In the fourth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, verse four, we read this about missionary work:
"...For behold; the field is white, already to harvest; and low, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store..."
We have seen the truth of this scripture over and over for the last two days. It began with our visit to the Faith and Religion section of the camp yesterday morning. In addition to learning about the major religions of the world, the vast majority of our crew earned the Thomas S. Monson award.
Two of us met an English, Jewish girl there. She was impressed with our knowledge of her religion and asked to learn more about our Faith. A few of us are going to attend Shabbat tonight, and this girl is interested in joining the LDS meeting Sunday morning.
That afternoon, our lunch pick-up crew had a religious discussion with some Swiss while standing in line for food. Two of these Swiss scouts came back a few hours later to learn more. Our conversation soon became a full missionary discussion! As they asked questions, each of them had a pair of our boys teaching them. Before they departed they accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon.
Later that night, one of our boys spent well over an hour talking with some Germans about the gospel. Another of our boys joined him at that point, and they continued to teach. We didn't have a German copy of the Book of Mormon handy, so we plan on visiting them again tonight.
Many of us went to bed last night with a spiritual fire in our hearts. Opportunities to share the gospel have continued today as we were able to talk with some British scouts who accompanied us on our main activity. One of them has Mormon family living in Utah. We have high hopes for her.
On a final note, we got mail today! Thanks so much for your letters!
Friday, July 31, 2015
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Opening Ceremony
The jamboree isn't exactly what any of us expected it to be, but we wouldn't wish it to be any different. The official count is over 34,000 participants. We are all in a giant tent city, wall-to-wall with crews of 40 from at least 150 countries.
On second thought, if there was one thing we would change it would be to lower the heat and humidity; living here requires constantly breathing the equivalent of a steam room. But I digress.
Yesterday we took a four-hour ride on the bullet train to get to Yamaguchi. We entertained ourselves during those hours, in part, by having some pretty interesting rap battles. When we arrived we were welcomed to the city by the locals and many other scouts who were headed our same way. The first evening at the camp was spent setting up our tents and introducing ourselves to our neighbors.
As should be expected, there is some good-natured international competition at the jamboree. Each crew of 40 was given a number of bamboo polls to build welcoming structures at the front of their campsites. Some crews, like the Japanese, have very detailed arches and roofs for their banners. We on the other hand, have a colossal, trident-shaped tower flying the US flag. It could very well be the tallest structure in camp, and we are considering expansion.
The opening ceremony was last night. It was a lot like the Olympic opener, but scout themed.
While we were standing in line, moving by crews to our positions in the ceremony, the Belgian scouts were in front of us began shouting their cheers about the greatness of Belgium.
Not about to be outdone, we sang the National Anthem with all the passion we could muster. Those surrounding us were quiet by the time we got to the second line of the song. Our crew experienced an incredible feeling of unity.
The Belgium-American relations then evolved into the singing of songs. We took turns singing, and our crew sang many hymns such as the Spirit of God and Called to Serve.
Yesterday was comprised mainly of exploring the camp, trading with other scouts, and making friends. We did a good deed for some Australians, and are now looking forward to joining them for dinner tonight.
Leadership within our crew is developing and becoming more effective. Save for a little sunburn, we are injury-free, our spirits are bright, and we have high expectations for the adventures this next day will bring.

Monday, July 27, 2015
Leaving for Yamaguchi
We leave this morning for the jamboree site located in Yamaguchi. Yesterday we finished up our touring with these highlights:
Some of us went running early in the morning. The air thickness helps so much with that.
We visited the main Buddhist temple, where 3 million people visit in the first three days of the year.
We explored the Mitsubishi museum. We were generally all really impressed with the intricate display models.
We saw the Shinto Shrine. Shintoism and Buddhism are the two major religions here. At the Shinto Shrine we ran into a bunch of scouts from places like Poland and the UK. We also did some serious tourist shopping, so you can all expect to see souvenirs when we get back.
Lunch was more seafood (supplemented by random vending machines). Fortunately, most of us don't mind it.
In addition to sleeping, we have found many ways to entertain ourselves during the long bus rides.
We concluded our last night in Tokyo by eating at a really tasty restaurant, and venturing out on foot to explore the area surrounding our hotel.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
First Touring Day
After an insanely long plane ride, we finally made it to Japan. Aside from the jet lag, we were completely fine. Fine, that is, except for the heat and humidity. It is hard to breathe, and the sweat comes in rivers.
It is all worth it, though. The food is great, the people are nice, and the sights are breath-taking. Here are some highlights:
We stood around at the Narita, Japan airport.
We arrived and crashed at our new hotel.We had sacrament meeting in the nearest park.
We explored the Edo Tokyo museum.
We tried squid and saw an aquarium.
We nick-named our tour guide Professor Yasu.
We drove through Tokyo's longest tunnel.
We learned that literally everyone in Japan uses the peace sign in pictures. Literally.
It was a great day! We are looking forward to tomorrow!
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