Family history miracle on Latter-day Saint Mission to Japan

My Mormon mission wasn't just for the living. I was sent to find the dead. Growing up, I wasn't proud of being half Japanese. I was born and raised in Utah, and kids teased me for looking different. So, for a long time, I tried to hide or ignore that part of myself. Then, I got called to serve in the Japan Tokyo South mission. About halfway through my mission, when I could finally communicate well enough to really connect with people, I met a family named the Cojima.

They were very interested in the fact that I was half Japanese. They asked if my family history had ever been done, and I said no. My dad had old family records, but they were written in difficult old Japanese. Even native speakers had trouble reading them. That's when they smiled and said, "We are professional genealogologists." They told me that normally family members are responsible for their own ancestry, but since my mission was focused on helping the living, they would help me with the dead.

So, I wrote my dad a letter and asked him to send the records. Weeks later, a packet arrived. I handed it to the Cojima, and honestly, I forgot about it. Then, one day, they called me over and excitedly said they had contacted city hall and discovered a clerical error. My grandfather had been officially listed female in the records. Because of this mistake, the city owed us a favor.

And that favor allowed us to request even more documents. The Cojima translated everything. And before I went home, they handed me printouts and a floppy disc containing generations of my family history. 55 names I had never heard before. When I returned home, I was able to do temple work for them. Sister Cojima told me something I will never forget. She said that she felt the presence of my ancestors while translating and she believed they helped guide me to Japan because they wanted to be found.

That moment changed how I saw my heritage. The scriptures say that the hearts of the children will turn to their fathers and the fathers to their children. I felt that promise become real. Serving in Japan didn't just connect me to a country. It connected me to my family and I felt my ancestors close to me ever since. like guardian angels walking with me throughout my life.