what a week (November 20, 2011)

We had a very eventful week...we met a bunch of different people but best of all someone was able to get beptized here in Hamamatsu! His name is Takayanagi...say that 3 times quickly maybe it's easier if it looks like 高柳. I'm not sure but anyway he got baptized!!! The spirit was really strong. He was definately a prepared soul. A few months ago he started coming to the church's outreach program and eventually one of the members told him to listen to the missionaries and so he did and he was baptized on Saturday. It was really great. A lot of members came and supported him, especially the ysa. Takayanagi is 24 so he has a lot of friends and fits in well here. I was actually supposed to speak at the baptism but I got canceled because the speaker before me took a long time. But ya he is great and you could just tell that he was so happy and filled with the spirit.

So we also met a Malaysian and some one from Sri Lanka...I'm not sure if it's spelled correctly put they are doing a home stay with a part member family. We talked with them for a while and they are both college students and really nice...they both have a little interest in religion but we had an apointment on Saturday but due to hurricane force winds and rain we weren't able to go there. I mean we actually tried to bike there but they live really far away as it is and we couldn't get a ride so we had to cancel...hopefully we will be able to met them on Saturday. We have an appointment with the Malaysian so that will be good. They are here going to college.

Best news of all...we are having a ward baseball activity!! lol... How cool is that. I think it is going to be really fun. They rented a field and we are playing baseball on saturday. No but seriously it will be fun. A lot of less actives and non members hopefully will come.

Well we have a member in our ward. He has just started coming back to church after being less active for 16 years. I actually couldn't tell that he had been less active. He seemed like such a strong member but as I listen to his story I could tell that he had had some rough times. He started by serving a mission and came back and got married and had children...but then problems started. And because of those problems he became seperated from the church. He ended up losing everything. It took me a few minutes to realize why he was so happy and so peaceful after he had lost everyhting. He is now coming back to church...active in everyway possible...he is serving people, he is participating in lessons. He has done all he can to come back and because of that he has been forgiven. Christ has taken his sins away and now he has a clean slate. That is why he is happy. Eventhough he made some mistakes he has been forgiven and has felt that peace through Christ's atonement. Just like this brother when we are down we can be forgiven, Christ can literally pick us up and help us back on the path.　Takayanagi's baptism is just the start for him but he, Just like all of us, has the Holy Ghost in our lives and through the sacrament can be forgiven.

Love
Elder Nelson