Today a family is getting baptized here in the Kobe ward, the Matsumotos. The sisters taught them and the dad, mom, and oldest son are all getting baptized. Their other child is a 6 year-old(?) girl so she won't get baptized tonight. Family baptisms are the best and I am excited to attend.
In other news there isn't too much. We went bowling as a district on Monday. We split our last preparation day last Saturday so we could do something fun as a district on Monday since we have a different preparation day than all of them. Elder Maeda and I passed our driving test to get our Japanese driver's licenses. It was his 3rd time and my 2nd. I did so badly on my first try but this time there was no pressure because Elder Osaka already has a valid Japanese driver's licenses, Elder Maeda passed his test right before I did, and I won't probably need it for more than these last three weeks that I am probably going to be in the mission office. I really don't like my picture. I don't think I was allowed to smile but I didn't ask. Besides that I just look fat and weird. Anyway the bookmark is getting there and I'm still waiting on pictures from about half of the missionaries as far as the DVD goes.
Thanksgiving will be almost like the real thing since we're in the office and Costco is only about an hour away. I'll tell you how it goes.
Have a great week and keep up all the great work that all of you are doing.
Lots of love,
Corey
PS I got the last two letters from Dad including the one with the email from Kate Herrod (soon to be Sister Herrod).
PPS Love you mom.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
This transfer is winding down to an end
I can't believe I have been in the mission office for a whole transfer now. It is crazy how time flies. I have a lot of things down but my to do list is still fairly long. With transfers coming up this week it is sure to be a busy one.
I have been so blessed to have my companion Elder Maeda. He is such a sweethart. I know that probably sounds kind of strange but he really has a huge heart and is as genuine as can be. He is so much fun to be around. He always tries his best and constantly wants to do better. He reminds me a lot of myself in the fact that he is really hard on himself when he messes up but that is a trait we are both trying to work on together. He was born in Japan. His dad is Japanese and his mom is third-generation Japanese American from Hawaii. They moved to Utah when he was 12 and his family still lives there. He went to the U and wants to be a doctor. He is fluent in both English and Japanese and sometimes I teach him a few Spanish words I can remember. We are helping each other grow a lot. His brother just left on a mission to Canada. I can't remember which mission, but it isn't the same one Sister Riley is in though.
It excites me to here everyone doing so well. I'm doing great too.
I can't thinks of much too write. I feel like I have gotten so used to everything that nothing seems too extraordinary anymore. For instance, I eat sushi about once a week or once every two weeks, but that has just become so normal. I feel badly I didn't write more about all of the new, exciting things when I got here. If you want to know about anything great or small let me know. I would be more than happy to write about it all. By the way, don't worry about asking the same question more than once because sometimes I forget.
You are all the best and I just want you to know how grateful I am to all of you. You are all pushing and cheering me on for which I am enternally grateful. Let's all keep it up. I love you so much. The gospel is true. It fixes lives and heals hearts. It is the only true and lasting joy in this earth. Christ is my Savior and has picked me up so many times when I have fallen down. This gospel was restored through Joseph Smith and it is all we need to feel lasting peace and happiness not only forever but in the here and now. You are all the greatest and just keep on keeping on
I have been so blessed to have my companion Elder Maeda. He is such a sweethart. I know that probably sounds kind of strange but he really has a huge heart and is as genuine as can be. He is so much fun to be around. He always tries his best and constantly wants to do better. He reminds me a lot of myself in the fact that he is really hard on himself when he messes up but that is a trait we are both trying to work on together. He was born in Japan. His dad is Japanese and his mom is third-generation Japanese American from Hawaii. They moved to Utah when he was 12 and his family still lives there. He went to the U and wants to be a doctor. He is fluent in both English and Japanese and sometimes I teach him a few Spanish words I can remember. We are helping each other grow a lot. His brother just left on a mission to Canada. I can't remember which mission, but it isn't the same one Sister Riley is in though.
It excites me to here everyone doing so well. I'm doing great too.
I can't thinks of much too write. I feel like I have gotten so used to everything that nothing seems too extraordinary anymore. For instance, I eat sushi about once a week or once every two weeks, but that has just become so normal. I feel badly I didn't write more about all of the new, exciting things when I got here. If you want to know about anything great or small let me know. I would be more than happy to write about it all. By the way, don't worry about asking the same question more than once because sometimes I forget.
You are all the best and I just want you to know how grateful I am to all of you. You are all pushing and cheering me on for which I am enternally grateful. Let's all keep it up. I love you so much. The gospel is true. It fixes lives and heals hearts. It is the only true and lasting joy in this earth. Christ is my Savior and has picked me up so many times when I have fallen down. This gospel was restored through Joseph Smith and it is all we need to feel lasting peace and happiness not only forever but in the here and now. You are all the greatest and just keep on keeping on
Lots of love,
Corey
Corey
Friday, October 15, 2010
October 15, 2010
General conference was really great. I definitely got a lot more out of Sat's sessions than Sunday's but it was all wonderful. I really liked Elder Holland's talk and President Uchtdorf's talk about slowing down during turbulance.
We also had zone conference this week and Elder Aoyagi of the second quorum of the Seventy and Asia North Area Presidency came. He also came to tour the mission in Hiroshima last November. He told the Isas about the consolidation at that time. I still didn't understand Japanese well enough to get everything out of his message but this time I did. In the morning session he gave us some more background on the story he shared in his conference talk last April like why he picked that topic, what scripture Sister Aoyagi shared in the letter she sent him, etc. I was cool to get a deeper understanding of the event that changed the whole course of Elder Aoyagi's life. I also got to translate some of his and his wife's remarks from Japanese to English and that was pretty fun at first but it gets a little tyring. He gave us all hugs after the conference. If it wasn't amazing enough to get a hug from a general authority, what made it even more special is the fact that Japanese people, especially men, are not very outwardly affectionate. It is amazing how having the gospel in your life completely changes you whether it be gaining direction in your life or increasing your ability to love others or any of the other wonderful blessing the gospel brings into our lives.
Sorry to end on kind of a less spiritual note but in concert with (that phrase doesn't sound right but I'm forgetting English I guess) zone conference, we published the Kobe mission newsletter for the whole mission. On Sunday night they let me edit it and from a yearbook standpoint it was a mess. There were all of these random font, random font sizes, formatting inconsistancies, bad punctuation among other things. It was fun to use my yearbook skills to improve it as best as I could in the limited time I had. Who would have thought I would use those kinds of "gifts of the Spirit" on my mission? I have copies of the before and after that I will show you when I get home.
I love all of you and thank you so much for all of the help from looking up school stuff and checking on other random things, to your constant prayers and supporting emails. I hope all is well and you keep up the good work!
We also had zone conference this week and Elder Aoyagi of the second quorum of the Seventy and Asia North Area Presidency came. He also came to tour the mission in Hiroshima last November. He told the Isas about the consolidation at that time. I still didn't understand Japanese well enough to get everything out of his message but this time I did. In the morning session he gave us some more background on the story he shared in his conference talk last April like why he picked that topic, what scripture Sister Aoyagi shared in the letter she sent him, etc. I was cool to get a deeper understanding of the event that changed the whole course of Elder Aoyagi's life. I also got to translate some of his and his wife's remarks from Japanese to English and that was pretty fun at first but it gets a little tyring. He gave us all hugs after the conference. If it wasn't amazing enough to get a hug from a general authority, what made it even more special is the fact that Japanese people, especially men, are not very outwardly affectionate. It is amazing how having the gospel in your life completely changes you whether it be gaining direction in your life or increasing your ability to love others or any of the other wonderful blessing the gospel brings into our lives.
Sorry to end on kind of a less spiritual note but in concert with (that phrase doesn't sound right but I'm forgetting English I guess) zone conference, we published the Kobe mission newsletter for the whole mission. On Sunday night they let me edit it and from a yearbook standpoint it was a mess. There were all of these random font, random font sizes, formatting inconsistancies, bad punctuation among other things. It was fun to use my yearbook skills to improve it as best as I could in the limited time I had. Who would have thought I would use those kinds of "gifts of the Spirit" on my mission? I have copies of the before and after that I will show you when I get home.
I love all of you and thank you so much for all of the help from looking up school stuff and checking on other random things, to your constant prayers and supporting emails. I hope all is well and you keep up the good work!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
2 Baptisms Later...
Everything went great last weekend with the two baptisms. I have full faith in the Senri ward members and Elder McLaws and Elder Kurose helping them endure to the end. It was really fun to return to an area where I had served before. Everyone was surprised and happy to see me. Senri was my shortest area since I transferred in two weeks after the transfer day when the mission was consolidated and left 1 1/2 weeks before the transfer ended to get training here in the mission office. Well anyways both of the baptisms were amazing. Elder McLaws baptized Brother Hayashi. The YSA in the ward all love him and he will be a great member. I was able to conduct the hymns that we sang as we waited for them to change after the ordinance which was really fun. I just felt so full of joy singing hymns and knowing that in some small way I helped Brother Hayashi come closer to his Savior, true happiness, and eternal life with his future family.
Brother Yoshihiro Sato's baptism was really early, but they wanted to confirm him the same day so we made it work. I felt just as nervous as he did. He doesn't show much expression but he was definitely ready to be baptized. Like almost all of the baptisms here in Japan, the service was held in the chapel. Sato and I sat up front on the stand. The elders and sisters serving in the two wards that use that building sang The Olive Tree in English. It immediately made me think of Christina and all of her hard work serving in Oklahoma and helping the people there. It felt only fitting that in that small way the Lord connected the work I was doing here with what she did there. The actual ordinance could have gone smoother but it was still great. It was my first time ever baptizing anyone. Even though I had the prayer memorized it still didn't flow out very smoothly. I guess it was just hard to believe I was actually doing it and all of those thoughts forced me to say it very slow and deliberately. Before they opened the partition to the baptismal font I had to quickly explain what he was supposed to do and how exactly everything actually goes. It was hard to explain everything clearly mostly because of nerves and not really because of the language. I did remember to tell him to bend his knees and plug his nose though. So anyways I finished the prayer and went to submerge him in the water but I noticed his face wasn't completely covered so with a little nudge and a good second effort we were able to get it done in only one try. I wondered why it was so hard to get him all the way under until Bishop Fukutaki mentioned in his remarks that he didn't plug his nose which then thinking back he hadn't. Another thing was the font is pretty narrow so I hesitated to go too fast to make sure his head didn't hit the wall. I felt really awkward for not doing it very well but a baptism is a baptism and it is the covenant that counts not anything else. Everyone was really encouraging saying I did a good job of getting it done on the first try. After they reclosed the partition I waited in the font as the water drained and Sato was changing. It was a really special experience. I remember looking up into the sky light and just thinking that I actually got to baptize someone. It wasn't that I hadn't felt satisfied with what I had did up until that point but it was just so rewarding to be there and help an 18 year-old young man find direction in his life. It was like an outward sign that everything I had done up until that point, not just as a missionary but in my life in general, was pleasing before God. It's like that is what I was preparing for for 20 years and 8 months, why I went to church every week, why I went to seminary, studied the scriptures, prayed, studied this tough language. worked to the point of utter exhaustion, got back up after hard times, why I wanted to become a missionary. It was great and I can't wait until we get to see baptisms here in Kobe.
I love you all. Thanks for the encouragement, prayers, and just living as the best disciple of Jesus Christ you can be everyday. That's really all it comes down to so just keep it up.
Lots of love,
Corey
Brother Yoshihiro Sato's baptism was really early, but they wanted to confirm him the same day so we made it work. I felt just as nervous as he did. He doesn't show much expression but he was definitely ready to be baptized. Like almost all of the baptisms here in Japan, the service was held in the chapel. Sato and I sat up front on the stand. The elders and sisters serving in the two wards that use that building sang The Olive Tree in English. It immediately made me think of Christina and all of her hard work serving in Oklahoma and helping the people there. It felt only fitting that in that small way the Lord connected the work I was doing here with what she did there. The actual ordinance could have gone smoother but it was still great. It was my first time ever baptizing anyone. Even though I had the prayer memorized it still didn't flow out very smoothly. I guess it was just hard to believe I was actually doing it and all of those thoughts forced me to say it very slow and deliberately. Before they opened the partition to the baptismal font I had to quickly explain what he was supposed to do and how exactly everything actually goes. It was hard to explain everything clearly mostly because of nerves and not really because of the language. I did remember to tell him to bend his knees and plug his nose though. So anyways I finished the prayer and went to submerge him in the water but I noticed his face wasn't completely covered so with a little nudge and a good second effort we were able to get it done in only one try. I wondered why it was so hard to get him all the way under until Bishop Fukutaki mentioned in his remarks that he didn't plug his nose which then thinking back he hadn't. Another thing was the font is pretty narrow so I hesitated to go too fast to make sure his head didn't hit the wall. I felt really awkward for not doing it very well but a baptism is a baptism and it is the covenant that counts not anything else. Everyone was really encouraging saying I did a good job of getting it done on the first try. After they reclosed the partition I waited in the font as the water drained and Sato was changing. It was a really special experience. I remember looking up into the sky light and just thinking that I actually got to baptize someone. It wasn't that I hadn't felt satisfied with what I had did up until that point but it was just so rewarding to be there and help an 18 year-old young man find direction in his life. It was like an outward sign that everything I had done up until that point, not just as a missionary but in my life in general, was pleasing before God. It's like that is what I was preparing for for 20 years and 8 months, why I went to church every week, why I went to seminary, studied the scriptures, prayed, studied this tough language. worked to the point of utter exhaustion, got back up after hard times, why I wanted to become a missionary. It was great and I can't wait until we get to see baptisms here in Kobe.
I love you all. Thanks for the encouragement, prayers, and just living as the best disciple of Jesus Christ you can be everyday. That's really all it comes down to so just keep it up.
Lots of love,
Corey
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Current Address
This is Corey's current address:
Elder Corey Hogewoning
657-0067
Hyogo-ken, Kobe-shi, Nada-ku,
Shinohara Honmachi 4-6-28
JAPAN
Pics from Kobe!
Elder McLaws and Elder Hogewoning
Elder McLaws and Elder Hogewoning in flight
Elder Hogewoning in front of the Kobe Port Tower
Elder Maeda and Elder Hogewoning in front of the Kobe Port Tower.
Solid Week
So I feel like I am finally getting used to the office. This week was still kind of bumpy but I feel like I'm starting to get a feel for what I need to do. I'm doing things like ordering supplies online, preparing letters of congratulations for the Japanese missionaries and their families (kind of like the one you might have got when I got to the mission, became a senior companion, district leader, zone leader, etc.), dealing with bill payments, handling problems with apartments, and stuff like that. I'm getting pretty good at typing emails in Japanese to different suppliers and to the area office in Tokyo. Elder Manning, who I replaced, was the fix-it guy when it came to computers, printers, copy machines, etc. so even though it is not necessarily part of my job discription I have inherited that responisibility as well. It feels a lot like the good ol' days in yearbooks troubleshooting everyone's computer problems. Who would have known that talent would be useful on the mission?
We are teaching only 2 people right now Ii-san and Nishihori Hideaki-san. Ii is in his 60s and loves coming to church. He has trouble grasping all of the concepts and whatnot but he loves the feeling when he comes. His only problem keeping him from baptism is tithing. He has a lot of debt and doesn't think he can pay it. We have talked to him a lot about it but with little headway. Tomorrow he is scheduled to meet with Bishop Kochiyama and see if they can figure out a solution.
Nishihori Hideaki is a really great guy. He is 30 and we call him Hide (not hide like in hide-and-go-seek, hee-day like p-day with an h). He is just looking for something to brighten up his life. He has been coming to English class for quite a while and has pretty much heard all of the lessons before. He called us on Tuesday and asked if we could meet before English class. We met with him and to our disappointment he just wanted to practice talking in English. He lived in Australia for a little while and is really good. We tried to keep the conversation focused on the gospel and asked him to meet us again and hear the lessons. He agreed only on the condition that we only talk in English. We hesitantly said "yes," thinking that we were probably just getting stuck meeting with an eternal investigator that won't do anything. He told us his dad is a Bhuddist priest and as his son he is supposed to keep the priestly line. He is a priest but he doesn't think much of Bhuddism. Well Friday rolled around and we met. We talked all in English. We talked about only the gospel and what it could mean to him. He really opened up and the three of us really connected. He agree to read daily and pray twice a day. He probably would have been willing to come to church if he didn't have work tomorrow. We were able to really follow the Spirit, ask inspired questions, find out his needs, and apply the message to him rather than just teaching a rote lesson. It looks pretty promising.
So I saved the best for last. You might remember but I left some pretty promising investigators in Senri when I came to the mission office. Well this weekend two of them are getting baptized! One tonight and the other tomorrow before church. President said when he transferred me here that since it is still pretty close that I can go to the baptisms so we're going to both! And you though that was all....
We live in the same apartment as the assistants to the president underneath the mission office. The assistants call all of the zone leaders regularly to see how things are going with investigators who are preparing to get baptized. Well Elder Starks was on the phone last night with former companion, Elder McLaws, in Senri. I figured he was just double checking to make sure Hayashi-san and Sato-san (the two getting baptized) were all good to go. Well it was about 10:26 and was just finishing up brushing my teeth and getting all ready for bed when Elder Starks poked his head into our room and said "Make sure you are in Senri at 8:00 on Sunday. You're baptizing Sato." Then he left saying nothing else. I couldn't fall asleep until around 11:30 last night. My mind was racing. I still feel all nervous and excited at the same time. Yep so I have a pretty amazing next 24 hours coming up. Thank you for all of your prayers and love. I really feel like this is just a tender mercy of the Lord that He has blessed us all with especially Sato.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Lots of love,
Corey
We are teaching only 2 people right now Ii-san and Nishihori Hideaki-san. Ii is in his 60s and loves coming to church. He has trouble grasping all of the concepts and whatnot but he loves the feeling when he comes. His only problem keeping him from baptism is tithing. He has a lot of debt and doesn't think he can pay it. We have talked to him a lot about it but with little headway. Tomorrow he is scheduled to meet with Bishop Kochiyama and see if they can figure out a solution.
Nishihori Hideaki is a really great guy. He is 30 and we call him Hide (not hide like in hide-and-go-seek, hee-day like p-day with an h). He is just looking for something to brighten up his life. He has been coming to English class for quite a while and has pretty much heard all of the lessons before. He called us on Tuesday and asked if we could meet before English class. We met with him and to our disappointment he just wanted to practice talking in English. He lived in Australia for a little while and is really good. We tried to keep the conversation focused on the gospel and asked him to meet us again and hear the lessons. He agreed only on the condition that we only talk in English. We hesitantly said "yes," thinking that we were probably just getting stuck meeting with an eternal investigator that won't do anything. He told us his dad is a Bhuddist priest and as his son he is supposed to keep the priestly line. He is a priest but he doesn't think much of Bhuddism. Well Friday rolled around and we met. We talked all in English. We talked about only the gospel and what it could mean to him. He really opened up and the three of us really connected. He agree to read daily and pray twice a day. He probably would have been willing to come to church if he didn't have work tomorrow. We were able to really follow the Spirit, ask inspired questions, find out his needs, and apply the message to him rather than just teaching a rote lesson. It looks pretty promising.
So I saved the best for last. You might remember but I left some pretty promising investigators in Senri when I came to the mission office. Well this weekend two of them are getting baptized! One tonight and the other tomorrow before church. President said when he transferred me here that since it is still pretty close that I can go to the baptisms so we're going to both! And you though that was all....
We live in the same apartment as the assistants to the president underneath the mission office. The assistants call all of the zone leaders regularly to see how things are going with investigators who are preparing to get baptized. Well Elder Starks was on the phone last night with former companion, Elder McLaws, in Senri. I figured he was just double checking to make sure Hayashi-san and Sato-san (the two getting baptized) were all good to go. Well it was about 10:26 and was just finishing up brushing my teeth and getting all ready for bed when Elder Starks poked his head into our room and said "Make sure you are in Senri at 8:00 on Sunday. You're baptizing Sato." Then he left saying nothing else. I couldn't fall asleep until around 11:30 last night. My mind was racing. I still feel all nervous and excited at the same time. Yep so I have a pretty amazing next 24 hours coming up. Thank you for all of your prayers and love. I really feel like this is just a tender mercy of the Lord that He has blessed us all with especially Sato.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Lots of love,
Corey
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