About 2 years ago a young 19 year old girl decided to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It wasnt an easy decision. It took time and a lot of thought. But she decided it. Even after deciding it she had second, and third, and fourth thoughts about whether or not this was really what she wanted to do. But, she went.
The first week or so was exciting and a very uplifting experience. 3 to 4 weeks into training at the MTC things started to get hard and doubts started to arise and fear of going to a foreign country started to kick in. But through the help of other missionaries and a wonderful family, she persevered.
September 2013 this young, now 20 year old girl, stepped off the plane in Sendai, Japan. She couldnt understand anything. She couldnt read anything. She couldnt make sense of anything. At first it was kind of fun and interesting, but feelings of homesick and regret quickly sunk in after only 3 days of being in Japan.
Those first 6 months of her mission were not only the hardest of her mission, but of her life. Depression and anxiety overcame this once happy girl. She didnt want to go outside. She didnt even want to exit the shower. Going to sleep was the best and worst time of the day because she knew the moment she would close her eyes, she would be opening them again and having to face another day. Prayers were just repeated sentences of, "God, let me go home. Let me go home." And then eventually praying seemed useless. And the scriptures seemed useless. And God seemed to me a myth that people had been making up.
Then one day she decided to read the Book of Mormon, Im not sure why. She started where she left off in Mosiah and read the first 4 chapters. She learned that people who keep the commandments of God are happy and people who dont, especially after knowing them, are not. "If this were REALLY true... I think I want to try it. Because I want to be happy" she thought. So, not knowing what to expect, she tried it. She began to pray again. She read the scriptures. She served others. She worked with a different attitude. She did what she could to do all the things she had grown up learning in the church. And something changed. Things slowly got better. With the help of an amazing companion she realized that its okay to have fun. Its okay to laugh and mess up. Its okay to be homesick sometimes, but then you have to move on. Its okay to not know Japanese. Its okay to get lost. Just relax and everything will be okay.
One of the biggest moments for her was when she left her first area. She didnt realize how much she actually loved the people she had been associating with until she had to leave them. And she didnt realize how much they loved her either. She wasnt alone, even when she thought she was this whole time.
A new area brought a lot of new opportunities. Her very first day in this new area was a breath of fresh area. It had a different feel too... it really felt like HOME. Her second day there she met a young 16 year old girl and instantly she felt something. She knew that this girl would become someone very important to her. Although this girl never investigated the church, she changed this missionarys life in ways she will never know. She taught her about love and dedication and about dreams and goals. This young 16 year old girl will never realize this, but just by being herself she taught one missionary a lot of life lessons.
Time moved on and a new area came. She missed her friend, but met new ones. She learned about service. She learned how to be genuine with people. She gained more confidence in Japanese and her own talents. She had a lot of fun and she taught a lot of people.
A new area once again. She grew in amazing ways here. She learned a new language- the language of the spirit. She learned about hard work and obedience. Although the time was short, she saw many many miracles here.
And the last area. The last 3 months. She became a trainer and faced new hardships. Patience became a key focus for her. It was challenging for her, but she was able to learn and grow a lot from the experiences and faith of this new young missionary. They had no investigators. No one was interested in the happy message they came to share. But she realized that there are lots of people to help, not just non-members. She focused on the church. She talked with and shared experiences with the members. She made deep lasting friendships. She underwent a lot of hardships the last 3 months, but this time she was stronger and it was easier to hold that burden. She overcame temptation. She overcame the natural man. She became a saint and a true follower of Jesus Christ. She knows who she is. She is a daughter of Heavenly Father. She knows the truth and she finally learned and experienced where true happiness can be found.
This girl is me.
I am a missionary now, but my time will end this week. And I am grateful that I went through so many hard things because I really grew a lot. And I met a lot of really great people. And I learned about a really great God.
Actually, my first week in Japan I got a blessing from my mission president, Pres. Rasmussen, and he said in that prayer, "at this time you dont have a desire to be in Japan. But I promise you that that desire will grow and by the time it is time for you to come home, you wont even want to anymore." That promise is fulfilled! I truly love the people and culture so much now that going home is a little painful.
I just want to thank everyone for your support and prayers on my behalf. There is no way I could have done this if it wasnt for your faith and love. I will forever be indebted to you!
I know that God exists. He is a real person with a real body and he knows about all of us people down here on earth. He is actually living. He isnt just some thought or idea or object. He is a person with feelings and knowledge and power. And this amazing perfect being bases all of his actions and thoughts and feelings on US. Just because He loves us. And when we dont follow Him or love Him back, he still just keeps loving us. Its amazing. And Jesus Christ. He also lives. He is our perfect example. He came to this same earth that I am living on now and he did something for me that I will never ever ever be able to give enough thanks too. Because of Him I can be free from mistakes and sin. Because of Him I will live again after I die. Because of Him I was able to endure my trials. Everything is because of HIM. I know He is my Savior. He loves me. I can feel it all around me! Outside in the wind and sky and stars. Through the people I interact with. In my heart as I meditate. Its everywhere. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true! This is Christs church and this is where you can find happiness in this life and in the next. Joseph Smith restored this church. He translated the Book of Mormon, which was written by ancient prophets. The Book of Mormon is so true. I cant say that enough. It is so so true. I love the Book of Mormon. Its a beautiful book and it has beautiful truths in it. I know all of this to be truth because I have learned it through living it, praying about it, and experiencing it.
Once again, thank you. I love you. I am excited to see you and to continue a life with my faith rooted in God.
I will see you soon :)
Love, Miranda
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| Me and Sister King at our last Zone Training Meeting. The zone wrote us messages on a pillow case :) |
