October 19th, 2020 Week One "The Mission Begins" Home MTC

And so the mission begins!

Hi friends! Before I get into it, this is my first email I've ever sent out as a missionary! I'm ridiculously excited to finally start my training to serve the Lord out in Japan, as well as have the opportunity to help others that are over there as much as I can. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I'm so excited to be able to finally begin my service. It's been something I've looked forward to for my entire life, and I'm just... humbled. It's finally happening.

 

This is going to be a really long email, so buckle down, everyone! There's a lot to talk about!

 

(Before I get too far into it, this really is my first email as a missionary, so I'm still fumbling with logistics and everything like that. There might be people I'm missing on the mailing list, formatting errors, typos, overexplaining, and all of that good stuff.  Also, if I've missed anyone or if there's anyone that wants to be added to the mailing list, please let me know! I'll try and keep these emails as best as I possibly can, but please be patient as I work through all of this. Things'll steadily improve as time goes on!)

 

This week has been such an amazing experience, though. We follow a pretty rigorous schedule following Mountain Standard Time (because the MTC's in Provo, Utah!) but it's so full of really interesting classes and activities, that we're never really left wanting of anything, really. And for those of you I hadn't told yet, the MTC got moved to online, so I didn't actually have to report to Provo! It's been such a huge blessing to be here with my family and to have their support as I go through classes and do my best to learn as much as I can.

 

I'll be training in the online MTC for about nine weeks - and the past three days have felt like a lifetime has gone by. I feel like I've changed so much while I've been here - and I've really been able to figure out who I am and who I want to become. I've done a lot of self-evaluation to try and understand who I am and what I can do to help as many people as I can -and I can honestly see the Lord's hand helping me to realize who I am and who I can become. It's all about an eternal perspective, and understanding where we want to be as we continue our journey through this life and the life to come! I know that as we try our best to understand not just who we are, but turning outwards and focusing in how who we are can help others, we'll find ourselves changing for the better - and that positive outlook will help us to be the best people we can be. I've always found that an oppressive amount of optimism can help in a pinch - and it's much easier when you realize that we are never given anything more than we can handle or is for our good! (D&C 123 has some really good stuff about this if you want to check it out!)

 

The day begins at 6:30MST. We have about an hour and a half until class starts at 8:00, so we have time to exercise and everything like that. Class usually starts with working on our Japanese, and then usually shifts to adjusting to missionary life, using technology, reading the Book of Mormon as a class, as well as some other stuff. It's a lot of fun - it's like all of the good parts of school without all of the stress! My teachers are extremely patient and kind - Blackley 兄弟 and Weir 姉妹. They're both kind, patient, and ridiculously good teachers! Both of them served their missions in Japan (Sapporo and Tokyo North, respectively). They're both great!

 

My district has five missionaries - which seems like a small number, but in my opinion, it's the perfect number. We're all really close, and bounce off of each other really well. There's Baxter 長老、Greene 長老, Oto 姉妹, and Taylor 姉妹。We're all really, really close already - and I'm grateful that we're already so close. They're all extremely kind and patient, we all help each other out and look out for each other. We're already like a family, and it's been what, four days?

 

It's only been four days? That can't be right. It's felt like so much more... in all the best ways.

 

Anyways, we have two classes a day, except Tuesdays, where we have devotionals instead. We also have workshops on a myriad of topics, which are really fun! The mandatory ones average about 235 missionaries... which, thinking back to UW, actually isn't all that big. But it's still a lot of people! I actually met someone in one of the breakout rooms for one of the activities who was called to the Washington Everett mission, which was kind of crazy!

 

Other than that, we try to schedule studies for at least three hours a day, outside of the two classes. This includes personal study (personally studying the scriptures/church talks), companion study (personal study but with your companion[s]), and language study. I've been recently diving into the Book of Mormon again - this time, digging deeper into the archetypes of Christ within it. It's been a fun journey so far - and I have a lot of red in my scriptures.

 

Being at home is honestly a huge blessing for me, too. I'm used to online schooling because of my time at UW through spring quarter (and then some), so I'm not feeling as many of the drawbacks. I do wonder sometimes about the in-person experience, but honestly, it's hard to miss something you don't have. I'm just glad I'm able to attend the MTC, and have a district and teachers I've already come to love. They're all amazing. But being able to be with family - going out to take pictures at Lake Wenatchee with them, talking to them about my lessons, and having them so willing and happy to listen... it's been great. Plus, we don't have to say goodbye for another few weeks!

 

But honestly, the Lord has blessed me so much throughout all of this new adventure. I'm grateful for His hand in my life, and helping me to shape me into the best person I can be. I know that change comes slowly - but with His help, we can all become the best people we can be. 

 

For me, all that matters is that I'm prepared enough to be able to help as many people as possible. Serving them, helping them through their daily struggles or biggest failures, being there to support them and love them... that's all I ask. I just hope I'll be ready to do so.

 

I've been thinking often about D&C 18:15 - perhaps my favorite scripture of all time:

"And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with Him in the kingdom of my Father!"

 

I've thought about this time and time again as I've asked myself the question - "What kind of missionary do I want to be? What can I offer that I can give to help the people in Japan?" I've come to realize that all that I want is to be able to help others. I want to bring someone to feel the love of the Savior - the same love that I know I have felt countless times before. I know that He is there. I know that He and Heavenly Father love us so much - and want nothing more than to see us be happy.

 

And I know that if we truly seek it, if we sincerely pray - opening our heart completely - we will be able to know that for a surety. Heavenly Father will not take away our ability to act - it is the reason we are here, the reason we are going through life. We're all here to learn and to grow - and to become the best people that we can be, so that when we all are resurrected, we can pass through judgement and return to live with Him. I know that to be true - but I know for sure now that They love us all so much - more than we could ever know. We lived with Him before we came here. We chose to go through life. We chose to sin, to fall - but through the Savior's Atonement, we are able to become clean once more. Mistakes can be forgiven. Mankind can be freed. And we can all repent, and return to live with Him once more.

 

And if I can bring even one person to feel even a sliver of that love... if I can bring even one person to understand... then it'll all be worth it.

 

Take care, everyone! Keep me posted on everything that's going on - I'd love to get emails from all of you on what you guys are up to! I'll respond when I can - which will probably be this Saturday.

 

Speaking of which, my P-Day actually is Sunday! I, uh... yeah, sorry about that. I emailed today, though, because I promised everyone I would write today, and so I'm keeping my word! But yeah, expect an email from Saturday from now on. And Sunday, once I get to Japan.

 

Love you guys! Take care, everyone! I promise I'll have pictures next week... although, I'm not exactly sure what pictures I'm going to take yet.

 

Take care! You all are amazing!

 

Elder Decker

October 24th, 2020 Week 2 "Riding the Whirlwind" Home MTC

皆さん！

 

Has it already been a week? And yet, somehow, it seems like a paradox, doesn't it? I'm sure life for all of you has continued to march on, and yet for me, somehow it feels like it's stretched out for a long time.

 

I think a part of it has to do with how much my life has changed in the past week. And not only that, but I feel like even a week into the MTC, I've changed as well. I've learned so much, not only about the language and the Gospel, but about myself. I've learned more about who I am, and what I can offer. It's been one of the things I've done a lot of reflection about - who am I, and what can I do to help the people in Japan? What are my strengths, and what are my weaknesses? What are the gifts I've been given? And as I've thought about it, I've felt myself become more sure of myself - more sure of who I am.

 

This week was a lot of fun, but was definitely not without its challenges. Every day, class starts at 7:00 (they're an hour ahead of PST!), and runs for three hours. There's usually another three hour class after that. It's been something of a whirlwind tour! My class has gone from barely learning hiragana at the beginning of the week to basic lessons and conversations. I'm glad I was able to take that year of Japanese before I came here - everything's clicking really quickly, and what I've learned has helped me to focus on what really matters - the people. 

 

One of the interesting things that I've discovered as I've gone through this week is that learning the language and the gift of tongues isn't as reliant on study as I thought! I've found that as I've focused on the language, rather than the people, I end up messing up quite a bit. I focus too much on what I'm going to say, rather than what they're saying. I trip up on my words because I second guess myself. Things like that. But when I focus on the person I'm talking to, the teaching, or even the people as a whole - when I focus on conveying that love, I've found that I not only learn better, but I make fewer mistakes, and am more confident. And more importantly, we can have a conversation - rather than one person preaching. That's always been the most important part of being a missionary to me, even since I was a kid.

 

Missions are all about others. We sacrifice two years of our lives to go out all over the world, listening to people's stories, listening to their troubles and problems, and helping them in whatever way we can. We get the opportunity to talk to people of all walks of life - the rich, the poor, the comfortable, the needy. Everyone has problems in their lives - and we as missionaries get the opportunity to help in both big and small ways. I think that's why I've always wanted to serve a mission, because I've known that I'd be able to do what I've always loved to do - help people, and bring them comfort.

 

"Courage" has been a common theme for me this week. As I've gone through this week of studies and adjusting to missionary life, I've found myself drawing closer to the Lord in prayer. And as He does with all who pray with sincerity of heart, He has answered every single one, in His own way and His own time. But after talking to my parents about some of the impressions I've felt, one of the things they said that really resonated with me.

 

"Courage isn't hard when other people are harsh. It's hard when you see your own terror and shortcomings, and still choose to move on, to learn and to grow."

 

I've thought about what they've said over and over again. And I've realized that I've been running away from failure for probably as long as I've been alive. Whether it be schoolwork, with friends, or with any part of my life, I've realized I've never had courage - but I've had fear. As I've gone through this week, I've tried my best to have that courage - to try my best to do my best, no matter the mistakes.

 

Mistakes happen - but it's how we react to it that defines who we are. And we have to have the courage to accept our mistakes. But it's one thing to accept our mistakes - it's another to keep moving. To keep putting one foot in front of the other. That's the hard part. I like 2 Timothy 1:7 for this - "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

 

We can do everything we can do - prepare and plan, study and make efforts to learn and grow, and then go and speak confidently with power... but at the center of it all is love. Without that love, nothing else matters.

 

And as I've found myself consecrating this time to the Lord, listening to Him, and placing myself in an environment where I can truly feel His Spirit, free of too much noise and distraction, I've found my love increasing. Not only for Him, but for the people I'm talking to, my district, my teachers... and ultimately, the people I'll be helping in Japan.

 

It's a long road - but I think it's definitely one worth treading.

 

Sorry for the late email this week - this one was a little bit longer! I promise I'll try to get better about being more condensed and have more highlights of the week as they happen, haha. I've learned so much in this one week, and my whole perspective has shifted. I've become happier and more confident in what I'm doing, and confident in the Lord. It's been an amazing experience - and it's only been a week! I can't wait to see what things'll be like at the end of nine weeks... or when I actually get to the mission field!

 

Love you all! Take care - you're all amazing.

- Elder Decker

 

p.s. I was trying to find pictures to take, but all I really had to show you was my desk, which even then isn't really much to write home about. (literally.) If you all want pictures, what sorts of things do you want to see? Let me know! :c