It was so fun to hear about your week! You are all so busy. Ha Dad spent his week enjoying City Creek and an orchestra concert, and mom went camping with the boys! I love it!
I remember when you called for Mothers Day, I told you that Tojo shimai is a wonderful missionary. I did not really know why because I had just met her, it was just what the other missionaries told me. Jason mentioned that it was probably her obedience, because obedience brings miracles. I completely agree. However I am blessed to be in Kobe Japan, where the missionaries are very very obedient. So I knew there was something more that set her apart. I love Moroni 7. It talks about how we can perform miracles. It talks about faith and hope, which Tojo shimai is full of. But then it ends with charity, and it says those who are true disciples of Christ have charity. Probably the thing that stands out the most to me about Tojo shimai is her charity. She is constantly thinking of how she can help those around her, non members, less active members, and members. And then she follows the Spirit to help them!
We had a few hours planned one day to visit a whole list of less active members. However that morning Tojo shimai said she thought of an apartment she wanted to go finding at, so we went to that apartment instead. We got through about 60 doors, and most people barely even let us get out a few words before they turned us down. Finally, one old man actually listened a little bit to us. Tojo shimai took advantage of that. She began to ask the man questions about himself and get to know him and show concern for him. I was impressed at how much I could feel the Saviors love in the way she was acting. At the end, we briefly testified of our message and asked if we could come back and he was more than willing to accept a return visit!
Another day, we visited a less active member named Nakada shimai. She has not been to church for decades. She has had missionaries visit her in the past but was never really interested. As we got to know her, she really opened up to us. She told us that her husband just recently passed away. She has no family living around, and she has not really told anybody about his death. However she said she felt our love and concern for her and she told us about it. She was crying and we gave each other big hugs and comforted her. To be honest, when two Japanese people are speaking emotionally back and forth to one another, I have a hard time understanding what they are saying. But even though I did not understand much, I felt Christs love so strongly. Even though for years she has turned down the missionaries invitations to learn the gospel again, she accepted ours.
I also saw Tojo shimai probably the happiest she has been when she found out that somebody who was baptized in her first transfer is getting married in the temple to the branch president in Kurayoshi! She was SO happy, and what I saw in her joy was deep love for this person who she met a year ago!
I am so grateful to be working with Tojo shimai and learning from her example and working together to serve those around us and to serve the Lord. It is a great time to be a missionary!
Crofts shimai
p.s. I was in the hospital a couple times last week, so hospitals have been on my mind. People in Japan go to hospitals for everything. Ha a few weeks ago our Eikaiwa topic was health, and the students were shocked to find out that in America, we only go to the hospital for emergencies/baby births. Tojo shimai was really surprised. She said *then what do you do if you catch a cold??* Haha. We just stared.
p.p.s. You may wonder why I was in the hopsital. One of the times we were visiting a less active member who had surgery. The other time is because an old grandpa and I collided while we were biking. Old Japanese grandpas are tiny, and I thought I crushed his bones to pieces. Thankfully, he just had to get a bandaid on his knee and he was good to go.
p.p.p.s. I know a lot about chopsticks. You would love to find out what I know.
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