First, I want to talk about my incredible companion, Kaizaki Shimai.
With mission companions, it's pretty hit and miss. There are those
companions that by the end of the transfer, your'e just kind of like,
"Okay, well I guess God really wanted me ummm learn something from
that companion?" And you still love them, and are grateful for what
you learned, but then you aren't exactly dreading transfer calls. Then
there are the companions where you're like, this has got to be a
reward for good behavior in a past life or something. Sister Kaizaki
and I get along really really really well. There's the slight problem
that I'm still really bad at Japanese, but she is so patient all the
time! We have the same humor, we both love sweets, and we both love
being missionaries. But what's better than all those things is that we
both really want to improve. And so we are both just trying to help
eachother become a little bit more like Jesus. And I think that's a
huge blessing in my life. To have someone who trusts me 100% and who I
trust just as well. I know that she is cheering me on, and trying to
find ways for me to succeed. She loves me, and that means the world.
When we were planning on Saturday Sister Kaizaki said, "I can't wait
for church tomorrow!" At first I thought that I was forgetting
something or that we had something special going on so I was like,
"Why?" And then she said the most tender thing: "Because I love
Kawasaki Ward. And I love seeing them all at church on Sunday." With
that attitude I went to church on Sunday and just had an amazing time.
I love Kawasaki ward! They are all so amazing, caring, and funny! They
expect a lot from their missionaries, and they are looking for ways to
introduce their friends to us. I love seeing how affectionate the
parents are to the rowdy kids, and I love that the 2 year olds really
try to learn our names. I hope that everyone realizes how much the
missionaries love the people they are serving. We spend hours talking
about the members and how we can better serve them and strengthen
their testimonies. We look at a ward book and I strive to memorize
everyone's names and match them to their pictures. Our job is to build
up the church in this area, and I have dived in, and decided to really
love these people.
In gospel principles on Sunday, the lesson was about Sacrifice and it
hit me that sacrifice is not really a sacrifice, but a way of getting
rid of good things and replacing them with better things. God has so
much He wants to give us, and we have to be willing to let go of
things that don't matter as much so that we can have room in our
hearts for better blessings. Linh Shimai and I were talking, and she
said that she has sacrificed everything for her family. Her education,
her career, and her hobbies. All so that she can raise Hai Kun and
serve her husband. Wow! Moms do so much! They sacrifice everything for
their families, and I'm sure it's hard because their kids or husbands
might not even appreciate it at first. But I promise, they'll come to
appreciate it. The ungrateful teenagers go on missions, where they
have to think about someone other than themselves for the first time
in their lives. I am so grateful that I decided to serve a mission,
because it has changed how I will serve as a mom. It has helped me to
know the real meaning of sacrifice, and to know how great of blessings
I can receive by forgetting myself and serving others. I just feel so
much gratitude right now for the new direction my life is heading. I
really do feel like I am becoming the person I want to be.
So I guess I want to end today's letter with a thank you. I am
grateful for my parents, who sacrifice everything for me. I'm grateful
for patient primary and young women's leaders who helped a young girl
see herself the way God sees her. I'm grateful for friends who never
asked me to compromise my standards, and encouraged my righteous
desires. I'm grateful for teachers who expected more than just a
subpar performance from me. For sports coaches who helped me realize
that being "coachable" was one of the best attributes I could ever
have. I'm so grateful for President and Sister Wada, who are so proud
of what I'm doing, and yet expect a little more from me. And finally,
I'm of course grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I know I don't
fully understand the Atonement, but it means the world to me. It means
that even though I have faults, that I can change, and become
something a little more each day. I can prepare for Celestial Glory.
Wow. That's pretty awesome.
I love you all, and don't forget to recognize the people you're
thankful for in your life!
ファイスト姉妹
With mission companions, it's pretty hit and miss. There are those
companions that by the end of the transfer, your'e just kind of like,
"Okay, well I guess God really wanted me ummm learn something from
that companion?" And you still love them, and are grateful for what
you learned, but then you aren't exactly dreading transfer calls. Then
there are the companions where you're like, this has got to be a
reward for good behavior in a past life or something. Sister Kaizaki
and I get along really really really well. There's the slight problem
that I'm still really bad at Japanese, but she is so patient all the
time! We have the same humor, we both love sweets, and we both love
being missionaries. But what's better than all those things is that we
both really want to improve. And so we are both just trying to help
eachother become a little bit more like Jesus. And I think that's a
huge blessing in my life. To have someone who trusts me 100% and who I
trust just as well. I know that she is cheering me on, and trying to
find ways for me to succeed. She loves me, and that means the world.
When we were planning on Saturday Sister Kaizaki said, "I can't wait
for church tomorrow!" At first I thought that I was forgetting
something or that we had something special going on so I was like,
"Why?" And then she said the most tender thing: "Because I love
Kawasaki Ward. And I love seeing them all at church on Sunday." With
that attitude I went to church on Sunday and just had an amazing time.
I love Kawasaki ward! They are all so amazing, caring, and funny! They
expect a lot from their missionaries, and they are looking for ways to
introduce their friends to us. I love seeing how affectionate the
parents are to the rowdy kids, and I love that the 2 year olds really
try to learn our names. I hope that everyone realizes how much the
missionaries love the people they are serving. We spend hours talking
about the members and how we can better serve them and strengthen
their testimonies. We look at a ward book and I strive to memorize
everyone's names and match them to their pictures. Our job is to build
up the church in this area, and I have dived in, and decided to really
love these people.
In gospel principles on Sunday, the lesson was about Sacrifice and it
hit me that sacrifice is not really a sacrifice, but a way of getting
rid of good things and replacing them with better things. God has so
much He wants to give us, and we have to be willing to let go of
things that don't matter as much so that we can have room in our
hearts for better blessings. Linh Shimai and I were talking, and she
said that she has sacrificed everything for her family. Her education,
her career, and her hobbies. All so that she can raise Hai Kun and
serve her husband. Wow! Moms do so much! They sacrifice everything for
their families, and I'm sure it's hard because their kids or husbands
might not even appreciate it at first. But I promise, they'll come to
appreciate it. The ungrateful teenagers go on missions, where they
have to think about someone other than themselves for the first time
in their lives. I am so grateful that I decided to serve a mission,
because it has changed how I will serve as a mom. It has helped me to
know the real meaning of sacrifice, and to know how great of blessings
I can receive by forgetting myself and serving others. I just feel so
much gratitude right now for the new direction my life is heading. I
really do feel like I am becoming the person I want to be.
So I guess I want to end today's letter with a thank you. I am
grateful for my parents, who sacrifice everything for me. I'm grateful
for patient primary and young women's leaders who helped a young girl
see herself the way God sees her. I'm grateful for friends who never
asked me to compromise my standards, and encouraged my righteous
desires. I'm grateful for teachers who expected more than just a
subpar performance from me. For sports coaches who helped me realize
that being "coachable" was one of the best attributes I could ever
have. I'm so grateful for President and Sister Wada, who are so proud
of what I'm doing, and yet expect a little more from me. And finally,
I'm of course grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I know I don't
fully understand the Atonement, but it means the world to me. It means
that even though I have faults, that I can change, and become
something a little more each day. I can prepare for Celestial Glory.
Wow. That's pretty awesome.
I love you all, and don't forget to recognize the people you're
thankful for in your life!
ファイスト姉妹