Hey Dad!!
So, guess what? I have some really big news! :) Do you remember in my Patriarchal Blessing where it says that on my mission I will have many opportunities of leadership? Well, the Lord decided that now would be a good time, I guess! haha This week I not only became a single Senior Companion, a single Trainer, but I also became District Leader for Hodogaya! I am so so humbled.
In Moses, we can read of a similar experience. Enoch, the prophet that helped bring people so close to Christ that they were taken from the Earth, was not always confident. When he was called he said, "Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?" I started to realize as I listened to the spirit exactly the burden and the responsibility that I was being given. The entire area of Hodogaya, probably upwards of 70-80 thousand people, was being put into my trust. That is extremely humbling. I think of the Japanese that I know, and especially the Japanese that I don't know. I am supposed to be the person that communicates with the ward, and coordinates the missionary efforts with them. That is a burden. I am supposed to help Elder Tolen be prepared to train by the end of this transfer (technically two, but President Wada really wants us to get them prepared to train after transfer one) and that includes teaching him how to teach lessons the way President Wada would like us to (as a foundation to build on, there definitely isn't one set way to teach), help him with Japanese so that he can get around. I have to train other members of the district (of which only Elder Tolen is my junior) by following the Spirit. And I know that I can do it with the Lord's help, but it was very humbling to look at it from that light. By looking not at myself, but at the work that the Lord was calling me to do, I saw exactly how small and insignificant I was, but how glorious the Lord saw that I could be if I followed Him. Which is what it comes down to. I must follow the Lord. I am doing all that I can to become more and more humble, and I am trying so hard to know how to help the people in my district, the investigators that I have, the investigators of the other members, and the members of the ward. But I know that I don't need to know exactly what to do, I just need to follow the Lord.
Learn how to listen to the Spirit. In 3 Nephi 11 it was not until the people opened their ears that they could understand the voice of the Lord. Open your ears. The Spirit is trying to speak to you. I know that He is. One thing that stuck out to me that President Wada talked about in a District Leader Training that I went to on Friday was that we need to ask ourselves is the Holy Ghost speaking to me today? How is he speaking? We really need to learn not only how to be worthy of the Spirit, but how to recognize him. Perfect what you learn in Sunday throughout the weeks. I believe that if we took more time to carefully note what we learn on Sunday, and then apply it during the week, we would progress in our Spiritual life much faster than we think possible. The Lord is waiting to give us blessings both temporal and spiritual, we just need to live worthy of them, and seek for them. Thank you for talking about spiritual gifts in your email today, dad. That was a good reminder for me. Look for your spiritual gifts as well, and use them. I love you so so so much, dad. Never forget that! I can not wait to see you again! It has been too long since last September (I am so glad and lucky that I got to see you at the airport). Love you!
Love, Elder Livingston
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