been giving us kakis for the past couple of weeks. We had been keeping
up with it fairly well, but then the number of people giving us kakis,
as well as the number of kakis we were receiving shot through the
roof. We have so many of them, but they are super sweet and delicious,
so it is ok, we just make them into smoothies and such all the time.
One day we will catch up to the number we have.
But this week was a hard week. Lots of the lessons we had planned fell
through, or people had to cancel on us, but the lessons that we did
have went really well! We just have to work hard and get even more
amazing lessons this week!
Monday was pday, so that was lots of fun, and the only other Thing we
got done, besides teaching Paula, was getting our iPads fixed. The
lesson with Paula was interesting, basically the whole time we were
trying to make sure it didn't turn into a bible bash, which it didn't,
and then at the end, she was excited to keep studying the Book of
Mormon. Sometimes I can't figure her out, but I think once she knows
the hook of Mormon is true, everything else will just kind of fall
into place. We went to the church after pday to help the elders with
one of their investigators, but it turned out she couldn't make it,
but we had received an email letting us know how to fix our iPads. The
iPads recently decided that e most important app we have for
missionary work was untrustworthy, and no one knew how to fix this,
but we figured it out, thankfully. It was really hard to record the
work we were doing without that app. Silly technology.
Tuesday it was pouring tons of rain again, and we had my hospital
appointment and also Donna. My hand is doing a lot better, and I think
that sometime soon my appointments will go to every other week, so
that will be awesome. We had an awesome lesson with Donna. She is
taking care of her father in law right now, and it is totally wiping
her out, but also making her really happy. She totally recognizes how
happy service makes her feel! She is just amazing! She was so tired
though! He had kept her up all night last night watching tv, and she
was having a hard time, but she is definitely a trooper! She is
amazing! At eikaiwa we taught about ordering food over the telephone,
and calling 911/119 for Japan, and it was hilarious, because it got
extra polite, especially the ordering pizza part, and that was what
they understood, so it just made me laugh a bit. We also taught them
the game telephone, which they found hilarious. They kept on trying to
hear it right, and keep it the same, and as a result it got pretty
weird. The funny thing is that the English became Japanese English,
especially when one of us missionaries started the sentence, it went
from good English to Japanese english, which isn't very good, so it
just was hilarious. I think they enjoyed that game.
Wednesday we visited inoue San again, and that was interesting. She
recorded me singing... By the time I fully understood that that was
what she wanted to do, mills Shimai had already said it was ok... So I
did, and it went alright, but it was just funny. She thinks I have a
great voice, and at I'm going to become a singer... Not likely, but
she's a cute old lady, so it is all right. The lesson went pretty well
too. We also went and got our flu shots, because that is fairly
necessary for a missionary in Japan. If you get sick, if you even just
have a cough, no one will talk to you, and people will basically avoid
you. Most people wear face masks if they are sick, and sometimes just
to prevent themselves from getting sick, so we did that, which took
forever, and then we had institute. It was a good lesson about where
you place your heart, so that was cool, what I understood.
Thursday we had interviews with Welch kaicho again. It seems like just
the other day that I had my first interview with him, and now I have
had two! Yet again they were amazing! He really gave me the exact
advice that I needed, and that I had been hoping to receive, and I had
been trying to prepare myself for. We also had SKK, and that was hard,
not because it was hard to plan, but I jpg it so much guidance from
interviews, that I was just tired. We also had our follow ups with the
stls from our kokan, which was awesome, and then I had my follow up
with my district leader. Unfortunately, my brain about halfway through
my follow up decided it was bedtime, and I had an extremely hard time
focusing after that. And my district leader only speaks Japanese... So
that last half was a struggle, but luckily I had the phone on speaker
so that mills Shimai could help me understand, I just had to make him
repeat himself a lot. Yeah all the follow ups and interviews and
everything all in one day!
Friday we had district meeting, and we learned more about faith, which
was awesome. Mills Shimai taught, and she got asked to do that on
Thursday, just before dinner, so not lots of time to prepare, but she
did an awesome job. And then we biked everywhere, trying to visit
people, but no one was home, which was super sad! Some of the
addresses we had were old, and the place didn't even exist, but I
definitely got my exercise. By the way, I do stay pretty warm riding
my bike, at least right now, but I do wear layers, and especially
gloves at night. There is almost always a wind, and when my right hand
gets cold know, it is super stiff, and kind of hurts a bit, so I try
to not let it get cold. We also had our weekly meeting with our
dendoshunnin, which was great, but really fast. He has been getting
busier lately, and so doesn't have as much time.
Saturday we went crazy! We skipped lunch and went to takahashi, and
visited Imai San, who gets to leave e hospital this next week? Yay! We
also visited a potential investigator, and she is nice, though I'm not
sure how much interest she had in the gospel. We then winged it, and
got lost finding a members house that we didn't know how to get to,
but we were really close, so she was able to help us when we called,
and had an awesome lesson with her, and then we visited a less active.
Yagi Shimai .it kind of felt like we were getting a redo of our first
meeting, which we had kind of botched, and this one went a lot better.
And right after that, we had to run to the eiki, to grab the perfect
train to get back to Kurashiki in time to meet a former investigator
with the elders, and this was a way former investigator, he took us to
a yakiniku (basically a place where you buy the meat, and 'barbecue'/
fry it for yourself right there) it was really good, but that was just
way too much meat, I know understand what it means by meat in excess,
fully understand. Some of the meat was really good, it had been aged,
but lots of it wasn't, so it was just a lot of meat! Tons! Hopefully
the elders get a new investigator from that experience, but I don't
want to go to a yakiniku ever again. He just ordered for us too, so
all we did was eat what had been ordered, and then cooked. It was a
crazy experience.
Sunday was amazing! We went finding after church finally ended, and
were able to teach three small lessons, which was just awesome. I say
church finally ended, because we didn't have just the normal three
hour block. The members had gone crazy with a luncheon after church
for a sister who is engaged, and was visiting with her fiancée. There
was so much food, and a program, and that took a big chunk out of our
day. But it was lots of fun. Sacrament meeting was awesome. They had
the young man, who is almost the only guy in the young men's group
bear his testimony about the temple. It was so powerful, I didn't
understand everything, but he has truly come to love the temple, and
the spirit was so strong! Can I insert a plea to all of you who live
so close to the temple? The temple is amazing! It is a special place,
where we can feel the spirit of God literally surrounding us, and
getting to live so close to a temple is really a blessing. I didn't
fully recognize how much I would miss the temple before I left, but I
do miss it. Members here in Japan work so hard to be able to travel
hours to get to the nearest temple, and the joy they receive is so
worth it! Go to the temple! If you are struggling with anything, or
even if you are 100% happy and life is going well, go to the temple! I
wish I could go to the temple, I miss the peace that is in that
building, and it is a wonderful opportunity to get to live close to a
temple in normal life. Please make the temple a priority, I got it may
be hard to go, especially if you have young kids, but it is so worth
it, and brings so much joy. How blessed we are to have a father in
heaven who loves us, and wants what is best for us, and has been so
bounteous in bestowing the blessings of temples to us. I am so
grateful for the temple!
as I continued ponderizing Moses 6:34, the biggest thing that stood
out to me was that he invites us to walk with him. Not behind him, not
on the same path he walked, but with him. He is our companion in the
journey of this life, and we are his. Christ wants us to be with him
100%, and if we give him our all, and truly are committed to that, he
can work miracles through us, and we will be so much happier than we
would have been had we selfishly kept a part of our will back from
him.
This week I will be ponderizing 1 nephi 15:27: And I said unto them
that the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his
mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of
the water.
I am so truly grateful for this gospel, and for the chance that I have
to spread it in the beautiful land of Japan. It is so true that
nothing brings joy like the gospel, the good news! I hope you are all
well! Know that I love you and miss you! I am so grateful that I am a
missionary, and that I have the support of my wonderful family and
friends! This church is true! I know it!
Love, Sister Makin
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