Hump Daaaaayyyyy!!!💸🐫⛩ (Week 53)

Konnichiwa! Yet another great week here in the Land of the Rising Sun! We have seen so many amazing miracles and felt the spirit so much. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to serve as a missionary here in Yokosuka, Japan. It hasn't always been a walk in the park, but as we have gone out and served with faith, we have seen so many amazing blessings.

Last Monday, for p-day, we went bowling as a district (minus the sisters because they were being lame). Obviously I bowled the best, but it was fun for everyone else as well haha. On Tuesday, Elder Thomson and I packed up my bike, trained out down to Kita-Kurihama, rebuilt my bike, walked half an hour out to Asahi (the bike store), bought Elder Thomson a bike, and biked about 45 minutes back home. The fun part about the story is that all that took place during a huge rain storm. We were completely soaked by probably 2 minutes after leaving the apartment, so everything after that didn't really matter haha. The good news is, we were able to successfully purchase a bike and make it home safely. On Wednesday, we had Zone Conference up in Yokohama. The first LDS missionaries (Heber J. Grant, Alma O. Taylor) landed in Yokohama in September of 1901 so we had a special zone Conference in Commemoration of them. The church building is only about one block from where they stayed when they were here. It was an amazing Zone Conference and I learned a lot about the history of missionary work in Japan and the promises made to the people here. It is truly a blessing to have been called to serve in such an amazing place. Thursday and Friday were filled with planning and street contacting. We met some great people so hopefully something good will come of it. Saturday was definitely the highlight of the week. We had a baptism! It was probably the most spiritual Baptism I have ever witnessed. Because our church building doesn't have a baptismal font, we trained up to Kamakura and used their church building. Elder McDonald performed the baptism and Elder Thomson and I were witnesses. The lady who received baptism had been meeting with the Sister missionaries for a while now and has such a strong testimony. She is like super quiet and if you stand more than 3 feet away, you can't hear her, but she is just amazing. She read, understood, and prayed about the entire Book of Mormon in just one month. How awesome is that!? Her testimony is strong and I know she'll do great things in the Church. On Sunday, we had a great Sacrament meeting and had the opportunity to visit the Bishop's family for dinner. They are a way loud and way fun Family. Reminded me of home haha. After that, we were able to go with the Bishop to visit an older lady in the Ward. We were able to do some service and share a spiritual message about the grace of God. It was way good and the spirit was super strong. And that just about sums up our week. This past week was the type of week that missionaries live for. Lots of service, lots of spirit, and lots of success.

As of last Thursday, I have served as a missionary for one year. "One year older and wiser too?" -Elder Cuff. This past year has honestly been one of the most difficult and greatest of my life. I have seen the miracles of God, experienced his hand in my life, and grown into the man that He knows I can become. I love my mission and I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to serve here in Japan. The past year has been amazing and I am looking forward to the year to come. The Lord has great things in store for me, the people of Japan, and everyone else out there. Look for the miracles and the grace of God in your life every day, because I promise you they are there.

To all my fam out there, thank you for all the love and support! It means everything to me and I'll thank you all in person one day. Hope everyone has a great week! I love you all and I'll see you in a year!

サドラー長老