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

Some Personal Thoughts on the Topic of Humility

Dear Minnasan,

Well, this week I've been thinking quite a bit about humility. We talked a lot about it at our last training meeting, which got me thinking, what exactly is humility? Why is it important? How can I become more humble? Well, to answer these questions, I went to the best sources, the Scriptures, Preach My Gospel (a missionary study manual), and to God Himself through prayer. These are some of what I learned.

Humility is being willing to submit to the will of God. When you are humble, you trust in the Lord. You trust that He will give you the power and ability to accomplish that which He has asked you to do. It also includes acknowledging that it is only through God that you can do anything.

When I think about humility and strive to be humble in my own life, it gives me the drive to become a better person, a better missionary, and a better follower of Jesus Christ. In essence, it makes me want to become a True Disciple: it helps me to have the inner strength to keep going even when things get tough. I feel closer to Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer. I better understand who He is and that brings a greater sense of peace and happiness into my life.

Humility is being willing to submit to the will of God. When I think about that aspect of humility, my mind is immediately drawn to the Savior's infinite sacrifice, the Atonement. In Matthew 26:39, it says, "And he (Jesus Chris) went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup‍ pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." This scripture is talking about when the Savior went to the Garden of Gethsemane and preformed the atonement. For this scripture, I learn that Jesus Christ, the very son of the Living God, is the perfect example of humility (as He is with everything). He submitted to the will of His Father.

But, what does that mean? What does it mean to "submit to the will of the Father?" To me, it means doing not what you want to do, but what God has commanded you to do, no matter how hard it is. Jesus Christ knew what God had commanded Him to do, and even though it was more difficult than He ever even imagined it would be, He did it anyways. He did it because His Father asked Him to. Now, how can we apply that in our own lives? It isn't easy, that's for sure. But as with everything, God has provided a way.

When you are humble, you trust in the Lord. You trust that He will give you the power and ability to accomplish that which He has asked you to do.  The best example of trusting the Lord that I can think of is Nephi. He has really become a favorite Book of Mormon figure of mine. In 1 Nephi 3:7, it reads, "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will‍ go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments‍ unto the children of men, save he shall prepare‍ a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

What does this have to do with humility? Well, Nephi completely trusted the Lord. He understood who God was and that if God commanded him to do something, God would also provide a way for him to accomplish that thing. Humility includes understanding God's power and His mercy, and relying on that. It's trusting what God has said because you know who He is and your relationship to Him. Being humble means trusting that God will provide us with the help which we need to do His will. Nephi understood that, If we humbly trust the Lord, and acknowledge His power and mercy, we can have the enabling power of the atonement opened unto us and be given the strength we need to become someone we could not become on our own.

Elder David A. Bednar explained this in his most recent General Conference address. He said, "Not only does the Atonement of Jesus Christ overcome the effects of the Fall of Adam and make possible the remission of our individual sins and transgressions, but His Atonement also enables us to do good and become better in ways that stretch far beyond our mortal capacities."

I too, have experience with this. I don't know if any of you remember this, but back in December of last year, my companion and I saw a baptism. The woman who was baptized was 85 years old and she couldn't remember much of anything we taught her. But we felt very strongly that it was the Lord's will for her to receive the blessing of baptism. We didn't know how to do this, but we knew what the Lord had commanded us. So we moved forward, trusting in Him, and saw a miracle performed.

Lastly, humility includes acknowledging that it is only through God that you can do anything. A great example of this in the scriptures is the missionary Ammon. In Alma 26:12 it says, "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

One of the most important parts of being humble is recognizing our own weakness. We need to realize that because we are mortal, we cannot do this alone. As Ammon said in the above, " I know that I am nothing, as to my strength, I am weak." We need to acknowledge that any progress made or success seen is a gift given to us by God and is not due to our own powers or merits.

To be truly humble, the way Ammon was, we must give God all the credit. This is HIS work, and it is done by HIS power.

Well, those are my thoughts on humility this week. Sort of became a novel. Well, if you're still reading this, let's work on being more humble together!

Sister Weigl

Nobody is A Nobaby

Dear Minnasan,

Well, another transfer in Kitarokko, AKA: The most mountainous area in our mission. AND I'M SO EXCITED! My companion and I are both staying and it's so great! There is still so much work to be done and I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

The most exciting thing to note from this week is.....WE'RE HAVING A BAPTISM! The investigator I mentioned in my last email is getting baptized! It's amazing to think about. And as I look back on how it happened, I'm really at a loss. My companion and I often joke about how we just kind of sit around and say "derp de derp come to church," to our investigators, and somehow they get something out of that, or in other words, we don't really have a clue what we're doing most of the time. But somehow, things just sort of...happen. And I know for a fact it's not because of us. It's not our strength. It's the Lord's.

If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that we are all extremely precious to the Lord. If you think about it, the likelihood of our investigator meeting us is extremely small. There are thousands and thousands of people who live in our area. And only two of us. But somehow, my companion and I were guided to this man so that he could learn about God and come to accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as his Savior and Redeemer. It was a one in a million chance. The odds were not on our side, but because God loves us, His children, the impossible was made possible. The odds were flips. The one was found.

We might sometimes think that we are "nobodies." That we don't have much worth, in God's or in anybody else's eyes. In regarding that, a church officer named Marvin J. Ashton has said, "We do ourselves a great injustice when we allow ourselves, through tragedy, misfortune, challenge, discouragement, or whatever the earthly situation, to so identify ourselves. No matter how or where we find ourselves, we cannot with any justification label ourselves 'nobody.' As children of God we are somebody. He will build us, mold us, and magnify us if we will but hold our heads up, our arms out, and walk with him. What a great blessing to be created in his image and know of our true potential in and through him! What a great blessing to know that in his strength we can do all things!"

So, in reality, nobody is a nobody. Think about those words for a moment. I think that we so often fall into the trap of labeling ourselves. I know I do. I just think, "I'm only a missionary. I am just me. I can't do anything much." But you see, that's where the trap is laid. That is where Satan's nasty teeth come snarling and gnashing at our true identities. For, if he can get us to forget who we truly are, then he has gained the upper hand. He has already won the battle.

When I get ensnared in these destructive thoughts, it helps me to remember Christ and how He treated everyone. He never treated anyone like a nobody. For example, the story of the lepers. I am sure you know it. The story goes something like this: Jesus went to a small town where He saw ten lepers. Their sickness caused them to get terrible sores all over their bodies, and to everyone who saw them, they were "nobodies." They were disgusting. They were unclean. They weren't pretty enough...they weren't popular...they weren't this or that...I think maybe we can all relate with these lepers a bit more than we think.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for these lepers? Not only were they in immense pain, but they were treated like nobodies. No one wanted to go anywhere near them. But Jesus Christ did not think this way. He loved them. He healed them. He knew that they were not nobodies.

We are not Nobody.
You are not Nobody.

Remember that.

Sister Weigl

Missionaries Serving in Kitarokko, Japan
June 2014

June 2104