Wow this week feels like it might have actually been a month. In a fun way, but it is still just so long!! Birthday week is the best week ever! As many of you probably already know, I love my birthday. I really just love it. But I was nervous since I don't really have a lot of friends here and they just had a big celebrations for one of the elders last week. All day on my birthday was so much fun!! We helped at an Eikaiwa (English Class) and ate tons of candy. We had Big Boy for lunch. It really is just an average American diner pretty much :) I also thought of Austin Powers way more times than I should have while I was there. Then we went and talked to people on the streets for a while we. I went to use the bathroom in the train station and there was no toilet. Just a flushable hole in the ground. I have never been more confused in my life. Japan, the most 3rd world 1st world country. Then we went back to the church for a lesson. At least, I thought we had a lesson. But we didn't!! It was a surprise party for me! I was legitimately shocked because I didn't even think I had enough friends for a surprise party to happen! One of our investigators and 5 of our potential investigators came. There were quite a few ward members and the Homen family put it all together. Sister Homen bought a Costco cake! Uhhhh that's a lot of cake! Sister Homen bought us groceries from costco. Including peanut butter and nutella. I am in heaven. She also got me some barbie wash towels and a pink scarf. I will forever be Barbie Shimai! Honestly, it was an amazing birthday, even though I couldn't really understand what everyone was saying! Ah! Just incredible!
Wednesday was fun! We had a mama Eikaiwa class. 5 nonmembers and 1 member came. We have this class in the morning for moms who can't make it to the night classes. We just started it, but it went really well! We even talked about the church a little which usually doesn't happen at Eikaiwa. We ate lunch at Meguro Shimai's house, and that was quite the experience. She fed us raw fish on rice. Raw salmon, raw squid, and raw tuna/ I tried my best, but I couldn't get down the raw tuna. Luckily she was really chill and didn't mind that I didn't finish it.
Thursday we made Gyoza!! Gyoza is pretty much potstickers and it is so freaking delicious. I love it so much. I know how to make it now!! I'm pretty good at rolling the dough, but everything else I let the Japanese women take over with. They are incredible. The person who taught is one of our potential investigators, her name is Fifi and she is from China. She speaks amazing Japanese and we talked to her a little about the gospel. She's not looking for that right now, but she is a really good friend to us. We had a real lesson with Miki! It didn't go too well. She really isn't progressing anymore, and she fell asleep during the lesson. Ouch. But it is what it is, and we will see where we go from here. That night we had a Halloween Music Night for Eikaiwa! I sang Taylor Swift 22 with some girls from the ward. Our mission president is down with us using our talents to make others comfortable at the church, and my talent is apparently looking like Taylor Swift? Because we all know I'm not a singer. It was a really good time though and we had a blast!
Friday I was on an exchange in Yamato area. We went to the base there and ate Taco Bell with a member! I had Doritos Locos of course. I almost instantly regretted it. Japanese food and Taco bell do not get along.
Saturday we had a district meeting where we practiced teaching from a pamphlet. It was the best teaching I have ever done! We had a baptism service for an 8 year old ward member, and one of our investigators came!! She loved it and said she felt the spirit and the sacredness of the ordinance. The best part was when all the members started chatting her up at the end. I think the hardest part of joining a church is the social part and I am so grateful that the members were so welcoming to her. We then ate dinner at a member's house. There was taco salad. Taco, as in the Japanese form of the word. Translation: Octopus salad. It looked like octopus. I ate it and it didn't taste bad, it just was really chewy. And you could feel the suction cups. I also ate trout and mint rice. They were delicious! The members were really surprised that I liked the food so much!
Sunday. Fast sundays are rough as a missoinary. We got a bunch a food from the members which was totally awesome! Literally we have a cabinet full of spaghetti. Apparently members think we love spaghetti or something? I think we'll have a pasta party with the Single Adults :) We went to the Bishop's house for dinner to go over the ward vision and to eat. Mmmmm hayashi rice is so tastey! He looked up my house on Google earth, and it was really difficult to explain the pumpkin patch to him in Japanese. I mean, it's hard to explain in English anyways....
Today we went to Kamakura with the Elders! Look up Kamakura Big Buddha for more details.
Sorry I'm out of time and sorry this letter isn't very exciting!
Know that God loves us, and wants us to be happy. If you're ever feeling alone, know God loves you, and pray to Him with all your might! It works! Think less about yourself, more about others. It's the secret to a happy life!
Love always, Feist Shimai
Wednesday was fun! We had a mama Eikaiwa class. 5 nonmembers and 1 member came. We have this class in the morning for moms who can't make it to the night classes. We just started it, but it went really well! We even talked about the church a little which usually doesn't happen at Eikaiwa. We ate lunch at Meguro Shimai's house, and that was quite the experience. She fed us raw fish on rice. Raw salmon, raw squid, and raw tuna/ I tried my best, but I couldn't get down the raw tuna. Luckily she was really chill and didn't mind that I didn't finish it.
Thursday we made Gyoza!! Gyoza is pretty much potstickers and it is so freaking delicious. I love it so much. I know how to make it now!! I'm pretty good at rolling the dough, but everything else I let the Japanese women take over with. They are incredible. The person who taught is one of our potential investigators, her name is Fifi and she is from China. She speaks amazing Japanese and we talked to her a little about the gospel. She's not looking for that right now, but she is a really good friend to us. We had a real lesson with Miki! It didn't go too well. She really isn't progressing anymore, and she fell asleep during the lesson. Ouch. But it is what it is, and we will see where we go from here. That night we had a Halloween Music Night for Eikaiwa! I sang Taylor Swift 22 with some girls from the ward. Our mission president is down with us using our talents to make others comfortable at the church, and my talent is apparently looking like Taylor Swift? Because we all know I'm not a singer. It was a really good time though and we had a blast!
Friday I was on an exchange in Yamato area. We went to the base there and ate Taco Bell with a member! I had Doritos Locos of course. I almost instantly regretted it. Japanese food and Taco bell do not get along.
Saturday we had a district meeting where we practiced teaching from a pamphlet. It was the best teaching I have ever done! We had a baptism service for an 8 year old ward member, and one of our investigators came!! She loved it and said she felt the spirit and the sacredness of the ordinance. The best part was when all the members started chatting her up at the end. I think the hardest part of joining a church is the social part and I am so grateful that the members were so welcoming to her. We then ate dinner at a member's house. There was taco salad. Taco, as in the Japanese form of the word. Translation: Octopus salad. It looked like octopus. I ate it and it didn't taste bad, it just was really chewy. And you could feel the suction cups. I also ate trout and mint rice. They were delicious! The members were really surprised that I liked the food so much!
Sunday. Fast sundays are rough as a missoinary. We got a bunch a food from the members which was totally awesome! Literally we have a cabinet full of spaghetti. Apparently members think we love spaghetti or something? I think we'll have a pasta party with the Single Adults :) We went to the Bishop's house for dinner to go over the ward vision and to eat. Mmmmm hayashi rice is so tastey! He looked up my house on Google earth, and it was really difficult to explain the pumpkin patch to him in Japanese. I mean, it's hard to explain in English anyways....
Today we went to Kamakura with the Elders! Look up Kamakura Big Buddha for more details.
Sorry I'm out of time and sorry this letter isn't very exciting!
Know that God loves us, and wants us to be happy. If you're ever feeling alone, know God loves you, and pray to Him with all your might! It works! Think less about yourself, more about others. It's the secret to a happy life!
Love always, Feist Shimai