Monday May 30

Baby steps!

We still don't know about transfers, which maybe means no transfer?? Didn't expect that, I jump every time one of our phones go off. So then when I wasn't looking Steere Shimai called me on her phone...dang it. Totally fell for it. But then we both freaked out the elders by calling them for no reason in the morning. :)

Last Monday we had FHE with the Nakamura's (They have an I'm a Mormon video, look it up! "I'm a Mormon, a Choir Director, and a Musical Mom")- really good and of course the food was good and we're going over again this week too!

Tuesday koukan with Sakai! I was with Miller Shimai and not all of our plans worked, but still a good day even with missing bike keys (found them) and then flat tires (but didn't have to buy new tires!!) and when we housed a few places after visiting a member met this cool guy who's a theatre actor, deep thinker but just joined another religion
so not interested but fun to talk to!

Plus we were super tired.

Wednesday back with Steere Shimai and they had bike probs on their koukan too (aka Nakayama Shimai was riding this bike that was just sent to us from another area and randomly the brakes just FELL OFF. ) Thank goodness for trains and it didn't put too much of a delay in our day as we went back to pick it up, though I rode a Mama Chati (spelling?)- which is a big heavy grandma bike- for the first time in a while, ouch. 
One little miracle was that our music producer friend who likes English showed a little interest in our actual message! Plus met with this cute young member that moved here recently for work and she's really excited to give away a BOM- such a good example! 


Thursday we finally were able to sit down and plan out what what we're teaching at Zone Conference- we started bara bara (all over the place) but it came together really smoothly and pretty fast- definitely keiji (revelation). Plus visited YW Pres who's a super star member, talked about the BOM and as we were finishing she thought of another person she wants to share the gospel with! Another keiji moment was we were starting to house by a member but not feeling it, so we stopped to pray and had a few other ideas, one to visit a slightly less-active couple, and I still don't know why we visited them, it felt pretty normal, not extraordinary, but it feels really good just to try and follow all the little promptings we get! In the evening, our old bishop and his wife came over to help install our new CO detector...we thought we were following the directions and it seemed weird but we did it anyways, turns out we were a little off, I'll let you figure it out...

Okay it's sideways. We put it in sideways- at least when we told Welch Shimai, she laughed about it with us! 


Friday we had a great District Meeting- I especially liked that we ended with a short testimony meeting and then finished quickly so we could keep that Spirit with us (suggestion from Elder Stevenson last week)- it really did make a difference! Next we went visiting teaching with RS president and her comp and for the first time, all of the LA's we visited were home! Plus we felt like we were really able to teach by the Spirit. 

Later in the evening, taught an investigator family the Restoration- baby steps, they were pretty receptive! Last of all we had seminary with Miyu Chan! She's super busy and can't do morning seminary so she does nightly seminary once a week- it was so good! Plus heard her miracle: she's doing a home stay in the US starting in August and her host family just changed to...a Mormon family!! HUGE blessing! 


Saturday was the big day, Zone Conference! We were really happy to see Kawachinagano members come, even a few we didn't know were coming! One thing I liked that Welch Kaicho did was at the beginning, asked us all what we wanted to learn/what we're seeking to know/etc and wrote them on a board, then before lunch, after we had gone through the scriptures- especially Acts 10 and the beginning of Nephi, went back to the board and showed how whether it was spoken or not, through the Spirit our questions had been answered and we weren't even done yet! One thing I learned from that was to keep seeking! My original prepared questions were answered, but that's not the end, it just led me to seek more, and now I want to keep that pattern. 

Sunday was overall a really good day! We went to the youth Sunday School and the new bishop taught! He's young and really really really good at working with the youth, he's definitely making a difference in their lives. After church we did some visits with our dendo shunin (Ward mission leader) and his wife, and even though his wife is shy about sharing the gospel, she randomly decided to stop the car and have us meet one of her friends that lived close by! Also went to a less active that hasn't come in ages and turns out we were there the day before he was going to the hospital for heart surgery! He hasn't come to church for ages but still remembers the elders that taught him and we gave him the Restoration pamphlet to remember what they taught him! 

There is so much good happening here in Kawachinagano, Japan right now! Every little step of progress counts and yes baptism is a big step, but it takes all these little steps along the way! God is proud of our baby steps, so KEEP MOVING FORWARD ❤
This work is true! God gave Joseph Smith the power to translate the Book of Mormon, which testifies of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, which is where all of our blessings come from, all of our hope and happiness and ability to change and improve! 

Love you all so much!


Wagstaff 姉妹

No news on transfers for us, but found out from other missionaries that Welch Kaicho already made his calls today, which means neither of us are training or STLing in a different area...either staying, one is becoming a normal missionary (not trainer or STL)...who knows?? I really can't focus until I know. 

I was feeling like I was out and maybe yesterday was my last Sunday and thank goodness it was a good one, but who knows! Maybe not! 

We found out at zone conference that Kobe is now the highest baptizing mission in Japan and Korea (not a race, we want everybody to succeed) but it's been a big focus and the work is really picking up and Welch Kaicho said he wants us to be an example for Asia that we really can do this, because the general attitude for Japan is its hard (ITS REALLY HARD) but also kind of impossible. But we're focusing on the Atonement and the thing is, things that are impossible for us become possible. 

Different topic- we taught at ZC about having the Spirit with us, especially through testifying and promising blessings. Went well, I love meetings! Welch Kaicho took us through the BOM and really had fun and applied- we went through the story of Nephi going back for the plates- the scriptures are so fun! And when it was fun, we had new ideas and applications for us here as missionaries. Here were some of the fun parts-

- Maybe they brought Zoram back because no one else really wanted to carry the plates that far

- No wonder Laman and Lemuel started beating Nephi with a stick, he probably gave their favorite tunics to Laban! 

Sorry there was good spiritual stuff too of course! You just need to know how cool Welch Kaicho and Shimai are, speaking of which...

Here was the introduction of new missionary changes. 

But for reals, Book of Mormon absolutely is true and can change our life everyday. We obey because we want His Spirit to be with us, and as other people feel that, see our light, their lives will change as well. I'm changing! I really want to be more obedient because I want the Spirit with me as much as possible because there absolutely is a difference in our work.  Everyone deserves to be loved immensely. Do you know how much I love you? I love you so much! Right now not very much focus because I have so much to do here, there's so much good that can happen, but the ultimate goal is eternal families with God and I know my family's doing really well, so what's our next step? How can we be better, more celestially God-like?  

LOVE YOU
Wagstaff 姉妹

Funny stuff I found today, welcome to Japan!

Soon it'll be rain pants for everyone because June is rainy season. Not to mention we've got crazy leg muscles here. (also YES! There's bike walking sometimes) On another random note, getting more comments if I've lost weight- Welch Shimai asked on Saturday- apparently it shows in my face. Checking thescale and nothing changing lately- granted its in kilos and I don't know what I was in kilos before and muscles are heavier than fat anyways, so idk? I'm happy if that's what's happening because I'm not really trying!

I read Alma 9:26 today: And not many days hence the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full ofpatience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers.

He is perfectly loving, and what if we had all of those same qualities? That'd be really nice! Working on it.