I’m typing this email from the top of Mount Hiei right now. Since today is P-Day, we did some shopping in the morning and later we had plans to go to Mount Hiei with sister Asaumi. It was super fun, and we are super blessed to have her in our lives.

This week was a little busy and chaotic because my father (former mission trainer) returned back to America. I miss him so much. He was always a hard worker, focused on Jesus Christ, and always brought others to Christ. He really was an excellent trainer, and I want to be the kind of missionary that Elder Campbell exemplified. But in other news, I got a new trainer! His name is Elder Seegmiller. He used to be the Assistant to the President for the Kobe mission, and I’m very excited to work with him. So far, he seems to be a great missionary, is fluent in Japanese, and is a joy to be around. There are also a lot of missionaries I know in Omihachiman, the other area in our district. Elder Bekker was in my MTC district, and I worked with Sister Mullin [who served as our ward Relief Society President while I served as Elders Quorum President] last year at BYU. There are a lot of great missionaries all around this mission, and I’m excited to see more miracles.

In the Gospel According to St John (10:16), we read, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” Throughout history and to various people, I believe Jesus Christ and/or His angels have appeared and ministered to different people. They are witnesses of Christ, and the Book of Mormon is just one example (“Another Testament of Jesus Christ”). When I visit all the different shrines across Japan, however, I also think a lot about this scripture. A childlike intuition and curiosity has always guided me when it has come to religion and purpose, and something tickles me about there being a common root. I’m not the most well educated on Buddhism, but I know that there are similarities between the two. Perhaps somewhere along the way, the influence of God within Buddhism was lost or changed, or something else. But the distilled principles and lessons from each are similar. And where there is light, there is God.

This week, I am especially grateful for Jesus Christ and His love for each and every one of us. When you simplify the lesson of the gospel to its core message of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endurance to the end, it really stands out to me how much the gospel is a plan to find happiness in this life and the one to come. Although we may be imperfect, we may find hope and charity in Christ, change through repentance, assistance from God through baptism and our covenants, and patience in our trials through endurance to the end. It is a simple five step process that truly has the ability to change all for the better and help us reach our maximum potential. It is a simple plan that we follow because we love God, and it is able to be done by the love of God for us. I testify that Jesus Christ makes the plan possible. When you seek Jesus Christ in your life, you invite His power to your life. I testify that it is done by God’s love for His children, and that you are a child of God. He wants us to be happy in this life and in the life to come. We can recieve that truly deep joy through following the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.