ohaio gozaimasu!!!

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!! i hate emailing now though.. my goodness i always have the biggest struggles! but everything seems to be working now hours later.. fingers crossed this actually sends! such problems with having laptops! haha! it will all be better once we get our ipads next month!!!!

Anyways, the tsukuba divers had such a great week!!! it felt super long but super great anyways! Me and Sister Amituanai went to Matsudo for an exchange this week! Its so fun getting to go to new areas and work with other sisters! We were companions with two other sisters. One who doesnt speak english! hahah! and our japanese still pretty much sucks but we had so much fun! I got to teach eikaiwa there too! Seriously the funnest thing ever!! I love teaching the japanese english! they are just too funny and love all the missionaries!

We had an amazing Zone Conference this week! Matsudo is filled with pretty much the best missionaries in the whole mission.. hahah! We had different work shops and trainings and stuff! So good!! My favorite was a training on prayer. Our zone leaders asked us if we are using the full power of prayer? What do we wrestle with the Lord over? Blessings require some work or some effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work. And is the means for obtaining the highest of all blessings! The zone leaders gave us each little prayer books and asked that while we pray to "get to work"! We pray for each investigator and member personally and now with our prayer books we stop and really think about them during our prayers and write these things down. We show the Lord that we are ready to receieve his guidance! I love prayer! I love working! We teach everyday just how important prayer is and it is so true! We have the wonderful priviledge of speaking to our Heavenly Father and He promises to listen and provide for us! What a blessing!

Reusser Shimai stopped a lady on a bike the other day and started talking about what we teach as missionaries. This sweet lady wanted to learn more and offered to take us to lunch! We went to a super nice italian resturant (soooooooooo goood cause it wasnt japanese!!! hahah) and she brought two of her firends! We sat there for 2 and a half hours and basically taught every single lesson from PMG! They all had so many questions and were so interested in our gospel! They were the sweetest ladies and want to be taught again! oh and the best part was they told me that i look like such a california girl and that I look like i could be in High School Musical!!!! woohooo!!! mission accomplished! I am a happy girl! Life is complete! hahah! seriously the best compliment ever! i will love them forever!

Saturday, The Tsukuba community put on a little festival right across the street from our apartment! We went early in the morning to help set up. Our ward was given a time slot to sing! Our ward did the cutest little happy song from some japanese musical! then my companions and I sang the hymn Brightly Beams! That was something new! hahah! After, we sang another song with our elders! It was so fun! And such a great missionary opportunity! Everyone loved all these white people singing songs! hahah! We walked around after and handed out flyers for church and eikaiwa! We met so many great people both interested in church and english class! Tsukuba is going to explode with the amount of new investigators with this week! I am so insanly happy!

After we rode our bikes that long hour rode of just rice fields to go see an investigator who just got out of the hospital. When we got to the train station she called and said she was tired and that we couldnt come over.. Long bike ride for nothing! So we handed out english class flyers at the train station. Count your many blessings though people. A lady came up to us and said she had seen us before! She is interested in learning about the church and we made an appointment to see her again next week! woohoo! seriously Heavenly Father allows us these little miracles daily! We just have to have our eyes open to see them!

Sunday a member from another ward had us over for dinner. Her four college friends came and picked us up! They were so fun and thought our japanese was amazing! they were a little too easily impressed... hahaha! But i think they really liked us! They gave us all their contact info and want to hang out with us again! I love making new friends! Japanese people are my favorite!!!

oh and we got a new investigator from the phillipines whose name is JANET!!! Shes nothing like you mom, but when she said her name i almost started crying! hahah! I already love and adore her! She really needs the gospel right now. Her family was affected by the huge typhoon this last week and lost their house. She has the strongest faith ever! She counts her blessings everyday! Her house was destroyed but her family is ok. She is so thankful to God for all that He has given her! She is inspiring!

We are Gods children all here to help each other out and bring our brothers and sisters to know their Savior, Jesus Christ. We are all His special workers. Heavenly Father could snap his fingers and make everyone believe if he wanted to but He chooses to use us. He trusts us. He knows we can do it! We have his help! Have faith that he can work through you! Of this i have truly come to know on my mission! I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior! They love you too and are cheering for you!!

It was a great week filled with so much more miracles and just goodness i wish i could write it all! Thank you for all the love and support! I love you!!!!!!!!

Sister Christensen