Being Taught

Dear Family and Friends,

Here’s a note from us to let you know how we’re doing and to share a little more about the adventures we’ve recently had.

All is great here. We stay very busy and put in long hours. People who video chat with us usually say, “You look tired” and we guess we are. We get home late and crash into bed exhausted every night. Last night Elder Low was working on a presentation we’ll be doing in a few days and asked Sister Low a question. Sister Low was in bed reading at the time. She started answering Elder Low’s question but never made it to the end. She conked out mid-sentence.

But even if we get tired, we’re not really stressed. This is fun and we enjoy every day. How could you not? For example:

Young Single Adults Halloween

A few weeks ago in Branch Council meeting, Sister Low asked if the branch was planning a Halloween party. The response was lukewarm. Keep in mind that this is a YSA branch and all the leadership is comprised of young single adults except the branch president. Having a party on Halloween night wasn’t feasible because Halloween gets really crazy in Shibuya with a lot of drunk people and riot police running around and we want to avoid that crowd.

“So what about the weekend before Halloween?”

“Well . . . ”

Everyone said it could be done then, but most already had other plans. The Saturday before Halloween is apparently prime fun time for the young adults and most said they couldn’t come.

But Saori decided to press forward. We got a budget for the party, planned the food, and bought the supplies. One thing the branch president asked for was a piñata. What? “Yeah, piñatas are what you do on Halloween, right?” OK, so we planned a piñata.

On Thursday, Sister Low sent a group text to the entire branch, explaining the party: Homemade food by Sister Low, hot beef stew, fresh rolls out of the oven, lots of candy, a piñata, and (get this:) country western line dancing. “Please reply with a thumbs up if you can come.”

Then both Elder and Sister Low replied with a thumbs up. It felt like a street musician who puts the first dollar in his own guitar case. Four hours later, we had two more thumbs up. Four total. Hmmm. For a while Elder Low wondered if we should cancel this thing.

But Sister Low wasn’t giving up. Friday morning was district council with our missionaries. Sister Low told them, “Listen, we’re having this party and we really need people to come. Can you find people to invite?” The missionaries were enthusiastic. “You bet, Sister Low. We’ll get people.”

Saturday morning and afternoon we spent cooking and decorating. There are no piñatas in Japan so Sister Low made one out of a garbage sack.

When it was time to start, we were surprised how many people came in. The missionaries had spent the day inviting. They literally walked up to people on the street and said, “Hey what are you doing tonight? Wanna come to our Halloween party?” They found and brought 9 new friends to the party.

We really had a fun time. We laughed a lot. Turns out hefty bags don’t break. Not good material for a piñata. We beat that poor thing to a pulp. And the line dancing was a hoot. Who would have thought? Everyone loved it. We may have to start line dancing classes on weeknights.

In the end, we had about 35 come. We actually had more nonmembers than members attend. The branch president was astounded. “These missionaries are incredible.” Yes, they are.

But that’s not the end of it. The next day, three of the people who the missionaries invited to the party showed up for church and spent the full two hours there. Then the whole branch got together for lunch and they stayed for that.

So it turned out that Halloween went really well, and our missionaries are now booked solid with new people to teach. They’ve already come to church and have friends who are members. Elder Low is amazed at Sister Low’s inspiration and persistence.

 

Being Taught

Today was a particularly busy day. We spend most weekday mornings in meetings with the young missionaries, helping them with Japanese and today was no different. But in addition, today we had a meeting scheduled at the temple with a member of the temple presidency. That meeting was set for 2:30, but we had a language meeting with a sister from Brazil at 2:00. Fortunately, we were free at 1:00 so that gave us time to travel to Azabu where the temple is located. From there we could launch the zoom meeting with our missionary and meet with her before going into the temple.

When we arrived at the Temple Annex/Stake Center, we had only five minutes before our missionary meeting was to start. We were in a rush and looked around, but all the rooms in the building were locked, except the small visitor center. Since the building was quiet, we sat down in the visitor center in front a beautiful mural of the Savior teaching his apostles and started the zoom meeting.

After Sister Low said a prayer, this sister told us she wanted to practice teaching a lesson with us. She had a teaching appointment coming up and needed to teach the Plan of Salvation in Japanese for the first time.

Now, this sister had been texting us all week. “How do you say this….?” And “What’s the word for …..?” All of her questions were around the Plan of Salvation. Clearly, she’s been studying, memorizing, and practicing for days. She’s been in the country for just a few months.

So, she started teaching us. She used very simple, straightforward sentences.

“God is our Heavenly Father.”

“Our spirits lived with Him before we came to earth.”

“Jesus Christ is His son.”

Etc.

She would slowly speak a sentence from memory, sometimes pausing to take time to retrieve the word she was trying to remember. Then she would remember the word and continue. She paused after each sentence and looked at us to see if what she said was right. Then continued to the next sentence. It was slow, methodical, and careful. She kept saying she was ‘nervous’ but she did just fine.

She had prepared a handmade graphic of the Plan of Salvation. She had painted it with watercolors and had handwritten all the phrases on it in Japanese. Things like “Veil of Forgetfulness” and “Spirit World.” She showed this to us as she taught.

She taught about the Creation of the earth, Adam and Eve, the Fall, the Savior’s redemption, His suffering and atonement, the Purpose of Life on earth, and why we are here today. She asked questions to check our understanding. All in simple, carefully spoken sentences.

“Elder Low, have you ever felt pain in your life? I assure you that Jesus Christ has felt that same pain and knows how to heal you.”

As she went through this process, Elder Low noticed something was happening. We really can’t describe it. But something was happening. This incredible, powerful feeling just washed over the meeting.

As the sister continued to speak, pause for a thumbs up, and speak again, Elder Low turned to look at Sister Low. Tears were running down her face. The feeling was so powerful that we both became overwhelmed.

This young woman from Brazil, speaking very simple Japanese that she began learning only a few months ago, was teaching us the Plan of Salvation more powerfully than we have ever been taught. We really can’t express what we felt; there aren’t words for it. But we know for sure that what she taught us was true and we know for sure that we received a witness of that. We were reminded when Ammon taught King Lamoni and that described this sister perfectly:

34 Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;

35 And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God.

36 Now when Ammon had said these words, he began at the creation of the world, and also the creation of Adam, and told him all the things concerning the fall of man, and rehearsed and laid before him the records and the holy scriptures of the people, which had been spoken by the prophets, even down to the time that their father, Lehi, left Jerusalem.

39 But this is not all; for he expounded unto them the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world; and he also made known unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and all the works of the Lord did he make known unto them.

40 And it came to pass that after he had said all these things, and expounded them to the king, that the king believed all his words.

Eventually Sister Low had to ask her to pause, so we could get control of our emotions. That took a few minutes. We did have a few Japanese pointers for her that she wrote down, but then Elder Low said, “You’ve got this. There is nobody in Japan more qualified and able to teach this lesson than you. Everything will go well, I promise.” Then we all cried some more.

Soon we had to leave for our meeting at the temple. As we walked next door to the temple, Elder Low asked Sister Low: “What just happened? How do you explain it?”

Saori’s answer: “Purity. That girl is pure.”

It’s now getting late and Elder Low is getting bleary eyed. There’s more to do tomorrow. We are so thankful to be here. More adventures are coming, so stay tuned.

We love you all,

Elder and Sister Low