Sometimes...
You have really really really great weeks. Weeks where you walk out of
the lesson completely astounded. Where you are studying for personal
study and all the questions or doubts you might have had vanish in
reading a single verse from the Book of Mormon. Where you get to laugh
at your mistakes, and see the successes of others and just be so
proud!!
This week is one of those weeks. I have just been so happy, and I've
cried a lot, but I feel really at peace with where I'm at right now.
Which leads me to... Transfer Calls!! That's right, another transfer
has flown by in Atsugi and I don't know where it's gone. This time,
the news is real. I'm leaving my beloved Atsugi. My Japanese home
ward. It's hard. I'm not going to lie, I think I'll be more homesick
for Atsugi than I am for Kuna or Provo. But I feel so at peace with
the timing and the plan that God has for me. Also, the plan He has for
Atsugi. The people we've been meeting recently are perfect for Sister
Lopez, and I know that she is going to continue to care for these
people. I have complete faith in her!
My next area will be Kawasaki, which is in the Yokohama zone. My
companion: Kaizaki Shimai. She's Japanese, and so beautiful! Kawasaki
ward has a reputation for being an incredible area, and I am so
excited to go!! I'm excited to work extra hard, and to learn a lot of
Japanese. I NEED to work on my Japanese :) I'm so grateful that God is
giving me this chance to serve and learn with new people in a new
area.
Okay, well, I guess it's time to fill everyone in on all the fabulous
miracles of this week! And by all, I mean some. Because I simple can't
come close to listing the miracles!!
1. Takahashi Shimai. She's the older less active that we've been
working with and she has come so far!! At first, she didn't even
really want to meet with us. She'd cancel appointments, fall asleep,
and not really pay attention. Now, she calls us frequently, and when
we ask her to tell us about things that she's grateful for, we're at
the top of her list. We went to her house on Saturday and we all sat
down and she gave us some words of advice. First: No matter where you
go, never forget the experiences you had or the people you met in
Japan. Second: Spend your life doing things that you love. Third: Be
happy! She's one of my favorite humans in the world, and I love her so
much!
2. Our ward mission leader's family is all less active so we wanted to
stop by his house to drop off a card and maybe say hello to his
family. His 15 year old daughter answered the door and we sang I am a
Child of God to her. It was beautiful!! It turns out, she loves music,
and she was really moved by the song. It was such a tender mercy of
the Lord's to let me be a part of that miracle.
3. I went on an exchange with Sister Jolley. One of my best friends in
the field, and I am so proud of her. She is a great worker, and I am
so impressed by her diligence in serving the Lord. I love her so much.
4. Cooking the weirdest meal on Sunday afternoon after we had NO food
in the apartment. It was so funny, and we were even willing to eat dry
rice!! But then I made a stir fry that didn't taste bad at all, so I
would say an overall success, right?
5. While waiting for Adriana Shimai to meet for a lesson we found a
Brazilian church selling churros for a fundraiser. Yes. Of course we
are interested in Brazilian churros. And people who love the Bible and
are strong believers in Christ. Several are now coming to our church
Halloween party and will probably attend our ward sometime too! They
all know Adriana Shimai, and she is so pumped to share the gospel!!
6. After an incredible lesson with Adriana Shimai (and her husband
Rodrigo came to the last half of it!) Hideki came down with a horrible
fever!! He was so sick, and so our ward mission leader met us all at
the church and gave Hideki a blessing. I am so grateful for worthy
Priesthood holders who are always willing to help and serve. It means
the world to me. And it meant the world to Adriana Shimai's family
too.. One thing she said really stuck out to me. "Why is it, that
every time I want to better obey the commandments, that Hideki gets
sick?" I don't know. But I do know that God will strengthen us, just
as Nephi says in 1 Nephi 3:7. It breaks my heart to see her suffering
so much, but I know that she is strong, and that God will strengthen
her to rise too the occasion.
There are so many more miracles, but I don't have time to list them
all!! Just know that I am loving every minute I have serving in the
Lord's vineyard. I don't know where the time goes, but it's speeding
by! I am so busy during "prep" time every night that I floss my teeth
on my futon. I must seem like a nutcase to my companions, but it's fun
:) I love these days, they're the happiest. I love my life, and I love
seeing God's hand in all the little things.
I love you all!
ファイスト姉妹
You have really really really great weeks. Weeks where you walk out of
the lesson completely astounded. Where you are studying for personal
study and all the questions or doubts you might have had vanish in
reading a single verse from the Book of Mormon. Where you get to laugh
at your mistakes, and see the successes of others and just be so
proud!!
This week is one of those weeks. I have just been so happy, and I've
cried a lot, but I feel really at peace with where I'm at right now.
Which leads me to... Transfer Calls!! That's right, another transfer
has flown by in Atsugi and I don't know where it's gone. This time,
the news is real. I'm leaving my beloved Atsugi. My Japanese home
ward. It's hard. I'm not going to lie, I think I'll be more homesick
for Atsugi than I am for Kuna or Provo. But I feel so at peace with
the timing and the plan that God has for me. Also, the plan He has for
Atsugi. The people we've been meeting recently are perfect for Sister
Lopez, and I know that she is going to continue to care for these
people. I have complete faith in her!
My next area will be Kawasaki, which is in the Yokohama zone. My
companion: Kaizaki Shimai. She's Japanese, and so beautiful! Kawasaki
ward has a reputation for being an incredible area, and I am so
excited to go!! I'm excited to work extra hard, and to learn a lot of
Japanese. I NEED to work on my Japanese :) I'm so grateful that God is
giving me this chance to serve and learn with new people in a new
area.
Okay, well, I guess it's time to fill everyone in on all the fabulous
miracles of this week! And by all, I mean some. Because I simple can't
come close to listing the miracles!!
1. Takahashi Shimai. She's the older less active that we've been
working with and she has come so far!! At first, she didn't even
really want to meet with us. She'd cancel appointments, fall asleep,
and not really pay attention. Now, she calls us frequently, and when
we ask her to tell us about things that she's grateful for, we're at
the top of her list. We went to her house on Saturday and we all sat
down and she gave us some words of advice. First: No matter where you
go, never forget the experiences you had or the people you met in
Japan. Second: Spend your life doing things that you love. Third: Be
happy! She's one of my favorite humans in the world, and I love her so
much!
2. Our ward mission leader's family is all less active so we wanted to
stop by his house to drop off a card and maybe say hello to his
family. His 15 year old daughter answered the door and we sang I am a
Child of God to her. It was beautiful!! It turns out, she loves music,
and she was really moved by the song. It was such a tender mercy of
the Lord's to let me be a part of that miracle.
3. I went on an exchange with Sister Jolley. One of my best friends in
the field, and I am so proud of her. She is a great worker, and I am
so impressed by her diligence in serving the Lord. I love her so much.
4. Cooking the weirdest meal on Sunday afternoon after we had NO food
in the apartment. It was so funny, and we were even willing to eat dry
rice!! But then I made a stir fry that didn't taste bad at all, so I
would say an overall success, right?
5. While waiting for Adriana Shimai to meet for a lesson we found a
Brazilian church selling churros for a fundraiser. Yes. Of course we
are interested in Brazilian churros. And people who love the Bible and
are strong believers in Christ. Several are now coming to our church
Halloween party and will probably attend our ward sometime too! They
all know Adriana Shimai, and she is so pumped to share the gospel!!
6. After an incredible lesson with Adriana Shimai (and her husband
Rodrigo came to the last half of it!) Hideki came down with a horrible
fever!! He was so sick, and so our ward mission leader met us all at
the church and gave Hideki a blessing. I am so grateful for worthy
Priesthood holders who are always willing to help and serve. It means
the world to me. And it meant the world to Adriana Shimai's family
too.. One thing she said really stuck out to me. "Why is it, that
every time I want to better obey the commandments, that Hideki gets
sick?" I don't know. But I do know that God will strengthen us, just
as Nephi says in 1 Nephi 3:7. It breaks my heart to see her suffering
so much, but I know that she is strong, and that God will strengthen
her to rise too the occasion.
There are so many more miracles, but I don't have time to list them
all!! Just know that I am loving every minute I have serving in the
Lord's vineyard. I don't know where the time goes, but it's speeding
by! I am so busy during "prep" time every night that I floss my teeth
on my futon. I must seem like a nutcase to my companions, but it's fun
:) I love these days, they're the happiest. I love my life, and I love
seeing God's hand in all the little things.
I love you all!
ファイスト姉妹