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| The smiles say it all! |
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| Take notice of the art work in this restaurant |
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| Octopus!!! |
It was good to hear from you again this week!!
Matsuzaki was baptized!! YAY!! Really, it was so GREAT. I have heard many MANY stories about baptisms and the changes that come to investigators as they accept the gospel. However, I did not expect the change to be so REAL. This past week, I have noticed a lot more happiness in Matsuzaki san. Because the teaching process has been really fast, he did not have a lot of time to think through everything and come to know for himself the truthfulness. All along he has been saying things like *i want it to be true* or *i believe it is true, but I want to FEEL that it is true* and things like that. Well this week he finally did. One night he called and I asked him how things have been going and he said REALLY great. He said that he felt like he was being blessed, and he did not really know how, but he just knew that the feeling he had made it easy for him to do things like give up coffee at work and stuff. On Thursday night we taught Matsuzaki kyoudai about temples and eternal marriage--you should have seen how excited he got! We were showing him pictures of the temple, and he looked SO HAPPY! He kept saying *i want to go there...i really want to go there*! On Friday we texted him a scripture about how the Lord is pleased because of his faith. He texted us back thanking us for the message and said for the first time, he FELT Gods existance. Yaay!! On Saturday for our lesson we just did a baptism walk through and asked if he had any questions. All he had to say was that he was SO EXCITED to be baptized!! The happiness that he had this week was so different than when we first met him. However, this change was nothing compared to the change in him after he was baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. He GLOWED!! Really, I did not know anybody could shine that bright. It was amazing to see! He kept saying *i feel so great!**I feel really great!* It was great to see that in him!! After his baptism when he was bearing his testimony, he talked about how we came to his door at the exact time that he was ready and needed to hear our message. He talked about how the gospel has given him a whole new outlook on his life. He finished his testimony by saying that he hopes he can continue to learn and become more as he continues on in the gospel! YAY!!! I believe he is truly converted. The actual baptism was kind of funny. The person baptizing him dunked him, but was not able to bring him back up. Haha people were saying *pull him up* *get him out of the water* and it was an awkward moment when we were all standing there watching him struggle. All the little girls in our ward were laughing and the witnesses quickly closed the curtain. Haha. BUT we definitely could still feel the Spirit there.
Right now we have one investigator: Yam***. Yam*** has been a really difficult investigator for us. He has been taking the lessons for more than a year. Last year some time he actually had a baptism date and the service actually was planned and everybody showed up on the day of his baptism and the font was filled but he never showed up. And now he is taking lessons again, but honestly, he does not have much of a testimony. He has heard all the lessons so many times that when we teach him, he does not really listen, but when we ask him to explain it, he does not understand it. We really do not know what to do with him. This week I experienced something really neat though. I have been praying a lot to know how we should teach him, and one day during personal study, a lot of specific ideas for his lesson came to me. I started writing them down and soon, I had a whole lesson plan written out. It was a wonderful feeling looking at that lesson plan because I knew I had not come up with it on my own. It was definitely from the Lord, because I had had no idea what to do for Yam***. Anyway, I was happy with the lesson plan, but I did not think we would actually use it because I knew Dobson shimai was thinking about teaching something totally different to Yam*** and usually we end up going with her ideas. BUT when we were doing companionship study and I asked her what she thought we should do for Yam***, she said she got the feeling that we should do whatever I thought. SO that was definitely revelation from the Lord! We taught Yam***the lesson as planned. It was going really well and we learned a lot about Yam*** and his desires and his concerns. We actually invited him to be baptized again, but the second he heard the word baptism, things changed and he got all weird and he actually just stood up and left. SOOOO....now we do not know what to do. BUT I am grateful that I was able to recognize revelation from the Lord.
Griffin shimai and I worked together for three days this week. We talked to SO MANY PEOPLE!! This week we both had a confidence boost and a boost in power from on high, and it felt gooooood. We actually got two very solid potential investigators. One of them actually came to church! It was funny because when we went up to her and stopped her, she was saying things like *oh its been a while since we have seen each other.* But the thing is, I did not recognize her one bit. I guess I would be a little bit easier to recognize in a crowd, but still, I did not recognize her. Nonetheless, she said she would come to church, and she did! Yay! She had to leave right after church, but we hope to teach her more this week!
I ate octopus this week. Yeah. I have never tried to eat anything with such an absurd texture before. I would not recommend it. But we got a pretty funny video of me trying to eat it, so someday you might be able to watch it! The problem was, okay let me illustrate it: after district meeting, the sisters decided to go out for lunch. So we went to this little restaurant and it seats about 10 people, but because there were six of us, we just sat down and then the lady closed the restaurant door. She brings us a bowl of vegetables and stuff with a raw egg on top, we mix it up, pour it onto the grill thing that is part of the table (so cool!!) and then we make our own okonimiyaki! While we are waiting for it to cook, she is going back and forth from the kitchen to us with little bowls of food. These consisted of miso soup, chinese cabbage, a cabbage salad, rice, and then the cucumber and octopus surprise. And in Japan, if you do not eat everything, it is impolite. So I would try to just give away my octopus or slip it into the garbage, but the lady is coming in and out of the kitchen like every ten seconds. So I have to eat the octopus! But I cant vomit because the lady is watching, so I have to try to act normal. Well, octopus is not normal, and eating it is not a normal thing, and trying to act normal while eating it is very difficult to do!!! So that is my food story.
Overall, it has been a week of exercising a LOT of Faith! Dobson shimai and I reached the point where we really had no idea what else to do to increase/help our investigator pool. We decided that instead of stewing over it and getting frustrated, we would just go to work and trust in the Lord. So that is what we have been doing! And we are excited to work with that power and see who we can help come unto Christ this week!
The church is true and I love ALL OF YOU!!!
Love,
Crofts shimai
CHICHI: sorry you did not get a message last week. i fully intended to save the best for last, but then I never got to the last. sorry! Thank you for always sending me such detailed updates on the family! and thank you for being so kind and wonderful and sending me a cinnavon!! :) (please...???) anyway, good luck with the deck and enjoy the beautiful weather! p.s. I bet japanese is cooler than spanish. Just saying.
HAHA: I loved that picture!! That is so cool! The language is sort of coming. It all makes sense in my head, and I am catching on to the grammar and vocab very quickly, but to actually form sentences and get them out takes quite a while. Because I have the personality where I would be fine to just sit and not say anything, it is hard to challenge myself to speak Japanese more. But I am starting to understand others a lot better! There was one lesson with Matsuzaki kyoudai where I probably understood 60% of what was going on! And sometimes while I am streeting, I finish a contact and I am amazed that I actually carried on a conversation with somebody. The language surely is coming...slowly. I switch off playing the piano in Relief Society, but I love doing it, because I can sit in the front of them and hear all the old ladies singing in Japanese. AHH the Japanese babies are SO CUTE!! And I especially love the little Japanese girls. They remind me of *boo* from Monsters inc, but their voices are a little higher. Last night we were housing and there was a cute family with a little boy and two little girls. The little girls were talking to us for a long time. Then the five year old went to her mom and said, *do you believe in God?* and the mom ignored her and then the little girl said *i am going to church.* and the mom said no and she said *i will go to church! will you teach me again??* ahh it was so cute! I would definitely say she is one of the elect who is ready to be baptized, except she is 5. One day. Our ward has about 45 members who come to church. THere are lots of little kids and lots of old people. Only 2 young women and 2 young men. The little kids are crazy, they just run around all during sacrament meeting! Ha but they are so cute!! AND our church is right next to a preschool...I just have to get a picture and send it to you some day...it is SO CUTE!!!!
Chounan and Becca: You have been in my prayers super duper a lot! I hope things are going well!!!!!! Becca you look great :)
Jinan and Jana: Thanks for the email again. Jana good luck in the spectacular!
Sannan: are people in mexico blunt? or round about?
Jijo: Good luck with Miss Hillcrest! You asked me for tips?? Haha that would not do you well. Just listen to mom...she knows what is best. But more than that, just do what you would normally do. Be yourself and you will have no regrets. And do not be scared, be proud that you are so awesome and you have a gazillion and one talents. and it is fun. How is T.P.? Japan is better than ever! I bought black and white polka dot rainboots last week! But unfortunately it didnt rain. And today I bought a rain suit! Here everybody wears a rain coat and rain pants! It is like a snow suit but not as fluffy and i tuck my skirt/dress into the pants. Mine is pink and i hope it rains soon so I can wear it!
Otouto: I love ya bud! It is going great! Last night for dinner I had curry. With eggplant and pumpkin and carrots and potatoes. Normally for breakfast I have an egg or beans. For lunch I will have tuna or a salad or both. For dinner it is whatever! Something yummy though! I wish we had cinnavons here. We dont. What is so awesome about the new house?
Youshi: how much do you weigh? our church is right next to a special needs place. I say hi to them sometimes.
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