We are in the last week of this transfer!! I can't believe this transfer is already coming to an end...I felt like it just started!! And there's so much more to do! Ahhhhh.So last week I got the most amazing letter! Acchan sent me pictures of a family's Baptism! Holy Cow! I was freaking out when I saw them. The picture was incredible with a big smile on their faces. They were baptized on July 27th and confirmed the following week. Yaaaaaaaay!!!! But the good news doesn't stop there.
あっちゃん (Acchan)was called to be the SA daihyo-(representative). Wow! Big calling for a new member, but it's perfect for her!She's going to grow so much through this calling, but more than that she's really going to strengthen the ward and the SA. ALSO, あっちゃん (Acchan) went to the temple!!!!!!!!!!! I don't think there's anything more exciting for a missionary than to hear that someone they saw baptized went to the temple! The scariest thing about missionary work it what will happen to the people AFTER baptism, cause that's when it really counts. I can't describe to you the joy and the relief I felt when I read her letter. I am so happy for her!!! Little by little her testimony of this gospel is growing and she's learning who Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father are. Amazing.
I went on exchange with the Kagoshima sisters this week. It's amazing the miracles you see on exchanges. It's too bad we can't do it as often as the elders. It's refreshing and a really good learning experience to work with a different companion. Our exchange went from Thurs. night to Friday night. On Thursday I dendo-ed with another kohai (Jr. companion)-Morishita-shimai in the Taniyama area. She's half like me, so it was really fun to work together. The only two halfy sisters in the mission dendo-ing together. It was great!! She's the exact opposite of me. Japanese dad, American mom, born and raised in Japan but studied English at BYU Hawaii for a year or two. She's "Japanese" but looks and acts Hawaiian. Super laid back, sweet, and hilarious. When she testifies, you know she is feeling the spirit and that she has a strong testimony that what we teach is true. And I picked up lots of little hints of how to improve my street contacts...yes!
After the Junkai (exchange) with Morishita-shimai all four sisters had a slumber party at our Apartment!!! Yay! It was super semai (crowded) but we had a TON of fun! Oh and the next morning all four of us went to radio taiso (exercise)together!
After District Meeting, I was off with Yamagata-shimai (morishita-shimai's Senior companion). We dendo-ed(did missionary work)in the Kagoshima area. Yamagata-shimai is super genki (energetic) and loves Hawaii. Oh yeah, since the two Kagoshima sisters both love Hawaii, they both know how to Hula. So guess what？ as part of their dendo, they teach a free hula class once a week. いいなー！(I wish I could do that) I love creative dendo-ing(missionary work). Again, I learned alot from Yamagata-shimai as well. Everybody works just slightly different from each other. It's great to see those differences and then to try them out for yourself. Lots of new ideas.
It's amazing having sisters in the same district! It really helps keep our spirits up.(not that we're down or anything...it's impossible for ito-shimai to be down...)
Today for p-day we went to do a roller-skating. It was fun ...especially when my companion completely biffed it! hahaha...no worries, she's okay, but I think her bummy will be sore tomorrow:) The best part was that one of the Elders was filming and got it ALL on camera. It was so funny to watch everybody gather around ito-shimai after she fell...normal people would help her up... Missionaries pull out their cameras:) だいばくしょう(laughed so hard)！
I love being a missionary. Missionaries are so much fun. It's busy and it's hard, but there's always work to do, always something to improve on, always a purpose to serve. Just like Mormon said, "I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life." (3 Ne. 5:13) That's what it's all about. That's why we work every day. Sometimes when we don't see the progress it can be frustrating, but I know that we've just got to have faith and work.
And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God should cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day. Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey. (Alma 37:40.41)
Elder Ty Johnson shared this scripture with me this week. It is so true. We see small miracles everyday. It's all the small miracles that bring about the "marvelous works". All we've got to do is have the faith and diligence to make it happen.
I'm grateful to be working here as a missionary. There are lots of things that are alot more challenging than I thought it would be, but there really is no greater joy than to be serving the Lord with everything I have. I love it!!!
