Week 3

From: Lindsay Sanders <lindsay.sanders@myldsmail.net>

Date: May 4, 2015 12:29:19 AM MST

Subject: Week 3

End of week 3 email 

Hello friends and family! This week was crazy busy but I am doing great and I feel very accomplished. I am almost done with my Lesson Mastery!!! I am so excited to just get it done. It is a pain in the butt, however it will be worth it when I can teach the PMG lessons in Japanese! Ahhhh I am so close! Please pray for me.

I can't wait to skype home next week!!!! Ahhhhhh has it really been since Christmas since I've talked to you?

I got a way bad sunburn! It's epically red. It just means that I have been working hard And I probably need to reapply sunscreen throughout the day... BUT the rainy season started, so I'll get to wear my plastic rain suit all the time. Yay!!!!!? I am glad I only have one summer in Japan.

On Wednesday while we were streeting I got us all hopelessly lost, but we found ourselves next to this huge bridge in the middle of nowhere. A bunch of high school students were riding their bikes... So we stopped them and we're talking to them about school, then Layton Shimai brought up the Book of Mormon. I promised them if they read it, they would  feel God's love for them. They freaked out! This was the first time two high school girls were really excited about receiving a Book of Mormon! In a good way! It reminded me that this message really does bring happiness! They both took Books of Mormons and we got their phone numbers.

Last week, we met with a really cool girl named Israa. She is an English teacher and is our age!! She speaks about as much Japanese as I do, so it was nice to talk to someone in the same boat as me. I love her!! We went out to lunch and got to know her better. She is really open to learning new things, and she is especially interested in coming to church. I feel like she could be the first investigator I've had who I can really be friends with! You can just tell she is special and needs the gospel in her life. We shared with her that Heavenly Father loves her and wants to be able to communicate with her, and she said that she has been trying to pray her whole life, but didn't really have an earth-shattering experience. We testified that when God speaks to us, it is usually in a still, small voice... Almost a whisper. She said that she has felt that before. She is a kinjin! Golden investigator! She is going to be coming to church on Sunday and we are way excited for her!

I found out that I am related to my district leader! Through Jacob Bastian! Yay for family search! Haha I think Elder Shriver thinks it is awkward, but oh well.

I met my First pants-less man. Yay? Lots of people just come to the door without... Clothes. Yeah. Until this week I've been able to avoid it. But haha it's a funny story that my comps tease me about, because I start talking and then I realize that this guy doesn't have pants on and I just stop talking and I just felt so awkward! He was definitely drunk, so we just left. I guess it's just a thing here. You can imagine how awkward it was. 

The Spencer couple arrived!! They are so cool! We have been helping them get settled in and set up their internet and banks and stuff. It is using all of my very limited Japanese skills. I am excited to have a senior couple here now! We get to work with them and they get to feed us dinner... I mean, love us in return!! :) They are really excited to be here in Japan and they served a mission already in the Philippines, so they kind of know what they're doing... But they don't know any Japanese, so we're the on-call translators for them. I really really like them.

We ended up not going to the temple last Saturday... It was just too busy and there were not enough seats. We're about 4 hours away from Fukuoka, so I probably won't get to go to the temple while I serve here. That's okay, most of the work I need to do right now is on this side of the veil!

The members we work with in the Japanese branch are the best. The branch president is one of my favorite people. He is a return missionary and has a beautiful family. He does soooooo much for the branch , is always willing to joint for lessons, and does great work with the less actives. The funny thing about less actives here is that they won't come to church, but they will go above and beyond in their callings. For example, our branch mission leader is a less active. So he bears his testimony of the importance of church attendance when he hasn't come to church in 30 years. It is just funny. He also likes to make jokes about me being related to Colonel Sanders... Or he tells me that I look like a movie star... Or he proposes to me. It's very flattering, but I just remind him that I am planning on marrying an active member, so... Yes. I told him that and then he actually thought about coming to church. Hasn't come yet, but hey at least he thought about it!!! Anyways, the branch president gives all his less actives callings. That is the key, is to make people feel loved and needed. Every member needs a calling!! It is just so important! I loooove the Yanai Branch! 

The Iwakuni Branch is amazing too. They are such a close knit group and they are always willing to help the missionaries! I feel incredibly blessed to get to serve with these amazing marine families. They show me so much love! They have influenced the kind of person I want to be, especially with how I will serve in the church for the rest of my life. 

I have been really hard on myself lately. I get discouraged because sometimes no one will want to listen!!! And then I want to argue with them and say "you need this!" But that is not what the Savior would do. Sister Layton was saying how sometimes missions are not just about getting people to listen to our message, it is about getting a little slice of what Jesus Christ went through during his mission. Not everyone listened to Him, but He just loved them. My mission is refining me. I am trying to overcome my weaknesses. It is very humbling to be in a place where I can hardly speak the language and where I can't read any of the signs. But I love it so much. This is the best thing I have ever done! I hope I come home a completely different person. A much better person. Ahhhh... progression is hard sometimes. 

Love, Sister Sanders

Yummy Ice Cream! :)

Yes, this is an umbrella holder for your bike... Only in Japan. :)

Festival in Yanai. The fish is their mascot.