JOY

Kazoku,

O TANJOUBI OMETOU GOZAIMASU CHI CHI!!!! (Happy Birthday Dad!) Ai shite imasu!!

Thank you for the package!!! It was definitely a huge highlight of my week! In fact, because this week has been much like the previous weeks, for this email, I will just mention a few of the highlights of this week. They may or may not be in any particular order.

JUU: I received your package! Thank you so much! I was so excited about it, I couldn't even wait to get to my classroom to open it. Eddy shimai and I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk so I could see what was inside! It felt like Christmas. I LOVED the pictures! As you know, I really wanted some pictures, so that was wonderful. The mint oreos were a huge hit for my district...they were gone in a wink! I think it's funny because people get packages with food all the time and nobody ever eats it but those oreos were gone!!

KYUU: One day during recess, I played four square. Because of my lack of athletic ability, I struggled hitting the ball in a normal direction. However, that turned out to be an advantage for me. I would get the ball so that it barely landed inside the square and then it would fly in some crazy direction...I got a lot of really good people out! It was a fun recess activity!

HACHI: Speaking of recess, yesterday I was running and after a while I started talking to another girl who was on the track running. I love meeting new missionaries because I feel like no matter who it is and what their life story is, they can be an inspiration to me. Well I found out that most of her family is not LDS and they don't really understand why she is here. It made me so grateful to have all of you as examples and support to me. Now i have a new running buddy :)

NANA: I got to host this week! Yes, I loved it. We stood on the curb and waved at all the cars driving by and then welcomed the new missionaries and tried to make them feel like kings and queens. I got to host two sisters going to St Louis and one going to Brazil. As I talked to them about how great the MTC is, it reminded me how great the MTC really is! Haha seriously I love it here.

ROKU: I said the prayer for choir practice. This definitely wasn't a highlight of my week, but I wanted to included it in this email so I could tell you all that it is extremely difficult to pray in English after having prayed in Japanese for over a month!

GO: We got a new investigator this week! It was different this time because we actually had to start at the very beginning--door contacting. It was actually super fun introduing ourselves at the door, and he let us in! I'm not sure if the lesson went really well...we weren't expecting to go in and teach a lesson, so I was just praying for the Spirit. He said his first prayer and committed to pray about God's love. I'm excited to be teaching new people! Unfortunately, I forgot his name.

YON: Last Saturday, we had some extra time during class, so we practiced door contacting. First, our sensei gave us a few demonstrations of how Japanese people usually reacted when 2 Americans were standing on their doorstep. Apparently they get very shocked and usually they only open their door about 2 inches. Haha it was really funny as he was demonstrating this! Then we got to practice it and it was even funnier doing it ourselves! I loved when one of the sisters in our district opened the door and we told her who we were and she yelled back, "Haha! Senkyoushi desu!" (Mom! It's the missionaries!) The Japanese language just makes me laugh. For you that are wondering, I'm getting so much better at containing my laughter. For example, when people blow their noses in class, my natural instinct would be to laugh because I think it is a rather funny sound. Well, that has been happening a lot lately because the cold is going around our district. BUT I have learned to not laugh at it. Also, one of our favorite Japanese words is hisashiburi. (I= an "ee" sound and r= a sort of almost "d" sound. Sound it out and it's really funny.) Anyway, it means long time no see, so we went in to teach Watabe san and he said that in his prayer. I had a strong desire to laugh. BUT again, I contained myself. Yes, I am maturing.

SAN: Watabe san is a golden investigator. I don't know if he is just going easy on us and being nice or if we are actually teaching effectively, but he accepts and takes in everything we say! He is developing a relationship with Christ by reading the Book of Mormon and repenting. Each lesson, I try more and more to think about my investigator as a person. I try not to worry about the language or what I should teach next, and just focus on how the investigator is feeling. This way, I can teach by the Spirit. It is definitely something that takes practice and patience. I think our lesson with Watabe san was the best we've done so far...it felt really good walking out of that lesson. However, I still feel like I've got a LONG ways to go and I only have 3 weeks left here! Can you believe it??

Eddy shimai learned a lot as we talked to Anderson sensei yesterday during coaching. We expressed concerns that we did not feel like we have been progressing much lately, and we really wanted to know how we could improve our teaching and how we could improve our language study. We talked about how we wanted to use our language more throughout the day so at night during our scheduled language study, we could focus on something other than just reviewing what we had learned. Through talking with Anderson sensei, we came to realize that everything we are doing should be connected to our purpose as missionaries, to bring others to come unto Christ. So as we study language or as we study as a companionship or as we plan, we should be thinking about our investigators and how we can help them. It really changed my mindset when he said that instead of focusing on what I am learning and how I can improve my language and such, I should focus on my investigator, and how my investigator is improving and how I can help my investigator better. That really hit me and changed so much about the way I've been thinking and feeling. I was just somewhat discouraged that I haven't been progressing as much and learning as much as I'd like, but I learned that I need to turn my focus away from myself and toward others. Well, for the last day I have changed the way I do things as a misisonary, and so far, I have felt wonderful! I'm excited to see how next week will be different.

NI: I believe I've mentioned this once or twice before, but I LOVE SUNDAYS HERE!! It's like swimming in the deep end of a spiritual swimming pool! The relief society talk was a highlight of my week for sure. The speaker talked about obedience and faith and hope (typical missionary talk, but so so good). She finished talking about how everything we're doing and all the blessings we're getting from the Lord are so that we can help others. As missionaries, our focus is the same focus the Savior had as he was ministering--it's to help others and to let them feel of the Lord's love. Because I am doing essentially what the Savior did while he was ministering, I want to do all I can to develop Christlike attributes! Sunday night, we watched The Legacy in Japanese. I understood about 4% of it. You should be proud of my accomplishment :).

ICHI: The Tuesday night devotional was incredible. I could probably talk about everything I learned and everything I felt for hours. First off, the choir number was wonderful (Directed by the one and only Elmo Keck.) It was Elders only for a lot of it, and I can't tell you how powerful it was to hear 500 Elders singing out "How great thou art!" Then, we all joined in in unison and sang "When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home, what JOY shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration, and there proclaim, "My God, How GREAT Thou art!"" Seriously, these last 6 weeks I have learned more than ever how great the Lord really is, and it was powerful to sing this praise with 1000 other missionaries. After the choir number, the devotional was just fabulous! It was much like all the other talks we hear (be obedient and diligent and you'll be blessed and strenghtened...the good stuff.) He talked about how we are todays stripling warriors, we are today's hope of Israel, and we are the greatest generation of missionaries. He talked about how we are taking place next to the Savior, and he must be "branded on our hearts." He talked about how we should be preparing every day for that time which will be our finest hour. Which could really be any time. I loved his words at the end: "Without us, Israel doesn't have much hope. CHARGE with all your heart, might, mind and strength." It was a powerful devotional. We closed by singing "Army of Helaman." Imagine 2500 missionaries singing that song. Well I was there, and it was more incredible than you imagined. I actually felt as if thousands of angels were there filling the empty seats in the Marriott center, singing along with us. I know this is the Lord's work and I know He is with us every step of the way.

Well, I feel so much joy here. Thanks for your support and thanks again for the package. I love you so so much!!

Love,

Crofts shimai