Pictures this week - 13 December, 2015

Before Running

Other buildings during the run

Landmark Tower - Yokohama (during run)

Something during the run

Old ship seen during the run

Landmark Tower - Yokohama (during run)

View during the run

Feelings about 1/3 of the way into the run

Joy during the run

More joy during the run

Surprises!!! - Letter to Mom - 13 December, 2015

Mom,

How are you this week? I hope that things have been going well! I just received your message that your email will come in the morning. I look forward to reading it! :D I hope that you are still up, because there are some BIG surprises in this email!!! ;D

The first surprise is.....I have no idea when I can send your Christmas package!! haha I haven't found time to shop, and my life is just going to get busier. I am going to have to look for the time in the next couple of weeks to find things, package them, and ship them. Is that okay? I hope so! I love you so much and I look forward to sending things home for you!

Second surprise. I ran really far today. Like, really really far. Elder Cook and I woke up at 5:30 in the morning so that we could run further. It was great! I loved it! I definitely felt a part of the "runner's high" that everyone talks about. Plus we got to visit my favorite building in the world. ;) Landmark tower! It is just outside of our area, about 4.7 km away from our apartment, so we woke up an hour early to run there, take some pictures, and run back. :) I'll send the pictures later! It really was so much fun, though. Call me crazy. haha I did find out, though, that if I have some sort of goal in mind (running to Landmark Tower and back) it is a lot easier to run and not think about the running part of things. It really is just best to run with someone, so that I can talk with them. Good thing I have Jenna to run with when I go home!! ;) haha

Third and biggest surprise:

I received this message from the mission this past week concerning transfers:

December 12, 2015

Dear  Elder  Livingston,

Thank  you  for  the  service  you  have  provided  in  your  assigned area  this  transfer.  For  this  next transfer,  you  will  be assigned  to  _____________  in  the  _____________  Zone  as  a Surprise.  Your companion will be Elder _____________.

Keep reading to find out the blanks. ;D

I would love to tell you all of the blanks right away, but that would just be too easy. Yes, the fact that it was sent as a surprise was a part of the email. The people in the office are really funny, and know me well, and that I would be surprised, so they sent this. I am transferring, I will tell you that. It was such a short time here in Kanagawa. I loved it, and I love Yokohama. For sure my favorite city in Japan. But, I am headed out. I am so sad to see Elder Cook get a new companion (actually, Elder Nagano will be his companion! We already live together, so that was a surprise). I learned so so much from him. He is such an incredible missionary. I learned a lot about diligence, and the need to work hard and constantly strive for more obedience. It was great. So, are you ready? Are you ready?? I am transferring back to Kichijoji!! haha crazy, right? I came from there to here, and I am headed right back! I will be companions with Elder Richardson and I have been asked to be...an Assistant to President Wada.

So, there it is. The biggest shock ever. haha Elder Richardson was just called in to be an assistant about two or three weeks ago, and has been getting training from the other two assistants since then, so I thought there was absolutely NO way that I was going to be an assistant on my mission. I was "safe" haha. it was a really strange moment for me. I opened the call and just kind of looked at it. The feelings inside of me were all over the place. I was nervous, excited,

scared, curious at what happened, confident, insecure, etc. etc. haha I got a call from Elder Richardson not too long after that saying that the day before he had been surprised too when President pulled up the transfer board and his companion Elder Murakami was gone. haha (Elder Murakami will be a traveling assistant with another elder, Elder Vandyken. They will go around the mission and train a bunch of people, mainly district leaders, and things like that). We shared our mutual

excitement, and that was that.

I spent the rest of the day in shock. I have felt very inadequate this week. I do not feel prepared to be an Assistant. There are a lot of responsibilities and assignments that come along with this, and I have felt the weight of that for sure. But, Saturday night I just knelt down and prayed. I really just opened my heart to the Lord and told Him I didn't feel ready, I didn't know what I was supposed to do, etc. And he just sent such a peaceful feeling. He basically just told me to be patient, and to let Him direct everything. He directed me to just continue being obedient, and to do everything that I could to have and show Charity. If I did that, there would be no problem, because of just how pure and all encompassing the attribute of charity is. So, I am going to work on that. Please pray for me to have the strength and the help that I need to fulfill this new assignment to the best of my ability.

I love you, and I hope that you have a fantastic week, Mom!! I can't wait to hear from you. :) I am grateful for you and all that you do. Remember, sometimes the Lord just needs to humble us. So if that is happening to you (that is definitely what this has done for me! haha) let Him do it. It's much easier that way. ;D I love you so much!! :D <3

Also, as a side note, I may get another P-day this week. The office staff (including the Assistants) get theirs on Saturday, so I may also have another one on Saturday. I don't know. But, if I don't, I probably won't have one until NEXT Saturday, so there would be a gap. So, if I don't happen to email next Monday, that is what happened. I love you!!

Love,

Elder Livingston

The Supporting Hand - Letter to Dad - 6 December, 2015

Hello my loving father!!

How are you doing? Things going well at home with the family and with the business? Any new apps that have come out that were amazing, or things that have jumped up a lot with the new apple products this year? I haven't heard anything that has come out, except for seeing a couple of posters for the iPad pro, or whatever it is called. :) haha Let me know what's going on! :) Oh, and how is the ward? How is bishop? Do you know if he ever got the letter that all of the priests in the ward circulated from mission to mission before getting it to him? :) If you haven't heard of that, don't ask him. Ask Jared and Brandon if it made it to them (it should. I started it and sent it to Jared).

So, one thing that I definitely felt this week was the supporting hand of the Lord in my life. Mostly on Thursday with the Mission Leadership Council. Elder Cook and I had done the best that we could to prepare for it, but there was a lot of things that got in the way (splits and things like that) so we didn't feel quite as prepared as we would have liked. We got to MLC and I really just prayed so so hard that the Lord would help us give the training that He and President Wada needed us to, and that everything would go well. And then we got up and we started to talk. We passed the conversation back and forth really well, and we covered the content that we needed to. Then we demonstrated. We got in the middle of the circle of everyone that was there and we just started to teach. We worked well together there, as well, and taught very simply. We were able to use the pamphlet that we were training on, and introduce baptism well. It was a really simple role play, but it went really well. We then had everybody plan and practice for themselves. It went really really well, and I definitely felt the supporting hand of the Lord.

With translating at MLC I have never felt the Lord work so powerfully through my language. I always seem to be able to speak a lot faster when I am translating, and my brain goes into this really weird phase of not thinking. haha You have to listen to what they are saying and be talking at the same time, so you have to not focus too much on one or the other. The middle ends up being this weird limbo where words just kind of come in your ear in one language and come out in another. It was good, though. :) haha I was able to really feel the Holy Ghost blessing me with the gift of tongues and even though I hadn't been able to prepare for that as much as I would have liked either, it went really well. I am so grateful for the Lord and for how he supports us.

Dad, I promise you that no matter what you have come up in your life, no matter what happens with the company, as long as you rely on the Lord you are going to be okay, and it is going to work out. That is just what happens. The Lord calls us, and then He qualifies us. I can testify to that, and I have felt it very powerfully this week. I have noticed over the course of my mission that I have sent countless emails home just telling how things were hard, or didn't work out, and then relying on the Lord made it all okay. It's true, you know. ;) That's why it keeps popping up. I know that the Lord is guiding each and every part of our lives, and I hope that you can see that. Rely on Him.

I love you so so much, Dad! I hope that you were able to get everything done with the magazine that needed to so that you could send it in early. Did that work out? I am really really excited to see it! I love you!!

Love,

Elder Livingston

Teaching about God - Letter to Mom - 6 December 2015.

Hello my dear mother!!! :D

How are you? Sorry that emails are a bit earlier today than usual, so I didn't really give you much time to send emails to me first. :P haha But, if you need/want to chat, I'll be on for the next hour and a half. How has your week been? Anything crazy happening this past week? How has Christmas shopping gone this year? Anything exciting that you have done for the family that you can't tell them, but you can OBVIOUSLY tell me, since I am here? ;D haha Is there anything that you want for Christmas? I am sad to say that my Christmas presents for everyone will probably not make it on time for Christmas. :( Sorry! They should hopefully be there for New Years which is a lot bigger in Japan anyway! haha

So, what happened to Elder Livingston this past week? Well, a lot of things. I will have to type really fast to get all of this down, so it is a good thing that I have a keyboard with me today. :)

The first thing that happened was last Tuesday I went to Kichijoji! It was the best! I got to go on splits with Elder Bates, the Assistant right now, and there was SOOO much that happened in that one split concerning me. Very first of all, I was able to set up an appointment with the G family (they haven't been able to meet with them since I left, so it was good). They are the cutest family, and I can not wait for the day that they are sealed in the temple. I know that it will bring their family closer and closer and I just really really want to help them make it to the Celestial Kingdom together. We had a good time there and we were able to share a Christmas message with them, so that was good. Then we headed back to the Mission Office and had a good night's rest there.

The next day was actually a huge day for me. The very first thing that we had that morning was staff meeting, which is a meeting with everybody who works in the mission office. It was really good. One of the topics that they have to cover is people coming into the mission and people going home. And it just so happened that they were deciding on my group of missionaries going home this time. So, I officially know when I am going home! The day that we are scheduled to go home is July 15, 2016! So, that is that.

The next thing that happened was Elder Bates and I went in to President Wada's office to talk about scheduling for the interviews that he does for the missionaries going home. Then out of nowhere, President Wada looks at me and says, "What are we going to do with you for the rest of your mission?"

"Uh, I don't know," I said.

"Well, I need to leave either you or Elder Cook in Kanagawa to be the long person there, but I hate to not use your knowledge. I could also see you going around the mission and training other missionaries."

"I'll do whatever you need. I would love either of those, President."

Conversation ends. haha So, I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen to me! haha but, we will find out this Saturday! At least, I will. I guess you won't find out until next Monday. :) I'll let you know, though, okay?

And that was still only up until Wednesday. After that we ended splits and Elder Cook and I (with Elder Shurilla in tow for MLC the next day) went home and went to bed. :)

The next day we woke up really early, at about 4:30, did some exercise, and headed to MLC. This MLC was absolutely incredible, and there were some moments that made me feel so so good. The first one was in the morning. This MLC I had two assignments. The first one was that I was translating again, with some other Elders. We divvied out the responsibilities, and I got President Wada. haha He had about a 2 hour training block, and I was going to translate. He is also really hard to translate for. So I prayed in my heart, and just dove in. It felt so good. There were a lot of questions and things that he asked, and I was doing everything that I could to keep up, but there were sometimes after he paused that I had to keep going to catch up with everything that he had said. In one of the pauses I finished the question with basically everybody listening and then president just stops and says, "Elder Livingston is perfectly translating my questions." And continues. I have never felt so good about my Japanese in my entire life!!!!!! :D It helped so so so so much and I have definitely felt better and more confident in my ability to use the language since then. That being said, I have still felt that there is so much I need to learn with the language, and that I am still inadequate. I am working hard though!!

The other thing that went well was mine and Elder Cook's training. It was really good and simple. :) But, what President Wada taught that day really hit me, (while I was translating) and we have tried to apply it a lot more since then. He talked all about helping people learn about God, and how to use a pamphlet we have called, "Who is God?" It was incredible. There were four things that he talked about, but I want to just mention the first one. It is understanding them and their beliefs. Often as missionaries we think that we need to just tell them what we believe and help them understand that what we are saying is true. And to an extent, yes, that is right. But we have to understand them and their beliefs. It is so vital. I will tell you why. We met with K the night after MLC and decided to try it. We asked what he believed, really, and learned a few of the things. And they were completely related to the gospel. We took the time to learn more about him and what he believed, and it taught us the principles that he needed to hear that night. We then were able to talk about his beliefs and how Jesus Christ taught the same things. He was amazed. Everything that we taught that night was able to ring with him and resonate in his heart because he realized it was basically something that he already believed, just slightly different. The trick from here on out is to help him see that the difference there is what makes all of the difference. We are going to continue helping him progress, though, and we are excited!!

We haven't been able to get a hold of lots of the people who dropped out last week, which is sad, but we will keep trying. Please keep praying for Sh, N, and that they will answer their phones and communicate with us.

I know that this gospel is true. The Lord sends us curveballs sometimes, and it can be hard to adjust when trials hit. But I also know that the Lord will provide a way to get out of them. I have seen it and experienced it infinitely more times than I can say, and I can definitely not deny the power of the Atonement in lifting us out of the despair, hurt, sickness, and sadness that so frequently occurs in our lives. Trust Him. Rely on Him.

I love you so much, Mom! I hope that things are going well this week, and they continue to. Please take care of yourself! Don't push too hard even during the Christmas season. I know that it can be really crazy and busy, but take time for the Lord to help you. :) I know that He will. I love you to infinity and beyond!

Love,

Elder Livingston

Pictures this week - 29 November, 2015

English Class

Sunset

Boys from the train with Elders Cook and Livingston

Kawasaki District - Sister Handy's last week.

Up - Letter to Mom - 29 November, 2015

Dear Mom,

How are you doing? I was really happy to get the emails from you this past week as thanksgiving and our favorite holiday (after Christmas) happened. Man, I really wish that I could have been with you for that one! I love the day after thanksgiving so so much! I was really really happy to hear that Jenna got to spend the day with you in my place,

though. :) I love you, Mom! :) I hope that your health and the health of everyone else is holding up. :) I know that with the holidays coming there can be more stress along with the excitement and the fun. :) keep the happiness and the love that you feel spread to everyone you know!

So, This past week was so so so up and down. Such a good week though! I believe I told you about my day with Elder Nagano (my old MTC companion) right? As a quick recap, we found two new investigators that day, and taught a whole bunch of lessons. It was really good. :) I loved it! Then we had the temple! But, to jump back into the part of the week that you haven't heard….

First on Tuesday night we had a lesson with a man by the name of N! He is one of the people that I found with Elder Nagano. It was great to see him, even though he ended up coming a half an hour late or so. While we were waiting for him we saw this man on the ground, who looked like he had fallen, and then we looked closer and he as bleeding all over the back of his head! It was a lot of blood, and definitely something I haven't seen in person before. Anyway, we met with him and were able to teach the third lesson, or the Doctrine of Jesus Christ. It was good, and he accepted the soft baptismal commitment. We loved meeting with him and invited him to meet again on Friday night, but to bring his wife! He said yes!! We were so stoked. Then Friday rolled around. We called him about five minutes before the appointment to confirm and he said that everything was still okay, and that his wife said that she was coming too! We waited for them at the church....and waited....and waited. Sadly, they didn't show up. We don't know what happened yet, because they haven't answered our phone call or any of our messages. Hopefully we can contact him and his wife soon. They seemed really prepared.

Then, on Wednesday we had a good day as well, going to a district meeting and then coming back for Boy Scouts English class! That was really fun, and we talked all about thanksgiving. And then Thursday happened. :) haha

Thursday was crazy. We had a REALLY long weekly and monthly planning, that went super well. Sadly, it also took longer than we wanted, which really took down some of our opportunity to get out and find people. Then, we went to the church for a lesson with K, who I had taught at Questions of the Soul with Elder Shurilla. This was a really intense, but really good lesson. We talked about the restoration, and then asked him what he would feel if he got an answer like Joseph Smith. He said that he doesn't want an answer from God, because he doesn't want God to be real. We found out again that he has had some really close people pass away, and he feels that if God is real, he would not let that happen. We listened and did all that we could to help him understand his need for prayer, and he finally committed to pray once. We also asked him to come to church, and he came! Sunday was a huge miracle! He came to church, and then ended up spending about 8 hours with us from church, to lunch at the church, and then going to a members house. It was so good, and I really felt the power of members in that lesson. They helped him a lot with his concerns, and as we talked about the Plan of Salvation he loved to hear that he could meet his loved ones again. I am excited to continue working with him.

Elder Cook and Elder Philips were also able to teach S in bible class is week! Also, after they taught, Elder Cook introduced some of the commandments. S seemed to be worried about some of them, and actually mailed us this weekend to tell us he doesn't want to take lessons anymore. :P We haven't give up hope yet, and are just going to do all that we can to help him. Please continue to pray for him and for his heart it be softened. :)

That was the biggest part of our week this last week! We had a lot of fun times, and I was able to go on splits with Elder Clark again. :) I love working in Japan. It is the best! I hope that things continue to go well at home. :) I also love hearing from you throughout the week.

I know the church is true. I love you so much, Mom, and I pray for you and our family. Please take care of everyone for me! I look up to you so much, and I hope that you can feel just how much I love you. I love you infinity!! :) <3

Love,

Elder Livingston

Trust in God - Letter to Dad - 29 November, 2015

Hey Dad!

How are you doing this week? Was it nice to have some days off and do stuff with the family? I am sure you were still really busy, but I hope you found some sort of time to relax. :)

I don't have quite as much time this week to write, probably, because we are bowling while doing emails (turns out bowling is okay! Haha) :) But, I do have some things that I want to share.

Trust the Lord.

Be still and know that He is God.

I have definitely felt that this week. As you read the email that I sent to Mom, you probably noticed that things were pretty up and down. Elder Cook and I have been thinking as hard as we could trying to figure out what we could do better to help people continue to progress, and trying to examine if we were doing anything wrong. I have felt strangely peaceful throughout the entire thing, which is good, and I know that the Lord is in charge. I have felt that so much.

Dad, I want you to know that I know this church is the church set up by our Savior, Jesus Christ. He put it in this earth for us to become more perfect, so that we could come closer and closer to God. This is the way He established for us to make it back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I know that we can make it back and live together in the presence of our Father forever, and I am so so so excited for that. I love you so much, Dad! I am sorry that this is so much shorter

than most weeks. :P I hope and pray that you have a good week and that you are safe. Take care of the family, especially the sick people, okay?? :) haha I love you!!

Love,

Elder Livingston