Mission of the Rising Sun: Elder Hall's Final Testimony

Wake up to an alarm and you roll out of your futon. Go to the bathroom in order to momentarily postpone your thirty minutes of exercise. Come out and exercise, get a bowl of delicious fruit granola and then bow your head to pray. Read a talk or some Japanese book you still manage to have from the MTC as you slowly munch waiting for your companion to finish his time in the shower. Hear the shower door open as you are slurping up the leftover cheap milk from the nearby Japanese supermarket in your bowl and hurry to jump into the shower. Scrub, rinse, sing a quick song and get out, only to face the ever so burdening question of "Which tie should I wear today?" Go to the kitchen to get a drink of water and happen to see the clock at 7:59. Finish the knot on your dangling tie, gulp your drink, and rush into your study room. Hit your knees hard on the floor and bow your head to ask for the Spirit to guide your studies that morning. Jump up in your rolly chair and open up your Book of Mormon. Something doesn't seem quite right now as you rummage around for the answer on your slightly cluttered desk. "Ah, my name tag..." You grab it, slid it onto your white shirt's pocket and with that click Elder Hall has officially started his day as a missionary.

That click of my slip-on name tag hitting itself against my shirt pocket has brought many mixed emotions these past few days. I realized I wouldn't be hearing it (even though it may be a sound thousands of missionaries never quite noticed until getting to my age) very many more times. After today I will hear it just once more as I get ready to hitch a ride to the airport to catch my plane back home to America. That ritual ceremony every morning seems to happen as fast as my mission happened. I came out a young 18 year old immature scared little elder and am now going back a much different and tested person. I am so grateful for the experiences I have had and the growth I have undergone on my mission. Now I am leaving with many mixed emotions. On one hand I see my family again after a two year separation but on the other hand I leave those I have come to love in Japan. On one hand I get to move on in my life to getting an education and starting a search for my next companion but on the other hand, I leave the life as a missionary that I have come to love and cherish, even with all the hardships contained in the package.

Luckily this last week was good and we worked hard. It was a lot more normal than I thought it would be though. Member appointments, four lessons planned on Saturday and all but one fell through. It rained, I got way sick my last two days and had to push through it until the end. We had a really stressful Eikaiwa party where all these kids came out of nowhere that we hadn't planned for and we had to make up an activity for them (coloring always works I learned!). We found some good P.I.s and one really good 15 year investigator! I liked how it was a normal missionary week. Yeah, it would have been cool for someone to run into the church asking for baptism but just working hard until the end in normal circumstances made me appreciate and truly love the time I have spent as a missionary even more. I wish I had just one more day to experience the joy I have felt being a full time missionary over here in the blessed country of Japan.

Even with all these feelings of sadness, doubt, and confusion, I can still feel the Spirit's sweet and quiet assurance that I truly did my best and helped people as much as I could have. Even with mistakes, times of disobedience, times of laziness and times of disappointments, that with the help of others, I rebounded from those and was able to get back on the track of hard work and diligence. I think that is what true joy is no matter what happens in your life, to you or to those you love, you feel that quiet reassurance that everything will be alright or that burning in your bosom knowing what you are doing is right. Joy truly is the reward of missionary service. Not just for others you bring to the gospel, but yourself as you lose yourself in the work. In my call letter, it promises the following, "The Lord will reward you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children. We place our confidence in you and pray that the Lord will help you become an effective missionary."

I have felt that promise from the prophet of the Lord come true and I feel like the Lord accepted this two year sacrifice. I didn't part the Red Sea or anything big like that but I did see many small tender mercies and miracles from God as I tried my best to live as a missionary. I know I will always cherish this experience. I know that this church is God's true church and he restored it through Joseph Smith so we could find happiness, in this life and the next. Christ lived, died and now lives again and guides this church through a living prophet Thomas S. Monson. I know God is our Father in Heaven and Christ is our older brother who loves us so much that all that they do is lead and guide us in this life so we can go back home to live with them and our families forever. I know the Holy Ghost will lead and guide us as we pray and ask for his guidance and seek to be as obedient as possible. Our everyday choices determine our destiny but by being obedient to God's commandments and his will for us, we will find joy and make our lives the best. I am excited to see my family again and know that we can be together forever. This is my testimony and my wish that all may come unto Christ and be saved, for his burden truly is light. I leave my final testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

See you all at the airport,

Elder Hall

ホール長老

Ponderizing Scripture

"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day"

-2 Timothy 4:7-9

Monday Flashback

"Personal Study"