Date: October 18, 2015 7:20:40 PM MST
Subject: Transfer 9 Week 4
Transfer 9 Week 4
Hello friends and family! Hope you're all doing well :) tomorrow I
will be a 14-month-old missionary, and I hit my year mark of living in
Japan! I can't believe a year ago I was getting ready to leave the
MTC... Times goes by so fast! Ahhhhhhhhh!!
We had Interviews with President Egan on Tuesday, so we took a train
to Yamaguchi, which is about two hours away. Right next to the train
station is a giant white fox. I guess the story is some people were
trying to find a hot spring of fresh water, and this white fox showed
up and led them to this place with a hot spring! Yamaguchi has some of
the most famous historical sights in the country :) I am pretty lucky!
We had training from the AP's as well. The Church has come out with
three new pamphlets for Japan missionaries... What to expect (from
meeting with the missionaries), who is God?, and Who is Jesus Christ?
We were trained on how we can use them in lessons and while we are
contacting. It is cool to get new tools to use! My interview went
fine, it was really short. President told me to help Akuta Shimai have
a good last transfer. He also said "wow, you go home soon!" I said I
will just focus on helping my companion... think i can do that :) I am
still trying to learn about the area and Branch members, but it will
come! That's about it as far as exciting things go...
Ube branch hosted a concert this week! I got to help with stage setup
and we made flyers and handed them out to everyone! It was amazing.
After the big earthquake a few years ago, this trio of women tour the
church buildings and put on free concerts. We got to eat dinner with
them, and they challenged me to use my talents more... So I will work
on that :) I am singing at church next Sunday.
A lot of people ask Akuta Shimai if she is Chinese. She just looks a
little more Chinese than Japanese I guess? She learned some Chinese so
she can fool people. It is way funny!
Speaking of Chinese friends, I just heard from Sister Thompson that
our investigator in Shimizu, Alex, is doing awesome and has a
baptismal date for December 15th! She watched General Conference and
cried a lot. She is doing awesome with reading the Book of Mormon!
Ahhhh yay for good news!
I am doing good. I am happy :) just sooooooo tired. Everyone in the
mission says 9th transfer is when your body starts to break and you
are sick all the time and you kind of want to die... I testify that
this is true! Haha but we work hard. I think I am supposed to learn
how to be patient with myself. 頑張ります！
This week I want to talk about miracles, service, bread and fish!
One day, Christ came upon a huge group of people. He healed those who
were sick. This took all day, and evening came and the people had
nothing to eat. The apostles suggested sending the people away to buy
their own food, but instead Christ said "They need not depart; give ye
them to eat." From the group, all that could be gathered was five
loaves of bread and two fishes. Then Christ said "Bring them hither to
me."
"And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the
five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed,
and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to
the multitude." There was enough food for every person in the group to
eat, and there were 12 baskets left over, full of food. I think it is
interesting to point out that the Twelve Apostles each had a basket
full of food left over after feeding everyone in the group!
As I have been studying the life of Christ, I try to ask myself: Why
is this miracle important? What can I learn from this? How can I apply
it to myself?
Right now, as a missionary, I feel like I am standing in the midst of
a huge group of people, who all need to be (spiritually) fed. As I
take an inventory of my talents, skills, energy, and anything I could
potentially give to these people, I come up with a meager five loaves
and two fishes. Which is... not a lot. Like the apostles probably did,
I wonder how the people will be fed.
But there is a beautiful pattern here: Christ says to us "bring me
what you have", then He takes it, blesses it, breaks it, then gives
back to us not only what we need to feed the multitude, but more than
enough left over for ourselves. Even if we don't have much to give,
the promise is, if we give all that we have to Christ, we will be able
to say: "And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of
the fragments that remained twelve baskets full."
I think this life is meant to be spent in the service of others. We
can give all that we have, then give some more, then give even more...
That is a lot of giving though. I wonder how, on hard days, I can give
enough of myself to help my flock in Ube. I don't have very much to
give. But I love the people, so I give what I have. And when I feel
like I have nothing left, miraculously there is enough left in my
heart for the next person, and the next. We get home, and my companion
needs love too, and I find a little bit more in my heart for her. I
hit the pillow each night completely exhausted. Remember, Christ had
to break the bread in order for there to be enough. That kind of
breaking and stretching is not comfortable! 証しします！
I asked in one of my prayers:"How are my five loaves and two fishes
enough?" The answer I received was: "it's because I won't let My
children go hungry".
I am constantly being reminded that this is the Lord's work, not mine.
I am so thankful for the Atonement! I know that if I have a willing
heart, if I do my best, God makes up for the rest. To be honest, I am
really not that good at Japanese! I am not an incredibly skilled
teacher! I study and work at it everyday, but I have lots of
weaknesses! I am kind of shy and I am definitely not a "born
missionary". But the Lord has worked miracles through me. I testify of
it. It is nothing of my own efforts. I am so blessed to be an
instrument in this grand symphony of the Master's work.
The Atonement can work this way for you as well! If you are worried
about coming up short, give what you have over to the Lord! He will
take it and make it enough. No effort is wasted. "Your consistent
efforts... Your service and words are evidence of your love for God"
(PMG 170). I know that God loves us. He wants us to succeed AND He
wants us to be happy! There is true joy that comes from living the
gospel. This includes serving others and sharing the gospel. If we
really love God, and really love our neighbor, our efforts to serve
will always be enough.
Thanks for all your love and prayers :) they keep me going. I need all
the help I can get. The work is hard but it is so good!
My ponderize scripture for this week is Moroni 7: 45 "And charity
suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up,
seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and
rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
Love you! Have an awesome week!
Sister Sanders
サンダーズ姉妹より
