Elder Antonio Lim

Dear Friends and Family, So I'm convinced that every week at least once I fall off my bike... it's okay though cause a always have a phenomenal recovery. Well, mostly. Anyways so we had transfers this week and I'm staying here in Hofu with my ai suru companion Elder Johnson. We have yet to find our first investigator, but we've been learning a lot and getting to know the members and less active members. The members here are the best and always give us food! Thanksgiving was pretty normal, we had cereal for dinner but then made some curry right before bed so it was pretty solid. So I get to go on splits a lot in Yamaguchi and it's always a fun time. there are two new missionaries being trained there and I get to go dendo with them sometimes. So it's basically two new missionaries dendoing together going house to house and not understanding anything anyone says to us! Haha it's cool though cause I realize now how much my Japanese has improved and I usually c...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Nobody really celebrates is here so no turkey for me :( So pday is today instead of last Monday and  on Tuesday next week  because of transfers. This week has been crazy! Lots of small miracles here and there. Last pday we went to Yamaguchi and played rugby with the Elders there. It was way fun and Elder Johnson was juking people out of their socks! Then randomly a helicopter dropped in the middle of the field and took a body out so that was cool!  This area is way different than Nagasaki I have to say! It's definitely not as busy of a city, but they are building so many new houses it's crazy. The apartment is way nicer too cause it's a lot newer as well. The coolest thing is that a lot of the houses are still very traditional looking with the sweet Japanese style roofs. We are also surrounded by mountains so it's very scenic! I love it here! The ward members are very supportive and loving. there's only about 15 or less acti...

Dear Friends and Family, For those of you who don't know, I haven't just been ignoring everyone and stopping my weekly emails. I have spent the last six months at home. I had to return home to take care of things. This was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. I truly missed the mission. I had the opportunity though to come home and learn more about myself and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Let me tell you, the atonement is one of the greatest gifts on Earth. Through it and Christ, we can become reborn, changed, and grow closer to God. We can overcome our weaknesses and find true joy.  I have now returned to the mission field and am now in Yamaguchi zone, Hofu area!!! And let me tell you, I am having a blast!! I literally have the greatest companion, Elder Johnson!! He was in my MTC district!! It's so fun because we already know each other super well from the MTC. I'm literally laughing all the time. We helped chop down some bamboo and that was way fun....

Happy Easter!! I have never appreciated Easter more in my life! Even though I didn't get much candy this year! However the meaning has never meant more to me than ever before! I am truly grateful for Christ and His Hand in my life. Without Him, I would be lost. I hope that as you all celebrate Easter today, you remember the true meaning of Easter and utilize the precious gift of the atonement as much as you can! It's kinda sad cause in Japan they don't really celebrate Easter so it wasn't too big, but it was a beautiful day and we were able to share the special video the church made with lots of people! This week has been full of miracles.It's crazy seeing all the many miracles that happen each day! Every day I come home amazed at all the things that happened throughout the day! It's been such a blessing! I think I have been able to listen to the spirit a lot better now. We were able to stop people in the streets that I know were prepared by the Lord and h...

Nagasaki is going great! So far we only have one Investigator that we actually teach so we don't teach too many lessons, but we get to do a lot of Dendou! (Finding/missionary work) It was really hard at first. It's hard approaching someone and trying to talk to them, especially when a lot of the time they just start walking faster and waving their hand haha. However it's been getting better each time. I learned that I have to be more happy when I do it! I can't share a happy message if I'm not happy! So I just have to think about the joy that this message is and has brought me and it gets easier to share! So far I've crashed twice on my bike, all graceful Falls of course! But yeah it's hard to make sharp turns in the rain without your tires slipping out from under you, and you can't cross train tracks very well in the rain either, especially while going through an intersection! So those were all fun times! I'm okay so far so it's all good!...

Last week I totally spaced on telling everyone where I was assigned! My bad... haha I was assigned to the Nagasaki area in Nagasaki city and my trainer is Elder Jensen from Spanish Fork, Utah! It's been a crazy transition for sure! However everyday, it slowly becomes more like home. I still have a hard time understanding people, but it just encourages me to work harder in studying the language! It was a lot easier to do in the MTC, because we had more time! So those of you still in the MTC, take advantage of your time!!  Anyways, this week has been pretty fun. I finally got my bike so I don't have to walk everywhere anymore! Nagasaki is famous for it's hills in our mission, so I get a good leg workout everyday!  The food here is way good and the rice is so much different than in the States! It's so much better!!  Oh man so many things happen in a week but I don't have time to share everything!! I'll share one thing. So contacting people, stopping pe...

I am in Japan!! It's still hard to believe at times, I always have to double check myself and be like, woah, I'm in Japan! It's awesome here! It's like being in the Oriental Market, or Uwajimawa back in Renton, except you can't walk out of the store! I can't really understand anyone either so that's fun! It's funny, you speak a little Japanese to someone and they'll be like "Oh no you're so good!" haha but I'm really not! Oh and they have squatting toilets in some restrooms, I have yet to try those, it's a little intimidating... Anyways, trying to stop people and talk to them can be hard sometimes, they all say they're Buddhist but if you ask them what they believe, they can't tell you! Haha some people are willing to listen though and that's always nice! It can be discouraging though when they put up the hand and run away. I have to admit, for awhile I actually got homesick for the first time ever. Being out here ...