NOVEMBER 20, 2016 - MY EYES ARE SO BIG AND TANGLES EXIST!!!

So,  I made a discovery yesterday when I was putting my contacts in.  I went the whole week with just using my glasses to spice things up a bit and then Sunday, I popped in my eyeballs and I looked in the mirror and and discovered my eyes are huge!!  Why didn't anyone tell me!?!  It's probably because I forget I'm a foreigner and I think I look like everyone else..but alas, I don't have small eyes.  As to the tangle comment in the title, longer hair=tangles....so sad. 

Well, this was the last few days with my beloved Blu.  We had so much food!  Members fed us every chance they got.  We went and saw some fancy autumn leaves (Oh my, it's almost Christmas!). Brother Swasey took us out there and it was like taking a drive with your dad.  He really is like a dad.  He made puns about the things we saw and jokes about bowel movements....it might not sound fantastic but we were laughing pretty hard on the way home.  He even bought us ice cream! Yum!

Food schedule last week was:
Monday-Ice cream with Swasey, dinner and Tim-tam-slam with the Maeda family.

Tuesday- sushi and shabushabu with Matsumoto couple and Chinese with Asami,                                                                       Wednesday-lunch at Tomato and Onion (a restaurant) with Kameya Shimai, and thenndinner with Swaseys. Oh my I'm so stuffed! 

Tuesday our eikaiwa class was huge!  I'm not entirely sure why but Sister Ito brought her four daughters who brought boys with them and then a new student and Omae Kyodai and Asami.  It was wonderful!  Then Ito Shimai surprised us and brought out banana brownies! Oh, those were delicious!!! 

Wednesday night we were given a ride by Brother and Sister Swasey to Yonago (we had to stay the night there for transfers) and when we got to the Yonago Shimai apartment they weren't home yet so Swasey Kyodai was like, well, I'm hungry are you? So he took us out.  It felt kinda like a little family.  He and I made fun of Blu Shimai and we were just dying of laughter. 

Thursday morning, I walked my dear sister to the bus stop. I was still in my pjs, green shorts colorful socks, plaid blue shirt...I was a sight.   As she stepped on the bus, she shouted, "Mohana you ugly, I love you!" I died!  I was laughing so hard! Right as the bus door shut I held my invisible gun and shot and she pretended to fall and every old lady on the bus was so confused! Man we had some fun!

Later that day I waited at the station for my new companion, Sister Laxton! She is so cute!  Very different from my last companion but just as amazing! She is from North Carolina and this is her fourth transfer!  I'm pretty sure that she thinks I'm a giant weirdo.  Like, she is so sweet and I am so strange.  I'm definitely the brownie with nuts in this relationship.  But we have seen already so many miracles! Like a Pi (potential investigator) that we haven't been able to meet suddenly was home and we gave her a Book of Mormon! Her name is Gloria pray for her! 

Then we had a weird encounter with a bald guy who had tape all over his house and tape all over his motorcycle and his boots...and he was talking to us about children and babies....I was so confused. 

We also met a woman out side of her house and we started talking about the Restoration which she though was nice but obviously not too interested, but we started just chatting and turns out her mother past way a month prior and so we talked about how through Jesus Christ we can over come death.  We testified that God is our Father in Heaven and he gave us Jesus Christ. That seemed to hit her a little more and you could see the spirit start to tinker at her.  She couldn't talk longer but it was way cool to meet her. 

Sunday was good.  I love the members so much!  Also Hayase got to bless the sacrament this week!! Ahh!  He's our recent convert, and he said the prayer so pretty and clean and you could tell that he practiced!  And then!  Franco was given the Aaronic priesthood!  It was so awesome!  Yay!!!!  Now he can pass the sacrament!  As usual,  before church we met with our Ward Mission Leader, Brother Swasey.  He loves the gospel so much!  He likes to tell us (more like teach us) things about it all.  What we learned this last week was really cool so I'm going to share.   (If you don't know the story, pull out your Book of Mormon and go to page 490).

Jared. Or really the Brother of Jared. Cool guy right? Well what happened?

16 And the Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water.

He built those barges according to God's instructions, and he was obedient and built them exactly the way they needed to be built.  God gave him instructions, but when they were finished, the Brother of Jared told the Lord that he had done all that he had said but there was still no light and where would they get air?  If it was the Lord's instructions, then why were there still problems? Couldn't the Lord just tell them how to do it all?  And the brother of Jared must have known that there were mistakes in the blue prints but what did he do? He built it anyway! He was obedient and even though he saw the problems he never tried to fix what he thought needed to be fixed, he continued to be obedient.

Well the Lord answered one of his questions:

20 Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.

So now they have air! Wo! (See picture below.) but now what? 

22 And he cried again unto the Lord saying: O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?

23 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire. 

24 For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

25 And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea? 

So why does the Lord give him the answer to one problem but not the other? Well let's first ask another question: what does air symbolize? It is a symbol of Life. 

We, children of God, are entitled to life. This is something that God gives to us freely, we need not do anything to earn it, the right to live is divinely ours.

In verses 24 and 25, the Lord speaks of the ocean and the storms and the floods which will come. 'I will send them but what will you do if you have no light?' Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?  In our lives how many storms do we under go? How many times do we go under and are swallowed up in the depths of the sea? 

So what does the Brother of Jared do? He goes and finds some stones and brings them to the Lord. But not just any old rocks. Ether 3.1    (He) did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord. 

He has prepared these stones.  What does a rock usually represent in the scriptures? (I'm asking a lot of questions but it's hard to hear your answers so I'll tell you)  It usually means the Gospel. This isn't something that is just gifted to us. We need to work out our rocks so that when we bring them to the Lord it can give us light!  We learn the gospel, some are born into it and some are not, but we learn and come to understand.  But nothing comes out of learning the gospel if we, for ourselves, don't turn to the Lord and ask for ourselves, "Is this true?" The rocks in this story are the spiritual life or light that Brother of Jared and his people needed to cross the ocean of life, to get to the promised land (God's Kingdom). We need our own spiritual life and light to survive and pass through life. This isn't something that we can just ask from God and he gives us the answer.  We must work out our rocks, we must polish them and be ready for when we receive that testimony from the Spirit.  Without our physical life and our spiritual light we cannot return to our 'promised land' or the kingdom of God. 

I probably didn't say it that well but yeah, I love the Brother of Jared so much more now! 

My dear loved ones, turn to Christ!  He is the way, he is the Light! This Christmas is Light up the world with the light of Christ campaign by the church if you don't know about it yet go here! 

https://www.lds.org/church/news/church-encourages-small-and-simple-acts-on-worldwide-day-of-service?lang=eng&_r=1&cid=HP_FR_11-11-2016_dWEL_fEVT_xLIDyL2-1_ 

There is more information on it coming out on November 25th.

Also I forgot that Thanksgiving existed....we'll have fun over here in Japan, it's been Christmas since Halloween! Woah! 

I love you all so much! Please remember you are amazing simply because you are a child of the supreme being, who is Father to us all! 

Love, Oswald Shimai 

NOVEMBER 14, 2016 - OH PANTS!

Franco's Baptism! ( Franco- far right)

Kurayoshi Coast

Dearest (-insert your name here-),

This week has been an interesting one. Where to begin...probably from the beginning.  Maybe.  MONDay, FIRST OFF, IF YOU ARE WONDERING WHY THIS IS ALL IN CAPS....wait i fixed it...Japanese keyboards...also I'm typing this on the computer because sometimes you miss key boards but they go rogue and decide to freak out in Caps Lock.....I was also too lazy to backspace apparently. 

Okay, so back to Monday, we met with a less active named Kei.  She is so not supposed to be in Japan.  She went to BYU for a little bit and all she wants to do is go back.  We met with her and brought chocolate and cookies because she seemed to really be having a hard time with work, being sick and being `japanese` yes, it's stressful.  So, we talked and it was a mix of Japanglish and she was telling us about how she didn't want to use Jesus' name in vain.  So she tried to say "Oh Jeans!" but she said, "Man, that's too close" and changed jeans to PANTS.   It was so funny when she said it.  That has become our word of the week. 

Every Tuesday for the last three weeks, rain!.... we usually go to the old folks home and play cards which was fun but they all seemed tired and there was one old man who joined us this last week that sounded as if he had a bunch of grease suck in his wind pipe making him cough and gargle like a old engine...it..startled me.  Later that night we had eikaiwa and Omae Kyodai brought me Nato because he thought it would be funny..(Nato is fermented beans...and they smell, I can eat them but not by my own free will or choice) and then he whipped out like 6 bars of dark chocolate.  He is a very interesting man.

Wednesday, it was so windy!!  Where did we even go?!  I don't remember except the fact that we found someone housing!! WOAH! SAY WHAAA?! Yeah. Her name is Hasegawa and she just had a baby and when we knocked on her door she told us she is interested in God, The Bible and going to church...ahhhhh!!! So cool!  We were able to give her a Book of Mormon. She was so cool!   She had "Hope" tattooed on her fingers and a bright neon pink statue of a dog.  PLEASE PRAY fOR HER! 

Me and Sister Blomquist aka Blu

 Thursday was pack day.  For those who don't know, my lovely companion is leaving and returning back to America!  Man, Blue and I have lived like 4 years together with in these six weeks.   It's been too fast and at the same time felt like forever.  Our "doryo ichi" (apparently in English this translates to companionship unity) is so through the roof that we have come up with a code word every time so we don't take like 10 minutes to react about it's awesomeness.  That word, really two words, are Shiny Peaches....I seriously have no idea where that came from, but for the last 3 and a half weeks we have used it.  Even just now I turned to Blue and said "I'm writing about shiny peaches" "Hey, I am too!" she replies.  Man, I love this girl!  She just said the nicest thing to me!  "You're like one of my favorite people ever!"  AHHH! SO HAPPY!   I wish I could just tell you all in person why this is so fantastic but because of my lack of ability to type quickly it will have to wait.  She is my Hawkeye, and I am her B.J.  She is my Blue and I am her Oz and over all I am the Shiny peach! 

(this last paragraph probably didn't make to much sense...gomenkudasai) 

Friday we actually had district meeting together that was cool. 

SATURDAY! We did SERVICE!   It lasted from like 8:30 to 3 pm.  It was way long but way cool.   Us and a few other members came and we all wore the Helping Hands 

Guess what we did today?... wore pants... and filled sand bags!

Jerseys and it felt so awesome to do service!  We met some really cool people and a guy from New York.  His name is Sunday!  He was really cool and our members were right on top of fellowshiping him right then and there.  Unfortunately he lives in the prefecture over so we couldn't meet even if we wanted to so I gave him a mormon.org card.  yay!  Miracles!  

We then we went out the rest if the day and ended our day with visiting Omae Kyodai.  We showed him the conference talk,  "The Master Healer".  (See text below). Wow.  That was so cool. As we watched he leaned in close and he was so focused in.  When it was over he immediately turned to me and said, "I understand! okay, well not all of it but I understand.  When I had the accident (he has some sort of head injury from before but I don't know exactly) I forgot a lot but now I understand just a little more about the Atonement." I was grinning ear to ear.  We testified of Jesus Christ how he is our Savior!  The spirit was so strong.  He then prayed to end and gave the most beautiful prayer, speaking of how he was grateful for the gospel and that he could become Mormon and such!  He seriously is one of my favorite people. He's like our crazy uncle, he's like my brother! 

Sunday we had our minds blown away by Brother Swasy and his deep doctrinal discussions.  We talked about other worlds and wheels and Cheribums...oh my....I was going to try to explain something that I learned, but realized that takes too much effort..over all, obey the Word of Wisdom, it isn't just for our health.  

Blu gave her last testimony in church and we cried!  AH! Later we met with Sonia and taught about the plan of salvation and then invited her to be Baptized.  She said she didn't think she was ready....she is so close though...please pray for her my friends and family!  Pray that she will be able to feel the spirit testify to her of the truth of the gospel!!

and that's my week.....

The Good Fight

 8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

I love this scripture.  Sometimes our weeks aren't as exciting or I just am lame at writing about it but I do know that with each week I find something more that I love about this gospel.  I often find myself turning to my companion telling her how much I love Jesus and what he has done for us.  I know he is my Savior and I will serve him forever.  I love you all! 

Love, 

The Wizard of OZ,  Sister Oswald

Me sending my comp home, when you complete you mission, you "die."
It's a mish thing. 

The Master Healer by Carole M. Stephens

One of my most rewarding opportunities is to travel—to learn from my sisters throughout the world. There’s nothing like being arm in arm, face to face, and heart to heart with you.

During one such experience, a Relief Society leader asked, “Is there something specific that women should focus on?”

I answered, “Yes!” as President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “A Plea to My Sisters” entered my mind. President Nelson taught, “We need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ.”1

Nephi described the doctrine of Christ this way:

“For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. …

“And now … I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

“Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end,behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

“… This is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ.”2

Why do we need a bedrock understanding of these principles?

I often meet Latter-day Saint women who are desperate for help, yet they do not turn to the One who can provide everlasting help. Too often they seek for understanding by searching “the great and spacious building.”3

As we increase our understanding of the doctrine of Christ, we soon discover that we are developing a deeper understanding of “the great plan of happiness.”4 We also recognize that our Savior, Jesus Christ, is at the very heart of the plan.

When we learn how to apply the doctrine of Christ to our individual circumstances, our love for our Savior grows. And we recognize “that regardless of perceived differences, all of us are in need of the same infinite Atonement.”5 We realize that He is our foundation—“the rock of our Redeemer, … a sure foundation … whereon if [we] build [we] cannot fall.”6

How can this doctrine bless us as we seek peace and understanding and strive to endure joyfully in our unique mortal journeys?

May I suggest that we begin, as Nephi says, “with unshaken faith in [Christ], relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.”7 Our faith in Jesus Christ enables us to meet any challenge.

We, in fact, often find our faith deepened and our relationship with Heavenly Father and His Son refined in adversity. Let me share three examples.

First, the Savior, the Master Healer, has the power to change our hearts and give us permanent relief from the sorrow caused by our own sin. When the Savior taught the Samaritan woman at the well, He knew about her serious sins. However, “the Lord looketh on the heart,”8 and He knew she had a teachable heart.

When the woman came to the well, Jesus—the embodiment of living water—said simply, “Give me to drink.” Our Savior will likewise speak to us in a voice we recognize when we come to Him—for He knows us. He meets us where we are. And because of who He is and what He has done for us, He understands. Because He has experienced our pain, He can give us living water when we seek it. He taught this to the Samaritan woman when He said, “If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” Finally understanding, the woman responded in faith and asked, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not.”

After the Samaritan woman had this experience with the Savior, she “left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

“Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”

She had received a witness—she had begun to partake of the living water—and she desired to witness of His divinity to others.9

When we come to Him with humble and teachable hearts—even if our hearts are heavy with mistakes, sins, and transgressions—He can change us, “for he is mighty to save.”10 And with hearts changed, we can, like the Samaritan woman, go into our own cities—our homes, schools, and workplaces—to witness of Him.

Second, the Master Healer can comfort and strengthen us when we experience pain because of the unrighteous actions of others. I have had many conversations with women weighed down under heavy burdens. Their covenant path from the temple has become a difficult journey of healing. They suffer from broken covenants, broken hearts, and lost confidence. Many are victims of adultery and verbal, sexual, and emotional abuse, often as the result of other people’s addictions.

These experiences, though no fault of their own, have left many feeling guilty and ashamed. Not understanding how to manage the powerful emotions they experience, many try to bury them, pushing them deeper into themselves.

Hope and healing are not found in the dark abyss of secrecy but in the light and love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.11 Elder Richard G. Scott counseled: “If you are free [from] serious sin yourself, don’t suffer needlessly the consequences of another’s sins. … You can feel compassion. … Yet you should not take upon yourself a feeling of responsibility. … When you have done what is reasonable to help one you love, lay the burden at the feet of the Savior. … As you so act, not only will you find peace but will demonstrate your faith in the power of the Savior to lift the burden of sin from a loved one through his repentance and obedience.”

He continued: “Complete healing will come through your faith in Jesus Christ and His power and capacity, through His Atonement, to heal the scars of that which is unjust and undeserved.”12

If you find yourself in this situation, sisters, healing may be a long process. It will require that you prayerfully seek guidance and appropriate help, including counseling with properly ordained priesthood holders. As you learn to communicate openly, set appropriate boundaries and perhaps seek professional counseling. Maintaining spiritual health throughout the process is vital! Remember your divine identity: you are a beloved daughter of Heavenly Parents. Trust your Father’s eternal plan for you. Continue daily to increase your understanding of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Exercise faith each day to drink deeply from the Savior’s well of living water. Rely on the endowment of power made available to each of us through ordinances and covenants. And allow the healing power of the Savior and His Atonement into your life.

Third, the Master Healer can comfort and sustain us as we experience painful “realities of mortality,”13 such as disaster, mental illness, disease, chronic pain, and death. I have recently become acquainted with a remarkable young woman named Josie who suffers from bipolar disorder. Here is just a little of her journey toward healing as she shared it with me:

“The worst of the darkness occurs on what my family and I have deemed ‘floor days.’ It begins with sensory overload and acute sensitivity and resistance to any type of sound, touch, or light. It is the apex of mental anguish. There is one day in particular that I will never forget.

“It was early in the journey, making the experience especially frightening. I can remember sobbing, tears racing down my face as I gasped for air. But even such intense suffering paled in comparison to the pain that followed as I observed panic overwhelm my mother, so desperate to help me.

“With my broken mind came her broken heart. But little did we know that despite the deepening darkness, we were just moments away from experiencing a mighty miracle.

“As a long hour continued, my mom whispered over and over and over again, ‘I would do anything to take this from you.’

“Meanwhile, the darkness intensified, and when I was convinced I could take no more, just then something marvelous occurred.

“A transcendent and wonderful power suddenly overtook my body. Then, with a ‘strength beyond my own,’14 I declared to my mom with great conviction seven life-changing words in response to her repeated desire to bear my pain. I said, ‘You don’t have to; Someone already has.’”

From the dark abyss of debilitating mental illness, Josie summoned the strength to testify of Jesus Christ and of His Atonement.

She was not healed completely that day, but she received the light of hope in a time of intense darkness. And today, supported by a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and refreshed daily by the Savior’s living water, Josie continues on her journey toward healing and exercises unshakable faith in the Master Healer. She helps others along the way. And she says, “When the darkness feels unremitting, I rely on the memory of His tender mercies. They serve as a guiding light as I navigate through hard times.”15

Sisters, I testify that—

You don’t have to continue to carry the burden of sorrow caused by sin—alone.

You don’t have to carry the pain caused by the unrighteous actions of others—alone.

You don’t have to experience the painful realities of mortality—alone.

The Savior pleads:

“Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

“… If ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come … will I receive.”16

“[He] would do anything to take this from you.” In fact, “[He] already has.” In the name of Jesus Christ, the Master Healer, amen.

NOVEMBER 6, 2016 - WHEN LESS ACTIVES ARE ACTUALLY GORILLAS AND RECENT CONVERTS ARE BOSSES AT KEEPING THEIR COVENANTS

Say whaaaat?

Yes, so this week was very interesting! Monday was my comps birthday and we had fun doing nothing :) Really it was nice to relax and do nothing for once.  Tuesday was also pretty good but it rained and it was so flippin' cold....I was soaked and I was lucky I didn't get a cold, woah! Miracle!  

Wednesday was awesome!  We taught so many lessons and finally met with this investigator who is actually Japanese! And actually has interest!!  Her name is Irizawa San and she is this cute old lady and when I first met her she hugged me first!  What? (As a note, this NEVER happens because Japanese are so awkward when they hug).   And she was so genki! We taught the rest of the Restoration and focused on the Book of Mormon.  She, by the end, asked if she could have it to read!  Wow, that was awesome!  And the spirit was so strong.  She told us that she has grown up her whole life in a Buddhist temple but never once actually believed in any of it.  It felt empty.  She said that when she is with us she feels closer to God then she ever has in her whole life!  

We gave a soft baptismal invite, "If you come to find that this book is true, would you be baptized?" She said sure but she is worried about how her family might react so please keep her in your prayers so that nothing will prevent her from accepting the gospel!!! Ahhh! An amazing miracle to add to the week!  And when she left she told us that she loved us, which in English doesn't sound like a big deal but in Japanese there are levels of 'I love/like you," and she gave us one of the more meaningful I love yous! 💜

Thursday we got up before the crack of dawn to catch our 6:12 a.m. bus to make it to Okayama for a kokon (companion exchange). Woah! We did some service for a member and her mom and man.....it was gross.  It was really gross.  It hadn't been cleaned in what looked like years and they have three cats....it was gross.  But the members are the sweetest and it felt good to help them out. 

Later we taught English class and I talked to this guy who had no emotion but as a part of the advanced class we just talk in English.  It was...,awkward. Haha 😇 ohhhh I almost forgot I saw a member from one of my old areas, Ta chan!!  Ahhh!  I wanted to hug him so bad!  He is our flower child/recent convert!  Gosh I love him so much!  We both just freaked out when we saw each other!

Friday was ZTM, and we learned about our Christmas campaign for the next transfers. Exciting!  We then took our bus which there are only two buses to our area so we had to wait for a few hours before hand and didn't get home till like 8:30.  I know exciting right.  But we were out of our area for two days which made Saturday super busy!

Okay so we woke up expecting to go and do service for a member but because of circumstances it ended up getting canceled.  He called us on the phone and told us that he feels so stressed and that he might not come to church on Sunday. ☹️ So we continued study and then Franco called us and invited us to his party for a friends birthday at his house and we asked if we could bring this brother with us and he said yes, of course :) So we brought him along (and note this was a great opportunity to teach his friends) and it really helped and uplifted Brother Kameya :)  

When we walked in though my companion and I immediately locked our eyes on the several bottles of sake (alcohol) in my mind I was shouting (😖😫😩😰😨😱😱😱😱😱NOOOOOOOOOOO) HE HAS ONLY BEEN BAPTIZED BUT NOT CONFIRMED YET NOOOO! Yeah, so that was nerve racking until Franco's boss, already a little tipsy was like, "Here I'm your boss, just have one..." And Franco smiled politely and kindly declined.  His boss with a more than confused face asked, "What? Why? It's special!" Franco stood his ground and said, I will never drink again.  In that moment I felt like a proud parent seeing their child stand up to the bully on the playground! Ahhhh so happy!! I was giddy with excitement!  We talked later and he says I love God so much! I want to learn more about God.  He is solid!  So happy!  

Later we went and visited Sonia and she is progressing in the gospel :) she is already
planning on meeting with us through Christmas and is planning our next visit instead of us doing so! :) So many miracles!
 
By far my favorite part of Saturday was when we visited Omae Kyodai.  It was around 7:30 at night and his house is behind his tire shop.  He comes down and lets us in and we sit on the floor near the front door.  This is how it is in Japan, always on the floor. Sometimes I try to imagine American missionaries if they sat on the floor with us in our house and how awkward they would feel.  I'm gonna make then do it when I get home.  Anyway, were siting on the floor in front of a space heater just talking and Blu got a phone call so she answered it while I talked to brother Omae.  I asked him how his day was. "It was busy, busy busy!" He continued to repeat and it rumbled into a roar and he began to pound his chest like a crazed gorilla!  When he stopped he just kinda gave me this look of...yes I know I'm insane what are you going to do about it? We both ended up bursting into laughter and when Blu got off the phone she was so confused.  We had a great lesson as well.

Sunday we had lots of blessings! Franco got the Holy Ghost and Brother Anderson blessed his new baby girl Ririka.  So cute.  That's a thing in Japan. Whenever there is a baby it eventually makes its way being passed all around the room.  At the beginning of the meeting she is with her parents and then next she's in the front in the Stake Councilors hands :) Yup.  I also taught Ko Kun how to dance, he is like 9 and such a cutie, he loves church and is our best fellowshipper!

On another note, my companion goes home soon and I'm having stress dreams about packing...sigh.

Guys I don't think you realized how many miracles happened!  It's amazing!

I love you all!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Sister Madeline Oswald 💎💎💜💜💎💎⚔⚔⚔🌊🌊🏯🦁

OCTOBER 30, 2016 - LALALA...SINGING JOY TO THE WORLD!

AaaaaaaaaaHHHHHh!?!?!!!! Oh, okay...just another aftershock.  Seriously we have had so many aftershocks it's ridiculous.  None of them are too serious but you never know if it will be another big one.  As we have
traveled through-out the week, we see houses with a lot of roofs missing or giant cracks in the side.  Older houses are way off limits because they may fall at any moment with another quake.  Parts of side walks are sunken in or shooting upwards. We will be housing or in the church and the world will just shake for a moment then it goes back to normal and everyone keeps going like nothing's happened.  We have gotten a little too comfortable with them. The tremors mostly come at night which is odd and for a while would wake us up in the night.  It's a little scary but way fun😅😆because we don't have access to the inter-webs or news, not sure when it's supposed to stop but according to a member there is one more big one that is supposed to hit us, it's a matter of when...ahhhhh!

So in Japan they have a speaker system to get information to people quickly so all around there are giant poles with speakers on them that broadcast what city hall needs to tell the city.  Most of the time I can't understand a word that it's saying because it's radio Japanese. Yay!

On Thursday our planning day, we made a sweet potato pie for Halloween party! Man it was so good! It tasted like pumpkin pie, and I cooked it in a microwave! #ovensdontexistinjapan.  My comp totally made pie crust out of cookies and it some how worked because we had no idea what we were doing.  I'm pretty sure Heavenly Father touched this pie with heavenly goodness.

So Friday was a interesting day :) we actually had real district meeting!  But instead of it being in the morning we had it later so we got a doseki and then our district leader could interview Franco for baptism!  We had Jheff Skype in to translate.  We were supposed to do the interview at 6 but it was 6:15 and he is usually 15 minutes early!  Ahhh no! FRANCO! Finally we got a hold of him and he said his boss kept him at work and hour and wouldn't let him leave! Ahhh! Noooo! NO SATAN! Eventually though he was able to come. He hurried over as fast as he could so he was still in his work uniform. He did the interview and......he passed!!!! Now he can be baptized on Sunday!!!! What a great way to end the day!

Saturday was so cold. So bitterly cold. We had another quake but it was ranked a 3? Whatever that means, it felt like another aftershock to me though.  Later we visited one of my favorite lesser active people, Omae Kyodai.  At eikaiwa earlier in the week I went to shake his hand but moved it before he could get hold of it and (mind you
he's like 68) he was like,"Waahhh! You got me!" And proceeded to fall on his knees shaking his fists in the air....it was like straight out of a movie.  I laughed so hard, now he doesn't trust me heehee) but he is awesome. Later we had the Halloween party and it was awesome! So many people came! I love how members dress up here! I felt out of place though because we didn't have time to dress up...so sad, but our branch president was the joker, we had a Mary poppins, a Harry Potter and more.  It was way fun!

SUNDAY IS THE DAY! We had Franco's baptism after church. Jheff and Larsen Shimai (she served in this area before me) skyped in. The baptism went great!  Franco right before he met the missionaries, prayed to God to find this church, and went outside and started walking, then Larsen and Blomquist found him and invited him to come to church!  It was amazing! We sang I feel my Savior's love as the musical number and every time I sing it Ahhh my heart is so full of joy! Anyway then we proceeded to the baptism which actually is in a
giant tub, but water is water.  After he was baptized he told us that he felt like he had wings, that he could fly! I told him then that he was clean and he said "Yes, my sins are washed away!" Ahhh!!! So happy! So so so! Happy! The church is true! I love this gospel!

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have
eternal life--

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit
more abundantly upon you?

11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.

13 And when he had said these words, the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit
of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of the world.


Love you all!
Sister Oswald