Goooooood Morning Friends and Family!
This Monday marks the start of an incredibly busy week for us! We`re
launching Phase 2 of our iPad rollout this week with the Area Book
Planner Application and I`m really really excited! The Area Book
Planner app is legit. Its crazy how much stuff we can do on our iPads.
The Lords work really is hastening. We had a staff meeting with
President W this morning to go over what we will be training and
how we will teach the missionaries the correct principles to use the
iPads and Area Book Planner more effectively. I think I learned more
in the two hours we were with him than I have in the last week! I
absolutely love my mission president.
We had a really cool experience in church yesterday with the Young
Men in our ward here in Kobe. There`s an American family in the ward
from Illinois and the Dad was back in the U.S. for work so the Mom
asked me during Sacrament Meeting if I would translate during Young
Mens for her Son, so I did. We have 5 or 6 young men and I don`t think
a single one of them really want to be there. I can perfectly relate
to them at that age... The Young Men`s President in the ward is a
really awesome guy that returned from his mission a year ago (He was
actually in the MTC with my Trainer, Elder S). The theme for
this month is the Restoration so he gave a great lesson explaining the
Restoration to all of us. He was a way good missionary, so of course
it was straight out of PMG in his own words. He was doing great and I
wasn`t really focusing on the young men in the room because I was
translating for the American boy. I looked around the room at one
point when the teacher asked everyone, "Why did the church need to be
restored?" and no one answered. It`s a question thats a little bit on
the difficult side, but I thought he might get an answer out of
someone there at least. All of the boys looked really uninterested and
bored so I asked if I could share my testimony about the Restoration.
I looked around the room at the boys and was filled with charity and
compassion because I saw a little bit of who I once was in all of
them. I saw the lack of real understanding and confusion that comes
from being 14 years old. I told them that when I was their age, I
really didn`t like to go to church either. I didn`t understand why it
was important or why we had to go in the first place. Of course my
testimony grew and I started to realize what was really important in
my life when I got a little older, but a particular experience in the
MTC set in stone my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I told them
that I went to choir every week for my two months in the MTC and one
of the weeks, we sang "Praise to the Man" for Elder Richard G. Scott.
Never before did I realize that strongly that Joseph really was a
Prophet of God. "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven; Earth
must atone for the blood of that man. Wake up the world for the
conflict of justice. Millions shall know Brother Joseph again." I
bore my witness that Joseph was indeed chosen by God as the Prophet of
the Restoration and tears filled my eyes. Never before has Japanese
come that clearly, and it might not come that way ever again, but I
know that those boys felt the power of the Spirit through the words
the Lord put in my mouth. I love feeling like a mouthpiece for our
Father in Heaven.
Men in our ward here in Kobe. There`s an American family in the ward
from Illinois and the Dad was back in the U.S. for work so the Mom
asked me during Sacrament Meeting if I would translate during Young
Mens for her Son, so I did. We have 5 or 6 young men and I don`t think
a single one of them really want to be there. I can perfectly relate
to them at that age... The Young Men`s President in the ward is a
really awesome guy that returned from his mission a year ago (He was
actually in the MTC with my Trainer, Elder S). The theme for
this month is the Restoration so he gave a great lesson explaining the
Restoration to all of us. He was a way good missionary, so of course
it was straight out of PMG in his own words. He was doing great and I
wasn`t really focusing on the young men in the room because I was
translating for the American boy. I looked around the room at one
point when the teacher asked everyone, "Why did the church need to be
restored?" and no one answered. It`s a question thats a little bit on
the difficult side, but I thought he might get an answer out of
someone there at least. All of the boys looked really uninterested and
bored so I asked if I could share my testimony about the Restoration.
I looked around the room at the boys and was filled with charity and
compassion because I saw a little bit of who I once was in all of
them. I saw the lack of real understanding and confusion that comes
from being 14 years old. I told them that when I was their age, I
really didn`t like to go to church either. I didn`t understand why it
was important or why we had to go in the first place. Of course my
testimony grew and I started to realize what was really important in
my life when I got a little older, but a particular experience in the
MTC set in stone my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I told them
that I went to choir every week for my two months in the MTC and one
of the weeks, we sang "Praise to the Man" for Elder Richard G. Scott.
Never before did I realize that strongly that Joseph really was a
Prophet of God. "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven; Earth
must atone for the blood of that man. Wake up the world for the
conflict of justice. Millions shall know Brother Joseph again." I
bore my witness that Joseph was indeed chosen by God as the Prophet of
the Restoration and tears filled my eyes. Never before has Japanese
come that clearly, and it might not come that way ever again, but I
know that those boys felt the power of the Spirit through the words
the Lord put in my mouth. I love feeling like a mouthpiece for our
Father in Heaven.
We had one of our investigators come to church for the third week in
a row yesterday so wish us luck with him and his family! He brought
his daughters to our soccer activity on Saturday and really seems like
he`s getting to know the members really well and liking what we have
to offer as Latter Day Saints. Pray we can baptize!
I`ll leave my testimony this week as a thank you to my wonderful
Mother, it`s her birthday today (Monday). I love my Mom. I wouldn`t be
even close to the man I am today were it not for her sweet spirit and
example to me in my life. They say that behind every successful man is
a very patient and wonderful wife, well I would venture to say that
behind every successful missionary is a very loving, caring, and
extremely patient mother. There is no mistake that I learned how to
work hard and get things done from Mom (sorry Dad). She`s one of the
greatest examples I have in my life and I`m honored to be called her
son. I love you, Mom. Have an amazing birthday! I love you!
And I love you all, too! Have an awesome week!
Elder Jeffrey Maxwell Giles, Son of George and Sharie Giles
(love you guys)
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