Spiritual Growth, FebruarL 23rd

My Future Plans may Change

I would love to room with my friend in college, but I also feel like I probably will be going to college in California.   The mission might be changing my mind a little, but I was thinking about applying at BYU when I get back just to see what my options are anyways, but that's a few years off.   I did meet a missionary here that is going back to BYU when he gets home. And its crazy how close in personalities we are.  He is majoring in film at BYU so he kind of wants to do the same thing as me.   I also found out that his mom has cancer as well and has been going through chemotherapy and all of that.  He is almost done with his mission but he is a really cool guy.  He made me think about trying for BYU, but then it would be really hard to transfer to USC and that is where I ultimately want to go.  I have heard that the film department at BYU isn't bad but I don't know.  I think I'm going to stay in California for school, of course that's a few years away so I don't really know at the moment, but it seems all of the missionaries here are planning to go to BYU when they get back, that just seems to be where Mormons like to go.  

Spiritual Growth

The Lord is definitely blessing me, but Ive been getting very humbled first.  I also came to a realization this past week that I have been a very selfish person, not just on my mission but my whole life.  I'm very quick to judge others, especially my companions because I am always with them.  I felt like the son of Alma the other night, I said my prayers and then I was just laying in bed and just suddenly was thinking about all the mistakes I have made while I have been on my mission, and how much better I should be.  That's the amazing thing about Christ's Atonement, I can't make it through a day without making mistakes, yet Christ loves us so much that he is willing to forgive us of everything that we do wrong.  I've always known that but it didn't really hit me until last night. 

Its really hard being with someone 24/7.  Especially when my companion is the district leader, and a Japanese person that doesn't speak much English.  He is at the end of his mission so he wants to see lots of miracles.  I have felt like we only ever do what he wants to do, and sometimes I think there are better ways to do things because I have been in ishinomaki for a while now and he just got to this area.  But since he is the district leader all of the other missionaries usually just want to talk to him.  This last week I have felt like I was just his companion that he had to drag me around everywhere.  But he is a really good person, and last night I told him I was sorry for everything.  Then he looked really confused and asked me why I was apologizing.  I guess he didn't think I had done anything wrong.  

My Companion is always pushing me to talk more with people and to improve myself.  The hardest thing though is I can't really have an in depth conversation because I don't speak much Japanese and he doesn't know much English.  My Japanese is definitely getting better though. This last week I taught a 45 minute lesson and my companion didn't even say anything during it.  One of the hardest part is just understanding what people say.  The interpretation of tongues is a completely different spiritual gift altogether, so I have been praying for that as well.

But, anyways my goal for this week is to be more Christ like by being more selfless and less selfish so hopefully that will go well!

Great Branch, New Investigators and a Visiting 70

 My heath has been pretty good, I threw up the other week, I must have eaten something bad, but I'm doing fine, I didn't go to church that day, but several members including the Branch President came over and brought me soup, the branch here in ishinomaki is really great! I'm going to be really sad when I transfer, but President Rasmussen hinted at me staying here next transfer when I was being interviewed so hopefully that will be the case. 

Also last week we got 2 new investigators, and today we are going to teach a family that we met so hopefully that will turn into another 3 investigators also.

Anyways the only other thing going on is next week we have our zone conference which should be really good, I forget his name ( Elder Koichi Aoyagi)  but we have a member of the 70 coming, he is Japanese, he had an article in the liahona this last month, so he is coming here to talk to all the missionaries in the Sendai mission,

Love you!

Elder Canepari