I want to say so much because my heart is so full, but I'm not going
to lie when I say I'm exhausted!! So I'm so sorry if this letter ends
up being a little short!
Things I love about my new area:
It's close to my old area so I get to return to Fujisawa for
conferences and see old friends.
It kind of has a small town feel, while still having big town perks
like lots of shopping and a variety of grocery stores.
It's a small ward, so I already feel like a know a ton of members
after having only gone to church twice.
The Bishop and Ward Mission Leader are characters. Always cracking
jokes, but are completely serious when we need to be.
Our English class students have never had women teachers before and
they're a little starstruck.
They use a cowbell in between class on Sundays to alert everyone that
there is only 10 minutes left. It's adorable.
Because of Sister Jolley's allergies, we eat a lot of rice. Guess
what. I love rice.
The women in our ward are so excited to help hasten the work of
salvation! They are fired up and helping keep our schedules full!!
We met our investigator Namie Chan at her friend Nami's baptism on
Saturday. She is so cute and she brought her mom with her! The service
was an incredible experience. Because Nami is half Peruvian and half
Japanese, but has also been attending the English ward occasionally,
the program was translated in Japanese, English, Spanish, and Japanese
Sign Language. It was such an awesome experience!! The Lord is so
merciful that he has given us the opportunity to share this truth with
the world in a way so that everyone can understand it. I know that He
loves all His children. Know matter where they live, what language
they speak, or what circumstances they were born into, He loves them
individually.
In Bible study we were reading The Book of Mormon together and we
started talking about how it seems that God is very black and white
with His commandments. Either you are a member of His church, or the
Devil's church. Either you are following Jesus Christ or the Devil. We
talked about how we could apply these scriptures to our lives and the
poem by Robert Frost about taking the road less travelled came to my
mind. Our lives are filled with decisions, and it would be easy to
think that some decisions are insignificant. That sometimes for the
little decisions, taking the road well travelled would be more
convenient. I mean, it's easier to see, it's probably an easier trek,
and you'll almost always have company. But I think that if we allow
ourselves on that road, we might stay on it long enough that we can't
find our way back the road less travelled. The road that leads to
progression and happiness. As we imagine our lives as black and white,
it's a bit daunting to realize that all of the decisions we make
determine whether we are progressing or plateauing/falling back.
Either we are following the example of Jesus Christ, or we aren't
living up to our eternal potential. But because of that spark of
divinity we have, as we continue choosing the path less travelled it
gets easier. Following Christ's example becomes a habit, not a bother.
It becomes a part of us, and we find that we can't help but be happy
because we are becoming the kind of person that God knows we can
become.
I am really happy right now. I am happy, because I know that I am
becoming the kind of person that I dreamed of becoming. I am striving
to become like my Savior. I am changing myself, and striving to repent
everyday. I am looking for areas in my life that need improvement
(trust me, there are a lot) and I am striving every day to improve a
little bit more. I'm so tired, but I am so happy.
Love always,
Sister Feist
to lie when I say I'm exhausted!! So I'm so sorry if this letter ends
up being a little short!
Things I love about my new area:
It's close to my old area so I get to return to Fujisawa for
conferences and see old friends.
It kind of has a small town feel, while still having big town perks
like lots of shopping and a variety of grocery stores.
It's a small ward, so I already feel like a know a ton of members
after having only gone to church twice.
The Bishop and Ward Mission Leader are characters. Always cracking
jokes, but are completely serious when we need to be.
Our English class students have never had women teachers before and
they're a little starstruck.
They use a cowbell in between class on Sundays to alert everyone that
there is only 10 minutes left. It's adorable.
Because of Sister Jolley's allergies, we eat a lot of rice. Guess
what. I love rice.
The women in our ward are so excited to help hasten the work of
salvation! They are fired up and helping keep our schedules full!!
We met our investigator Namie Chan at her friend Nami's baptism on
Saturday. She is so cute and she brought her mom with her! The service
was an incredible experience. Because Nami is half Peruvian and half
Japanese, but has also been attending the English ward occasionally,
the program was translated in Japanese, English, Spanish, and Japanese
Sign Language. It was such an awesome experience!! The Lord is so
merciful that he has given us the opportunity to share this truth with
the world in a way so that everyone can understand it. I know that He
loves all His children. Know matter where they live, what language
they speak, or what circumstances they were born into, He loves them
individually.
In Bible study we were reading The Book of Mormon together and we
started talking about how it seems that God is very black and white
with His commandments. Either you are a member of His church, or the
Devil's church. Either you are following Jesus Christ or the Devil. We
talked about how we could apply these scriptures to our lives and the
poem by Robert Frost about taking the road less travelled came to my
mind. Our lives are filled with decisions, and it would be easy to
think that some decisions are insignificant. That sometimes for the
little decisions, taking the road well travelled would be more
convenient. I mean, it's easier to see, it's probably an easier trek,
and you'll almost always have company. But I think that if we allow
ourselves on that road, we might stay on it long enough that we can't
find our way back the road less travelled. The road that leads to
progression and happiness. As we imagine our lives as black and white,
it's a bit daunting to realize that all of the decisions we make
determine whether we are progressing or plateauing/falling back.
Either we are following the example of Jesus Christ, or we aren't
living up to our eternal potential. But because of that spark of
divinity we have, as we continue choosing the path less travelled it
gets easier. Following Christ's example becomes a habit, not a bother.
It becomes a part of us, and we find that we can't help but be happy
because we are becoming the kind of person that God knows we can
become.
I am really happy right now. I am happy, because I know that I am
becoming the kind of person that I dreamed of becoming. I am striving
to become like my Savior. I am changing myself, and striving to repent
everyday. I am looking for areas in my life that need improvement
(trust me, there are a lot) and I am striving every day to improve a
little bit more. I'm so tired, but I am so happy.
Love always,
Sister Feist