Why I Love Urayasu

Konnichiwa!

No one was more surprised than me when President Nagano called us today and said that I was being transferred to Matsudo! That's insane! And I will be a Sister Training Leader, which basically means that I get to work with all the Sisters in the Matsudo zone and I am so excited! It is going to be so weird though. I love Urayasu so much! You have no idea how many times I wrote that I love Urayasu in my journal this week. There were so many things that happened this past week that just made me want to stay forever!!!!!!

Looking down from Skytree

The first thing was Aoi-chan! So on Tuesday we were going to meet her at the church, but there was some insane wind and rain so the trains were being really slow and she wasn't able to come (totally understandable). What completely made my day was that she called us and asked to have a lesson over the phone while she was waiting for the bus. We were able to start talking about the commandments. Then on Friday we were able to meet her in person and talk about Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. We were a little worried about this one because she has a job on Sundays, but she talked to her boss and she can come to church every week! She has a super strong desire to keep all the commandments and go to the temple. It really is amazing. She inspires and surprises me at every lesson. Her testimony has grown so so strong in such a short time, it has been a privilege to watch her grow. She came to Family Home Evening at the Anderson's last night and made friends with several ward members. I know that I am leaving her in good hands here and I look forward to hopefully coming back for her baptism in a few weeks!

Just Aoi alone is reason enough to want to stay forever. There are not enough words to describe how amazing she is. When we talk about missions, we often talk about finding our eternal friends, and I know that she was one of my eternal friends that I was sent here to find.

Another reason to never leave: the ward.

That same Tuesday, with the insane rain and wind, Sister Atkinson and I were just emailing and eating dinner while waiting to meet Aoi when we heard running footsteps. Turns out, one of the Young Women and her friend came to the church to get wifi because the rain and wind were crazy, and when they found the church unlocked (because we were there) they were able to come in and dry off a bit. They were completely soaked, so I'm glad we were there so that they could come in and get a little bit warmed up before going home. It was just a little thing, but the young woman made sure to shout "Hey Sister Black, we're leaving now" and it made my day. Just to know that you mean as much to the ward as they do to you. I don't think I ever learned all the names of the missionaries in my ward, but she remembered mine.

A pretty plum tree we found

Then on Saturday we had an Onjakusai (a music night) where the members and missionaries sang a lot of songs and put on a little show. It was way fun! The missionaries sang a beautiful version of "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" and the Spirit was so strong after we sang. I loved being with the ward, having fun, and feeling the Spirit together.

We also received these new manga flyers to hand out to people explaining who missionaries are. The Bishop wanted us to bring some to the church for members to see, and the members went crazy! Everyone took some to give to their friends because they are just so cute! This ward is amazing.

Besides these little things, the ward in general is amazing. I love the people here so much and I will really miss them. Urayasu has become a second home to me. But I will be back! I know it!

Third reason, the people.

Not just Aoi, not just the ward, but all the people that I've met here. The Mission School students are some of my favorite people! We started telling them about the Family History class we are having next week and one of the students freaked out because he didn't think that he could find his ancestor's names. It was so great! I am so excited for how Urayasu's Mission School is growing.

4th: The Missionaries

Every transfer, missionaries change. That's just the nature of missionary work. But I will miss them a lot.

Especially Sister Atkinson.

This week we almost left the phone at the church (a big no no since we have to call in to our District Leader every night to say we are safe, and if you don't the the District Leader has to come check on you) and she had to rest some more (YAY MORE STUDY TIME!!!!!!) and we went all the way to Nakano for follow-up training (so many memories of when I was there for my own follow-up training). I really will miss her. It was weird training my own doki, but she was an amazing companion and I will miss her a lot.

As you can see, Urayasu is the most amazing place ever. This might not have been the most organized email, but my thoughts are scattered all over, just like the things I need to pack.

I have learned a lot here, and I have grown a lot. This was my first Japanese area and in the 3 transfers I've been here, I've had 3 different companions, 1 went home, 2 just came from being home.

In Urayasu, I learned to be patient. I learned to show love to every single person, all the time, because when you show more love, you feel more love. I learned how to be a better teacher and how to apply lessons to people to help them see how the gospel can help their lives. I learned more about the importance of prayer and what a blessing it is to know that when I pray, Heavenly Father is listening, waiting to give me an answer to a question I haven't even asked yet.

There have been so many times when I have prayed to know what I need to do. It isn't always that I receive an answer right away, but I always know that Heavenly Father will answer me.

I love Urayasu so much and I will miss the amazing people here. I look forward to emailing you all from Matsudo next week!!!

ブラクラ姉妹
Black Shimai