The Gift of Tongues is So Real....Really Real

November 7, 2020

Hello everybody!

I don't know about any of you, but this week went by so fast! 

My district has been trying to find ways to improve our Japanese, so we set a goal this week to speak as much Japanese as possible, wherever and whenever we can. Which means that most of our sentences end up being half English and half Japanese. BUT it's getting easier, which is the biggest blessing since I have a pretty thick stack of vocab flashcards piling up. We also start doing practice appointments next week where we can only speak in Japanese, so we will see how that goes. The Gift of Tongues is so real and I know I wouldn't be able to do any of this without my Savior's help. 

The funniest thing from this week was when we were reading scriptures and discussing how they applied to the Gift of Tongues and our purpose as missionaries. I was with Morgan Chourou and we read D&C 4:4 and he said that we need to attack Embark, the language app we use, with our sickles and strike it down. When he shared, everyone lost it, but it was a pretty good pep talk that I think we all needed haha. 

Our missionary devotional this week was with Bishop Waddell and his wife. These devotionals have definitely become something I look forward to each week. There is always so much to learn and the Spirit is always so strong. Bishop Waddell shared with us that there were 15 words the Savior said during His mission that also apply to us and our missions and our lives. 

"Here am I, send me" -- We were prepared to come to the earth at this time. To help preach the gospel and gather Israel. We stood and said "send me", even though we knew this life wouldn't be easy. We knew what our earthly missions would include, and we were ready.

"Not my will, but thine be done"-- When Christ said these words, He was asking our Father to take away the hardest thing that anyone has ever done, suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane for each of us. He told us there are going to be days whether now, or in the future, where we will each say "I can't do it anymore" and we need to remember those 7 words. We were counting on the Savior to keep His promise, and there are those counting on us to keep our promise to them. It is not easy and will take time, but we can learn to align our will with Heavenly Father's through the Atonement of Christ.

"It is finished" -- I loved when he described these words as words of courage, commitment, and triumph. We will have several points where we will be required to finish: our MTC experience, first area, our mission, high school, college, callings, etc. Will we give 99% or the full 100%, most or all. Finishing to the end is a choice and it will take effort, patience, diligence, sacrifice, but it is worth it. Our success at the end won't be measured with numbers, but rather effort. 

I am so grateful for the example that my Savior has given me. I know that as we turn to Christ we are able to receive the strength, comfort, and support that we need to make it through whatever our trials may be. 

よし、すくいぬしのあいをかんじることができるように、いのってください。

Wixom姉妹