8/15/2016
戒めを守る (Keep the commandments)
I first just want to start off by saying Happy Brithday mom! Thank you so much for everything! I truly appreciate everything that you have given me and all of the sacrifices that you have made to raise me in the gospel.
This past week has been full of reflecting and learning from others along with a stronger love for the Book of Mormon. I know that if there is one thing that has changed about me since becoming a missionary it is my love for the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon has become a part of who I am. I try to apply and abide by the principles that I learn from the Book of Mormon.
Lately I have been reading from the beginning of Mosiah. As I have been reading about King Benjamin I have come to realize how humble he was. He was the king of all the people yet he was constantly in their service. He loved his people and taught them the ways of the Lord. While reading in chapter two I learned how much love God has for us. God has given us many commandments because he loves us. He knows what is best for us and he knows that through obeying his commandments we can be strengthened. Mosiah tells us how great God is and how merciful he is to us. God has made our lives so simple, as Nephi says the things that God asked him to write were plain. The purpose of coming to Earth is to learn, grow, and prepare to meet God. (Alma 34:32) I know that the prophets of old realized what their purpose was. They had such great faith in God and were willing to do what he asked them, no matter what it was. In order to prepare to meet God again, all we must do is keep the commandments.
King Benjamin talks about how much God has given us. He has created us and given us everything that we have. He has given us the opportunity to pray. He has given us our families. He gave us his son, Jesus Christ. If God has given us all of these things, how can we not continually give him thanks and have a sincere desire to do what he asks. King Benjamin goes on to say that we should "render all the thanks and praise that our souls have the power to posses." (Mosiah 2:19-24). I am grateful that I have the opportunity to give thanks to God. After all that he has given me I cannot help but kneel down before him and praise his name.
This week I want to work on always giving thanks to God in my prayers. I would ask that each one of you would join me in doing so. Heavenly Father loves each one of us. He wants us to be happy. Through keeping his commandments we can find happiness and eternal joy (Mosiah 2:41). I know this church is true. Jesus is the Christ. And these things I say in his sacred name, amen.
Ponderizing scripture: 2 Nephi 31:10
Questions:
1. I am not sure if I can say that I have a favorite place that I have been to visit here in Japan yet, but the park that we went to by the Okayama castle in my first area was amazing. I would probably say that was my favorite place.
2. There are quite a few people that have gardens here, but not nearly as much as in Uwajima. I do get to eat sushi every once in a while. Not as much as in Uwajima though.
3. No we do not take our shoes of at church in our new area. I think that Uwajima was special. I am pretty sure that it is the only area like that where you take your shoes off at church in the mission.
4. I do learn new words every day. Learning songs doesn't seem to help me quite as much, but maybe I should try that out more. My companion is doing pretty well with the language. He is still a 3rd transfer, so it is a bit hard for him, but he is progressing well. There is a different dialect in Kyoto. They speak a lot of different words, but I remember most of them from the transfer that I was in Fushimi.
5. I haven't been able to play any basketball lately :(. It is okay though. We haven't seen any other festivals going on, but the Ward is going to do one pretty soon. A lot of people are talking about the Olympics. I really want to go to the Olympics in 2020 in Japan.
6. One of the biggest suggestions that I would have to say if you are learning a language is don't be afraid to speak. A lot of Japanese people are afraid to speak because they think that their English pronunciation is not good. I think that you can learn English the fastest through conversation because we have so many rules that we don't even understand in English.
日本語で：一番大きな進めは人と話すことを恐れないで。多くの日
7. I love a ton of people here. The bishop is amazing. He is always willing to talk about the missionary work in the area. He is a really cool guy. Shingo kyoudai is really cool as well. He is younger and they have quite a few YSA in this Ward so it is nice to be able to talk with some people my age. I also like a lot of our investigators. Hayata kyoudai is really funny. I wish that we could help him more.
Thanks for all of your love and support everyone. I can truly feel your prayers. I love you all.
Elder Hirschi
ハーシ長老
District Leader Council
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