Temples and Nashi!

Hola!

This week has literally been insane. We have biked so much, it's crazy. We also taught about temples a ton this week! It was amazing!

Let's start with the beginning of the week. Earlier this week we found an investigator that Pourre Shimai dropped a few months ago because the missionaries could never contact her. Well, this week we were in the area so we decided to stop by and she was home! We were able to talk to her about a lot of different things, but the amazing thing was that she spoke Spanish and I was actually able to understand most of what she was saying and I was able to speak to her! It was the first time that I really felt like I was actively participating in a lesson and I was able to speak from the heart. I really felt like she was establishing a relationship with both up of us because we were both interacting with her. It was a real confidence boost and I can testify that the gift of tongues is real. None of the conversation could have happened if I didn't have the Spirit guiding me to say what I needed to say.

The next day we had exchanges again, but this time the Sister Training Leaders came to Oizumi, funny because neither of them speak Spanish or Portuguese. I was with Skster Wooley again, but this time I was leading and we had to walk. We visited Leia and had such a good lesson on the importance of church and always relying on God. Because we had to walk, we didn't have much time to visit anyone else (they were only in Oizumi for a few hours) but we did talk to some people on the street, including some Brazilians! I had to speak Portuguese to them and it actually went pretty well. Again, gift of tongues. It did help me realize that I know a lot more Portuguese than I think I do, so I shouldn't be afraid to try and use it.

On Thursday, Paulina left to go back home to Paraguay. It was a sad day, she's been such an amazing investigator and we hope that the missionaries in Paraguay find her and help her more. She was living with her daughter and two granddaughters, all of whom are members. Their family is so great, but we will miss Paulina. We didn't realize she was leaving so soon, we thought she wasn't leaving until later in September, so we weren't prepared. So sad :(

Then on Wednesday, one of the Elders' investigators wanted to make us dinner so we got a member and we're all ready to go over to his house, eat dinner, and have a great lesson. Then at the last second our member canceled on us. We started rushing around calling every one we knew but no one was answering. Well the investigator really wanted to feed us so he enlisted the Elders help and brought the food to the church. Luckily, while they were bringing the food, we were able to get Vivi to come and it was a great time. Vivi is amazing, she was a lifesaver and we were able to talk to her for the first time in a few weeks. She was one of the first investigators I met here in Oizumi, so she holds a special place in my heart.

On Thursday, I bought my first bag of Black Thunder. I know, I'm impressed too. I was able to hold off almost an entire transfer :) There aren't any other sisters in our district anymore (the Kumagaya sisters went home already) so we have no one to eat lunch with after District meeting, so we decided to get Black Thunder and Choco pies to treat ourselves. They were really good.

That same day we went and visited CK, a less-active. Usually we visit her on Wednesdays but she hasn't been home the last few weeks so we visited her on Thursday and it was so funny. We all started having mental crises because it was the first day of September and time went by too fast! I've been in Japan a whole month!! My trainer has been on her mission 6 months!!! It's so crazy! Where did the time go? It was pretty funny though because for a solid 10 min we were all just freaking out. Hahaha CK couldn't believe that it was almost Halloween, almost Christmas, almost 2017.

Now for the temple talk. This week we found a super good video that we showed to basically everyone, called "Our Potential, Our Privilege" and it's about how we are living below our privilege when we don't do everything God asks of us and how we have so much potential and he wants to give us so much happiness. Anyways, we would show this video and pictures of different rooms in the Sapporo Temple (the baptistry, sealing rooms, and celestial room) and talk about how our goal is to go to the temple and receive all the blessings there. Everyone loved it and they loved how beautiful the temple is. Everyone has the ability to one day go to the temple. Only members who are living the commandments can enter the temple, but everyone has the potential to become a person that can enter the temple and receive the blessings there.

Remember Vivi? Well we taught this lesson to her and her husband and it was so amazing because they couldn't take their eyes off the pictures of the temple. The temple is so special, I love teaching about it because it is such a sacred, special place. In the temple, we can feel so close to God, we can feel his love so strongly, and it is an amazing feeling.

Then there was Sunday. None of our investigators came to church, but that didn't make it a bad day. A couple who lives an hour away by bike came to church! They are members and apparently they were baptized in Elder Miller's last area, and it was so amazing that they came so far to come to church. Another less active and his family also came and they were so great! His wife isn't a member so we are going to start teaching her. Then after church, Graciela (a member) came with us to teach Luiz and Lillian. It was a last minute change in plans because Graciela's husband couldn't pick her up until 8, so we invited her to come teach with us. It was so good, she was able to testify about everything and really relate to Luiz and his family. She got them to open up and talk a lot and I think she was really able to connect with them and help them see the blessings of the gospel. Our last minute lesson turned into a little miracle! It was so good, I'm so glad she was able to come teach with us.

Now for some funny things. This week I was finally able to go to Daiso, and it is crazy here in Japan. They have everything and it's all 100¥ or $1! Crazy cheap, but yeah, it's even crazier than the one by my high school. I want to go back and look more. We only had 5 minutes last week, but there is so much potential. Daiso is great, haha.

Another funny story, so we were talking to Teresa, one of the members we teach, and she asked us what our parents did for work. So I tried to explain in Spanish that my dad is a patent attorney and my mom works at a Spanish immersion school. It was really hard to explain and she kept cracking up. She has decided that my dad is a secret agent because he keeps all these secrets about inventions and she thinks it's hilarious about my mom because I think that she thinks that my mom works at an all Spanish school but she doesn't speak Spanish (partly true, but the school is a normal school, they just also teach Spanish to the school, so all the kids do still speak English). Haha, she couldn't stop laughing. It was so funny.

As for today, p-day, we went Nashi picking with our district. Nashi are basically Asian pears and here in Japan they are super good.

The train ride was super fun, and in Kumagaya Station I spotted the first Starbucks that I've seen on my whole mission. Crazy! Haha. We are McDonald's for lunch, nothing special sadly, but the fries were super good. They didn't have any crazy Japanese things for me to try, maybe next time.

Oh Nashi picking. It was so good. The Elders biked because they were starting exchanges with the Kumagaya Elders, but we took the bus. It took a little bit of time to find each other, but it was good. The first farm we went to didn't let us pick any so we bought some Nashi jelly and got directions to another farm (there were so many in the area). The farm we went to cost 500¥ ($5) to enter and then it was basically all you can eat. You picked the fruit and they had tables and knives for you to cut and eat it. This cute grandpa came over and talked to us, it was so fun. I ate 2.5 Nashi, they were so big. Sister Pourre could only eat 1.75 before she was sick. The Elders were on their fifth or sixth each when we had to leave. The Nashi was so good though, oh my goodness. They have Asian Pears at Costco back home, but these are bigger, juicier, and so much better. Elder Miller says Nashi is what he imagines the fruit of the Tree of Life to taste like.

We took so many pictures, it was so fun! Great District P-day, even though 1 set of Elders couldn't make it. I sent some pictures, but I'll send more next week with the grandpa. My District Leader, Elder Broadbear has those pictures, but I won't be able to get them until Thursday.

Well, that's all. Japan is amazing, it's hot, I'm still learning many languages, my brain still can't get any of them straight, but I'm loving it.


This is the general schedule, we modify things depending on who we need to visit for the day.

Schedule:
6:55 Wake up
7:00 Exercise (I usually do some sort of circuits, abs, arms, stretching)
7:30 Breakfast (toast, yogurt, granola, juice usually)
8:00 Get ready (I also write in my journal during this time for the previous day because I don't have time at night)
8:30 Personal Study
9:30 Companion Study
10:30 12 Week training for new missionaries (lots of District videos)
11:30 Language Study (I use Duolingo and we do some role plays in Portuguese)
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Begin Proselyting
 9:30 Be home unless we have a lesson, then we can be back by 10:00, we then do daily planning and recording everything that happened that day in Area Book
1035/10:40 Get ready for bed (I take 6 min showers now, I'm so fast)
11:00 Lights out, go to bed

The schedule is a little different in Oizumi. Normally you wake up at 6:30 and be in bed by 10:30, but we get up at 7:00 and go to bed at 11:00.

Church on Sunday's is 3:00-5:00.

Until next week!

ブラクラ姉妹
Black Shimai