Elder Benny Yamagata: This Week

Hey family! This week was not a usual week and I want to keep true to what I said last week about making this weeks email a little more spiritual or something like that.

This week not much actually happened, but I learned a lot and feel like I really grew. One of the probably most important things I learned is that no matter the person, I can always learn something from them. My recent experience with this is with Elder Jeong who I had to go on exchanges with again this week. We were starting to Jundo as our appointment had cancelled on us and I was getting rejected left and right. Probably about 4 rejections later, I got really mad at someone for saying that religion is not important and that I just need to stop talking. I was so mad I just walked off from them and Elder Jeong tried giving them a name card (which didnt work). He then walked up to me and asked me if I was mad. I was furious, I was tired of being rejected. I have an amazing message, one of "Glad tidings of Great Joy" and yet no one wnats to listen. I have a message that brings families together forever, and that can give us eternal life and exaltation. Why does no one want to hear it. So I asked him that, and just then something popped into my mind. I had just watched this same man, only the night before, crying to his companion after several phone calls to people he had gotten numbers from off the street (who he was very excited about and told me they were his investigators) went bad and they rejected him. I remembered him saying the same words, choking through tears asking "Why does no one want to hear what I have to say?" Then I remembered one other person who was rejected, and no one wanted to hear what he had to say. Our Savior Jesus Christ.

I was humbled.

I realized that no matter how good of a missionary I am, I will always encounter hard times. The savior of the world was the perfect missionary, the only one in the world. and yet he was rejected. And Here I was thinking that I was better than Elder Jeong at Jundo because I had been here for 3 months longer and that I was a better missionary yadayadayada.... And I was becoming proud. After he asked me if I was mad I held back my own tears and asked him if he could say a prayer for us. We prayed ( in the middle of a park ) and then he looked at me and reminded me of something that I told him when we first went on an exchange and I was teaching him how to jundo better. "Just talk to them like there people Elder. Ask them what they like" This young missionary reminded me to not look at them as numbers or stats. But as people. They are all sons and daughters of god. I cant really explain what exactly I learned that day. Im struggling right now, thats why all of this is so scatter brained. But something clicked that day. And I know from here on out I can only grow. The rest of the day with him was a great expereince of heartache rejection, and struggling to be missionaries in this land. But It was great nonetheless!

Another thing I learned this week is about our Identity as literal sons and daughters of Heavenly Father. He begat us so that we can become like him and honor and glorify him even more! Through the ordinances of the gospel, we become mroe like Him. Through baptism, we are cleansed from sins and become more holy. Through receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, we know the will of God and know what we need to become like. Through the Priesthood we learn how to exercise Godlike power here on Earth. Through the Endowment, we receive more knowledge of Him and if we use that knowledge properly, we will become more like him. And finally, through the sealing power, we perpetuate all of our relationships beyond the veil and into eternity. We are eventually to become gods of our own. We need to prepare now, and with this months focus in korea on becoming a disciple of jesus christ, this went perfectly in line. Our Zone leaders asked us the other day what would we like to become when we are older. I wrote down some stuff like good father, righteous preisthood holder, etc... But really when it comes down to it when we become disciples of Jesus Christ, we become closer to becoming God's ourselves! What an amazing Father! What father here on earth wouldnt want there kids to become the same if not better than them. And so it is with our Father in Heaven.

Anyways. This week has been great and I love it here in Korea. The work is always hard, it never lets up, but I love every second of it. I cant believe you can learn so much in just a short amount of time.

As a recap of this week, I dont really know much of what I did, so many exchanges and learning experiences, etc... Its all just a blur and I still cant quite believe it is monday already. We have temple day tomorrow and Im really excited, we have some last words from some of the missionaries who are dying in a couple of weeks. ITs really sad to see them go, but they have served well! Im finishing up mu 3rd transfer here, and I cant believe I will be hitting my 6 month mark in about 1 week! Truly crazy!

Anyways I love all of you back at home, and anyone who is out on a mission right now! I pray for all of you always! Miss you!

Elder Yamagata