Konnichiwa!!!
We received our travel plans
yesterday and our entire district is freaking out! We leave for Japan in 9 days
and because we are going to Kobe, we are flying to Seattle
then Japan, unlike those going to Fukuoka who fly to Dallas,
Texas and then to Japan or the Nagoya missionaries who fly to
Minnesota then travel to Japan, so we leave the latest and arrive in Japan
the earliest of all the districts. Our longest plane ride from Cali to
Nihon is approximately 14 hours. Honestly, the power of technology is amazing,
being able to know everything within such a quick amount of time is reassuring.
Also, now we get the opportunity every week to skype someone from Japan and teach them a
lesson. They are volunteer church
members from all over Japan that give us about 45 minutes of their time to
let us teach them. The best
part is, their English is impeccable, we can usually ask what something means
and they will be able to translate it for us. We learned that teaching the
repentance process can be very difficult because the Nihongin don't understand
really that they have ever done anything wrong.
Watabe San no Baputesuma is going to
be delayed because he doesn't really understand Junketsu no Rippo nor Chie no
Kotoba (Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom). We are still working on
navigating through the scriptures in hiragana and kanji. Watashi to Watashi no
doryo (My doryo and I) read the morumon sho out loud and we have gotten fast, however
because there is no spaces in Nihongo we are slowly learning when words stop
and where to find them. We have been able to learn a little bit of Kanji but
it's kind of difficult because there is so much that we have to remember and
learn. Kanji helps though, because there are multiple meanings for words and
different kanji to help with the distinguishing of meanings.
Kuwahara San just returned from his
week-long vacation and we are getting him started back into his old habits. He
loves the gospel and reads so much of the Book of Mormon, it's AWESOME!!! Every
day we go to teach him, he enthusiastically invites us in and bombards us
with questions. We are learning so much because he challenges our Nihongo and
makes us go back and want to learn as much as we can so that we can help him in
our next lesson.
The MTC stay has gone by so fast,
the funny thing is because we do the same thing every week, I forget what
I did the week before. However, I can always remember that I really appreciate
the food, that is prepared for us and we don't have to cook it for ourselves.
Although, I think I am ready to go to Japan and start cooking alot of rice and
stir fry for myself for the next two years.
Of course because the mission is so
spiritually uplifting everyone will say it was the best two years. But in one
of our recent devotionals, in which we still walk all the way to the Marriot Center
to attend, the speaker said that we may not understand it now but this
will be "the best two years FOR our life" it will change
us into a greater person if we are out there serving with everything we have
and I plan to give the Lord everything I have so that I will be able to reap
the rewards and blessings of serving the Lord on my mission. I can already see
those taking place now, my intelligence level has increased and I am able to
retain so much more than I ever have before in my life, I can remember all of
this vocab and I have long surpassed the missionaries who have come in with a
background of studying Japanese in high school. The Lord works in mysterious
ways and I am grateful that I have decided to join his side. For I know the
ending has already been decided and the Lord will always come out on top.
I have purchased my pay phone card
and I found my cufflinks and I am sending you a picture of my travel
plans. If you can be up and awake around 6:30am I will see if I can call you
then. I don't know if it will be earlier or later, but please be ready, I am
very excited and please beaar with me if I am slow to remember a few English
words. It sometimes takes me a little while to think of the word that I want to
say in English. I have received the two packages sent for my birthday and I
won't be opening them until my birthday so thank you in advance. I appreciate
the reminder that I still have family back at home.
I'm so happy to hear from the little
guys, their letters come at the right times, when I feel burned out for the day
and just don't want to learn anymore, I read one of their letters and that will
usually hold me through for the rest of the day. The pictures of me and Dad and
the one of mom were hilarious, I had forgotten that we had taken those. That
too was also a great boost to my energy for the week. The piano music is superb
I forgot how much fun it was, however recently, I have not been able to play as
much as I would have like, because I am so busy with trying to tackle the
language as much as I can while I still have all the tools I could ever dream
of.
I’m not sure if I am going to be
able to play the song in sacrament meeting. I am going to practice a little
today and see where it takes me, but I am not sure if I can promise anything. I
am really working on doing the Lord's work first and I am so glad that I get
the opportunity to do so. I hope Riley had a blast at EFY, I would love to hear
about it, what spiritual experiences he had. Who his C.O.W. was? If he liked
his group or not etc... I want to hear more about Logan's and Fudge's
basketball games. And of course I would love more pictures. I want to hear
about how lawn mowing is going and if the car is holding up. Fudge, that is so
awesome that you are taking the time to work on the car. When I worked on it, I
learned so much and it's always a good thing to have more knowledge, because
you never know when the Lord is going to ask you to remember that knowledge and
help one of his children who are in need.
I would like to challenge you to pay
more attention in church, to remember that we aren't basing our testimonies on
other people but rather the wonderful example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. Remember that he said to Heavenly Father, "Here I am, send
me". 1/3 of Heaven did not think that he could live the perfect life, they
didn't want to rest their entire eternal lives on that of one man. They knew
and understood the natural man and they were too scared to follow that plan.
However we had the faith and were so excited when we got the news that Jesus
Christ completed what he needed to so that we could all receive bodies and
return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. Remember how much faith you had,
and continue to apply that in your life. Repent everyday for the little
mistakes that you have made, for that reason Jesus Christ completed the
atonement process because no unclean thing can enter into the presence of God.
Read the scriptures daily and never forget to pray. I have been praying so
much, and the impact that it has had on my life is incredible. I feel more
awake, I notice more things and the guidance from the Spirit I receive to bring
investigators closer to Christ has done miracles. Watch the movie "17 Miracles"
and watch the example of Levi Savage, he completely gave up his pride, knew the
Lord would provide a way, and kept a smile on his face the entire time. I am
trying to become like that, I want to completely lose my pride, always have a
smile on my face, and when the tough times come, I plan on facing them with a
prayer in my heart and a skip in my stride because I know that by keeping the
commandments the Lord's hand will guide my thoughts and the ways in which I
need to go.
I am so glad to hear everything is
going well at home. Please send me more printed pictures in the mail of things
that have gotten done. And just send me more pictures in general I love to see
them and it always reminds me that I wear the name Wilcox on my badge to
represent the family that has raised me into the missionary that I am today.
Thank you for all you have done Mom and Dad, your wise words over the years
have done miracles, you are great parents and I will hold our family title
high, right next to our Savior's name. I will do my best, and I will submit my
will to the will of the Father's.
Ai Shiteimasu,
Wirukasu (Wilcox) Choro
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