Week 70. February 1, 2015. The last one. What a wonderful and full mission it has been

Good morning everyone! In case you didn't realize, this is the last time I send one of these, ever! I'm really, really sad, yet so happy for the time I have had. It really has been the best. 

This last week was a little out of the ordinary as well. We had an emergency transfer! During my last week! Luckily for the area, Wallwork Shimai and I stayed, but a sweet little sister name Pinto Shimai joined us. Last week in the mission, spent in another threesome, ha ha. The two of them were MTC comps so they had a lot of fun. And it boosted my bean count up to three! I really became the mother of many! 

We had a really busy week, full of visiting all of everyone. I really love these people, it was hard saying goodbye! There was also a mochitsuki, like a ward party where you make mochi, and three of our investigators came.

On Sunday I got up and shared my goodbye testimony. I read 1 Nephi 11:21-22. This is the love of God, it is for everyone, and it is always accessible. And this is the gospel, real, true joy. I love this church, and know that it is Christ's restored church once again on the earth today. 

See you all in just a bit, can't wait to share my stories with you in person. 

Love you all. 

Week 69. January 25th, 2015. Volleyball butt-kicking by Japanese grandmas...and Tsuruno san came to church!

Hey, it is cold! And 5 am. We had to take the early shift for emailing this morning. Its just how it goes when there are eight missionaries and only one computer at the church. Hope you are all doing good though. It has started to snow quite a bit lately, my not so secret wish right now is that it will snow everyday until I leave, ha.

We started this week off really well with a mogi with a non-attending member. She hasn't been to church for more than 10 years, but she used to be the relief society president! I've been visiting her since I came, but haven't really seen her make an progression or anything. We would just go and do some various service around her yard. She has pretty bad eyes and lives by herself so she needs help every once in a while. I've done all sorts of things from trim her bushes, pull out the finished bean vines in the fall, and chisel away the ice/snow in front of her front window. From serving her, I've really come to love her and was so happy to be able to finally schedule a mogi lesson with her! It ended up going really well, she told us about her conversion story and I could tell that she was feeling the spirit again, and that it had been a long time. With just a bit more time and love I pray that we will get her back.

We were also able to go play mini volleyball with a potential investigator and make her a real investigator. The volleyball itself was surprisingly intense, and more surprisingly a lot of fun. There were eight really healthy grandmas playing, and they kicked our butts! I had to keep myself from just smacking it the ball down over the net when it came to me, I was a good head and shoulders taller than the net, ha ha. Afterwards we were able to go to the lady's house and teach her a lesson too. 

The very highlight of the week was yesterday though. Tsuruno san came to church!! Everything was going so well with her until we taught the Sabbath day lesson. She hasn't ever been before and said that she was really busy and wouldn't be able to come until March! Then she just showed up! I guess she finally told her husband that she wanted to go and he drove her down to us. :) She had a really good time, it seemed that all of the lessons were really meant for her. I hope that she will be able to come from now on! 

Love you all. 

Week 68. January 18, 2015. The unavoidable doom is coming! And lots of finding

My Pdays are getting closer and closer together it seems! And after this email session, you will only hear from me two more times.. Oh, the unavoidable doom is coming! I better think of some good things to say, ha. 

We had a lesson with Tsuruno san again this week. It partly good, she is keeping the word of wisdom like a champ, but she told us that she won't be able to come to church until it gets warm and she gets less busy. Which is of course Satan getting her to put it off and lead her slowly away. I'm feeling pretty sad about it, but we will just keep trying our best to get her to come as soon as possible. You have to come to church 3 times before you get baptized, after all. 

We also had interviews with Nakatsuka Kaicho this week. He came up for sacrament meeting to speak, and did 30 minute interviews with everyone. I told him a bit about how I was feeling with the area and having most of our investigators not work out lately. He listened really patiently and advised me with some scriptures. D&C 58:3-4, He told me that I don't know all the work I have done, and that I need to trust God, keep doing what I can. Sometimes things don't work out like you wanted them too, even when you really, really tired, but we can trust our Father in Heaven and have that hope that comes from our foundation of faith. 

Then that night we went out finding, and find we did! We met two really great potential investigators! One is a young mom who will come to Eikaiwa, and the other lady let us and and talked with us for a long time. We made a return appointment for next week. :)

It was another good week! Love you all.

Week 67. January 18, 2015. Last zone conference, so many emotions. The overwhelming emotion, gratitude. Staying up late and playing Samurai Sword with Miller Shimai at ZC in Kushiro. Last splits and 'daisuki'

Hey,

So we were off in Kushiro for my very last zone conference at the start of the week. Talk about a ton of emotions. I didn't really know what to share for my last time at the testimony meeting, and I honestly don't remember anything that I said, must have not been all that profound. I do remember how I felt though. I was feeling, and still am, just an overwhelming sense of gratitude. My mission was really great, is really great. I honestly didn't know what to expect coming in, but it has been exactly what I needed. It has become the basis for the rest of my life. I have learned things I don't think I could have any other way. And I have no idea how to really package it up into a nice little testimony for everyone to understand. That is why you just have to experience it for yourself I guess. But, I can say simply that it really is the best, and that this church is true. 

We did have a really fun time though in Kushiro, hanging out with Miller Shimai is always the best! There was a card game that Auntie gave me for Christmas that we taught to them, we stayed up much too late playing, ha. Yeah, Samurai Sword! It was a fun little last sleepover. 

When we got back we went on splits with the STLs, another last for me. We didn't have too much time, so I took cute little Yoneda Shimai on a bus and we went to visit Kikuchi(2)san, she and Yoneda chatted a bit, usually the Nihonjin takes over a bit like that. At one point Kikuchisan started to talk about how much I always say that I "daisuki" (really love) everything, the Book of Mormon, God, my companion, her...  I thought it was really funny that she thought that about me. It might just be because I don't have a big enough vocabulary, which is the reason she thinks that. Or maybe it's that I really just love everything, ha ha. It sort of was an eye opener to me though, a small thing, but it was cool to see that that is the image she has of me. Sort of childlike, but nice. 

Other than that, we have just been out visiting people and sharing the gospel, it has been good to be back to work, especially with the end looming.

I sure love you all, have a great week!

Week 66. January 4th, 2015. Just a few days since last email- so here is a short one. Great American-like food and hanging out with a 'real' family.

It seems like I was just sending you an email a few days ago. Probably cause I just did. Not too much has happened since last Friday so this may be my shortest one yet. Ha. 

Last Friday after we got done emailing we went with a member and her daughter and took some sweet 3D pictures at a local mall. They probably turned out neat, but I haven't seem them yet. Pictures to come . :) Afterwards we went to another member, Kawada family's, place and had the best food I've had in months. Kawada Shimai is a food wizard! She went to school in Hawaii and I guess knows how to make really good American-like food! It was a lot of fun just being around a family!

Oh yeah, I forgot I was typing this... and my time is up, ha. Whoops! Love you all, next week! 

Ha, sorry! 

Week 65. January 1st, 2015. New Year in Japan and not a lot of missionary action! The big 'read the BOM all day' challenge

Hey all you people, hey all you people...

That was for you, Sophie.

I really have nothing to tell you! We have pretty much been just hanging out all the time with our district and with the members. The week of new years is really weird for missionaries in Japan, ha. I really love the members though, they are so self sacrificing and will do anything for us.

We did the big 'read the Book of Mormon all day' challenge though, that was neat. I went through and drew a little red heart on all of the action words that had love for the motive. All good action is motivated by love, and the Savior always is. 

And I love you all, have a great week! You will be hearing from me in like three days, ha. 

Week 64. December 21, 2014. Last transfer, good-bye to Kempner Shimai! :( New companion to train, from New Zealand. Japanese is way cool with an accent :).

Hey there.

So I have officially started my last transfer! How did that happen! As you probably already know, I am staying in Obihiro (poor people couldn't shake me off since I came in July!)  My new companion is Wallwork Shimai, she is fresh out of the MTC. Also, she is from New Zealand! Japanese with an accent is way cool, in case you were wondering. Sometimes when she talks to me I have no clue what she is saying. It's English, but not, ha ha. We are going to have a lot of fun and work really hard!

We were stuck in Sapporo for like three days because of an intense storm that hit Hokkaido, it pushed back transfer day, and almost stopped the returning missionaries from going home on time for Christmas! It all worked out though, probably thanks to all the prayers we said, the entire mission was in on it. :) We weren't in Obihiro for very long though, and our dendo was really on the slim side, but these next few weeks with Christmas and New Years is going to all be sort of weird.

Love you all, talk to you next week! And Christmas!

Ps, I miss Kempner Shimai!