Long Pulpit

Ol Basket mo Ol Botel

I Kam long Chieko N. Okazaki

Niufala grup blong mesej ia i haelaetem laef blong ol strong woman mo mesej blong olgeta we oli karemaot long buk ia, At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women (2017).

Foto blong Sista Okazaki we Jos Histri Laebri i glad blong serem; ol nara pikja oli kam long Getty Images

Abaot Sista Okazaki

Chieko Nishimura Okazaki (1926–2011) i bin groap long Hawae, YSA, insaed long Budis famli we i kamaot long Japan. Hem i joenem Jos taem hem i gat 15 yia.

Nao long taem ia tu Sista Okazaki i kam blong luksave weaples hem i stanap long hem long saed blong kantri we hem i kamaot long hem mo kalja. Hem i bin wari long hao nao ol narawan bae oli luk hem afta we ami blong Japan oli sakem bom long Perl Haba, Hawae, nao Sista Okazaki mo mama blong hem i karem tugeta mo bonem evri samting blong Japan we tufala i gat. Be afta, hem i luk hemwan long mira mo tingting: “Mi neva putum leg blong mi long Japan. Insaed long hat blong mi, mi mi no woman Japan. Be mi no save ronwe long miwan. Ae blong mi, skin blong mi, mo hea blong mi, oli blong ol man Japan.”¹

Sista Okazaki i fesem fasin blong jajem man long kala blong skin ful laef blong hem. Hem i stat blong tij stret afta long Wol Wo 2 taem filing ia blong agensem ol man Japan i stap gohed yet bigwan long Yunaeted Stet. Tri mama i no wantem letem ol pikinini blong olgeta blong stap long klas blong hem. Be Sista Okazaki i winim olgeta i no longtaem afta.²

Sista Okazaki i bin fas woman blong givim seves long evri trifala bod blong okseleri blong ol woman: faswan, Ol Yang Woman, afta Praemeri, mo afta Rilif Sosaeti.³

Mesej ia, i wan smol pat blong toktok blong hem long Epril 1996 jeneral konfrens, we hem i tokbaot yuniti mo plante defren kalja (oli stretem fasin blong raetem sentens).

God i givim yumi plante presen, plante defdefren kaen samting, mo plante samting we i no semmak, be wanem i impoten, i wanem yumi save abaot wanwan long yumi—se yumi evriwan i ol pikinini blong Hem.

Jalenj blong yumi, olsem ol memba blong Jos, i blong yumi evriwan i lanem samting aot long wanwan long yumi, blong yumi evriwan i save lavem wanwan long yumi mo gro tugeta.

Ol doktrin blong gospel, i nid blong yumi gat olgeta. I nid blong yumi gat, be wanem i kavremap, i no nid blong gat. Bae mi serem wan simpol eksampol blong soem wanem i defren long ol doktrin blong Jos mo kalja we i kavremap hem. Hemia wan botel we i gat ol pij frut blong Yuta insaed long hem, we wan hom meka blong Yuta i rere long hem blong fidim famli blong hem long taem blong sno. Ol hom meka blong Hawae oli no stap putum frut long botel. Oli pikimap frut inaf blong sam dei, mo oli putum i stap insaed long ol basket, olsem ia, blong famli blong olgeta. Insaed long basket ia i gat mango, banana, paenapol, mo wan popo … we wan hom meka blong Polinesia i pikimap blong fidim famli blong hem long wan weta we ol frut oli stap givim mo raep long ful yia.

Basket mo botel oli ol defren kontena, be insaed long olgeta i semmak: frut blong wan famli. ?Botel ia i raet, mo basket ia i rong? No. Tufala tugeta i stret. Oli ol kontena we oli stret long kalja mo ol nid blong ol pipol. Oli stret long wanem we oli putum insaed long olgeta, we hem i frut ia.

Nao, ?wanem nao hem i frut? Pol i talem long yumi se: “Presen blong Spirit hem i lav, stap glad, pis, gat tingting we i longwan, stap gud long ol man, fet, gat tingting we i stap daon, mo save gat kontrol long yuwan” [Galesia 5:22–23]. Long rilesen blong ol sista blong Rilif Sosaeti, long rilesen blong ol kworom blong prishud, long kwaet kam tugeta blong tekem sakramen, frut blong Spirit i joenem yumi long lav, glad, mo pis, nomata hem i Rilif Sosaeti long Taepe o long Tonga, nomata hem i prishud kworom long Montana o long Meksiko, mo nomata hem i sakramen miting long Fiji o Filipin.

… Taem oli bin singaotem mi long Jeneral Presidensi blong Rilif Sosaeti, Presiden Gordon B. Hinckley i bin givim advaes long mi: “Yu tekem wan spesel kwaliti i kam long presidensi ia. Bae oli luksave yu olsem wan we i ripresentem olgeta we oli stap aotsaed long ol boda long Yunaeted Stet mo Kanada. … Tru long yu bambae oli luk se yu ripresentem olgeta, we oli no semmak long ol narawan, insaed long Jos.” Hem i givim mi wan blesing se bae tang blong mi bae i no gat samting i save holemtaet taem bae mi toktok long ol pipol.⁴

… Taem mi bin stap givim toktok long ol nara kantri, mi bin save filim Spirit i tekem ol toktok blong mi i go insaed long hat blong olgeta, mo mi bin save filim “frut blong Spirit” we i tekem lav blong olgeta i kambak long mi, wetem glad blong olgeta, mo fet blong olgeta. Mi save filim Spirit i mekem mifala i kam wan.

Ol brata mo sista. I nomata se ol frut blong yu oli ol pij, o ol popo, mo sapos yu putum olgeta long botel o insaed long ol basket, mifala i talem tangkyu long yu blong givim olgeta wetem lav. Papa long Heven, bae mifala i wan, mo bae mifala i blong yu,⁵ mi prea olsem, long tabu nem blong Sevya blong yumi, Jisas Kraes, amen.

Ol Not

1. Chieko N. Okazaki, Lighten Up! (1993), 7.

2. Luk long Okazaki, Lighten Up!, 48–50; Gregory A. Prince, “‘There Is Always a Struggle’: An Interview with Chieko N. Okazaki,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 45, no. 1 (Spring 2012): 114–115.

3. “Obituary: Okazaki, Chieko,” Deseret News, 7 Ogis 2011.

4. Luk long Prince, “There Is Always a Struggle,” 121. Gordon B. Hinckley i bin Fas Kaonsela long Fas Presidensi taem oli singaotem Sista Okazaki long 1990.

5. Luk long Doctrine and Covenants 38:27.