Email December 30, 2018

Email December 30, 2018 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Happy New Year's Everyone!

                  Today is the last day of the year! And what a great year it's been! This was the one chance in my life where I got to spend the entire year in Japan, serving God and His people. I've grown so much in the past year, I've met so many new people, made so many friendships, and seen so many miracles! I'm so grateful for all the people this year in Eniwa, Hakodate, Ebetsu, and Shiroishi, as well as other missionaries and my family and the all people back home who have made such an impact on my life this year. I'll forever treasure all the memories made in 2018, and I'm so excited to start a new year!

                  This week was great! Talking to my family on Christmas was so fun, I love you all so much! We also had Eikaiwa on Christmas so we brought snacks and had some fun afterward. We also gave out little Christmas presents to people on the street, it's fun to see how happy it makes people to receive an unexpected Christmas gift from someone they don't know. Later in the week we went to a children's library to see if we could volunteer to read to kids, but they don't allow anyone with any sort of religious connection to do that which was disappointing. But I got to see a bunch of English picture books which was fun.

Christmas Photos

The Christmas present we got from Shiroishi Ward at the Christmas party!

My desk area decorated for Christmas (thanks for the package Mom!)

Email December 23, 2018

Email December 23, 2018 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Merry Christmas Everyone!

            Sorry nobody got my group email last week, my Gmail was being way weird and instead of sending it just deleted it and wouldn't let me send or receive anything for a few days. But it's back now(I think). There's been so much awesome stuff happening in the last couple weeks, we had a ward Christmas party, temple P-day, then a special Christmas Zone Conference with two zones, and my companion keeps getting enormous Christmas packages full of food and candy! And he's awesome so he shares it with me so we've been having a sweet Christmas. At the Christmas party we had a ton of nonmembers come, some Eikaiwa students, friends of members, and a family we had just met and invited a few days before. There were so many kids there! They made little pizzas with gyoza (dumpling) dough it was awesome. I also sung and played the violin at the Christmas party. At zone conference there were a bunch of musical numbers, my companion and I performed "Away in a Manger" with my companion on the guitar and us both singing. I love Christmas music so much! Also, the day before zone conference we went caroling as a zone in Odori Park and after went to Jacksonville, a restaurant that serves gourmet American hamburgers, it was delicious. Our zone reserved the whole restaurant for an hour and it was so packed!

Photos

Christmas!  

Email December 9, 2018

Email December 9, 2018 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Hey Everyone!

                  This week was amazing! We had a few appointments fall through, but we also found a few new people and had some awesome miracles! One of the people we found was a 77 year old man named Oki San, and when we first met him he kind of started arguing about why God doesn't exist and it didn't seem like it would go anywhere but we ended up making an appointment with him for the next day. We met, and he had some weird questions about spirits and stuff, and still was very sure God was only in people's imaginations, but we told the the First Vision, briefly explained the plan of salvation, and gave him the Book of Mormon, and his whole attitude changed. He went from asking weird questions about talking to spirits to sincerely wondering what will happen to him after he dies, and he went from denying that God exists to really asking if God was there. It was really cool, I felt the Spirit guiding that lesson more than almost any lesson I've taught. So we set an appointment for the next day(he's retired and has plenty of time) but he didn't show up, probably because it was snowing pretty hard. But he also didn't answer his phone so I was worried we wouldn't see him again but he came to church right as it was ending, and we hadn't even invited him yet. So we had another lesson, and he said a prayer at the end, which was a big step, because he wasn't willing to do it before. We have another lesson this week so we're hoping to be able to set a baptismal date. It's really cool to see someone really change through the gospel.

Photos

Elder Anderson, Tamayama Shimai(the recent convert) and my companion and I.

Some Christmas lights we found!

Email December 3, 2018

Email December 3, 2018 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Hey Everyone!

                  This week was full of miracles! It was amazing! On Monday night we went to family home evening at the McClure's and my companion and I performed a small musical number. He played the guitar and I sang. On Tuesday Elder Anderson, who was my zone leader last transfer and an incredible missionary, came and worked with my companion and I for a few days and I learned a ton! He's way good at talking to people and making friends quickly, and he's really good at making missionary work fun. We also had a video chat meeting with the entire mission, and President McClure emphasized finding more natural ways to introduce people to the gospel, which I think is going to be really good. Between that and working with Elder Anderson, I think my approach to dendo is going to be a lot different from now on, and it's already made a difference this week! We found four new people to teach this week! And a few other people with interest! It's probably the most success I've had in one week on my mission. We also ended up dropping a couple people, including one of the people we found this week, and also Yukari San, the person we brought to FHE, but it's ok, they may not ready yet but they will be sometime in the future. And now we have more time and attention to devote to people who are progressing. 

Winter is here!

 

My companion making snow angels and covering his cold

Email November 25, 2018

Email November 25, 2018 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Hey Everyone!

                  This week was great! We got transfer calls and my companion and I are both staying in Shiroishi, we're way excited! We're ready to see a lot of miracles this transfer and there's already been a lot this week! Transfer day was also Thanksgiving, so we went and ate Indo-curry all you can eat naan which was great. And then snowed that evening! We were out walking, talking to people, and it was snowing just a little but none was sticking. But I said jokingly to my companion, "On our way back to the apartment we're probably going to be walking through a foot of snow." And then within the hour it started dumping snow and all of a sudden everything was covered in white. But, we were wearing our boots and warm clothes so we just continued streeting. I'm sure a few of the people we talked to only stopped because they felt bad for us dendoing in a small blizzard, but it was fun. And it was my companion's first time seeing snow pile up on the ground, since he's from Okinawa, and he loved it! It was fun watching him play in the snow for the first time. And we did end up walking home through pretty deep snow, after shoveling a member's driveway and building a tiny snowman in front of their house. The head fell off before they saw it in the morning but they still liked it.

Photos

My district trying to pose as the nativity (I'm trying to be the camel haha) 

Email November 18, 2018

Email November 18, 2018 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Hey Everyone!

                  This week was great! I was once again reminded very powerfully that this is God's work, and that He really does hear and answer our prayers. This transfer has been kind of difficult in regards to finding new people to teach and having people progress, and yesterday morning I was thinking about that and what we could've done better this transfer and I was feeling a little down and like I had failed, and so I offered a really heartfelt prayer during personal study. After that I felt a bit better, and then my companion asked what was up so I told him what I was feeling and that helped a lot too. And then at our mission coordination meeting before church one of the ward missionaries, who's about to leave to Kobe on a mission with her husband, talked about how much potential this ward has and her gratitude for what the missionaries have been doing which lifted my spirits a lot. And then at church we had a man who met with the missionaries 35 years ago just come out of nowhere! He stopped meeting with the missionaries because he thought the commandments were too strict, but he's getting older and he has a lot of questions about life and death that aren't answered in the Bible (which he's read 10 times) and he doesn't want to go to hell, and so he's been wanting to come to church for a little while and finally worked up the courage to come yesterday. It was such a miracle! We were able to have a lesson after church where we answered some of his questions and we're going to meet again and hopefully at this next lesson we can set a baptismal date. But I really learned from this experience that God answers prayers, and it's God that does this work, not us. He answered my prayer in multiple ways when I most needed it. And if we work hard and are obedient, God will bless us in His way and His time. But no matter how hard we work or how well we serve, it's God who provides the miracles. And I'm so grateful for that and for all that He does for us.

Email November 11, 2018

Email November 11, 2018 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Hey Everyone!

                  This week was amazing! I'm so grateful to be here in Japan serving the the Lord. There were some great miracles this week. On Tuesday, a mom and her three kids came to Eikaiwa! We met them on the street last week and told them about it, and the mom just immediately said 行きます(we'll go)! And they came and had a great time! The kids are 3, 4, and 7 years old and they're so much fun! We're going to invite them to learn more about the gospel so pray it goes well!

                  We also had a lesson with Yukari San, and she still has some issues keeping her from being ready to be baptized. She's allowing small, temporary problems to get in the way of seeing things from an eternal perspective, kind of like the spiritual eclipse Elder Stevenson talked about. But, we realized that part of the problem is that she doesn't understand the plan of salvation very well, even though she's been taking the lessons for a while. She doesn't really understand what the final goal exaltation is, and so doesn't have much desire to achieve it. It's pretty hard to get somewhere if you don't want to get there, and it's hard to have that desire if you don't understand it correctly, so we're going to try to reteach the plan of salvation which should help.

Email November 4, 2018

Email November 4, 2018 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Hey Everyone!

                  This week was great! We had zone conference on Friday which was amazing! One of the big things I got from it was how important it is to have a vision. If you don't have a vision, it doesn't matter how hard you work, you won't get anywhere because you don't have a destination. A vision gives us something to strive for and motivates us to push through obstacles. I also learned how important it is to do the work the Lord's way, even if it seems inconvenient, ineffective, or scary. It will always go better in the end if you do it His way.

                  On Saturday we took one of the people we're teaching to a tour of the temple run by the Sapporo West stake and it went really well. Then the next day she also came to stake conference which was awesome. Before it started my companion told her that if she paid attention, she could find answers to her questions from the talks given. And then the talks all seemed to answer her questions, it was such a miracle! Between the temple tour and stake conference, I think her heart has really been softened and I think we'll be able to set a baptismal date this week. Also at stake conference, a member of our ward who was baptized last year, as well as a member from Eniwa, my first area, received the Melchizedek Priesthood! It's really cool to see people not just get baptized but continue to progress and receive even more of the blessings God has promised them if they remain faithful. Stake conference was also great because Elder Yamashita of the Seventy came, his talk was great, and he also had an interview with another person we're teaching. His name is Kawamura San and he's been coming to church every week for months but hasn't been baptized. But it sounds like the interview helped him a lot so hopefully he'll be ready to make that step soon. Going to church and reading the scriptures is so important, and God is pleased when His children do that. But God wants to give us so much more than just happiness in this life, He wants to grant us eternal life, and in order to receive that we must be baptized and make that covenant with God to follow Him always. I know that the hope of eternal life is real and I want all of God's children to be able to receive it. I love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Burton

Email November 1, 2018

Email November 1, 2018 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Hey Everyone!

                  We have zone conference tomorrow which is why this email is so late. This week was awesome! On Thursday we went and picked up trash on a bike path near the temple with some other missionaries, and we met someone who lives in Shiroishi who met with the missionaries before! She stopped because they asked her to get baptized before she knew anything about baptism so she got scared, but she seemed interested in meeting again. She wouldn't exchange contact info though so hopefully she'll come to church sometime.

Photos from Shiroishi

Halloween Party!

 

Email October 24, 2018

Email October 24, 2018 – Elder Jackson Kunzler Burton

Hey Everyone!

                  This week has flown by! Today was temple P-day which is why I'm emailing late, I love the temple so much! It's such a blessing having it in my mission. It really helps me keep an eternal perspective and reminds me why I'm doing what I'm doing. It's also fun seeing missionaries from other areas, including my previous companion Elder Tonomura, he's doing great.

                  This week was busy! We met with a few of the people who were being taught before this area closed, and they have a lot of potential. A couple of them have been to church quite a few times, have taken all the lessons, and there's just a few problems keeping them from being baptized, but we're gonna try and help them through those so they can really come unto Christ. We've also been doing a lot of finding and found some people with potential if they'll just make time to meet. We also went to a member's English class's Halloween party to help out which was awesome, I love spending time with kids! I'll send pictures. I was a samurai and my companion was a pirate, it was a blast!

Photos from Sapporo

Closest thing to pizza - Cheese Naan!

My new companion Elder Minegishi!

Making sushi at zone conference

Email October 14, 2018

Email October 14, 2018

Transfers!

Hey Everyone!

                  This week was awesome and crazy! We had transfers, and after 4 transfers, or about 6 months in Ebetsu, I'm finally gone! I'm gonna miss it so much, I'll never forget all the memories and the friends I made there. I also grew so much during those 6 months. But I'm now in Shiroishi! It's a part of Sapporo, so I'm in the big city now haha. There's so many people! This area was closed last transfer so my companion and I are reopening it, meaning neither of us know anything about the area, which is actually really fun, it gives us kind of a clean slate to work with. My companion is Elder Minegishi, he's from Okinawa and he's awesome! He has a lot of energy and excitement, and it's funny because the stereotype is that Japanese missionaries are a little more reserved, while the American ones are really outgoing, but in our companionship it's kind of the opposite. I've had a Japanese missionary tell me I have a Japanese-like personality and I heard someone tell Elder Minegishi he acts like an American so it's pretty fun. I'm really glad to have a Japanese companion again, and he's an awesome missionary, he works really hard and is way good at talking to people. I know we're going to see a lot of miracles this transfer.