Dear Family,CONGRATULATIONS!! I was brought to tears for the first time since being in Japan today when I saw the pictures of sweet Cameron. What a wonderful wonderful blessing! I had a lot of exciting things happen this week, but what compares with a newborn baby?? Congratulations Becca! Thanks for the pictures...I am a proud aunt!!Also, thanks for the fabulous PACKAGE! I was thrilled to receive it! You have no idea how much I love everything that was in it...but more than that how much I love all of you! I have been living in those black fuzzy clothes...they are so warm! And I loved seeing all the pictures and reading the letters...I love you all so much!Anyway, the work is moving on here in Mikunigaoka and I LOVE it!Mai chan is becoming our really good friend and she is progressing so well. She came to church yesterday and stayed for the whole thing and even stayed for a mini fireside afterward about cleaning our church building! Ha and there were only two members there and then us! But she wanted to stay, so we did. On Saturday, (Izumi) Arisa chan was baptized. Not our investigator, but the 8 year old in our ward! Mai chan came to the baptism. I am so impressed with how well she can feel and recognize the Spirit. She said it made her excited for her own baptism!About 45 minutes before the baptism, our ward mission leader asked if I would speak. I could not say no. But right after he asked me, Mai chan showed up for her lesson, so we taught her (the Restoration--I LOVE teaching that lesson!) and then we went straight to the baptism and I was the first speaker! Zinke Kaicho puts a lot of emphasis on preparation, and I have never been more grateful for that. I already had little statements and testimonies prepared, so I was able to mix a few of them, pray a lot and speaking ended up being a spiritual experience rather than a stressful one. I was grateful because almost our whole ward was there and investigators were there and other nonmember friends. Preparation is key! (In addition to the Spirit...)I also played the piano at the baptism for the special musical number. But the piano was actually an organ and it was on the weirdest stops but once I began playing I could not stop and change them, so it was like that for the whole musical number. Sometimes I wish they would just hand me a violin instead!Arisa chan (our investigator) unfortunately was not able to be baptized this week. We had a really good lesson earlier in the week about faith and Gods power and she even received a Priesthood blessing, but she still did not receive permission to be baptized. However, we met with her last night and her faith is still so strong and she wants to continue meeting with us...we rescheduled her baptismal date for her birthday which is in July, but we all believe that she will be able to receive permission before then and be baptized sooner!Yamauchi kyoudai keepings changing more and more...but I do not really understand in what way. We just keep pushing baptism more and more and he used to get upset every time we mentioned baptism, but now he is wanted to meet with us more than ever! Last time we asked him about baptism almost the whole lesson and then that night he called to set up a new meeting! We do not understand, but he has been taking the lessons for almost two years now and we are ready to see him in the water.Our lesson with Masumoto san this week was good again! She is always really excited about the fact that she completed her homework. The problem we have had with her is that she can not focus on her feelings or thoughts. We will ask her how she feels about something or what she thinks, and every time, she says *I have never thought of that before!* We will say, *but NOW,
how do you feel?* and she just says again *I have never thought of that before!* Well in our last lesson, we had a member couple there, and the brother did not let her get away with that answer. He was saying *no NOW, in your heart, from what they are saying,* and on and on. Eventually, she finally came up with a feeling in her heart! She said it was a nice, gentle feeling. YAY! We were happy that she was finally able to focus in on her feelings, because we know true conversion can happen once she feels and recognizes the Holy Ghost!A few days ago we were walking around a high school handing out Eikaiwa flyers to all the students getting out. An older man stopped us and asked if we were for a church of Jesus Christ. We said yes, and he said our faces gave it away. I am so grateful for the light of Christ and the opportunity I have as a missionary to share that light with others! One of the sweetest parts of being a missionary is watching that light grow brighter in people as they come to know God.I hope you all are enjoying this wonderful season with a wonderful addition to the family! I love you all so much!!Love,Crofts shimai
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