Transfer 8 week 5

From: Lindsay Sanders <lindsay.sanders@myldsmail.net>

Date: September 13, 2015 6:35:54 PM MST

Subject: Transfer 8 week 5

Transfer 8 Week 5

愛する皆さん、こんにちは‼︎

Woahhhh this transfer has gone by way fast. Next week is transfers, so I will email on Tuesday. I think Sister Thompson and I will have one more together... But who knows! I have four transfers left, so I think I will probably have one more area. Who knows where that will be!! Transfers are always exciting. Crazy and exhausting, too. 

This week after district meeting, we were walking through the big shopping center and we were stopped by a tv crew... They asked us where we were from and where we were going to eat. The Elders were great and introduced us as church volunteers and totally taught about Jesus Christ on live television. I was so proud! People loooove foreigners around here. People ask if they can take pictures with me like I am a princess at Disneyland or something. 

On Sunday I hit 13 months. Ouch, that hurts. When did I get so OLD? I stopped telling people how long I have been out because they automatically say "woah, you only have ___ months left! How does that make you feel?" IT MAKES ME SAD, thanks. I was feeling really homesick this week, and I was praying about it, and I had a cool experience. 

The whole week I was thinking about how lately we haven't had any success and I was getting lots of negative thoughts, one of them being "why did I even come on a mission if I have nothing to show for my efforts?" I talk to people all day, either stopping them on the street or by knocking on doors. In a week we contact hundreds of people, but hardly any will let us share a message or accept a return appointment. It is very discouraging sometimes. 

I had an impression saying "Think of all the people you never would have met if you hadn't come on a mission". My mind flashed through the face of every person I have gotten to know in the past thirteen months. I thought of my friends in the MTC, my companions, my fellow missionaries, the Ward members from each Ward that I have served with, and lastly, the investigators that I have worked with. I remembered how much I love them. I remembered the lessons we had, and especially the times when they came excited to tell us they kept their commitments! I have met amazing people. I am so blessed. The next impression that came was "Think of how much I, Heavenly Father, love them. Thank you for being kind to my beloved children." 

I knew I needed to repent and change my thinking. How could I be sad when so many great things were happening in my beloved people's lives? It is NOT about the numbers.

Preach My Gospel states "no effort is wasted". I was helped to be able to see that I have a lot to show for my mission so far, and I will continue to have success through the rest of my mission! Success does not just mean baptisms, although it is great when those do happen. It is your commitment to serve God. I have been able to show love to people that need it, I feel the Holy Ghost speaking through me to touch their hearts. It is amazing. All efforts to serve are appreciated, although sometimes just by our Heavenly Father. If we love Him, shouldn't we be doing things to please him, even if no one else notices? 

It is so easy to feel like what we are doing goes unnoticed, like it has no value, especially to the world's standards. But I can promise you that if your heart is set on serving the Lord  (Luke 12:31 ¶But [first] seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.) then you can feel confident that the work you are doing is important! You can know that you are doing a great work. If you are a student, or a parent, or working... First serve God, and your needs will be provided for.

Thompson Shimai and I have formed a great companionship. I really love her. We are opposites, but it works out. According to Meyer's and Briggs, she is an INFP, and I am an ISTP. (Almost all of my companions have been INFP's). We approach problems from different perspectives and it is really cool to put our ideas together. I really love her. She is from Bakersfield, California.

This week we had a miracle. Our new investigator Mori's daughter Ichino chan was sick. We made them a goodie bag with soup mix and tissues and treats, and lastly, a Book of Mormon. We went to her apartment expecting to just drop off the bag.., but instead, she invited us inside! We came in, and her dad Seiji san was there too! Mori pulled out all of the treats out of the bag. The last thing she pulled out was the Book of Mormon. She said she had heard about it and wanted to read it. She opened it and started to read the first page, and then I felt prompted to ask "if you have a half hour right now, we prepared a message about that Book" we taught the Restoration lesson. We sang I am a Child of God for Ichino chan. The Spirit was so strong! Sister Thompson recited the First Vision in Japanese and did it perfectly (she has been working so hard on memorizing it!). Lastly, when we talked about the Holy Ghost and what it feels like, Seiji san said "oh, like what I felt when you were singing?" They got it! よし‼︎‼︎‼︎ we explained the Book of Mormon, its importance, and why we are sharing it. They both committed to read and pray this week. They are both working towards baptismal dates. They are KINJIN! (Translates to golden person). I will let you know how things go. They definitely need the gospel.

On Sunday, we were not expecting anyone to come to church. We walked by the front door to the church, and Mori was there talking to a member! We were freaking out! She WALKED all the way from her apartment while carrying her baby!!!! She loooooved church. And all the Ward members came and introduced themselves... The mommies in the Ward are going to do a play date so Mori can come. I am so proud :) she is amazing. 

While we were housing, the funniest thing happened, and it basically describes my mission. A young man opens the door. We introduce ourselves. He asks "are you Christians?" We say yes. He says "sorry, we have another religion" so I ask "oh really?! What religion do you practice?" He tries to remember, scratches his head, and then shouts back to his wife "Yuuka! What religion do we believe in?" She yells back "uhhhhh, Bukkyou!" (Buddhist). And then he turns to us and says "Yeah, we are Bukkyou." Sister Thompson got kind of feisty and asked "do you actually believe in that though?" Then he awkwardly shut the door in our faces. 

Isn't that funny? But this is everyone I talk to!!! I am not kidding! That is how most young people are. The older generation usually tells us "I am this way because my ancestors believed in this" then we would ask if they believed in it for themselves, then they would ask us to leave. I know I am young, but I am grateful to know what I believe. I have an identity and a purpose. I had to learn for myself that this church is true. I know that God is there, and He loves me. People everywhere in the world, not just Japan, need to know that.

District Leader, Sato Choro (his name means sugar... So we call him Sugar Choro), shared a quote with me this week that I thought was cool.

"It is one thing to know about God and another to know him. We know about him when we learn that he is a personal being in whose image man is created; when we learn that the Son is in the express image of his Father's person; when we learn that both the Father and the Son possess certain specified attributes and powers. But we know them, in the sense of gaining eternal life, when we enjoy and experience the same things they do. To know God is to think what He thinks, to feel what He feels, to have the power He possesses, to comprehend the truths He understands, and to do what He does. Those who know God become like Him, and have His kind of life, which is eternal life" (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:762).

神について知ることと神を知ることとは別である。神について知るとは、すなわち神が感情、感覚、体をお持ちの方であり、人はその神に型取って造られたことを学ぶことである。また、御子が御父のひな型であり、天父も御子もそれぞれ固有の属性、権能をもっておられることを学ぶときに、私たちは神について知ることができるのである。しかし、永遠の生命を得るという観点から神を知るということは、天父と御子が経験されたと同じ事柄を経験し、同じ喜びを味わうことである。神を知るとは、神のお考え、お気持ちを自分も体験し、神のもっておられる権能を拝受し、神の理解しておられる真理をよく味わって理解の目を開き、神の行われる通りに自分も行うことである。神を知るものは神に似たものとなり、神が享受しておられる生命、すなわち永遠の生命を得ることができるのである。(「新約聖書教義注解」1:762)

Those who know God will have eternal life. How much of an effort are we making to know Him? To feel what He feels, and do what he does? Well, if you're like me, getting to that level seems a little too far away to worry about right now. But, you can take steps RIGHT NOW to know God better. It is really simple,

1. If you have no idea what I am talking about, ask the missionaries!

2. Pray sincerely and ask for help to know Heavenly Father better.

3. Study about Him from the scriptures. Write down what you learn.

4. Be conscious of your feelings when you go to church.

5. Act on what you have felt.

We should be doing these things already, but I promise that as we come to know God better, we will notice immediately that we are happier. We can feel like we have a purpose in life. In time, this faithful effort will turn into a knowledge that God loves us, and that we can become like Him. My greatest hope is to be happy like He is.  

Have a great week! Remember to say your prayers and read your scriptures!

サンダーズ姉妹より