FROM: ELDER CONNER CARLINI
DATE: APRIL 20, 2015
SUBJECT: Yamate Life

Hello everyone! This week had its ups and downs, but overall I had
a pretty solid week full of new experiences and living in beautiful
Yamate! So let's just jump into the main things and see what happened.
So to start off the week (last Monday night), I got to talk on the
phone with my man Toguchi!! If you don't remember, me and my companion
Elder Fenton met him in Fujisawa when I was there a few months ago. He
was an awesome guy from Okinawa and he wanted to learn about the
Gospel from us, so we met with him each week. Anyways, since I moved
away from Fujisawa so quickly, we had talked on the phone several
times and I've been checking in to see how he's doing and if he has
any questions about the church for me. He has always been progressing
bit by bit, but then in our latest call, he told me he wanted to be
baptized! And he wanted to call and ask if I could be there, and to
maybe baptize him! So that was a great phone call and I'm excited to
find out when he officially decides to receive baptism. We had a
little chat about all of that, and then we were just able to talk
about life and what he's been up to for like 45 minutes. It was a
great way to end a day. And I've finally realized that I can speak
just a bit of Japanese, and be able to have a solid conversation with
a good friend of mine in Japan. The language struggle is real. But I'm
so happy for how far I've come since entering the MTC over a year ago.
Dang.
Next, I had my interview with the Mission Pres himself, President
Wada. It's my first in Yamate and I told him how happy I was to be
hear and asked for how I could help out both my companion and the
area. I was given some very specific instructions on what he wants
done and I am ready to make this transfer and all coming transfers
better than ever before. The thing that stuck out in my mind the most
were the words "Lift up Yamate" and then he explained how it could be
done. So I'm quite excited to do my best while here and hopefully in
the end, be able to "Lift up Yamate". Good stuff.
And actually on that same day, I got the great opportunity to work
with one of our "Traveling Assistants" in the mission, Elder Connell!!
We lived in the same apartment in Fujisawa and he's a good guy. We
were able to talk to lots of people and meet up with a former
investigator and make him into an active investigator again! His name
is Kenny and he's crazy. But I love him. He is 3/4ths Japanese but is
completely fluent in English, as well as Japanese. He is good friends
with lots of the missionaries, and is also very, very, Christian. He
just loves the fact of being a non-denominational church kind of guy
and doesn't really want to believe in "one church". He's a really nice
guy and he's had some wild experiences in his life, but from here we
are planning to hunker down on the importance of the Restoration and
Prophet Joseph Smith. Of course along with the Book of Mormon. Through
that, we think he can find himself a testimony and understand that
it's not a set-back to believing only in one church, but a way to
discover his true purpose in this life and stuff. Yeah, deep right?
Yeahhhh, so on Wenesday we had a fun little District Leader
training in Kichijoji which is where our mission headquarters are. It
holds a dear place in all of the missionaries hearts here, because
that is where we are all "born" as missionaries, haha. It's like our
home in Japan essentially. So yeah, the District Leader conference
went well and I got to see some friends that were also invited to it.
Only about 10-15 people in total. But yeah, I'm not a District Leader
at the moment, so maybe I will become one again soon since I have been
"trained" again, haha. Good stuff. And also because we were all hungry
afterwards and it was lunch time, we went to a restaurant on the ever
so famous "Sun Road". But this time we went to a place I had never
been too, but just knew about. It's a little Hawaiian restaurant that
has a Huge Burger along with a Kilo of French fries on the side that
you can order....yeah...I got that. I ate it. And I was in pain...but
hey! That's what missionaries do! Or at least 21 year old Men. Haha
Next! I got a call from my last area, Machida, and was asked about
an investigator that we had there named Suzuki. I didn't feel like I
helped a ton, but apparently he was very sad to find out that I was
gone. So I gave him a call, and in the end, I got to do a lesson
through Skype along with the Machida Elders teaching him! It was fun,
and good to see that Suzuki was doing well! Also good to know that I
was missed in Machida even though I was only there for about a month
and a half too! Yeahhh, good man.
Lastly, me and Elder Taylor got to go on a little American Base
here in Yamate! It was funny because we heard there was something
going on in a nearby park the other day and figured we would go check
it out and try to talk with some people there. So we started this
conversation with a guy right as we were entering the park and he said
that this American base was opening up to the public for the day so
that they could walk around and see what's inside. They called it
"Friendship Day". It was a kind of event to help build relations
between the people on base and Japan. Cool cool. We ended up talking
with that guy for a bit and he jumped in line to enter the base, so we
joined right in and walked around a bit! He was a real nice guy and he
was taking some sweet pictures with a real nice camera, haha. We
exchanged emails and he said he'd send us the pictures he took. We
told him he should come to the church sometime and check it out, cause
it's a beautiful building. And the teachings are great too, haha.
Yooooo
Anyways, that's my best attempt of putting this week into words.
There's so many things that go on as a missionary that you'll just
have to ask me when I get home, haha. Yeah, so I'm still loving
Yokohama, and I've been having a blast talking with all the wonderful
people here. We truly are blessed to be in this area. Good stuff!! And
that's it!
Have a Good week friends

神様はいいよ。いつでも。
- ケニー さん

Elder Carlini
カーリ二長老


The Huge Burger and fries from "Pupukea"
The "Kiloaia"