文
Entries
3.02.2011 / 9:02 AM
話し が あった ん です けど。。。
Dear Family! Thanks so much for your continued efforts in writing me. I'm going to be honest... My efforts of late... Have been pretty weak! Sorry! I can't remember when the last time I sent an e-mail was either, and I can't remember when the last time I wrote most of you? Sorry! I will try to make a better effort to getting a letter to everyone who writes me... Sometimes, I don't get letters for like a week, then they all come in a bundle on one day. I don't know what's up with that, but often times there will be three letters from the same person... So if you sent me a lot of letters and nothing has come in reply, blame the postal system (in reality I'm probably just lazy... But blame the postal system anyways :D)
At any rate, things in Japan are going wonderfully. I see miracles everyday! So many that I can't even begin to describe them all! Like one of our new investigators, Tomioka San. She has a baptismal date (March 1), but you'll have to wait till after my mission to hear the miracle because I can't describe it today. This last few weeks I have done lots of fun and exciting things. But rather than tell you about that, I want to tell you about the talk I gave recently in the Military Branch in Misawa (it was much easier than the talks I've had to give in Japanese). It wasn't anything special, but I thought I might share the message with you guys. Feel free to tell me what you think and forgive the bad spelling, punctuation, etc... Japanese has changed my English I think.
January 30th, 2011 - Misawa Military Branch Sacrament Meeting - Elder Shaw
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am so glad for the opportunity I have to speak to you today. I, like Elder Yatsunami [he spoke for 5 minutes in English before I did], am a little nercous about speaking in English, as it's been a while. In fact, there's a good chance I'll make a mistake in the course of my talk. However, the things I will speak on today, I truly believe are true, and I hope that despite my weakness, you will be able to find some value in what I have prepared. I have prayed fervrently about my assigned topic, and know that if you strive to listen today, the spirit will speak to you, individually, according to your needs, the things I cannot say.
Today I'd like to focus my thoughts on, Missionary Work. A mission, as defined by Oxford's dictionary, is an 'important official job that a person, or group of people, is given to do often done as a dity.' This definition is certainly true for us as members of the Church. We are all part of an important job that is given, as a duty, from God. That 'job' is found in Moswes 1:39, and is to 'bring to pass the immortatily and eternal life of man.' For this purpose, we have a very specific set of 5 steps that I am confident we all remember. 1) Faith 2) Repentance 3) Baptism 4) The gift of the Holy Ghost and 5) Enduring to the end. However, despite the negative conotations of the word 'endure,' JOY, as is explained in 2 Nephi 2:25, is an essential part of each step-- Indeed, even central to our earthly mission. I personally know this to be true.
As I suspect many of you are very farmiliar with, a missionary's schedule is not an easy one. It is trying and it is stressful. It can be discouraging and it can be dissapointing. But it is oh so worth it. There are indeed days when the only person who would listen to our message was a recently slammed door. There are days when my greatest hopes and miracles seem to melt, instantly, into my greatest dissapointments. There are days when I feel I will never understand or be able to speak the Japanese Language. Yes. These days do exist. But I can hardly remember when.
What I do remember, is coming home at 9:00pm full of gratitude for that one person who listened to our message for 5 short minutes, and gave us an orange for the trip back. What I do remember is the face of that recent convert when they told me about the joy they felt at the time of their baptism. What I do remember, is the light in someone's eye as they first read and gained a witness of the divintiy of the book of Mormon. I DO remember that the greatest joy in this life comes from serving God. Despite the trials, everydaym I feel an indescribable, inexpresible, irrepresible, unbelievable, inalienable, unimaginable, irreducible, love and joy, that can only come as a blessing from God. And I promise that this is not unique. All those who serve God will feel this joy, as is promised in the scriptures.
Now, I am called to serve God as a missionary, but this work needs a whole lot more than just missionaries. I'd like to read a scripture from Mosiah 2:17. 'And behold I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.'
I just talked about service to God as the greatest joy, and I was speaking from my personal experience as a missionary. However, I know that this is not a mission-exclusive experience. More joy awaits all of us, as we give just a little bit more. The Apostle Paul wrote: 'By love, serve one another.' The savior taught:'For whosever will save his life, shall lose it. And whosever will lose his life, for my sake, shall find it.' To me, the Saviour is saying that unless I devote my life to God's service, through serving others, there is little point to my existance. David O McKay once said: 'Man's greatest happiness coems from losing himself for the good of others.'
Once again, I add my testimony. That is true! I think that many people here also know thgis to be true. But it is so very easy to forget. To quote President Monsen from the November 2009 General Conference: 'How many times has your heart been touched as you have witnessed the need of another? How often have you intended to be the one to help? And yet, how often has day-to-day living interferred and you've left it for others to help, feeling 'oh surely, someone will take care of that need.' We become some caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, however, and take a good look at what we're doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in the thick of thin things. In other words, too often we spend most of our time taking care of things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme ofthings, neglecting those more important causes.'
What poignant words those are. I'd also like to share a poem. I love poetry and one of my favorite poems of all time is by Adrienne Rich titled: Aunt Jennifers Tigers.
Aunt Jennifer's Tigers prance across a screen,
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the three,
They pace in sleek, chivalric certainty.
Aunt Jennifer's fingers fluttering through her wool,
Find even the ivory needles hard to pull.
The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band,
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.
When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie.
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by,
The tigers in the panel that she made,
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.
The meanings of this poem are many and varied. But I'd like to focus on Aunt Jennifer. I believe all of us have met an 'Aunt Jennifer' in our lives. Indeed, we are surrounded by them. And yet, we, seemingly unaware, go on prancing, proud and unafraid as Aunt Jennifer suffers to get through each day. You might wonder, 'What can I do?' or you may yourself be struggling to get through each day and think yourself unworthy of helping another. And to be honest, I cannot tell you what you can or cannot do. It might be a smile, a hello or an extra hug for mom. It might be a thank you, or a secret, drive-by delivery cake. It might be visiting someone in the hosptial, or visiting someone for no reason what-so-ever. It might be inviting someone to church, or giving out a pass-a-long card. There are many, many ways and I cannot list them all. However, I know that for each of us, God has prepared someone we can help. And if we just take a moment to look, I am confident we can find them.
I think one of the best examples of this Christ-like love is our dear prohpet. To quote him from the recent general conference:
[quote]
I think [often] of all... the widows whom I visited- 85 of them- with a chicken for the oven, sometimes a little money for their pocket. I visited one late one night. It was midnight, and I went to the nursing home, and the receptionist said 'I'm sure she's asleep, but she told me to be sure to awaker her, for she said, 'I know he'll come,'.' I held her hand; she called my name. She was wide awake. She pressed my hand to her lips and said, 'I knew you'd come.' How could I not have come?'
[close quote]
Brothers and Sisters, there are metaphorical widows, or Aunt Jennifer's among us today, who are waiting for us to come. I echo our Prohpets plea. How can we not go? How can we not go? Brothers and sisters, let us all strive to help those on the highway sie of life, as we are all called on a mission to bring souls unto Christ.I promise, as we look around, we will find those in need, we will find those Aunt Jennifer's who need our help, and as we serve them, more joy awaits us than we have every before experienced. I know this is true, as the prophets have promised it.
I also know that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, the saviour of the world. I know that Jesus Christ accomplished all his Father asked of him. The atonement is real. I know it. I feel it. Jesus CHrist and God the Father did appear to Joseph Smith. They did restore Christ's whole church to this earth, and Christ still is directing his church on earth through the prophet Thomas S. Monsen. I know it. And I am so lucky to be able to declare that everday! It is my prayer that we will all seek to share our happiness with others through our love and service. And what better way than inviting someone to meet with the missionaries? ;) Of this, I earnestly testify, in Jesus name, Amen.
-------------
Sorry for the spelling mistakes. I love you all.
--
心から
シャウ 長老
My name is Brian Shaw, though you can just call me エルダーショー (Elder Shaw). As of the 19th of May 2010, I have been rigorously engaged in serving the Lord by laboring to bring the Japanese people back to their savior, Jesus Christ; and I will continue to do so faithfully until the 19th of the same month in 2012.
