This life is the best

Dear wonderful family,

So this week we got a new companion, Sister Facer. I LOVE her!  Her companion went home so we adopted her for a few days.  You never know what is going to happen, I feel.  Since we live just a few minutes from the mission home, when something happens like that our companionship gets a little more exciting. I loved having her as a companion.

So this week one of the Elders friends, Iida Kyodai got baptized.   He is in his 60'ies and he is amazing!  He needs a little help breathing because he just got released from the hospital but he still was baptized and everything and just when I talk to him I feel like he really knows who he is - a precious child of God. When I first met him, when the Elders first started teaching him, he seemed a lot different and seemed to have a lot of problems, and now he seems to have found such peace. The best part about the gospel is that it's one of hope and change.  My good friend Maeda-san who we've been teaching came to his baptism too.  She had a lot of questions. During the baptismal service she whispered to me, "so if I get baptized would you baptize me?"  I explained to her about the priesthood a little more but felt excited that she was thinking about it at least. 

For Pday we had a picture scavenger hunt in Shibuya with our whole zone. It was pretty fun.  We had to find weird things like grandmas with purple hair and re-enactLehis dream etc.  Anyway at the end we all met at this statue of this dog in front of theShibuya train station. His name is Hachiko and he is based on a true story. Apparently he was an extremely loyal dog and picked up his master everyday at that train statiion, and even after the master passes away, the faithful Hachiko came to that train station to pick him up, until the end of his life.  I started crying right there in front of the statue when my companion was retelling all this.  I LOVE dogs!  They continue to help me with my Dendo, they are a great way to talk to people.

This week we also had a tacoyaki party at the church with the elders and investigators. So much fun!  Taco is octopus in Japanese but it's really good and I think is an Osaka food too.  We put all this different stuff in the tacoyaki cooker and just spun the little round tacoyakis until they were done. So fun!  I am zetai buying one.  We put cheese and tomatoes in them too. 

This week we visited a lot of less actives and one of them is named Wasano Shimai.  She has been less active for about 15 years but we have visited her consistently for the past few months.  We have become good friends and she told us this week that she is coming to church in February.  We are so excited!  I know that every person is important to Heavenly Father and no one is ever forgotten. 

My favorite story in the Bible is the one about the prodigal son. I have been thinking about him a lot lately.  When the son comes home for the first time it says "But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and RAN and fell on his neck and kissed him"  Joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance".  I know that this is true and that Heavenly Father wants to bless us with so much. 

Someone told me on my mission to "wear out the atonement.  Use it over and over again".  I look at my scriptures lately and I always think that every time I make a note or highlight I think "oh my, these are getting very colorful" but then I think again "well wear them out! that's what they are there for!"  I know Jesus Christ is our wonderful Savior and he stands ready with Heavenly Father to welcome us back to him every time we make a mistake or wander away for a little while, he's just there waiting, and when we decide to come back or ask for help he will RUN to us. 

This life is the best!  I LOVE YOU ALL

Sister Vail