In February of 2011, the Japan Nagoya Mission was blessed to be visited by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, and Elder Gary E. Stevenson, and Elder Ishi. It would be very difficult to express the impact these great men had on our missionaries. Elder Holland left the following blessing, not only on the Japan Nagoya Mission, but on every mission in the area.
Scott Orton Baird
From: Jeffrey R. Holland
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 9:02 PM
To: Gary E.
Stevenson; Scott Orton Baird
CC: Ronald A. Rasband; Quentin L. Cook
Subject: Blessing on Missions/Missionaries
Dear Brethren,
here is a little paragraph of my blessing left with missionaries in Nagoya. I
have tried to cast this in a way that it would apply to the whole area. Use it
in any way you wish. Alter, edit or omit if the Koreans feel it is too
Japanese, or vice versa. It is provided for you only because you requested it.
Don’t feel obligated to force its use if it doesn’t help.
“Elders and Sisters, we are coming to the end
of two wonderful weeks in the Asia North Area. The missionary meeting in Nagoya
will be sadly for us, the last of many on this trip. Between Elder Cook, Elder
Rasband, the Area Presidency and myself, we have been almost (but not quite) in
every mission of the area. Perhaps on another trip we can get to those few missions
we missed this time.”
“Because this has been such a wonderful
experience for us and because we feel the missionaries are working so
diligently, I feel to leave a blessing not only upon you elders and sisters
here in Nagoya but also upon every mission in the area. In response to that
prompting and by the priesthood I hold and the apostolic office that has
brought us to Asia, I do bless every one of you that you will feel the urgency
of the work and the love our Father in Heaven has for you in laboring in his
vineyard. I bless you with the Spirit of the Lord to be with you in your
duties, guiding you in your study, leading you in your proselyting efforts,
comforting you regarding any concerns you have here in the mission or with your
families at home. God will bless you and all for whom you pray. He loves you,
this is His work, and He pours out his blessings on those who diligently serve
Him. Let your hearts be peaceful. Angels are dispatched to attend you and those
about whom you care so much.”
“I bless the nations of Japan and Korea,
and the other island locations of our missionaries in this area. Father, bless
the people that they will be responsive to the Spirit, that they will feel a hunger
in their heart to find the truth, and that they will recognize these
missionaries as being agents from Thee when they present Thy truth to them. To
aid in that I bless political leaders, the economy of the nations, and any
other forces that sometimes disrupt the work. May stability and tranquility
come in those social and cultural forces. I bless members, priesthood leaders,
and investigators—including the less active—that a major thrust will go forward
from this apostolic visit to this land. I turn the key again, as keys have been
turned in before, to bring a new chapter, a higher achievement, greater success
in this most important work in the world. Such success can only come from
heaven. We can work hard to prepare the way and deserve success, but the
blessings come only from our Father in Heaven. In that, we honor Him, give
praise to Him, vow to be clean and worthy, and diligently labor before Him to
see a new era of the gospel rise in this Land of the Rising Sun and neighboring
nations. May it be so now, with power and great glory, I pray in the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.”
Scott Orton Baird
From: Jeffrey R. Holland
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 9:02 PM
To: Gary E.
Stevenson; Scott Orton Baird
CC: Ronald A. Rasband; Quentin L. Cook
Subject: Blessing on Missions/Missionaries
Dear Brethren,
here is a little paragraph of my blessing left with missionaries in Nagoya. I
have tried to cast this in a way that it would apply to the whole area. Use it
in any way you wish. Alter, edit or omit if the Koreans feel it is too
Japanese, or vice versa. It is provided for you only because you requested it.
Don’t feel obligated to force its use if it doesn’t help.
長老姉妹の皆さん，アジア北地域でのすばらしい2週間も，終わりを迎えようとしています。この名古屋での宣教師との集会は，残念ながら，この長い旅の最後になります。クック長老とラズバンド長老とわたしは，もう少しで（まだ完全にではありませんが）この地域のすべての伝道部を訪れたことになります。もしかしたら，次の旅のときに，今回訪問できなかった幾つかの伝道部を訪れることができるかもしれません。
わたしたちにとって，これは非常にすばらしい経験でした。宣教師たちが非常に熱心に働いていることが感じられます。そこでわたしは，この名古屋の地にいる長老，姉妹の皆さんだけでなく，この地域のすべての伝道部，すべての宣教師たちに祝福を残したいと感じています。このような御霊のささやきに従い，わたしが持つ神権と，わたしたちをアジアに導いた使徒職によって，わたしは皆さん一人一人を祝福します。御業を急いで行うことの必要性と，主のぶどう畑で働く皆さんを天の御父が愛しておられることが感じられるよう皆さんを祝福します。皆さんが義務を果たすときに主の御霊がともにあるよう，皆さんが学ぶときに御霊の導きがあるよう，皆さんが果たす伝道の務めが御霊に導かれるよう祝福します。また，伝道部で抱えている悩みや故郷の家族のことで抱えている心配事が皆さんにあれば，慰めを受けられるよう祝福します。神は皆さんを祝福し，皆さんが祈っている人を祝福してくださるでしょう。神は皆さんを愛しておられます。これは主の御業です。主は，御自分に熱心に仕える者に祝福を注がれます。心を安らかにしてください。主は天使を遣わして，皆さんと，皆さんが深く心にかけている人々を助けてくださいます。
わたしは韓国と日本の国々を祝福します。また，宣教師が働くこの地域にある他の島々を祝福します。御父よ，この地域の人々が御霊の促しにこたえ，真理を見いだすうえで心に飢えを感じるよう祝福してください。そして，この地の宣教師たちが御父の真理を語るとき，御父の代理人として語っていることを彼らが悟るよう祝福してください。わたしはこの業が進むよう，政界の指導的地位にある人々と，この国の経済を祝福します。また，御業を妨げることがあるそのほかの勢力も祝福します。この地域の社会的，文化的情勢が安定し，平穏でありますように。教会にあまり活発でない人を含め，教会員と神権指導者，求道者の皆さんを祝福します。それは，今回この地に使徒が訪れたことによって大きな前進が見られるようにするためです。わたしは以前に鍵かぎが回されたように，もう一度鍵を回します。新しい章が始まり，全世界で最も重要なこの御業がさらに高い成果を上げ，さらに大きな成功を収めるようになるためです。この成功をもたらすのは天の力にほかなりません。わたしたちは懸命に働いて道を備え，成功を見るにふさわしい者となることができますが，祝福をもたらしてくださるのは天の御父だけなのです。ですから，わたしたちは御父を尊び，御父をたたえ，清くふさわしくなることを誓い，御父の御前に心を尽くして働きます。それは，この朝の静けさの国（韓国）と，日の出る国（日本）と近隣諸国に福音の光が昇る新しい時代の幕開けを見るためです。以上のことがその通りこれから起こりますよう，権能と大いなる栄光をもって，イエス・キリストの御名により祈ります。アーメン。」
