お元気 です か？私わはとても元気です。
Okay, enough with the Japanese, considering that none of you can really
read it. At least, I don't think many of you can. Anyways, so this week has been
another amazing week at the Provo MTC. My companion and I made a goal to only
speak Japanese for a week, this is what I refer to the "日本語 だけ！" Project, or in
English, the "Japanese Only" Project! It's not been easy, but it has been really
fun to do! Sometimes it is really hard to communicate what I want to say with
the very limited amount of Japanese that I have learned, but that isn't always a
bad thing. It helps me to think about whether what I am saying is really
relevant to my purpose as a missionary. It is sort of forcing me to review what
I should be talking about and what I shouldn't be. It is helping me stay
focused. We both carry our English-to-Japanese dictionaries around with us
everywhere, so that we can look up words that we don't know how to say, and
although this takes time, it has been such an experience! We started on Friday
night, and already I have seen a noticeable change in my ability to speak. It
comes easier and more naturally now. Like, I'll try and say an English word, and
somehow a Japanese word pops out. The first time that happened, my initial
thought was, "OH MY GOSH! ITS HAPPENING!" Yes, lets just say I was pretty
excited. Here's a small example: when I was buying eye drops from the bookstore,
the cashier asked if I wanted the receipt. I said without hesitation,
"いいえ、”大事呼ぶ。” and the guy was like, "What?" I didn't even realize that I had
answered in Japanese. I guess sometimes I forget that not everybody speaks
Japanese, haha. I still have a long way to go, I know that. But every little
step is a triumph. You have to hail the little victories of every day, or else I
feel like you will never feel like you accomplished much.
This week, some sisters in my district and I went to this early morning
kickboxing class. They have exercise classes for only the sisters every morning
at 6:00. We haven't, up till this point, gone to any because we wanted to be
able to get as much sleep as we could. Howerer, this week we thought we would
try it out. I really enjoyed it -- it was a great change of pace! Although I
wasn't very good at it (As you guys know, I am NOT a very coordinated person, so
trying to follow the instructor’s movements was a bit difficult...it made me
think of Just Dance a bit, actually....). Anyways, it was a good
workout, but I didn't realize how good until the next morning when I woke up. I
was SO sore! I felt like an old woman for the entire day! Haha, just goes to
show how out of shape I really am! This is good though, because in Japan all I
am going to be doing is biking, so the better shape I am when I leave the MTC,
the less difficulty I will have when I finally get to Japan.
I'm not sure if I mentioned this in my last message, but even if I did,
I’ll just share it again. My mom sent my a Personal Progress booklet last week,
so that I could work on it during my mission. To those of you who don't know
what that is, it’s sort of like earning an Eagle Scout Award, but for girls. I
already received this award when I was around 14, but being on a mission, I
decided it would be really beneficial to re-earn it. The very first Value, or
section, of this Program is entitled, "Faith." It has various scriptures to
study and goals to complete that will help me understand the principle of Faith
in more depth and how to apply it in my life. So, I’ve been studying this
throughout the week. It’s funny how God works, because on Sunday the lesson
given in Sunday School was about faith, as was a few talks that we had in
Mission Conference. From both these talks, lessons, and the scriptures, I’ve
learned that miracles CANNOT occur without faith. Not EVER. This could be
referencing the big miracles witnessed in the scriptures, but I also think that
this is applicable for the little miracles, or "Tender Mercies" that we
experience everyday. If we don't have faith, then those cannot occur either. For
example, today I misplaced my watch. Now, I never used to wear a watch. I always
just looked at my phone for the time. However, I do not have such a luxury on my
mission. And, with such a rigorously planned schedule, knowing what the time is,
is IMPERATIVE. Being late to class or dinner or personal study is really not
good. So, you can kind of see how loosing my watch is not exactly optimal. Not
only that, but I have really become found of my watch. That's silly, I know, but
wearing it all the time has made it almost become a part of me. Like, I feel
weird when I don't have it on my wrist. So anyways, how does my lost watch
connect to the principle of faith? Well, let me tell you. I looked and looked
for this watch. I looked every place I could think of, and when I was sure it
was lost for good, my companion suggested that we pray. It was a small thing to
pray about. But God must have known it was important to me, because as soon as
we finished this prayer, a thought came into my mind that said, "Look in the
pocket of your pajama pants." And what would you know, there was my watch! We
had faith enough to pray for help, and through that faith, our prayer was
answered. If we didn't exercise our faith in God, I might not have found my
watch for a long time, and as a result, could have become late to various
activities. If we have faith in Jesus Christ, and act upon that faith, no matter
how big or small that faith may be, we will witness miracles.
So, something our District has been really working on this week is our
unity. Your District is like your family here at the MTC, so being unified and
loving each other is an important aspect, especially if we wish to have the
Spirit with us throughout the day. It's really interesting that this goal has
been discussed, because recently I have been trying to find ways to better serve
the people around me. I try and say "I love you" to my companion more. I leave
her little notes, and try to compliment the members of my District on various
things I like about them. I was struggling to understand how I could best help
the people around me to feel God's love, and find ways to serve them. Then, our
Distinct Leader came up with an idea to accomplish our goal of being more
unified--every morning a member of the District will share something that they
like, noticed, or appreciate about each member of the District. This not only
helps us feel loved, but gives that person a chance to think about and ponder
the good qualities of each person. It's my turn tomorrow, and I've really been
thinking and observing each member. I want my comments to be meaningful. and not
just silly compliments that feel superficial, such as, "I like you hair" or the
like. I've been praying to better understand each person, and as I've done so, I
have come to realize how important each of us are to God. We each have special
gifts or talents or qualities. For example, an Elder in my district has been
given the gift of being a good and attentive listener, and another, the ability
to know just how to comfort a person who is in need. We each are different, and
we each are special. I want to be able to view everyone I meet with that
knowledge - that they are known and loved by God. We oftentimes do not know what
is going on in that person's life, but God does. He knows their intents, their
desires, their wishes, their dreams. All we see is the outside, but God knows
the inside of each of His children. When we know so little about the people
around us, how could we ever properly judge them? We cannot, and we should not.
However, I know that is the tendency I have. I see someone and I automatically
make judgments about them. That is what I am trying to overcome. God loves all
of us, and thus, so should I. This will be hard, but as my mom has told me on
multiple occasions, nothing is impossible with God.
As you go about your week, try to remember that the people around you are
children of God. Really think about that. Ponder it. Does that change the way
you treat them?
Just some food for thought, I guess.
Sorry if I sound preach-y.
Love you all!
Sister Weigl
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