November 1st, 2020 "Light Abounds" HMTC Week 3

(Hello everyone! Apologies for the late email - I've been adding a couple of people to the mailing list steadily and I was waiting on one more. Feel free to email me tomorrow as well, if you'd like, and I'll get back to you all as soon as I can! Thanks - and cheers!)

 

皆さん！

 

What a week it's been! How has everyone been? Staying safe and warm, I hope? For us here in the Decker home, Christmas has already begun in full swing! My family is already decorating the whole house with garlands and gnomes galore. The scent of cinnamon seems to hang on the air, and lights of every kind brighten even the darkest corners of the house. And as preparations continue to unfold, each new decoration placed is another little spark of joy that brightens the home... and our hearts. And it's fun to step outside my room at the end of a day of class to see the railings decorated with festive cheer - red and white a proclamation of the tidings of the seasons.

Now, the Spirit of the Lord is now joined by a new spirit - the Spirit of Christmas.

 

It's honestly amazing how everything has been shaping up! Christmas is my favorite holiday for a myriad of reasons - family being among them. That's why I'm extremely thankful that my family is celebrating Christmas a little bit early so that I can celebrate with them before I leave for Japan. I'm really looking forwards to spending time with them, laughing, and just enjoying the spirit of the season together. It's a beautiful time of laughter and joy for us - and I'm grateful for the opportunity to spend one more Christmas with them before I head out!

 

But as for this week... unfortunately, it was fairly uneventful. I wish I had more to report, but honestly this whole week has just been nose to the grindstone. The speed is picking up, for sure! We're learning five new phrases each day related to different aspects of the Gospel, as well as new vocabulary (I'm setting a goal for ten words a day to try to stay ahead!), and learning about the Gospel itself, as well! This week has been focused on speaking the language confidently and clearly. I had a good conversation with one of my teachers during one-on-ones where we talked about using the sentences we already can create to go step by step to a goal. I realized that in English, I was relying on my ability to ramble with a direction to get to an end destination, if that makes sense. Because I'm trying to teach in a completely new language... I can't exactly do that, right? So I've been working hard at making sure my lessons go step by step to an end goal, explaining everything... and asking more questions! I mentioned this before, but I need to learn how to teach by the Spirit, rather than explain. And that comes through testifying of truths that I know to be true.

 

Overall, though, our district continues to grow closer and closer. Seriously. We're all basically best friends at this point - probably because we spend so much time together. Baxter長老 mentioned that if there was something to have an opinion on, he would be able to take a stance and argue about it - no matter what it is. So Greene長老 came up with a seemingly bizarre debate topic - whether cake should be eaten with a fork or a spoon.

 

That was a mistake.

 

The lines in our district have been drawn. The banners of cutlery have been raised, and there is no going back now. Neither side is willing to back down, and it seems war is soon to be upon us... 

 

...or something like that. I think there's beautiful symbolism in it, though. :)

 

But other than that, this week has been pretty good! Can't complain about anything too much. It's been a lot of fun to be able to have an excuse to study the things that I love for hours on end every week. It's tons of fun!

 

This week's spiritual thought comes from the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon - specifically, the story of King Lamoni and his father. As Ammon and King Lamoni were journeying to the place that Ammon's brethren were imprisoned, they happened upon the caravan of King Lamoni's father - a literal king of kings. As they talked, King Lamoni's father mentioned that King Lamoni had missed the feast he had held for his family earlier - and demanded to know the reason why.

 

But as he turned to see the Nephite standing next to him - the king's sworn enemy - he knew immediately why.

 

Furious that his son had believed the words of the Nephites, the "sons of a liar", he immediately turned back to his son and demanded that he prove his loyalty - strike down Ammon where he stood, and return to their home. 

 

If he failed to obey, he would lose everything. Land, possessions, his kingdom and his subjects, even family... it would all be gone. And as such, King Lamoni found his heart torn. Not only did he face the fury of his king, but he faced the fury of his father. And not only that, but his choice seemed impossible - save himself and his kingdom, or continue to stay faithful to the Gospel?

 

And not only that, but King Lamoni had just learned about the Gospel but a few days prior. Was he willing to stake everything he knew on something new?

 

King Lamoni made an impossible choice - and yet, somehow it wasn't as impossible as it seemed. He knew Heavenly Father would bless him and protect Him. His life had been irreversibly changed for the better - and he knew, without a doubt, that the Gospel was true. He knew that Heavenly Father loved Him.

 

And he knew that if he believed... He would be delivered.

 

Somewhat shakily, King Lamoni stepped forward, heart brimming with fear... and courage. His words are recorded in Alma 20:15 - 

 

"But Lamoni said unto him: I will not slay Ammon, neither will I return to the land of Ishmael, but I go to the land of Middoni that I may release the brethren of Ammon, for I know that they are just men and holy prophets of the true God."

 

King Lamoni trusted in the Lord for deliverance - and though the king of the land still remained angered, he instead drew his blade against Ammon, for he was the one that had converted King Lamoni. But Ammon was protected by the Lord, and the ensuing fight was short. With a broken arm and pleading for his life, the king of all the land asked what they wanted in exchange for his life. The two, in turn, simply asked for the release of their brethren, that King Lamoni become a sovereign ruler, and for them to go on their way. And this left a lasting impression on the king - who had surely thought his throne was to be usurped. But most of all, as he gazed upon his son, he realized how much he loved King Lamoni - and that through his testimony, through his defiance, the king of all the land learned that his son had found something special - something beautiful. He had found peace - and he had found joy.

 

My brothers and sisters, how often do we find ourselves at crossroads like these? There are times where our faith truly is tested - times where it seems that we must choose between the impossible and the unfeasible. What do we do in these times? What should we do? What can we do? 

 

In times like these, we must stand firm in our testimonies. And if we don't have any... then now is as good as time as any to find one. Act in faith. Read the scriptures, and then kneel before Heavenly Father and ask if He is there. Listen in a quiet place for the quiet voice of the Spirit - and I promise you that if you act in faith, you will be able to receive an answer. And Heavenly Father will answer your prayers in the way that will not only be the most effective... but the one that will leave the most lasting change within you.

 

I believe that within the heart of that king of kings burst a feeling of love for his child - a feeling sent from one who could only have felt that feeling before Themselves. One that could only be understood by one who feels that not only for King Lamoni... but for the king himself.

 

It could only have come from a Heavenly Father.

 

I know that He lives. I know that He is watching over us, and knows each and every one of us. After all, we lived with Him before this life - and we talked with Him and learned about Him. We loved Him... and He loved us.

 

And if He loved us then, why would He not love us now?

 

And only as a loving Father would do, He has done everything in His power to help us to become the best people we can be. He sends us trials to help us grow - but none that we are not strong enough to handle, and never any that we cannot handle with help from others. And in the midst of darkness and sorrow, when times seem more than we can handle, and life rears its ugly head in all of its horror, terror, sorrow, and fear... He will be with us every step of the way. He has sent us a Savior - Jesus Christ, who suffered for all of our sins so that He can offer to us in our darkest moments in life... a guiding hand. 

But He will only ever offer it. We have to act and choose to grasp onto it. I promise that as we do, He will guide us through. And along the way, Heavenly Father will continue to bless us and care for us - granting encouragement, strength, and wisdom, as long as we look to Him sincerely, with the intention to act and continue to step forwards, until the day where we break free past the mists of darkness to find our Heavenly Father, with open arms, waiting for us to come back to His embrace.

 

I know They live. They live, and they love each and every one of us. They want nothing more than to see us happy - truly happy - and do everything in their power to help us to do so. They have granted us the Atonement - which allows us to be forgiven of our sins and move forward. They have given us the scriptures - the Bible, and through revelation to Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon. They guide us and direct us to become the best people that we can be - and help us to become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, so that one day, we might be able to, in the end, return to their loving embrace.

 

I love Them with all of my heart - and if I can help others to feel even a small part of how much They love each and every one of us... then everything I have ever done will have all been worth it.

 

Thanks for bearing with me in the long email this week! Not much to report this week, but I've had a lot of really cool things that I've been able to learn and grow from this week, and so I want to be able to share as much as I can with you all. I'm still loving the MTC, between my district, my teachers, and the Spirit that has so completely enveloped my heart and spirit - and I can't wait to see how much more I can learn and improve before these next nine weeks are done!

 

But for now, enjoy your week, everyone - and keep on keeping on! You guys are all amazing! I think I'm going to go enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate and help decorate the house a little more. It's that time, of the year, anyways!

 

Cheers,

Elder Decker | デッカー長老

 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

 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