Minasan Konichiwa!!!!
First I am very sorry to hear about Cat. She was such an awesome person. She was such a good friend to Chandler and I over the summer and really helped us out. That was a big shock to me to hear about Cat. Cat's family and Nick are in my prayers.
Just like you said, I will now change the subject.
I am actually going to start this email by answering the weekly questions. How did my lesson go with the Spanish lady? It was amazing! It was such an awesome experience to be able to teach in spanish... in Japan.. Haha Well I taught her the first lesson. I asked her questions about her religious back-ground and she said that her family was Catholic and she went to mass a few times, but didn't really know much. She didn't really understand what the Sisters taught her in Japanese, so I had to teach her everything. It was so much fun. The spirit was flying all over the place. I testified to her that I know that her Heavenly Father loves her. I know this because He wanted her to hear this message in her native language. It was amazing. She really felt the spirit. I extended the baptismal invitation and the lesson kinda exploded. She started talking about how she wants to know if it is true first, and I agree she needs to know, but she doesn't understand prayer and doesn't feel anything when she reads the Book of Mormon. That was very difficult. I had some big blanks trying to answer. She didn't have the Book of Mormon with her so we weren't able to read from it, but I testified like crazy. I had her pray in Spanish. That was the best thing for her. She said that she doesn't understand prayer because she feels like it is just words, but I told her it is what you want from you heart. It is talking to somebody that completely and perfectly understands you and wants to help you. All you have to do is ask. She said an amazing prayer where she thanked God for all of the blessings she has. After I promised her that as she prays she will be able to understand and feel the spirit more in her life. I may not have another lesson with her though. She has a test coming up and she wants to study for a month... Kinda confusing, but what'er. I will keep calling her and trying to meet with her. Even if I never meet with her again, I know she felt something during that lesson. That is what I have been learning lately. To testify all of the time! Planting seeds is a huge deal. Stand up for what you believe in cause if you miss out on an opportunity, it will never come again.
This last Wednesday we went to the Sawaguchi family to visit with them. It was great. We did not know what to share with them though. We usually do a role-play lesson but instead we had a little testimony meeting. They bore some amazing testimonies that I barely understood. I bore mine about how God loves all of us and how important our testimonies are. She then started telling me some stuff that I did not understand at all. After we left Brown Choro began to tell me what she said to me. She said that when we bare our testimonies we should not expect anything out of it. We should not expect some amazing experience where they say that their life changed and we were an answer to their prayers. Don't get me wrong those things definitely happen. There are no coincidences. But if we expect praise or recognition for our testimonies we will be upset and doubtful when the outcome is not what we anticipated. Bare you testimony and be the best example you can be because you want to, not because you are told to or you want praise or recognition. That was a great lesson. It really helped me out this week, because I feel like my testimony does not count because I can only say a few things. I repeat my testimony a lot and it is so simple. BUT that is what a testimony is! It does not need to be some eloquent or elaborate statement, It can be as simple as I know that God is our Heavenly Father. I know that through prayer we can feel God's love. That is what tends to be the most powerful anyway. Brigham Young said that he would not have been converted by an amazing speaker, but rather through the simple testimony that Joseph Smith shared that allowed the spirit to testify to him. Just some cool stuff I have been learning. I am always learning. We are all always learning. Woooo! It's way fun huh? Life can be way hard though sometime, just remember that it is only for a little bit, and that trials are one of the greatest blessings we can have, because it means that God knows we are ready to progress.
Oh! Something fun. Last week right after emails I went and ran up a mountain with Sotto Choro and Hansen Choro. That was a lot of fun. Then we went to a park and played ultimate with everyone in our zone. It was so fun to run. I ran probably 6-8 miles that day. Basically this week has been a lot of walking, but a lot of fun! I hope you are all doing great. I love you!
No comments:
Post a Comment