Hey Family!!

Some crazy stuff happened this week!  But I'll only lay down a couple of things...

So first off a crazy story, not spiritual, just really weird.  On the way back from transfers this week we got on the wrong train going home, so we had to get off a couple of stops early and wait for another train.  While doing so, a kid about 17-18 years old comes up the stairs with an obvious mental handicap.  Nobody minds him, but he starts running across the platform and goes and hits the emergency stop button and then sits down.  Everyone is now really surprised.  The security comes out and checks the rails and everything is ok.  So they clear it and walk off.  At the same time, this kid walks right next to elder Gildea, pulls his pants down and starts peeing on the platform... elder Gildea looks me dead in the eye and says "Is he peeing" "yeah" "is it getting on me" "no" "ok we are good"  Crazy!!! So to shorten this story, this kid pushes the emergency stop button 3 more times and finally gets arrested.  It was really sad but at the same time very necessary. He was stalling a lot of trains and it was not good for the company.  IT was nuts though (side note, they never cleaned up the pee...)

Now to get spiritual, this week I had two realizations.  The first came to me in fast and testimony meeting.  As I got up to bear my testimony, I thought about what I would say.  And the words came to me crystal clear, "Talk about the love the prophets and apostles have for us"  So I did.  And I realized how much they love us.  And we can see it in the weirdest ways.  Through the manuals is the way I saw it this week, in how much time effort thought and prayer they put into those manuals for our spiritual well being.  I could feel the love as if they were there with me!

The other thing that happened (and I'm sorry these are terribly condensed  I have nooo time) was my realization of my testimony.  I was thinking about a time when I came to know the book of Mormon was true and the church was true, etc.  And I was thinking about it, the words of my patriarchal blessing came to my mind "You were taught the gospel in the premortal existence by your heavenly father, and when it was taught to you here, you remembered it."  And that's exactly what my thoughts felt like,  there was never a time I didn't know the book of Mormon was true, I just remembered it was true.  There wasn't a time when I was like "Wow the church really is true"  I just came to a remembrance of that fact.  And I felt it was true.  And I knew that I was taught in the premortal existence, even if I can't remember that time.  It was an incredible feeling.  And it continues to grow inside of me, getting stronger every day as I test it, bear it, and take care of it.  The finding of a testimony is in bearing it often.  And that's what we have been doing!  What a great experience!

I wish I could send more, but my time is limited with having to do college stuff and other things as well!  Btw GO WOLVERINES! haha.  Had to do it.  

Hope I can share more with you next week!  

Love everyone

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Elder Yamagata