I am so sorry this is going to probably be a bit shorter than usual - crazy situation but I had to hokoku ( I think that is report in English) about the week to the district leader in the middle of email, so I'm kind of crunched for time. Ganbarimasu!
I don't even know how you survived last week! So many things going on - sounded like quite the adventure. :)I'm glad it went well, and you got through - gotta love fair week, football, and accompanying for Jenny Oaks Baker. Mom, that is so cool! Can I also just say I am so grateful to you all? I have been blessed with such a wonderful family, and I feel like I don't thank you enough for all you have done for me. I love you!
Transfers. This has been a crazy long week - we have had so many things going on. We went on a last district adventure hiking last week - I love the elders here. They are exactly like my little brothers. We were hiking through a really thick jungly type of place and they all had sticks (hiking sticks) and were swatting at spiders and such and it was a great time. Huzzah for district bonding. Yes, all four of us sisters stayed the same, but two of the elders, Bowler and Walton, transferred out. Walton had been here for a whole year (he is one transfer younger than me) and Bowler came in here as a bean the same transfer I got here, so it was a little sad to see them go. Two beans came in in their place, and they are way cool - one is from SLC, the other is Korean but grew up in Japan. They are a lot of fun.I really feel way lucky to be around so many awesome missionaries and learn from them. It is a little weird being an older missionary though. I sometimes still feel like I just got here! More crazy transfer news. Remember Lane shimai? One of my favorite companions and best person ever? She has been in Nagasaki for the past 6 transfers, but just last week transfered in to Hikari (middle of Hiroshima - our neighboring area, about 40 min by train). I will get to see her a lot this transfer for different zone meetings and things like that. I am so happy about that! As far as the couple here - they are incredible. They are here in Saijo for their whole 2 year mission - I think they have about a year left. Thank goodness.
Wow, where to start - the week was great! Most exciting news is Takedasan. It is incredible to see the growth in her that we have been seeing! She is coming closer to Christ every day! She is chanto keeping commandments, and really just understands and has a desire to be better. We finished teaching commandments, and are almost done with lesson five (the first presidency sent out a letter a few months ago asking that everyone is taught lesson five before and after baptism now). She talked to us and said I have been thinking a lot about this, and how important baptism is, and I was wondering - is there any way I could do it on my birthday? (which is in about a month). We are still working on figuring out with her work schedule and stuff the exact day ( because she might be working on 9/27) and we might end up doing it on her birthday, but she will be baptized this transfer! I am so excited for her.
Yesterday morning, I got a call about an hour before church from Ayako (she is the one that I have to just tell you about after the mission because she is impossible to describe. super funny, super stubborn, doesn't want us to know she is interested (doesn't want to admit it but she most defnintely is). She asked if church was in Saijo this week (we used to go to HIroshima) and declared that she was coming. WE were a-okay with that. She came, and was her stubborn self but I know she had a good time. I absolutely love that woman. She is a hoot.
Last cool miracle - a woman just walked into church yesterday that none of us missionaries knew. We talked to her after sacrament meeting and it turns out she has some friends in HIroshima that invited her and her husband to church last week, so she went, but she is from Saijo. She had a good experience last week, and was interested in learning more so she just came on her own. She is from Taiwan but has way good english. It was fun to talk to her. Miracles are happening every day here!
Last thing. I have been thinking a lot this past week about how much I have been humbled in the past 15 1/2 months. Granted, I'm not perfect, I have SO many things to work on still but I just know that the hard things I have gone through have been incredible learning experiences for me. I am so grateful for the things that I have learned, and how these have shaped me in to the person I am now. I really love everything we get to do here and experience as missionaries. I would not trade this experience for anything.
That's all I've got for now - I hope things continue to go well for you and you have a great week! Love you!
AI shite imasu!
Flake Shimai
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