If you told me a few months ago that I would be in need of the Japanese I supposedly learned in my first semester of college, to teach native speakers about this church, I would probably laugh in your face. And then I’d think of the what if I did go and then later on still blow off studying to go to the beach.
It was on April 6 2015, I woke up with stuffy sinuses and a massive headache, walking out my door looking like death had used me as a kleenex. I walked to the post office like every morning to see if my call had been delivered yet. With how bad i felt i didn’t expect to find anything like the days before. The small post office was crowded and busy; I fumbled with my key and opened my box.
There sitting crunched and stuffed in that small compartment was a white envelope with my name written on it. I was so shocked that i turned to my one friend and just pointed at my mailbox I jumped up and down with a grin plastered on my face. It took a few moments of intense happy dance/freak out till I finally managed to pull it out, I kept shouting it’s “here! it’s here!” I couldn’t contain my excitement that i told everyone in the Aloha center that I got my call!
After gathering my friends and family via technology I read what was Inside the white envelope Dear Sister Oswald (that’s me) You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Japan Kobe mission for a period of 18 months.
I couldn’t believe it. I was going to Japan!
It is an honor and a privilege to be serving a mission. During the 18 months I will be gone I will be living a lifestyle that holds me up to a higher standard, a lifestyle where I will forget about myself and only think of serving the people who surround me. I’m so excited, and terrified to go and to serve in Japan. It’s my newest adventure one that I can’t wait to start.
Today is a special day. Today, I get to tell my friends, my leaders and teachers, and my family why I’m doing this. I was asked to speak today on “What I want to teach the Japanese people”. It’s such a broad topic I wasn’t sure where to start. Like I was told by a Young women's leader I had a while ago, just say what you know.
What I have come to know throughout my life is that my Heavenly Father loves me. He cares for me unconditionally, with all my flaws and through all the mistakes I have made. He has loved me when I needed him to love me. Like my own father he has taught me how to love others and more importantly to love myself. Constantly throughout the Scriptures it tell us to love one another. In John 13 verse 34 and 35 reads A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
I learned at a very young age that by loving ‘another’ all men will know that I am his disciple. I am a person who loves people and if you didn’t know that then I don’t know you yet. But I love people, and love this gospel enough to go where He want’s me to go.
While growing up in the Church, I was taught that I am a Child of God, that nothing in this world could change that fact. I am His literal daughter. When I follow his teachings and his commandments ,he blesses me with Gifts of comfort, peace and happiness. He sent me here with a plan, that being, to learn and mess up and to know the good from the evil. In order to return to him, I must be perfect.
It seems like tall order, but I believe in a Just and Merciful God. He knew when he sent us here, that we couldn’t become perfect on our own. So he sent us a savior, his Son, Jesus Christ. He was and is perfect in every way. He sacrificed His life for all of us, and not just us as whole, but for you, and for him and her, and me. He died for me, He gave his life for me, He atoned for each and everyone of my sins. He knows me in every way because He has felt every pain I have felt or ever will feel in my life here on earth.
I want to tell the you that even though you may feel completely alone and that nobody knows how you feel, that He does know. He knows and He is there for you, to lean on. He is there to care for you, that is what the pure love of Christ is.
There was one night that I was struggling, I was feeling anxious about something. I was fidgeting and I cried to myself because I hurt, and I didn’t think anyone else knew how bad I hurt. It seemed like sleep would never come. I didn’t know what to do, I felt pathetic and helpless. But then I heard a voice, clear and kind, whisper in my ear, “Just Pray.” I was stubborn and I didn’t want to ask for help. I knew I needed it but I didn’t want help. Then the voice spoke again little louder this time, “Pray” The word kept repeating it’s self in my mind over and over. I finally kneeled down on my floor, my face to the ground and I prayed. I pleaded to my Father in Heaven to help me, just help me to not feel this way. Get me through tonight. I finished my prayer and immediately after I felt like someone had wrapped their arms around me, I could feel the warm, relief. I heard Him say “I am here.” and after that sleep came quickly.
I know that that could not have been anyone else except for my Savior, my brother, who loves me and I love him. I am not perfect but through him I can be. A few weeks later I came across a scripture that helped me alot. (Isaiah 41:10) ¶Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
This scripture has become my go to scripture and every time I read it I know that whatever hard thing I’m trying to overcome I can do it with his help.
As I have prepared these last months or so, I have come to many realizations about being like Christ. One of them are:
I don’t want to serve people because it’s what I am supposed to do, or because I have to. I want to serve others because I want to understand why Christ loves them. Their own quirks and habits and how they laugh and how they cry. I want to know how to love a person the way Christ loves me and serve, thinking of them as my Heavenly brother or sister.
If I had anything else to say while I am out on my mission, it would be my testimony of families. I absolutely love my family. We are loud, we are goofy, we are crazy and imperfect people; There isn’t enough room for all of them in my house but that doesn’t matter as much as them coming to be with me today. I wouldn’t be the same person if it were not for the family I was given. I love each and everyone of them with all of my heart.
We come to earth in families both large and small. There we learn to love those who are different from us and usually those people are our own, our families, we learn to care for one another as our Father cares for us. We grow to love them so much it’s so hard to let go or say goodbye. Even when our family passes on to the next life I know that I can be with again. That it is not the end, but a small detail in the grand scheme of things. Through temple this possible, through the temple families are not married using death do us part, but sealed together for time and all eternity. I like that, no matter what happens to me or parents or any of my siblings, I will know I will be reunited with them once more.
I have a feeling I need to tell the people of Japan that Life does not end here.
It all feels surreal to me right now, that in a few short hours I will be set apart as an official missionary and a few days later willl be walking into the MTC. I’m feeling both excited and terrified, but I can do this, I will do this. I will say goodbye to the world to my little world and dive into a new one, to serve my God and to share His Gospel. I knew that day when the age changed to 19 for the sister missionaries, that I would be going on a mission. I didn’t always know that I knew it,but it did take some convincing on my part. I always wanted to push the idea of going on a mission to the back of my mind. That my plans needed to come first, but that is not what God had planned for me.
“Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life.”3 Nephi 5:22.
Testimony.
Amen.
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