Fwd: Fall

This week has been crazy and awesome! I want to apologize for the last few weeks. I have had NO TIME, but I am super busy doing the Lord`s work. I am super happy! Sister Nelson is the best. She is a great friend! She is on her last transfer, and loves to sing, and is super positive. SHe has been teaching me how to cook and how to survive in Japan. I am so thankful for her! We can harmonize when we sing hymns which is fun!

The members in my ward are uuuuuhmazing. They always want to help us and let me practice teaching lessons in Japanese. One lady was so cute, she said Come over anytime, even if it`s midnight! I would love to help you practice! The Sisters (me and Nelson Shimai) eat at a members house maybe twice a week,. They love the sisters here. They take care of us! 

I am getting used to biking- our apartment is at the top of a huge hill and this week I was finally able to make it to the top!!!!!!!! YAY! Milestones! We bike like 5 hours everyday. Plus Sister nelson is a good cook and makes lots of healthy food. I have lost about 5 pounds since being here. At the MTC, I didn`t gain any weight either.... so... that`s good I guess. We are really focussed on being healthy! The food is all so good though! Lots of vegetables and noodles and meat and fish! Most of it is super yummy. There are some things, like the octopus with shrimp stuffed inside was nasty, and then there`s a type of onko which is a dessert made of soybeans that is really gross. So I ate one and when the woman offered I take another one, I sneakily hid it in my bag and snuck it out. I promise that is the only time I will ever do that! It was gross though. 

I can find my way around to like 5 different places, but the streets are not numbered or have names, so it`s hard to find things with just an address. The steering wheels are on the opposite side. Everything is opposite basically. Traffic is decent. Here in the city, most people walk to ride bikes. I am super impressed with women who can wear high heels when they ride their bike, or really old men who can hold a bottle of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other while they are biking. We avoid riding by them because they are known to crash into things. 

The language is hard, but it is super humbling. I am working like crazy. I feel myself improving everyday. The other missionaries say I have good Japanese for a bean, but I honestly have no idea if they are just being nice or not. I know that the Gift of Tongues is real though! I have felt help so many times!

We have about 10 investigators, but none of them are really able to meet on a regular basis. I`ll just tlak about a few... Miko lives in Russia, so we Skype teach her, but she is cool! She will be coming home for Christmas so we will meet her face to face! We are teaching a woman who has been less active for a long time, but has come back to church and is BACK. This woman`s testimony is on fire! We taught her about the Atonement. Her lesson was the first one that I felt like I could really help someone. I know that through the Atonement, we can let go of any guilt that we`ve been holding on to. 

We experienced a few miracles this week. One of them being that Elder Fender has been fasting from candy and sweets for the last 3 transfers of his mission to show Heavenly Father that he really wants to teach a family. On Fast Sunday, Nelson Shmai and I fasted for him to find a family. He didn`t know that we were doing that! That night, we got a call that HE FOUND A FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We made him a big plate of cookies! Another miracle is that we have been teaching Yamaguchi san, who struggles with smoking and drinking. The last few times we went to visit him, he`s been super drunk... so we brought the pristhood with us this lesson. He has read the Book of Mormon and knows that it is true! I got to ask him if he would like to be baptized by the end of this month... and HE SAID YES!!!!!!!!!!! We are so excited! Obviously he has a long way to go, but this is such a miracle! Baptisms are hard to get in this area. We are super blessed. THe Spirit was so strong in that lesson.

Also, if you are a sister, expect to be asked to sing at everything. I have done 3 performances since I`ve been here, have 10 in this next month, and we are planning Christmas stuff. I am so busy!

We teach Eikaiwa which is English class. It is lots of fun! Really nice people come.

We had Zone Training this week and received counsel from Kaicho. We have a lot of goals to work on!

I am almost out of time, but please ask questions!!!!!! I love being a misisonary so much! This is an amazing opportunity to serve the Lord!

I know that Christ lives. Everyone please watch the Because of Him video on LDS.org. That explains everything better than I could. But it is my testimony that, because He lives, we are able to live together with our families in forever happiness.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!

Shu ni tayoru shikanai desu. There is nothing but to Rely on the Lord.

Sanders Shimai

PS. Mom, look up the songs The Olive Tree and One Voice. I heard them at the MTC and they are beautiful! I think they are EFY songs or something??