Monday, November 11th, 2013

Hey everybody! 

Thank you so much for the great email this last week.  I am so sorry to hear about the Cooney family and the loss of Betty.  I remember meeting her one time, at least I think it was her, on a plane ride back from Salt Lake many years ago.  I have a very vague memory of that so I'm not totally sure if I'm right.  But in the end, it brings a little bit of joy to my heart to hear and know that she endured to the end and is now gaining her eternal rewards.  I truly believe that.  

Ya know, here in Japan, they believe in one of two things.  They either believe that after they die, the wicked go to hell and the righteous are reincarnated into a different form, destined to continue this never ending struggle of sorrow and pain.  Kind of a dark perspective.  Or they believe that there is nothing after you die, it's the total end of everything.  Actually, I just got out of a lesson with one of our investigators, Zach, and we asked him what he thought about it and he told us that he was taught in a Buddhist school that reincarnation is real and that he might come back as a bug if he didn't work hard.  But he didn't believe it. However, when he thought about the normal Christian alternative of heaven and hell, he felt really bad 'cause he was worried that he would go to hell.  So now he has concluded that he just shouldn't think about death at all and just give it his all until he dies. But he is 19 and is completely miserable at this point.  He is reaching out for help, but will never admit it 'cause of pride.  He wants to change, but change is scary for him.  He has gone through child abuse, starvation, abandonment, and now he is going through poverty.  We read 1 Nephi with him, showing him how the scriptures relate to him and when we got to the point were it talks about Nephi being born of goodly parents, we asked him if he loved his parents and he told us that he hates his father and doesn't love his mother.  His father beat him and abandoned him for months at a time as a child and his mother bosses him around so he doesn't love her, he respects her, but he sees her as a symbol of oppression that he needs to overcome.  I told him that like Nephi, I learned so much from my father.  I told him how we would always go camping together and how he taught me everything I need to know about camping.  And how while we would camp he taught me life lessons and shared his testimony with me.  I told him how much I love my father.  I told him that the key to parenting, the key to influencing people and the key to raising children is love.  He then asked us what love is like.  He said he doesn't know what love is and that he dearly wants to know.  I shared Moroni 7:44-48 with him and told him to go home and study those verses and to come back and tell me what love is.  I feel too much love from the people around, especially my family, to think that this life is the end of all happiness. There is more to life than work, school, movies and golf.  I know there is a greater purpose for us, each of us, and this life is nothing more than preparation for the next one.  

I am afraid that this is all I can share due to time this week.  Thank you, mom, for feeding the missionaries.  I have been fed once by the Relief Society back when I was in Yachiyo ward, I know how much they appreciate it.  

I love you all so much!!!  This week is transfer calls so hopefully I don't go anywhere, but with my history, who knows whats going to happen!!! 

Muchos Gracias, 

Elder Crandall