DECEMBER 27, 2015

So first off I can't believe how many people actually read my blog...kinda feel like I need to up my writing game slash write about more interesting things...well anyway thank you to all who wrote on a crane for me.  I absolutely loved them.  Each one meant so much to me.  I'm in the process of re-folding them because they look better as cranes.  To those who wonder about Christmas in Japan, it's as said by a crane I received, "fustu no hi" or a normal day.  Not much celebrating but it's okay because as missionaries we shout it everywhere we go!

Anywho, Monday was good.

And Tuesday was good. Taught some good lessons, but nothing too exciting other than it was flipping freezing.

Wednesday was the missionary Christmas meeting.  It was so much fun!  We took the train (google maps literally saves me otherwise I would be so turned around in a station) (also my comp helps) and when we got to the church in Abeno we changed and we all played dodge ball.  Way in tense! T his one elder...okay there were a lot of them and they all did funny things and are loud and such but anyway this one was moving around like, can't touch this, can't touch this, and he kinda slouched and his face was like an animal ready to pounce for prey....he was a little too intense.

After dodge ball, which I'm a beast at by the way because I was the last one in and won!  Woooo...okay gloating over, but afterwards we changed and had lunch which was.....BURRITOS!!! Actual refried beans and beef and cheese and chips and salsa!  Oh so good and tortillas weren't have bad either! I had three. Ma (you can google this Japanese word), afterwards it was the music/skit numbers.  My comp played the piano and there were a bunch of amazing people who sang or played piano or violin.  There was one elder who played and told us I don't have a name for this song yet but someone shout out a word and someone said bacon.  This song that he wrote was amazing!!!  Like intricate and awesome. I only wish I got a video of it because man it was good!   I actually sang too! I played ukulele and sang Oh come Emmanuel.  After I sang some elders and sisters did this game so thing and they called me up to participate.   Four of us had to each eat a cream puff.  Simple enough, but one of them had wasabi in it....guess who got it...yup...me. But I kinda just swallowed it and didn't let it linger.  So the point was for the audience to guess who got the wasabi.  And when they asked who they thought got it they were way confused when I raised my hand.  I got the respect of most the elders and nihongin haha.

Christmas Eve!  We went down to Sanjo where there is this big outside mall and us and the elders went and got Shakeys, an all you can eat pizza place!  Afterwards we walked around and talked to people about Christmas.  We were having lots of fun and afterwards we got a call from Sam, Mission leader, who is also a college student, saying he's hanging out with possible investigators and asked if we wanted to go get dinner.  I feel like from Wednesday on there was a lot of eating out. Well we went.  Let me tell you about Miss. Misato. She's way nice, the elder’s
investigator’s girlfriend.    When elders call you about kimonos and has read about 200 pages into the BOM! What?? Yeah, she's awesome!  Very out-going and doesn't act reserved like most Japanese.  She's learning English and she'll ask me questions.  She and I are like best friends now :D   Now we need to get her knowing about the gospel! So after dinner we went to the church and played ping pong with her and some other members, elders, and gators.  It wasn't a traditional Christmas Eve, but it was way FUN!

Christmas was Fantastic! I got up and made us a delicious Christmas breakfast because a wonderful soul gave us real bacon from Costco!  We had a good district meeting by playing cat and chocolate a game for us to learn new words in Japanese. Then I got to Skype my wonderful family!  I loved being able to actually speak!  Gosh I just wish it was longer or at least in person!  Ah well it's all good.  It's probably good that it was short, then I can focus...I was a ball of emotion afterwards though, so to make my "feelings" less "feely" we went to an amazing Thai food restaurant, which also was a buffet!  Fried bananas, pumpkin cake, mango spicy salad dressing!  Fried tofu!  Deliciousness all around!  There was a bunch of us that went, members who are students and missionaries. Gen, if you remember is this kid from China that was recently baptized, he asked us to go down to Adashiyama a cool shop area to help him talk to a girl...oh man.  He told us we could dendo on the way so we agreed because we actually had nothing else for Christmas. So us, Elder Goff and Gosney, and Gen rode our bikes an hour to help him get a date.  Before we left he said I got her an ear ring. And I was way confused and he's like will you wrap it?  And he hands me a box and some old paper from the recycle bin...I sigh and help.  At the store where the girl works Elder Goff and I discovered why Gen sucks at getting dates and such...cause he's way Creepy!!   His creep level was way too high.....we kept telling him to calm down and give her some space and to not go back to the shop for a fourth time.....

Wow this is long, gomen.

Well over all on Christmas we shouted to people Merry Christmas and made people smile!!

The day after Christmas was also fun and food filled.  We investigators and members and missionaries, went to yakiniku, were you grill your meet at the table.  Misato and I sat together and we already have plans to go snowboarding, rock climbing, and hang out in Disney world!   We were all having too much fun, because then it was nine and we were still like 30 mins away from home.....there was lots of running in the street, running to the train, having the Australian (Elder Gosney), tell us in his best Gandalf voice, show me the meaning of haste.  Ma....we got home late......Note to self, don't let Sam or the elders plan things. Because we were running, and I'm sick and it was cold, I lost my voice.  It was the best.

The next day was....Sunday and....GI's baptism!!! The chorotachi's investigator got baptized yesterday morning and it was awesome!!!   Gi is righteousness in Japanese and he seriously is that! They met this guy less than a month ago! When he bore his testimony yesterday you could hear the love and appreciation in his voice for Jesus Christ!  He always is serving us, giving us gifts.  I'm so happy for him.  We gave him a hymn book and he was so happy because he loves the hymns so much!  I watched him as he held the small green book tightly during sacrament meeting.  It was so happy making.  During his baptism service though the chorotachi came up to us (while gi was changing) and asked can you sing and do a music performance?  Leave it to them to forget that part of the service. Hirota Kyodai saved our butts though, he gathered people to sing with us and Makin Shimai to play the piano.  There has been a lot of YOLO in shimogamo this week.

We went also to the Mizoguchi house last night too. It's up this huge hill and we had to bike it. I made it almost the whole way till it got to steep!!  I almost beat Gosney up too!! But then he passed me and then later came back and tried to ride my bike the rest of the way up...he's also 6 feet 4 inches on my tiny bike. It was dark cold and we're all hot from the work out.  We get inside and there was food...have I mentioned I love food.  At the Mizoguchis they have what's called a gishiki or a special secret ceremony for new missionaries. They handed me a hymn book and told me to pick a song to sing in Japanese.  I sang I stand all amazed.  As I sang the words, the sound was sucked out of the room. I could feel the power in these words.  In English it says, I stand all amazed, at the love Jesus offers me. Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me,  I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, That for me, a sinner, he suffered he bled and died. Oh it is wonderful that he should care for me, enough to die for me, oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

It truly is wonderful to me.  I know that life is full of our mistakes and full of things we can't control but that’s okay. This week an elder told me that Christ and his grace isn't just when we get to a certain point and he makes up the rest. His grace, his love, his devotion to us is because he paid for all of it.  From the beginning to the end of our mortal life.  As I have seen in so many, a pattern for becoming more than we are, more than just mere humans is that we first spiral down to our lowest point where ever that may be. We hit rock bottom, we feel overwhelmed, the adversary throwing every tactic and maneuver at you to get you to give in to him. But once you are there in that state, God still gives to you your choice to turn towards the darkness or reach for the light, however small it seems, reaching, grasping, running towards the light. Cling to it!  He is the light. It is in our lowest that we can see who we were before and what we want to become.  I know God cares for each and every one of us. He cares for you. He loves you.

Mom I know he loves you.
Dad I know he trusts you.
Emma I know he believes in you.
Liam I know he lives for you.

I love you will all my heart.

Always yours,
( Madeline ) Oswald Shimai