Best Sunday Ever

Yesterday could have been the best Sunday ever.

We had two investigators come to church. One I had never met before: Molly. Wow! She came up and gave me a great big hug and we just began the most beautiful friendship. I love her.

We went to teach her last night. The moment that we saw her we knew she was just filled with the Spirit. She talked about how before she was just closed but lately something has been pushing her to just keep learning. We reviewed the first lesson and she learned so quickly and was smiling and crying the whole time. It was so powerful. The whole time I was thinking we need to ask her to be baptized. I thought...ah I have never really extended a baptismal invite..I hope Sister Song does it, Ha. At the end of the lesson there was a gap in the conversation. It was so natural...I just asked her...Molly, do you want to set a goal for baptism? She did not hesitate one bit and said "Hao"...which means good....YES! She told me before the sisters had tried so many times to set a date with her and she wasn't ready or was scared, but now she is ready. We chose a date and we prayed and it was so so great. After wards Sister Song and I got in the car and she just yelled " THE CHURCH IS SO TRUE. IT JUST MAKES ME WANT TO CRY." Oh it was awesome. It really tells me that it is not the missionaries who help people....it is the people and their relationship with God. It was the Spirit that was preparing her...because we hadn't met with her for two weeks. It really is so amazing. It is all in their time.

Sis Okada

Happy May

We have some former investigators that we hope to begin teaching again. They haven't investigated the church for a few years. So I am amazed at the timing of things. I think it is such a testimony that they really are in God's hands. He is watching over them and waiting for them to accept the gospel and arranging so they can...if they choose. But He never will give up on them. This is something that I need to learn. Never give up on them.

Oh I had one other thought. Please strengthen your ward. It is so important to love and serve everyone in your ward. Right now I am serving in a ward that is wonderful...but we have a lot of less actives. Please do some work to bring some one back to church...think how hard it might be to come back...the feelings, challenges and then think how to help that person.

OK LOVE YOU!

Revelation

Let's see our investigators...well. They are progressing pretty well. We have a lot of work to do to help them have desire and receive answers to their prayers.

It is probably one of the most challenging things helping someone recognize the spirit...if they have never felt it before or didn't know that they have felt it before. I am so grateful for our leaders...take a look at Elder Bednar's talk about receiving person revelation.

Personal revelation really is one of the greatest things that we can work on. It is how we know truth and that I think is the most important thing. Because then we have a frame work to work from.

I think everyday I am more aware of how much we need to know about God and our relationship with Him. And also keep on developing that relationship.

It still puzzles me how people can live without it. Because it really is what grounds us and gives us HOPE.

Oh and we have some former investigators that we hope to begin teaching again. They haven't investigated the church for a few years. So I am amazed at the timing of things. I think it is such a testimony that they really are in God's hands. He is watching over them and waiting for them to accept the gospel and arranging so they can...if they choose. But He never will give up on them. This is something that I need to learn. Never give up on them.

I love you all!

Sister Okada

New Starts!

Yes so I just ended my first transfer...YESTERDAY.

It is a whole new transfer...one end and one beginning.

I really like new starts...it is a chance to catch my breathe...reflect and improve.

I was thinking about it and I think everyday can be a new beginning if we make it one. I think at night before we go to bed we can pick one thing to change...to start over with. In the morning we remember that thing...say our prayers and figure out with Heavenly Father...how we are going to do it...and then work with him throughout the day to do it.

I think by the end to the week...month...year...or years we will look back and see that each day added up and now we are a whole new and improved person.

I think that is what I will try this transfer.

Service

We were deciding where to go on a map the night before. We both were attracted to this one area. But when we got there the next day...it was not at all what we were expecting. One side of the path...not road...was all torn up in construction. There was a little apartment complex that was pretty run down...and no people in sight. We had no idea what to do. We decided to knock on the door. The first one, no answer. The second one...the lady practiced Hinduism and the third, the lady told us to leave. So we started walking back...and we ran into the nicest lady and man rolling a microwave. She loved us because we were missionaries. She is Lutheran. We ended up helping this man install his microwave and having a bowl of soup with him, his wife, and the Lutheran lady. His wife was the one who told us to go away. It was a really special experience...that we could serve this man who is going blind...his wife is blind also and they both have special needs. He has no religious belief...he is Chinese but thanked us for our service and said he would come to church twice. WOW!

Prayer

I gained such a testimony of prayer this week. Let me share with you an experience that I have been able to share with a lot of investigators. So:

I hate to admit, but I was a little irresponsible and lost my bus pass. While we were walking I was taking things in and out of my pockets and it fell out. This was on Tuesday night. Let me impress upon you how important this pass is... it is how we do all our work. We are on the bus all the time. We have to make visits...we have to TEACH. And it is really expensive and it is even more expensive to pay time by time. SO I was very distraught. I prayed so so hard Tues. Wed. and Thurs. Then Thursday morning I prayed to Heavenly Father more wondering if he heard my prayers and asked one last time if I could find this pass...so I could do his work. We took the bus... I paid...to an appointment and back. We walked the route that we had walked over 10 times... and had searched for this pass... We had heightened awareness because of our circumstances. We were walking and talking and out of the corner of the eye...I finally spotted my bus pass. At the very instance I knew HF had answered my prayer. That he cared about the individual work I was doing and was very willing to let me know that he hears my prayers. I know HF hears our prayers.. he hears our individual prayer. And he is willing to answer our prayer if we have sincere desires and real intent.

Love Sis Okada

My Week In a Nutshell

So this week was interesting. Let me highlight some things.

Wed: No one told me what to do if you are contacting and all the sudden a big black man comes up to you and says " I a Muslim, but I like you" and proceeds to hug you....AHHH he was nice but I was totally taken off-guard and didn't know what to do AAHHHHH!!!

Fri: Walking outside a rehabilitation center we run into a lady who's daughter was just diagnosed with leukemia...she tells us everything and that she is mad at God. Out of nowhere we testify, her heart is soften, and we get her contact information and send the elders on their way....MIRACLE!

Also talking to a man on the sky train...he is from Taiwan...his family religion is Buddhism, but he is not sure. We end up talking about the after-life...in serious detail...who knew...oh and in Chinese ha.

Sat: We had a dinner appointment at a investigators home. He invited two friends. We had great Taiwanese food. One of the ladies started asking about why there is so much hurt in the world and if there is a God, why doesn't he just make everything better and save all of these people? The other friend was a Christian...not LDS and gave a beautiful overview of the plan of salvation...she was amazing.....= 2 BOM handed out!

Sun: I ATE A CHICKEN FOOT....whoa. It took a while but I did it. Then we ran into a drunk man that almost dropped a cement block on a truck...SCARY. I love the people here they are absolutely crazy :).

Yep that was my week in a nutshell.

Finally in Canada

Oh my goodness, I can't believe I am here in CANADA.

My Address:
Sister Brittney Okada
#112 6015 Tisdall St.
Vancouver BC V5Z 3N1

I tried out my Chinese and it was horrible...oh well. But we gave out some cards and had some interesting experiences. I don't hardly understand the Chinese so I just smile a lot.

My new companion...trainer...Sister Chao is from Hong Kong and has only been out about 4 months....so our president calls us the green companionship. And we are very GREEEN.

I love you all and can't wait to hear from you!!!

LOVE

Sister Okada

Our Movie!

Our lives are like movies. We are on camera all the time. Do you want to watch your movie over? Would you want to watch it with God? You will one day. Thank goodness for our editor Jesus Christ. If we just turn our movie over to him....he can edit out all the bad parts and make it a happy ending.

One of the ladies in our branch gave a talk about her and her granddaughter. Her granddaughter was looking in an American Girl Doll magazine. She opened to a page of all the dolls...from all over, all different looking. She slid her finger over the page saying, "I like this one. I like this one...and this one and this one"....until she had pointed to everyone. That is exactly how God feels. He points at us and says I like this one and this one. We are all beautiful to him and he wants ALL ....each and everyone of us.

Try reading "Prayer is the Soul's Sincere Desire": read it like poetry. It is beautiful!

FILL THE MEASURE OF YOUR CREATION.

Bye MTC; Hello Vancouver

I can't believe my experience is over here at the MTC.

To sum it up:
It has been crazy. We have had all kinds of twists and turns. Like being a pilot district, having tons of teachers, having to give feedback and do activities, having progressing investigators. Also, like a district leader going home. Getting a new sister: splitting our companionship and being a solo sister for one whole week. But the Lord's hand has been in all of it. I know it because of what I have learned. I have learned that love is most important. People are most important. And obedience, true obedience, is out of love.

I have also learned a surety of my calling. That I am supposed to teach the Chinese in Vancouver. And I am so excited!!!! I love being a missionary. I am excited to introduce people to God and Jesus Christ. And the Book of Mormon. It is the most powerful book I love it.

LOVE YOU ALL.

Sister Okada

Purpose

EVERYTHING WE DO HAS A PURPOSE....make sure of it...and find it.

SO WHAT? Find out what really matters.

Read from the Book of Mormon everyday. It is a powerful book. I love it....KNOW it. It really is written for our day.

Record your personal experiences....but more importantly figure out from this day what really matters: Purpose, Principles, Patterns.

I LOVE YOU ALL....Let Your Light Shine.

SISTER BRITTNEY OKADA

Become True.

Perfectionist vs. Seeking Perfection

OK YOU KNOW ME: Perfectionist.

Elder Gong helped me realize the difference.

Perfectionist:
This includes looking inside and focusing on bettering yourself only. It comes with disappointments because really none of us are perfect.

Seeking Perfection:
This includes looking to serve others and helping others. This is seeking hope through our Savior Jesus Christ. We know that we can be perfected in him. We have hope.

Seek perfection in Charity.

Seek perfection in Love.

Seek perfection in Kindness.

Seek perfection in Faith.

D&C 132: 24-25.

Desire

OK, this is a little longer blog but I hope it is worth your while.

Let's talk all about DESIRE: More specifically the desires of our hearts.

Yes, go to a talk from Dallin H. Oaks, "The Desires of Our Hearts", Ensign, June 1986, for more.

OK, you can organize this however you want:

Sometimes what we want is not what is good for us.

Sometimes what we need is not what we ask for.

"I got nothing that I asked for, but got everything I hoped for."

Read Alma 29: 1-3 with an emphasis on verse 3.

There is this story of a wise man: A boy asked him how he could accomplish anything. The man took the boy to a stream and held him under water until he almost drowned. The boy jumped out of the water screaming: “AIR! AIR! AIR!”

The wise man said: “Ah yes....When you want to succeed as much as you wanted AIR, just then you will have the desire to succeed.”

Example: King Lamoni's father: Alma 22:18

Sometimes we have inappropriate desires we must evaluate and diminish, then eliminate.

Something that we must do is pray for the right feelings. If we do this and succeed we will have righteous desires and then righteous actions.

Alma 32: Plant that seed...let it grown, let it become a tree which continues to grow and then takes root and then brings forth fruit.

Yes, I think we all can work on having better desires....but more importantly letting our actions align with our desires...and vice versa.

GO AHEAD DO IT:

CHANGE, ACHIEVE, BECOME.

LOVE YOU ALL

Sister Okada

Know God

OH today let's talk about God.

Yep, God.

Do you really know God?

If you could know God what would you do?

Would you give up everything to know him?

And once you knew him what would you do?

Would you listen to him?

So, I was talking to my teacher about people who know God. And I said something like how do you help people know God if they already know him?

This was her response or something like it:

People think they know God. But they know God from a distance. It is not that personal relationship. They don't let God in their lives. They believe in God and say OK I believe in God, but I don't want him that involved in my life.

People don't realize that God can be in our life everyday. And he should be. And it should be that close of a relationship.

And if we love God....like really love God...I mean love him enough that you would do anything he asks of you....this is really knowing God.

Find the scriptures...if you love me keep my commandments.
John 14:15 D&C 42:29

OK me:

I love God. I will do anything he asks of me. If he asks me to believe in something I will...I want God in my everyday life. That's it.

Expand on this. Examine yourself.

Love You All!

Questions

Questions are so key.

My Branch President told me something like this:

People all bring personal baggage with them.

Okay, what does that mean?

Well you have to go through their baggage to understand them. That's it. You have to go through their lives to get to know them and understand their perspectives. They have all had experiences that have shaped them into the person they have become today. That is our job.

Questions are how you do that. You have to ask them to understand them.

AND THEN: LISTENING.

Being able to listen could be the best skill someone could really have. I mean really listening...not preparing what you are going to say...but JUST listening. WOW! That is power.

Wisdom from the Branch President:

"An argument is just an exchange of ignorance."

"A discussion is an exchange of knowledge."

Yeah, amazing right?

Okay, one other things. My great and very smart friend Julia did this... you should to. Take 5 minutes and write down 2010 as if you were going to lose all memory of it. Yeah, see what you say.

I bet it will focus on people...because that is what matters...just try it.

Also humility. Check out the definition in Preach My Gospel..."Humility is willingness to submit to the will of the Lord and to give the Lord the honor for what is accomplished."

Humility is what is it all about:

1. Be humble.

2. Be prayerful.

3. Be obedient.

That's is all I think.

Much Love,

Sister B. Okada

A Masterpiece

So Christmas Eve was great!

We spent it with this wonderful teacher...Brother Money.
He had us do an exercise that was so great.
He had each of us draw out on a blank paper the first notes of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief".
We were like WHAT???
Some didn't know how to draw notes or a staff or a key signature, but we all tried our best.
He took us to a room where he said he was going to play the piano.
He started playing our drawings and it turned into this beautiful rendition...
that none of us could even imagine.
He testified to us of the work we are doing and how Christ's grace makes up for our inadequacies...we all put forth different efforts...but he makes it into a masterpiece...WOW!!!

http://lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=1&searchseqstart=29&searchsubseqstart=%20&searchseqend=29&searchsubseqend=ZZZ

Hope your Christmas was as awesome as mine.

Love, Sis Okada