It is sad that the Sakura season doesn't last for long. But boy, have
I been enjoying it while I can! The weather is lovely, and Japan is at
its finest at this time of years! I wanna come here every year for a
Japanese spring. I wish I could show you every bit of Japan's beauty.
I have had a number of interesting experiences that I wish to share
with you today. Hold onto your seats, folks. We are in for a ride.
Last P-Day, we had the opportunity to work with the seminary students.
What is interesting about this is what happened later that evening.
While we were handing out flyers for our free English class, I began
talking with a young woman who was from a church called "Providence"
which I had never heard of. She asked me some questions about our
beliefs of resurrection, which was miraculously the very thing we had
talked about in seminary that morning. Recalling the scriptures we had
read and reviewed with them, and I was able to more clearly share and
teach our beliefs and extend an invitation to her to read the Book of
Mormon and listen to our message.
On Friday, we cooked and delivered cookies to one of our investigators
and their family. Sister Harper has a great love for birds and we knew
of a place where we could see many birds near by our investigators
house. We decided to go e long way around the get back to the church.
Luckily, because we decided to go this rote, we were also able to talk
to the husband of the family as well, who we ran into on his bike. It
was a good experience to be able to see all of them, of whom we do not
see often. The wife had also expressed that the timing had been
perfect, because in the next few minutes they were about to go to a
soccer practice and wouldn't have been home.
On Saturday, we visited a less-active and shared a message. She
promised that, if it didn't rain the following morning, that she would
definitely come to church. The forecast for the next day was rain, all
day. But I prayed very hard that the morning would be clear so that
she could come to church. Miraculously, the rain stayed off and she
was able to come. It began raining as we were walking home, a few
hours after church ended. It waited just long enough.
Although these may seem like small and simple things, thy are truly
miracles, and they are the things that keeps me going every day of the
week. Heavenly Father is watching out for us. When we watch for it, we
can see his hand in every aspect of our lives.
Accidentally smacked a dent into one of our cupboards.
While handing out flyers on another day, I had an excellent time
making friends with these two hair stylist guys who were also handing
out flyers. They were pretty hilarious and enjoyed using their limited
English to crack some jokes. We saw some pigeons fighting (pigeons are
demon birds, I swear) and also, in the midst of it, a woman came up to
me. She pushed some booklets in my hand, pointed to a website in the
bottom corner and said "this website has many languages" ...
... Yes, boys and girls, it was JW booklets. But then she just walked
off quickly, so.... It wasn't a very effective conversion. Not to
mention that I can't read Japanese.
Which brings me to an epiphany that I had today. I have been wondering
lately, why the questions that people ask us are usually like "what do
you believe about the technicalities of the second coming?" And quite
a while ago I had the question "what does it mean to look beyond the
mark?" As it mentions in Jacob 4:14.
But as I studied today, I received light and knowledge by connecting
the two questions. It reads in Jacob 4:14, that people "sought for
things that they could not understand" or, otherwise stated, that
people want to know things that we simply do not know doctrinally yet.
These people have blindness, which "blindness came by looking beyond
the mark."
The reason many overlook our message is because our message is simple
and pure. They look beyond the mark. Beyond the target. Too far into
the future. There are many things that I would like to know and many
things that I would love to know, but many of those things I simply
will not know until a future time. I find myself asking "is this
pertinent to my current salvation?" And if the answer is no, then is
just don't worry about it. That has brought much happiness and
understanding into my life,
I am so grateful for personal revelation and the mercy of our
all-knowing Heavenly Father. One day I may know all things. But today
is not that day.
Love you all so very very much,
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
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