Tokyo Mission is splitting!

Dear family,

My new companion is hilarious/ so strong.  This week she was having a really hard day and just when she thought it couldn't get any worse her bike was stolen.  It was hard at first but she had such a good attitude and said ,"well maybe it was an emergency.  Maybe that person was having a baby and they needed my helmet too because they wanted to be safe". I love her.

Yesterday it was so cold I felt like my lips were making my speech slurred  I usually wear two coats and a few layers underneath padded with handwarmers and two layers of tights but somehow I still feel cold.  I'm realizing what a luxurious life I've lived and how spoiled I've been all my life to have never been subjected to the cold. But slowly but surely spring is coming. I will survive!! 

This week I learned something really important.  One day we went out streeting and talked to a lot of people. When we came home Sister Dolan said 'it was a great day wasn't it?'  For some reason I didn't feel like it was that great, I didn't feel satisfied with my work. We had found three new potential investigators, placed a Book of Mormon and made an appointment for next week, but I still felt disappointed in myself because I didn't do more or have the chance to bear my testimony of Christ. I talked to Sister Dolan about this, and how I didn't feel successful despite the "results". She then told me about Christ, how he healed 10 lepers but only one returned to say 'thank you'. She told me that maybe our short conversations or hellos were enough to lift someone, or heal them, even if I never see them again. Maybe only one will come back and want to learn more, but that doesn't mean we didn't have success.  I really want to be a bold missionary and I feel disappointed in myself sometimes if I am just their friend and don't offer them the gospel upfront. I feel lately like time is passing so quickly and I want to put my heart into every contact and not holding anything back. Sister Dolan is teaching me to just appreciate the work we do, look for how to improve and move on.  She said 'when people see you they can feel Heavenly Father's divine love, and even if you never see them again, you've already given them a part of it'. She has been a great companion and is teaching me how to find joy in the small successes. With every companion I have had so far they have taught me something that has enhanced my mission immensely.

In Utsunomiya you really feel like it's you two and the Lord.  In Nakano I was working with 7 other missionaries and now it's just us in this huge area.  We had an exciting announcement this week.  They are splitting the Tokyo Mission!!  There will now be a Tokyo North Mission and a South mission.  It was kind of shocking that our mission is splitting because that means I might have a different mission president and some of us will be split up, but it also so exciting because that means that Heavenly Father wants to put more missionaries in more areas.  It is such an exciting time to be out!

We started teaching a girl named Michan this week.  She is adorable!!  I'm way excited to be meeting with her.  Have to go but LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!

Love marns