“The Anchor of My Life and Faith,” Liahona, January 2021, 16
Latter-day Saint Voices
The Anchor of My Life and Faith
The more I read the Book of Mormon, the more I believed that it is the word of God.
Image provided by the author
I was not happy at all as a boy, but things changed when two American men knocked on our door.
As a 14-year-old, I was curious about these two Americans who spoke Japanese and introduced themselves as missionaries. After they left, my father handed me a book they had just given him called the Book of Mormon. I started reading it and felt something special, but I didn’t know what it was. A month later, I finished it and placed it on my bookshelf.
Three years later, I met two missionaries at a railway station in Tokyo. They invited me to listen to their message. I brought my Book of Mormon to our next meeting.
They began the conversation by saying, “We would like to share an important book with you.”
I took the Book of Mormon from my bag and asked, “Is it this book? I’ve already read it.”
They were stunned. Eventually, I was taught the gospel, and the missionaries encouraged me to ask God with a sincere heart if the Book of Mormon is true (see Moroni 10:4–5).
One night I thought about God, the Church, the Book of Mormon, and how I could be happy and felt something warm inside. Then I decided to be baptized.
After joining the Church, I continued reading the Book of Mormon. One day while reading, I received a distinct thought about my father’s medication for high blood pressure. I learned more about it and found out that a side effect could cause severe depression. At my suggestion, my father asked his doctor to change his medicine. His depression has been gone ever since.
The more I read, the more I believed that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I became happier and wanted to share the truth with others.
My parents opposed my going on a mission and eventually kicked me out of their house, but I was determined. I served in Tennessee, USA. As a Latter-day Saint missionary from a Buddhist country serving in the Bible Belt of the United States, I was often asked how I could believe in the Book of Mormon. I testified that I had prayed about its truthfulness and received an answer that it is true.
After my mission, I finished school and joined a large company in Japan that transferred me to several places around the world, including Myanmar, England, and Ireland. Everywhere I went, I shared my testimony of the Book of Mormon with as many people as possible, from a taxi driver to a state minister.
The Book of Mormon has been—and always will be—the anchor of my life and my faith in Jesus Christ. Whenever I am overwhelmed by adversity, I read the Book of Mormon and overcome my difficulties with spiritual support from Heavenly Father and our Savior. The Book of Mormon blesses me every day of my life.