In order to explain just one day of this week, it is going to be a
long email, so enjoy!
Monday was futsuu, except for the wearing kimonos part, that was way
fun, and an interesting experience, but walking was such a pain, I
could walk about as fast as a baby first learning to walk, not even
that fast... The struggle was a bit real, but that's ok, we shocked a
bunch of people by wearing kimonos and not being Japanese. After pday
ending, we went finding, and it was pretty good.
Tuesday we tried to deliver the valentines we had asked the ward
members for on Sunday, for their friends or less actives, and we were
able to deliver one, to a family way up north, who are only less
active because the kids get sick a lot, and they don't want to spread
that around. But there son just turned eight, and will be getting
baptized soon, and they want us to teach him the lessons, which in
case you didn't know is a common thing in Japan before children get
baptized, obviously not required, but preferred. We then got utterly
and completely lost, and kept hoping for a 7/11, but none turned up,
and the map was wrong... It was a long day, but that is ok, we will
get them delivered eventually.
Wednesday was the biggest day of my week, and it was amazing! We had
some conference on Wednesday with president and sister Welch, and also
a few members from the stake. We had nine members there, four from
Shimogamo ward, and it was amazing! The mission is expanding our
vision, and we as missionaries, and most importantly the members have
to change our mindsets. The missionaries just need to not get in the
way, and in fact help the members to do missionary work. The mindset
of the missionaries has already changed so much. We have gone from
teaching about 400 lessons a week mission ends when Welch Kaicho came
in, to now reaching 2000 a week, the next step is the members! There
are prophecies that say that Japan will flourish, and the preaching of
the gospel will go crazy, and people will line up to be baptized, and
it is going to happen when the hearts of the members change. There is
a ward in Osaka area, that is seeing it, the members are bringing
their friends to church, the bishop told them twenty a week, and they
are doing it, and they are seeing baptisms! It is crazy what we can
accomplish when we set our minds to it, and through the atonement!
There are literally so many people prepared around us, we just need to
open our mouths, the members as well, and find them. We need to expect
Miracles to happen, they are all around us! We need new stakes in
Japan, and there hasn't been one in over fifteen years! That is crazy!
And then probably my favorite part of the conference, the Book of
Mormon challenge. We are going to be reading the Book of Mormon
looking for ways it connects to the atonement. Welch Kaicho gave us
twenty starter chapters, so we could figure out how we wanted to mark
it, and also get a feel for the challenge, and then we all, as a
mission, start from the beginning and go to the end, and find out
about the atonement. It is already amazing, I have been able to read
two chapters since that day, and I have already learned that the Book
of Mormon is legitly all about the atonement, and I've only read two
chapters! I would invite you all to try this challenge, do it at your
own speed, but do it! If you don't feel you can, for whatever reason,
just take some time to ponder the atonement. On a piece of paper,
right down all the words that you think of when you think of the
atonement, and separate them into two lists. What he gave, and what
you receive. Then read alma 7:11-14 with new eyes, it lists the things
he went through for each and every one of us, personally, and last of
all, it includes sins, which of all the things, is the only things we
choose to have. All we can do is choose to do our best, and hope
everyone else is doing theirs, it is a personal commitment thing, just
as the atonement is there to help us personally. We don't have the
power to change Japan. Our anywhere in the world, but he does, he has
the power, and will help us to succeed, if we trust him, and have
faith in him and his power to do so. The other thing we talked a lot
about was obedience, today we obey, tomorrow we understand, that is
how it works! I loved the words of wisdom from one of the APs as well.
He said that we all have confidence, within ourselves, we know who we
are, and we have the confidence to accomplish anything. So the
question then changes from being do I have confidence, or how can I be
more confident', to 'am I using my confidence,' or 'how can I use my
confidence more effectively?' We are all sons and daughters of God,
and it is up to us to recognize our true potential. The last thing I
loved, was the testimonies of the dying or close to dying
missionaries. One elder said, he doesn't feel like he has confidence,
or anything else, but he has the doctrine of Christ, so it is ok, he
knows he can do anything because he has the doctrine of Christ, and
Christ is his savior, which was way powerful! I love dying
testimonies, the other elder to testify was Japanese, but he bore
powerful simple testimony in English, it was amazing, and the spirit
was strong. It was such an amazing zone conference, and I learned so
much, in case you couldn't tell!
To end that day we had eikaiwa, which was lots of fun, I don't like
the textbook though, and we ended up not using it today, cause our
class was smaller, and so we just answered questions, and helped them
more individually.
Thursday, we visited with some members and got them on board a bit
with the challenge, and also met with an investigator that we are
referring over to Katsura sisters, because she lives just out of our
area. But that was a lot of fun, and we went finding that night, which
was good.
Friday, we went finding, and did SKK, we were supposed to have our
kokan this week, but our stls accidentally scheduled two, and since
the others sisters got there first, we will be doing it another time,
soon, wince there isn't too much time left in this transfer, it has
been going so fast!
Saturday it was pouring rain, but we went out to try and deliver the
valentines again, and again got lost, and way wet! That night at ping
pong, we enlisted a members help, who goes there a lot, using the map,
he found it, and the address we had, wasn't riff like I had thought...
Ah well, it was a fun adventure, and I didn't catch a cold, so it is
all good.
Sunday we built some kankei with members, there were two birthdays in
the ward, so I brought some candy from the apartment for them, and
just happened to give them their favorite things, it was way
surprising, but way awesome! It was actually candy I got from the
elders for my birthday, that I wanted to get rid of, so the
coincidences (aka miracles) abounded. We also found the house we have
been trying all week to find, and just dropped in, and it turned into
a member meal, because they are really just awesome!
So this week was great! Sorry for the crazy explanation of zone
conference, but it was just so amazing, and I love the atonement! I'm
going to start doing ponderizing scriptures again, I've been slacking
lately with how crazy things got, but it really is awesome. This week
is Colossians 2:5-7, the scripture I got in my birthday card from
President and sister Welch! Today was also awesome, but I will tell
you about that next week when I have more time!
Thank you for all of your support, I love and miss you!
Love, Sister Makin
