Hello Awesome Family,
Well another week has gone by and that means my stay at the MTC is slowly coming to an end. I love the MTC and all the experience I have had in it but I am really excited to leave and go to Japan, even if my language ability needs some work. I have this huge desire to find and teach people and let them feel the spirit. My excitement to go was increased on Saturday night when I met President and Sister Budge, my new mission president.
They are amazing. It was so wonderful to meet them here before I went out to the field and to get to know them. They are both very kind and funny and fun. President Budge has come up with a theme for our mission. The theme is, “United in so great a cause.” It comes from Doctrine and Covenants 128:22 I believe. Sister Budge has made a quilt that will hang up in the entrance of the mission home and all the missionaries who are serving will sign it. They have lived in Japan for 17 years and only got back to the states 3 years ago. He was the first foreigner to be a CEO of any Japan bank. All their children, except for one son who served in Hong Kong, served in Japan for their missions and they have one son living in Tokyo right now with his wife and 2 sons so they are excited that they can be grandparents on their missions. They are also brining their 13 year old son. President Budge told us some interesting facts about the mission in Tokyo such as, there are 170 missionaries serving right now and 43 of them are Japanese natives. Half of that 43 are sisters and there are 20 sister missionaries total. He also said that a lot of the mission work will be to get the priesthood in Japan active. There are not a lot of brethren in the church right now and only 4-5 young men from a stake go on their missions. Elder Oaks this last weekend did a broadcast in Japan telling the missionaries to activate the priesthood and inspire the young men to serve missions. President Budge also talked about the amazing food they have over there. Can you see why I am getting really excited to leave? I know it will be hard and at the beginning the language will be extremely frustrating because I would want to share my message but I know that when I get there the language will come a lot faster than it has been coming here at the MTC and I can at least focus on the spirit and letting people feel it. The Lord will help me. He is the one that called me on this mission and it will be through Him that I will be able to accomplish so much.
I want to congratulate Eric on his engagement to Lisa. That is awesome and I happy for him. Lisa is a really awesome girl and I hope that they will have a good and happy marriage. Good luck with planning the wedding. J
Also I hope Megs has a really fun time on Trek. I loved Trek and is even more special to be able to go to Martin’s Cove and experience the hardships where the real pioneers were and to feel the spirit that is there in that sacred spot. I am kinda jealous of her opportunity. But have fun and try to get as much as you can out of it.
Last night we received new Japanese missionaries and there are 6 sisters total. Since I am the coordinating sister I was in charge of welcoming them and showing them their rooms and teaching them how to make their beds. I will admit that I became a little discouraged because of the language because I couldn’t say much but I am better and determined to use all that I know. So there are 17 Japanese missionaries total and none of them are going to Tokyo, so when I leave there will just be me and the 3 elders from my own district and 4 from another, so 8 missionaries total and I will be the only sister going among the senpai. I am ok with it and I am happy because there is one sister going to Sendai in the Japanese group so Stubbs shimai will be able to have someone. She doesn’t like to think about leaving and being separated. We have become really close and it will be hard to say goodbye so we are enjoying our last 3 weeks together.
Being coordinating sister can be hard sometimes because sometimes I just don’t know how to help someone even though I want to with all my heart. And I always wonder if I am saying the right thing or not, but saying that I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and for the chance this is making me to grow and become an even better missionary and the Lord is blessing me with His spirit and guiding me. Quick story: last week there was a sister who was having a hard time with her companion and crying and one of my teachers (Mortensen shimai) has been working with both of them and trying to help the companionship. Anyway she went to talk to this sister and then she came and pulled me out of class and asked if I could talk to the one that was really upset while she talked to the other for a while. She thought I would be able to help more, especially in my position as coordinating sister. I said yes and went into a room to talk to the sister. I talked to her to see what was wrong and how she was feeling. After she told me I talked to her a little bit about the problem and then asked if she would be willing to say a heartfelt prayer, asking the Father for help. After we knelt down and said a prayer we talked a little more than Mortensen shimai came back in and with her help we both talked to the sister and I believe helped her a lot. While we were talking to her I felt like I was just speaking in circles and not making much sense at all. But Mortensen shimai told me after class thank you for my help and that she felt like she was working with a companion. She felt the spirit coming out of me and knew that I was following the promptings it was giving me. That was a great compliment to hear and I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to be a vessel for the spirit and the Lord’s instrument. Funny how sometimes we can follow promptings and not know that it is by the spirit we are being prompted.
This week has been crazy with all the apostles here and sadly I must report that I have not seen any of them. A lot of the Kohai have seen some walking the halls of the main building and on Sunday sacrament was split up into 4 between all of the MTC and one sacrament meetings was lucky enough to have the prophet there with them and he spoke to them for the entire meeting. I have had no such luck so far. Tonight’s fireside is the night that we will hear from them. But if it be one or a couple I have no idea. The apostles that I know that are here are Elder Bednar, Elder Holland, Elder Packer, Elder Anderson and of course President Monsen. The fireside should be really good and I am excited to be spiritually fed. J
Last week was a really good week. If you remember that I had the goal last week to be more hopeful so not to think/say anything negative about myself in any aspect. Having that goal did wonders. The week was so good and I was super happy and energetic (well until the weekend when I got sick). I have the same goal this week. It has been a rough start but I am determined to follow up on it. J
Today is our last Temple trip. They are closing the Temple for cleaning for two weeks and when they open it up again we will be gone and in Japan. I am blessed enough to be going to a mission with a Temple but for Stubbs shimai this will be her last one for 18 months. So we are going as a big group with the senpai . I love the Temple and the opportunity I have had to go every week for the past 2 months. It really has been a great blessing and the Temple has come to mean so much more in my life. As members of the church we are privileged to go into the Lord’s house and feel of His spirit. Have you thought about that? The Lord’s house, the place where He dwells. What a blessing that is and an honour that is. We should never take advantage of that and should always respect and honour that. We should be running the Temple at every opportunity that we have.
I love you all with all my heart and I am grateful every day to call you my family. You have given me so much love and support and you will never know how much each and every one of you means to me. May the Lord continue to bless you as I am away and know that you are never far from my heart. I know this church is true and I know Jesus Christ is my Saviour. He has helped me to grow so much in the short time I have been here and He is moulding me to the missionary He wants me to be. Being on a mission is truly a blessing and an honour and I am very grateful for this chance to show the Lord how much I love Him and am willing to follow Him.
Love you with all my heart,
Mackenzie
