Sunday, February 26, 2017

Week 25: Flying Mochi and Banana challenge

みなさんこんにちわ、

げんき?

Well, how is everyone? Everyone have a great week? Mine was fun of tough challenges, but lifetime experiences.

This week I was able to teach my full lesson on the Plan of Salvation! And that was so fun, but oh so so challenging. I had a lot of fun with it! We also went and saw one of my favorite people in the world Kitazoi shimai! She is a convert of one year and she is like 86 years old. But, her faith in so strong. Never married doesn't have any kids, but she has faith and a testimony of her Heavenly Father. I love her so so much! She gave my companion and I something of hers, I got a scarf/shall type of thing and I put it on my head and she stops what she was doing and looks at me and says "stop, don't move, I want to draw you!" Haha and grabbed a Pena no paper and drew me, ahah it was so awesome! This past week was Nomura shimai's 20 birthday! We celebrated it with Ramen! I love ramen in Japan! We also went to Starbucks this week and they had Sakara (Japanese cherry blossom) shakes! Like what? So I got one and it was so good! Japan always seems to get better and better everyday! We also went out to the middle of no where on Saturday and met up with a less active member. Talk about no houses or anything. Kouchi can be so inaka(countryside). We had a great lesson and listened to what she was saying. She was having a hard time so we tried to help as best as possible. Today was great we had church.. even though I don't understand half the time of what is going on.. I can see the spirit work through me and I'm able to understand more than I think I do. I am able to testify and use the vocabulary I know. The power of the gift of tongues and Christ's atonement is so real. 


  Today, us and the Elders sat down and were eating some lunch in the kitchen of the church when the Branch president comes in and says "hey there having a mochi nage(throw)", everybody got up and ran outside to see a crowd of people standing around this Buddhist church. I had no idea what this thing was, I just went because. So, we waited, they gave us bags and we waited. These people dressed in some type of clothing came out and brought of boxes of Mochi. Then you here this drum do one hit, and people get ready. And then they just chuck Mochi. Like what the heck? I'm not kidding so much Mochi was falling from the sky. And you know how like when in the states you have parades and people throw candy and all the kids run around and try to get all the candy? Well, that's basically what happened.. except 1.it was Mochi 2. People of all ages were on the ground viciously trying to get Mochi. It was insane, I have never seen such a thing, but it was so fun! All that was coming out of my mouth is " I Love Japan"! 


   So, last thing. This week my district leader Hancock choro called up and was like "hey, I got this awesome idea!" I was like "okay what?" He then started on saying how he doesn't like bananas and I was like haha that's weird me too! Well, then he said "okay lets have a challenge, called the banana challenge. Everyday we all in the district will eat one whole banana" I was like that is the dumbest idea of my life. I am not going to eat a banana. But, we decided okay why not. We tried it and at first it was hard, I can not eat bananas to save my life, I threw up once, but everyday after I felt myself liking it more and more. Well, at district meeting, we talked about it. He said that once we started just trying to enjoy our bananas, life was more enjoyable. It was just a great lesson that I learned by eating bananas. Haha


Have a great week everybody! Enjoy the daily blessings in your life!


Love ロケット姉妹



Fwd: Week 24: keserasera ケ・セラ・セラ- whatever happens, happens







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Subject: Week 24: keserasera ケ・セラ・セラ- whatever happens, happens

Minasan Konnichiwa,

This week was a really fun week! Well here in Kouchi they have a
children's class in Eikaiwa(English class)! So I taught my first
Eikaiwa children's class! And that was exhausting! Haha.. but it was
so fun, well I had my first real udon in Marugame on Wednesday and
Thursday! In the middle of no where haha.. and it was so good! We had
our first kokan(companion exchange) on Shukoku. I literally biked so
far, like everywhere. Marugame is so country that it takes like 45
minutes to get to members houses.
On Friday we had our first district meeting, we talked about our theme
for the district and its "hustle". This transfer I want to hustle and
work hard. We will see, what happens this transfer.
Yesterday we had an amazing talk given by Elder Holland in Tokyo,
Japan. It was amazing. He talked a lot about how God loves BROKEN
THINGS! Just let that sink in for a little bit, if you think about it,
all God asks is for us to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
It's so true. God invested in broken things, there are so many broken
things, he helps fix all of Gods children.
Love you all so much!
Have a great week!
Love ロケット姉妹

Monday, February 20, 2017

Week 24: keserasera ケ・セラ・セラ- whatever happens, happens





Minasan Konnichiwa,

This week was a really fun week! Well here in Kouchi they have a
children's class in Eikaiwa(English class)! So I taught my first
Eikaiwa children's class! And that was exhausting! Haha.. but it was
so fun, well I had my first real udon in Marugame on Wednesday and
Thursday! In the middle of no where haha.. and it was so good! We had
our first kokan(companion exchange) on Shukoku. I literally biked so
far, like everywhere. Marugame is so country that it takes like 45
minutes to get to members houses.
On Friday we had our first district meeting, we talked about our theme
for the district and its "hustle". This transfer I want to hustle and
work hard. We will see, what happens this transfer.
Yesterday we had an amazing talk given by Elder Holland in Tokyo,
Japan. It was amazing. He talked a lot about how God loves BROKEN
THINGS! Just let that sink in for a little bit, if you think about it,
all God asks is for us to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
It's so true. God invested in broken things, there are so many broken
things, he helps fix all of Gods children.
Love you all so much!
Have a great week!
Love ロケット姉妹

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Week 22: Faith over fear - GOD IS REAL



This week has been a short but very exciting week. 

This week on Thursday I got too to my last TTT(trainee,trainer,training) meeting in Kobe. It was a bitter sweet moment. We left for Kobe on Wednesday evening and while on the train haha we met 3 Australians who were traveling in Japan. They just so happened to be from Dayley Shimais home town. They were really nice, talked to them for a little bit. One served in Nagoya,Japan another in Perth, Australia. It was crazy to talk to foreigners that knew who we are. TTT was amazing like always. I always receive so much revelation when I go to these things that i always get headaches haha. But, it was so fun. I got to see my dokis(people I came to Japan with) and my kohai (group that came after us). It was a awesome meeting. I received so many answers to some prayers and things that had been on my mind lately. But, all in all I really enjoyed the meeting. This is the last TTT meeting at I will come as a bean chan (trainee). 


This past Saturday was a day I probably will never forget.
On Saturday we had a lesson with our new investigator T-San. And holy cow he is so amazing! He is incredibly nice, he lived in California for awhile. So his English is perapera(fluent)! But, the lesson went really well, we taught about the restoration, he had so many questions, but we were able to answer as best as we could. But, he understood everything. As we were talking he started saying "okay, so I will read some more of this Book, and maybe go to church next week, is that okay? " We just sat there in aww.. "of course you can" so he is going to come to church next Sunday and we have another lesson on Tuesday. At the end we taught him about prayer, and extended a commitment to pray about our message. We asked if he would want to try praying now. He said "why not" and started praying to himself. He is an amazing guy! 
After we left, we just talked in awww... and couldn't believe what had just happened. All that was running through my head was, is this real, am I in a dream? 
  Fast forward that day... so... we were biking down this road we always go down it has the train station at one end and farther down is the Wakayama Castle. So... one of my companions Dayley Shimai decides to stop this lady... Gusman Shimai an and I were a little ahead, so we turn around and she is having this amazing talk, so we just waited...well this girl walks up and Gusman Shimai and I start talking to her. I'm trying to watch both my companions to make sure they are all okay... I glance over to Dayley Shimai a and this guy just appears out of no where and looked like he was ranting. I told Gusman Shimai I would be right back I go over there and this guy is yelling, full on yelling. Dayley Shimai is trying to teach this lady, I turn to him and try to quiet him down. I start listening to what he is saying I don't want to be rude so... he start yelling "God is not real!"I turn to him and ask "how do you know that?," he then goes on "God sits in silence, he does not answer, why? Why? Why?" (Oh by the way this is all in broken english),Then he just keeps ranting about crazy things.... I finally got a word in and I said "hey, you know what God does answer us, we have our own agency, God can't choose for us". He got silent and then starts ranting again... I basically just full on bore my testimony to him..by this time Dayley Shimai just finished teaching the lesson. She came over and said "sorry we have to go, goodbye." We then rode off. As we were riding I turned to her and said "did you get everything you needed, got her name anything?" "Yah" and then pounded knuckles haha... what a day. 👊🏼
I think that's when I started to see my faith conquer my fear. I thought before the mission I wasn't afraid to do things, then I get out here and I'm really shy, but after that I felt my confidence boost up. I wasn't afraid to tell him what I believed, I wasn't afraid to stand up for what I believed, and I was not afraid to tell him who I represent! 
God definitely played a big role in that.

Lately I have been trying to figure out how to lose myself in the work. And it was answered at TTT. I've heard it many times in church, in the MTC, scriptures, everywhere... by serving other you will lose yourself. Well, I don't think I really understood what that meant until the other day when President Welch said "you don't have time to do what you want, you need to think about everyone else, this is Gods time." And that's so true this is Gods time, this is when I need to give all I have to God because it's not my time. So, this coming week and practically my whole life, I will try harder and harder to forget myself and go to work. Sometimes I think "what do I want", but the thing is, it doesn't matter what I want anymore, it's what God wants!

I love you all! I hope you all are having an awesome week! Keep being you! And look to the Lord!

Love you! あいしています!

Love ロケット姉妹


Sent from my iPad

Week 21: No hablas Español not so much anymore

Family and friends Konnichiwa from the land of the rising sun!

What a week I have had! There is so much that happened!
We got a new INVESTIGATOR! What an amazing answer to our prayers! I
actually was on splits with another sister when it happened. Actually all
three of us were. As I've said before I'm in a san nin (3people) so we had
our Sister Training Leaders(STL) and another set of sisters come and do
splits with us. But, the story to our new investigator is incredible. My
companion sister Dayley and STL sister Manwell were biking and had an
impression to go to this apartment that  looked deserted. They practically
did the 4th floor last door thing and ping ponged every door and he last
one had a man that actually spoke some English. They told him who they were
and that we talk about God and Jesus Christ well this man had lived in the
states for awhile and actually had heard of us, he knew about he Mormons
and e Book of Mormon. They asked at the end if he wanted to learn more, and
to much surprise he said in English "yah... I think I really need God in my
life." Wow! Like talk about a man at is so prepared. I think after hearing
the story it changed the way I think so much. This Saturday we have a
lesson with him.

Well... the title kinda tells the story, but all those many years of taking
Spanish didn't all go to waste. Before the mission I took 7 years of
Spanish, I was afraid I would never use it again. I really had a desire of
one day hat I would be able to use Spanish again. God does answer prayers
if it is what you desire. And I taught my first Spanish lesson this week!
And wow oh wow... I can't remember Spanish to save my life haha. Well, to
be fare I also didn't study Gospel Spanish words. But, I understood so
much. So, that was okay. We invited her to baptism, but she wasn't really
liking that idea yet... so we will give her more time, but she wants to
learn more.

Oh..  also a lot of things changed this week around the world. Missionaries
now have a new schedule. There was a world wide broadcast hat changed our
schedule and key indicators. Honestly, I am so grateful, I really think
they put their time and it was revelation from God! The new schedule is
below!

But, this week was also really exhausting we taught 44 other lessons! Talk
about a hard work! I feel tired, but like a good tired!
One thing I learned this week was that the true trial of faith is to remain
faithful. Remaining faithful sometimes takes more work than we think it
does. For some it is easy to turn to the Lord when you have lost a loved
one or are going through a horrible tragedy, but for some, we ask ourselves
and even at times God "why did this happen to me?" Or "God are you really
there?"

Of course, God doesn't want any of His children to suffer, let alone loose
faith in Him. But, God also knows our true potential. he knows who we are
and who we can become. Often times, I ask myself... am I good enough? Am I
doing everything God asked me to do? I think that's when we sometimes start
to loose the faith in God and in ourselves God doesn't expect us to be
perfect, he just expects us to try our best. Friends and family please
don't loose sight of what's important  in life, and that your best is all
that God expects of you!


Last thing I wanted to share was a funny story. Since we had so many
sisters stay over we had to get more futons. Well we only had  like 4 and
there was 7 sisters, so we had to go get more. Well, we got some more from
the elders and we had to carry them back after the sisters left. Haha.. I
have never seen anything more funny then us three carrying futons and a big
kettle that we used for hot chocolate down the road. I bet no other person
has until now... but we got so many funny looks at us haha! But, we didn't
care! We even had a guy stop next to us and say "you all look like your
warm" and drive away, hahaha!

What a week here in Wakayama!

Stay safe, live life, and enjoy the little moments!

Love ロケット姉妹