Love Letter To Provo

I feels super strange to be back here in Provo doing missionary work. But now I feel there is this inseparable bond between me and Provo. It's so much more than a college town to me now. I know you've felt this way for a while already. I thought Salt Lake City would be like Provo 2.0, bigger and better and more exciting, but there really is no comparison. Salt Lake's mountains have nothing on Provo's mountains, or the sunset, or the members. I used to think Provo was pretty bland in its variety of people; good looking 20-something Mormon RMs, but now just thinking about the sheer number of righteous covenant-keeping people gathered all together makes my heart melt. Outsiders who move down here feel the innate goodness of the members. They want the light of Christ to be a part of them too and are willing to change their lives completely and submit their will to God, which makes missionary work relatively easy. I love love love love this city. I love the work, and I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I do sometimes miss Temple Square just a smidgeon though. I may or may not have teared up when I saw the beautiful square on TV at General Conference (which by the way was perfect and everything everybody's soul needs. Everybody should go listen to it, Mormon or not.)

"You Must Be Swift As a Coursing River (Title due to the fact that I feel a little bit like Mulan in this part of the movie right now)"

What's weirder than being a missionary/tour guide at church headquarters with 200 other young ladies? Being a Chinese speaking missionary at an area where you used to be a college student, where your college friends are still hanging out. My heart was probably prepared for everything but this. Good one, God. 

The missionaries who were here in the Chinese area before me and my companion took over on Wednesday did such a good job being missionaries. They did such a good job, that as soon as I walked into the Provo, Utah mission office, they told us, "You have 11 people getting ready to be baptised, and here is the information for a teaching appointment we scheduled for you today. It's happening in about an hour and a half." We barely had time to drop our suitcases off at our new living quarters, and barely learned each other's names (my new companion is Sister Sandall) and off we were to teach a really sweet Chinese lady!  

Ever since then it has been non-stop appointments and teaching and visiting- and we still haven't gotten around to meet everyone that wants to be taught in Chinese by the missionaries! Every single person we met has been absolutely sweet and kind, and genuinely wanting to know how they can have God in their lives. I still can't quite wrap my brain around how great the missionary work is going here. Where are the trials? Where are the bad days? Where are the angry people? Where are the arguers and the anti-Mormons? Where are the crazies? And my companion is awesome too. She is the friendliest, gentle-est, most patient and most on-top-of-everything person in the world. 

And the bonus: we have been to teaching appointments and met up with people who used to translate for the missionaries before us... and many a times they end up being friends of mine from before the mission. Shouts outs to all my friends who are good people and help out the missionaries.

As is the story of my life: I feel completely undeserving of the tornado of blessings God has given me. My Chinese isn't even that great! I have no idea why I got to be assigned in the two best missions in the world, but I will accept it graciously, and hope that I can do some good! I know that even though I am a baby and am pretty clueless most of the time, in Christ all things are possible. Literally anything. During his mortal life, Jesus Christ showed us that all things can be overcome; sin, physical illnesses, spiritual poverty, temptations, doubt, mockery, and even death (#hallelujah). And that is the message that gives me strength and I hope everyone has a chance to understand as well. You can do anything! Anything at all! 

Oh yeah, and here is my new mailing address: 

85 N 600 E
Provo UT 84606
United States

Fun times: Someone got baptized. It was our fourth day there. Hooray Provo. 

"Roller-coasters"

This week we took a tour that was both the most spiritual and eccentric tour I have ever taken here on Temple Square. There was a group of travelers that seemed a little put off when we began the tour. They didn't talk much, and didn't really look us in the face. They eventually warmed up, and we had a really great conversation about how we all need to have our own conversions and understand Christ for ourselves, and see His role in our lives. One guest said to us, "Can you share your story? Sorry, we call them testimonies in our church... But can you both share it for us?" It was very sweet of her to say that. I have never seen a guest so kind and genuinely interested in what we believe. We both shared our testimonies and the things we hold most dear to our hearts, and they all listened intently in a way I have never seen guests do before. Then they all shared their own conversions to Christ, and the spirit in our little circle was so sweet and strong. 

And then the as the last person was sharing their testimony, the spirit changed. The person started asking questions that weren't exactly questions, but statements, like "What do you have to say about when the Bible says things contrary to what you do in the Temple?" I think my companion and I handled this person with poise and composure and courtesy. So we high fived for that. My favorite was when he asked, "On what basis and authority do you take the Book of Mormon to be scripture? Who told you that it's real? Who are you listening to?" To which we replied, 

"God. We ask God in prayer and we believe that if we have a personal relationship with Him, He can reveal truth to us."

That man started mumbling something about "Well I read this book by a man named Charles mumblerumblerumble.... And what it has to say about moooormons is... welljustreadthebookokay" I have a tiny feeling that he heard himself trying to compare the authority of God with the authority of a mortal man who wrote some stuff about what he thinks the Mormons do. 

And then he asked if he could say a prayer with us, so we all bowed our heads and he proceeded to pray that "the devil will not mislead people and conceal the truth so we will not remain in darkness and bless these missionaries that they will be saved from darkness" Which was cool I guess. I've never had a guest pray for my soul's sake before. 

I thought about this roller-coaster of a tour for a long time this week. My favorite Doctrine and Covenants section, Doctrine and Covenants 50 kept coming back to my mind. I think it is so cool that if there is anything at all that we need to know, we can take it to God. God wants us to seek knowledge and Truth, and I think every good human being desires it too. When we work with God in seeking those things, we learn truth that is light, truth that is edifying, and truth that is from God. Truth that is capital-T Truth. Everything should be brought before God, and we should never assume that there is anything we can know with a surety before we take it to God. 

So yeah, that was the most interesting thing that happened this week, among many other miracles that happen everyday. :) 

Also tiny announcement: Temple Square missionaries usually serve for three months (an outbound assignment) in another regular mission in the US for experience. I am starting my outbound assignment tomorrow in Provo (who ever would have seen this coming). I won't be able to write to a lot of you for the next three months if you are in the Provo area. Unless of course, you know anybody who speaks Mandarin or Japanese that would like to learn from the missionaries! I'm sad to leave Temple Square, but I'm excited for what's in store! 

Won't be doing this for a while: 

and happy earth day

"What a Time To Be Alive"

If there's anything I've learned on the mission, it's being okay with rejection. My companion and I have been struggling recently with finding people who are interested in learning more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know they're there... "the field is white already to harvest"! but we have just been trudging through a lot of brown soil. But that's okay! That is why we keep working hard. We have had a lot of "no thank-you"s and "go away"s but we have kept going! I realized a few days ago that I get a twisted sort of pleasure when people decline because I feel like we are one step closer to striking gold!

The tulips are blooming at Temple Square, and the most exciting time of the year is nigh! Easter, General Conference, tourists... What a time to be alive! And I mean it with the utmost sincerity. What a time to be alive, to know that Jesus Christ lived through pain, mockery, torture, death... and rose again, just to let us know that we are loved by a God, and that we too will rise and return to live with God, in the same way that Christ did. What a time to be alive, to know that God loves us so much that He never stops loving us and guiding us and speaking to us, through Prophets and Apostles that he has called. What a time to be alive, to be able to touch, hold, and read personal revelation from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. What a time to be alive. 

A thing I was asked to draw for our lovely mission president's counselors who are leaving. I hope drawing skills can be regained post-mission. I feel like a weenie.

"At All the Wrong Places"

I've always thought that when you fast for things, that extra spiritual power/strength is manifested in ways that are inconspicuous to you. But that is a lie! At least that's what it's been feeling like these past couple of days. On Sunday I fasted to feel more confident in my Mandarin speaking skills. Soon after we started the fast we got a text to take 4 Mandarin people on a tour. I was terrified that it would be scary business men, or apathetic college kids, It turned out to just be one lady who recently got baptized and was the sweetest person in the entire world. She let me fail and practice multiple times, and it was awesome. The longer I talked to her and the more times I messed up and had brain farts, the more I felt confident and started remembering all the terms I needed to. I loved her so much! 

Later that night we got a call to take a Japanese tour while we were assigned to be in the Assembly Hall just before a concert for the West Point Brass was starting. Truthfully we felt a little inconvenienced since we were hoping the catch the first few minutes of the concert, but we went anyways. As we were walking over for the tour, the sisters in West Gate (the little booth that texts out and organizes tours) called out to us and said, "map desk called; turns out it's actually a Mandarin tour!" Still a little irked and a little nervous, we introduced ourselves to the guests. They were also members that found it more endearing rather than cheated that my Mandarin was not perfect. They were a really sweet family and I felt privileged to take them around. And the coolest part: in the middle of the tour, not thinking properly, I said, "now we'll take you to the Assembly Hall!" And my companion whispered  "theassemblyhallhasaconcert wecan'ttakethemthere" 

And the dad said, " what concert? Let's go! We're stopping by for a little bit, I want to see!" 

We shuffled around awkwardly. "okay I guess we'll end the tour here?" 

"No! Come join us! We insist! No, we request that you come with us!" And since we try to fulfill every guests request we sat and enjoyed the concert for a good 15 minutes, which is way more than we would have gotten to stay if we stayed in the Assembly Hall. I felt spoiled. Hehe. 

The moral of Sister Takeshige's email today is this: do all the things that make you uncomfortable. And laugh about them. There are good things ahead. 

Also, fast. It works. 

Pictures: 

1. West Point Brass: 

2. "The field is [bread]" D&C 4:4 

3. "Already to harvest." D&C4:4 

4. Temple Square fun fact: the Star of David decorates the Assembly Hall. It has nothing to do with Judaism and everything to do with the fact that the pioneers who built it were looking through a catalogue of stained glass and simply thought the Star of David was pretty, and at he time it was not widely recognized as a Jewish symbol. Silly pioneers. 

Sister Kaede Takeshige 

"subject:"Nephi Does Whatever The Heck He Want

We met a man from Florida in the South Visitors' Center the other day. He had moved to Utah a couple of years ago solely based on the fact that his wife had been told by God in the Temple to do so. I asked him, "Have you found out yet why God told you to do that?" and he said, 

"No. I don't need to know why. The only important thing is that we answered the call." Me and my companion were both a little confused. But didn't he want to know? Did he not even have the slightest curiosity? Didn't he have the right to know, especially after he had followed God's will?

The next day as I was doing my personal studies in the Book of Mormon, I read this golden nugget: "Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not." God commanded Nephi to make two sets of records. That's not an easy or simple task in 600 B.C. It's not like you can copy and paste. But Nephi was totally okay with doing this whole other record even though it seemed redundant. He had no idea what God's plan was, but he did it simply because God commanded him to. Which is pretty cool of him. Good for you Florida man, for remembering Nephi's good example. 

Then I kept reading where Lehi, Nephi's father sees a vision about the tree of life, and Nephi asks God if he can see the vision also. And then this scripture happens: "he that diligently seeketh shall find, and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round." And then God says "okay" and Nephi gets to see the vision too.

What the what? This messed with my brain; Nephi just said that he was chill with not knowing the mysteries of God. Why is he going ahead and asking God for favors again? And then the Spirit gives him a play by play of what Lehi's vision was. 

After some time of "whaddaheck" and "????" I figured out what was up (God told me what was up), and why God divulged at Nephi's request. Here is a passage from a talk "The Very Root of Christian" (a BYU speech (go cougars)) That kind of explains what I understand from all of this: 

"We should not use appeals to pride or even to a rational c

alculation of what is in one’s best interest: heaven or hell. The best way—the only way—to persuade people to repent and come unto Christ is to get them—to get us—to think about what He has done for us and especially about what He has suffered for us. That is how Christ does it." 

If Nephi asked God why he needed to make another set of records, it would have been for his own best interest and pride. When Nephi asked God to show him Lehi's dream, it was not for his own best interest. It was because he had a true desire to understand God and Jesus Christ. And anybody who asks to understand the mysteries of God shall find it. It's made me think, when I ask God about things, what is my motive? I truly truly believe that as soon as we put away our pride and best interest, God answers. And when we learn about the Atonement of Christ and it's magnitude, we will naturally want to turn away from ourselves and turn to God. 

Have a good week everyone. 

And Happy Leap Year. Here is a leaping picture: 

And a stupid picture: 

"Sister Takeshige's Most Illustrious E-mail"

Fun week. A drunk man sang a song in Navajo to us in the middle of the South Visitors' Center. The wind blew off a 2 meter branch off of a tree and almost killed 4 sisters. 

We saw a lady taking pictures with rubber ducks in the North Visitor's Center. I received letters from my favourite people in the world (thank you Tiff and Danielle). The weather got warm enough for me to wear flats again. 

Took some MTC kids on a tour, and MILANI(ahem, Sister Ho) WAS IN THE GROUP! 

And we had ramen today. Real ramen. Tonkotsu ramen.

Additional picture: 

All in all, a good week. There weren't too many people visiting, and those visiting were really disinterested in talking to missionaries... But we have met the coolest people on chat! Genuine, cool people who are looking for Truth and don't know where to turn to, except the internet. It's a good feeling to know that there is capital T "Truth" out there and that we can find it in within God. I don't know if I've already shared this in an e-mail, but here is a cool thing from the King Follett Sermon (which is my new favorite thing). "When we come to understand the character of God, and know how to come to Him, he begins to unfold the heavens to us, and to tell us all about it. When we are ready to come to him, he is ready to come to us." 

Turn to God. He will unfold all things. He will do it slowly, but He will do it. 

Love, 

Sister Takeshige