Fwd: Transfer 9 Week 1

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

Date: September 27, 2015 7:10:34 PM MST

Subject: Transfer 9 Week 1

Transfer 9 Week 1

First off, WHAT?! I am 9 transfers old? Geez. I feel like I just got
to Japan... But I am really close to hitting one year of living in
Japan, so that's exciting. My body is breaking. Apparently 9th
transfer is when it starts to get bad for Shimai, and then you just
suffer and die slowly till you go home. This week I was riding my bike
and then my legs gave out so I just fall off my bike. It was so sudden
and luckily I didn't get scraped up too bad.., so I was sitting in the
street laughing. It was one of those "you're either going to laugh or
cry" moments. #happensalot
My companion comes back and kind of scolds me for laughing (she is a
hard core Nihonjin) but then she says the same thing happened to her
last week! Haha! Our goal is to keep each other alive!

I can't seiza (sitting with your feet tucked under you) for very long
anymore. I used to be able to sit for a full lesson! But now I can go
about 10 minutes until my legs fall asleep. Haha I am an old
missionary! It is polite to seiza until the host gives you permission
to relax. We visited a member, and she forgot to tell us to relax. I
was dying!! My legs hurt so bad! But I couldn't look like I was in
pain, because that is also impolite. So I just prayed in my heart for
strength. And then right before we stand up to leave, she says "oh I
am so sorry, I forgot to tell you to relax!" This area is used to
having all Nihonjin missionaries. よし！

Speaking of being old, I became a grandmother. Ogawa Shimai, my
beloved daughter, is going to be training Luczak Shimai!! She was
really scared to train an American companion, but I reminded her that
when I was comps with her, I was basically brand new :) she just
laughed at me and says "well, we sure tried hard that transfer!". We
cried a lot this week. it was really hard to say goodbye to her. And
to Thompson Shimai. She really helped me genki up!

I transferred, big surprise! Sister Thompson is going to be training a
bean chan, so I am moving to... Ube! Up in Yamaguchi! One of the
coldest places in the mission, just in time for winter. It is known
for being a hard area to find people/do work, but I am way excited for
the challenge. It has a lot of rice fields and old people and it is
really beautiful. Ube is kind of close to the ocean, I will probably
go on Pday! Since I am the American, I am in charge of English class!
We teach kids and adults. It is way fun :) we are going to make this
area explode!!

My new companion is Akuta Shimai!! I love her! I am so happy to have
another Nihonjin companion! She is on her last transfer, so we are
making sure to have lots of fun! Akuta Shimai is way good at English.
When we read the White Handbook, she reads in English! It is awesome!
We made a goal that in the apartment, I will only speak Japanese and
she will only speak English :) we work really well together. We are
going to see lots of miracles!

Ube is a branch of about 60 people. There are some young families,
some young single adults, and lots of old people! I think there are 3
youth, and two of them are young men. They all LOVE the missionaries.
It is crazy. They take us places on Pday, have us over for dinner,
bring us food all the time, and one family goes on a trip to Utah
every year to visit the missionaries who served in this area. Believe
it! These are such long people. I am excited to be able to be able to
serve here.

So during my last week in Kumamoto, I felt like I needed to be really
bold with some people. We dropped a lot of investigators. I hate doing
it, but they weren't keeping commitments. Our Chinese investigator
Alex hadn't been reading the Book of Mormon... But I knew we shouldn't
drop her quite yet...So I challenged her to read it. I promised that
she would feel in her heart that it was true. That night she texted us
and said that she felt warm and happy when she read it! Ahhhh I was so
happy! Sister Thompson and her bean will take good care of Alex!

Fast forward to this week... My first night we found a new
investigator! A young single mom who wants to know if God is there and
if He can help her. The next day, we were housing at night, and a man
answers the door. He sees me and shuts it right away (happens a lot
here... People don't like gaijin in this area) so Akuta Shimai speaks
up and he opens the door. After a minute, he says "it must be very
difficult for you to do this job... Can I buy you some coffee?" We
said "we don't drink coffee, but juice would be fine!" So we walk
across the street to a conbini and he buys us some yogurt-flavored
water. He finally makes eye contact with me and asks me why I came to
Japan. I told him exactly why- we started teaching the Restoration
lesson. Akuta Shimai bore a powerful testimony of how she knows God is
there. I shared how I knew that we can pray to God no receive answers.
We talked for about a half hour. We gave him a Book of Mormon and
taught him how to pray. We are meeting with him this week! Lots of
miracles, and I haven't even finished unpacking!

This transfer, the Christlike attribute I am working on is obedience.
In Japanese, it is Juujun. 従順 It translates to obedient, gentle, meek,
submissive, docile. The kanji (character) meaning is "to submit".
Obedience to God's commandments is 1) an act of faith and 2) an
expression of love. Christ said "if he love me, keep my commandments".
So it really should be that simple. I have been hearing the phrase "is
obedience an irritant or is it your quest?" I am making it my quest!
How much do I love Heavenly Father? Enough to keep working when I am
tired. Enough to wake up on time. Enough to serve with all I have. God
love us and always wants to bless us. I know that when we try to do
things His way, we are more happier, and in the end it is easier Than
doing it on our own!

Have an awesome week! Please send me pictures and tell me what is
going on at home! Love you all! 愛してまーす！

サンダーズ姉妹より

Me and Akuta Shimai

At a member's house for a welcome to Ube party.

サンダーズ姉妹より

Transfer 8 Week 6

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

Date: September 21, 2015 7:40:32 PM MST

Subject: Transfer 8 Week 6

Transfer 8 Week 6

Elder Sanders went to the MTC this week! I am so excited for him! Shout out to little brother!

Well another transfer comes and goes. Today we get our transfer calls and we get our callings for the next six weeks! It is always crazy and exciting and I decided I am just going to stop guessing what will happen because I am always wrong. We got a call on Saturday night because Sister Thompson is going to train next transfer!! Woohoo! I knew I was leaving, so it was kind of nice to get extra time to pack.

I am excited for this new start in a new area and new companion. This will be my 5th area and my 9th companion in 9 transfers. So crazy. It is kind of fun because I get to know a lot of people. It's also really hard. But I can do hard things! That seems to be the theme of my mission.

We had a cool miracle. I was convinced that something was trying to stop us from getting out the door. My companion was sick, our toaster exploded, and all this stuff. We finally made it out of our apartment after we cleaned up a little and go downstairs to find that my bike (which I got fixed yesterday) had a flat tire again. We didn't have any appointments, but we felt like we needed to go to a specific area. We prayed about it, and we still knew we needed to go to this place that was about a half hour walk away. We set out, contacting everyone on the sidewalk, but everyone kekko'd us (kekko is a rejection). Literally every person. So we decide to just walk straight to the place we had planned on going. We are going up the steps of the apartment we felt prompted to go to, and a sweet obachan (grandma) is coming down with tons of heavy looking bags. We ask if we can help her with her bags. We walk with her and get to know her better. She told us that her daughter had died 10 years ago, and today was actually the anniversary, and she had just visited her son. We told her that she will be able to see her daughter again. She says "oh, I believe that!" She tells us her daughter is Christian, and the church she went to did a beautiful funeral for her. When the mother went to the service, the women there told her about heaven and that she can be with her daughter! She said "I know in my heart that is true." Sister Thompson and I looked at each other and then we started to teach. We shared Alma 40:12, which talked about paradise and a state of rest. We testified that God loves her, and that she can feel peace because she knows she will be with her daughter again. We gave her a Book of Mormon and invited her to church and to hear the lessons. She declined, but thanked us for showing her kindness. Sister Thompson asked if we could hug her. We both hugged her, and this sweet obachan didn't let go for a long time. She said "thank you, that was like getting two big hugs from my daughter! You are both Angels". We helped her get on a bus and waved goodbye. Then we went around a corner and cried so hard! It took all the craziness before meeting this grandma to see the miracle. That is when I feel like I am being successful- when I am in the right place at the right time and I am able to say what God wants me to say to His beloved children. When we are obedient, and try our very best, we are blessed immensely.

We were really busy this week. We had lots of appointments with members. We do practice lessons so we can get help with our language. One of the women we met with talked about her conversion story. She started crying thanking us for what we do to help people. It was so sweet. We thanked her for always helping us. We really could not make any progress without the members help. I love Shimizu Ward!

Our new Chinese investigator Alex is the best. Because she speaks Mandarin, English, and Japanese, she asked for Book of Mormons in all those languages! She usually reads her Chinese one, but likes that she can get a deeper meaning by reading the different translations. We invited her to church and made an activity with the young single adults to watch Finding Faith in Christ, which is a video all about Christ's life and why He is important. As we watched with her, she would ask questions like "did He really do that?" I would say "yes" then she would say "wow". She is excited about getting baptized next month.

So... Yep, I am an old missionary. But I made the resolution to keep working hard to the end. I know that God loves these people. They deserve my best. I finally feel comfortable with the language, so now I am studying more of the characters and kanji. I really want to focus on my teaching skills. I am just excited to start this next phase!

This week I really had my testimony strengthened. I know that God loves us. I know I say this every week, but that is what I learn over and over. He knows me. He knows you. He knows what we need. We stopped a woman on the street, and she started to say "I'm busy" but I felt prompted to say that her family needs this message so they can be happier. She stopped dead in her tracks. We spoke to her about the Plan of Salvation. At the end, she said that her daughter was really struggling. She wants us to come and talk to her. We have wonderful opportunities to be servants of the Lord. We are here to help others. I know that this is true!

Love you all!!

サンダーズ姉妹より

My crazy district!  And my 13 month mark!                                                                                           

Transfer 8 week 5

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

Date: September 13, 2015 6:35:54 PM MST

Subject: Transfer 8 week 5

Transfer 8 Week 5

愛する皆さん、こんにちは‼︎

Woahhhh this transfer has gone by way fast. Next week is transfers, so I will email on Tuesday. I think Sister Thompson and I will have one more together... But who knows! I have four transfers left, so I think I will probably have one more area. Who knows where that will be!! Transfers are always exciting. Crazy and exhausting, too. 

This week after district meeting, we were walking through the big shopping center and we were stopped by a tv crew... They asked us where we were from and where we were going to eat. The Elders were great and introduced us as church volunteers and totally taught about Jesus Christ on live television. I was so proud! People loooove foreigners around here. People ask if they can take pictures with me like I am a princess at Disneyland or something. 

On Sunday I hit 13 months. Ouch, that hurts. When did I get so OLD? I stopped telling people how long I have been out because they automatically say "woah, you only have ___ months left! How does that make you feel?" IT MAKES ME SAD, thanks. I was feeling really homesick this week, and I was praying about it, and I had a cool experience. 

The whole week I was thinking about how lately we haven't had any success and I was getting lots of negative thoughts, one of them being "why did I even come on a mission if I have nothing to show for my efforts?" I talk to people all day, either stopping them on the street or by knocking on doors. In a week we contact hundreds of people, but hardly any will let us share a message or accept a return appointment. It is very discouraging sometimes. 

I had an impression saying "Think of all the people you never would have met if you hadn't come on a mission". My mind flashed through the face of every person I have gotten to know in the past thirteen months. I thought of my friends in the MTC, my companions, my fellow missionaries, the Ward members from each Ward that I have served with, and lastly, the investigators that I have worked with. I remembered how much I love them. I remembered the lessons we had, and especially the times when they came excited to tell us they kept their commitments! I have met amazing people. I am so blessed. The next impression that came was "Think of how much I, Heavenly Father, love them. Thank you for being kind to my beloved children." 

I knew I needed to repent and change my thinking. How could I be sad when so many great things were happening in my beloved people's lives? It is NOT about the numbers.

Preach My Gospel states "no effort is wasted". I was helped to be able to see that I have a lot to show for my mission so far, and I will continue to have success through the rest of my mission! Success does not just mean baptisms, although it is great when those do happen. It is your commitment to serve God. I have been able to show love to people that need it, I feel the Holy Ghost speaking through me to touch their hearts. It is amazing. All efforts to serve are appreciated, although sometimes just by our Heavenly Father. If we love Him, shouldn't we be doing things to please him, even if no one else notices? 

It is so easy to feel like what we are doing goes unnoticed, like it has no value, especially to the world's standards. But I can promise you that if your heart is set on serving the Lord  (Luke 12:31 ¶But [first] seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.) then you can feel confident that the work you are doing is important! You can know that you are doing a great work. If you are a student, or a parent, or working... First serve God, and your needs will be provided for.

Thompson Shimai and I have formed a great companionship. I really love her. We are opposites, but it works out. According to Meyer's and Briggs, she is an INFP, and I am an ISTP. (Almost all of my companions have been INFP's). We approach problems from different perspectives and it is really cool to put our ideas together. I really love her. She is from Bakersfield, California.

This week we had a miracle. Our new investigator Mori's daughter Ichino chan was sick. We made them a goodie bag with soup mix and tissues and treats, and lastly, a Book of Mormon. We went to her apartment expecting to just drop off the bag.., but instead, she invited us inside! We came in, and her dad Seiji san was there too! Mori pulled out all of the treats out of the bag. The last thing she pulled out was the Book of Mormon. She said she had heard about it and wanted to read it. She opened it and started to read the first page, and then I felt prompted to ask "if you have a half hour right now, we prepared a message about that Book" we taught the Restoration lesson. We sang I am a Child of God for Ichino chan. The Spirit was so strong! Sister Thompson recited the First Vision in Japanese and did it perfectly (she has been working so hard on memorizing it!). Lastly, when we talked about the Holy Ghost and what it feels like, Seiji san said "oh, like what I felt when you were singing?" They got it! よし‼︎‼︎‼︎ we explained the Book of Mormon, its importance, and why we are sharing it. They both committed to read and pray this week. They are both working towards baptismal dates. They are KINJIN! (Translates to golden person). I will let you know how things go. They definitely need the gospel.

On Sunday, we were not expecting anyone to come to church. We walked by the front door to the church, and Mori was there talking to a member! We were freaking out! She WALKED all the way from her apartment while carrying her baby!!!! She loooooved church. And all the Ward members came and introduced themselves... The mommies in the Ward are going to do a play date so Mori can come. I am so proud :) she is amazing. 

While we were housing, the funniest thing happened, and it basically describes my mission. A young man opens the door. We introduce ourselves. He asks "are you Christians?" We say yes. He says "sorry, we have another religion" so I ask "oh really?! What religion do you practice?" He tries to remember, scratches his head, and then shouts back to his wife "Yuuka! What religion do we believe in?" She yells back "uhhhhh, Bukkyou!" (Buddhist). And then he turns to us and says "Yeah, we are Bukkyou." Sister Thompson got kind of feisty and asked "do you actually believe in that though?" Then he awkwardly shut the door in our faces. 

Isn't that funny? But this is everyone I talk to!!! I am not kidding! That is how most young people are. The older generation usually tells us "I am this way because my ancestors believed in this" then we would ask if they believed in it for themselves, then they would ask us to leave. I know I am young, but I am grateful to know what I believe. I have an identity and a purpose. I had to learn for myself that this church is true. I know that God is there, and He loves me. People everywhere in the world, not just Japan, need to know that.

District Leader, Sato Choro (his name means sugar... So we call him Sugar Choro), shared a quote with me this week that I thought was cool.

"It is one thing to know about God and another to know him. We know about him when we learn that he is a personal being in whose image man is created; when we learn that the Son is in the express image of his Father's person; when we learn that both the Father and the Son possess certain specified attributes and powers. But we know them, in the sense of gaining eternal life, when we enjoy and experience the same things they do. To know God is to think what He thinks, to feel what He feels, to have the power He possesses, to comprehend the truths He understands, and to do what He does. Those who know God become like Him, and have His kind of life, which is eternal life" (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:762).

神について知ることと神を知ることとは別である。神について知るとは、すなわち神が感情、感覚、体をお持ちの方であり、人はその神に型取って造られたことを学ぶことである。また、御子が御父のひな型であり、天父も御子もそれぞれ固有の属性、権能をもっておられることを学ぶときに、私たちは神について知ることができるのである。しかし、永遠の生命を得るという観点から神を知るということは、天父と御子が経験されたと同じ事柄を経験し、同じ喜びを味わうことである。神を知るとは、神のお考え、お気持ちを自分も体験し、神のもっておられる権能を拝受し、神の理解しておられる真理をよく味わって理解の目を開き、神の行われる通りに自分も行うことである。神を知るものは神に似たものとなり、神が享受しておられる生命、すなわち永遠の生命を得ることができるのである。(「新約聖書教義注解」1:762)

Those who know God will have eternal life. How much of an effort are we making to know Him? To feel what He feels, and do what he does? Well, if you're like me, getting to that level seems a little too far away to worry about right now. But, you can take steps RIGHT NOW to know God better. It is really simple,

1. If you have no idea what I am talking about, ask the missionaries!

2. Pray sincerely and ask for help to know Heavenly Father better.

3. Study about Him from the scriptures. Write down what you learn.

4. Be conscious of your feelings when you go to church.

5. Act on what you have felt.

We should be doing these things already, but I promise that as we come to know God better, we will notice immediately that we are happier. We can feel like we have a purpose in life. In time, this faithful effort will turn into a knowledge that God loves us, and that we can become like Him. My greatest hope is to be happy like He is.  

Have a great week! Remember to say your prayers and read your scriptures!

サンダーズ姉妹より

Transfer 8 Week 4

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

Date: September 6, 2015 8:53:20 PM MST

Subject: Transfer 8 Week 4

Transfer 8 week 4

Heyyyy everyone! What is going on in America right now? What's the best movie out right now? 

Here's some fun facts about the Japan Fukuoka mission:

We are the largest mission in the world (geographically). Your transfer plans sometimes involve a bus, a train, a plane, and a boat to get to your new area. 

About 70% of the missionaries have been in the mission field for six months or less. Yep. We are a young mission. It also means I feel old all the time. Especially when the new sisters come to conferences and have SUCH cute clothes! My companion, who is a 4th transfer right now tells me about movies and songs and YouTube videos I have never heard of. Most of my mission friends have gone home or will be home in a few months. It is kind of sad, but it just means I get to make new friends with the youngsters :) they are pretty cool.

This week was soooooo busy! We got sick as an apartment, so that has been fun. We are always trying to decide which one of us is the least sick to make meals and stuff. We got some heavy duty "natural" medicine from district leader and we are getting better :) the typhoon stirred up a bunch of stuff, so everyone is getting sick. I got to wear a mask. I felt very Japanese. Our district leader also brought us soup mix and vegetable juice and saltine crackers. He is so nice. 

We put on a huge summer festival at our church building called Natsu Matsuri. It was so fun! Our investigators came with their families. There was somen, and shaved ice, and games, and the missionaries did a fun skit at the end. Even some people from our English class came!! They loved it! Murakami san also came with her kids. She had to get a job  so we can't do lessons during the week anymore, but she is still going strong. She came to church on Sunday and said she felt so happy. 

Me and Sister Thompson have been having a lot of success finding new people who are interested in our message! We have three 

We had a conference with Elder Choi of the Seventy, who is from Korea. He had a lot of great things to talk to us about. Of course, one of the first things he says is to get married asap after the mission. I feel like the theme of the training was about motivation. He says "if you don't like it, LIKE IT." For example, I hate going out in the rain. But, I have to like going out in the rain, and we have a special opportunity to serve Heavenly Father. He encouraged us to sing more... While we are walking, and even to people who reject us. It brings the Spirit. We always want to leave people better than when we found them. 

He shared the story of the man who is told by God to go push a big rock. So, he goes and pushes, all day long for weeks. The rock never moves. The man asks God, "why would you have me try and move this rock? It is impossible!" God says "I have asked you to push against it. See how much stronger your legs and arms are now?" Sometimes the Lord gives us trials to make us stronger. I love being able to look back and see how I have grown from certain trials. It is such a blessing to have opportunities to grow. 

Another big point that was made was about reaching out. If we came on our missions to serve, not be served, then we need to do more to serve those around us.  You can't be selfish and be a good missionary!! It just doesn't work that way. We must pray to recognize opportunities to serve. 

It is good to be a missionary in Japan. I feel so blessed to be able to serve the people here. I LOVE the Japanese people! 

I guess what I learned this week is that God loves us no matter what! As long as we are trying, he doesn't care if we make a mistake. He will always help us. Somehow things always work out, and everything ends up being okay. 

I love you! Have a great week!! 

愛するみなさん、がんばって下さい。

サンダーズ姉妹より

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