Week 16: October 17, 2016

This week, the Lord taught me humility. Like Icarus of old, I flew too close to the sun and have fallen...quite literally. This week marks the first week that I, myself, have fallen off of my bike. My companion fell once and I had a good laugh. Then, going down a hill, I hit a patch of gravel and my bike lost all traction and slipped out from under me. I scraped up my elbows real good. The second time I fell, my companion crashed into me and we both took a tumble. It's a good thing we were wearing our helmets because I hit my head pretty good. BUT! We are safe and sound! All is good in the Antioch neighborhood!

The work has been progressing very well! We have nearly 20 investigators that we are meeting with pretty consistently and they are all progressing fairly well. We have 4 people with set baptismal dates coming up! My companion and I are super excited for everything going on in the area right now! We get along very well and continue to learn from one another. Elder Cobabe is not afraid to talk to everyone that we meet and he's very eager to do the work. We have so many people to teach and talk to and it seems that we don't have enough hours in a day or days in a week. We are very blessed with an awesome ward that is really getting excited about doing missionary work.

Pray for Elder Kaitoku, that he may ride a bike safely and no longer tease his companions about falling, that he may learn humility. God's got a sense of humor. One story that our zone leaders shared with us was of a companionship that prayed for a certain amount of baptisms that month. There were exactly that number of baptisms...in another church. So they prayed for 2 baptisms the next month in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They got 2 baptisms...that moved to a different area 3 days before their baptism. Finally, they decided to pray for 2 baptisms, in their area, in the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints...and they got it. Lessons #1 to be learned: God has a sense of humor. Lesson #2: pray specifically. Ask specific questions to get specific answers. I know that as we do this, we will be able to better recognize the Lord's hand in our lives. I know He lives and I know He loves us. I love each and every one of you and thank you for your emails, prayers, and support! Until next week!

-Elder Kaitoku

Week 15: October 10, 2016

This week, I got my new trainee! His name is Elder Cobabe and he is from Malad, Idaho. He's a super awesome Elder, ready and willing to serve! On our first morning together as a companionship, we were having out studies, we got a knock at the door. We opened it to find a firefighter in full gear, gas mask and all, standing there. He told us, "There's been a gas leak at the nearby construction site. We need to evacuate these buildings!" So we took our things and had our studies outside that morning. Later that day, we heard from one of the members that the news said it had been a radiation leak, not a gas leak. Soooooooo if I start to grow an extra eyeball, please try not to stare. What a way to kick off his first full day out in the field! When he was in the MTC, Elder Cobabe had an Elder in his district that went to highschool with me, Elder Braden Chun! In MY MTC district, Elder Cobabe knew a certain Elder Christenson! Small world.

Second bit of announcement: WE GOT A CAR! We are now a hybrid area, working both the car AND the bike! Super thankful that we are now able to get places faster and see more people! (We still use the bikes a lot #bikelife)

I am super excited that the work here is going so well! We have almost 20 investigators and 10 of them are progressing! It is such an exciting time to be here in this area! I am excited that this is gonna be Elder Cobabe's introduction to the mission field! There is a lot of potential here and we have a few baptisms coming up and we have a few people we feel are ready for baptism! I have learned more and more to rely on and turn to my Heavenly Father in ALL things. I have been working on turning to Him more and more in prayer to ask for His guidance. He does hear us and will answer us. Seek his guidance and counsel in ALL you do. Give thanks frequently. You will see as I have seen, His hand and His influence in your life.

I love you all! Thank you for your emails, prayers, and support! Until next week!

-Elder Kaitoku

Week 14: October 3, 2016

This past week, we got a call from President as I was stepping out of the shower. He politely asked how that went and then proceeded to ask me the deadly question of, "Elder Kaitoku, I'd like for you to train next transfer." So in just a few days, I will be getting a new companion, fresh from the MTC. Elder Elsbury will be a Zone Leader back in the Tongan program. On the bright side, maybe my new companion will be able to ride a bike. Who knows?

Conference was amazing this past weekend and I really loved the talks that were given. I know that these men are truly inspired of God. I noticed a lot of missionary work topics. I wanted to share an experience that happened this past week. We have a few investigators that go to the nearby high school along with many youth in the ward. We started out teaching one teenager who referred us to her friend who referred us to another friend, all going to the same high school. One of the teenagers that we are teaching said that she knew one of the girls in our ward. She is on the same volleyball team as this member. She commented on how she was always someone she looked up to and admired. She noticed that there was something different about this girl. She seemed so happy and positive and outgoing. This investigator is making great progress and it is due in no small part to this wonderful example that she had. There is no way that the member girl could have known how her example would or could have impacted this other girl's life. She couldn't have guessed that we would be teaching this girl about the gospel. She didn't know that through her example, she was already teaching this girl the gospel. One saying that I have truly come to love and adore here on my mission is to "Preach the gospel always, with words if necessary." Whether you are aware of it or not, people can and will notice your example. You are constantly doing missionary work in your everyday life. Let the love and light of Christ shine through you, always. You have no idea how much of an impact that it may have on someone else's life. This new investigator is practically walking herself to the baptismal font because of the example that has been set for her. Be that light, be that example, be that representative of Christ and His church in your dealings with your fellow man. You do not need a name tag to be a full time missionary.

I am able to recognize God's hand more and more in my life on the daily as well as in the past. I know that He has been guiding and leading me throughout everything. I know that God lives and that this gospel is true. I witness blessings and miracles each day. I love this work, I love my God, I love you all. As always, thank you for your love and support. I can feel your thoughts and prayers lift me and guide me each day.

-Elder Kaitoku

Week 13: September 26, 2016

This week has definitely had its ups and downs. Let's start with the "ups"! 

We had a lot of our lessons go through! We were able to add 5 new investigators. One of them was a family and they all accepted the invitation to baptism! We were super excited about that! Our investigator, Jewel, also came to church with her two sisters! They all had a great time and one of her sisters asked excitedly if they could go again next week! We were also able to set another baptismal date with our investigator, Jayden. Both Jewel and Jayden have baptismal dates set and we are doing everything we can to help them progress! We are super excited for them!

On the other hand, Elder Elsbury got 5 flat tires this week. Thus, the equivalent exchange goes: one flat tire = one new investigator. That was a rough spot this week. We were able to fix our bikes and go about our way. I also got 2 flats this week so we had to fix a total of 7 tires. His lock also broke and didn't want to come off so we said a prayer and then I saw a way to wiggle the pole out so that he could slide his lock off. He was "glad somebody coulda walked by and stolen his bike at any time." He has not been loving the #bikelife so far. We always remind each other that we are sure that there is something to be learned here. I told him he keeps teasing me that he's gonna be in a car again in a few weeks and I'll probably be on bike forever and that's why he's been jinxed to experience 2 years worth of bike troubles in the weeks that he is here. On the bright side, he didn't fall off his bike this week! 

He just kinda wobbled and ALMOST fell. Baby steps. We took the Willy Burger challenge again #round2 and this time, I fell short by a bite. Elder Elsbury finished it!

This week, we were able to get a lot of work done and although we had our challenges, we were able to push through and turn to the Lord for guidance and support. We very humbly asked Him to please let us go without popping our tires this week. Nevertheless, if we still have not learned what we were meant to learn here, then we will submit to His will.
I love you all and thank you for your love, support, and prayers. It truly helps out here!

-Elder Kaitoku

Last story, we saw the cutest pitbull mama and pup behind a fence and we of course had to stop and pet them and stuff. The lil pup was so small, he had to stand up on his hind legs to reach the bottom of the fence. As we were petting them, we heard the door open and the owner was lookin at us and he seemed kinda grumpy. I turned to say something but then I suddenly realized my companion had left me so I kinda waved and mumbled, "I like your dogs" and we left.

Week 12: September 19, 2016

This week has been yet another awesome week out here in the mission! My new companion is a super awesome Elder. Elder Elsbury (or Asipeli in the Tongan program) is from Virginia, near the DC area. He has been serving in the Tongan program and has been out for about 9 months now. I am learning a lot from him everyday. 

We have an investigator named Jewel who is progressing super well and we have set a baptismal date with her. This week, she almost came to church but some things came up. We will continue to hope and pray and work with her. She really wanted to go to church and said that she is going to be bringing her two little sisters (9 and 6ish). It will be such an amazing experience to see this family start to come to church and hopefully be baptized. 

The parents are okay with us teaching and baptizing her but they haven't expressed any interest. Maybe through the example of their daughters, they'll show more interest!

We talked to a homeless man named Chris. Unfortunately, he wasn't all there but we shared a bit of our message with him before dinner. For dinner, our member gave us a pizza and since she didn't have a male member with her, we took it to go. Elder Elsbury had the idea to share it with Chris. We found him again and sat down and talked and ate. He started to really calm down and was a super awesome guy. We shared another spiritual thought with him as well as our testimonies. Not sure if he'll remember the experience but hopefully this has touched his life in some way. I know it has touched mine.

I am constantly learning more and more from each of my companions as well as the other members of the district. Today, we have our zone "nerf war" and we just set up a bunch of barricades (tables) in the culture hall so I'm pretty excited about that.

I am super blessed with all of the miracles and blessings that I see each day here on my mission. I know that I have been called here for a very specific reason and purpose. With each person that I speak to and teach, I feel my own testimony growing stronger and stronger. The time is absolutely flying by. As always, thank you all for your examples and testimonies and prayers. I love you all! Until next week,

Elder Kaitoku

PS: Elder Elsbury is brand new to the bike life. He made the mistake of slamming on the front brakes and flew over his handlebars. Will I ever find a companion that can ride a bike? 

Week 11: September 12, 2016

WARNING. EMERGENCY TRANSFER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. EMERGENCY TRANSFER.

My trainer got a call from President Frandsen on Saturday morning and has been transferred out this morning to the San Ramon area. My new companion is Elder Elsbury and he will be here for the next 3 weeks to finish up my 12 week training. After that, I will have another new companion so I am leading this area. Pray that I don't get us lost. It's exciting and nerve wracking at the same time but Elder Lui has taught me well.

This past week, we were able to add 2 new investigators which is awesome! One of them is a boy named Isaiah who is friends with one of our current investigators and he "happened" to be there when we came by. He started out by asking us a lot of questions and then we began teaching him. He has a desire to be baptized which is super awesome!

We helped a member dig a trench to fix his sprinkler system this past week. Unfortunately, it was very close to the tree and so the roots were covering the pipe. It took almost 3 days to get it all completely fixed up. It was a lot of hard work but in the end, it was super satisfying to see that we got it done. In the spots that the pipe had cracked and leaked, the roots had grown strongest around and wrapped around it. This made it very difficult to break through all the roots to reach the pipe to dig it out and fix it. Likewise, the adversary goes for our weak points and converges on that. He knows how to really get at each and every one of us individually. If we let him grow and build around that, then his grasp on us will be tighter and tighter and when we go to dig out those "roots" it will be much harder. At least, that's what I got out of it. The member kept muttering to himself, "I know that Heavenly Father's trying to teach me something here, I know it."

This week has been awesome! The time is flying by! I can't wait to hear from all of you and to talk to all of you again next week! Thank you for your prayers and your influence and impact that you've had on my life. Love you all!

Elder Kaitoku

Week 10: September 5, 2016

We had exchanges with the Zone Leaders this week. The Elder that I went with is Elder Hibbert and he is 6' 9". So that was an odd sight. I was able to learn a lot from him and am planning on applying it to my daily proselyting activities.

During zone training, our President shared with us a quote from Elder Oaks that talked about eagles. Eagles build their nests on the sides of cliffs and when the young are old enough, they get nudged out of the nest. They fall for a short time before instinct takes over and they spread their wings and soar. The moral of this story was this: "The fear of falling precedes the thrill of soaring." Almost right after this training, we seemed to experience that "falling". Many of our lessons were falling through, we were not accepted well through tracting, no one seemed interested, and all in all, we had a rough few weeks.

I told my companion, "We must be close to an amazing blessing/miracle if Satan is working this hard to discourage us." After about two weeks of this, we finally saw our miracle. We were able to set a baptismal date with one of our investigators. It was truly a blessing and a relief to see that miracle come to pass through diligence and making sure we were not discouraged.

The work is doing well. I am doing well. I am super thankful for all of your prayers and love and support. It truly makes a difference to me and helps me throughout my everyday work. I love you all!

-Elder Kaitoku