Japan: White snakes

It is said that if a white snake is found in your home it will bring good fortune. These gentle ivory white snakes with ruby colored eyes can only be found in Iwakuni. White snakes have been designated as special national treasures by the Japanese government. The white snake is a symbol of Benten, the Japanese goddess of wealth. The white snake is considered a sign of good luck in Japan. Many people come to pray to the snakes so that they might be successful in their businesses.(Wikipedia)

 

"A Butterfly Outside on a Futon" Photo. Taken by Sister Breksa. The only photo she sent to her mother that week, we shall appreciate it.

Letter Home: Transfer

Hello!

I transferred a little early!  I left Miyazaki and arrived safely here in Iwakuni.   We work with a military branch. I can buy food on the base! [She can shop on base because she is a military dependent.]

I love you!   

Sister Breksa 

LDS Teachings: Women in the Scriptures, Sariah

http://www.bookofmormonbattles.com/Characters/SariahBio.html

A FEW THINGS ABOUT SARIAH

As a wife: Sariah was married to a prophet who received marvelous revelations both in dreams and visions. Lehi, as most prophets were, was a hated man and he was not only mocked, but there were designs to kill him. She was with Lehi when he 'left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness."

As a mother: Nephi tells us that he was "born of goodly parents." She risked losing her sons when they returned to Jerusalem, the place they fled for their lives, twice. Once they went back to get important records and the second to get wives.  The age span of her children is great: adult married sons and newborn sons. She saw her 2 sons try to kill another. Her sons all got married at once. 

As a daughter of God: The scriptures say that Lehi took nothing save his family and things, not 'household' like in the Old Testament when families travelled. Which means to me, that there were no servants. 

She dared to get in a boat her sons made with her sons and daughters and their wives and their children and her two young sons and Lehi - and travelled across the sea to an unknown place. She set up a household in a new land.

Divine Intervention: A True Story

When Sister Breksa's grandfather (Milton W. Hansen, 1931-2006) was a teenager, he worked at Roy Orr's service station in Pioche, NV. In the course of his duties, one day he was driving a large pickup truck on a rural road (the only kind of a road in all of Pioche). He was feeling quite important to be entrusted to drive this big old pickup and in all probability driving too fast. 

When he came to the top of a hill he looked down and there at the bottom of the hill, smack dab in the center of the road, was a great big, somewhat beat up, cardboard box.  His immediate plan was to increase his speed going down and run right into the box.  He wanted to make it fly or smoosh it.  Determined, he sped down the hill.  

Then, just a moment before the impending impact, he felt very strongly he should not hit the box. He didn't know why he just knew he was not to hit the box.  He quickly swerved around it.  As he continued on his way, he looked in the rearview mirror and saw two little boys crawl out of the box laughing and rolling it back off the road.  

Letter Home to her youngest brother: Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost

This last Sunday (27 October) we had a Baptism!  It was at 9 in the morning - 1 hour before church.

It was so fun to see how happy N. was. She is 18 years old. She works at a member's kindergarten - one which she attended herself!  This kindergarten is an "American" kindergarten in which, from my understanding, the teachers teach English and they celebrate American holidays, like Halloween.  The family that owns the school- the father is American, the mother Japanese. N. is engaged to the man who baptized her. He is the son of the family that owns the school!

During the baptismal service I remembered your baptismal service and how you wanted songs sung with gusto.  That was so fun!


[A baptismal service is a church meeting where hymns are sung, prayers are offered and talks given as well as the actual baptism.  The person being baptized (who must be at least 8 years of age and know what they are doing) and the man baptizing her are dressed in white.  Mormons baptize by immersion by those who have the authority to do so. The authority we claim is the same priesthood authority John the Baptist had when he baptized the Savior.]


During Sacrament meeting N. received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. You can follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost in good times and in bad.  You have this gift! It is an amazing gift. 


[The Gift of the Holy Ghost is a blessing given by members of the priesthood. The person receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost sits in a chair and the men place their hands on the person's head.  By the authority of the priesthood and acting for God, they bestow this gift. This is also the Mormon confirmation - after this is done, the person is a member of the church.   The Gift of the Holy Ghost is truly a gift.  When you receive this gift you have the opportunity to have constant and consistent comforting confirmation of what is right and what is wrong.  It will warn you, strengthen you, and help you feel the love of God.]

Japan: Kimono

Sister Breksa, age 9

The kimono is traditional clothing. Like many processes in Japan, getting dressed in a Kimono has an ancient and closely observed order of operation and requires teamwork.

file:///Users/lhb/Pictures/iPhoto%20Library.photolibrary/Previews/2013/11/05/20131105-080106/e9wtfyl6QDOdp4Ph4fY67g/348.jpg%20512×512%20pixels%20copy.jpg

Email Home:

“My companion and I had the opportunity to work together with the new traveling missionary leaders!! Not for very long and we had to stay in sight of each other but it was a really neat experience! Here is a picture we took.” 

Letter Home: Our investigators

Dear Dad  [This letter is translated from hand-written Japanese and proper names have been omitted.  "Hand-written" is important when talking about Sister Breksa's letters...she writes extremely tiny and it takes effort to read, even common English words],

These are the investigators I've had until now [she doesn't clarify if they are from her new area or for her entire time in Japan].

- A young woman who was baptized 

- Another who is kind and she believes faith in Jesus Christ is necessary

- An 18 year-old who when we first met talked about baptism and she is a good person and has a desire to learn the Gospel.

- We were teaching a man who is no longer meeting with us. He said we were really diligent missionaries. He also thanked us for being frank.