2016.11.6 さむいですわ! ️(it's cold)

Hello!

This week was great! I'll start off by telling you that we focused on giving away copies of The Book of Mormon when we were finding people. We wanted to give out a ton and were able to give 17 copies away! With each copy we marked Moroni 10:3-5 and bookmarked it with an "I'm a Mormon" pass-along card that had our  number. And now we are combining giving away The Book of Mormon with holiday message videos. It's been working pretty well and I'm excited to see how it will continue.

There was one night where we called 16 less-actives to see who we could schedule an appointment with. We were able to schedule one at the church for this Wednesday so I am excited for that. Another one told us that he has been wanting to come to church but that because of physical impairments it has been difficult. But he said he would come next week! We also visited a couple of less-actives yesterday and both were good visits.  Asking progress on the less-actives front.

We got a call from our zone leaders Monday morning before we emailed asking if they can come to our apartment. So after emailing we hung out with the zone leaders and the elders from Sumoto for a few hours which was way fun. We had a hair cutting party (I think I sent a video) and I had a really good talk with one of  the zone leaders about how to work with members.

So, for our English class I practiced a song for them to analyze the lyrics. Us elders are in charge of the fluent group and the sisters are in charge of the beginners class. Now, what I didn't hunk about before I started this was that the dividing wall between the two classes is thin since it's one of those room dividers. So I started playing the guitar and singing and got part way through when one of the sister missionaries opens the door and asks me to sing for the beginners class. So I end up singing and playing for a group of about 20 people. 😊 It was fun though. I'm working on making a mission-themed cover of the song which was 'Love Yourself' by Justin Bieber.

The Sumoto elders came over Thursday night and we had a singing competition in Samoan to see who could hit the highest note. It was only a couple lines of lyrics but the chords would move a half-step up the guitar each round. Queiroz Chōrō beat Fa'alute Chōrō who is the Samoan. Then I beat Queiroz Chōrō. But what we all learned that night is that I might be able to sing higher, but Queiroz Chōrō has superior voice quality 😆

We had dinner with an investigator and a member and were able to talk about what the investigator likes about the missionaries and about church. He said that he really likes meeting with us and studying together. Is that awesome or what!? He also likes coming to church but he hasn't recently because of work. We will see what we can do. Before that we had a meal with a member. And before that we had Trainer Trainee Training at the Kobe mission office.

Speaking of Trainer Trainee Training. It was good to see all who were training again. I got to see my two previous companions, Jones Chōrō and Drewes Chōrō. We are all loving training. It is sooooo much fun! I would like to be a trainer until I die #hollywoodending But I want to die in Matsue #hollywoodending

Friday was zone training meeting. We talked about what is difficult about finding those prepared to be baptized. We talked about getting the second appointment, getting contact info, helping the investigators we have, involving the members, etc. What we did was read Mosiah 2-4 and use it to answer our questions/challenges. It was really cool because it is King Benjamin's address to the people. I would encourage you guys to think of a question or a challenge you have and read Mosiah 2-4. Analyze and find the answer. Then do it with other passages of scripture. I promise you will find your answers and be blessed.

On Saturday we went to Himeji to teach a Brazilian family. We taught the Restoration with the Himeji sisters in the Himeji church building. We talked in English and Queiroz Chōrō translated for us. The family really  identifies with the church and they said they would read The Book of Mormon and pray about what we have taught them! Speaking of Brazilians. We met one of our Brazilian investigators in the hospital. He is such a nice man. We taught him the Plan of a Salvation and he said he would pray about it. At the end of the lesson he offered his first prayer EVER to God. How awesome!!! I'm so excited to see him progress further.

Also, we bought too much food last week so we don't need to buy food this week.

Did I tell you it's cold here? It is.

Are takoyaki with a less-active. So good!

Have I told you how much I love fall? I LOOOOOVE IT!!!

My son is becoming a good cook (thank you Mom)!

#missionarylifeforlife

Last night we were riding our bikes around downtown and were meeting a lot of good people. Then we saw a couple walk by as we were inputting a lesson. We decided that we wanted to talk to them. I have never contacted a couple before and I was ready for it although a little nervous. We prayed before contacting them.  As we talked with them they were super nice and respectful. We shared the 'Because of Him' video and the man said that Christ looks like a miracle. We gave them a copy of a The Book of Mormon and they said they would read it. The Holy Ghost told both me and my companion that we needed to stop them. It was sure. And we have changed their lives. Will they call us? I don't know. Will they be baptized right now? Maybe not. But I did what the Holy Ghost told me to do. I know I did. I testify that the Holy Ghost will help us in all things. That is how the Lord directs our paths.

Well, I think that was all for this week. It was a great week and we got a lot done. The work is moving forward  and I am grateful to be a part of it. Fight the good fight and never give up! Until next week. よろしくおれがいたします!

あいしてるわ,
Elder Peacock

2016.10.30 ハピハロウェン (HAPPY HALLOWEEN)!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

I hope you guys are having fun today. It's one of my favorites so please have fun for me wherever you are 😜

This week felt pretty good. We were able to meet a lot of people, find less-actives, and see investigators come to church. The weather continues to grow colder. The leaves are finally changing colors and falling here. Pumpkin-flavored-everythings are popping up everywhere which I appreciate.

Yesterday we didn't have very much time to find people because we traveled to a different ward for our Brazilian investigator family.  They really enjoyed church. The whole time was a translation party because I translated from Japanese to English, then Queiroz Chōrō translated from English to Portuguese for the investigators. It was tiring but way fun. I've never done so much translation before! Turns out that there are a couple of members in the Himeji ward who are fluent in Portuguese so they should be well taken care of there!

But, after that we came back to our church building in Akashi to see who was still there and we were able to set up appointments for later on this week. Then we went to the castle park and were able to give away copies of The Book of Mormon. We were about to head east to meet a less-active but were were notified by a member that the appointment was canceled. Instead we spent the rest of the night with two members and visited less-actives and gave out Eikaiwa flyers.

Queiroz Chōrō have a goal of handing out 70 copies of The Book of Mormon this week (10/day). We think that this activity will help us find those who are prepared to hear the gospel of Christ. Also, it will help prepare others. We also want to hand out a massive amount of Eikaiwa flyers this week. I'm excited!

This week has been a struggle with money because it's the end of the month and we still had to travel. We literally have no money right now. But it's ok because we get fresh MSF tomorrow so we will definitely survive. I honestly though we were going to get stuck between Himeji and here yesterday 😆

I can't believe tomorrow is November! What the heck is happening!? It's too fast!!!

I sent pictures of the Halloween party we had on Saturday. Queiroz Chōrō and I were in charge of an Oreo race where you put the Oreo on your forehead and, without hands, get it into your mouth. Way funny! We were also in charge of a doughnut race where doughnuts were on a string and you had to pull them off. There was also horseshoes, a costume contest, trick-or-treat, and other games. We had an investigator come, so did the sisters. Way fun, loved it! You will see the pictures.

We had a blitz in Kakogawa, that was fun. I was with Fa'alute Chōrō, that's when we had the seven-pattie burger.

Sorry this is taking so long, I'm trying to remember what happened his week. Also, I'm trying to write slow because I know you guys can't read fast (#M*A*S*H)

Have you guys watched any more anime? Watch more anime 😉 

Saw the poster for the new Harry Potter movie, nearly died.

Jake, learn to circular breathe. I would teach you, but I'm here in Japan. 

In case anyone hasn't realized it yet, The Book of Mormon is the best! One draws closer to God through it and your eyes will change. You will see the hand of the Lord in all our lives. I know this is true. Please

read it.

I love you all. Fight the good fight and never give up! たのしんで (have fun)!

Faithfully,

Elder Peacock

Sent from my iPad

2016.10.23 Captains Log #53

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all excited for Halloween because I am SUPER STOKED!!!  We are gearing up for our ward's Halloween party this Saturday. It'll be great. Us elders are in charge of the move-an-Oreo-from-your-forehead-into-your-mouth and eating a doughnut off of a string game...oh yeah 😎 I have really been enjoying the cool weather. We have had wonderful cloud cover the past couple of days with a fabulous breeze. Soon the rain will come. Can't wait!

We actually had an earthquake here in Akashi. It was during a blitz in our area on Friday. Me and Olsen Chōrō were riding our bikes so we couldn't feel anything but our phones went berserk with a siren. We
headed back to the church to gather together. Everyone was fine.  Apparently it was a level three. Nothing was damaged. We got a message from our zone leaders asking if everyone was ok. No other natural disasters have happened.

We had a companion exchange with our lovely zone leaders on Wednesday. I was with Barney Chōrō and we went to Costco with a potential investigator. I was floating on cloud nine the entire time. I can't believe how much I have taken Costco for granted! THE POWER OF THE SAMPLES IS REAL!!! I bout a bag of blueberry acaí chocolate stuff, it was good. Then I got a churro, mango smoothie, and hot dog. Yep, it
was nice.

We had interviews with President Welch on Wednesday morning. Queiroz Chōrō was the first to go at 10:00, then I went in at 10:15. It was basically a reminder that I need to focus more on working with the members. Yep. It is always a good time with President and Sister Welch. Never long enough.

We also got a referral from President Welch who got it from a stake President down in Brazil. Apparently the Brazilian stake president has relatives living in Himeji who want to hear the gospel. いただくわ (I will definitely humbly receive that)! They are a family of three who want to come to church and take the lessons. We went out to eat with them and they love us. Queiroz Chōrō loves being able to speak in him native tongue. I feel like a trainee when he goes off in Portuguese 😆 I'm trying to learn enough so I can at least testify simply in Portuguese.

There was a vegetable festival on Saturday that we ran into at the Akashi Castle Park. So much good food that I didn't buy! They had akashiyaki, karage, candy apples, puff rice, ice cream and gelato, cakes and cookies, and of course vegetables. Way fun. Talked to a lot of people.

I have been studying prayer the past couple of weeks. On one of my follow-ups with my district leader I told him about how I want to pray more but that I don't think to do it. He told me that whenever I think about how I'm not praying throughout the day, pray. And since then my prayers have made a leap in quality. It's been strengthening my testimony that God hears and answered our prayers. I know He does.  There have been several times where I have simply prayed to find someone to talk to and then we do. It has been very enjoyable. I will continue to do so.

That's it for this past week. Today we are cleaning, shopping, eating with members, and emailing all you lovely people. I look forward to this week ahead and can't wait to fill you in more on what happens. Fight the good fight and never give up

あいしています!
Elder Peacock

Sent from my iPad

2016.10.17 First full week of training under my belt!

Good morning!

It's been a way fun week here in Akashi, Japan. We have been able to talk to a lot of people about our Savior, Jesus Christ which is great. As a trainer I am trying to give Queiroz Chōrō ample opportunity to speak in a contact or a lesson. He really is progressing so well! Our goal is to have him start, direct, and end a contact by the end of the transfer. I know he can do it!

At the beginning of his week we met a Brazilian investigator that the sisters had been working with but was difficult because neither of them spoke Portuguese. We taught an overview of the restoration and invited him to church. I tried to teach a little bit (I have started studying Portuguese for this investigator) but it didn't work out so well so Queiroz Chōrō took it away 😜 The lesson went well and he is trying to change his schedule to come to church each week.

I have been slowly introducing Queiroz Chōrō to more and more Japanese food. This past week I have introduced him to Indian Curry, Hand-Rolled Sushi, and Udon. I have been teaching him how to cook as well which has been fun (thank you mom!!!)

We had a companion exchange with the Kakogawa elders and I was with another trainee. We were able to teach a few people which was good. At the end of he night we went tracting and ran into a young man who showed interest in the gospel. We taught him the plan of salvation and then exchanged phone numbers. Looking back on the experience it is easy to see that it was completely led by the Spirit. Being directed to see him and what we said to him was directed by the Holy Ghost. It was a testimony builder to me of the power of prayer because I was praying, before we started knocking on doors, that we would be able to meet one person ready to listen.

Sunday was a WAY busy day. I translated for the American family in our ward during sacrament meeting and Sunday school. After church we had two meal appointments with members which were back-to-back. That took up the rest of our time.

I'm sorry this week's email is short but we are on the clock to get to another member's house before 6:00 so off we go. Fight the good fight and never give up!!! あいしてるわ!

Faithfully,
Elder Peacock


Sent from my iPad

2016.10.9 #training+#happyhalloween+#humpday

Heyo peeps!

So, I'll get the big news out of the way. I'm training!!! My new companion is Queiroz Chōrō. He is 25 years old, technically an American but really a Brazilian, and he got to Japan last week Wednesday night. It's been sooooo cool to see a new missionary in Japan. It's the flip-side of what I experienced in a Matsue. I LOVE IT! I took him to Sukiya after priesthood session and got him a "king-size" gyuudon. It's been fun. He has such a strong desire to serve the Lord and learn the culture and language of Japan.

We have seen some pretty cool things recently. Last week, just before my previous companion transferred, we met a Brazilian named Lucas. He came up to us and said that he wants to learn about our church. And then, just today, we met a young man at a 7Eleven who we taught the Restoration and gave him a tour of the church building. We will also be teaching an investigator that the sisters had, but he is Brazilian and it's hard for them to communicate, so Queiroz Chōrō will help teach him. Yeah, a lot of it has to do with Brazilians 😜#thinkingofyoumatt

Also, fall is making a stand here in the Kansai area of Japan. It's been cooling down a LOT the past few days. It's been way nice! Blue skies, cool wind, the leaves haven't changed colors yet, but just wait a couple of weeks.

I will hit my half-way mark this week and it's strange because I still feel like I'm a fourth-transfer missionary. It was definitely a year, but it was fast. I look forward to the progress, fun, and service that this next year will bring. I am definitely fighting till the end. No letting up on this train 😜

General Conference was this past weekend for us in Japan. One of my favorite talks was called, "The Lord Jesus Christ Teaches Us To Pray", by Elder Juan A. Uceda. It hit home with me. I want to make prayer a part of who I am. The Bible Dictionary says that many of he problems we have with prayer disappear when we realize, remember, and learn about our true relationship with God. That is, that we are His children, and that He loves us. Yeah, it was way good. It was packed with revelation. I watched half of it in Japanese, yeah, not the best idea because I couldn't appreciate it the same. My companion wanted the language study though 😆

So, yeah, that was the week. Love you guys. Fight the good fight and never give up. あいしてるよ (I love you)!

Sincerely,
Elder Peacock

At the Festival

Elder Queiroz

Queiroz Chōrō eating his first "king size" gyūdon at Sukiya after
priesthood session!

Festival!

2016.10.2 洲本交換が当たり(Sumoto exchange, etc.)

Heyo!

So this week had some rough patches, Imma be honest. There were some really high points and a couple of low points. There was some exhausting bike rides that we did, a couple of companion exchanges, and a visit from a former missionary. Let me get to the details.

Because of rescheduling issues we had two companion exchanges. One was on Wednesday and it was with Sumoto! We decided to wake up around 5:00 to take the 5:40 ferry over to Iwaya, the northernmost settlement on the island of Awaji. We got there a little before 6:00. Now, I have biked from Iwaya to Sumoto (or vice versa) about 10 times so I should be super used to it, right? However, probably because I haven't done it in a couple of months, it wiped me out. There was also a strong head-wind. We got into Sumoto at 7:25. We were soaked in sweat when we got to the apartment. Everything was super nostalgic on the exchange, especially being Hancock Chōrō's companion again. I saw several members and investigators which made me supper happy! One of them honored me with a mega-deep bow and super honorific language which nearly made me cry. すごくうれしかった (it was way awesome)! We met a potential investigator who has a 140 year-old house which was way cool to see. She doesn't have interest but told us to stop by again. We found a man who said he will come to Eikaiwa and bring his girlfriend. Overall, it was a good exchange.

We woke up at normal time the next morning and got dressed to ride (sports clothes). But before we left we attended a missionary meeting with the senior couple and one of the members and we studied from chapter one of Preach My Gospel. The member is absolutely on 🔥 now, it's amazing!!! After that we left for our area. He videos I sent were of us traveling back to our area (except for the one where it's dark outside, that was on the way over). We got back to our apartment around 1:30 and had to rest because we were about to die. After that we tried to do some weekly planning, tried to meet with a new investigator but hat fell through, then sped over to the other end of our area to meet with a member. By the time we returned to our apartment we were so tired. I'm sure I fell asleep as soon as my head hit my pillow.

Our other exchange was on Friday after zone training meeting. Which was awesome by the way. My  companion, Jones Chōrō, gave some great training on finding new investigators. Takeaways from him were: 1) teach to find, not just to mark a lesson and 2) observe how the person you are talking to reacts to the Holy Ghost. Even with having talked to me before about what he wanted to say I learned new things.

Anyway, the exchange. I was walking with my exchange companion while my companion was with the other elder. We were eating dinner early so we could switch off the bikes when we got a call from my companion.  Apparently, someone got in an accident and did a spectacular swan-dive into the middle of the road. It's ok, no one was hurt. However, my bike was. Then, soon after, that same elder slipped on my bike and busted my bike light. He felt way bad and apologized and I have nothing against him. It was raining very heavily at the time and it was dark. It just means I have about 100 dollars in repair costs this week...yay... I have to get a new rear tire and new light.

My companion bought me Baskin Robins which was way sweet of him. We got Holloween flavors!!!  #Halloweenisthebest 👻 🎃 🍭 🍦

Then came the hard hit of the week. A former missionary came on Sunday to visit our ward. And we had some less-active members come and the sister missionaries had an investigator come so all four of us missionaries had to split with members of her ward to cover everything. I was assigned to teach Gospel Principles for a new convert. I decided to focus the lesson on The Book of Mormon. And my Japanese is nowhere near perfect so I was struggling a little bit, but he former missionary, and his wife, were there and they helped me out a little. After that lesson we went to priesthood. And right before it started the former missionary came to me and said that I speak Japanese like a child. He said that as soon as I start speaking like an adult people will take me seriously. He told me that everyone will just think of me as the cute little foreigner who is trying but can't speak. Needless to say I got way ticked off. And that was all I could thing of the rest of the day. He also told my  companion how to do dendou here in Akashi. I'm sure he wasn't trying to make us feel incompetent. It just got us both riled up. After that we were able to eventually cool down and work just fine. But boy was it hard for me not to blow up in his face.

In other news: we got a new rice cooker. It's awesome!

Aside from that things have been fine. My companion and I are trying hard to find new investigators. When we contact people we try to set up a second appointment but no one has yet. We are focusing our teaching so that we can find those who will want to learn more. Also, we are trying to use short, powerful statements that explain our purpose and promise blessings at the same time. And we are doing much better at sharing speaking time. About half the people we contact are willing to stop and talk. But of the people who stop and talk, none of them have been willing to meet again. We will keep doing our best though.

There is a section in Preach My Gospel that I keep coming back to again and again. It's in chapter one and it's the section called "A Successful Missionary". I have read it a few times throughout the week. None of us are perfect, we aren't supposed to be. That's why we need to rely on Christ and the power of His atonement. The section "A Successful Missionary" describes the things I need to do so I can have the confidence that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. Some days we feel like we can take on the world, other days we are down in he dumps. Some days we are under house arrest because we are sick, and other days we feel like we can reach lift-off on our bikes. After the visiting former missionary episode on Sunday I read this section and was reminded of what I need to focus on now. I want you all to read this section.

So, anyways, that was my week in a nutshell. I'm sorry there was a lot of not good news. I'm doing fine. My health his good, no worries there. My companion is awesome. The weather is definitely cooling down which is nice. The rain is nice too. I'm learning. I love you all! Fight the good fight and never give up, yeah? I'll do the same 😀あいしてるわ (love ya)!

Sincerely,
Elder 孔雀

P.S.
HAPPY OCTOBER!!!

2016.9.25 It's officially Fall and we we’re in our area for about half the week

 Ohakonichibanwa (good morning+hello+good evening) 😜 No, Japanese people do not actually say that, but my companion sure does.

It's been a fun week over here in Akashi. We have had some rain (typhoon) and cooler weather coming in which has been nice. Yeah, we had a mini-typhoon come in on Tuesday. We got weather alerts from the cellphone carrier saying that we should got to a strong structure and that there were going to be "sand and dirt disasters". We stayed in our apartment for most of the day to wait out the rain and wind, but other than that nothing happened. We had Eikaiwa later that night so we were fine.

We found a new investigator on Wednesday. He is a college student studying drawing. He wants to hear more about our church so we set up an appointment with him. I'm excited to see how he will progress. Speaking of new investigators. We had an exchange with the Zone Leaders in Amagasaki. I was with Reber Chōrō who will be going home next week. We talked to a couple of people before dinner which was good. But the highlight came when we went to MacHouse (McDonalds) for dinner. There was a young man across from us that we wanted to talk to. We started a conversation and found out that he has actually been thinking about converting to Christianity. The only thing is that he when to a Christian church one time and it was not a fun experience, a little scary he said. We invited him to come with us to the church building because we were heading over to do some music practice. He readily came with us. The whole time we were practicing we had fun and goofed around and he loved it. He had a smile on his face the entire time. By he time we left his view of church had done a 180 degree turn. He said he was going to post all over his social media that church is awesome. How cool is that!? I'm excited for his progress even if he isn't in my area.

We did an exchange with the elders from Kakogawa. That's where the pictures of the sunset, devil hornets, and shrines came from. I was with Matsuhisa Chōrō and we were trying to teach as many people as we could but there were so few people out on the street. It was good though. We met an older man who can speak English very well and had been to the missionary's Eikaiwa before. We taught him the Plan of Salvation and he really seemed to like it. I hope he meets with the missionaries again.

I gave a talk on Sunday. Talked about preparation. Related it to missionary work, school, etc. The stakes here have the goal of working towards a temple here in the Kansai area. It went fine. Then we sang Lead Kindly Light with the Sister Trainer Leaders here very suddenly. That went fine. Yeah, Sunday was good. We had a couple visit the ward from America. The husband served in the Akashi ward as a missionary in 2000. One of the people he baptized is currently the Ward Mission Leader. He really liked seeing that. We all had dinner together at the Ward Mission Leader's house that night. Way fun, loved it.

Over the past couple nights I have fallen asleep early. But both nights I woke up around 10:00 and was acting funny. Just like I do when I wake up tired and disoriented. My companion got a good laugh out of it 😆

I made a new language study plan this morning. Yay! We cleaned our apartment a little more. Yay!

HAPPY 🍂 EVERYONE! I can't wait for 🎃 👻 !!!!

Yep, there you have it. I'm sorry if I forgot anything but I don't think I did. I'm doing well and I hope you all are too. Thank you for the updates! Fight the good fight and never give up! 愛してりよ!

Sincerely,
Elder Peacock

2016.9.18 Zone Conference

こんにちわあいするかぞく (hello dear family)!

It's been a good (albeit was a little strange) week this week. There was a lot of change that has been going on so some things have decreased, and some things have improved. Both me and my companion are optimistic that we will see our area, and ourselves, grow. たのしみしています (I'm excited)!

We had a couple of days where we had very little time to go out and find people so that affected our げんき (morale) a little. Right now we are trying to replenish our new investigator pool thus verily we want all the finding time we can get. With Zone Conference, Stake Conference, and District Meeting we were hard put to keep our lesson count up. I really tried to get out of my comfort zone by talking to people on the train but that didn't work out so well, although I will still try to talk to those people. がんばろ (I'll do my best).

There were a couple of things I took away from Zone Conference. To be honest I was expecting another study challenge from Welch Kaichō but that didn't happen. He focused on making sure we do not neglect teaching the foundation of the gospel to our investigators. This was him focusing on the help part of our purpose as missionaries. I was taught that I need to master the basics/foundation of everything that we teach. Then came point number two: he eternal reality of missionary work. I knew that missionary work is currently going on on the other side of the veil and will continue throughout the millennium. What was new for me was that the skills we are trying to develop right now will be used in the next life. だから (therefore), I might as well do my best to hone them now. Then came the kicker: we will probably be united as a group to でんどう (missionary work) in he next life. I don't know the doctrine to explain that, but it felt true since we were probably organized like this before this life (again, don't know the doctrine). It really forced the eternal perspective of things into my mind. Which means that even if I don't become proficient in a skill on my mission it doesn't matter because we have this whole life to do so. So, yeah, it was good revelation time

Oh, I forgot to tell you guys that an American family moved into our ward last week. They are from Idaho and are here for the father's work. He works for a company called Micron and his contract is for two years in Japan. Unfortunately none of them can speak any Japanese  Way nice family!

Side note: there are so many old people puttering around on underpowered mopeds that really shouldn't be. It's scary sometimes.

Also, my companion and I have times where we just cannot stop laughing. We will be either so tired or just on something and we won't be able to stop. It has been quite fun! For example, I was cold during personal study so I wrapped myself in my dyne (spelling?) but he didn't notice until companion study. Then we did Rock Paper Scissors and I had my hand wrapped in the dyne and it just killed him   Stuff like that, good times. Also, my companion has discovered the manga cookbook that you guys sent me for Christmas so we will be making a lot of food now

While we were at the mission home one of the office elders taught me how to throw cards. I have been practicing and it's way fun. Prepare yourself for the magic ninja! We also got a new blender and rice cooker from the mission office so that is way awesome. Gotta love the new appliances

We had stake conference Saturday night and Sunday. It was a little difficult for me to understand the subject of each talk because I was having trouble focusing the entire time. I was able to understand most sentences it's just, I dunno, just could stay tuned in. But it was good. We had to spend the night on Saturday because we couldn't make it back to our apartment in time so that was fun

We had a returned missionary come with us for a bit on Wednesday to visit the referrals he has given us. Unfortunately, no one was home, but it was still fun. He wants to try and have his boss meet with us to take the lessons because apparently he has shown interest in the church. We will see what happens there.

The weather has been steadily cooling down. We have had clouds and rain the past couple of days which has been nice. I'm looking forward to fall being in full swing. Fall is my favorite time of year in Oregon so I'm excited to see what it it like here in Japan. The ward is planning a Halloween   which is another thing I'm very excited for.

Well, those are some things that have been happening on this side of the globe. Having fun, working hard, trying to improve, and relying on our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I can't believe that We are coming up on the last leg of the year. Where did the time go? I hope that all is well with you guys. I'm always praying for you! ファイトがんばろ (fight the good fight and never give up)!

あいしてるよ!
Elder Peacock

2016.9.11 Beatboxing Exchange

Yoohoo, family!

So not a lot happened this week. To be honest I'm having a super hard time thinking of what to write. Here are really only a few things that I will write about. It was super hard to contact our investigators but we were still able to find people to teach.

We got a new air conditioner this week which saved us!

We had Zone Training Meeting which was good and talked about not spreading rumors because things have been getting around the mission that are not ok.

We had an exchange with the Sumoto elders. I was with Falute Chōrō and we had a night with wacky teenagers (with whom we beat boxed), barging in on the Shimai's lesson, etc. good time.

We had a full-American family move in from Boise, Idaho who he as extremely unexpected. I was told to give a talk, but then one of the Shimai gave a talk. I was confused but whatever.

Cleaning out the apartment (aka the never-ending war). 

To be honest I can't think of anything else that happened...yeah.

Also, I slipped down the stairs. Don't remember if I told you that but it happened. My tailbone doesn't like me at all XD

Fun fact about the Japanese people: so many of them will let their cars idle when they go into the convenience store or a restaurant even though no one is in the car. Yeah, very surprising.

Anyway, love you, sorry it's short this week. I'll do better next week. Fight the good fight and never give up! あいしてるよ!

Sincerely,

Elder Peacock

2016.9.4 ⛈+ =

Hello Family!

It's been another week here in Japan. We have been enjoying this opportunity to do the Lord's work here. Being able to serve everyone, even in small and simple ways, is a privilege for sure. I hope that I can be who God wants me to be, and do what He needs me to do.

We had our first district meeting of the transfer and it was good. We focused on using The Book of Mormon as our primary source of conversion for others and ourselves. In Preach My Gospel we read, "...The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is your most powerful resource in conversion...", therefore, we should use it in every phase of our work. We also talked about being unified as a district. We have to support each other in our areas, as companionships, and on an individual level. Spartans, when they would fight, would never fight for themselves, they always fought for the man next to them which I didn't know and it provided a powerful visual.

We also had an exchange with two elders. I was with Olsen Chōrō and we focused on less-active members. A lot of them weren't home but we were able to meet three of them. All of them said that while they still like the church they have no more desire to return to church. It's sad when, for whatever reason, someone has lost the desire to attend church. Church attendance is such a basic thing that we all need because it's a commandment. At church we are strengthened by the testimony of others and are edifices by the good word of God found in the Holy Bible and The Book of  Mormon. And, most importantly, we partake of the sacrament which is a vital ordinance that helps us repent, focus, and reflect on ourselves.

We had one night this past week where we went to downtown Kobe. There we met a man who had been investigating the church before. He is a teacher at a school in the Kobe area. We met him with the sisters from our area and had dinner. By the time the night ended he told us that he has no need for God nor does he think he will ever have a need for God. He thinks there is nothing after this life so we need to do what we want and have fun. We offered him a copy of The Book of Mormon and a Plan of Salvation pamphlet but he declined. It was sad and it left me feeling down. But he was using his agency, we did what we could.

I have felt strong impressions from the Holy Ghost this past week that I need make a big push to improve my Japanese. I know that my Japanese is ok but it is time for a level up. My biggest problem with what I study is that I forget to try to use it throughout the day. I understand the principles just fine, that isn't a problem. I hear, understand, and analyze just fine. I just need to do my best.

Yesterday we had dinner with the stake president. During our time with him he shared with us something that he has been studying lately. It's in Ether chapter two. Here, Ether is commanded to build barges to cross the great waters. When instructed to do so he asks two questions: 1) how do we get air and 2) how do we have light. Here is what our stake president posed to us: how did he know to ask those two questions? The answer is simple, it is not deep doctrine, it is just something that, if read normally, is easily missed. I had missed it until now. And the point he wanted to make was to think deeply about everything. Do not take anything only for face value, look at it in different lights and     think. It was pretty cool.

Side note: I want to be the missionaries' best friend when I get home. Just something I have been thinking about since, like, first transfer XD

Well, there are the highlights from this past week in the Akashi area of the Kobe mission here in Japan. Today we cleaned our apartment a little which is way nice because this place needs it. After emailing we are going to go shopping. Then we will take some naps because we need them. Love you all and hope you are doing well! Fight the good fight and never give up!

あいしてるよ!
Elder Peacock

2016.8.28 Goodbye Nabari. Hello Akashi!

HELLO!

So yeah, I got transferred to Akashi! Only one in Nabari, but that's OK because those hills though ;) My new companion is Jones Chōrō.  Interesting thing about this change is that I am back in the same district I was in when I was in Sumoto. I have actually been to Akashi several times and have done an exchange with Jones Chōrō before.  Hancock Chōrō is still in Sumoto so I saw him at the train station when I came in on Thursday, it was way good to see him. From Akashi I see the Kobe bridge and the island of Sumoto most days. Jones Chōrō and I have been having tons of fun over the past few days and I am very excited to continue working with him for however long I will be with him. Right now he is district leader which used to be the Kakogawa elders so he is having fun with that.

The past couple of days we have had much cooler weather, although still warm. The typhoon up in the northern part of Japan is throwing clouds and the cool temperatures down here. Today we have rain and some thunder and lightning, I'm just glad I put mud guards on my bike when I did. I'm all down for it to start cooling down, I'm so excited for fall!!! The cooler weather will be much appreciated. My guess is that I will be staying here for a few transfers. That's just a guess. Because I just jumped out of Nabari I think I will be here a while.

The first few days in Akashi have been good. Even with having been in Akashi in the past for district meeting and such I only know a small part of the main city, which has helped, but I am still getting used to the area. I also have a lot of names spinning around my head trying to memorize them :) We have been visiting members and finding in parks the past few days. Jones Chōrō told me that a lot of our investigators are on vacation for the next week or two so we can't visit them for a while. We really want to find new people to teach. And although we teach lessons to people when we meet them they often don't turn into investigators. And that isn't just Akashi, that has been every area I've been in. I really want to see people meet with us again, but all we can do is offer our message.

The church is on the block next to our apartment which is way nice. We have a popular, cheap grocery store called "Giyom Super" (spelling??) which is about five minutes down the street. We have restaurants close by which is nice too. However, we are completely broke right now so I don't think there will be any eating out for a while, even though I'm trying to avoid that XD Right now we are subsisting on pasta and pancakes. We have run out of rice, and you know you are destitute when you are out of rice.

Today we are planning on attacking the fridge for our cleaning project today. It definitely needs it :) I have tackled the spare room, my desk, the living room, and some of the kitchen already. Cleaning projects are way fun and they help me relieve stress. This apartment is a little old, but not terrible. After de-cluttering, wiping down, scrubbing, and dusting, this place will look way good! Too bad I can't pressure wash anything ;)

As I write this email my companion is trying to sew up a ripped seam on his trousers. I totally forgot how to sew but he was able to manage. We have all of our sliding doors and windows open to try and freshen up the air in our apartment. The rain isn't the same as Oregon's, but it reminds me of fall in Oregon.

Well, I think those are the highlights of the week. Transfers was the big thing. It's just beginning to cool down here in the Kansai area of Japan. We still have some time of warm weather, but by the time October rolls around I'm sure we will be in much cooler weather. I'm excited to work with Jones Chōrō in Akashi. The city will be fun and I'm sure we will find those who are prepared to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope you all enjoy the beginning of the new school year! Fight the good fight and never give up! あいしてるよ!

Sincerely,
Elder Peacock

P.S.
I haven't seen a single lawn mower here in Japan. I don't think it's a thing over here *shrug*

2016.8.7 Dreaming in Japanese!

Hey y'all!  Wow, I never say y'all...

It's been a good week here in Nabari, Japan. It's hot and humid though which makes everything more fun :) We have really been cleaning out our apartment this past week and will try to finish it up this week. The days are fast, but long at the same time. Interesting how that works isn't it. Trying to talk to everyone we see, which is fun in itself.

Yesterday, during sacrament meeting, I was thinking about how Jesus  Christ performed the Atonement so that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. Then it hit me. The Holy Ghost taught me. My brother loves me so much that He did for me what I could never do for myself. He felt everything I would ever feel so that I could, through Him, receive forgiveness and return to God. I knew this, it was nothing new. But it was a reminder. Isn't it interesting that we can read or hear the same words, or see the same thing, and the Holy Ghost can teach us different things. I bore my testimony that it is the Holy Ghost who teaches us these things. It was a very good experience.

There were two desks and a dresser in the room where we sleep that were not being used. We have really been wanting to get rid of them because they are just collecting dust. We were biking over to one of our potential investigators when we saw a junk yard. We walked in and asked them about our stuff. Hey then got in their truck and told us to lead the way. We showed them the way on out bikes and we got one of the desks, the dresser, and two broken bikes out of out apartment. These is still one desk that couldn't fit through the door at the time. We have since taken apart that desk and will call them to have it picked up. It is SOOOOOO nice to have that space not taken up! We have more broken/unused stuff that needs to go out. It's been a fun
project :)

Our companion exchanges were good. I was with Vui Chōrō for the day. We visited two people and tried to do finding. There was some lightning which was fun! It was good to be back with Vui Chōrō. He has hit his year mark which is strange because I met him when he was fourth transfer. Time flies!

Yeah, that's been the week. It's great, hard, and very worth it. I love you guys! あいしてるよ!

Sincerely,
Elder Peacock

2016. 8.21 Sapporo, Japan Temple Dedication!

Hello dear family,

I can't believe that today is the beginning of my seventh transfer out here in the Japan, Kobe mission. How the time flies! I remember thinking to myself that the transfer would go by fast...and it did. This past week had its ups and downs. We have really had to help each other out this week, my companion and I. Whatever this new transfer brings will be great, and I'm excited.

To start I will tell you guys about a man that we had actually met at the beginning of the transfer. When we met him he was driving and he pulled up beside us while we were biking. He says that he wants us to teach him at his house. He also says something about a man named Kent Gilbert, didn't really know what that meant. But he called us earlier in the week and we set up an appointment with him for the next day. He picked us up and took us to his house. From pulling on the handles of his car to stepping into his house you could tell he was pretty well off. He  shows us some pictures, pours us some water, and then whips out his phone and puts the said Kent Gilbert on the phone; at this point I still don't know much about Kent Gilbert. We only got to talk to him for about ten minutes, but I learned that he is a very successful business man and that his Japanese is very, very, very good. It sounded like a native when he picked up the phone. After that we had BBQ on the back deck. It was super good and he and his wife were very nice. We scheduled to meet with him twice a month in his home to meet his friends who want to hear about the gospel so I'm excited for that!

We woke up Tuesday morning and ran to an investigator's farm. She wasn't there for it, but we did some weed whacking for her. After that we ran back and jumped into study. Later on in the week she thanked us by bringing us a watermelon and two cucumbers. How sweet!

One of our friends gave us homemade takoyaki which was super good!

After district meeting on Friday we came home and started to dendo but I was feeling frustrated. I was feeling frustrated with myself. It got to the point that I had to tell my companion I needed a breather. I told him what was going on and he helped. I was still feeling a little frustrated throughout the rest of the day, but it was better. It was just a mix of a few things that were going on at the time. And the thing is that they are all personal, nothing to do with my companion or anyone else, and I assured him that. By the next day I was much better.

There was one man we met while tracting who just had no interest in our message but we still taught him. There were a couple of times when I thought to stop the lesson, but then I remembered something. Right now, as a missionary, I am called to teach the gospel to anyone who will listen in a way that they can fully understand and then either accept or reject the message. As heartbreaking as it is to see someone blatantly reject Jesus Christ it is part of our calling. Our loving Heavenly Father gave us all the ability to choose and act for ourselves. I chose to be here. I chose to be a missionary. I want to teach in a way that the Holy Ghost can testify to those we teach. I want to teach everything fully so that those I teach can fully accept or fully reject the gospel. That is what I want to do.

We had a couple of days where our ward mission leader dendoed with us for a few hours which was great! This member helped us find out that one of our investigators in mentally ill and that we should discontinue our teaching him. We had a very good conversation with a truth-seeker who is even studying the copy of The Book of Mormon that we gave him at work. Member-present lessons are the best!

Yesterday was the Sapporo, Japan temple dedication. We both got our recommends and handkerchiefs before we left so we were prepared. One of our members gave us a ride which was nice. We watched the 12:00 session and it was very good. President Nelson gave the dedicating prayer and Elder Stevenson gave some good words on when he helped pick the property. It was a very spiritual experience and I am glad I could have attended.

Well, if I'm remembering everything then those are the main highlights from the week. Ups and downs, but nothing too detrimental. My companion and I are both pleased with the work we were able to do together this transfer and are very much looking forward to the new transfer. We will probably know by Tuesday at the latest so I will let you all know what happens in my next email home. I'm really enjoying the work out here in the Japan, Kobe mission. The beauty of the people is reflected in the beauty of the land here. I'm privileged to work shoulder-to-shoulder with great men and women out in the field. Keep
praying for me, yeah ;)

Fight the good fight and NEVER GIVE UP! あいしてるよ!

Sincerely,
Elder Peacock

2016.8.14 All the Gifts and Pretty Lights

おはよございます!

The subject of this email came from a dream I had this past week. Those are the only lyrics I remember. They were put to the tune of a song by Christ August so the tune wasn't original. Anyway...

This week has been pretty good. We had companion exchanges, we got old stuff thrown out of our apartment which is awesome, and had a lot of people come to church yesterday. It's been great! We had rain come down hard on us yesterday, with lots of thunder and lightning, while we were dendoing with a member so that was way awesome :) #lovelightning

I had my companion exchange with one of my MTC zone leaders, Evans Chōrō. We had a lot of fun together and we talked a lot. We were able to teach together well. I am excited to see how he progresses from here on since he will hit his year mark in just a few weeks. I showed one of his recent converts a couple of videos of Parker Kane whom I performed with at BYU-Idaho. I learned that he has since done a commercial for McDonalds which is way sick!!! I pretty much died.

I want to say that using the scriptures while teaching is very important. I have learned that sharing scriptures can open a path where the Holy Ghost can testify. It can change the course of a lesson. When we can use the Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon to support each other we are able to testify of the truthfulness of what we teach. Jesus Christ is a wonderful example of this since He taught from the scriptures constantly. Like I learned from my parents, "when you teach, all you need are your scriptures and your testimony" :)

As a side note: I have been so surprised at how many young people here do not know Sword Art Online. How!? I have had to try and explain it so many times XD

During a meal with one of our members this week we played a couple of games. We played Chinese Numbers and Black Magic (yes, I figured out how to play Black Magic). During Black Magic, the wife figured out how it works, then we let her explain to her husband. During Chinese Numbers we eventually taught the rules to the husband who then taught the wife later on in the game. We were able to successfully illustrate how it can be frustrating not to know the rules. Life is the same. Life has simple rules and you can look at everything in a simple way. However, when you do not know the rules it can be frustrating and may even look impossible. As  members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have the obligation to teach those rules to our brothers and sisters who are waiting in the dark, not knowing where, or how, to find the light. And as we learn more of the rules, or we learn more about the rules, our desire to teach the rules becomes stronger. Indeed, when someone does not know how to play Chinese Numbers, I want to explain the rules so badly. We do not have to wait to explain the rules, nor do we have to be perfect teachers. Often times the best way is the simplest way. Through simple methods we can teach great truths. And one of those ways is by our example.

I have also been learning a few magic tricks. Be prepared for when I come home :)

We had a miracle this week. Right before we went to the apartment of one of our investigators we got a call from a different investigator. This investigator did not have a desire to learn about the gospel since before I came here. But now she has a desire to hear it. I am not sure what events brought this change in her, but I know that the Holy Spirit was a big part of it. I hope she will continue in her desire.

Going into the final week of this transfer I am able to see one thing, if nothing else, that I have learned from my companion. It is this: teaching high-quality lessons are important. When you teach a principle in full you give the person you are teaching a better opportunity to accept or reject the message. You can teach, build a relationship, and learn all at the same time. I have taken notes, and I hope to emulate my companion's example.

I am very grateful for my time to work in this corner of the Lord's vineyard. I hope that I can touch the lives of those around me, even if it's just one. Fight the good fight and never give up! あいしてるよ!

けいぐ (sincerely),
Elder Peacock

2016.7.31 Sports Night

Hey guys!

It's been a good week here in Nabari, Japan. We have been enjoying some cooler weather, although this week is projected to be a hot one. We have found a few new people which has been great. Our ward mission leader is on fire which is a huge help. We are trying to get a lot of youth to come to church because this branch needs more of the young generation. We are also trying hard to find a few families because that would really strengthen this area. I tell ya, the real growth will only happen when the members join the full-time missionaries is bringing others unto Christ. And I'm excited for the future of his branch :)

One of our nights was a hard one because we had to tell one of our investigators that we can no longer meet because he isn't progressing. He has been meeting with the missionaries for years and he had a desire to progress. However, his way of thinking is keeping him from taking steps further. He doesn't think he is ready but he really is. We have been very frank with him (while still being polite) that he is ready and that he can take steps further. So, for now, we are no longer meeting with him. It was tough because I was the one who actually said the words that ended our weekly meetings. It was very emotionally draining; trying to figure out what is holding him back, trying to encourage him, then ending it.

We met a man on Sunday who is the husband of a woman we talked to earlier in the week. We had a very nice conversation about his religion (Shintoism) and our religion. We exchanged study materials and he asked if we could meet again to study and you know we took him up on that. I am always willing to learn more about other religions especially because it helps me understand people better. But, the books he gave me are in Japanese so it will be a back burner project.

I gave a talk in sacrament meeting, I spoke on repentance. A basic outline of repentance and why we need it. It felt like three minutes but apparently I went for 15, that was cool to see. I told them a little bit more about you guys, my awesome family. While the next speaker was talking a member walked it with a young man. He is not a member but he has been to church several times. However, a large reason he comes is just so he can speak English with us. Of course we will still teach him and see if we can help him develop a desire to learn about the gospel.

We had a sports night activity with the branch at a local sports center. We played soccer with them and it was very hot, lots of sweat :) We had loads of fun and we had a couple of non-members there so we were able to build our relationship with them, and their relationship with branch members. But, the best story of the week took place just before sports night started.

So, Drewes Chōrō and I got to the sports center about 20 minutes early to help get things set up. And while we were waiting we started throwing around a small soccer ball. Then, Drewes Chōrō has the wonderful idea of running and jumping off of a bench so as to catch the ball in mid-air. Sounds cool right? Well, it was pretty cool...until he landed. It's not so much that he didn't land well, it's just that his legs were not braced for all of his weight coming down, and he jumped impressively high. He rolled out of it, but he ended up getting some road rash and a scrapped knee. And the scrape was deep. We ended needing to get him to the hospital for stitches. It reminded me of he good old days ;) After he got four stitches in we headed back to sports night and played. Yes, Drewes Chōró still played XD He has been taking good care of it. We have been in to the hospital every day for his checkups.

Anyways, these are just a few highlights of the week. We are looking forward to the progress of this area and the people in it at is sure to be had. Today we went to the doctors office for my companion's checkup, now we are emailing, then we will go get lunch and shopping. Good stuff, and it is hot today! I love you all and hope that things are going well. Have some summer fun for me alright ;) あいしてるよ!

けいぐ,
孔雀

P.S.
Look up Jordan Smith. His voice is gold and he has some good Christian covers.

2016.7.17 Goodbye Sumoto :( Hello Nabari :D

はいてんきんだす (yep, I got transferred),

They called me right after a lesson with one of our investigators so we let the investigator know. After that we had Eikaiwa, so I told the students. We had s'mores as a class which was pretty good :) Then we met one of our good investigators for dinner. After dinner with them we all got soaked playing with squirt guns. After that we did our sparklers. They also gave me an Indonesian festival shirt which was way sweet of them! And one of the members saw me off at the bus station when I left which was really good to see.

I started my transfer travels at 7:50 and got to my new area around 3:00. I met up with my new companion, Drews Chōrō, in Nara while he was waiting with Vui Chōrō so I got to see him which was awesome! He's my district leader now so I will be able to go on exchanges with him. We got to the apartment and I dropped off my stuff, then we headed out. We checked on a few investigators before going to the church for a couple of appointments. We taught one man who is very good at English and who believes in the Bible and is starting to believe in The Book of Mormon. After that it was time to head home.

The Nabari apartment is the newest apartment I have been in yet. It's normal-sized which is nice. The train tracks are right behind our apartment so we hear them all day and night. But I like it, it's a nice white noise.

We met up with a young Japanese man who met the missionaries for the first time last week. He drove us to his house and introduced us to his mother. Then we went to his favorite spot up by the lake. We talked about all of our favorite things, what is different between America and Japan, and about the gospel. He has a desire to learn which is good. After that he took us out to eat at an indo-curry restaurant which was super good. There was a window where you could see them cooking. After that we watched the fireworks from a library on top of a hill so it was a good view. He wants to meet with us again so I am excited to see how he will progress.

On Sunday I introduced myself to the branch. There were about 24 people in attendance which is about 10 people more than Sumoto. We had the Osaka Stake President visit us and he spoke about temples. It was actually a theme for all of church, talking about temples. The people here really want a temple in the Osaka area. But he only way that is going to happen is if the members do the missionary work, not just the full-time missionaries. After sacrament meeting we went and knocked on doors with the stake president because he wanted to. We met a couple of people but nothing panned out. After church we had a food party which was pretty good. I mixed trap juice and Calpis, highly recommend it XD After hat we knocked on more doors, and more doors...and more doors.

I've been returning to the apartment just beat every night so I have been sleeping well. We have been having good cloud cover so it has cooled off a bit which is way nice.

Nabari is more countryside than Matsue, but more city than Sumoto. There are good-sized hills and beautiful mountains. And, my favorite part, there is a bike shop where I will be able to repair my bike! So, when my bike comes I will take it in, which should be this week. There is a grocery store right next to our apartment which is super convenient.

Drews Chōrō is a good guy. He is a hard worker and wants to teach the people here. I am looking forward to my time here with him.

So, yeah, that's the big news over here. Looking forward to more adventures. Today will be a normal Preparation Day. After emailing we will go grocery shopping and probably hit a restaurant for lunch. We have an appointment later on today so that's what we have going on today. Good stuff. Stay tuned for next week's episode! Fight the good fight and never give up! あいしてるよ!

Sincerely,
Elder Peacock

2016.7.10 Talent Show!!!

かぞくげいんき (how are you guys)?

I hope that you all enjoyed the trip to Utah. Those trips are some of my favorite because of the people I am with when I take those trips. Family and friends are of supreme importance in this life so don't take the time you spend with them for granted. The bonds you make, and strengthen, can last through the eternities. Therefore, show love to all you know and meet.

Well, it's strange that another transfer has ended and another one has begun. I am now a sixth transfer missionary out here. I have really enjoyed my time with Hancock Chōrō here in Sumoto. There are many memories we have made that I won't forget any time soon. Right now I do not know anything about transfers so I will let you all know what happens next week. I don't have any particular feelings, but I think I will stay with Hancock Chōrō in Sumoto for one more transfer. So far I have been in Sumoto for two and 2/3 transfers (because of the emergency transfer out of Sekime). This is the longest I have been in an area yet. Sumoto is a gorgeous city on an even more gorgeous island. When I visit Japan after my mission I will definitely come visit here.

So, I will just hit the highlights of this week.

This week has been about half-and-half sun and rain. The weather forecast keeps saying there will be thunder and lightning but it hasn't happened yet. There were a couple of days where we biked south to Minamiawaji. The second trip we took went all the way down to the southern beaches. We went over a mountain because we wanted to be in the next settlement over so that was fun. We met some college students from Kobe who we taught. They were kind, and we taught them about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. After that we made the long trip home. We hurried because we needed to catch a bus to another area in our district so we could make it to zone training meeting on time the next day.

Zone training was good. There was one thing in particular that I took note of, but a lot of it was good. The one thing was about plans/goals. Our tech elder talked about how, specifically with tech opportunity to use the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I never thought about involving the Atonement of Christ in my plans and goals that aren't gospel-related. Yes, I know, I'm slow to the game every time XD That was the point I learned from zone training meeting.

We had a talent show in Sumoto that we held in the church. It was from six to eight and we had lots of food and drinks, including s'mores stuff that the missionaries provided. Instead of graham crackers we used shortbread cookies. It turned out pretty well. We learned a Japanese dance called auadori. There is a festival in August that is celebrated all through out Japan where people will do this dance. It's way fun but I don't have a video to show, sorry XD There were two Australians that we met before the talent show started and they ended up coming to the talent show. They are way nice and they said we could visit them in port whenever their boat was there. I geeked out with the wife about Dr. Who because she grew up in England. It was awesome!

Yesterday was good. We talked about why we need to go to the temple in Priesthood. Speaking of temples, the Sapporo, Japan temple is about to open to the public and they have pictures on LDS.org. There are pictures of the gorgeous temple on LDS.org that I'm using as my background. Way pretty!!! But while we were at church, Hancock Chōrō started to not feel well so we went home and he rested. Poor guy, he has been feeling ill on and off since we did the spinning teacups at ONOKORO on the Fourth of July. He's a trooper.

Today is going to be a normal Preparation Day. We were going to bike around the island, but with the new transfer we decided against it. Will I ever do it, maybe not on my mission. But, I will definitely do it sometime in my life. We studied, cleaned, and will do grocery shopping after emailing. It will probably be a relaxed Preparation Day compared to last week. It has been a little cooler over the past couple of days. We have had cloud cover and rain which have helped.

I love you guys a ton! Not a day goes by where I do not think of you. Please keep me in your prayers. Fight the good fight and never give up! あいしてるよ!

けいぐ,

Elder Peacock

P.S.

Please send me pictures of the trip, I want to hear and see all about it.

2016.7.3 Happy Fourth of July!☄!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!! ! !!!!!! !!!!!!!☄!!!!

Greetings humans people!

It's been another good week in Sumoto, Japan. I tell you what, it is really starting to heat up over here. We are working hard to bring about the Lord's work in this corner of His vineyard. Success can be measured in many ways, but I know that we are succeeding. This week has been filled with fun, scary, and magical moments.

While this work is definitely grand it can sometimes become dull, that is where our creativity comes into play. We are able to bounce off each other so as to make each day more enjoyable. We talk a lot about how the mission has been changing us and how it will, has, changed our future. It's been great.

We met an elderly couple while trying to find a potential investigator who were really nice. We talked a lot about God, The Book of Mormon, and pre-earth life. Now they want to take us out to eat udon tomorrow. We think they are pretty well off because they have a beautiful home with an equally beautiful garden. I'm excited to see how they will progress. We also found two other men who had previously met the missionaries, many years earlier, and seem willing to meet again. I'm excited for the continued work in Sumoto, and, in Japan.

We were out of our area for a day due to a blitz in our district leader area. I was paired with the district leader's companion. We were able to teach a man who was extended the invitation to be baptized but declined because his wife wouldn't be baptized. He has a lot of concerns about the world that gives him cause to believe that people cannot change. We tried to talk to him about how the gospel of Jesus Christ can, does, and will change people. It was a good lesson, but he is just struggling with those thoughts.

Anyway, those were some of the highlights from the week. Today is going to be busy. We are going to visit a theme park on the island. It has a few things that we thought would be fun. All of the elders from our district are joining us for the day. It should be fun, especially since it is he Fourth of July for us today. And although we are in Japan we are definitely celebrating America :) We will buy sparklers and eat good food together. We are also planning on playing some beach volleyball. I am definitely excited!

Anyways, that's what's up. I hope you guys are enjoying your time in Utah. Please be safe in all that you do and make sure that you have fun for me ;) あいしてるよ!

けいぐ,
Elder Peacock

2016.6.26 Week 36 or 37?

GOOD MORNING AMERICA!

How is my lovely family doing? I hope you are all enjoying the Utah trip so far. Have tons of fun for me, and remember to be safe!

Things have been going fine over here. It's fun, challenging, crazy, tiring, and very good. We have had some pretty rainy and windy days that have been warm. Then we have had some hot, sunny days. We have biked up to Iwata (the north end, right next to the Kobe Bridge) and back three times this past week so we are pretty sore as of now. Needless to say we have been sleeping very well :) A lot of the excitement this past week came from the blitz we had in our area on Friday.

Since we had a blitz in our area we also had district meeting in our area. We decided that the two sisters would take the bus, but the elders wanted to bike instead. So Hancock Chōrō and I woke up at 4:30 and biked up to Iwata, met up with the elders, and biked back down. After district meeting we split up the island for each companionship. I was with Jones Chōrō and we headed further south along the coastline towards a little settlement called Yura. We met a couple of people and taught them. We found the end of the line. Then we headed back to Sumoto. We spent a little more time in Sumoto and were able to teach a lot more people. We met with an investigator who has been sick recently. And we ran into an Eikaiwa student which was great. We invited him to be baptized but he said he wanted to read more of the Gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet we were using before he made a
decision.

One of the side-quests of the blitz was to make two new analogies/examples/parables. And we had to do this with the stuff that Hancock Chōrō and I bought from the local dollar store XD We had a gasoline siphon, a wallet, an hour glass, a bike lock (I do not recommend using a dollar store bike lock for securing your bike), balloons, and party crackers. We tied the gasoline siphon to the power of Christ's atonement. We tied a piggy-bank to baptism. It was good, definitely fun! The goal of the side-quest was to exercise our creativity.

At the end of the day we headed to the apartment where we had a massive spaghetti dinner. It was beautiful. The next day we headed back north after lunch because our district leader's bike needed to get fixed. We stopped at the restaurant called 'America' for pancakes and sandwiches. Once we got to the north end the other elders took the ferry back to their areas. People cannot bike or walk across the Kobe Bridge. We then visited a less-active member and headed back. It was raining on there way back which was nice because it kept us cool, but not nice because it was wet for the whole two-hour ride.

By the end of the week we had biked 12 hours just from the trips to the north end and back. That doesn't include the normal biking we do for our close-by investigators and members. So yeah, we have been tired. But we are getting good exercise.

Something that I have been thinking about is how God, our Heavenly Father, is the source of all truth. There are many religions in this world that have good goals and intentions. These good religions have prices of truth. There are many good people of many other faiths. But I believe that our Lord, Jesus Christ, has restored all of His truth through the prophet, Joseph Smith. And that when He did so he established, once more, as in ancient times, His true church. My desire, which is the same as countless others, is for everyone to add truth to the truth they already posses. Please, come and be filled with the love of God and the light of Christ. I promise that as you do so you will be enlightened, that you will never see things the same.

So, that was the highlight of the week. We worked with our investigators a lot. We tried to find more of our potential investigators but many of them were not home. We have a few new investigators from the blitz that we will meet with this week. I'm excited.

Today we are grocery shopping, I'm getting a haircut, and cleaning our apartment extra well because apparently our mission president, and his wife, are coming to our individual apartments for interviews! There may or may not be a certain, maybe large, amount of plastic bottles on our back deck 😅

Anyways, things are going well here in Sumoto, Japan. I'm just doing what I do the best I can do it. Prayers are good, pray for me please :) I'm glad I have you guys as my family. Have fun on your vacation! きょつけて (be careful).

愛しています (love you)!
ピーコックChōrō

2016.6.19 Gaston/Rocky Week

おはようございます (good morning)!

This week has been a good week. We have had fun, made good progress, and are ready to see what will happen. First, I will explain the subject of this email: Gaston/Rocky Week.

So we were singing songs from Beauty and the Beast and Hancock Chōrō's favorite is Gaston's song. There is a line that talks about how he ate four dozen eggs every morning, as a boy, to help him get big. But, after becoming an adult, he eats five dozen every morning. So we thought, "hey, we want to get big...we should try the "Gaston diet". So, we did. Kind of XD What we decided to do was to eat three or four eggs with every meal. And we still have more than two dozen eggs as of now. We even drank eggs raw, like Rocky!!! Three of them. And it had a very strange flavor. It wasn't revolting, but definitely something that would take getting used to. Speaking of Rocky, have you guys seen the new Rocky movie called "CREED"? If you have don't spoil it for me!

Here are some highlights from the week:

Tuesday was fun because we needed to retrieve our bikes from the north end of the island. Public transportation is not reimbursable so we decided to walk the whole way (25 km=15 mi). We decided that as we walked we would teach as many lessons as we could. Someone gave us a ride early on in our walk which cut down our time by about a third. We told him about what we do as missionaries. By the end of the ride we gave him a Book of Mormon and our number. He was nice, but maybe not interested. Later on we stopped at a small shop to grab some refreshment. They had this really good ice cream that they let us have for free. So nice! We are planning on visiting again later. Then we walked for quite some time without any contact with people. Then we went to a restaurant that we had seen before. I ended up paying four dollars for a normal, although very spongy, pancake. Then I paid another three dollars for a bottle of Cake...good job David XD we eventually got to our bikes and headed home. That was the highlight of Tuesday.

On Wednesday we found two new investigators. One of them found us in the parking lot of a convenience store. The other one was found from our potential investigators list. We met with one of them on Saturday and he committed to baptism! We also have another investigator who wants to be baptized, but his situation is a little challenging so it will be interesting to see how that goes. So right now we have two investigators that want to be baptized which is great! We will continue to work with them and help them progress.

As I dismounted my bike on Saturday I bent my rear wheel just from my weight. It's pretty bent up now. I will get it replaced. But my bike is also doing something funny with the pedals. I don't know if I told you before, but when I was in Matsue the left pedal was loosening. Eventually it got to the point that, even though I would tighten it with all of my might, it would still be loose. I even took it to shops and they couldn't tighten it any more. I ordered a replacement part from Yamasaki-San, the man I bought my bike from, and I finally got it last transfer. But that is the part that is having problems now. Same pedal, same side. If it progresses to the same point as last time then I think I will replace it, but I don't know if it will keep doing this. So that has been fun.

We had Kobe Stake Conference yesterday. Elder David A. Bednar spoke to us. However, it was in Japanese so I really understood only, like, 10%. General Conference and church meetings are hard to understand because they use a different set of vocabulary that is hard to catch, even with my iPad-dictionary. After the conference, the Welch's had all of the missionaries over to their house for lunch. But, alas, we were not to eat. We had met with one of our investigators the day before and decided that we were going to fast with him for one day, Sunday. So we didn't eat at the Welch's. We still had a good time because it was like a zone training meeting without teaching, and it was at President Welch's house. It was pretty great.

Today will be us getting my bike checked out, groceries, emailing, haircuts, and then meeting with a member later on. It should be rainy for the majority of this week. It's really warming up now. Everyone is telling me it's only going to keep getting hotter. I will do my best not to die ;) That's the general update on my end. I'm excited to see how the second half of this transfer will go. I'm enjoying my companion, area, and time here in exotic Japan.

Stay tuned for next week's episode of "The Wonders of Japan, with Elder Peacock" XD

あいしてるよ!
Elder Peacock

P.S.
Joshua 1:5. Highly recommend it.

P.P.S.
HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD, I LOVE YOU!!!

2016.6.12 The bike-riding crazies in Sumoto!

This week went by way fast. I'll hit the highlights.

On Monday I talked with my companion about the struggles with sleeping in we had been having. He said he didn't like it either. It was a good talk, no hard feelings. Since then we have fixed the problem which is a big relief.

On Tuesday we decided to bike to the north end of Awaji island (the name by which Nihonjin know our area). It ended up taking around an hour and a half. Not bad, although we were going at a faster pace. We were able to teach a few lessons along the way. We found a restaurant called "America". I think it's funny you guys ate at "Nagoya" while I ate at "America" XD We had pancakes with ice cream which was good. On our way back to Sumoto, Hancock Chōrō's leg was giving him grief due to some medical problems he had before he mission. Nothing serious, but it slowed us down on the way home. We met a man on the way home who had actually met the missionaries before and was interested to meet again. We taught him the Restoration and about God being our Heavenly Father. It was very good and we will try to meet him again. Once we got to the apartment we were dead tired.

We decided that we wanted to try biking part of the way to zone training meeting on Friday morning. We woke up at 4:15 and set out around 4:30. We got most of the way by 6:30. We took a bus the rest of he way. We changed in downtown Kobe and got to the mission home about 45 minutes early. We figured that this would help us save money and train for the Awaji island bike ride. However, we left our bikes at the north end and we haven't gotten them back yet...if we want to continue doing that we will have to be faster and figure out logistics.

Anyway, zone training meeting was good. We talked about what we can do to baptize more converts. A big part of that is our goal to teach 20 lessons a week. The more we teach the more we can invite people to be baptized. Now we are working to increase the quality of our lessons. And then we will see what we can do with baptismal invitations. We are happiest when we teach and baptize.

After the meeting we had exchanges in Kakogawa. I was with the district leader and we talked about what we need to change about our dendo to baptize more. We were able to teach a few lessons along the way. We also met a way solid less-active member. Right now she is studying English so that she can attend university in Canada where her husband is right now. It was a way good lesson where we explained what happens at church, since she doesn't remember a lot about church. After that we headed back to the elder's apartment to end our day.

We got up early to get the ride back to Sumoto on Saturday. A member called us to invite us to a BBQ he was having with a bunch of his friends on he beach. That started around 12:30 and it was way fun. They were all Philippino and they had sooooooooooo much food. It was sunny and we had fun playing volleyball and catch. There were a few girls hitting on us which was a little uncomfortable for me and Hancock Chōrō. But they didn't try to do anything which was a big relief. We were able to teach a few lessons there which was great! After that we headed to the church for branch presidency meeting. I'm not gonna lie, I was having a really hard time focusing XD After that we headed home and fell deep into a scrumptious slumber.

Sunday was pretty good. It was rainy, albeit warm (that's basically how the rain will be from now until winter). I taught Priesthood, lesson 12 from Howard W. Hunter which is about helping less-actives come back to church. The parable of the lost sheep is very important here. Luke 15: 4-7. Also, showing the love we have for them is paramount. Christ always had love as His motivating factor. H never did anything without love. We would do very well to follow His example. After church we went to visit a less-active family. The mother is way busy and isn't really making time for church. She is a good woman. The couple missionaries talked about my lesson from Priesthood. I tell ya, teaching classes in Japanese makes teaching in English seem so much simpler.

Today we are going to get groceries, Hancock Chōrō will get a haircut, and then get lunch at Sukiya. King-size cheese gyuudon come to papa!!! After that we will relax a bit. We are planning on meeting a member later on. It's been rainy for the past couple of days. We are loving it here!

I love hearing from you guys each week. Keep the emails coming! I'm excited for all of you, have fun this summer! Please read "I Am a Child of God" by Elder Hallstrom from this past General Conference. It's way good. Fight the good fight and never give up! あいしてるよ!

けいぐ,
Elder Peacock

Panorama in Sumoto

2016.6.6 New companion in Sumoto!

To start I will tell you about my new companion. Hancock Chōrō is his name. He transferred from our next-door neighbor area, Tokushima. He was in the MTC at the same time as Vui Chōrō so they know each other. His Japanese is off the wall! It is sooooooooo good. His accent is probably the most impressive part. He flippn' sounds Nihonjin! He is laid back and wants to work hard. I have enjoyed the beginning of our companionship.

Yamamoto Chōrō went to Takatsuki, Vui Chōrō's former area before Matsue. And he became district leader (again) which he will have fun with. Yamamoto Chōrō actually trained Hancock Chōrō for one transfer as a part of a threesome. So Yamamoto Chōrō and Hancock Chōrō have a very good relationship.

This week has been interesting. We got the transfer call after Eikaiwa. Wednesday was just getting everything ready for Yamamoto Chōrō to transfer. Then we went to another area Wednesday night to make Thursday transfer travel easier for logistics. Hancock Chōrō came in around 11:00, but we had to wait with the district leader for his new companion. That lasted until 3:00, after which we headed back to Sumoto. We met these two nine-year-old girls who talked to us because they thought we were cute. Freaking your nine little girls, what the heck XD We talked with them a little about Christ since one of them knew a little about Him. It definitely didn't count as a lesson though. When we got to the apartment we dropped everything off and then did weekly planning.

Friday consisted of a LOT of walking because Hancock Chōrō's bike hasn't come yet. We walked about 20 kilometers that day. We got a little red from the sun too :) We visited some members and investigators to introduce Hancock Chōrō. We taught lessons along the way. We stopped at a grocery store to find sustenance and sunburn relief. We ended up buying this small can of 16 dollar water. It says thermal water, and apparently it is from France. But I swear it is just water. So that happened XD By the time we got home we were so worn out from the sun and the walking. We slept very well that night.

We have been eating the treats you guys sent in the package. I love that Sierra used the pictures I took of her, I'm glad she liked them. I still cannot believe she is graduating!!!

We tried to find a few potential investigators in downtown Sumoto. And as we did so we ended up teaching quite a few lessons on the street so that was good. We met a family whose father actually knew the missionaries in Osaka way back when. But those missionaries didn't teach him any lessons, they only played basketball with him. Then we had branch presidency meeting. After that we went home.

Sunday was very rainy, although mild. There were very few people at church that day. But it was still good. After church we tried to visit a family, but we knocked on the wrong door and ran into a different family. We taught them about prayer and they seemed receptive so hopefully we can meet them again. Then we went to the right door and met the right family. They have been busy with work so they haven't been able to come recently. But we talked about the young man preparing for a mission so that was good. After that we went home to break our fast. After that we stayed in the apartment because of some things that had to be talked about. Nothing bad in our companionship, nothing like that. It's just some outside things going on that needed some time to be discussed. So we ended up staying in the apartment the rest of the day.

Today we studied, cleaned, and are emailing now. I sent another package your way of goodies. It will probably be a while until I send another package your way so enjoy this one. After this we will go shopping. We are also going to McDonalds so that I can try a BoomChakaLaka, which is a Bic Mac with two giant pieces of chicken put in it. I'll send pictures and a video later XD The weather has been pretty good today, sunny with clouds. It is definitely warming up in Japan. Soon we will be in full-fledged summer. Oh boy.

So yeah, that is the week on a nutshell. Transfers were a big part of it. I am really looking forward to my time with Hancock Chōrō. He is ready to press forward and get work done. We have talked a lot about personal conversion. And for missionary work, as with any stage of life, our personal conversion to the Lord, Jesus Christ, is paramount. We must be truly converted. But it won't happen overnight so we have to be patient with ourselves as we rely on God.

Fight the good fight and never give up! あいしてるよ!

けいぐ,
Elder Peacock

2016.5.29 Giant parfaits, transfers, and travels

みなさんこんにちわ！

Its been a grand week over in this corner of the Lord's vineyard. The weather is heating up, and so is the work. We are doing our best to bring everyone to the knowledge of our savior and redeemer, Jesus Christ. Does everyone listen, no; but will that stop us, also no! We will fight the good fight and never give up :)

After we emailed on Monday we did our grocery shopping then headed to the mall for a giant parfait. You will see the pictures, but it was way good! After that scrumptious mixture of fruit, ice cream, cornflakes and pancakes we headed to one of our investigators to help her teach her English class. However, when she opened the door one could tell immediately that she was under the weather. The allergies got to her, poor thing. And English class was not held so yeah, we will meet her another time this week. So with the remaining time we had we went to a less-active/part-member-family household. They were outside working when we got there so we helped them finish up their stuff. Afterwards we discussed transfers and how to help them with their farming. We are going to try to plan when to help for the next month, hopefully. They have a lot to do and they certainly appreciate our help. So after that we headed home and ended our day.

After lunch on Tuesday we went to the church to practice for a concert we will be taking part in on Saturday. I will be playing The Spirit of God on the piano and will sing A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief a cappella. I might play a second song on the piano from Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky, but I'm not quite sure about that one. It should be good. After our practice we went to the senior center. We were coloring pictures and the old man next to me asked me to sign his picture. As in, he wanted me to write my name in English and date it...on his picture. I was like, "um...ok". Then he tried to give me money for it. Like, the heck? What a silly old man. He was walking out the door when we were done and he came over just to shake my hand. It was funny XD After that we visited our shigansha. We taught him the principle of obedience. As we obey we will be blessed. And as we follow Jesus Christ we will want to obey Him more. He is still struggling though. After him we tried to visit an investigator but they weren't home. So we got ready for Eikaiwa. We talked about directions. Yay. I taught them the "Never Eat Soggy Waffles" thing for north, east, south, west. Fun stuff. English class is something I always look forward to so no matter what the subject is it is fun. After Eikaiwa we headed home and sacked out.

Wednesday said "hello" with clouds. No worries, I'm from Oregon. We were about to head out the door when I got a bloody nose so we stayed until it stopped. That was my first bloody nose since entering the field. After that we went to the church for a lesson with one of our progressing investigators. We had the couple missionaries with us for the lesson and hey helped us teach The Restoration. It was a good lesson and she understood most of it. After the lesson we invited her to be baptized on July 16th. She said that she wants to learn more before she makes a decision, but she definitely wasn't opposed. Then we went to do service at the day care center. Every time we go to the day care center I think about the anime, KOBATO. The main character helps at a day care center. There weren't as many kids this time which was great and we ended up getting done early so we headed to the church for game night. No one came, again, so we practiced for the concert. Then we headed home and ended our day. I fell asleep to the sound of rain. As I closed my eyes I imagined myself in Oregon.

On Thursday we did our weekly planning. Then we visited one of the members and studied The Book of Mormon with her. By the time we finished our study rain was coming down thick and we didn't have our rain gear, and Yamamoto Chōrō needed rest, so we ended going back to the apartment for the rest of the day.

On Friday we went to district meeting and talked about the authority and power of our calling. I know I forget it all the time, the fact that we have been called by God, through a living prophet, to represent our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to bring others unto this glorious light we have. After the meeting we went with the district leaders and had a extra long exchange because of how much traveling we were doing that weekend.

We had another day of exchanges on Saturday and we also had our music night in their ward. It was a good turnout, better than I thought there was going to be. I sang A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, and played The Spirit of God on the piano with my own little twist in the chords. It was fun. After that we went to Akashi to spend the night with the elders there so we wouldn't have as long to travel Sunday morning.

We woke up and set out to travel back to Sumoto for church on Sunday morning. We were surprised to have seven less-actives come to church. I have no idea why they decided to come, I didn't get time to talk with them, but it was awesome! We had 26 members there and it was awesome!!! After church we all ate lunch in the church building. Then we headed back to Kobe with the couple missionaries and the branch president for priesthood meetings. We got done with those at 6:00 and then headed back home to finally hit the hay.

So, my district leader told me that writing emails throughout the week is actually against the rules. I understand why it would be OK to write throughout the week, and why it would not be ok. But the thing is that I have had multiple missionaries tell me different things on this rule. So I am going to ask Welch Kaicho in my email to him. I need to get that cleared up because I want to be obedient.

Today has been rainy, as was yesterday. However, it is also quite warm so that's kind of nice. After emailing we will go shopping and then head home to relax. Today is the beginning of my fifth transfer! I can't believe I just went through another transfer. Freak out! We will see what this transfer brings, but I am excited for anything and everything. Keep me in your prayers! Love y'all!

Fight the good fight and never give up! あいしてるよ!

けいぐ,
Elder Peacock