Letter from Matlock - 7 September 2010
Dear (Family in Japanese characters),
Well, our investigator dropped us.  We had a lesson with him Tuesday which went fantastic.  We taught him about prayer and he said he liked how God is so close to us since we are praying directly to him and not through someone else.  He said he would read and pray.  We had a dinner with him and a member family after which we had a lesson where we watched a film about the restoration and then talked about Joseph Smith and the power of prayer.  We challenged him to pray about Joseph Smith but he said he didn't like being told to pray about other people.  He also told us about many past experiences with Christians and missionaries that had ended unfavorably.  Later after that he called us and said he didn't think he'd like to go to the dinner another member family invited him to.  We said, ok, we'll see you at church then?  But he replied that he didn't think that would make him happy.  What. The. Heck.  It's as if I'm not talking to the same person anymore.  How on earth can you say that when just less than a week earlier you said church gives you energy?!  For crying out loud, he had a dream telling him church would make him happy!!  How on earth can you forget about all of that as well as the spirit burning in the bosom which I know he felt during our lessons.  How can all of that change in one day liek the flip of a switch!?  I can't fathom what more I could have done for him.  He's had so many trials in his life and even still he has struggles he's facing today.  If he would just accept this message I know he would feel a peace, comfort and sense of security he's never known before.  In case you can't tell...I'm frustrated!
Even though our investigator didn't come we still went and had dinner with the member family.  The wife is among the first baptisms in Okinawa Japan, and she showed us a picture of her family.  All of their children and grandchildren.  They have a huge family, and all of them are members of the church, and all of them have felt the joy of having the gospel in their lives, from one baptism.  Many of them have already served missions and many will serve missions.  That heightened my resolve.  If that can happen from one baptism then who's to say what's a waste or not?
People keep telling me I look or sound tired.  In a lot of these instances I feel perfectly fine.  My hypothesis is a missionary's definition of tired is different from a normal persons definition of tired.  So a normal persons tired is the missionary average, which makes a missionaries tired, well - extremely tired.
I suspect I'll be transferred at the beginning of this next week.  As great as Sakado is I'm ready to leave.  I need some new people and new scenery.
Well this week wasn't too exciting - next week will certainly be more interesting.
Love you all,
(Elder Wyman in Japanese characters)