Elder Tolen's Adventures in the Japan, Tokyo South Mission: Week 11: Soccer and Sharampo!

This week was fun. It had a lot of ups and downs, but that is okay!

With transfers coming up [next week], I feel like I'm going to stay in Hodagaya, but I don't think I'll be companions with Elder Livingston anymore, which makes me really sad.

I've gotten to play a ton of soccer since coming to Japan. Today for P-day we didn't do anything except play soccer! So yeah! I used to hate soccer, but since coming to Japan, I've started to love it! It is so much fun! But I'm not very good, and everyone else in the area is so good. I've been able to do a lot of great missionary work through it, and I've been able to talk to a lot of high school kids, and for some reason they are a lot more open to religion than adults.

This week we had an investigator that I've had since I got to Japan drop us. There are few times when I have been more sad. It was my first experience with someone dropping us after learning the gospel. That really hurt. I really am beginning to understand why the prophets of old wept when they saw the hardness of people's hearts. It really hurt. I imagine this is kind of what a parent feels like when their child comes up to them and says, "Hey, I'm done. I don't want to do this whole 'church thing' anymore." It killed me. I just wanted him to feel the happiness that I get to feel every day, and the joy of knowing that everything would just work out in the end. I think that was the hardest day of my mission so far. But I haven't given up on him yet.

Enjoying Some Sharampo at an Investigator's House

Last night we got to go to a ward member's house and make food! It was the same ward member that the other pictures were from! We made this thing called Sharampo. It's like dumplings with meat and soupy stuff inside of it! It was great! The husband is one of our investigators, and I feel like I was able to bond with him so much. It was a blast!

I love you all!

Elder Tolen