Wildflower Thoughts : Week Seventy-six.

Dear everyone! Akemashite O-medetou gozaimasu! (Happy New Year!)

Aight. So it was a pretty eventful week in the land of the rising sun! Last P day all the missionaries went out with our friend Kousuke who is AWESOME and became an investigator this week for the elders (whoop whoop!) and we went to this way way way awesome restaurant that served the best fish and seafood. And they like did an auction for some fish and the people in the restaurant could vote on it and stuff. It was so fun. Then afterwards we went to the part of Sendai city where a ton of Christmas lights were on the trees lining the streets. So pretty! It was so fun! And guess what! Kousuke is coming to America in March and he will be in Houston so you guys will get to meet one of my Japanese friends because I am totes hanging out with him. And we will speak Japanese in front of you so you wont know what we are saying he he he. Even though he is fluent in English.

As for some other fun things that happened... well it was New Years! Which is the biggest holiday in Japan! On the 31st we spent all day cleaning our apartment and throwing out stuff and just really getting deep into the mess. It is SO NICE and we can actually feel the spirit in there now! Me and Sis Bullock arent exactly the CLEANEST of missionaries. We let our clothes and stuff pile up on desks and the floor and stuff ha ha... but now it is spotless! Then on the 1st we went with our friend Yoshimi to a big giant shrine and there were TONS of people there. So we went up to the shrine and threw like 5 cents into the money thing and then rang the big bell in front of us. Then we bowed twice, clapped twice, made a wish, then bowed again. Boom! Buddhism! It was way fun. I asked Yoshimi to take pics of me doing it but she is bad at taking pictures ha. After that Kousuke called us up and we went to the ruins of Aoba castle with him and did the whole praying/clapping thing again at THAT shrine. I asked Kousuke to take a video of me doing it, but he is bad at taking videos! So in the end, I have no record of my new year activities! Japanese people...
But it was a way fun day. We were clapping and praying and learning all about the culture all day long. We also bought these like little fortune things and I got the very best one! TWICE! And some random guy asked me to open his fortune for him and he got the very best one too! I must be lucky! It was a great New Years!

We also had tons of meal appointments with members this week which was super fun and delicious. I had a way cool experience with one of the members that I will tell you about in just a little bit!

Okay. So now for the work. We visited a Less Active family this last week, the Touta Family, who actually have way strong testimonies, but just dont come to church because their sons are like really really against the church. They invited us in and Brother Touta told us all about their conversion story. It was an amazing story for sure. They said they could actually see a light illuminating off of the first elder they ever met, and they knew that what he had to offer was good. Which we all know is! And they got baptized! That was quite a long time ago though. Anyways, they are just the sweetest family ever and we are gonna get them to church.
After visiting the Touta family, we had a little bit of time so we housed a nearby apartment. The first door we knocked on a guy came out and he like was talking to us and saying he had interest in life after death and stuff. Okay, usually and pretty much almost EVERY single time I knock on a door, the person isnt interested. I dont think I have ever even taught a lesson at someones door before while housing so I didnt really know what to do and I didnt know what to say and Bullock Shimai couldnt even understand what was going on... but anyways I just kinda started tellin him the gospel but I didnt do it very smoothly or ask good questions or like teach HIM. I just didnt really know what to do for some reason! I wasnt prepared! But in the end he doesnt even live in Sendai. He was just visiting his parents. I felt so dumb after we talked to him though.

So now for the cool experience I had with a member. We had dinner at the Nagaoka Familys house and they are like your perfect family. They actually remind me of my own family. All the siblings are way tight and there are like 6 or so kids and they all have strong testimonies and have served missions or will serve missions and the parents are return missionaries and they actually still love each other and have a good relationship unlike most Japanese couples and it is just amazing. We had a fun time and we shared a short message just about Jesus Christ and pretty much just bore testimony about Him. I talked about because of Christ and His Atonement I was able to get over my homesickness at the beginning of my mission which was probably the hardest thing I have ever experienced in my life. And then after the appointment, Sister Nagaoka drove us back home. Well in the car Sister Nagaoka just started opening up to me and saying how grateful she was for our short message. And then she went on to tell me and confide me and talk about a very very very hard trial that she has been going through for like 15 years. She didnt give me details but she told me about how she felt and how she feels like God just isnt there anymore and how everyone looks at her family and sees this great perfect Mormon family and sees no problems but actually she is suffering inside and how she feels like she has no one to turn to and look for comfort. I started crying and I didnt know what I could say to help her so I just said that I loved her. And that God and Christ love her. And that it just takes time and that whatever she is going through will be very beneficial to her and that she will be able to become the person God wants her to be. And to just hold on. She started crying too and just said that she finally felt Gods love tonight and that she was so grateful for me. She actually has one son that is less active but the only reason he doesnt come to church is because he has a phobia of crowds. So he wants to come, but its just kind hard for him right now. But anyways, I have only met him like twice maybe and havent really talked to him too much but Sister Nagaoka said that he just cant stop talking about me and how there is just something different about me and how he can just feel that I am a good person and a good missionary. I have the light of Christ. And Sister Nagaoka said the same thing about me in the car. I was already crying to begin with but I started crying a little more and just said thank you so many times. Then I said, you know, you could look at my mission and it would be easy to think that I didnt see a lot of success. And sometimes I really feel like that. But tonight I know that I actually helped someone and that my time has been worth it. Thank you so much. She just went on to tell me that she is just so grateful for me. It was like.... one of the best days of my life. I helped someone.

So it was a pretty good week! And I just dont want to leave these people. These are my friends. These are my brothers and sisters. These really are very very special people to our Heavenly Father. I dont know you guys... but I can just feel it. He feels different about Japanese people. Maybe the majority of Japanese people dont really realize who their Heavenly Father is, but their souls do. They are just naturally good people always helping others and being kind and giving. They basically already live the gospel just without knowing it. These people are so good. I dont want to leave them :(

But tomorrow will be my 1 month left mark... and all things must come and go. Dont get me wrong, I am excited to see you, but I just wish I could take this country and the people with me.

Love, Miranda