Wow this week....such a good week in Shimaiville!
Monday we went to a 400 year old house and that was cool, but I got way car sick....I can do bike and trains but old Japanese woman driving over sized van, oh...I looked like a ghost and not the holy kind. (Yeah, I know bad pun....) and then the rest of the night wasn't that exciting because I stayed in because I was about to keel over....sigh. It sucks to feel guilty about being sick. You can be in the hospital because you've been hit by a car and still feel bad about not going outside to dendo. (Reviews mistakes from past..) Anyway Monday night was very bummy but Tuesday and the rest of the week was fantastic!
So Tuesday we went to Yonago to have interviews with President, that was good. Later that night we talked to Franco our shigansha or person with baptismal date (I don't know how English missionaries say certain things when Japanese has a perfect explanation of five words in one word....) He is a Filipino, and he loves the gospel. His English is pretty good and Japanese so so. We aren't sure if he is actually understanding what we are teaching him or if he's just nodding along. That has been our worry for a bit but we taught about the priesthood and how he would be able to bless his daughters. The spirit was really strong in that lesson.
Wednesday and Thursday, again not really exiting...which doesn't really relate to our title now does it? We went to a rojin (old person's home) and played cards. Oh, I love old Japanese people because they are so cute and like to cheat or speak in old people speak (specific to Japanese peeps). There was this one old lady who called an old man O-chan. ( So ojīsan is grandpa or old and chan is tied on the end of names of children or people you are close too) and all the workers were way confused and laughed it was kinda funny. 😹
These days were good, we taught lots of people (whether they are actually interested in our message or not is a different story) but a lot of what makes it fun is that my lovely doryo has like a billion universes in her head and because of this and her love of talking. I have been entertained by fantasy, adventure and sci-fi stories. She is also an amazing artist and draws her characters and so its like tv! Because we are so unified, we teach many people, and occasionally dress similar....like this morning. She had showered and gotten dressed then I showered and got dressed. It turns out that we are both wearing purple stripped shirts and black skirts....the unity is real.
Friday we had district meeting but it was a little special because there are only two Elders and two Sisters so we can't have a meeting together unless we get a member to tag along but everyone was busy so we had district meeting via Skype. We are so far out in the boonies that we have to skype meetings. Really though, we are in the middle of nowhere but man is it beautiful! I don't have a lot of photos but I'll send some of my new misty mountains and fields of gold :)
After DM we went out housing, teaching more lessons and we saved a catapillar from being run over by a car....we also experienced some extremely annoyed obachans then later that night we had another lesson with Franco but we had a special guest :3 JHEFF!! I gave him a call and asked if he could help translate a bit and so I got to see him and he is as happy as ever! I love him so much since being baptized he has gone out every day with the Elders and now Marugame has since seen like five baptisms! Two of which are Jheff's friends that he helped teach! I love Jheff.
So he skyped in and he is already a pro at teaching and asking inspired questions and it brought the spirit and you could see Franco open up and he knows that this is the true church. Later that night Jheff texted us, "I'm planing on coming to his baptism, when is it?" We tell him it's on the 30th of October and he replies, "Cool! I'm praying and fasting for him!" They had swapped FB accounts and phone numbers.
Can I just tell y'all how much Joy I feel for the gospel when I see it through my Brother Jheff's Eyes? He loves the gospel! When I heard him testify of the Book of Mormon (even though it was Tagalog) my heart was filled with this electrifying feeling! I smiled for the next few days after that! The gospel changes people! It is a switch to a light that allows us to truly know who we are, that we are children of the Most High! Oh!!! (Does happy dance) 💃🏾 My heart cannot be anymore full of joy!
Saturday was a festival day. So there were these people who essentially carry a shrine around and shout and they're all happy and they wear all white with black coat things. They take it to people's homes and the kinda pronounce a blessing on people's homes and such...it's a little strange. Obviously not our people but fun to watch. I got hit with a bamboo reed by this guy in a red demon mask and because I was on the side I got blessed haha. They were fun! We went to another area and there was another group and we were on a higher road and they looked up and saw us and started shouting and smiling and telling us to come join...my adventure side was heck yeah! We didn't though but still fun to make them smile :3
We taught like 8 lessons before 3 pm and it was insane! We later went to Omae Kyodai to teach him (less active) and we started talking about these treats (taiyaki) that have delicious fillings and look like pancakes in the mold of a fish. He's like ya there is a good shop down the way do you want to go? And we looked at each other and had this mental conversation, "Do we go? Do we say yes?" He answered for us and grabbed his helmet and said lets go! We followed him on his scooter for like ten minutes to this shop and we just got taiyaki. It was an adventure! I love Omae Kyodai. He kinda reminds me of the Beatles and he owns a garage for fixing up cars. It was really a good day. Like we got home that night feeling so accomplished!
Sunday was also amazing! I finally met the ward and I already love everyone! Our ward is really young! Ward...actually more like Branch, but our Branch president is like 26? And he has dyed hair, works with small children at a school, he's a sweet heart. His counselors are also young. Our recent convert Hayase is this 15 yr old kid and for the first time passed the sacrament and it was so awesome! The members like to give hugs!! Yay!!!
We had a feeling to go out to this one area to house and visit a potential gator and when we knocked on her door she let us in!! Her name is Sonia and she is Filipina:3 (Dad they are everywhere!!) We taught her the whole Restoration and because we didn't have an English BOM with us we gave her the English pamphlet to read about the restoration. It was so cool! Such a miracle! Everyone pray for Sonia and Franco! They so amazing and need the gospel!!
To end the week we went to a devotional broadcast. The speakers were the Asian area presidency and Elder David A. Bednar! Wow it was so good. We went over time talking about the spirit and joy of the gospel. It sounds simple but he talked about how we only receive spiritual gifts to bless other people. It will never be for our gain but to serve. Now this doesn't mean we don't ever feel the spirit for comfort, that is different, That is the spirit acting on the atonement to comfort our 'troubled hearts.' We can't receive these gifts just to have them, we need to serve others, to turn outward, like Christ and serve. It was mind blowing! So so so good! He talked about how feeling the spirit is so that we can feel and recognize joy, happiness, and love! We do things like pray, read and go to church, not to check it off the list but to become closer to the third member of the God head and to feel, Joy! This is how I ended my week, also busting into laughter at night with my companion. Man my joy is full! I am so happy!
I love you all! I really do! And more importantly He loves you, so does Heavenly Father and the Spirit! They love you!
Love Oswald Sister
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