Living Life Dangerously in Tokyo Japan

Ushiku Transfer 9 Week 6

Konnichiwa!

Memories from Matsudo

The last week of the transfer is always a time of miracles! Yay! Sister Honda and I saw many many miracles, the biggest one being that we received transfer calls on Monday and WE ARE STAYING TOGETHER!!!! We will have one more transfer together here in Ushiku and I am so excited!!!!!!!

The only person in our district who is transferring is Elder Price. He will be going to Urayasu!!!! The happiest place on Earth! Yay!!!!

Let's start out with a funny story. Hehe. So on Monday night, I felt my allergies acting up a bit so I decided to take a Benadryl before going to bed. What I didn't know is that if you haven't taken Benadryl for a while, you might have some side effects which one nice Sister called a "Benadryl Hangover." So the next morning, I expected to wake up well rested, but instead I was so tired that I almost fell off my bike while we were going to find a former investigator. Luckily it wore off later, but I never want to have a hangover of any kind ever again. Bye bye Benadryl.

Onto the other miracles:

On Thursday, the Sister Training Leaders came and I got to work with Sister Fernelius. We finally had a big chunk of time to do finding, and as a result we were able to find 2 new investigators! It was such a miracle. We also tried this new thing where we went to an Eki and walked around asking people if they would take a survey. We then asked them different questions about God and their purpose in life and we were able to have some really good conversations. The others sisters found another new investigator through that and we were so excited. There is just something about good old fashion finding (streeting, housing, talking to people) that gives you such a rush of energy. I felt more energized and ready to work than I have in a while.

Haha, then we had a really small but meaningful miracle. We finished the survey dendo and all 4 of us got on the train. Sister Honda and I were getting off in just 1 station, but the Sister Training Leaders were going to ride it all the way back to Matsudo. We said goodbye and got off the train at our stop, but right as we did, I asked Sister Honda if she had my bike key (she and Sister Shim had used our bikes during the exchange). Sister Honda gave me horrified look and started running to the train even though the doors were already closed. We desperately tried to run alongside the train as it pulled away, but of course it was useless. We quickly texted the Sisters and they said they would change trains at the next station and come right back.

The only problem? Their train would arrive at 6:27 and the train to Matsudo left at 6:28. We told them this and then told them to just throw the key at us and run to catch their train. When the moment finally came, I can honestly say my heart was racing. I was so scared that they would miss the train. They ran up the stairs, threw the key at us and ran down, barely making it on the train on time. It was such a small miracle, but it was really needed so that they could be back in Matsudo in time for their meeting and we could be at our lesson on time. Whew. We like to live life dangerously here in the Japan Tokyo Mission. 1 minute train connections and all that.

Then on Saturday, the Elders' investigator, Luigi, got baptized. It was a beautiful service and it was so amazing to see the change that he went through as he got baptized. I have never been to a baptism for someone else's investigator yet, so I was surprised by how strongly I still felt the Spirit. The day after, at church, he was a completely different person. He was so full of light and hope and faith. It was amazing. He is really going to be an amazing member and help for the Portuguese Group.

However, his baptism was another example of us living dangerously. I am the only missionary in this area that can play the piano, and there was no one else at the baptism that could play the piano, so I was playing. However, the baptismal service was changed from 10 to 10:30 that morning and we had a lesson appointment at 11:30, so it was cutting it close to begin with. Then the service started 10 minutes late and there was a lot of talking and so it was 11:40 and we still hadn't sung the closing song yet, but I couldn't leave!!!! It was so nerve-wracking. Sister Honda and I kept looking at each other and the clock, then finally we sang the song. We grabbed our stuff, rushed to shake Luigi's hand and congratulate him and then rushed out of the church at the speed of life (many members were laughing as we ran out) and we made it to our appointment only a little late. The investigator was totally fine with it though (thank goodness)!

I managed to stay reasonably safe and not dangerous for the rest of the week (with the exception of some really delicious ice cream...dangerous? Yes. Delicious and worth it? YEP YEP!).

At the BBQ

Sunday and Monday I received some really amazing sweet surprises! On Sunday, the Ouichis (from the Matsudo Ward) and the Killians (from the Urayasu Ward) were both visiting Ushiku! It was so sweet to see them (especially Ashely Killian, one of my favorite Young Women from Urayasu) and although we didn't get to talk much, I was beaming all day. It was such a sweet surprise. I was so thankful to Heavenly Father. Then on Monday, we had a huge Brazilian BBQ and tons of people came. The biggest surprise came when I looked across the street and I was like "That looks like Miki from Oizumi...???? WAIT THAT IS MIKI FROM OIZUMI!!!!!! WAIT IT'S EVERYONE FROM OIZUMI!!!!!!!" And then I almost started crying right there. I was so happy. My favorite members and friends from Oizumi had all driven 2 hours to come to the BBQ. I know it wasn't for me, but it meant so much to me that I could see them all again and hug them and talk to them.

As a missionary, I sort of accepted the fact that every time I transfer, it is really really likely that I may never see any of the friends I've made ever again in my life. It's a hard thing to accept, but it's true. I don't know if I will come to Japan many times during the rest of my life. So these little moments when I get to see people that I worked with 6 months ago, a year ago, and to have them still remember and love me as much as I love them, it means so so much to me. I feel so blessed to have seen some of my best friends from every area I have served in on my mission so far over the past two days. It has been so so sweet. I'm almost crying just writing about it. AHHHHHHHHH

As for the rest of the BBQ, it was so so so amazing! A little big of background, on Sunday I was asked to give a talk in Portuguese for the Portuguese group and I was terrified. However, I wrote it all out and translated it and it was all good. I really felt like the Spirit was speaking through me and helping improve my pronunciation to help everyone feel the Spirit as I spoke. However, another blessing that came from this talk was that on Monday, there were a lot of Brazilians. Thus, I had the opportunity to talk to many of them. I talked to this one 14 year old girl and because of the talk I gave on Sunday, I felt enough confidence to not only talk to her, but to make lots of mistakes and we ended up becoming really great friends.

I also had the chance to talk to the daughter of a recent convert in Abiko (the neighboring area). She really wants to be baptized and she loves Sister missionaries so much (Abiko doesn't have any Sisters). We had so so so much fun together and I love her so so so much!!!! I can tell that we will be eternal friends! It was so great to be able to talk to so many people at the BBQ yesterday. It was such a success. Everyone was talking to each other and fellowshipping each other and the members were mingling and everyone had a really great time. Yay for BBQs!!!!!!

Well, this is it. I am entering double digits now. Sister Honda and I are both Transfer 10 and it is scary. We really want to make this the best transfer ever.

One thing I learned as I was writing my talk for Sunday was that the most important way that we can make Sundays more meaningful is to listen to the Spirit, to really focus on it as we go to church and learn. I think that this is true for all areas of our lives. I've been doing an activity in PMG about recognizing the Spirit. I've been reading many scriptures about different ways that the Spirit speaks to us and then recording any experiences that I have had with those feelings and it has helped me to realize that I have felt the Spirit so many times in my life and just haven't attributed those experiences to the Spirit. I know that as I really focus on the Spirit and what he is guiding me to do every day this transfer, I will truly be guided and I will be able to make the most of each day.

Transfer 10. I truly never believed that I would make it this far. Two of my amazing mission friends (one of whom is Sister Atkinson, my trainee) are going home early this week for medical reasons. I truly feel blessed to be here in Japan, to have been here so long doing the Lord's work. It feels like I have been here for just a few weeks, but it is crazy to me that it has been 1 year already. I really feel blessed that Heavenly Father called me to serve in this amazing mission. I am so so grateful for every day that I get to wake up and say that I am a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is truly a blessing.

I love you all!

Love,

ブラック姉妹
Black Shimai