Blessings, blessings....

1. I've found myself in 3 different situations the last week where I was asked to answer number of questions about my life, and history. Some questions I had control of; like drugs/alcohol,etc. or if I have a testimony that Jesus is my Savior, that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and restored the Gospel, and if I sustain my church leaders, etc. Others I haven't controlled: Parents still together, relationships with family members, health concerns, traumatic experiences, etc. During these little interviews it felt incredible to recognize how blessed I have been in my life and I was happy to answer every question. I realize that with great blessings comes great responsibility. So my mind has been turning a bit thinking about how I need to step it all up a knotch. I should start writing these on paper, I'm finding lots of great New Year's Resolutions.

2. Last night, I missed a call from one of my dear friends who got baptized on my mission, from Matsuyama. She left a message though and it was so sweet to hear her voice. I could tell she had written out a whole script in English to say first, and then she busted out the Japanese. (I love hearing them speak English.) But she told me her oldest son was baptized in October! It was such a surprise. I knew he was taking discussions from the missionaries at college, and hearing of his baptism was just so exciting. When we taught her, Noriko Yoshimoto, we would help her son, Yuuta with his English homework. And the elders would visit him often for English lessons too. I'm grateful for their example and encouragement, I think it really made an impact on him. And when he went to college far from home, he ran into elders and began the discussions. My heart is just so full to think about how far Sister Yoshimoto has come since we taught her and that she is still strong and even saw her oldest baptized as well. I think her other son, who is considerably younger will follow his older brother and mom, I have hope her husband will find interest in the Gospel soon too. It's an awesome feeling to know I was there when they learned the Gospel and when the start of this family's eternal happiness began to unfold.

And I can't help but hope that Yuuta Kun will serve a mission too. A goal we were told as missionaries was to teach and find one who would convert, be baptized, and choose to serve a mission themself, to help the work progress on the Earth. I'm hoping Yuuta will be one who will choose to serve a mission. Blessings, blessings....