November 4th, 2020 HMTC Week 3

皆さん！

 

How has everyone been? Hopefully everyone had a great Halloween, even amidst all of the pandemic. Hope everyone got a chance to relax, watch some spooky movies, and definitely not eat all of the candy that you definitely bought for all of the kids. It's okay, we understand here. :)

 

But in all seriousness, I hope everything has been alright for everyone. I'm grateful that you all have been taking the time to read my ramblings as I progress through the MTC - and I'm grateful for all of the support you all have shown me! I'm trying my best to become the best missionary that I can be - and I hope that you all will be right there with me!

 

As far as this week goes, it's been rather quiet! I've had a couple of really cool experiences this week that have really built my testimony, but I can't really call them events, per se. One of the coolest parts about being in the MTC is that every day is a new experience - and though at times it may become a little monotonous, between my teachers and my district, they always figure out how best to keep things fun while still learning as much as we can. We've just finished the first book of Japanese - we're moving from the basic core to the intermediate core! Honestly, it's really, really exciting, because we're shifting from the basic grammar into lessons that'll help us to learn more about the Gospel, as well! They're teaching us phrases and vocabulary that we can use when we're actually out in the field! It's fun, but it's... kind of interesting. A good part of my district are struggling with some of the everyday vocabulary, but we're learning words like 贖い主 (Atoning One) and 悔い改める (to repent), which aren't exactly the most... everyday words?

 

But that doesn't change the fact that they're any less important. After all, the truth is that we are going out there to help people and serve them - and learning this vocabulary is just as important as learning anything else. I've mentioned this before, but the gift of tongues that all missionaries are given are not necessarily necessitated on just study alone - it's based on how much you love and care for the people. I think in this way, we can increase our love for them through the Spirit, and learning these words can help us to invite the Spirit into our conversations. Immersion is honestly still one of the best tools for learning a language - but the Spirit, if we're willing to allow it to teach us, is even better!

 

Other than that, my week has been pretty good! There hasn't really been much of consequence as of late, unfortunately. Life has sort of settled into the routine, and it's going pretty well! The novelty of the online MTC has begun to wear out just a bit, and I'm starting to see a little bit of the struggles of staying on task. But I've been able to keep it up so far - and it definitely helps that I love the things that I'm studying! I've grown such an immense love for the scriptures and the Japanese language as I've continued to study them. Even with the Kanji - inherently Chinese characters - it's been a lot of fun being able to compare meanings and definitions with my Dad, who is fluent in Mandarin. He's shown me all sorts of tips and tricks to memorizing a lot of these - and it's been a huge blessing to have him there to help me!

 

I'm just grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve the Lord. He has blessed me with so much - and especially as I've taken the time to listen to His promptings and reflect on my life, I've realized just how much He has been with me throughout everything! Even through some of the darkest times in my life, I realize how much he's helped me - how much he's carried me through them. Even now, when it feels like life couldn't be much better than it is, He is still there with me, and it feels as if the Spirit is basking in joy as much as I am. How strange - yet amazing - is it, that we are all able to communicate with God, should we have the faith to do so? And I mean that in the best way possible. Sometimes, it's hard to fathom that if we truly have questions, and have faith that we will receive answers, all we need to do is kneel in a quiet space and just... ask, in the name of Jesus Christ?

 

It's amazing to me - and it's such a powerful blessing we have. We are actually able to communicate with a loving Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. And though at times, if we have requests or questions, we may not receive answers right away. But They never fail to answer us - so long as we have sufficient faith in Them that They will answer in the best way, at the best time.

 

I love you all! Take care of each other - sorry there wasn't much to report this week! I'm just grateful for everything that's happened so far - and I can't want to keep working as hard as I can in order to become the best missionary I can!

 

Oh, before I go - this week, I received a new visa application form for traveling to Japan! This, combined with the fact that we have yet to receive reassignments, is a fairly good indicator that I might be able to go straight to Japan once my nine weeks of training are accomplished. I don't want to get my hopes up too high - unfortunately, Murphy's Law tends to have its way more times than not - but I thought I'd let you guys know! It's exciting news, isn't it?

 

Alright, okay - take care everyone! You're all amazing!

- Elder Decker