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!