dear awesome family

Dear beloved sweet family,

I LOVE THE MISSION!!!! It is seriously so exhausting and every night I pass out instantly but I have never felt like my life has more purpose and that things are so clear.  When you live the gospel and follow Jesus Christs example life just goes better.

  This week we sat down with two people and they asked "what is your conviction?" or how are you so sure that all this is true?  And how when you face so much rejection can you still have hope?"

And my simple testimony is that God will never let us be permanently unhappy.  He loves us too much.   And that all things even hard ones will pass quickly from us and will in the end be for our good.

This week during our morning exercise, I pet a dog named George Bush.  Japanese people are hilarious, I'm pretty sure the owner didn't really know much about the United States or Bush's policies but I found it so cute. The dog went by just Bush for short.   One of my favorite ways to contact people is through their animals or children.  I love striking up a conversation with someone on the train or on the street with a common love for four legged friends.  On the train yesterday a lady was transporting her dog to the vet and I thought it would be funny to review my photo album with her and the dog.  I showed the dog photos of Ruby and Nola and the dog was sniffing each photo, nose pressed to the album, it was very cute and the lady seemed to love it too. 

The mission is so fun!  Just chatting and making friends with everyone.

One of the funnest things we did this week was teach a family of little girls inAdachi, the Kato family. Kato-san is such a kind loving mother. She is from Thailand and her husband is Japanese.  When we arrived at the family's house, we turned to go to her apartment, but instead she hooked a right and went UNDER the stairs. 

It was such a blast. We had our lesson under the stairs outside like Harry Potter.  I loved it. Little cement picnic all huddled under the stairs just chatting and snacking and talking about Jesus Christ. The angel little girls were having trouble sitting still but I tried to talk to them like Sol and told them that Jesus knows all the answers and can help them with anything.  I hid things around where we were sitting and had them close their eyes so they couldn't find them.  At the end of the small lesson the little girl Mi-chan, who is four years old said that Jesus is her Best Friend.  The mother was just such a great mother. I love parents who cater to their kids, like having company next to the bike racks.  Kids just need to have little get-aways like that little club house, I think.   

I love children.  They have no problem believing.  They don't need to see something to believe it's true.  They can use their imaginations.  I wish everyone was more like that. When we grow up, we just forget how to believe.   I'm so thankful for Coco and Sol who taught me so much about loving openly and freely. 

When we left their home/stairs the little girl, Mi-chan,  came running down the street after us and just crying.  I wanted to run back and scoop her up.  But 1.)   we can't hold kids as missionaries and 2.)  we were running late for our train.     Zanen !

Also this Sunday we taught a lady named Haruka.  She wants to be baptized but worries so much that she is imperfect.  I told her that's the whole reason why we have Jesus Christ is because EVERYONE is imperfect.  She said she felt so good during our time together and so did I.  I know God is using us to do his work.

Japanese is getting so much better. I don't know how but sometimes even words I've never studied before like architect or random things somehow I will just know what it means.  It's very weird but at the same time very cool.  I know I'm receiving so much help from Heavenly Father. 

I love working in Nakano.  We celebrated Elder Willards' birthday this week at the mission home.  We had pizza and made him give a speech.  He seriously seems 20 going on 40.  The mission really matures the elders, I feel.  Especially WIllardo Chorro.  We secretly call him Papa because he is always driving the mission van around and being extremely responsible for everyone. 

Okay, well, it was a wonderful week and I love and hope everyone is happy and healthy at home. 

hugs and kisses

marni-chan

aloha family

Dear family

This week was amazing.  I feel like every week flies by faster and faster.  We had an all sisters conference that was extremely fun.  I love having all sisters back home.  I talk about you all so much all my companions say they feel like they know my family.  

I feel like my life is changing.  I feel like I trust in Heavenly Father more and that coming on my mission is opening my eyes to a lot of things.  Like the fact that life is not always easy  but we can make it fun and make it through.  The other night we were knocking on all these doors and I was freezing and people kept saying no thank you and my body wanted to collapse.  But Heavenly Father really brings you rght to the edge everytime and then he scoops you right up and blesses you right when you think you can't take one step more.  He doesn't always take away difficult things but I know that we can lean on him for strength when we ask him for help.

I love these verses in Mosiah 24 10-15.  It talks about if we pour out our hearts to God for help he will ease our burdens.  In the first two transfers of the mission I never felt more alone and misunderstood but I knew that Heavenly Father wouldn't abandon me and it would get better, and it has!  I want to do more of what President Uchtdorf says and live in the moment.  He said something like "We don't listen to music anticipating the end... we connect with the harmony and enjoy it!"  I want to enjoy.   

Try to enjoy wherever you are in life, because it truly will never come again!

We had a Halloween dance this week and I felt like I was back in the 7th grade, everyone were wall flowers.  Eventually they got to their feet though.   This cute girl named Sheenchan came with us and we went to the makeshift haunted house together.  She kept gripping me tightly as we made our way through the ghost grave yards.  Japan is so fun.  Everyone is always so sweet to you and thoughtful. We taught her about Joseph Smith and she is going to read the Book of Mormon this week.  

We gave these girls a church tour yesterday. Their names are Rika and Hitomi-chan. We found them housing and they were impressed by the church.  We visited Rika-chan at her work this week. She works at a place called "Cafe Eyes".  It's a really smoky cafe.  I didn't like that part.  I looked around at everyone and they all looked kind of sad and depressed.  I wanted to help them somehow.  In Japan I feel like its like New York even though I've never been there --- where they kind of have the stone-cold face and then you say hello and then they melt like ice cream cones and are so kind.  But definitly I feel like everyone here is just hungry for guidance and for truth.  We are trying to help as many people as we can with that.  

I want to be like clay in Heavenly Father's hands.  Looking back on my life I've always been so resistant to change, but I heard this thing this week and I like it.  About how if we are a house and God is the builder we just have to trust him.  If we were a little cottage, a builder comes in and he does some rearranging,, we're okay with it.  And then some fix ups here and there, and we're okay with it.  But then we get really nervous when we see he starts tearing down walls, and installing weird things, and we aren't sure if we even trust him anymore.   But then in the end we see that instead of a refinished cottage we thought we would be, we are a beautiful enchanting palace.  We were never meant to be just an ordinary house, in the first place.  You were always meant to be a big beautiful palace.  Sometimes becoming is really tough, and we can't always see the Master's design.  But we just have to trust that there is one.  He will make us into who he wants us to be.

I love you all.   Talk to you soon.  

Sister Vail

Aloha Sweet Familia

hey family

So it's finally cooling off over here. In fact, the past few nights I've been sleeping in my fleece pajamas and down comforter.  Everyday I fall more in love with this life.  Sister Stevenson says its hard for her to remember life before her mission (she only has 6 weeks left). 

This week we met up with one of my best friends, Youchanfrom Kichijoji.  She is so wonderful and always calls me her American daughter.  When she met my new companion, she instantly loved her too. She even said the words, "you caught my heart like an eagle".  She is very sweet.  She took us to this Tokyo government building in Shinjuku and it was about 45 stories tall.  You could see all of Tokyo.  People are really into heights around here.  When Youchan hugged me at thetrain station it felt like coming home. 

I love being a missionary.  I shared the Book of Mormon with a lady from Taiwan while waiting for Sister Stevenson to go to the bathroom.  It was kind of funny but really anywhere you go there are people who are really looking for truth.  We saw a lot of miracles this week.  Our friend Elder Hebero from Brazilbroke his arm arm wrestling.  He said that his own muscles broke his bone and it snapped like bamboo so he had to have surgery. Anyone this man we randomly met, a few weeks later, he was in the same hospital and was in the bed next tohebero chorro and then met us again.  anyway you really can see how people are being guided to us. 

Anyway life is good.  Sorry I don't have too much time. 

I love my life and I'm so thankful to be here.

lots of love

marni

Opening doors

Dear Family

I love being a missionary!!!!!!

Sister Stevenson and I have had lots of adventures lately.  One of the best things we did this week is we went back to my old area,Kichijoji and all the youth got together to do a mission prep.  We went on splits with kids 22 and younger kids so they could practice what it would be like to be a missionary.  I loved it. My companion was named Hitomichan and she was 19 years old.  I felt like I saw the future of Japan when I looked into their faces,

One of the things I never realized I would be doing on my mission was baking.  In Japanese culture its almost rude to show up without a gift for someone, so we are always throwing together brownies, or banana muffins or cookies in big batches so we have something to give upon our arrival to peoples houses.  I really feel like every single thing in my life has prepared me to be a missionary at this place at this time, even having all those bake sales!

This week I learned so much about how Heavenly Father wants to perform miracles in our lives but he can't if we are not first keeping all his commandments and second if we do not havebelieving hearts.  On the way home from a conference in Shibuyathis week I was chatting to people on the train and I had an interesting experience.  I tried talking to this lady and she was so rude to me.  Which is surprising because actually most all people in Japan have extremely good manners and will at least talk to you, even if they aren't interested in your message.  Anyway, she was sort of picking at my Japanese and then I noticed out of the corner of my eye a cute lady smiling at me and StevensonShimai, and so I just MOVED.  I think that's they key.  It's easy for me to get hung up and sad but just MOVE ON, we have to!  Add I felt so much better that instead of wasting time feeling sad, I got to enjoy this next lady who was so pleasant and I was thankful that I learned that rejection is nothing to be embarrassed about.

I think that the mission is like opening mystery doors.  You don'tknow who is standing behind everyone, so you just have to knock on all of them.  I have faith someone IS waiting!  I decided to just organize myself and set the stage for a miracle to happen and then trust Heavenly Father to do the rest. 

I'm having a blast though everyday. 

The other day while riding my bike home I realized how much faith is a choice.  We can choose doubt and fear and second guess ourselves or we can simply choose to believe.  I love this scripture in D&C 101:16

"Let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion for all flesh is in mine hands, be still and now that I am god"

I love my life I love all of you!

marni

Loving Nakano

Dear family

So I am loving Nakano and my new sweet companion Sister Stevenson, we are always cracking up about something.  At first we thought Nakano was Gathum from batman, but it is becomming a great place to live.  We live just about 5 minutes from the mission home so we are there just about everyday it seems running an errand.  We joke that the assistant to the president is our personal assistant because we are always asking them for favors it seems.  This morning we went running with Sister Budge, the mission Presidents wife- she is what I like to refer to as the power house- shes insanely fast and just as I thought I could keep up, she broke out in a sprint!   But it is good for me, as I feel this mission is turning me into a sumo wresteler! So running is something that has been good.

 I love being a missionary though.  Its wonderful.  I know that Heavenly Father just wants us to reach the fullness of our potential, and if we dont push ourselves we will never know what were really capable of.  I really feel like he lets us be pushed to the edge, but never beyond what we can handle.

Yesterday we went on a little road trip to watch our friend Seylene get baptized.  The Galbraiths (who work as a senior couple in the mission office) are the ones who introduced her to the church). They are hilarious and are almost in their 70ies, they took us with them and we had a great time. This week was both the Galbraiths Birthdays so we were baking them cakes which was really fun. We hand delivered Sister Galbraiths and she gave us a little tour of her house- I felt like it was Mini America! Her cake was banana cake but here there are no ovens just microwave looking ovens so we are always guessing and estimating how things should be cooked.  To say the least her banana cake which we called "The gel cake" because all the edges became caramelized had to be covered with whip cream and bananas, but she said it was delicious.

Seyelen's baptism was beautiful and she kept saying how clean and beautiful she felt. Sister Stevenson and I sang the primary song "Where Love Is".  On the way home the Galbraiths (the office couple here) gave us marriage advice and kept passing us American snacks like peanut butter crackers and granola bars in the back of the mission van. It literally felt like an all American road trip. They gave us the following advice: "don't marry anyone too controlling, and date a variety of men". 

We are still working hard to find some good friends here in Nakano.  Were both new to the area so were starting from scratch.  We have been teaching a lot of practice lessons to members and visiting them.  One lady we visited was hilarious, she grew up in Brazil and brought us half eaten jelly beans and chocolate, she apologized, but she said "I'm sorry it is opened and some are missing, it was a gift. I had to try some too!"  Japanese people are so sweet and are always bringing gifts, kind of like Clark.  I want to adopt this tradition.

The amazing thing about being a missionary is everyday you get so exhausted, like I'm not running a marathon or anything, but somehow you just feel so tired.  Like more tired then you ever have in your whole life, but then everyday Heavenly Father gives you the strength you need to get up and do it all over again. 

I know that we are all blessed with our own special talents and gifts and that is perfect and enough.

Alma 1:26

"Thus they were all equal and they did all labor everyman according to his strength"

I am so thankful that through the Savior, we don't have to be perfect at everything.  We just have to do our very best and he will make up for all of our individual shortcomings whatever they are.  The gospel is true and I know it can bring us the most happiness beyond our wildest dreams.

Love you each and think of you everyday

hugs and kisses

marni

ps I included some pics of the after-church massaging for the seniors (and Momi--- do you see Kiyomi? she was at BYU Hawaii too?! Then the Tokorozawa Church that is beautiful!  Some pictures of how I'm becoming a sumo wrestler, and also a pic of Nakano --- at night it looks a little spooky!

Pictures from Week 3