Dear family,
I love fall. I just love the holiday spirit, coziness, drinking tea, wearing fuzzy pajamas, the cool weather, you bet I am in my fleeces already. Just special no matter where you are. I'm on the look out for my Halloween costume. Maybe Harajuku girl or a Sailor Moon for the ward Halloween party?
I am love being a missionary though. What a pure joy. Everyday our job is to go out and make friends. It's tiring sometimes, as I never realized how much socializing takes so much energy out of you. But it's all worth it, every minute. Lately I really feel Heavenly Father helping me with my Japanese too. Its amazing, I will hear something one time, and then randomly I am able to use it, later that day, it always is surprising to me, how God really does want us to succeed in this work so he really is helping me a lot.
I love learning. We can't be afraid to try! Being out here all the time last minute people ask you to do things. I used to worry a lot about everything. If I couldn't do it perfectly I might be afraid to try, But I'm finding our best effort is enough, that's all the Lord asks of us. I just don't have time to worry anymore. It's a waste of time! We can't dwell too long on the past or we will miss the opportunities right in front of our faces. I feel really pushed to do more than I ever thought possible.
This week last minute I was asked to teach an English class to deaf Japanese people. I felt so nervous at first. I really wanted to help them. I was racking my brain for all the American Sign Language I knew, acting, drawing pictures, using facial expressions to the max. (Turns out Japanese sign language is totally different than American.) But what a different experience! I would never have any of these unique opportunities had I stayed at home. So I'm grateful!
I met this wonderful girl on the train this week. Her name is Madoka. She's 20 years old and is a dancer and loves to act too. When I met her I thought she looked like a mermaid. We went out for waffles and taught her about Jesus Christ and that Heavenly Father just wants us to be happy. Most people here in Japan only know Jesus Christ from Christmas and that's it. So we really start from scratch with everyone we teach. The most important thing is that they know that we love them, and that God loves them too.
There were two typhoon warnings this week, just really heavy rain and strong winds. We were visiting this lady named Inemi Shimai and her son Kaychan at the time. His name should have been little prince because he got whatever he wanted. Like force feeding his mom about ten mochies (rice cakes). Anyway on the way home we rode our bikes home in the rain. It was coming down so heavy and fast it was like a lake on the streets. It almost hurt it was pelting us so hard, but it was actually pretty fun. It's moments like that that I feel truly alive.
So it's the start of a new transfer. Sister Stevenson and I will be together again. I love her, she leaves to go home in 6 weeks though. She is mildly panicking. We went out for lunch as a district this week at this shabu shabu place, where you usually do your own cooking on the table. You take your shoes off before you sit down and put your feet under the table. It felt odd not wearing shoes in public, but then I felt really at home after a while. I love bare feet. Made me miss Hawaii a bit. I feel like a family with the elders we work with. The AP's drove us in the mission van and it felt like a family road trip. I loved it.
I feel everyone in Tokyo is always dressed to the 9ies as they say. Yesterday we went housing and gave away a Book of Mormon to this young man. He seemed mesmorized by it. Turning it over and holding it so carefully. I know every step of missionary work is missionary work, just like Kathy Bussey said.
Oh yes! The big news. I can't belive they are lowering the age requirement for missionaries! It's such exciting news! It meant so many things to me.
1. Heavenly Father really needs the help of everyone to preach the gospel, it's urgent!
2. We really are being led by a modern day prophet who knows what this world needs.
3. This is the strongest generation yet and the gospel really is being preached by the weak things of the earth.
well love life and I love all of you.
hugs and kisses
marni
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