire in Nakatsugawa.
President
Jindo lives in the mountains of Nakatsugawa with his wife, mother-in-law, and
his son. He lives in a large,
American-style home that he built by himself.
He has lived there for about ten years.
President Jindo is sixty-four years old and lived in Pleasant Grove,
Utah about thirty years ago.
President
Jindo is a convert to the Church. He
sells insurance for Aflac by occupation.
President Jindo loves to study the Gospel and is very skilled at
English. He is very supportive of and
nice to the missionaries.
28. Brother
Colqui in Ogaki, written by Elder Axel Kerksiek
I
have never met anyone like Brother Colqui before. I think there is only one like him in Japan,
or in the world. As he would say, he
“does not mess around!”
Colqui
Kyodia is a comedian on the outside, but he has a powerful testimony and
conviction about the Gospel. I think the
best lesson that I have learned from him so far is about reality--how to apply
the Gospel realistically every day of our lives. I can see that it is part of who he is, not
just what he does or what he says.
Colqui
has an interesting background. He is
from Delta, Utah. His father is from
Peru. He went on his mission to Panama,
and then came to Japan and has been here ever since. And sometimes he speaks in a British accent.
Colqui
Kyodai has a great sense of humor and can easily make friends. He is a beast of a missionary. His example of diligence, hard work,
obedience, and love all help me to understand how to become more like Christ.
Colqui
Kyodai knows that the Gospel was made for him, not that he was made for the
Gospel. With that lesson, he has been
able to develop his unique personality, while becoming Christ-like. He is someone that I can honestly say I will
never forget!
29. Sister Hiroe,
written by Elder Aisaku Takabori
Sister Hiroe
is the BEST. She is always trying to
improve. She has strong faith and is one
of the nicest people I have met in Japan yet.
But this doesn’t mean she has it easy.
Her husband is less-active. Her
son (Takuto) also has Aspergers Syndrome, which can be hard for her
sometimes. Even though she has all these
trials, she is still pressing on.
Currently she
is serving as the Primary President.
Lately she has also started having missionaries over for FHE, where many
of Takuto’s friends come too. Her home
is always open for the neighborhood kids to come and play. Those kids can be a little rambunctious too,
but she is always smiling and laughing her way through the day.
She travels
every month to find help coping with the trials in her life. She goes to seminary as far as Tokyo with her
son to be able to overcome her human nature.
What a shining example she is.
She is always looking to improve.
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