March 16, 2010

Hello Family! How is everyone doing? I'm doing great here, and more excited than ever!! I leave for Japan in less than two weeks, and then the real missionary works starts! I can't explain my emotions right now. How excited and scared I am. How excited I am to get outside of the MTC, have real food, talk in Japanese constantly, Be In Japan!!! I'm so excited! With this feelings also comes the feelings of inadequacy. (Probably didn't spell that right) Am I really prepared to do this? Yea I can semi teach a lesson, and carry on a conversation in Japanese, but talking, and understanding what people are saying is another thing. Going to the TRC, and talking with all the Japanese missionaries we have been blessed with has been good practice, and at times i feel confident, but then at other times i don't feel so ready. But regardless of these feelings, I'm still very very excited to go, and i know I'll have a hard time, and that I'm going to feel more inadequate than I've ever felt, but that's okay. What would be the fun of a mission without those moments? I know I'm going to have my lowest moments, but because of those, how much sweeter my high moments are going to be. I much more happier I'll be when a family commits, or I'm able to understand people. I just can't wait. I've loved the MTC and seeing Spencer, and Becca that one time, but I'm ready. As much as I'm sorry to say this mom, I'm ready to forget home!! I'm ready to show what i am, and what the Lord can make of me. I'm ready to make Japan my new home. I'm so excited to just be emerged into the culture! Its such an amazing culture and its a blessing to have the opportunity to preach this wonderful gospel to the ready to hear the gospel people of Japan. This is such an awesome work! Every minute longer of being a part of this sacred calling makes it that much more amazing to me! Being a missionary is an amazing thing! As a missionary, you are an authorized representative of the Lord. That's amazing! You are authorized to act in his name. You do what he would do if he were there. You could say what he would say, be what he would be. Its so amazing to me that God would give this wonderful blessing to ignorant unthankful 19 year olds. What gives us the right? What could we possibly have done to obtain this Honor?!?! I don't know who exactly is going to be reading this, but this work is amazing. I truly understand the scripture, those who lose their lives for my sake, shall find it. Its so true!! Whoever is reading this, serve a mission. Through serving a mission, more blessing than you could ever imagine will be pronounced upon your head! I can't even explain the magnitude and importance of this work. As my mission prep teacher said, we're are in the last moments of the Superbowl between Heaven and Hell. And God has chosen us. He has chosen us, and he trusts us to do his work. To do what he would do. I've been reading in Alma and Helaman this past week, and something really though provoking hit me. Here all this missionaries like Nephi, Alma, Ammon.... we're able to baptize THOUSANDS!!!! They were able to truly change the world. Well if miracles (For this truly is a miracle) have not ceased, then why can't this be done today? Why can't a simple teenager from Sandy Utah go to Japan, and through the Lord bring many many MANY souls unto Christ?!?! In the Book of Mormon they were going to the Lamanites who were seeking to destroy the Nephites, and yet he had all this success. I'm pretty sure no one is going to be seeking my life in Japan. Now no way am I expecting to baptize thousands, and do all this. But why can't it be done today? We have the same gospel don't we? Same God? Same message? Why not? Just something that really has struck me the past could of weeks. Well I love you all. Thanks for all your love and support.

Elder ｓチュアｒト