Konnichiwa Family and Friends!!!
Well this was one of those weeks that maybe in like 50 years i will be
grateful for. Heavenly Father is really trying sister smith and I's
faith this week.
But it definitely started out good! Last Monday after emailing we had
a dinner appointment at a members house! She has been recently
struggling with her testimony so we planned to talk about the
atonement with her! Dinner was way fun! She taught us how to make
tempura and lots of other fried foods! It was great! And then we
watched the because of Him video with her. She loved it! And just
wanted to watch it again and again! We had a great discussion on how
the atonement isn't just for people with big sins or bad people. But
it's for good people to become even better! Our very natures can be
changed through the love and grace of our savior Jesus Christ!
Everyone just needs to know that their is an escape. There is relief.
And hope through our Christ! It strengthened my testimony to see this
sweet sister come to feel her saviors help and love for her! It
clicked again!!
Tuesday we had two lunch appointments! And both of them made spaghetti
for us.. Hahah! We are good on the spaghetti for a while. We first met
with a couple in our ward. I absolutely love hearing the conversion
stories of members! And japanese people are so amazing because really
almost all of them are converts. They were all so prepared! And
looking back on their lives they see that Gods hand really was there
the whole time! Such pure testimonies! I want to find some more of
those!!!
Then we went to Nishiyamas restaurant. She place closed for lunch
after we finished and she said we needed to get in her car and go
shopping! Hahaha! Shes the cutest! She took us to a recycle shop,
filled our baskets and payed for everything!! We were like what just
happened... She really likes us! Her interest in the gospel still
isn't very strong but she said she wants to be our friends forever!!
She will get there! Just little by little!
After we played soccer with our eikaiwa students in the million degree
weather. Not kidding the heat is unreal!!!! So humid! You walk outside
and are drenched in something.. A mix of sweat and whatever humidity
is.. Everyone else's sweat maybe? Hahahah! But soccer was fun! I have
a huge bruise on my leg though. It's been a while...
After we went to endos english class to help. This time we didn't talk
about the gospel. Were just trying to focus on building good
friendships with her and her students! We all had a great time!
wednesday we got to do visiting teaching with a member! that was so
fun! and the members always spoil us missionaries! they bought me
peanut butter!!!! score!!!! after we went to the church and were there
all day long. sister smith was a graphic designer before the mission
and so the ward asked her to make special flyers for our big sunday
challege! we are trying to get the ward more involved in missionary
work so we made a goal in two weeks to have 50 friends at chuch on
sunday!!! can we do it?? YES WE CAN!!! so sister smith made way legit
flyers for members to pass out to their friends!!! were so pumped! we
are uniting our faith and prayers with the members to see this big
miracle!! showing The Lord that He can trust his members!
then we had eikaiwa! i posted the picture on facebook but i made two
new really good friends! one was an investigator before! she is only
in high school but loves the church! we are excited to start teaching
her!!
thursday we had zone meeting which was amazing! i wish i had time to
write down all i learned but.. it was good and im always just pumped
to be a missionary!!!
friday was rough. first went to nishiyamas! i love my japanese
grandma! she remembered that we told her we wanted to watch a video
with her so she reminded us and we all watched Heavenly Father earthly
father! its amazing by the way please go watch it! she was impressed
that the church makes such great videos! we testified of families and
us all being part of gods family! still not sure that its clicking for
her but she loves us so we will keep working hard for her! friday
night we were supposed to have an appointment with a new friend at the
church making dinner and join our wards ping pong activity after. Well
that afternoon she cancelled. i shouldnt have gotten so upset but i
did. We dont have many people that we are teaching and no one has come
to church since i got here. its heart breaking. we are working hard
but nno success. Trying not to get too down, we tried to find someone
else to join us, but everyone was busy. I couldn't help but cry. I
know Heavenly Father wants me to learn something valuable but the
amount of time thats its taking is taking everything out of me. Sister
smith and i just joked that we want to find someone who wants to be
our friend, and someone who doesn't have a job so that they would have
time for us! Well we went to the eki to street and find. We managed to
clear a whole bench! No one wanted to talk to us.. We felt like we
were trying so hard! But no success. So we started a mitsukutaikai.
After a while, the miracle happened. A lady walks in front of me and
says "friend" she tried to keep speaking to me in english but couldn't
find the words. She switched to japanese and told me that she wants to
be my friend!!!!!!! I almost got teary eyed! And then she said that
because she doesn't have a job, shes got loads of time!!!! I couldn't
believe my ears!!! Exactly what we had hoped for!!! It was just too
good! We made an appointment to meet on Monday! I went to sleep quite
happy that night! With much gratitude in my heart that Heavenly Father
hears our secret prayers. He knows the desires of our hearts. I know
I'm not the best missionary but i think he sees how desperately i want
to become a good missionary so he allowed me this blessing! It was a
great testimony builder to me of my previous question. Does Heavenly
Father hear my prayers? He answered me loud and clear!
saturday was still a little hard too. Although we had a good lesson
with Mayumi about the Book of Mormon. she is still not sure if she
wants to take the lessons but she said she has a friend who is
christian and just adores this friend! shes being prepared and she
doesnt even know it! it was a way good lesson and i was able to share
my experinece from the day before that God answers our prayers!
after that again we had nothing to do so we did some major follow up
to try to get someone to church. we called everyone in the phone but
everyone was busy. with 20 minutes still to go in the night we went
outside to go talk to people on the street. 4 minutes left and we were
determined to teach a lesson and invite one more person to church. we
ran to the outside of a grocery store and stopped a lady on her way
in. She was super kind! She said she had been to a church before and
was surprised to hear that we have a church close by. We handed her a
orange flyer and asked her if she had thought about any of these
questions. She said yes because her parents have passed away. She
wondered what is happening to them. So i testified of the power of
Jesus Christ to heal our families. That through him we can live again
and be with our families for ever! I asked her what she thought of
that and she said it sounds so good! we invited her to church and she
said she will come when she can! Heavenly Father is constantly testing
my faith! but im grateful for it!
sunday morning sister smith and i were not looking forward to church.
To be honest i was looking for a way to get out of it. the thought of
another sunday sitting without an investigator was just too sad. But i
decided to change my attitude and be happy. Well, again Heavenly
Father heard my prayers and the pleadings of my heart. Right before
the meeting started, an eikaiwa student walked in, came up to me and
said "im here! i love the missionaries!" ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i
almost broke down in tears right then and there. The members were
wonderful and we were able to make an appointment with her for this
week! i have never been so happy!! boy do i have many things to be
grateful for! i am so grateful for the hard times that make the
miracles seem even more sweet! i know God hears my prayers!! i have
felt myself grow a lot this last week. My faith was tried more than
ever but Heavenly Father was there the whole time. I am so thankful!!!
the trials at the time seemed great but the miracles that followed
were even greater! i am grateful for trials and hard times! God gives
them to us so that we can grow and become stronger! the miracles
continue to come! sunday night while at a members house, an old
investigator called and happened to know and love the member we were
with! we ended up teaching a lesson over the phone with the member!!!
so cool! and none was coincidence! God is so aware of all of his
children! of this i know to be true!! i love this gospel!!! and i love
bring a missionary!!!
Christensen shimai
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