This week has been so awesome, and some days
weren't great, but that
is ok, we made it through, and I learned a lot.
Monday we just relaxed during pday, which was awesome, and I worked on
my journal. I don't know if I told you, but I have been keeping my
journal in my iPad ever since I got to Japan/ ever since my accident,
so I am trying to put it into the journals I brought, because I prefer
the physical version... It is going to be a long process.
Tuesday, we didn't have any plans, so we made a nice big geographical
square starting from our apartment, and just started walking and
talking to people, we need to find more investigators, so that was
awesome, but it was so fun. We didn't get any numbers or anything, but
we had some good lessons, and one girl said she would come to church.
She didn't, but I think she might one day.
Wednesday we had lunch with Takeda kyodai, and we had sushi. It was
weird sushi octopus, and fish eggs, not bad, but I don't want to eat
it again, plus my tummy did not like the weird stuff, it was mad at me
later in the day. We also did a mogi lesson with kobayashi Shimai, and
it turned out so well. It was so awesome. That night we had eikaiwa,
and taught seasons, and I drew pictures again, and it was just a lot
of fun, I'm enjoying trying to draw things for some reason, so
hopefully I will be able to develop the talent.
Thursday we had another mogi lesson with Yamamoto Shimai this time,
and it was awesome. I wish we had gotten more advice on how to teach,
and not just the Japanese, but getting Japanese help is way good too.
We also had lunch together, and she made pizza. And it was similar to
American pizza, just cheese, onions, and sausage, I was pretty sure
that didn't exist in Japan, they like to put corn and other weird
things on their pizzas.
Friday, we had district meeting, and one of the missionaries shared an
experience that president Welch had on his mission. The whole mission
set a goal for each companionship to see a baptism before the end of
the year. He was in a really hard area, but he and his companion
worked hard to try to see that miracle. New Year's Eve came, and there
was no one they had found who was ready. His companion was
discouraged, and didn't see the point of going out to find, because
they wouldn't get baptized by tomorrow, but president Welch was
determined to go out anyway and do his best. As he put his hand on the
doorknob, the door opened, and a guy walked in and said he wanted to
be baptized. He had met the missionaries several years before, heard
all the lessons, and hadn't accepted. But know he was ready, and
willing, and also ready to keep all of the commandments. They got him
a baptismal interview, and he surprisingly passed, so he was going to
get baptized that day, but there was a problem. They did not have a
baptismal font in their area, and the closest one was four hours away,
and if they went now, they would have to break curfew. So they called
the mission president and explained the situation. He told them break
the rules, and hung up, so they did, and the guy who had literally
just walked into their lives was baptized that night. It just shows
how our determination to work will bring the miracles, even when
everything seems impossible. After district meeting we did SKK, which
was awesome.
Saturday we went out finding again, but without much success, people
didn't want to talk, and that's ok, we just do our best. Ping pong
night was awesome though. Okamoto San, the 83 year old mother in law
of one of the members, and she loved it, apparently really loves ping
pong, which is just crazy. She also ended up coming to church on
Sunday, at least sacrament, which was so cool.
Sunday I gave a talk, and I hated it. I had prepared all week, written
out my entire talk really well, and gotten some help translating my
talk from people who speak more Japanese than I do. I gave the talk,
and it was a good talk, but there was just one big problem. I couldn't
speak with power and conviction like I would have if I had been
speaking in English. I was too focused on reading the talk that I
couldn't look out at the audience, because I was afraid and nervous I
would lose my place, so I'm not going to prepare like that again. I
much prefer getting an idea of what I want to say, picking quotes and
then winging it. I was so worried about the Japanese being wrong and
getting in the way of the spirit that I got in the way of the spirit,
and you just can't do that. I am glad that I learned that lesson, even
if it was the hard way in front of my entire ward of like 50 people.
That night we had another meal appointment at the mizoguchis, and they
had a bunch of the ward over there, about 20 people, and we shared a
message about music. It felt good to testify they way I wanted to
again.
That is definitely something I learned this week. If you aren't being
yourself, life is miserable. More important than anything besides
following the savior, is being who you truly are, not caring what
others think, and just being you. Of course there is always room to
improve, but if you don't do it you're way, you can become really good
at something, but hate every minute of it, and that is not what
Heavenly Father wants for us, he wants us to be happy, one of the
reasons he gave us agency. I am so grateful that I can be me as I do
his work in his way, and that I can love this work! I love and miss
you all! Keep having fun! Stay safe!
Love, Sister Makin
is ok, we made it through, and I learned a lot.
Monday we just relaxed during pday, which was awesome, and I worked on
my journal. I don't know if I told you, but I have been keeping my
journal in my iPad ever since I got to Japan/ ever since my accident,
so I am trying to put it into the journals I brought, because I prefer
the physical version... It is going to be a long process.
Tuesday, we didn't have any plans, so we made a nice big geographical
square starting from our apartment, and just started walking and
talking to people, we need to find more investigators, so that was
awesome, but it was so fun. We didn't get any numbers or anything, but
we had some good lessons, and one girl said she would come to church.
She didn't, but I think she might one day.
Wednesday we had lunch with Takeda kyodai, and we had sushi. It was
weird sushi octopus, and fish eggs, not bad, but I don't want to eat
it again, plus my tummy did not like the weird stuff, it was mad at me
later in the day. We also did a mogi lesson with kobayashi Shimai, and
it turned out so well. It was so awesome. That night we had eikaiwa,
and taught seasons, and I drew pictures again, and it was just a lot
of fun, I'm enjoying trying to draw things for some reason, so
hopefully I will be able to develop the talent.
Thursday we had another mogi lesson with Yamamoto Shimai this time,
and it was awesome. I wish we had gotten more advice on how to teach,
and not just the Japanese, but getting Japanese help is way good too.
We also had lunch together, and she made pizza. And it was similar to
American pizza, just cheese, onions, and sausage, I was pretty sure
that didn't exist in Japan, they like to put corn and other weird
things on their pizzas.
Friday, we had district meeting, and one of the missionaries shared an
experience that president Welch had on his mission. The whole mission
set a goal for each companionship to see a baptism before the end of
the year. He was in a really hard area, but he and his companion
worked hard to try to see that miracle. New Year's Eve came, and there
was no one they had found who was ready. His companion was
discouraged, and didn't see the point of going out to find, because
they wouldn't get baptized by tomorrow, but president Welch was
determined to go out anyway and do his best. As he put his hand on the
doorknob, the door opened, and a guy walked in and said he wanted to
be baptized. He had met the missionaries several years before, heard
all the lessons, and hadn't accepted. But know he was ready, and
willing, and also ready to keep all of the commandments. They got him
a baptismal interview, and he surprisingly passed, so he was going to
get baptized that day, but there was a problem. They did not have a
baptismal font in their area, and the closest one was four hours away,
and if they went now, they would have to break curfew. So they called
the mission president and explained the situation. He told them break
the rules, and hung up, so they did, and the guy who had literally
just walked into their lives was baptized that night. It just shows
how our determination to work will bring the miracles, even when
everything seems impossible. After district meeting we did SKK, which
was awesome.
Saturday we went out finding again, but without much success, people
didn't want to talk, and that's ok, we just do our best. Ping pong
night was awesome though. Okamoto San, the 83 year old mother in law
of one of the members, and she loved it, apparently really loves ping
pong, which is just crazy. She also ended up coming to church on
Sunday, at least sacrament, which was so cool.
Sunday I gave a talk, and I hated it. I had prepared all week, written
out my entire talk really well, and gotten some help translating my
talk from people who speak more Japanese than I do. I gave the talk,
and it was a good talk, but there was just one big problem. I couldn't
speak with power and conviction like I would have if I had been
speaking in English. I was too focused on reading the talk that I
couldn't look out at the audience, because I was afraid and nervous I
would lose my place, so I'm not going to prepare like that again. I
much prefer getting an idea of what I want to say, picking quotes and
then winging it. I was so worried about the Japanese being wrong and
getting in the way of the spirit that I got in the way of the spirit,
and you just can't do that. I am glad that I learned that lesson, even
if it was the hard way in front of my entire ward of like 50 people.
That night we had another meal appointment at the mizoguchis, and they
had a bunch of the ward over there, about 20 people, and we shared a
message about music. It felt good to testify they way I wanted to
again.
That is definitely something I learned this week. If you aren't being
yourself, life is miserable. More important than anything besides
following the savior, is being who you truly are, not caring what
others think, and just being you. Of course there is always room to
improve, but if you don't do it you're way, you can become really good
at something, but hate every minute of it, and that is not what
Heavenly Father wants for us, he wants us to be happy, one of the
reasons he gave us agency. I am so grateful that I can be me as I do
his work in his way, and that I can love this work! I love and miss
you all! Keep having fun! Stay safe!
Love, Sister Makin
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