Obedience 10/26/14

So I don't want to send a normal email about my week because quite honestly this was not a normal week.  

At the weekly planning for this week me and my companion were talking about obedience, not that either of us was being outwardly disobedient, but that we could strive to be more obedient.  We have been working really hard this week and have not been seeing success as much as we would have liked from being extremely obedient.  We both read a talk that was given to me by elder Suman back in 도봉.  Its about an Elder Fabrizio Ricciardi who served in Italy in the 80's.  Among all this other stuff that it talks about, theres a part about being obeidient.  Every missionary has a point in their mission where they are being more obeidient than ever, trying to follow every single rule to the T, even going the extra mile and following self set rules to keep themselves focused and yet they see no results.  The blessings sometimes even Stop.  But why?  If we are the most obedient we have ever been, and we are working harder than ever, we arent we seeing the blessings of obedience?  Elder Ricciardi shows us that this time does come on every missionaries mission, or it should.  And when it does, its like a test.  Heavenly Father tests us to see if when the blessings stop, the work starts to slow, and everything starts to work against you, whether or not you will continue to be obeidient or whether you will slip back and stop trying, content to be just another missionary.  Elder Garff and I both feel as though this is our time, this is our test.  We are trying harder than ever to work and do the best we can, and we see that the blessings that we want arent nescessarily coming as quick as we want them, but we are determined to be obedient to the very end in order to say that we tried our hardest and did as much as we can. 

Before this time in my mission I was being obedient, but not because I wanted to, and I definitely didnt want to.  I just did it because we knew the blessings come from it.  Now I understand that obedience does everything for us besides bless us temporally.  It shows our humility.  

Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble

We are blessed because we are humble enough to follow the commandments.  That is not to say that you will not receive blessings by just being obedient without really caring too much about why.

And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed

So we receive blessings because of our obedience no matter what, but by being humble and having an attitude of, "Im going to do what you ask, no matter what" we humble ourselves before God and let him start to work the magic.  I feel as me and Elder Garff work even harder in this upcoming week that we will start to see more and more blessings as we are more and more obedient.

Another thing that I wanted to share this week is a scripture that we recite in our mission almost every single day.  3 Nephi 5:13

 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.

For those of you about to serve or already serving missions, read this.  This is who we are.  This is our comission.  This is where our authority, power, blessings and everything else come from.  As I read this I receive spritual power, I FEAR NO MAN.  I AM A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST.  His power resides with us every day, it stands behind us as we preach and exhort people to come unto Christ.  We are his Army!!!! 

As I have been here in Taebaek I have come to know more that this work is true and that God is with us every step of the way as we walk the streets and talk to as many people as we can.  I know that Christ lives, he knows each and every one of us and hear's our prayers in families, companionships, and personally as we pour our hearts out to him.  He has His timing and His way.  I know that if we follow the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we can not fail, and we WILL receive eternal life and exaltation at the last day.  

Love you all,

Elder Yamagata

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