Hello! This week I got smarter and figured out how to save my email really well A but seriously though in my defense I swear I saved it last week. Anyways, quick update from last week
- Monday made cookies with member and friend, friend was first time inside a church, did a tour and she's really open to hearing about church!
- Tuesday we had a lesson with an investigator plus a member who came with us and while she doesn't feel ready to be baptized, she did self commit herself to read Ether 12 when I said how much I liked it!
- Wednesday we went with our grandma investigator to RS sewing club and she had a great time! Plus seriously good lesson at the end of the night doing English and gospel, taught about the prayer and Restoration and she didn't fully believe it from the start, but committed to pray about it and from what I've seen, people that are open like that do one to know this is true. Real intent!
- Thursday woke up early to go to Shino Shimai's garden. Then in the evening with Kawamura Shimai went to kodomo Eikaiwa...cute member's kid didn't want to wear clothes, 2 boys kept wrestling and had to be taken out and 3 other sweet girls tried so hard to ignore everyone and learn English❤️
- Friday amazed by a recent converts simple testimony of peace he feels in his heart because of the gospel. Plus seminary with Miyu-dendo member on Monday and the Spirit was so strong and she's so excited to share the gospel with her best friend.
- Saturday we met a really cute college girl who lived in America a little bit- left before we were able to exchange info so now we'll just have to search for her again!
- Sunday after church the schedule was just not working out, but then miracles happened and because I had a card from Steere Shimai we dropped by a former investigator and found out she would like to start lessons again!
Okay that was last week, now for this week!
7/18 Monday. We went after this potential investigator found in our Area Book and lives super close to our apartment. Looks like she moved, so that was zannen (unfortunate) but talked to this grandpa close by and he said that he doesn't care, doesn't believe in God but his wife love Jesus Christ, so he took us to his apartment to meet her! Sadly she was eating dinner and didn't want to talk but said we can come back later in the week!
7/19 Tues we started off the morning with Visiting Teaching with Maekawa Shimai and Soga Shimai- we met almost all of the less active's on our list and not only met them but actually got to share a message (so far that's been really rare!). After as we were returning, we walked a while with a girl who then exchanged numbers with us and seems really open to learning! Then we had our regular Tsuruta Shimai lesson with Yoshikawa Shimai doseki- seriously so good! She committed herself to a specific time and place for scripture study. Being specific is really helpful, I want to remember that when I go home. Ended the night with Eikaiwa, I taught kids and it was potentially he beat one yet- no crazy kids, everyone paid attention, we had fun coloring pictures and playing games! Plus a new kid and his mom came, and the dad went to the adult class...investigator potential!
7/20 Visiting Teaching again! This time with Shino Shimai and Yamamoto Shimai. Later tried to visit a former investigator who wasn't home, but then ran into her LA son who hasn't been seen in a long time! He was really cool and talked to us for a while. Seriously cool this week to see the different ways revelation works- although we are going after a specific person, it may be someone else in that area who is the real target. In the evening after Ping Pong- oh wait I have to tell this one- we do a tournament every week and I'm, well I'm not that good at Ping Pong but seriously I've been improving and this week I made it to the finals and ALMOST beat the champion! Anyways after we shared a short but really powerful message on the Restoration. So grateful for those moments when the Spirit confirms again that this is true.
7/21 Plans didn't go perfectly, but did get to visit one of my favorite members, Yoshikawa Shimai who shared her conversion story. Truly every conversion is a miracle as everyone receives and recognizes that confirmation from the Holy Ghost, for her that God is real, and her life was forever changed and she has then helped in changing so many people! Also Thursday is weekly planning day, so not a lot else happened, but good planning for the next week!
7/22 Friday! Started with seminary, then District Meeting, talked about goals for the new transfer and 12 Weeks training, which is such a blessing. No I wasn't a big fan of all the "practice teaching" before and it's taken me a while to learn, but Mogi is so helpful! Sad that it's taken me so long to figure that out because Welch Kaicho's
been talking about the importance of practice for a while...I have a testimony of it now! Later in the day pretty good lesson with an investigator, then a former also! Sadly though our teaching skills are getting better and we feel good about lessons, haven't seen much progress towards baptism. Lots of no's, but it's nice to know that
we've been trying really hard to do all we can and teach clearly with the Spirit, so it's up to them because everyone does have agency.
been talking about the importance of practice for a while...I have a testimony of it now! Later in the day pretty good lesson with an investigator, then a former also! Sadly though our teaching skills are getting better and we feel good about lessons, haven't seen much progress towards baptism. Lots of no's, but it's nice to know that
we've been trying really hard to do all we can and teach clearly with the Spirit, so it's up to them because everyone does have agency.
7/23 Saturday- we have a new investigator who runs a little old-fashioned snack shop and ended up running into her twice that day! That really felt like a confirmation that she is someone important to help right now. Also it was Clean Action! This is a monthly community service project we go to that's a good finding opportunity- one cool
guy I ran into turns out is the president of Lion's Club here and has been to America several times. I gave him an Eikaiwa flyer and explained it was our free English class- he freaked out, it's free?! Why is it free?? Replied we're volunteers- Why are you volunteering?! Seriously funny, he talked to the elders after and we'll probably see him next week!
Later in the afternoon we biked out to a less active I haven't seen in a long time (she lives pretty far and not very interested in hearing about the church right now) but she is really sweet and she wasn't home but then as we were writing a note to put in her post, she pulled up and got to talk for a bit about family.
Definitely a small miracle! Last was dinner with a member and her referral friend who we've met a few times before- she had to leave earlier than we thought, so BOM message was short and her interest has gone down a lot (really sad when people won't accept that this message HELPS when you are busy, struggling, not well), so that was a little depressing, but then after as we got to review and make plans for the future with these two amazing members who didn't seem to get discouraged- moved forward to the next step helping their friend- that
was really touching to see.
Definitely a small miracle! Last was dinner with a member and her referral friend who we've met a few times before- she had to leave earlier than we thought, so BOM message was short and her interest has gone down a lot (really sad when people won't accept that this message HELPS when you are busy, struggling, not well), so that was a little depressing, but then after as we got to review and make plans for the future with these two amazing members who didn't seem to get discouraged- moved forward to the next step helping their friend- that
was really touching to see.
7/24 - On Sunday I spoke in Sacrament Meeting, thankfully I had this talk pretty well prepared, they asked me to speak about "Dendo Spirit" - helping increase member's desire to share the gospel! Shared an experience with an investigator a while ago who was really touched by the BOM. Also there is so much power in bearing testimony because the simple things I can say in Japanese are true. After church, Kawamura Shimai wasn't feeling so great, so we took things slow and finished some planning in our apartment, then went out with a member in the evening to visit her less active friend- they chatted for a while, took me back to my first couple transfers because I had a pretty hard time keeping up with everything (good friends talk really fast and
used a lot of Osaka-Ben and slang) and even had to do the whole laugh-because everyone's-laughing-but-I-don'
Today we went to Osaka-Jo with the Sakai sisters, so I was outnumbered by Nihonjin! Lots of fun and it was even a little bit cooler than normal, plus an American member came and talked to us! Dendo is so fun, so rewarding, learning humility and more reliance on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and I'm so grateful for all of it!
used a lot of Osaka-Ben and slang) and even had to do the whole laugh-because everyone's-laughing-but-I-don'
Today we went to Osaka-Jo with the Sakai sisters, so I was outnumbered by Nihonjin! Lots of fun and it was even a little bit cooler than normal, plus an American member came and talked to us! Dendo is so fun, so rewarding, learning humility and more reliance on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and I'm so grateful for all of it!
Visiting a less active!
Clean Action
O for Osaka! Osaka Jo
Love you all!
Sister Wagstaff
No comments:
Post a Comment