Mary

Dear Minnasan,

Well, konnichiwa to you all. Sorry that I haven't emailed a blog post as regularly as I used to....this stems from being busy...and email time just sort of passes by and I keep saying, "I'll send out that email just after I do this"...and then it's time to go and I still hadn't sent it. Oops.

Well, anyways, it's finally gotten cool here in Kawachinagano. We put away our apartment's fan and pulled out the heater today. I find that I love fall...which I never really liked it in the past because it signaled the coming of Winter, which I always disliked because being cold is not a favorite past-time of mine...but as a missionary, I find that it's the exact opposite. Summer is way more brutal than Winter, and I would much rather be fighting off frost bite than heat stroke.

Since it's now fall, all the farmers in the area have been burning their rice and harvesting it all up, which is a bit sad because the green fields of rice were so beautiful. I don't know if I could properly describe the way the wind would blow on the rice or the sound it would make, or the smell of the crops. In Japanese there is actually a word for "the wind blowing over the field and making it look like an ocean wave." The Japanese language is amazing, isn't it? It took me a whole sentence to describe that, and in Japanese, there is a single word for it! Haha. Crazy.

The Danjiri is this week, which is this Harvest Festival where the men lift this giant wooden float and carry it around the town banging drums really loudly and shouting. They've been out practicing lately for it, and I love listening to the drumming because it sounds like some kind of tribal dance and makes me feel all epic and intense as I bike around proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. When I make a movie about my mission, there is definitely going to be a scene including that, haha. Just kidding.

Anyways, this week we had a Zone Training Meeting, which is basically a meeting where all the missionaries in the nearby areas gather together to receive training. It was a really sacred experience. We all discussed and learned more about our Savior Jesus Christ and His infinite Atonement. At this meeting, something really hit me that I would like to share.

As we talked about the Atonement, the topic of the Resurrection came up, and this picture came to my mind.

I love this picture, and I have come to love the story associated with it. Let's read the story together, shall we? The scriptures can describe it so much better than I can.

"But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre" And why did she weep? She explains her distraught feelings this way, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." Mary didn't know where her Savior had gone. She saw before her the empty tomb, and that was all she could focus on. All she could think about or see was what lay in front of her. The uncertainty. The death. The darkness. The despair. The tomb.

But with one word, everything changed. One word. Do you know what word that was? What brought Mary peace, what helped her to take her eyes away from the tomb and to break herself away from the despair?

"Jesus saith unto her, Mary. "

It was her name. Jesus Christ called out her name. At that sound, she " turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God" (John 20:11-17).

Mary was so focused on the unknown, on the tomb, that she almost completely missed the Savior standing right behind her! But with one word, the gentle call of her name, she was able to break away from her despair and find hope. My friends, let's not get so focused on the tombs in our own lives that we miss the Savior standing right behind us.

I testify that the Savior lives. That He is right there. That He knows us by name, and is calling out to us right now. He is calling your name, gently asking you to stop focusing on the negative, but to instead focus on Him. Let us do so, is my plea...

Sister Weigl

Taking The Perfect Out of the Perfectionist

Dear Minnasan,

Another week...it's been a one of soul searching. I've passed my year mark in Japan, and I can count on one hand how many transfers I have left....It's frightening, to be honest. I can't say I've done everything I thought I would do, or become the missionary I envisioned I would, or reached the level of Japanese efficiency that I wished I would...and I'm not going to lie, that extremely frustrates me. During Weekly Planning this week, my companion asked me if I have been feeling a bit off this week, and as I explained my feelings, she smiled a little and said, "Weigl-Shimai, you're like me. You are a perfectionist. But we aren't perfect, and that's okay." 

I had never thought of myself as a perfectionist, but after she pointed it out, I realized that she is right. I think that's something I am going to benkyo (study) out this week. I've learned a lot about this particular lesson in the past, and somehow I find myself back here again struggling with the same sort of thing. Haha, I guess I have more to learn about the Atonement. 

Anyways, missionary work has been taking a toll on me and my companion lately -- our energy is zapped, but our hearts are still strong. We are busier than ever. We taught nine lessons this last week (which might be the most I've ever taught! One week we taught FOUR lessons!) It's crazy, and I love it. 

Every time I start getting tired and exhausted, to the point that I don't think I can go on, God gives me a little "tender mercy" to liven my spirits and refocus my heart. For example, in my last area, there as a young woman my age who we did a lot of joint lessons with. She is a great person, and she and I became good friends. When I left, I gave her my MTC copy of Preach My Gospel (the book that helps train missionaries). Yesterday, I just got news that she is turned in her missionary papers and is going to serve a mission!

Another tender mercy is our less active investigator. He is so excited to go to the Temple. We had a little FHE shokuji (meal) at the church this week, and he came. We had an activity where we asked everyone to draw a picture of something that made them happy, and he drew the Temple. This week at church, we were in Gospel Principles (Sunday School class), and he was talking to the Elders about how much he wants to go to the Temple.

This last week, when we visited this man's house, he was so excited that he could barely speak. He just sort of waved his arms around excitedly and kept stuttering over his words. We had given him a little notebook to write down his thoughts in when he studied the Book of Mormon, and boy, he went CRAZY with that. He was so excited; I have never seen him so worked up. It's truly an amazing experience to see someone change and come unto Christ like that.

Last Monday, we went over to a less active's house, and she did my companion and mine's make-up and hair...she's a professional, so it looked pretty good...but it was done in the traditional Japanese Geisha Style...so we looked ridiculous. My hair was a good six or seven inches up off my head. They also dressed us up in Kimonos, and boy, those things are like the Japanese version of European Bodices...THEY ARE SO TIGHT. It was hard to breath....haha. All in the name of beauty, I guess.

Well, ganbarimasu!

Sister Weigl

BI-CYCLE

Dear Minnasan,

My companion and I have been running around like crazy trying to do all that we want to do. We simply just don't have enough time to do everything, but I think that this is good. I think back to my earlier transfers (second and fourth particularly) when we had nothing to do but knock on doors all day long, praying that SOMEONE...ANYONE would listen to our message. It was hard. It was so, so hard. But very necessary for me. Through those experiences, I learned that success is not the same as faith. A phrase that I heard once that has stuck with me ever since is "have faith in the Son of God, not in outcomes." It is so true.

This week, we experienced many miracles. It's amazing how fast the work of the Lord is moving forward. This week, we taught a man who was baptized around twenty or thirty years ago. He recently just made the goal to start coming back to the church and to work towards changing his life around. We also met a man last Monday on the street, and invited him to meet with us. He did. Then he came to a Takoyaki (a type of Japanese food) party at the church the next day. And then on Sunday, he came to church, just because he wanted to. We didn't invite him or anything.  On the way home from a meeting with the other missionaries in our area, we talked to a man on the train who just happened to have met with the missionaries years before. How interesting that he would just HAPPEN to be on the same train at the same time as us....haha, not a coincidence. The Lord has a plan, that much I know. I don't know much, but I know that this is HIS work and not mine.

We also met a man at the bike store today who has interest in coming to Eikaiwa and meeting again. Why were we at the bike shop today, you might ask? Well, like I said, God has a plan. And that plan today included me popping my rear tire. We visited a lady who lived about forty-five minutes away from our apartment by bike, and on the way home, my tired just went completely flat. There was no close bike shop, so we had to keep biking until we found one. Man, that was hard. I was pedaling with all my might, and really not going anywhere very fast. I remember thinking to myself, "I'm pedaling just as fast as every other day, but I'm not going anywhere!" I was twice as tired as normal and biking twice as hard, and still making little progress. That, my friends, is why bikes have two wheels instead of one.

I kind of see this connecting to life. When we try to go through life by ourselves, we find ourselves going nowhere fast. We pedal and we push, but make little progress. It's like trying to ride a bike when one of its tires is flat. It is much harder than it needs to be. A bicycle is made to be driving using two wheels, thus the name, "BI (meaning two) CYCLE." There is an easier way. That's what it is like if we try to ride through life without using the help of the Lord our God. It's not meant to be that way. That was never the plan. If we do so, we are just making things harder on ourselves. We are missing a vital piece.

Anyways, I love you all!

Jya, matta, ne!

Sister Weigl

I Will Move Eternity to Get You Back

Dear Minnasan,

It's been another busy week. It's as hot outside as ever, and it's definitely been interesting to be out dendo-ing (doing missionary work) in it. I usually take a shower in the morning, and then we bike over to the church for morning study. By the time we get there, I feel like I took another shower, haha. But it's okay, I love the Lord and the Japanese people, so everything else doesn't really matter.

My arms are so tan, it's crazy. Okay, they really aren't that tan in comparison to some of the other missionaries...but for me-- a true blue Ginger who gets a sunburn when I even THINK about the sun-- it's a big deal. I've only been sunburned about once, and that in and of itself is a miracle. I know that the Lord protects His missionaries. He protects all of us. There are some days that I am out biking, and I am amazed at how I am able to keep going up hill after hill, hour after hour. I have felt the legions of angels at my back pushing me forward, especially on those harder days when my spirit is weak, and my body, weaker.

As the Lord has said, "I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:24). It have truly felt that, and I can testify that that same promise extends to all of us. God is not a respecter of persons. So, if you feel down, remember this. As you cry, there is kanarazu (for sure) an angel there at your shoulder comforting you.

Anyways, we have been experiencing lots of miracles; we have been truly blessed. For example, just yesterday, we were biking home from visiting a recent convert, when a lady called out to us. She said, "Are you Christians?" And then, when she saw that there were two of us, and that we were wearing helmets, she said, "Oh, are you Mormons?" We were surprised, because usually we are the ones waving down people on bikes, not the other way around. We immediately stopped to talk to her. Before we could even ask for her phone number, she whipped out a piece of paper and began writing down her cell phone number, her address, and home phone. She insisted that we come over and have a shokuji (a meal) with her and her family. When we told her where the church was and that we taught a free English class, she promptly told us that she had lots of friends who lived close to there and that she would introduce us to them!

Another miracle is that as we continued to bike home from this recent convert's house, we got a call from a number we didn't know. My companion answered the phone, and it turned out to be a couple that we had talked to briefly on the street a week earlier. She told us that her husband, her, and her two children were going to be coming to our English Class this week!

The work is moving forward. I have testimony of this. I know that as we do "all that lies in our power" that God will make up the rest.

My mom sent me this in her email this week, and it really touched me:

Quote by Woodard:

"I believe that we each had an interview with Father before leaving our heavenly home and coming to earth.

I believe that Father invited us to designate our eternal goals. I suspect that most who yearn for spiritual food asked to return to His presence.

Based on our chosen goal, God showed us every moment of our mortal experiences in prospect. There was to be no small print in His contracts. He wanted us to know exactly what would be required of us if we really wanted to join Him in the Family Business.

When we viewed our lives and saw the challenges we would face—including those of Abrahamic proportions—we sagged. We knew we were not equal to the demands of mortality—especially when we were far from our wise and protective Father. We despaired.

But Father offered the unstinting help of His two able counselors. The Lord Jesus Christ would provide teachings and pay all our repented debts. The Holy Spirit would comfort us, teach us, guide us, and cleanse us.

We were mystified. 'You would do that for me?' we marveled. God was serene. 'I will move eternity to get you back.'

So we signed the contract. That may have been the first time that every knee bowed and every tongue confessed that God's perfect receptiveness exceeded our wildest dreams."

Remember that, my friends. God is willing to DO ANYTHING to get you back. To get you on His side. Don't ever question that.

Love you all! 

Sister Weigl

Those With Feeble Knees

Dear Minnsan, 

Well, new transfer. New area. New companion. Lots of new, and I hope that all this newness with help refresh my mind and strengthen me to jump back into serving the Lord with full force and a new vigor. The last couple weeks have been...unusual. My companion got sick and we had to stay in Kobe in the Mission Home outside of the area that we have been assigned to work in for about two weeks almost. It was a very strange experience, but I definitely learned a lot from it. We couldn't work like "normal" missionaries, meaning that we couldn't really go out and talk to people on the street, teach lessons, or knock on doors because my companion was so sick and in and out of doctor appointments. It was a bit frustrating, to tell you the truth, but I learned that things don't always go the way you want them to. And that's the thing, you see. The way YOU want them to. I learned that there is our way, and then there is God's way, and lots of the time, they don't match up. What I learned is that we need to take a step back sometimes and ask ourselves, "What does God want me to learn from this experience?" 

All during this experience, I kept finding myself focusing on the negative. I was just aggravated with the way things had been going. I told myself, "I didn't come to Japan to sit around. I came to work! To share the gospel message with everyone!" I knew it wasn't anybody's fault, but it was still something I was unhappy with. Then my mom sent me a letter that helped me to refocus and change my way of thinking. She said in this letter, "When you start your day, look into the mirror and say, 'I am a cheerful, happy person' to yourself 12 times and then smile as big as you can." (I got that from a talk from Brother Richie that spoke at a Fireside in our ward.) That really helped me to recognize that no matter what happens, I can still choose to be happy.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as we know it, and as it has been restored to the earth, makes people happy. That's a fact. I've seen it change lives, and so, thus, whenever we choose to be unhappy, it's because we are not focusing on the Savior. As a missionary once said, "Jesus is the Son of God, and I'm going to heaven." That was this missionary's view on the world. He kept his eyes on the Savior, on the big picture, and because of it, he was happy. He never stressed out, or got down on himself. He knew what mattered and what didn't. This is such a simple thing, that I think that I over think it. 

Anyways, my new area, Kawachinagano, is great! I've only been here for a couple of days, but I already love it. The church members are strong, and I feel like they are family. They are just so open and accepting. Church yesterday was just great! It was Fast Sunday, being the first Sunday of the month, and that means that during church any member who feels so inclined, can go to the front of the congregation and bear his or her testimony about the things they feel to be true, such as Jesus Christ or God. There was a line of people waiting to do this! It was like a big spiritual punch in the face; I cried like three times because I just felt the Spirit so strongly. I am so excited to work with these church members and to help build them up like the Savior would! 

There is a Brazilian woman who came to church who was baptized about a year ago. She is fluent in Japanese, and just the cutest thing you will ever see! She was just all smiles and was bouncing all over the place. She told us how she had been so busy over the last month due to family issues, that she had been unable to come to church. But, she had been determined to come to church that day, and as soon as she entered the church, she just felt the love of all the members. She really was just happy to be at church! 

Sometimes I think going to church sort of just becomes routine to us, but I hope that in the future I can appreciate it like this woman does. Coming to church is such a blessing, and we should be happy to go, not go out of a mere sense of duty or what not. 

My new companion and I are really excited to be companions. We are doki, which means we came out to Japan at the same time and are the same transfer. She is just the cutest thing - she's always smiling and when she speaks Japanese, her voice goes up about six octaves. Love it. She just bounces around place to place, always so full of love for everyone around her. I am going to learn a lot from her, I think. 

We both discussed some of the things we want to accomplish together; about how we really just want to love everyone we meet. Sometimes it's hard to show love, or to know how to help people. It's easy to melt into a routine, to do what you've always done, and get so wrapped up with what's on your plate, that you don't even notice what's on anyone else's, or how you can help. We are so excited to just love everyone we can this transfer. We want to reach out to those around us like the Savior would. Like it says in Hebrews, we want to "lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees." It's not easy, but then again, it's not a matter of whether or not something is easy, it's a matter of following the Savior or not. And I want to follow Him.

Well, that's about it. Sorry that I haven't written much for the last couple of weeks. Hopefully I will be able to change that a bit this transfer.

Sister Weigl

The Rescuing Hand

Dear Everyone,

This transfer has definitely been a growing and learning experience for me. My companion has been having some health problems, so it's been an adventure trying to figure out what's wrong and how to help and take care of her. In Doctrine and Covenants 61:3, it says, "But verily I say unto you, that it is not needful for this whole company of mine elders to be moving swiftly upon the waters, whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief." At this point in church history, Joseph Smith and many other leaders had been traveling back to Kirkland via canoe. They had been so focused on traveling, on what they THOUGHT their goal was, that they completely missed the real purpose. Their real goal.

I am a prideful person, I will be the first to admit that. And sometimes I find myself so consumed with what I think is important, I don't realize what God is trying to tell me is important. What the Holy Ghost is trying to teach me.

I think this is a lesson I've really come to learn. It's easy to get so wrapped up in ourselves, that we don't even see those around us who are "perishing in unbelief," or in other words, need some rescuing. Need some help. That help comes in all kinds of ways; it can be as simple as a smile, or maybe something a bit more. But I have a firm belief that we each can make a difference, no matter how great or small.

Don't let Satan tell you that you can't make a difference. That you are just you, and therefore, can have little to no influence. That's as big a lie as I have ever heard.

Just smile. Talk to the person sitting next to you. Ask them about their work, their family. Tell them that you love them, if appropriate.

Well, anyways, that's all I have for this week. It's transfers this week, so we will see.

Sister Weigl

And My Father Dwelt in a Tent

Dear Minnasan,

Well, Happy “Merica Day” to one and all! Nothing special really special happened here in Japan, for obvious reasons, but we did go and pass out some fliers for the free English class that we teach at the Church every Tuesday at 7:00 pm. English=America. Also, I ate corn on the cob with butter on it. Corn on the Cob = America. So, that was my Fourth of July.

Anyways, our recent convert was just given a calling this last week, and he was called to be one of the Ward's "Greeters," which means he basically stands outside of the Chapel every week and welcomes everyone to church. He welcomed everybody like a pro this week. Yeah, our recent convert is awesome.

After church, we had dinner at a member's house. We taught a short lesson about the Restoration and Joseph Smith, which included lots of pictures, drawing, and singing because the family has a seven year old daughter and a three year old son. Speaking of this seven-year old girl, we are crazy alike. Her favorite colors are yellow and blue. MINE ARE TOO. She loves to read and go running. I DO TOO. She wears glasses. I DO TOO. She loves Inarizushi (fried tofu stuffed with rice). Of course, I DO TOO. Somehow, she decided we were best friends, and insisted that I read her and her brother a Disney book about English. We sang the ABCs about four or five times straight, and then played "JYANKENPO" (Aka = Rock, Paper, Scissors) for about ten minutes without stopping. You would think that you would get sick of that after you did it about once or twice, but apparently not. Needless to say, after this dinner appointment I felt like a pretty popular Sister Missionary. Living the dream.

We also met our new mission president this week, which was cool. He has spent the last 14 years of his life living in Tokyo with his wife and family and is fluent in Japanese. He also served his mission here in Japan once upon a time. He even served in Akashi, which was my very first area. Interesting how the Lord works, huh?

Something that my mission president talked about this week really left an impression on me, and I figured I would end my email this week with that message. We all know the short scripture verse, "And my father dwelt in a tent," and if you are anything like me, you've not really thought about this verse much (2 Nephi 2:15).

 Okay, let's review the background story for this verse: Lehi and his family lived in Jerusalem in ancient times. Lehi was a prophet called of God to teach the word to the people, but they wouldn't listen, and even threatened to kill him and his family. In order to protect Lehi, God commanded him and his family to go into the wilderness. To be obedient to the Lord, they packed up some tents and camels, and left. They left everything. Their house. Their money. All of their belongings. The Book of Mormon tells us that Lehi and his family were pretty well off. They most likely lead a rather plush life with enough money to meet their needs and then some. And they just left it all, simply because God asked them too.

So let's go back to "And my father dwelt in a tent." When you think about all the wealth and riches Lehi once had, it becomes even more significant that he is now living in a tent. He was willing to give up everything to follow the Commandments of the Lord and be obedient to Him. He was willing to do things that put him out of his comfort zone, that made him uncomfortable. He was willing to put his fear in the future behind him, trust in the Lord, and "dwell in a tent."

In the same way, we need to be willing to dwell in our own tents. We need to be willing to trust God and do what He has asked us to do, even when we don't necessarily see the end from the beginning. Church Leader Boyd K. Packer has said, "You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you."

Sister Weigl