Transfer 8 Week 1 one year!

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

Date: August 16, 2015 7:43:36 PM MST

Subject: Transfer 8 Week 1 one year!

Transfer 8 Week 1 ONE YEAR

So here is the official announcement about transfers: I am staying in Shimizu! This is the first time I have stayed in an area longer than three months! Woah! There's a first time for everything. My new companion is Sister Thompson. She is just starting her 4th transfer and she is such a beast! We laugh all the time. In fact, she made me laugh so hard water came out my nose. Sister Thompson is from Bakersville, California, and is the youngest of ten kids. She is 22 (Taylor Swift wrote a song about her!) and she worked at Disney World before her mission!!! She is wonderful. We have already seen lots of miracles together. I am so SO happy! 

Our new district consists of:

Tsuboi Elders, District leader: new Elder Sato (he is new because last transfer, the other Elder Sato that was here moved to Fukuoka). So confusing, ね?

His comp: Elder Roncal

Shimizu Elders: Elder Carlson and Elder Rather

Tsuboi Shimai: Sister Madeux and Ogawa Shimai (my daughter!!)

Shimizu Shimai: me and Sister Thompson

Yatsushiro Elders: Elder Brower and Elder Needs (Elder Needs was in two of my past zones!)

I will be better about writing little bios on them next week.

This is going to be such a fun transfer. I am excited to see lots of miracles. I am excited for this new start :) いいかんじ！！

There are lots of festivals going on right now. This is Obon season, where everyone goes back to their hometowns and celebrates their ancestors. They leave food and flowers on the 墓 or grave/headstone for when the spirits come back to earth for a day. I guess you could compare it to Halloween? This just means that our investigators are all on vacation this week. There are also lots of visitors for us to talk to! We have talked to some really nice people and we are able to send referrals to missionaries in other parts of Japan. There are also tons of firework festivals! We can't go to any of them, but we can still see the fireworks from far away! I love fireworks. Nothing beats Japanese fireworks though. They are amazing! 

We have been trying to focus on getting our investigators to come to church, especially sacrament meeting. In Japan, Sunday isn't a normal day to get off work, so it is hard for a lot of people to come to church. I know that when investigators come to church, they are more prepared for baptism. At church we have the opportunity to partake of the sacrament, we can feel God's love, and make friends with other people who are all trying to be better. I was reading "The Sabbath is a Delight" from President Nelson... And I really want to share it with Murakami san. This is my favorite quote from it!

"Think of this: In paying tithing, we return one-tenth of our increase to the Lord. In keeping the Sabbath holy, we reserve one day in seven as His. So it is our privilege to consecrate both money and time to Him who lends us life each day."

There is one English speaking family in our ward! They are the coolest! We taught a Family Home Evening on keeping the Sabbath Day holy called Sundaes (Sundays) for Heavenly Father... and we scooped out two bowls of ice cream. We had various toppings. We asked "what are some good things to do on Sunday?" They said go to church, read scriptures, do service, spend time with family... Everytime they gave an answer, we would put on sprinkles, or chocolate sauce, whipped cream, etc. it turned into a delicious looking sundae. we said okay, what are some things we can do any other day of the week, but not Sunday? Now we had the other bowl of ice cream and the other toppings out. They would give answers like shopping, yard work, home work, etc. with every answer, we would put ketchup, and mustard, and cheese (hotdog/hamburger toppings) etc. on our sundae. We explained that the things we can do any other day do the week we good, just not for Sundaes (Sundays). We asked which Sundae they would like to give Heavenly Father, and of course, everyone picked the first one. 

We are so blessed to have church on Sunday! We are commanded to rest... I think that is my favorite commandment right now! I know that when we keep the Sabbath Day holy, we are blessed to find rest for our souls and true delight. 

When does college get back in? I can't believe how fast time has gone. I hit my one year mark on Thursday, can you believe it?! I am so thankful for every moment, especially the hard ones. I have grown so much closer to my Savior.

Two quick miracles, then I'll say sayonara! 

On Friday night, we were walking home and we got a little turned around... So we were trying to figure out how to get home. We felt like we needed to turn down a specific road, even though I knew it didn't lead home. We walked for two minutes, and we come onto the busy street and see a woman putting tons of stuff in her car. We ask if we can help. She breaks down in tears and says that something bad just happened in her home, and she was leaving. We tried to calm her down. She did she was a Christian, but hasn't gone to church since she was married. We asked her if she wanted to pray with us. Sister Thompson prayed, and the woman repeated the words. We helped her put the rest of her things in her car and told her that God loved her, and reminded her to keep praying. Before we walked away, she asked if she could shake our hands. Through her tears, she thanked us for our friendly smiles and for reminding her that God loves her. Isn't that what being a disciple of Christ is all about? God loves each one of us so much! He led us straight to this woman who obviously needed our help. 

The next day, we were housing, and we ping pong (ring the doorbell) and the doorbells here all have cameras and intercoms. One woman answered and we were talking to her through the intercom. All I said was "we want to share a message about how your family can be happier" and she said "wait a moment please!" She came to the door with her little girl and was talking to us... She said she wasn't really interested, but then all of the sudden she asks if we would like to come in because it is hot outside. THIS NEVER HAPPENS! We go in and sit around her table and teach her about Jesus Christ, and why he is important. We shared the "Because of Him" video from our iPads. The spirit was so strong. She said she was busy most nights because her sister was in the hospital, but that she really wants to know more, because she felt peace for the first time in a while after talking to us. She invited us back next week. KINJIN!!! 

Such a great week. I am feeling so much more happy and I am almost over being sick. Sister Sanders is back! Woohoo! 元気でね〜 have a great week! Love you!

サンダーズ姉妹より

Sister Sanders & her new comp Sister Thompson
Sent from my iPad