May 28, 2015
What a week. It is so strange to think that I only have eleven days left in this place. I will definitely miss it. I have hit my high point spiritually while in here, which is cool because that is really what the MTC wants to have happen.
I guess I will start off by making you all super jealous of me. On Tuesday we had the one and only Jeffrey R. Holland come and speak to us. What a treat. I was about fifty feet away from him as he spoke. It was such a solemn and holy meeting, you could feel the power and authority of God. He did not come prepared with a talk, but instead came wanting to speak about several things from his heart. The first item he introduced by saying that he thought he was a fairly reasonable man, and friendly enough to everyone. He loved talking to people and getting to know them, and genuinely cared about many. That is when the fire came out. He raised his voice several decibels and then said "The ONE THING I have ZERO patience for, is when a full time missionary returns home and FALLS AWAY FROM THE CHURCH!!" You can probably guess that from this point he wanted to talk about our own conversion. He said that we will find people who who accept the gospel and will want to visit them thirty years later to see if they are still active, but he then said that thirty years down the road GOD will want US to still be active. It is an important principle to remember. The most important convert on my mission is me. That may sound selfish but it is true, because there are NO guarantees of 'success' on your mission. But you can guarantee your own testimony and commitment to the gospel. In a joking manner of course Elder Holland talked about how when he gets fired up on this subject, he requires padded rooms and strait jackets, which was funny to hear about. He then said in as serious a tone as he could manage (I think), If you come home and fall away, then see me on the street walking toward you, you better cross to the other side of the street, because it will be ugly and embarrassing...hahahaha. It is so awesome when general authorities come here, it is almost like they set foot in the mtc and just let their hair down! His next topic was obedience. He said that the first law of ANYTHING in life and the gospel, is obedience. He talked about how the small white handbook we have is a culmination of 200 years of missionary experience and revelation. After that he said that if you do not want to follow the rules that is fine, you can go start your own church with your own rules, but be sure to let him know because he DID NOT want to be a part of it. He reminded us that this is the Lord’s time, not ours, and that we would be wise to never confuse that fact. I am completely butchering this. I cant do english so good anymore. It is so very sad, but the same night that this incredible man spoke with so much power and authority, there were elders running around and goofing off late into the night. It is aggravating, and I actually feel bad for them that they do not have enough discipline and trust in God to do what is right, but on the other hand I am so glad those who came before me in my zone fostered such a rich culture of obedience.
Anyway it was an incredible night. At the end of the devotional, we all stood as he left and I had several very distinct thoughts and impressions. The first thought was that I would do anything to simply walk out the doors behind Elder Holland, and follow him wherever he went. In my mind I begged and pleaded that he would stay and talk to us just a little while longer. Please, stay with us for just a few minutes more. My eyes kinda got misty, and that is when I thought about what I had read from the Book of Mormon just the other week. When Christ appeared to the Nephites in America, and had turned to ascend into heaven, he stopped and looked around and saw that all the people were weeping. I remembered that they only wished that he would stay a little while longer. I realized that what I was feeling at that moment was so similar to how those ancient people had been feeling. Now Im sure that their experience was far greater than mine, and that they felt much stronger emotions, but the basic feeling and spirit was the same. At least I thought so. It was at this point when I made this connection, and Elder Holland was walking down the stairs from the podium, that I realized I felt this way because of the light of Christ which was working through him, was testifying to my heart that it was so. Elder Holland, as great a man as he is, has simply aligned his purposes and desires so closely with that of the Savior, that he had become a raw tool, and instrument in his hands. I then realized that my purpose was exactly the same as his. All our purposes are the same. To help bring those around us unto Christ. It is that simple. I am so grateful that I was able to make these connections. I am so thankful that I can be doing this work at this time. I am so thankful to be able to go to Japan. I am so thankful for my companions. I am so thankful for this gospel.
Alright I’ll move on. Wednesday night was AWESOME. We skyped Miura Kyodai over in Nihon (Japan) again. Our lesson was on helping us receive answers to prayer. We all speak in very broken and poor Japanese, but we were able to share several insights and scriptures with him. It was about a forty minute visit, and we were out of time, but I got the distinct impression to ask Miura Kyodai to share his akashi (testimony) of prayer with us. He then told the story of his conversion and the missionaries that helped him so much in his life. The spirit worked through HIM and came 5000 miles across the world to us three newbie missionaries sitting in front of a monitor in the MTC. Both he and us felt the same spirit. He got teary eyed as he relayed his testimony of prayer and God’s love. I am so grateful that I asked him to share his testimony. We ended up going ten minutes over time, and our TRC coordinator was al little peeved, but I tell you all I would do that time and again the exact same way given the opportunity. Our purpose is to help others come unto Christ. We were able to provide and invite the SPIRIT, not us, to help Miura Kyodai come closer to Christ and feel the spirit. What a beautiful moment. He is an amazing man, with such a strong conviction. I am so excited to go serve in Japan.
Right after that appointment we were selected to be guinea pigs again. The Romainian and Italian zones all left this last week and they had 48 new missionaries coming into the MTC who had no Zone leaders or district leaders in the MTC to greet them. So our tiny district of four people was of course chosen and asked to give them orientation hahaha. Just throw it on our plate! It is so funny how our whole MTC experience has been much more uncommon than others, but it was a great experience and I loved doing orientation again. We broke off and each of us took a district to meet with and give a tour of the MTC. They ask us to talk about the culture of righteousness, the white handbook, and have them get to know each other. I may or may not have gotten a little preachy when I was talking about the rules, I hope I didn’t get too bad. I just really want them to have a good experience here, and I know that if they follow the rules and are obedient, they will. They also asked us to close by bearing our akashi (testimony) in Nihongo, which was nice to practice, and felt really good. I am more comfortable teaching, and praying, and bearing testimony in Nihongo than I am in english. Weird. Anyway cool experience.
Kristin thank you so much for the letters. I am jealous of you and all your adventures, but I am glad you are able to get out and do all those things. The stories about your work are absolutely hilarious hahaha. Love it.
Jess thanks for the stories about lawn mower accidents. My district and I got a kick out of that for sure.
Dad, I haven’t heard from Shu Han in a while, If you have his number or his email could you send him a message and ask him how he is and send me his email? I lost it.
Long winded this week, poor spelling, poor grammar, so sorry, except not sorry. LOVE THIS MISSION
Ai shite imasu (I love you)
Viehweg Choro
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