63rd week in Japan
10/24/2016
Work, work, work ー there is no satisfactory substitute

Dear Family and Friends,

The time that we have to serve as missionaries is so short. I know
that we have been called to serve God with all of our heart, might,
mind, and strength. Sometimes we come home at the end of the day and
can do nothing else but collapse onto our beds; however, in all
honesty there is no greater feeling than that.

My favorite quote in all of Preach My Gospel is by Joseph Smith.
"After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is
to preach the Gospel." I have come to understand why this is so
important. We are literally out here for the salvation of the souls of
our brothers and sisters and if I only have two years to serve them
here in Japan I want to serve them to the best of my ability. This
week we saw a lot of appointments fall through and even a baptism that
we had scheduled for Sunday got canceled, but we still choose to
continue to work our hardest.

I know that God gives us trials for a reason. He wants us to become
stronger from them. Heavenly Father was once where we are now. He
knows exactly what is best for us. Even though sometimes trials seem
to difficult for us, through facing our trials with patience we can be
made strong. Some of the greatest men to ever walk this earth faced
some of the hardest trials I have ever heard of. Think of Aaron and the
other sons of Mosiah. They faced some extremely difficult trials
trying to convince the lamanites the wicked traditions of their
fathers. "And when Ammon did meet them he was exceedingly sorrowful,
for behold they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly
because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered
hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were
patient in all their sufferings." (Alma 20:29) However going through
all of those trials helped them become stronger and have even that
much more joy when they saw thousands of their brethren repent and be
baptized.

I believe that there is nothing in this world that brings more joy
than serving others and sharing the gospel. Recently Elder Bernard
gave a devotional to the people of Japan and he talked about joy. He
talked about how in order to receive the spirit and feel joy we cannot
look at ourselves. We must be like Christ and make a constant effort
to look outward. Elder Christofferson said that "The more we serve our
fellow men in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our
souls. It is easier to find ourselves because here is more of
ourselves to find." Serving others takes work. Sometimes it is hard to
keep focus on others and not think about yourself, but as we try to
serve others we can remember what Christ did as our perfect example.
He never thought about himself. He came to the Earth to serve every
single one of us by performing the atonement. Through this greatest
act of service that has ever been given we can be saved from our fallen
state.

I am grateful for the opportunity to be in the service of God. I know
without a doubt that if we keep our focus on others that we can truly
find the joy that the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring is in our
lives. Christ is the perfect example of service. He loves us. He truly
does. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Ponderizing scripture: Alma 41:8

Questions:

How do you like your new apartment?  Are you close to the church?

1. We aren't to far from the church. Maybe 10 minutes by bike. My
companion is great. He works hard and he makes missionary work fun.

 When you watch General conference do you watch it in Japanese or English? 

2. We watch it in English. Sometimes people do it in Japanese, and I
probably could, but it is better in English so that I can get 100% out
of conference.

 What is the new ward mission leader like in your area?

3. He is awesome. He loves to dendou with us (do missionary work with
us). He is about 50 years old. He loves to pray. He prays so many
times when we go out to dendou.

Do the members ever feed you there?  What are some members you like in your area?

4. Yes, sometimes they will feed us. Not that often though. I like all
of the members, but Toku Kyoudai and Yokoyama kyoudai are pretty cool.

Have you had a chance to play basketball with your new companion yet?

5. I have not, but when we go to MLC (the zone leader conference) I
think we might be able to play.

 Have there been any fall festivals or Halloween parties in your ward?  Are the leaves changing color for the fall?

6. Yes we had a Halloween party. It was fun. The leaves are changing color.

Have a great week!

Elder Hirschi