Blog of Elder JT Lamoreaux

Monday, July 20, 2015

Another week in Maizuru!

Summer Matsuri! (Festival)


So many people!  This is Matsuri.  They have mini shops and festival games and food stands all lined up in front of the Japanese shrine.  It was pretty fun to go there.





Some of the kids were amazed by my iPad...


Filipino Night 

Pig eats for Sisig :) 

Sisig
Sinigang!
Yummy!!  Reminded me of home!



This is what the Japanese people depict as the Judgement. The guy at the desk is supposedly Jesus Christ or the one who judges. The mirror on the bottom left replays your works in this life. The good people go up to the peaceful place and the bad people are punished. Very similar to the interpretation in Dante's Inferno where people are punished according to the specific sins that they would commit. Pretty interesting.


 Amanohashidatte! 天橋立



This place is so beautiful and pretty famous as well.  Search
"Ama no Hashidatte" on Google and I think you can see what it is better than I can explain it.




Ama no Hashidatte is a 4 kilometer land bridge which connects two peninsulas together.  It is so beautiful and we were able to go on a perfect day.


My favorite.  Man riding a Turtle

Surprise!  We are riding a lift up to a view point where you can see a great view of Amanohashidatte. 




At the top of the view point.
We walked all the way across.  It is so cool!


Here is our Branch President who so kindly took us here this morning.


Living the missionary life!  Solo.............. :( 


This is a very famous pose to do in this place. Look at the view between your legs. Don't ask me why...
Here is a sign that explains!

You can take a cable car instead of the lift.
 The down trip!


Now we are taking the boat back!!



Seagull selfie



It feels like I am flying with the birds!  The seagulls are very hungry so they follow the boat and everyone throws bread and crackers at them and they catch it!  It is so fun and they are right in front of you.  I could've easily touched one.  Awesome!!


Dear Everyone,

So I basically talked about all the things that happened this week in my pictures... Other than those things, there isn't much else to talk about haha. The Filipino food activity was so awesome! The food reminded me of home and everyone who came loved it as well. Also, today is a holiday in Japan, so our branch president took us to a famous place in our area called Ama no Hashidatte. It was super awesome with surprise lift rides and a boat ride. Check out the pictures that I sent.

So I will share something from my studies this week. I read an article in the Liahona that talked about the need for enduring to the end, especially when you have hard trials. It took me to D&C 121, 122 and 123, where Joseph Smith has been in prison for a few months and he prays to Heavenly Father asking why. Why did he have to suffer like this, why did all these hard things have to happen to his people, the righteous followers of Christ. This is what the Lord says to him in 121:7-8 "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." Then he elaborates in 122:6-9. The Lord talks about all these horrible, extremely hard things that could happen in life and then says "know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" Then he promises this in 123:17 "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." We are given trials for a reason. God knows us each so much. He knows are weaknesses, our strengths, our joys and our sorrows. He also knows what we can potentially become. Because of that, we experience trials and hardships. Only through overcoming those trials can we become who God wants us to become. Trials give us experiences that will help us later on in life. We need to always see the bigger picture and remember that we are destined to inherit all that God hath. Again, that is the beauty of the Gospel; getting up every time we fall. God is walking with us each step of the way. Sometimes, he is carrying us. Trust him in all things, even or especially in trials, and all will work out for your good. I know that is true.

Love you all! Sorry for the short email. Look for the pictures I send. Have an amazing week!

Love,
Elder Lamoreaux

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