Guess what? I transferred!

To a new apartment!!!! Yay!!

Eating Shabu Shabu which you cook in the pot while you eat

Don't worry, I'm still in Matsudo. I'm a little further away from the church, but closer to a 7/11 and to one of my favorite members, so it's all good.

This week was a week full of packing and more packing and then some unpacking.

Early in the week, Sister Nicholes was doing a lot of packing because she finished her mission this week. Because her stuff was everywhere it was a little hard for me to start packing up the rest of the apartment.

Saying goodbye to Nicholes Shimai

It was so sad saying goodbye to Sister Nicholes. We had a super last minute, last lesson with Kikuchi Shimai together just 2 hours before her train left and I think that was when it really hit both of us that she was going home. It was very different to be around Sister Nicholes when she ended her mission and Sister Chinain when she ended her mission. Both were hard, in very different ways. Sister Nicholes was hard because I was taking over a huge area, a huge ward, and training a new STL when I barely knew anything about the area, Ward, or being an STL. It really hit us that she was going home and it was so hard. We walked all the way to the station together. I had to go to Kamagaya to wait for Sister Shim to arrive so we got on trains going in opposite directions and waved goodbye as the doors close.

If that sounds sad, it's because it was.

It's hard to be with missionaries ending their missions because you know you won't see them until you finish your mission and that's scary to think about. I have passed my halfway mark, I'm in my 7th transfer and I now know that time goes by so fast on the mission. Before I know it I will be going home and I'm just not ready for that. There's so much more work that needs to be done! There's so much more good that I need to do! Whew. I still have a solid 6 transfers though, so I will definitely make them count.

A traditional Japanese meal

Kamagaya was fun. I got to dendo with two of my favorite people, Sister Keiser and Sister Kunishi! Then I got a phone call from a public phone and it turned out to be Sister Shim! She got to the station earlier than we expected, but it's so funny because she is from Korea but she is fluent in Japanese and was able to figure out the payphone in Japan to call me.

Now let me tell you about my amazing new companion Sister Shim! She is from Korea but she studied Japanese before her mission because she loved manga and anime. She understands a lot of English so we speak mostly Japanese with some English in there. It's so fun! I can feel my Japanese improving so much. She has explained so much to me! Haha and yesterday I explained to her what fruitcake was, she doesn't want to try it ^^

Cones to protect the ice cream on the way home

Anyways, most of our week was spent packing up the apartment. We spent as much time as possible packing because on Saturday the Elders, the Commissarian and his companion (the Commissarian is in charge of apartments) and some people from the Ward were coming to help us move. I had to pack all my stuff in my suitcases so I joked to Sister Shim that it felt like I was being transferred.

On Friday we had to go, with a member to help, to get the new keys to our apartment...and we had an apartment orientation. Everything went over my head, it was so bad. Luckily Yukimoto Shimai and Shim Shimai understood. They would translate the questions to me (since I know the most about the apartment) then translate back. It was a good system.

Well Saturday came and we literally woke up, got ready, and started packing more. No time for breakfast! The Ward Mission Leader, Orito Kyoudai said he would get some people to help us move and he did an am amazing job, I was shocked. At 10:00 the night before we texted the Relief Society President that we needed some more boxes and at
8:00 in the morning the Bishop, the Ward Mission Leader and 3 other Brothers showed up to help us move. Add to them 4 Matsudo Elders and the 2 Elders from Honbu and there were 13 of us total in that tiny apartment packing the reminder of our things and loading up the moving truck. We got more done in 45 min that Sister Shim and I were able to do in 3 days.

Packing

As we packed we found a lot more mold so I am very glad that we have left that apartment. We had to throw away lots of old moldy futons and curtains so we have to buy new ones and it is expensive. I have a new testimony about the importance of cleaning the apartment every week.

At about 11:00 almost everything was moved out and I was mentally preparing to clean. I had no idea how we were going to do it with all these people and our limited cleaning supplies, but then I looked out the door and it was the most beautiful sight. The Relief Society was marching up the street with all the supplies and they were literally like a cleaning army. They came in, put on their slippers and gloves and got to work. I have never been so grateful in my entire life. They knew just the right sprays to use for each thing (and let me tell you, Japan has some magic cleaning sprays, there is a spray for everything and it just takes everything off) and they knew what to do. It was beautiful and so helpful because Sister Shim and I had to go to the new apartment to organize everything.

The new apartment is so beautiful. So clean and nice and it feels like a hotel. There are still tons of boxes so I'm sorry you won't get any pictures of it this week, but I will send some soon! And the Bishop bought everyone drinks and little racks so our futons won't get moldy and it was just so sweet and nice I wanted to cry.

Sister Shim

The Ward really came in and helped us and I can only thank the previous missionaries for leaving a good impression so that they were willing to help us since we are both new in the Ward. I felt so much love for Matsudo as we worked with them to move all of our stuff.

We didn't finish until 1:00 and a member volunteered to take us shopping for new curtains really fast before we had to be at an Easter activity at 2:00. We only had time to eat a little bit of potato salad that Orito Shimai made us (she brought us lunch because she knew we wouldn't have anything and it was so sweet!) before sprinting off to the store.

It was truly an insane day. We helped with the Easter activity then came home and felt no guilt about spending 1000¥ on dinner since we hadn't eaten all day. Now we are in the process of unpacking, almost harder than packing. It's been hard because we haven't had much time to really get out and visit and teach and find because we have been packing and unpacking (also we don't have a stove yet...it's still in the old apartment but hopefully tomorrow!) but we will get to soon! We have both received revelation that this is a time for us to prepare. Something big is going to happen, we can feel it, and we need to be ready. I guess that includes unpacking the bazillion boxes we have.

Today was temple p-day! It was so nice to be in the temple again. The Tokyo temple will be closing in October for 2 years for renovations so I don't want to waste a minute of being in this beautiful temple. I will only have a few more visits before it closes. I also had the chance to see several of my Kohai from the Tokyo South Mission again as well as some missionaries I've worked with in the past. It's like little reunions all the time! I love it! I can't imagine having never met these amazing people.

I have had the chance to make friends with people literally from all over the world. My mom recently mentioned that I have had very global companions, which is true! I've had companions from Brazil, Tahiti, Hawaii, California, Utah/Japan and Korea. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to work with such amazing people from all over the world. There is a one in a million chance that I would have been able to meet them if I hadn't served a mission. I am thankful every day for the guidance Heavenly Father gave me to choose to serve a mission. I have received so many blessings because of it.

At the temple

This week we have the chance to hear from a member of the Area Presidency, Elder Choi who is also from Korea. He served as the Mission President of the Washington Seattle Mission (my home mission) from 2012-2015 and I had the opportunity to hear him speak a few times then. I am excited to hear from him again!

See you all next week! I hope you all have an amazing week!


ブラック姉妹
Black Shimai