Konnichiwa!
We had a fun mixture of spiritual moments and funny moments, energetic moments and dying moments this week, it truly was a mixed bag. WHEEEEE!!!!
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| Hi-chew - really sour |
So on Tuesday, we were doing some free talk during our Eikaiwa class and Elder Kooyman asked everyone "If you could go to any other country in the world, where would you go?" Everyone answered (including the Bishop) and then the Bishop's wife walked in so we asked her. She mumbled something softly about just wanting to be in Japan and the Bishop turns to everyone with the most shocked face ever and says really loudly in perfect English "SHE HAS NO DREAM!!!!!" We all died!
Haha and then the next day we went over to the Bishop's house for lunch and we had a very powerful lesson about the Atonement. I remember at the beginning of my mission how I fell in love with the "Because of Him" video, but recently I have been loving "He Lives." (Highly recommend, please watch). We shared that video with them and then talked about how the Atonement has helped us in our lives. I recently found a scripture in in the Book of Mormon, Jacob 4:12
"And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ...?"
That is a powerful statement. Why shouldn't we talk about the Atonement of Christ? It gives us the opportunity to be released from all our guilt and pain, we can be forgiven of our sins, why shouldn't we share that with everyone? That is a beautiful, powerful gift. We had an amazing discussion with the Bishop and his wife about it and it was truly the perfect message to share with them.
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| Supposed to taste like shaved ice - not so good |
We also had the chance to visit a soon-to-be YW who just moved here from Mexico. She is starting 6th grade, and although she can kind of speak Japanese, she cannot read it at all. She is really struggling with her homework because she can't read any of it, and no one is helping her. We helped her download an app that we use as missionaries to learn Japanese and look up words and we taught her how to use it. She was so grateful for that little thing. I wish that we could have done more. As missionaries though, we barely know how to read any more kanji than she can. AHHHHH! It was so amazing to see how just 1 hour of our time changed her countenance and how grateful she was for such a small thing.
Then on Thursday we had an amazing mogi lesson with Anai Shimai. She is the only member in her family and we felt really inspired to mogi the Book of Mormon with her and just practice introducing it. We hadn't planned it, but at the end of the mogi the Spirit inspired us to invite her to read Moroni 10:3-5 which promises everyone that if they will read the Book of Mormon and pray sincerely to know if it is true, then they will know through the Spirit that it is true:
"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
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| Japanese school children wear these hats every day |
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
When she finished reading, she told us that even when she took the lessons from the missionaries, she never actually tried this. From the very first moment, she just knew that the Book of Mormon is true, but that day she felt like she should actually ask God for a confirmation. She gave herself the commitment to do it and we are going to follow up! It was such a testimony to me though that this promise is true. This promise wasn't just given to people who are reading the Book of Mormon for the first time, it is given to every single person. Whether you are not a member of the church, or have been a member your whole life, I urge you to take this challenge and pray for yourself to know if the Book of Mormon is true or not.
This Sunday we also had an amazing Stake Conference and guess what? Elder Choi came and spoke to the whole Matsudo Stake! For those of you who might not remember, Elder Choi is in the Area Presidency for Japan and Korea and he visited our mission a few months ago. His words of wisdom sparked the missionaries in the Japan Tokyo Mission and there has been a drastic increase in new investigators, baptisms, desire, and overall work ethic. Before his visit, we were by no means lazy missionaries, but since his visit, we have realized that we have more potential and we have grown a lot. He was also the Mission President of the Mission that I lived in back in Seattle, so it is always a treat to see him.
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| Tacos - Sister Honda's mom sent the mix |
We also had an amazing miracle last night. Portuguese Church had been cancelled, but no one told me and Sister Honda, so we went to the church anyways. We then found ourselves with an extra 2.5 hours that we had not been planning for. We received a miracle phone call though from a member who asked us if we could go with her that night to stop by a Chilean Less Active. Of course we said yes! Member Missionary Work is the best missionary work.
Well, we got to the member's house a little early (we were going to drive together to the Less Active's house) so we decided to do some housing, but we didn't know where. Then a car drove past us with a middle school aged girl in the front seat. I turned to Sister Honda and half-jokingly said "Let's follow the sweet spot!" (Sweet spot=15-25 year old people who are a big focus in this mission). Well, we followed the sweet spot and amidst this huge neighborhood of really old houses, that probably held lots of old people, we found 5 houses with young families. It was a miracle!
Visiting the Less Active was also a miracle. I always feel so grateful when I visit her. Every time I talk to her, she just proves to me that she is so prepared right now to change her life and come back. Heavenly Father truly knows each of his children. He knew exactly when this Sister would be prepared to come back and he knew that he needed to send me to help open Ushiku right now because this was the time in which she would be prepared. It is amazing to see Heavenly Father's plan come forth.
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| Guacamole for the tacos |
I just have one last miracle to share. As you can tell, the numbers are going up on my number of transfers. Lately, my body has also been telling me that I am starting to become an old missionary. This past week, Sister Honda and I both hit a humongous brick wall. We physically could not get off our futons one morning. It was really bad. We had the prompting to ask our District Leader for priesthood blessings and I am so glad we did. Our blessings were so incredibly different. It was very very clear that Heavenly Father was speaking to each of us directly and he told us exactly what we needed to do. It was a powerful blessing.
I cannot even begin to explain how grateful I am for the priesthood. I know that I have shared experiences similar to this before, but truly, the priesthood is a real power from God. I am so grateful to have Elders who are worthy priesthood holders who are always willing to help me when I need a blessing. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who always guides me. After that blessing, I felt a renewal of energy and I knew exactly what I needed to do every day in order to receive God's help.
I know that this is the true Church of God. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that I am called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ right now. I know that this is God's work. This is not the work of man, man cannot do this work, only God can.
I love you all and I hope you have an amazing week.
Love,
ブラック姉妹
Black Shimai
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