Plus made really good gyoza!
Tuesday...MLC. I love meetings! The Spirit was strong, really what I needed and learned a lot about the Atonement. So to summarize, yeah I cried a lot on Tuesday, and it was really good.
Wednesday...went visiting teaching together and on the way randomly met one of the LA's we wanted to visit that day- she say us and called out, not us! Because of the power of the Atonement, I feel like I can do more, focus more as a missionary. Met a way cool guy- really funny, works with handicap people and met him on his day off- good potential! Ping pong night and walked a grandma home (Bishop's wife's mom with Alzheimer's), every once in a while she slips into consciousness more and that made me think of the Resurrection, what she'll be like in heaven. She'll have a perfect body and will be able to accept the gospel because she'll remember.
(Ps this is after visiting teaching!)
Thursday...Fillipino potential calls US and sets a lunch appt...whaaa?? Plus another good PI by our former investigator...we like that area! Big news: found out Miki Chan in Sakai is a shigansha!! So so so so so insanely happy about that!
Friday...ZTM in Wakayama was great! Slept the way back and all missed our stop, rode all the way to Tennoji, next zone over in the middle of Osaka, oops. Plus finally saw Enguchi San (new investigator) again, probably had been 3ish weeks!
Saturday...AMAZING! 30/30 (English, gospel) with Aya and it was practically perfect. Yumi Shimai doseki (member join teaching), talked about God and she was very accepting, wants to hear more when she gets back from Australia. It was a really wonderful, spiritual environment and we think she's really been prepared!
Then of course Soutaikai (General Conference) was great! Since we had just finished that lesson talked about God and how we are his children, I loved how there were lots of talks about the importance of knowing that we are children of God and how that's our most important identity.
Sunday...more good Soutaikai and less active's came! Oh and the way we watch is they set up a second TV in the kitchen next to the main room and turn on English for the missionaries plus Filipino members. I LOVED conference! I really tried to prepare questions, search for answers, pray about it and revise my questions to prep for conference and it really paid off. One of the talks I loved was Elder Holland, We actually talked about it at MLC earlier and I love the principle that because of the Atonement, we can try and get credit for that. We are God's children- He literally loves us infinitely and eternally (Atonement shows us that) and then blesses us when we even just want to improve. Are you feeling that love? Can you see how much love that is? We don't qualify for it, we are simply his children and ask for help, then receive it. And Heaven knows I need that help! I'm in a foreign country trying to tell His children about Him and lots of them don't remember much, don't want to hear, and then I get a little frustrated/sad and He supports me, loves them, supports us all daily and lifts me higher than I thought I'd go! I feel really loved, so I'm trying to show more loved.
He loves you too, so what are you going to do?
LOVE YOU ALL
️愛しています！
Wagstaff ShimaiMore details- MLC really is the greatest meeting because we're taughtby Welch Kaicho, Shimai plus the AP's- we have really good AP's this transfer (they're always good but these ones are super good teachers)! I feel more comfortable this transfer there- I felt super young, little out of place before, but felt more comfortable this time. It's probably good for me to feel uncomfortable because I've probably talkway too much if I was always comfortable...
In the spirt of trying-realized that I need to try harder to show love, serve- looking back at why other companionships worked so well and it is because of love. Also trying to recognize my strengths, her
strengths so that we're using those together better. Weird thing is we have fun together, not a relationship issue, just when it gets to some ways of doing missionary work, so therefore we can talk it out.
Interesting thing about conference was that I thought about you guys/life after at home. Not like bad/distracted, just that family is so central, also I thought Elder Ballard's really specific message
about family councils was interesting, so I was thinking about it...obviously I'm still part of the family even though I'm a missionary in Japan, so how does that work? Like I still have a family, that's the most important unit, but I should be 100% focused on missionary work here... That something I was thinking about.
Also seriously that lesson on Saturday was the greatest thing ever: for English Steere Shimai taught us Australian English and had fun! (Ex. Mate, breaky (breakfast) and arvo means afternoon) Then found out he went to a Catholic college, so some exposure. Prayed, talked simply about God(she kind of believes) and how He loves us SO MUCH- really one of my favorite things to testify about, then Yumi Shimai shared how she came to know God is real, her Heavenly Father, etc.
Cool story, wanted to share:
- She was born in the church and knew her mom knew, but in high school she had band on Saturday and Sunday and didn't want to be the worst one, etc and stopped coming to church, but still went to activities, just didn't know why her parents, older sister really knew it was true. In college no more club, so she started regularly attending again, but still didn't really know. Then she had a professor in
college do an activity- write 10 things most important to you, now narrow to 5, now 3. That wasn't too bad- family, friends, etc and at the end, choose one. How can you capture all of that in one?? She
looked at the bottom of her page where she had written "fukuin: gospel" and realized that it encompasses everything: our health, family, friends becuase God cares about all those things, gospel
addresses all of it. (Skip forward: she served a mission in Fukuoka and is now our Eikaiwa coordinator and such a good member missionary!)
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| See how it kind of looks like snow? Really cool! |
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