Well we really did have a busy week. Taking trains everywhere, awkward encounters, singing, and dancing, late nights and food. So much food.
This week we were able to go get lunch with the closest to a young women member, and talk to her about going on a mission, together we got udon and she talked about how she really wanted to go! It was really exciting! I got to share with her why it is so amazing! She is so funny, her name is Nanami Yata. She loves to make jokes and is
super sarcastic. She likes making fun of English words, like the word 'hot' she keeps telling me, "no no no...hato," she's a cutie. We got her to come with us to Zone conference (which is a meeting about every 4 months or so (I actually don't know how far apart, things just happen and I go where they tell me to go) there is a meeting). There we heard from our mission president, about how to be better missionaries. So happy that she came!
At zone conference we heard from Welch Kaicho (president), and the APs (assistants to the president) and our Zone leaders and Sister training leaders. There was such a sweet spirit there, but it was so long!
Something that I over all really enjoyed was what the zone leaders shared with us. They talked about charity. Recently, like this whole week, the theme has been charity. In Japanese its 'jiai,' and the kanji is 慈愛, now I know what your thinking, wow that's great...but why are you showing me this? Well the first kanji is mercy and the second is love. Just think about that for a moment.... Okay moment up! In the Book of Mormon and in the Bible is says tIhat the pure love of Christ is charity. Christ's ultimate love for us is charity. He is constantly showering mercy on us and more than we can comprehend is his love for us! To have charity is to be like Christ, to have charity is to be merciful, to have charity is to love unconditionally.
I read this quote like hours before we had talked about this and found it really
interesting. "Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet." Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings;having patience with someone who has let us down;or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle
something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.
Charity is so important, there is a scripture in D&C 88:125 where it talks about a mantle of charity and how we will be made perfect as our Father (or given the opportunity to become just a little more like him) if we just wear it. A mantle in scripture language is also a cloak. Cloaks cover us from head to toe, they protect us and not only that, they keep us in a bond of "perfectness" or completeness and peace.
Before I had ordered us some new futons for our apartment and the Welchs brought them to the conference but we had no way to get them home so we had to wait till they could take us home to drop them off for us. Welch Kaicho had to do a last interview for Elder Weakley because it's his last transfer. (P.s. So sad, love Elder Weakley, he's a
good friend of mine! Also he and my companion make jokes about their names, Elder Weakley and Sister Dayley, lol).
While we waited we, Elder Brailsford and Elder Vui and I, on Monday had come up with a version of I'm a child of God. Elder Vui brought his ukulele and we all sang in a different language. Brailsford was Japanese, I was English and Vui sang in Samoan. I'll send the video. Yeah. Then afterwards we rode with president Welch and the APs and it was like riding with your parents home from some church event or something. It was nice, but we were late to eikaiwa...woops!
At eikaiwa, a student gave me these papers of Japanese slang and wrote on them saying, "copied by Terry, from Osaka Japan, please study Japanese kansai Ben (slang) so you can blend into society." It was super sweet of him! Also I have discovered that our English class is filled with a bunch of creepy but lovable old men....like all really sweet but all just a little off.
We got to finally meet with Shannon, but she is now going to China for a month so I don't know if I'll see her again so we taught her and talked about the Book of Mormon and I bore my testimony and the spirit was so strong! I told her that this Book of Mormon was true. That's about all I did well, also that Christ was our Savior but it was very simple and then we prayed together. We all kneeled together and afterwards when I finished praying Shannon just said "wow," I know she feels the spirit when she is with us.
Over the course of this week we have eaten so much food! Curry, nan, rice, so much food I don't have time to list it all! We were able to help Irie Kyodai with his English presentation for his new job which was really good! We had lots of laughs and more food.
Friday we had sushi and then we went to a family's house for Yokoo brothers birthday and there was many food there. Yes, me English is slowly dying.
Also we met with my favorite Fisher Shimai. She is so sweet, I felt a need to call her and when I did I asked if we could come over and when we did it's exactly what she needed. She's right now housing a couple that recently got married...3 weeks ago. It's their honeymoon....oh, so awkward. Monday we met them at her house as well and it was just an awkward feeling in the air. I won't say much more except that Fisher Shimai turned to me and asked, "Oswald Shimai, how do you treat just married couple?" And I laughed and said "I don't know," and she'slike ,"yaro!?" (Translates to "like right?") she said it so straight faced. She also feels awkward about it..,yay! Note to self: not coming back to my mission for my honeymoon!
Well I have one last thing to write about. Earlier today, while I was typing this lovely email I got a phone call. Do you remember Aki? This woman that I talked to on the train and she just freaked out and decided that we are best friends! I'm not complaining! She so sweet. Well I got a call from her today and said, "I want to meet you! Oh, also you're a missionary right? I want you to teach me about Jesus Christ. I really have interest!" Say what?!?! OHMYGOSH! She's so cute! She always calls me ozu chan! It's so cute :)
So yeah, miracles happen literally everyday of every moment.
I love you all, I hope that this week is amazing and if you don't think it will be remember happiness is a choice, but so is peace, and joy, and life.
I love you! I also love Jesus. Moments from this week:
Turning to Dayley Shimai randomly during study, "I love Jesus," I think I was almost crying when I said this too!
English student said this to describe a fruit, "banana is a type of mango," Elder Nakamura thought this was the funniest thing ever.
When guy at the drug store hits on you and your like, "I'm Jesus Christ's representative." 😇😅
Okay bye!
Oswald Shimai
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