The Light
Japan Kobe Mission: October 2000
"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the son of God. I am the Life and the Light of the world." --D&C 11:28
Dear Missionaries,
We love you so much. We pray daily for your success and rejoice in every report we receive of the miracles you are seeing. We continue to hear of your tireless and faithful efforts in behalf of your investigators and the success you are seeing with them. Thank you for your diligence.
We try each month to provide something you can use to be more effective in your daily proselyting activities. I hope we are not giving you so much that it simply feels like the "emphasis of the month" and ultimately is not very useful. We need to continually increase our storehouse of information about the gospel. And we need to frequently update and strengthen our contacting and teaching methods. But the real key to our effectiveness is the Spirit. The Savior said. "... treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man." (D&C 84:85). "Lift up your voices unto this people, speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, ... ; For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say .... And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say." (D&C 100:5-6, 8) We try to be careful not to characterize any one method or approach as the one that "always works" and should be "used everywhere''. An example is the "leaving a gospel message" topic we discussed in September Zone Conferences. We hope you have gained some experience with this method and are learning how and when to use it effectively. This is a good way to plant a seed of truth in the hearts of people and the Spirit will frequently prompt you to use it. But, of course, it will not be your only approach.
We need to have lots of possibilities in our minds for the spirit to use, because even though contacts continue to be at record levels, our investigator pools are low and the number becoming yoteishas is small. We simply need more ways to find people to teach. During the coming Zone Conferences we will discuss this and I will share with you the results of a study done by the Church and presented this past summer to new Mission Presidents by Elder Oaks. The study suggests ways that we, as a church, can double the number of baptisms. The key is referrals and the most productive sources are:
We will discuss effective ways to work with these four groups in detail during Zone Conference. I am convinced that if we add this to our kit of proselyting methods and use it as we are impressed to by the Spirit, we can significantly increase our investigator pools and yoteisha pools. Then by applying the "Mamoru the Q" principles, we will see a significant increase in the number of people who receive baptism into the Lord's kingdom.
Let us each focus our daily lives on those things that bring the spirit. Let us then listen to the promptings we receive and act on them Finally, let us focus our efforts as directed by the spirit, particularly in a way that will increase the number of referrals we receive and the number of people we are able to bring unto Christ. I know that God will help us do this.
With Love, President Robertson
Dear Wonderful Missionaries,
I spent two weeks in the arid part of the U.S. recently. I realized again the difference between dry and humid climates For those who came from "dry" country and have weathered the last two months with a minimum of murmuring... please apply your hand over your shoulder to your back and pat vigorously. After you mop up the splashes you made by doing this exercise.... congratulate yourself for your adaptability. For those who have always lived in a humid climate, please repeat the above exercise, but make it last a little longer, indicating a lifetime of "gambaru-ing" through the natso no aida. But, fall is here, having officially arrived on Saturday the 23rd of September, a national holiday in Japan. I can see even more clearly why the change of seasons is celebrated on a national scale.
The big holiday in October is Taiku-no-hi, or Physical Fitness Day. It is a day for sports! This holiday was created to commemorate the opening day of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1o64. This was the first time the Olympics were ever held in Asia. Now schools hold big athletic meets every year. Usually one team will dress in red, the other in white (Japan's national colors). Everyone is encouraged to live a healthy life style (here's a good opportunity to share the benefits of living the Word of Wisdom) and to participate in physical activity and sports. We agree again with the Japanese people and second these recommendations. However, we do say "dame" to high risk, contact (any form), and "gladiator" (to the death-style of play) sports! But, do pay attention to your physical health and try to maintain a regular exercise program.
The next holiday occurs early in November. It is Bunka-no-Hi or Culture Day. (See the Japan Times article included.) Both of these holidays can provide material for Eikaiwa teachers to use. Many people are now watching the Olympics in Australia and would love to know how to converse about that. A lesson on various sports could be good and timely. Again, a little lesson on the Word of Wisdom or Isaiah 40:31 could also be included. For Bunka-no-Hi you can have students bring something they have created, or a hobby or talent to share and explain in English. If you tell them carefully what you will be doing and allow just 5 minutes each, many students will love this opportunity. One of my Eikaiwa students, for example, does paint brush calligraphy. Another belongs to a drama club. One is learning a form of traditional dance (like the ones done at bon odori). An older gentleman recites traditional Japanese poetry. One student is an amateur photographer with prize photos to show. Another does ikebana. For those who do tea ceremony, have them demonstrate a piece of it using a tea substitute like mugi cha. Some play a musical instrument or sing. Japanese people tend to be very well-rounded. Ask them to share their talents for this holiday (of course encourage, don't require). Maybe you could end by sharing your teachiny talents and giving them a sample of the first discussion as well. Beginning classes could work on descriptive words for season changes, like "cooler" and "less humid". Children's classes could draw pictures of season changes and start preparing for the fun parts of Halloween.
Well, I am happy because I have heard many conversion stories recently, some straight from the convert (the best kind). If you find yourself less happy than you'd like to be, ask someone to share his or her conversion story with you--no matter how long ago it was. This is doubly therapeutic for the listener and the person telling. It's especially goad to do when you visit with oyasumi kines because it them to do what the scriptures always remind us we must do.....REMEMBER. Remember times the spirit was felt in abundance, miracles were experienced, and a higher form of living was enjoyed.
We love you all. Please don't forget to:
Love, Sister Robertson
As each missionary arrived at the Honbu he or she was given a black loose-leaf binder that explained all of the situations that might arise during their mission. An insert to that binder was a section entitled MSF. If you have not taken the time to read that section, I would strongly encourage you to know what is in it. There are too many times recently that many of the rules and regulations are disregarded. Please understand that we shall do everything possible to make your mission successful. You must be a party to that success also. Turn in your reimbursement sheets on time. Only put those items on your sheets that qualify for reimbursement as per the rules! When you finish your mission and are due to come to the Honbu to check out, make sure that you bring your bank book, bank card and there are no loans outstanding! Follow the rules and it will make our jobs in the Mission Office much easier to accomplish and we can serve you much better. Thank you.
Elder Pyper
We have featured recipes this month in The Light from two of our Gourmet Choros. We are looking for more recipes to go in the Light each month and would like your contributions. If you would send it or fax it to me we will print it. Send your favorite recipe whether it be American, Japanese, Mexican, Italian or any other country. If your Mom or Grandma had a special recipe that you enjoyed, let us know and share it with all of the mission. We want to hear from you!
I had a Master pass-off sheet faxed to the office the other day without any name on it. I haven't a clue who to give credit to. Please put your name on them and if you did not receive a certificate, perhaps this fax belonged to you. Let me know!
Love, Sister Pyper
"It is not so much the major events as the small day-to-day decisions that map the course of our living.... Our lives are, in reality, the sum total of our seemingly unimportant decisions and of our capacity to live by those decisions.
"By what standards shall we make those decisions? By the standards of CAESAR, meaning the standards of the state as politicians have established those standards? By the standards of the CIRCUS, meaning the standards of the self-seeking masses?....
"Or shall we make our decisions by the standards of CHRIST, the Son of God, who came in the meridian of time, as the one true lawgiver?
"What are the standards by which you will govern your life? ....
"I should like to suggest three standards by which to judge each of the decisions that determine the behavior patterns of your lives. These standards are so simple as to appear elementary, but I believe their faithful observance will provide a set of moral imperatives by which to govern without argument or equivocation each of our actions and which will bring unmatched rewards. They are:
"Does it enrich the mind?
"Does it discipline and strengthen the body7
"Does it nourish the spirit?"
(BYU Devotional)
[Regarding the following quotation, Church News posted a statement by Pres. Packer on 28 Apr 2001.]
You, the youth of the Church were generals in the War in Heaven, and one day when you are in the spirit world, you will be standing by those with whom you are associated. You will ask someone in which time period they lived and might hear, "I was with Moses when he parted the Red Sea" or "I helped build the pyramids" or "I fought With Captain Moroni". And as you are standing there in amazement, someone will turn to you and ask in which prophet's time period you lived. And when you say, "Howard W. Hunter" or "Gordon B. Hinckley" a hush will fall over every hall and corridor in Heaven and all in attendance will bow at your presence. You were held back 6,000 years because you were the most talented, most obedient, most courageous and the most righteous. ARE YOU STILL?
| Enami, Rieko | 10-1 |
| Scrivner, Christi | 10-7 |
| Basso, Daniel | 10-10 |
| MacDonald, Daniel | 10-10 |
| Bond, Jeffrey | 10-16 |
| Hawker, Reed | 10-19 |
| Miller, Micah | 10-20 |
| Kapapa, Reid | 10-20 |
| Aoyama, Mistukuni | 10-23 |
| Kirigaya, Ryousuke | 10-24 |
| Amano, Shinobu | 10-25 |
| Whitmire, Justin | 10-28 |
| Woody, Tharon | 10-31 |
Amano, Shinobu
Luck, Austin
Thompson, Lincoln
Carli, Sean
Habbick, Jesse Allan
Hanamaiki, John
Koyle, Jared Allen
Mladineo, Fernando
Nuttall, Craig
Oscarson, Spencer
Sant, Kenyan
There were once three young Jewish men who were good friends and good followers of the Lord. They were determined to stand firm for the things they believed. The community leader told them to knock it off with their worship, that they had to grant their alliance to him. The three refused, choosing to align their actions with their consciences and hearts. The leader explained that if they didn't stop their worship, they were going to feel the heat. Literally. The three young men are known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Their story is told in the Old Testament in the book called Daniel. You may read the entire example of their courage in the face of great adversity brought on by King Nebuchadnezzar. Imagine what it must have been like to be thrown into the furnace, with heat so intense that some of the king's attendants were consumed. Note how the king was told that four, not three, seemed to be walking within the fiery kiln! What an amazing testimony of strength to choose the right.
During those times when we are called to walk through our own fires of adversity, we may or may not have others to stand with us. But stand we must. As surely as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were attended by the Lord as they chose good over evil, so shall we feel Heavenly help in standing against the growing wickedness in this world. We may get singed. We may have to wait a while for everything to "come out in the wash" so that we understand. But all will be made right. We will be compensated for our courage in standing righteously.
(Article by Vickey Pahnke)
Dear Dad,
$chool iS really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can't think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.
Love, Your $on
Dear Son,
I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmlcs, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.
Love, Your Dad
(Elder Aoyama)
Ingredients
| Chicken | 4 breasts |
| Soy Sauce | 150 ml |
| Water | 100ml |
| Ginger | 1 |
| Garlic | 3-5 cloves |
| Sugar | 2 tsp |
| Green Onions | 1 |
| Onion | 1-2 |
Pull skin off the chicken breasts
Grate the ginger
Mince the garlic
Cut green onions into 3 cm long pieces
Cut onions into thin slices
Put all ingredients into a shallow pan
Cook at 200 degrees Celsius for 50 min (You can check if it is done by seeing if
the chicken is red in the middle)
(If you don't have an oven, fry the chicken for a little while and then boil it
in the other ingredients.)
(we all try to copy hers, but hers is one of a kind)
(Elder Luck)
| Brown 1 lb Meat. Add: | 1 T basil 1/2 t salt 1/2 c ketchup 1/2 c sugar 1 at tomato juice |
Boil mixture until it thickens. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. (Mom uses curly noodles)
| Combine: | 2 eggs 1/2 c parmesan cheese 1/2 t petter 3 c cottage cheese (tofu) 2 T parsley flakes 1/2 t salt |
Grate 1 pound of Mozzarella cheese.
Now you are ready to make the lasagna
Layer the casserole by starting with 1/2 noodles, cottage cheese mixture,
meat and grated cheese.
Cover and bake in oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour or until it
starts to bubble. Remove cover the last 15 minutes of cooking and enjoy.
| 9/10 | Miyata |
| 9/15 | Nomura Chiyoko |
| 9/17 | Nagashima |
| 9/17 | Saito Ken'ichi |
| 9/17 | Ootsuki Masayo |
| 9/23 | Kishi Sayuri |
| 9/24 | Takeshige |
| 10/6 | Nishi at Kobe | 1 PM |
| 10/7 | Chuo at Abeno | 1 PM |
| 10/11 | Higashi at Toyonaka | 10 AM |
| 10/12 | Sakai/Minami at Wakayama | 10 AM |
| 10/13 | Kita/Kyoto at Shimogamo | 1 PM |
| 10/2 | Minami at Gobo Iwade, Shingo & Tanabe |
10 AM |
| 10/4 | Higashi at Toyonaka Kawanishi, Ibaraki, Hitakata |
9:30 AM |
| 10/5 | Sakai at Mikunigaoka Senboku & Sakai |
12 PM |
| 10/9 | Chuo at Nara Asuka & Nara |
12 PM |
| 10/16 | Chuo at Abeno Taisho & Habikino |
12 PM |
| 10/18 | Kita at Sasayama Fukuchiyama & Maizuru |
9:30 AM 12 PM |
| 10/19 | Kyoto at Fushimi Joyo & Otsu |
10 AM |
| 10/20 | Nishi at Kobe Kitarokko & Kobe |
10:00 AM |
| 10/21 | Nishi at Akashi Himeji & Miki |
12:00 PM |
Sitting on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a State Police Officer sees a car puttering along at 22 miles per hour. He thinks to himself, "This driver it just as dangerous as a speeder!" So he turns on his lights and pulls the driver over. Approaching the car, he notices that there are five old ladies--two in the front seat and three in the back--wide eyed and white as ghosts.
The driver, obviously confused, says to him, "Officer, I don't understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?"
"Ma'am," the officer replies, "you weren't speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers."
"Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly... Twenty-two miles an hour!" the old woman says a bit proudly. The State Police Officer, trying to contain a chuckle explains to her that "22" is the route number, not the speed limit. A bit embarrassed, the woman grinned and thanked the officer for pointing out her error.
"But before I let you go, Ma'am, I have to ask ... Is everyone in this car OK? These women seem awfully shaken and they haven't muttered a single peep this whole time," the officer asked.
"Oh, they'll be all right in a minute officer. We just got off of Route 119."
You might remember that October 9th is the Canadian Thanksgiving Day: Ask Blatchford Choro about it.
Hello Everybody,
I can see that you are all working hard and serving the Lord "with all your heart, might, mind and strength". We sure have a wonderful mission here. Just a little reminder to the DLs to get their stats into me as soon as possible and for all of you wonderful missionaries who are baptizing, to get me your records quickly. We also have a nice request from our dear Elder Stohel who is so kind as to help us out here at the mission office. We would appreciate it if you could order your chirashis a little bit ahead of time so we can get them to you when they are needed. You may also need to follow-up on us too.
These things will really help us out here at the mission office. Thanks for all of your hard work.
Dear our fellow servants called of God,
Dendo. It's just the best. It makes so many people happy. Us, the Lord, and especially those people who are converted through the Spirit. Seeing sumebody realize through the Spirit that God loves them and Jesus Christ is their Savior is the best experience any missionary or member can have. We go around looking for great people to talk with who will listen. We try to make good relationships with them so they'll hear the lessons. The thing is members have more friends and better relations with the Japanese people than any of us do. That's why President Hinckley and president Robertson want us to focus on referrals. This is the only way the church is going to take off and become Zion. Members have that responsibility, but we have to help them do it. We have to do all we can to ask and seek. "Ask and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." (D&C 4:7). If ye never ask, we can't expect to receive. "And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy." (Alma 29:10). Let's help members have more of these experiences and make eternal friends along the way. We love you all and we're thankful for the work we can do together. Let's smile and do whatever is necessary for the trust. Take it easy.
The Assistants.
Elder Thompson and Elder Yergensen
We've heard from more of our dear returned missionaries who are now strengthening new areas of the vineyard and continuing to pray for our success. Next month, we'll pass along their information and wisdom. This month we want to pass along something else that we think you'll want to know
Just a little over a month ago, we received a long letter via e-mail from our Area President, President Brown (As you probably know, our former president, President Kendrick, is now serving in an area presidency in America.) This wonderful letter described the occurrences experienced during what was supposed to be a brief and pleasant trip home to see family during the late summer. While at a family reunion at a canyon retreat. Sister Brown took very ill. For those of you who don't know Sister Brown, consider yourselves unfortunate until you get to meet her. She is one of the kindest, most giving women any of us have every known. Anyway, after a couple of days of misdiagnosis, and continuing to try to function, she was admitted to the hospital where she was found to have a very large cancerous tumor.
The story is a tender one. Many family and friends rallied around her and President Brown. Some have observed that they could have had an attitude about this adversity of, "Why us? We're on the Lord's errand...." etc. These kinds of thoughts never entered their minds. They were so grateful for the miracle of having this problem discovered stateside instead of in North Korea where they were scheduled to meet with officials regarding the potential for missionary work just a week or so later. Or it could have been in the back country of Vladivostok, Russia, which is also in our Asia North Area. But they only had eyes of gratitude for the timing, the skill of professionals, the caring of those around them. Their trials mounted. A new grandchild was born and another severely burned during the same time that Sister Brown was undergoing surgery to remove the growth.
Talk about the tests of faith and attitudes. They passed them so well. What an example for us during times of heavy adversity and sometimes surprise testing. Fortunately, after some recovery in Utah, Sister Brown is back in Tokyo, caring for each of us again and doing well But, I couldn't help but think as I read about their situation and response to it, of a poem I have loved for a long time. The latter verse reminds me of the Browns in their time of trial (and always). We are so blessed to be led in our area by these humble and grateful servants of the Lord. We would all do well to follow their example and direction. Here is the poem:
Some murmur when the sky is clear
And wholly bright to view,
If one small speck of dark appear
In their great heaven of blue;
And some with thankful love are filled.
If but one streak of light,
One ray of God's good mercy, gild
The darkness of their night.
...................Richard C. Trench
Please keep the Browns in your prayers. Also, Elder Bateman, the first counselor in the Area Presidency and his wife, and the newest general authority, Elder Hallstrom, who is the second counselor, and his wife. Thought you'd like to know this about our leaders
Love again, Sister Robertson