This week has been sooooo great, but then again, every week as a missionary is great! I just am loving every moment I'm out serving the Lord. It has truly helped me to put my life into greater perspective: the things I thought were important before my mission really aren't all that vital to my existence. TV, movies, video games, and all of that -- yeah it's nice, but is it important? Is that how I want to spend ALL of my time here on this mortal life? When I go before Christ to be judged, do I want to tell Him that instead of doing good and serving His children, that I spent my days watching every single episode of Doctor Who in a week? Okay, maybe that's an extreme example, but I think you get the idea. All that stuff isn't inherently bad, but just like with everything else, MODERATION is KEY.
So, in my room, there was this little magnet stuck onto my desk when I first arrived. It says, "Everyday is possible -- Believe it." That has sort of become my motto here at the Provo MTC. I see that magnet every morning as I wake up, and that's probably the time I most need it! Mornings can be a bit of a hardship for me, because I feel like I never get the amount of sleep that I would like. But it's okay! That just shows that I am working hard to serve the Lord. If I wasn't tired, I would be worried that I wasn't working hard enough! At times, life here can be a bit challenging. I want to have complete fluency in the language even though I've only been here for three weeks. I want to be the perfect missionary NOW. And sometimes the rigorous schedule can seem a bit daunting. But that one phrase- "Everyday is possible -- Believe it" helps remind me that I can do it. I can make it. I have the Lord and His angels on my side, so how could I fail?
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| MTC District Elders - Provo, Utah (Kobe, Japan - Missionaries) |
On Sunday, My companion and I decided to try out the choir. The MTC choir practices on Sundays and on Tuesdays, so we are going to be going to the second practice today at around 5:00pm. It might even be broadcasted, so that would be cool! I don't know if it will be on the BYU channel or anything; it might just be broadcasted to the other MTCs around the word, but still! The MTC choir invites everyone to join, even those who aren't good at singing (like me). We got there, and when the music was passed out, we found out that we were going to be singing, "Nearer My God to Thee," which has long been one of my favorite hymns. The choir conductor was so funny and energetic - it was clear that he was so happy to be there with us! He told us that never has the MTC choir been as big as it is now! NEVER in his 11 years as the MTC choir director. How wonderful is that? Anyways, the arrangement for the hymn is beautiful, but somehow I think I got placed in the wrong section. I'm singing soprano, which is what I usually sing, but this arrangement requires me to hit REALLLLLLY high notes. Like, really high. I'm glad that I am singing with a lot of other sisters who are more talented than I, because I know that I sound like a screeching cow or something. But I don't think it matters so much what I sound like, as much as it matters about how I am feeling. The song, when all of the missionaries in the choir sings it, brings chills to my soul. Here are some of the words:
"Nearer, my God, to thee,Nearer to thee!
E'en though it be a cross
That raiseth me.
Still all my song shall be
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!"
I've song this song a thousand times throughout my life, but I've never really thought about the line, "Even though it be a cross that raiseth me." I realized as we practiced singing this song that a "cross" in this context, was not actually a literal cross, such as the one Jesus was crucified on, but was symbolic of a burden or trial. So really, what these lyrics are saying is that we will become nearer to God, we will be raised up, through our burdens and our trials. How cool is that? I really feel power in that lyric, and I know it to be true. It is when I have been experiencing the worst times in my life that I have become closest to God. As Avatar Aang told Korra, "It is in our weakest moments that we are most open to change." I testify of this truth with all my heart. If you are experiencing pain or afflictions in your life, it is not because God has forgotten you. No. It is because He trusts you and wants you to become stronger than you currently are. Without change, we would forever be the same person. never learning or growing. And honestly, who wants that? Who would want to be an immortal version of your 13-year-old self? I know I don't. I've grown and changed too much since then to want to go back. And who was with me every step of those changes? God was. Of this I know.
This week, we started teaching two new fake"investigators" -- Yajima-san and Saito-San. Yajima-san is a 28 year old man who is about to get married to his girlfriend (who is a less-active member. Saito-san is around 60 years old and he works at a preschool. I love both of these dear brothers so much! I have only taught them about twice each, but I know that they are both sons of God. He loves them and wants them to have the gospel. We taught Yajima-san about eternal families, which was not one of the most successful lessons. We got really off topic when Yajima-san asked what sin was, and we really struggled to answer his question properly. I think he came away with more questions than answers. However, I don't look at that as a failure. There is no failure here. Just learning experiences. We learned from our less effective teaching methods and are eager to go back and teach him again tomorrow! Hopefully we will be able to better answer his question this time and to re-establish his trust in us.
We taught Saito-san just yesterday, and it was a refining moment for both my companion and I. We were really able to get to know him personally, which follows after the Preach My Gospel motto, "Teach People, not Lessons." We talked about his job and I shared a bit about my own brother, Andy. I find that when we open up to out investigators, they are more willing to open up to us. We need that mutual trust before we can really teach them effectively. We even invited him to come to see the Primary Program at church this week, since he loves children so much. He seemed really interested and agreed that he would try to come!
The crowning moment, though, was when Astro-Shimai shared an experience she had when she felt the Spirit. Although the Japanese was a bit broken and not perfect, it was the most spiritually-charged part of the lesson. As we testify of our own experiences and how the gospel has helped us PERSONALLY, we immediately invite the Spirit into the lesson. I would challenge any of you reading this to share your testimony of God and Jesus Christ with a friend this week. Tell them how much you love God and Christ. It will leave a lasting impact if the words spoken are from the heart. This I promise.
From Sister Weigl
P.S. Here are some pictures of the people in my district! I included some pictures from last week's July 4th celebration!
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| July 4th Celebration! (Notice all the Shimai (sisters) are wearing red, white, and blue) |
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| My District Elder Missionaries |
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| 4th of July Fireworks |
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