Kinjo Reio

Kinjo and Elder Sherrill

 Another awesome week in Okinawa! I am loving it down here! My companion and I have been so blessed these past few weeks. Before I talk about our investigator that was baptized this past week, we got transfer calls! However, we are staying together and nothing is changing haha. That was what I was expecting though so that is good, I didn't want to leave anytime soon. So I'm really excited for this next transfer and the success I know we are going to see!

Zone Blitz

So on to Kinjo! He is so awesome! I don't have as much time as I had last time but I will try and give a quick summary of how we met him and his progression in the gospel. He was actually found last year by a set of Sister missionaries who he rejected in the summer time. Then some elders came by again and asked him some similar questions and he
decided to give it a try since they had come so soon after the Sister missionaries. They taught him periodically without much success. When I first got here he was a pretty "sketchy" investigator and my companion was pretty close to dropping him. He wouldn't really meet us and it took a couple weeks before I first ended up meeting him. When we met him we actually had a really good lesson and it seemed like his interest was very high, he seemed to just have been taught things to fast before getting a fundamentally belief in God. So my old companion and I focused our first couple lessons solely on God and Jesus Christ
and it helped him develop that belief so when we went to other gospel topics he could build upon the foundation he already had.

Homemade Sushi

Then after transfers came we set up a baptismal date with him and promised him if he started to come to church weekly and meet with us twice a week rather than once, he would receive an answer whether or not to be baptized. He boldly accepted and said he wanted to work really hard to make his date, and he did! As we went through and taught him commandments, he exercised great faith in following Heavenly Father and obeying some of the commandments he still fully didn't comprehend why we have them. One of them being keeping the sabbath day holy, including not shopping on Sunday. He expressed his concern that on Sunday is when they have the best deals for food. So we went through with him how the Lord blesses us as we keep the commandments and gives us ways to be happier than we would be if we wouldn't follow them. He again accepted and trusted in his Heavenly Father.

Traditional Transfer Morning Breakfast with Foist Couple

Shortly thereafter, we finished his lessons and he was baptized just this last week! Like I said in my previous email, the plan was for me to baptize him originally because that's what he requested. But then Nishihara suggested that I confirm him and Elder Lyutsov baptize him. However, when we presented that to Kinjo, he said he still wanted me to baptize him rather than Lyutsov so that's what we did! I actually had to baptize him 3 times because each time he kept lifting his legs up under water as I submerged his chest haha, It was quite the experience. I never would have guessed we would have seen so much success this transfer, but Heavenly Father truly does lead this work and is helping many people become prepared!

Kinjo after his Baptism

I love this work and I simply love being a missionary. It is so different than anything I could have imagined it being and is so
rewarding. I am looking forward to all the time I have left! I love you guys, until next week!

Love,

シェリル長老