Japan: Sister Breksa is currently serving in the city of Kagoshima

Population: 680,000.  

The city was officially founded on April 1, 1889. 

The Amuran Ferris wheel is one of the major attractions in the city.

The city if frequently sprinkled in ash from Sakurajima.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4600.html

The Book of Mormon: Part 4 of 4

Through honest study and humble prayer, we can each know for ourselves that the Book of Mormon really is the word of God.

Of course it's one thing to read the Book of Mormon and another to believe deep in our hearts that what it says is true. This sincere belief, or testimony, in the truth of the Book of Mormon comes when God sends His Spirit to confirm the truth of what we read. We can feel this confirmation when we study the Book of Mormon with diligence and faith, as we are promised in the following scripture:

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. " (Moroni 10:4)

God's method is simple: we read the Book of Mormon; we pray and ask Him to tell us that what we've read is true and He answers us through feelings of peace and assurance given by the Holy Ghost. First of all, we have to study the Book of Mormon diligently, applying its principles to our own lives and doing our best to understand the lessons that God wants us to learn. Second, we have to pray "with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ." We need to hope and believe that God will answer us, and we may have to pray more than once. Last, we need to be willing to accept the answer when it comes, however it may come. Believing that the Book of Mormon really contains the word of God means that we will be willing to live up to the standards of faith and obedience He describes in it. God has promised that He will bless us with much more than it takes to live up to His high standards.

from mormon.org

Book of Mormon: Part 3 of 4 Testimony of the Book of Mormon

Photos

Sister Breksa loves missionary work!

Japanese Dictionary

Ice Cream Break

MOTHER'S DAY SKYPE CALL!

The Book of Mormon: Part 2 of 4

The Book of Mormon: Part 1 of 4

 The Book of Mormon Testifies of Christ

The focus of the Book of Mormon is Jesus Christ, His atoning sacrifice and His gospel.

“We believe that having faith in Jesus Christ is the first step in understanding the gospel and receiving the eternal happiness that God our Heavenly Father wants for us. But where does that faith come from? How can we come to believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior if we don't know who He is or what He did? We can develop faith in Jesus Christ by reading about Him in the scriptures and praying to know if what we've read is true.

“The title page states that the Book of Mormon’s purpose is to convince all of us "that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations." It was written to help us develop a true knowledge of Jesus Christ and His mission on earth. The Book of Mormon reaffirms what we learn from the Bible, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth to help us overcome our sins. The people in the Book of Mormon, the Nephites and the Lamanites, recorded their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Many of the prophets who wrote the records that make up the Book of Mormon saw Christ personally, just as happened with the Apostle Paul, which he recorded in the Bible (see Acts 9:3-6). The climax of the book is when Jesus appeared to all the Nephites soon after He was resurrected. He blessed them, taught them his gospel and said,

‘Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world’” (3 Nephi 11:14)    

Text from Mormon.org, art work lds.org

A large portion of The Book of Mormon is the telling of violent conflict; numerous wars between mainly 2 peoples for about 1,000 years.

Righteous Warriors:

Lessons from the War Chapters in the Book of Mormon

Lecture written and delivered by John Bytheway

This lecture is about an hour long, but an hour you'll be grateful you spent.

John Bytheway - Lessons from the war chapters in the Book of Mormon

Art work from lds.org

Letter Home: Dated 4/28/14

I am doing great!

Included [in this letter] is a paper from our kids English conversation class.

I am, once again, on the trolley – we are going to Sakurajima! A lady from our English conversation class is taking us. I am excited to learn more about it!

On Thursday we had a lesson with a less active member. We based our message on Elder Bednar’s talk about the Atonement.  I got to have some dried mango from Taiwan, as she just recently came back from there. She came to church yesterday!

I taught the lesson for the Gospel Principles class. It was on Adam and Eve (Chapter 6 in Gospel Principles. I suggest studying this book, I do) in Japanese of course. My companions, the Elders, our ward mission leader, and the teacher were there.

After church we had a small get-together with lots of snack foods. I had great flowing conversations in Japanese.

Email Home: Q & A

Q. 

How was your week?

A. 

Awesome! Hard, yes. But awesome.

Japan: tabi

tabi (ta bee) are traditional Japanese socks; they worked with the traditional Japanese shoe, the Geta.

store.japan-zone.com

2.bp.blogspot.com

jika-tabi are Japanese worker boots

Jika-tabi come in a variety of types, colors, and styles. The traditional fastening device is a series of metal tabs (kohaze) that hook into a series of loops. A 12-tab tabi reaches about half way up to your knee (which is why they are sometimes called tabi "boots"). Laced, velcro, and zipper versions are also available.

The sole of traditional jika-tabi are made of pliable natural rubber. Soft enough to be flexible, but stiff enough to protect the wearer's foot from ground debris (remember that they are traditionally working boots). The rest of the shoe is constructed entirely of lightweight and breathable cotton except where noted otherwise. The most distinguishing aspect of jika-tabi is no doubt the split-toe design that separates the big toe from the other toes. This feature enhances their comfort, stability, and is a great conversation starter.

 Text and photo: www.jika-tabi.com

There are also Indoor tabi – house slippers, tabi high heals and fancy fashion.  There is a store that sells tabi socks, naming the socks V-Toe…clever.