Whom Say Ye that I am?

Dear Minnasan, 

Well, another week. Another faith-building week. Can I just take a moment and express how much I love my mission. How grateful I am for the opportunity to serve the Lord. To be a representative of Jesus Christ and wear His name on my chest...truly it is a blessing! It is a blessing I will never regret choosing - sure, some days are hard. But I NEVER feel regret for deciding to come on a mission. NEVER. Just thinking of being at home right now, well, it makes my heart weep. That seems a little backwards, you would think. And don't get me wrong, I love my family so much. But there are some things that are more important, than the personal desires we might have. And that is the SOULS of my Brothers and Sisters. It is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

I have really been pondering and thinking upon my elder brother, Jesus Christ. Who is He, really? Do I know Him as well as I should? As His representative, as a missionary who shares His teachings with others, I must know Him. I must learn of Him. I must "come unto Him." I must understand exactly who He is and my relationship to Him. In fact, we all must. We all must come to personally know our Savior, for it is only then that we can believe in Him and put our trust in Him.

One of the many names of the Savior is "Advocate." He is our advocate with the Father. In Doctrince and Covenants, Jesus Christ introduces Himself in this way, "I am He who liveth, I am He who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father" (D&C 110:4). As I thought about that, I asked myself, "What exactly does that mean? What exactly does the word, `advocate' mean?" I looked it up, and this is what the dictionary told me, "An advocate is a person who supports or speaks in favor of another person; a person who defends another person in court." 

We all have a debt to pay, and we cannot pay that debt ourselves. We don't have the ability to overcome the sins and mistakes we make in this life. We don't have the ability to raise ourselves from death. But Christ does. And He is willing to plead our case before the Father. He is kind of like our lawyer. Now, I know in popular culture, lawyers have a bad rep. But just think of the beauty and magnitude of having Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, as your lawyer!

He is ever on our side, and because He loves us so much, He is never willing to give up. He understands our pains, our sufferings, our weaknesses, our joys. He understands everything about us. And He understands it all perfectly, because He felt it too. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He felt it all. He experienced it all. He suffered it all. For each and every one of us. I testify with all the fiber of my mortal being, with my whole soul, that Jesus Christ died so that we could live again. He truly is our Advocate; the most perfect and loving lawyer who is always ready to speak up for us.

Church leader Joseph Fielding Smith explained it like this: "No man could do what He did for us. He did not have to die. He could have refused. He did it voluntarily. He did it because it was a commandment from His Father. He knew what the suffering would be, and yet, because of his love, He was willing to do it...think of the Savior carrying the united burden of every individual -- torment-- which caused Him to suffer an agony of pain, compared to which the driving of the nails in His hands and feet was very little..." 

My friends, my dear brothers and sisters, The Savior loves us each so very much. I testify of that. I know it. I can feel it. Can you? Do you know Him? Do you know what He did for you? 

When Jesus came into the coasts of Philippi, He asked his disciples, saying, "Whom say ye that I am?" (Matthew 16:15). Who do you say the Savior is? Can you say that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Can you say that He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world? 

I can't say that I know Christ perfectly. I can't even say that I know Him very well. But I can say that I know He loves me, and that He loves you. I can say that He died for me, and because of that sacrifice, I can return to live with God one day and have eternal happiness with my family. I can overcome death. I can overcome sin. All because of my Advocate with the Father, my Lord and Savior, even Jesus Christ.

So, my final question to you is this: "Whom say ye that He is?"

Please think about your answer to that question this week, maybe even write it down on a piece a paper or in your journal. I promise that once we know who He truly is, everything changes.

Everything. 

Sister Weigl



FIVE QUESTIONS:

1. Do the youth meet during the week for Mutual (young men and young women activities)  in Japan?  What Night? 

Yes, they do. I have no idea to be honest...I think they meet on Tuesdays.

2. Do they have seminary in Japan? Yes

3. What do the youth do for activities and for fun in Japan? 

The same sort of things we do - Personal Progress, making food, sports, that sort of thing.

4. At what age do the Japanese finish high school and start college? 

The same age as America.

5. Do they have institute (a religion class for young adults) or something for the youth in college? Yes, they have Institute in Japan.

Extra questions: Does you companion know how to cook?  

No, she REALLY, REALLY doesn't. Haha; she almost put some metal in the microwave the other day. I had to run and stop her, haha! 

Any funny things happen this week?  Well, this past Sunday, we had Dinner at a member's house, and T-Shimai said something really funny - she said "akachan o tabetai." Which means,"I want to eat a baby," when what she was trying to say was,"Does the baby want to eat food?" hahaha, so great!

Sister Weigl with a member

T-Shimai goes home!