#64 "Your Heart Will Lead You Home"

Merry Christmas 2014 from Sister Johnson

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, mine was just fantastic! 

I don't know if I talked about it last year (is it weird to think that I was a missionary last year too? it sure is for me!) but I've realized that Christmas never really came last year. I put up some decorations, wrote some Christmas letters, and listened to Christmas songs, but as I held my breath for Christmas Day, nothing happened. It felt just like a normal day to me. I figured that was just how Christmas was for a missionary, but then this year caught me completely off guard. 

I wasn't even looking for the spirit of Christmas, but on Christmas morning, I found my heart was overfilled with love. I had opened the presents that my parents had carefully wrapped and sent to me a couple of days ago, I was listening to the music my dad had collected to send me months ago, I was wearing the socks and neck-warmer that the members of Yokkaichi ward had given me, and I just felt...love. 

In the Tigger movie, there's a song that says;

"If you feel lost, and on your own, 

And far from home,

You're never alone, you know. 

Just think of your friends,

The ones who care,

They all will be waiting there,

And your heart will lead you home."

Sometimes, to be perfectly honest, I do feel that way; I do feel lost, on my own, and far from home. But in that one hour in the morning, of opening presents and just feeling the love that my family had sent with them, and I remembered something that Thomas S. Monson said;

"The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable and it becomes the Spirit of Christ." 

As I sat wrapped in the warm clothing that I received and looked on my wall at all the pictures of my friends and family that I taped up, I was filled with the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of Christ. In other words, I was filled with love. 

 I have learned that the spirit of Christ is the sweetest, and most incredible of all loves. Sometimes, if I ask God, I can have a taste or glimpse of this love. 

It is a wondrous love. 

May you feel the spirit of Christ at this beautiful time of year, as well as my love that I send from Nagoya, Japan.

#63 "Human Again"

For the first week, we were busy, in and out of conferences, going on companion exchanges and then I got sick, things were just crazy! But we finally made it through. Haha sickness-wise, I no longer have any idea what goes on with my body anymore. They say that when you finish your mission, you 'die', but then your body also literally falls apart. I've watched old missionaries just exchange all the problems with their bodies like a bunch of grandmas, and instead of just listening, now I'm joining in the conversation! Oh well, my body can rest later, I want to work!!

 In the second week, we were just busy with preparations for Christmas parties, missionary conferences and all sorts of caroling. I honestly get so tired by the end of the day, I just love the last thirty minutes of my day, when I get to relax and talk to my companion, the other sisters, and lay in my futon. 

So recently I was thinking about Disney's Beauty and the Beast (they're posters are everywhere in Japan, apparently they're doing the Musical in Nagoya right now) and I remembered a song from the extended version of the movie, that is actually in the musical, but it's called "Human Again". All the characters, the clock, candlestick, tea pot, and others sing about how they think the spell they're under will be broken soon, and they day dream about how nice it will be to become human again.

The clock, Cogsworth, sings;

"When I'm human again, when I'm human again, 

when the world finally starts making sense,

I'll unwind for a change...

...Wouldn't that be strange!"(The candlestick, Lumiere, cuts in)

(Cogsworth continues...)

"I can't help it if I'm t-t-tense!"

I may not be as tightly wound as Cogsworth, but when I hit up the real world again I can't wait to be able to relax some and see if I can also be human again!

Haha sorry it's short, but I promise more details next week! I love you all! 

 

 

(The picture is of, from right to left; Sister Yamashita, the wife of my mission president, ME, the strangest missionary you ever did meet, and Sister Ringwood, the wife of President Ringwood who came for a tour of our mission! It was good to see people from my home ward again)

#62 "Go the Distance"

 

New Companion in Yokkaichi, December 2014

 

So if Hercules is willing to 'go the distance', I should probably be too. Instead, I'm very tired and found myself at the end of this week just wanting to stay for two nights in a row in the same apartment...

In other words, my week was busy.

On Monday I was spending my last day in Fukutoku, with a long-time-no-see companion, Sister Abe! She came from Suwa (her companion was ending her mission, so she needed a place to stay until she received her next companion) and spent the day with me! We laughed at all of our old jokes and even made a couple more. She's already going on transfer 5! My baby is growing up!! 

On Tuesday, I headed to Nagoya station to be transferred to Yokkaichi! I spent the day getting to know my new companion and area, getting my luggage from the shipping company and trying to visit a couple members. 

On Wednesday we did as much visiting members as we could, but by the evening I was in Meito, to spend the night nearby for a conference the next day.

All of Thursday I was at the Missionary Leadership Council, which despite its necessity, is very long. But I was able to finally make it back to Yokkaichi for the night!! 

Friday we had to make more plans for the upcoming week and for the transfer. I did my best to finally start unpacking and cleaning and putting away (cleaning this apartment is high up in my life's ambitions: it needs some help...). We were able meet with the elders of our area and learn that the next day, a senior missionary couple were coming to use our baptismal font, and needed us to set everything up and do all the music (my companion can play the piano...SCORE!). 

So that"s what we did on Saturday! We helped someone get baptized. She was so cute; she was so nervous and couldn't stop smiling. So so precious. 

Sunday I finally got to meet all the members, but everything was crazy because we had a certain Mr. Kobayashi come to church. He is one of our investigators, and is hands down the nicest guy you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. He was just so humble and kind, he even brought us lunch! (He didn't know it was fast Sunday, and I didn't have the heart to tell him haha). We were able to talk to him about the commandments, and how when we try them, we can learn that they're really from God. He's been pretty stressed about baptism recently, so we're trying not to talk so much about that right now, but every single person who has met him and talked to me about him knows that it is only a matter of time - he wants to be baptized, he just wants some time to think about it all. 

And now it's finally Monday, and my feet are so tired from all the traveling. I think I've gone 'the distance', and I think I know that I just want to belong to Yokkaichi for now! 

#61 "Under the Sea"

So Sebastian tells Ariel that "the seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake". He tells her that there are plenty of things around her and that she should be happy where she is. All she would need to do so was to "look at the world around [her]".

Well with this week being Thanksgiving, I did just that. I am so grateful for the area I've been in, for the wonderful people I'm surrounded with, and for the many miracles I see on a daily basis.

At the same time, I just got a transfer call to Yokkaichi! I'll be companions with a half-trained Greenie (her companion is going home this transfer) so I will be training her, and I will still be an STL, but now for Yokkaichi zone! I'm just so so thrilled, that was my dream transfer call that I got. I've only heard amazing things about this area, so I can't wait to move!!

But...I'm going to miss Nagoya. It's been so fun to work here! I will really miss all the friends I've made.

Heavenly Father is sure funny, make it Thanksgiving the week that He makes me say goodbye! Gotta love Him!!

#60 "One Jump Ahead"

So last week my companion was sick for a day or two. She was just out pretty much the whole day, so I puttered around the house studying and cleaning and writing up some forms in Japanese. It seems like everyone has been sick lately! Everyone is coughing and sneezing, and I'm just trying to keep 'One Jump Ahead' of all this sickness! I did get a flu shot, as requested by the Mission President, so fingers crossed that works!!

This week was fast, so please bear with me as I write all that I can remember...

Monday, for P-day, we got to go to Little World in Inuyama! It was...alright. Hahaha it can't top Disney, so maybe that's why I wasn't too entertained. (they did have a beautiful Christmas tree though!!) 

That night we left for an all-day Tuesday companion exchange in Gifu! I got to work with a sister who came with me to Japan at the same time. Her name is Sister Mineta, and I just adore her!! She's so funny, and she actually worked in Komatsu before, so we just talked and talked (as we worked and worked) about Komatsu. It was so much fun!! Their area had been struggling a bit too, and we were also able to find two new investigators, so that was fun too! 

Wednesday we were able to meet with Nakane san, who literally said she will get baptized as soon as her neighbor (her best friend/member of the church) 's husband comes back for Christmas break. She was so willing, that it threw us a bit, hahaha. We're gonna take a step back and just remind her how important a step like baptism is. I hope she follows through though, she's so amazing. 

Thursday we met with Kato Yuki san, and we talked about keeping the Sabbath Day holy and getting permission from her husband. We were a little scared to teach this lesson, but it went really well! She told us she wasn't too worried about work, she could shift things around to take Sundays off, it would just take some time. She was worried about talking to her husband (they just got married this year). She told us she knows she needs to do it, she just needs some courage. Please pray for her!! 

Friday we had our usual training meeting in the morning and then later that day we had a lesson with Sister Handa. She's doing really well, but she hasn't been to church in a while, so I'm getting nervous. We came to her house to talk about service and the priesthood, but as we got there, she told us that she was leaving for the hospital in an hour because she thought she had a stomach ulcer, so we changed pace haha. We instead taught about the Atonement and how it can help us overcome both sin and pain. We asked her to think about the Atonement as she is overcoming this trial, but I don't know how much she took in or understood, she seemed so different than usual. I haven't heard from her since that day, so please just keep her in your prayers. 

Saturday we did a service activity as a ward. They clean this building for handicapped people twice a year, and this is the second time I've done it...so I guess that means I've been here a while. 

Oh speaking of, Transfer Calls are this weekend, so stay tuned for what's next for Sister Johnson! 

That's all for now folks!

#59 "Hakuna Matata"

Well I ain't gonna hold back today - this week was HARD. It was short, so maybe that's why it feels like we weren't able to do much, but there was a particular day when I just wanted to say 'That's IT! I'm climbing in my futon, and don't wake me up until it's December!' It was a beautiful Thursday, and I was on a companion exchange when the sister I was with just freaked out on me. Not so much fun. But hey! Hakuna Matata! 

"You gotta put your behind in your past!" -Puumba 

"No no no no no. You gotta put your past behind you!" -Timon

Gotta love Puumba... But yeah! I'm putting that day in my past! I'm moving on to bigger and better things in my future. 

Lots of prayer and donuts tend to make any awful day better.  

Not so much to report this week, so I thought I'd just keep it short to this positive note that helped me to put my behind in my past - I mean, my past behind me.

#58 "Belle Notte... Or Not"

So this week we had a couple of cool things happen. 

I went on a companion exchange with a certain Sister Miki (Her real name is Mickelson, but here in Japan she goes by Miki because it's just plain easier to say). I had a blast hanging out with her in Ichinomiya, she's such a sweetheart I absolutely adore her. We talked for a long time (in between working really really hard, of course) and we ended up talking quite a bit about what it will be like to go home. As a Sister Training Leader, I'm supposed to do all I can for the sisters in my care to see that they are happy and healthy and safe, so when I was checking for these things the upcoming end of her mission became a topic of discussion. She was telling me about the stresses that come with　those final weeks in the mission field, and I realized that a lot of older missionaries are starting to 'die' now! It's kind of scaring me! It means I'm going soon too!! But I still have that extra time, so it's all good. Anyways, she's H.H.&S. and I'm H.H.&S., so all is well!

On another note, during that exchange while I was away from my area, one of our investigators picked a date to get baptized! Kato san decided on January 4th to be baptized. She's so prepared, so we think she can receive it sooner, but we won't push; I think she'll see it too, and maybe even want it sooner. We are so excited for her! Please keep her in your prayers!!

We also taught a wonderful lesson to Nakane san. We haven't seen her in a while, she's been so busy, but we were on our way to teach an FHE at one of her neighbor's house and we stopped by out of the blue and invited her. She came, but it turned out that the family was, for the most part, out with friends hahaha. So we ended up actually teaching her and the neighbor, her friend, a lesson. Things worked out for the best! Nakane san was able to ask us some questions that she has had lately, and she wanted to know how to read the Book of Mormon properly, so we talked about that. Lot's of good spiritual stuff. 

So we were riding home last night from that lesson with Nakane san, and of course, we talked to every person we could (I think sometimes it does not register to me just how scary it can be to be a missionary - we talk to every single person we see, but sometimes we don't wait to see if it is safe or not, we talk to them regardless). So we're riding home, and we're very close to our apartment, but I see this woman and I think 'okay, we're almost home, I'll just talk to this woman and we'll call it a night'. My companion had the same thought, because our conversation stopped and we slowed our bikes to pull up to her. I was closest to her, so I called out to her and started to introduce who we were and she completely interrupted me and walked right up close to me to say how wonderful we were....And then the wave of alcohol stench hit me. She was so drunk! She kept rubbing my arm, and telling us how we were so good to be missionaries and that people in Japan are so mean (my companion then asked her if she was Japanese and she said yes...haha). She kept talking to us, and as she was stroking my arm, I was thinking that we need to get away! But she was right up against my bike and I didn't want to hurt her!! My companion saw that and kept trying to end the conversation (or her very long rant about nonsense). Then she said it was cold, and proceeded to pat down my chest! I was so shocked!! That's when I just stopped talking and my jaw just dropped!! My companion kinda laughed but could tell that I wanted to go THAT VERY INSTANT, so she stopped being so polite and said goodbye, and the lady backed up to say goodnight and see us off (she tried to help push me on my way, but I put my arm up too fast for her). We left and I have been in total shock since. Needless to say, the Belle Notte was not really a Belle Notte. 

Haha gotta love being a missionary!!

#57 "Pink Elephants on Parade"

Wow, this week was FAST. It was kind of a hard one though, because we didn't get to do much proselyting. Proselyting can be tiring, but I always feel so good when we do it. This week we were busy with meetings and training and planning sessions - not fun. I'm starting to get itchy feet just thinking about it! 

Monday we had another Japanese sister missionary hang out with us for the day. Her companion finished her mission, so she needed someone to be with to wait for her new companion to come. So that was crazy busy. 

Tuesday we had to go to transfers to pick up the new companion! And then we had our weekly service activity, passing food out to the homeless. So that was crazy busy.

Wednesday we made cookies and decided to try to go out and find as many people as we could that were on a ward list of people we don't know. Then we taught our free English class! So that was crazy busy.

Thursday was our weekly planning session, and that always takes a good three hours. Then we had to pack our bags and head out! We went to teach Kato san. She's doing really well! We taught her about the life of Jesus Christ, and asked her to pray and read to know that he is her Savior. She wants an answer, and we'll be meeting the next Thursday, so maybe she will have it by then; we're prayin'! Right after her lesson, we biked to a member's house for dinner, and as soon as that dinner finished, we headed to Meito to spend the night with all of the STLs of the Japan Nagoya Mission (BEST SLEEPOVER EVER). So that was crazy busy.

Friday was our training from our beloved President Yamashita. He gave us all some guidance for how he wants us to work with the people in our zone, and how we can work to achieve our goals. These meetings are always so uplifting and make me want to work, but by the time we get out, I'm just exhausted! That night we also went to Seminary at the church. So that was crazy busy.

Saturday was our HALLOWEEN PARTY! We had two of our investigators come, and they had a good time! It was funny in planning this party - the ward didn't want to do it because it always gets too big, so they said if the missionaries want to run it then they can make it smaller, so we made a plan for a smaller party, and the ward took the plan and blew it up to a much bigger party. Gotta love this ward. After that we headed over to see a recent convert who has been struggling. We were able to meet him and talk to him for a while and ask him to come to church! So that was crazy busy.

Sunday we had CHURCH. And Hiromi san came! We first met her the day before while we were exercising in the morning (don't get your hopes up, I just walk). We talked for a bit and she said she would come to the Halloween party and then at the Halloween party she said she would come to church! Woohoo! We're not too sure what she thought of it all because she didn't say much, but we'll be visiting her on Tuesday to ask her! Later that night, we biked an hour out to our Bishop's house for dinner, and then biked back. Fed and tired, I slept well last night. So that was crazy busy.

So this whole week was crazy busy! And it doesn't look that way when I write it out like this, but you just gotta believe me that it was. I swear it was like I was seeing Pink Elephants on Parade, I was so dizzy! And I'd like to tell you that this next week seems very calm in comparison, BUT we've got some fun things planned. Until then!!

#56 "Something There That Wasn't There Before"

So this week has been short, but I've got two stories to tell you. 

On Wednesday, we were able to meet with Nakane san. She wasn't really interested in our message before - well she was interested by it, but didn't really want to apply it. But seeing as she was a friend of a member, we decided to invite her to come to church for General Conference. She was so excited to come and hear the talks, but a couple days before Sunday she called and said she couldn't make it. She was so sad that she had to work, but we offered to come to her house and show her how she could find the talks online. We set an appointment, and brought the member with us. We showed her President Uchtdorf's talk (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/receiving-a-testimony-of-light-and-truth?lang=eng). After the talk, she got really quiet. I didn't dare move - I just felt like this was it, she was going to turn around and tell us that the talk was lovely but that she doesn't want to hear from us again. I could just tell that something big was going to happen, but I was afraid it wasn't a good thing. My companion asked her what she thought about the talk, and she just sat there for a minute or two in the quietness staring at the screen. She turned around and smiled at us and told us that what he said was truth. For the next hour, she proceeded to tell us how she had been trying to talk to God, but hadn't heard back from Him. She then told us how she knew He was there, and how she knew that she had met Him before. She told us how she wanted to return to Him, but that she wasn't sure how to. She then asked us how, but before we could answer, she told us how. She remembered the things we had taught her months ago, and suddenly felt like they were right. It was an amazing experience; she would ask us a question, but before we could answer, she would answer it herself! It's been a while since I've felt the Spirit as strong as I did in that lesson - it was so wonderful. 

The other story is that we had transfer calls this Saturday, and I was so antsy because I KNEW I would be transferring; I was on my third companion in the area, and I was already on my fourth transfer in the area (the average is two companions in an area, and three transfers in an area). So I was waiting right next to the phone, so nervous to hear where I would be going, and... NO ONE EVER CALLED! WE ARE SAFE! NO TRANSFERS!! This means I will be staying another transfer with Sister Peterson, and going on my FIFTH transfer in the area. This is SO rare for a sister, to be a total of 7 and a half months in a single area, but I know there's something that I have to do here that I haven't done yet. 

"There may be something there that wasn't there before!" (Beauty and the Beast)

#55 "It's the Time of Your Life"

This week was insane. It really can only be described in the word 'insane'. We had interviews and training by our Mission President on Friday, and General Conference on Saturday and Sunday, and then a surprise Typhoon on Monday, and P-Day got moved to Tuesday and WHEW. I'm just TIRED.

Interviews were wonderful - My Mission President gave me a lot of training and counsel that will really guide me for the rest of my Mission.

Conference was also wonderful - I loved pretty much every single talk. They all had a hidden message for me, and I know now that I have some work to do.

Missionary work this week was hard, but we did our best! I do have a rather interesting story to tell you though. While we were tracting one night, it was about 8 at night and we decided to go out and see if we couldn't talk to a couple more people before curfew that night. We were biking one direction and came up to a light. At the same corner was a woman and her son on a bike crossing to the other corner. I called out to them, and my companion began to explain who we were when the woman expressed complete shock, hopped off her bike, and ran over to the side of my bike. She asked me if I remembered her, and I told her yes (although it did not hit me until later). We had met her a couple weeks ago, and though she already had strong faith in Jesus Christ and we had offered our message to her and her son, she wasn't interested, so we commended her on her faith in Jesus Christ and friendly parted ways. Well here she was again, and she asked me if I remembered her and I told her I did. She then told me that she had been trying to remember my name for weeks but had not been able to. I showed her my name tag, and told her I go by 'Johnson Shimai'. I was then about to ask her how she had been but she grabbed one of my hands with her two, bowed her head, and began to PRAY. Right there, on the corner of that busy street, she began to pray aloud that she was grateful to meet me again, that she had been worried with the weather and dangerous streets that we biked along, and that God would protect me for the rest of my travels. The second she finished her prayer, she ran over to her bike, grabbed some chocolates from her basket and put them in my hand. She told me that she had been praying for my safety and protection, but that because she couldn't remember my name she had been sad and because she hadn't seen me recently she was worried (though we only met the once before). She then told me to be careful and hopped on her bike and hurried off, all while my mouth was just hanging open - I was in shock the whole time! It was a wonderful prayer; I hope I can meet this woman again sometime, she was so kind. I'm still in shock though...

Oh here's another shock;

So I talked to my mission president on Friday when we had interviews, and I told him that I had not gotten my "Trunky Papers" yet. These papers essentially come when you are 3 and a half transfers before going home. It's just a quick check to see if they'll be sending you home to the right place and seeing when and where your family will meet you. I have been waiting for my papers all transfer, but they hadn't come, and I thought maybe they were just late this transfer. He said he would look into it, so I didn't worry. I did ask him how hard it was to extend a mission and he said it was nearly impossible - even his best missionaries with the best of reasons had not been able to receive an extension. Well I ended up talking to another Elder who is going home the same day I am and he said he already got his papers, so then I thought it was a glitch in the system. I called the mission office a couple days later and she looked up my date and.... I'M GOING HOME APRIL 7th!! They've extended my mission for me! Haha it was like God was just double checking to see if I would be willing to extend, and then when I thought I couldn't, He just went and did it for me.

Do you remember 'A Bug's Life'? Because I don't. All I really remember from that movie are a couple of lyrics from the opening song;

'It's the time of your life, so live it well.
It's the time of your life, so live it well.
It may only go around just one time,
As far as I can tell.
It's the time of your life, so live it well.'

This is my mission life! And I am so blessed to be given more of it! I will only have this one year and a half to devote to the Lord's will. I've been praying to know if I should try to extend my mission, and received my answer by being told to read D&C 58 every day until I received more instruction. It's a wonderful chapter of those D's and C's, but after knowing I got my extension, I was struck by verse 16;

"Behold his mission is given unto him, and it shall not be given again."

This is my mission, and it will not be given again, so I'm going to do my best to make Him proud.

#54 "Once Upon a December"

Thiiiiiis week. This week? This week. What happened this week? I don't remember. Let me grab my planner and check!

Oh yeah! I had another one of those fantastic weeks! I'll just tell you my favorite part though. This week I had the opportunity to do a companion exchange with a certain Sister Ishida. Does she sound familiar? She SHOULD! She was my TRAINER!! 

Back Together with Sister Ishida (Oct. 2014)

It was a wonderful day with her, and I felt like I was a Bean again...except I can speak more Japanese...no that's a lie, I still can't speak Japanese, haha. We switched companions at around lunch, after we went out together, and then we trained back to Inuyama, only to grab some exercise clothes and head out to go work in a member's field for service. We spent the entire train ride out there talking about the wonderful members of Komatsu ward, and all of our crazy and lovely investigators we met out there. We shared inside jokes and phrases we used to say to each other to make us laugh. I absolutely loved working out in the fields of Japan again. I didn't dig ditches again, but I got to pull weeds and to bring in all the vegetables from this summer season. I also came face to face with a spider who's abdomen was about the size of a quarter-sized round super ball. Other than him, I had a blast being back in the dirt again. I loved working on the fields of Komatsu, and being on the fields of Inuyama, with my trainer... It was just wonderful.  

The nights have been getting cooler too, and with the large rainfall from the typhoon that's just come in, I've been reminded over and over again of my days and cold, rainy nights, of my Beanhood in Komatsu. It feels strange knowing that a year ago, I was preparing to come here. Once upon a December, right? It feels strange to know how much I have grown, and changed, since then. But at the same time, I have loved how I've changed, and I'm so grateful I've got a couple more months to grow much more. 

#53 "Everybody Wants To Be A Cat"

 

I've realized since becoming a missionary that this truly is the best two years of my life. Sometimes, I feel like every one should want to be a missionary, 'because a [missionary]'s the only cat who knows where it's at!' But at the same time, it can be pretty hard to understand how and why missionary work can be so incredible; it seems that not 'everybody's pickin' up on that feline beat'.  

Recently our Mission President has been asking us to use 'The Power of Everyday Missionaries' by Clayton M. Christensen (it really is a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it to those who have not read it). He asks that we study this book with members to invite and encourage them to continue in their missionary endeavors. So that's what we've been up to lately! When we're not in lessons or visiting people, we've been introducing this book and starting to study it with members. And so far they love it! 

We were recently with one member who has a love for missionaries, and we were going over to teach her neighbor. She knew the neighbor didn't have interest when they had become friends years ago, but about four months ago, she said we should visit the neighbor just to help her daughter move back home. I wasn't here yet to help with the move, but when I came, my companion took me to introduce myself, and also to introduce our English program that we teach. The neighbor was so excited, she couldn't wait to get started! She was so receptive to our message too. We taught her about the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. We had invited her to pray - and she did! We invited her to come to church - and she did! We invited her to be baptized, and although she turned us down, she said that she may change in the future, so that we should not give up. She is so open to our message, it's amazing. 

Well recently, I had trouble setting an appointment with her, she had gotten so busy! I was worried that we had scared her off, and that she had closed her door to us, but now that I have a new companion, I figured I may as well introduce her! I took Sister Peterson over by her house and we were able to set up another appointment! I was so thrilled. Sister Peterson said we should try to get a member to the appointment to add another testimony to the truths we would share, and I instantly thought of the member who had first introduced us. We called her up and she said she would. When it came to the minutes before the appointment, the member told us she was nervous, but since I knew the neighbor was so open, I told her it was all okay. We went in, taught our lesson, and invited her to General Conference, to hear the Prophet speak. She marked it on the calendar and told us so was so excited. When we left, the member was in complete shock. She had no idea that her friend had opened up to the gospel, and was willing to hear our message. She was so encouraged by it, that now she wants to invite others to hear our message as well!! She told us she was nervous, and that she struggled to invite, but then we naturally introduced the book and told her how it can help her with these problems. She was so excited!! She can't wait to study the book, and we can't either. I love this sister so very much! She's incredible!!

#52 "Open the gates and seize the day! Don't be afraid and don't delay!"

Hey YOU! You know the story! We'll tell the whole wide world this is Jesus territory! 

Haha sorry, sometimes those cheers get stuck in my head, but I just turn them Jesus-style and it makes missionary work a lot more fun!! 

Speaking of fun, my companion is fun! She likes to go OUT, all the TIME! But it is so good for me, because I like to be IN! But she says she wants to go out, and whenever she says that, I just feel like 'Yeah! Let's go!!' It's a very strange and new feeling, but I like laying down at night and feeling exhausted, knowing that we talked to so many people today, and invited as many as we could to hear our message about Christ. I love it! 

Recently we've gotten in the habit of picking a direction and biking for about 5 or so kilometers, visiting members out there, and talking to every single person that we can. It takes a while, to make sure we don't get lost, to find the members, to talk to every one we can, but I love it. We just wake up every day, energized and ready to go. 

It's amazing to me to think that I've come from being so tired and afraid to being energized and wanting to go. It reminds me of Newsies, when the boys on strike get tired, and one boy just starts singing;

"Open the gates and seize the day! Don't be afraid and don't delay!"

Sorry this one has been short, but I'll write you next week!

#51 "Zero to Hero... Or Maybe Still Zero"

Sad to say sayonara to Sister Abe :(

So...this week was crazy. Usually the first week with a companion is hard, you're trying to figure out what works and how to blend together, how to teach together, and how to get used to each other. But Sister Peterson is great! She's only one transfer ahead of me, so it helps to have someone who is relatively close in mission-age. She's helping me to stretch my faith, my mission work, and also my body (she likes to exercise...). So maybe I should tell you a little bit about her! She, like me, is also a graduate...but of college. Isn't that funny? She's a college graduate thinking about grad school, and here I am not even starting college yet. I have to say, I am loving the maturity here. She's 23, a convert to the gospel of only 4 years, from California, and she was the captain of her basketball team in college. She loves sports, loves being outside, and is 100% positive and happy all the time - I love it! She just brings me up with her, and I'm like "Yeah, let's go!" Mission life with her, despite the length of only a week so far, has been so very much fun. She has a lot of faith, and hates being indoors, so she has been very good for me haha. We actually found three new investigators this week!!

Sister Johnson and Sister Peterson

Erika is a student of our Eikaiwa class, although she is fluent in English. She actually translates for business companies for a living, she is so fluent. I don't quite understand why she comes to Eikaiwa, but she seems to get a kick out of watching the Elders teach English (I do too, so maybe I do understand). I was so nervous to ask her if she would have any interest in hearing our message, but Spirit said to do it, so I did and she said yes!! She said she has studied religions in the past and actually would be interested in what our church believes in. I hope she can feel the Spirit as we teach her next time at Eikaiwa.

Fuji-san (yes, like the mountain) was found through housing. We were knocking on doors and offering our message, and of course, you get so many doors slammed in your face, but he didn't slam his. He just listened to what we said, but didn't really answer. His eyes were so bloodshot, and he seemed so unresponsive, we were sure he had been high, and I thought Sister Peterson was crazy to ask if we could come back again tomorrow. I thought he didn't have interest, I just assumed he didn't understand how to say no. She gave him a booklet about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I just assumed that the following night he would not answer the door. BUT HE DID! The next night, I was completely proved wrong. He answered the door, eyes completely clear, with questions, and totally participated in our message. It was incredible! I was feeling the Spirit so strongly. We will be visiting him again today.

Yuka-san actually was found at church! She came with one of the Elders' investigators, and my companion just started talking to her after Sacrament meeting. She sat next to her during the next two classes, and I sat on the other side, to help her feel welcomed. She told us after the meeting that she was so nervous to come that day, but she did anyways, and that she was so happy to have met us. She loved the classes we have at church, so she said she will probably come next week. She loves English, so we offered to teach her, and to introduce her to the missionary lessons and she said she would like to hear them! She's busy this week, but we will see her on Sunday.

Other than that, I've just been seeing so many miracles around me, it's crazy! My faith has grown so much, all thanks to Sister Peterson. We've met so many people this week, and yes most of them say 'not interested', but some of them have said 'yeah, I'd actually like to talk more about that'!! (That's all you have to say to make a missionary's day). So we have some other friends we've made that will want to meet soon, and hopefully, want to learn more about the gospel.

What is a Sister Training Leader you ask? She's like a Zone Leader, but over all the sisters in her zone! My zone includes the sisters in Inuyama, Ichinomiya, and Gifu, so there are 6 sisters total. Sister Peterson is also an STL, so she is helping me to understand the responsibility of my calling, but essentially, I am to make sure that these sisters are healthy, happy, and safe. We call them every night to talk about their day, and to see if there is anything we can do to help. We do companion exchanges with them to strengthen them. We work with the Zone Leaders to strengthen the zone as a whole as well, which means at conferences, I will have to teach. (EEK!). 

I thought of Hercules, and how he was considered a loser before he met his trainer, Phil, and how after his training he was made a hero. He went from "Zero to Hero, just like that!"(*snap).  Well! Sister Peterson is my trainer, teaching me how to help these sisters and strenghten them, and I honestly do feel like a zero at this point. But I know that God gives us challenges to help us to grow, so maybe, with some help from Sister Peterson, I can master this calling, and become the hero that God wants me to be. Wish me luck!

#50 "Bippity Boppity Boo!"

I always thought the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella was rather odd. I couldn't tell if she was intentionally trying to be funny, or if she was just crazy. Either way, she makes good dresses.

Well as the Fairy Godmother gave Cinderella a curfew it seems Sister Abe and I have hit ours. We had transfer calls on Saturday and....drumroll please....She is out of here! Sister Abe is moving to Nagano-ken, out way in the mountains. Her new companion will be Sister Aoki (sounds familiar? She was my companion BEFORE Sister Abe. Crazy, right?) We've been busy packing her up and getting her ready to go, there were addresses to exchange and numbers to steal and a lot of cleaning for me to do. Why a lot of cleaning? Because I will be staying! I will be staying in Fukutoku ward (which is Nagoya city), and my new companion is coming to me. Her name is Sister Peterson, and all I really know about her is that she was the captain of her college basketball team, she's super nice, she's super tall, she's from California, and during her mission her sister got married.... That's actually quite a bit I know about her, I think it's kind of funny how much we as missionaries stalk each other.

She will be coming to Fukutoku to hang out with me, and she is only 1 transfer older than me! It will be so nice to be around a missionary that is so experienced again, I already know that we are going to work well together. Oh, I forgot to mention, she is a Sister Training Leader, which means that she calls, helps and does exchanges with the other sisters in our zone. At first when I thought heard that, I thought it was odd she was coming to be MY companion. Usually they pair the new with the old to help the new to learn from the old. I figured maybe they figured out that I still have a LOT to learn hahaha. But nope, it turns out they want us to be a co-senior companionship....which means, they asked ME to be a Sister Training Leader too!

I told them they were crazy, and asked them to make sure they had the right Sister Johnson (there are actually two of us out here). They said they did, and just laughed at me....hmm.... I laughed too, but I think it was more a nervous laugh. I'm going to be a Sister Training Leader for all of the sisters in Gifu, Ichinomiya, and Inuyama, I'll be staying in Fukutoku until at least October, I'm on my third companion in this area, and this is the life of the Sister Amelia Johnson in Nagoya, Japan. Wish me luck!

#49 "Practice Makes Perfect"

Wow, sorry it's been a while. All I can say is I finally got a moment to breathe, we've been so busy! Haha, poor Sister Abe, she was complaining about how slow things were and how much time we spent studying in the apartment, and I told her that she should treasure our study time now because later down the road she'll get busier and she won't have any time to spare. Now she's regretting that, haha, she's so dizzy!! All I could think was that she finally "fished her wish"; things got busy.


The timing was not especially good for her either. These past couple of weeks have been her 'senpai week', where she has to lead every aspect of our missionary work....that was hard for her. But I keep telling her that these things will help her later. I keep reading D&C 122:7 with her which says;


[And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness,and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience,and shall be for thy good.]


...she's still not a fan hahaha.


Well lately we had the opportunity to teach a young girl named Yuna. She lives in Machida, in Tokyo, but she was down here in Nagoya visiting her aunt for two weeks. Her aunt has brought her to church in the past and had asked us sisters to teach her niece all of the missionary lessons. I must admit at first I was hesitant, especially because this wasn't Yuna seeking the lessons for herself, but as we taught our first lesson, I learned that she is truly interested in following Jesus Christ. As we taught her the lessons and read the Book of Mormon with her, I found that she really listened to what we were saying. I learned how to connect with her and every time I talked she looked right at me as if she were hanging on every word. We only had two weeks to teach her every lesson, but they were some of the best lessons I've ever had. I was just so happy to hear her say that she wanted to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. Man, she's the sweetest girl you will ever meet, I love her so much. It broke my heart to see her go, but I know this is not the end. I sent her information to Tokyo, so the missionaries there can help her more and I gave her my email so we can keep in-touch. She's an incredible kid, I know she's going to do just fine.


So after the craziness of teaching all of the lessons in such a short time and seeing Yuna off, my companion was so sad. She jokingly cried that all of our good investigators move away, and I realized that that is so true. Either they move or missionaries move, but either way we eventually become separated, and it's hard. I've been learning so much about what it means to love another person, and then when you finally have that bond, to be separated seems most tragic. But I know God (or at least in part) and I know that He's got a plan. So whatever will happen will happen, and I can always pray to ask Him why, or where should I go from here. He's always there to guide us.


We've been able to meet again with Rie more recently. Remember her? She's the girl we went to Girl's Camp with, the absolute cutest, funniest girl you will ever meet. She hasn't been coming to church recently, and so Sister Abe and I have been thinking why, and we can't figure it out. From what I've heard from other conversations, she doesn't really have friends in the ward, and that just breaks my heart. I absolutely love this girl, and I know that if the ward just took the time to be her friend, they would see why she is just so special. Anyways, Sister Abe and I had the idea the other day to ask her if Sister Abe could practice her teaching skills by teaching Rie the lessons again. So yesterday we started our first lesson, and set up an arrangement to meet every week. Rie met with us and Sister Abe taught the Plan of Salvation (God's life-plan). I asked her what things we need to not do in order to live with God again, and she and Sister Abe brainstormed. I then asked her "what are the 'do'-commandments?" That confused her for a bit, so I explained that of course God tells us what not to do, and we often remember those commandments because they are most strict, but we should also remember the commandments where God tells us what TO do. She mentioned church, and we talked a little about that, and we talked about prayer too. Sister Abe helped her to think of some more, but I think that's where I zoned out wondering how I could help Rie to come back to church. I know she knows it is where she should be, but every Sunday she's not here, and I just want to hug her and say 'COME!', haha. I know she knows the reason we go to church, I just need to help her to commit to it. I know that God has asked us to go to church every Sunday, and I know that He will bless us more than we can imagine when we do.


This weeks Disney reference is Ratatouille, in part because my companion attempted to make it the other day and in part because whenever we practice for our lessons, it reminds me of that scene in Linguine's kitchen, when Remi is sitting on his head, Linguine is blind-folded and they practice making an omelet over and over and over again. Of course, when you put a rat on your head and blindfold yourself, there's going to be broken eggs, things will be dropped, pans will fly out of windows, but eventually, practice will make perfect!


This is the lesson I have been trying to teach my Bean, Sister Abe, recently. Whenever she makes a lesson and I try to add, understand or change something she starts saying that her idea is awful, and that we shouldn't teach it and that she can't teach. I've told her that everyone makes mistakes, and that she needs to recognize that, but that doesn't quite cut it. She just needs to practice, and eventually her mistakes won't hinder her. And, coming from her trainer's perspective, with all the practice she has had already, she's become such a strong missionary. I know she's going to work miracles on her mission, she just needs to know that practice makes perfect!

#48 "Stars, in your multitude. Scarce to be counted, filling the darkness with order and light."

Woah, I almost forgot to write a post for today. Can't stop now, can I?

This week wasn't a very exciting or eventfull one. Another week of much training and preparing Sister Abe for her week as 'sempai' (senior companion). I'm pretty excited for this week - I pretty much get to become a green bean again and let her take care of everything! Haha no worries, I will still help her when she really needs it, but for the most part, this is a test for her to take what I've said and now to have to use it. It's also a test for me, to see how much went in one of her ears and out the other, hahaha.

Training has been fun for me too, just to revisit things I was taught as a young missionary, but also to be able to learn more and to become a better missionary. This week we focused on the Book of Mormon and why it is the key stone of our religion, and why, if one would take the chance, through reading it one can gain a testimony of the book itself, the prophet who translated it, the church that was restored, and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I made an arch out of pieces of chocolate (you should have seen her face when I told her she could eat them afterwards - she's hilarious). I explained to her that by putting in the keystone of my arch, everything holds together, but when I take it out, the arch falls down. We talked about how the Book of Mormon plays a similar role to one desiring a testimony; when we read the Book of Mormon, sincerely pray to know if it is true, and recognize an answer, then Joseph Smith must have been a prophet, he must have restored this church, and Jesus, of whom the book testifies, must be the Christ. But like wise, if one does not read the book, sincerely pray, or strive to find that answer, building an arch that will stand tall and strong seems an impossible task. So if you're out there and you have not read the Book of Mormon, I have a challenge for you; pick up a copy and READ. If you are out there and you've already read the Book of Mormon, read it again. President Gordon B. Hinckley said that it does not matter who you are or how many times you've read the Book of Mormon, it will strengthen your faith. It's that good of a book. I highly recommend it.

This week we were able to do something fun with an investigator; we went to see the Science museum of Nagoya! IT WAS SO COOL. I rediscovered just how much I love science!! The museum was SO cool! It had so many interactive pieces, my face hurt afterwards from smiling so much - I had a lot of fun. (The lockers were the periodic table - does anyone else find that as entertaining and hilarious as I do? I hope so).

I remember going around looking at everything and a certain scripture came to my mind, Alma 30:44. It says, "The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

How can they not? I looked around at all the patterns and designs around me - is it not fascinating? How everything is in this specific pattern and design? Doesn't this just lay out in front of us as evidence that there is a Supreme Creator?

There is. I know He is there, because He's told me so.

The stars aren't just "fireflies that got stuck up there", as Timon from the Lion King states, they are "balls of gas burning millions and millions of miles away" as Pumba guesses. And they were created, as was everything that surrounds us, by our loving Heavenly Father.

#47 "I Think You Got It Wrong, Poca"

Wow this week has been a slow one. I'd tell you what we did every day, but we didn't really do much. We've been so busy planning for a summer festival that was supposed to happen on Saturday that between those preparations, training, and visiting some people, we haven't done anything new. 

I say "supposed to happen" because by the time it was the night before, we got a text message from the ward telling us the the activity was canceled because of a typhoon (kind of like a hurricane?) was coming. The storm mainly hit on Sunday, so church was also canceled. But seeing as missionary work isn't exactly a cancel-able activity, we were still out and about in the storm doing what missionaries do best! All I have to say about that crazy adventure is that Pocahontas had it all wrong. The [humidity] and the rainstorm are [NOT] my brothers, and the [mosquitoes] and the [cicadas] are [NOT] my friends. But we seem to be connected to each other, in this circle, this hoop that never ends... until late October, when summer is rumored to finally give up its attack and allow Fall to make a quick appearance. Gotta love summer! 

Sister Abe is doing so well, though. I've noticed recently, as I watch her start to take the lead on things we do together, that she has grown so much from when I first picked her up in Meito. The other night, we had just come home from visiting a very interesting (in not a very positive sense of the word) woman who loves to talk, we were exhausted, and we had about 20 minutes before it was time to plan for tomorrow's activities. I was all ready to just plan right then and there and then see if we could go to bed early, but she said she wanted to do some practice teaching. So, just thinking off the top of my head, I asked her to teach me about faith. I was expecting this practice lesson to be much like the first ones we had together, we hadn't had much time recently to practice teaching, but she surprised me. She really followed the Spirit and taught a beautiful lesson about faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. She then tied baptism to Christ and almost invited me to be baptized. I would have said YES, had I not already been baptized and this was not a practice lesson, she did such a wonderful job teaching and I could feel God's presence in the room so strongly. Man, I was just so proud of her. She finished her lesson and I just could not express in Japanese how wonderful a lesson she taught, so I just went off in English telling her all the wonderful things she did within her lesson, and she nodded and nodded and laughed, and then at the end of my praising-rant, she asked me if I could repeat the last bit again. I asked her if she meant the last sentence or the whole last bit and she said all of it, actually. Haha I did my best to translate what I had said, but really all I could do was smile and tell her that she's an amazing missionary. 

...now we just have to find someone to teach.... wish us luck!

#46 "Well, that depends on where you want to go"

I think I'll start off by saying that I haven't had a week so stressful since the MTC (and that's a story I should share with you in person). 

On Monday, Aoki left early for transfers and stayed in another apartment closer to where the actual transfers would take place, so Sister Abe and I were left unexpectedly in a very quiet apartment....We have gotten to know each other a lot more this week, we both don't like quiet. 

On Tuesday, we went to see the transfers take place. I got to see Sister Grant! But I don't think she was happy to see me haha. After that we went to a Trainer's Training, where Sister Abe and I shared our insights on the training program with other missionaries who would be receiving trainees this transfer. It wasn't until after this meeting when I received about 4 phone calls that I realized just how hectic this ward can be. (That's not necessarily a bad thing - they just happen to be on-the-go, all-the-time). That night we visited a recent convert, who essentially told me that he is going less-active, meaning that he doesn't want to be involved with the church. It broke my heart - when I came to this area, he loved the gospel so much that he was preparing to serve a mission. 

What happened?  

Then later that night, another recent convert calls me to tell me that she is so sick, she had a fever of 39.9~ (in Cel.) and that she needed to cancel our appointment we had made to study the gospel together. This would mean that we would not be able to meet with her for the next fifteen days or so, because her son was then scheduled to have surgery on his knees and that recovery time, all ten days of it, is spent in the hospital. 

On Wednesday, we taught Tsuchida, and prepared a birthday part for the recent-convert-less-active. He was so happy, it's been a while since I've seen him smile like that. I just remember going home that night feeling totally exhausted, and just wanting to cry, knowing that I'm doing my best but that things will still fall through. I love this boy so much, but I can only do so much. I've had to acknowledge that right now, I just need to be his friend, and do all that I can to keep his dimming faith burning. I had also tried to visit the sick recent convert, but she wasn't home. I told my companion how stressed I was feeling and how I was at a loss of what to do, and she decided we should make her some food. 

We didn't have so much good food on our shelves, but on Thursday, we made her a mushroom pasta, some fruit salad, and picked out a health drink at the grocery store. We dropped it off at her house. She didn't have much time to look at it, (she was so sick, she couldn't even speak) but we got a text from her later that day saying she was so grateful for it. 

On Friday we visited her again, and she was doing much better. She told us that when we gave her the food, she hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours, and the food tasted so good! It helped her so much. I almost cried, I was so happy and relieved. 

The weekend starts to wind down there, time filled with preparations for the next ward event, meeting potential investigators, planning and training, which brings me to my Disney reference for this week; 

Sister Abe is doing so very much better with her training. She wasn't awful before, but her head was so in the clouds and not down here with me where it needed to be that I was so nervous that she would not make it when she is left here in Fukutoku and I need to leave. This week she has surprised me as I've given her more and more responsibility, and with seemingly no (almost, there was a little) struggle, she has been able to take it in her stride. It seems like we might make it out of training okay! 

This week I've been trying to have her get a bearing of where she is at all times. I have her be in front when we ride bikes and try as hard as I can not to tell her where to go. I've given her the cellphone, so she has a GPS if she needs it, but sometimes even that can't help her. I never realized my mom wasn't kidding when she said I was blessed with a sense of direction until I met someone who didn't have a hint of one. Yesterday, we were riding along, and I asked her; "Where are you going?"

She replied, "I don't...know"

"Are we going to visit an investigator? or are we going home to do more preparations?2

"I don't know...."

"Well what direction are you heading in?"

"I don't know....Where should I go?"

"Well that depends on where you want to go?"

"I don't know..."

and I laughed to myself as I finished in my head "then it really doesn't matter where you go". 

Gotta love some Alice in Wonderland.

#45 "GUESS FOR YOURSELF AND EMAIL ME BACK THE ANSWER!"

Well this week has been crazy full of activities!

On Monday we cleaned up our apartment and packed everything up, and then on Tuesday we moved apartments, unpacked everything and cleaned up. We didn't transfer, just moving to a newer apartment in our area. It was about time, this last apartment was so old that drinking water from the tap was dangerous. SO needless to say, I'm much happier in our new apartment.

On Wednesday, we taught Tsuchida-san, and talked about the different beings in the Godhead; God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. It was interesting for her that we know them to be separate beings, but one in purpose, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost reporting to the Big Man in the Upstairs. After our lesson, we hung out with a less-active girl, Rie. She's 17, and other than her older sister who is currently serving a mission in Sapporo, she is the only member in her family. She's struggling a bit with her faith, and hasn't been coming to church since about last year. I know that when I talk to her, though, all she really needs is love. When you give her your love, she opens right up. So she and the sister missionaries have a good relationship, but the ward has yet to connect with her to help her out.

QUICK DETOUR; a couple weeks ago, I learned that it was going to be Girl's Camp (the bestest camp ever) soon for our stake, and I had asked the leaders if anyone had talked to Rie. (Surprise, surprise) None of them had. So I asked them if we could invite her. They told us to go for it, but that she would probably say no because she has no friends at church. One of the leaders even made an off-hand comment that if we wanted to help, we could come with her. I know she was joking, missionaries can't stay overnight. But I heard her say that and thought to myself...challenge accepted.

I got permission from my Mission President, and sure enough Sister Abe and I headed up into the mountains of Gifu on Thursday for a day at Girl's camp. We had invited Rie, and she came for the whole thing (three days long). She was really sad to see us go at the end of the day, but we promised to text her if she ever got lonely (she pretty much had only been talking to us the whole time). I haven't said such sincere prayers in a while as I prayed that night for someone to be Rie's friend. I prayed she would be able to have fun, to make friends, and to feel the Spirit. I just needed her to 'remember who she is; God's daughter, and as such, a one true queen'. (Does that sound familiar to anyone who has watched a Disney movie?)

Friday was pretty normal, and Saturday was transfer calls. That evening I called Rie; she was exhausted but said she had fun. Maybe I can talk to her more later.

Sunday was crazy. I was sick in the morning, so I slept as much as I could and had to give up when it came to that evening's activity. We had a huge dinner at the church with some investigators and church members, that soon got very out of hand. But all in all, it seemed like the investigators had fun, and the members did too, so I'm content.

Exhausted, but content.

Oh yeah, transfer calls... Sister Furukawa decided to go home, so she left, and now Sister Aoki is being transferred to Suwa, in Nagano. So now it's just me and Abe.

And then there were two...

#44 "Home Will Be Where The Heart Is"

Inuyama Castle July, 2014

Sisters: Johnson, Furukawa, Abe, Aoki, Maughn, Urling (front to back)

Do you all know the Disney musical Beauty and the Beast? if not, you should come to Japan. It's playing all over the island, and the posters are in every single train station. This week, as with pretty much every time I ride a train, I was reminded of the musical and in particular, with the song 'Home'. This is the song that Belle sings as she is left alone in her room after she has decided to stay with the Beast forever. The song is actually super pretty, and way fun to sing when you're coming home on your bike from a looooong day. In the song, Belle sings "Is this home? Is this where I should learn to be happy? Try to find something good in this tragic place?". The song continues and she comes to the conclusion that she is not home, because 'home will be where the heart is' and '[her] heart is far, far away. [So] home is too."

Recently in our apartment, Sister Furukawa has been struggling with homesickness, illness, and stress. It seems like she just can't get on top of things. Remember that water-skiing analogy? How you have to just keep holding on, despite the water in your face, and eventually you end up ontop of the water? She's still in the water, holding onto that rope, but she just needs to grip it tighter. Her trainer, Sister Aoki, has tried everything she knows how to do, and has sought so much help from leaders, but after all the advice is said and done, the decision to grip that rope tighter is Sister Furukawa's.

She reminds me a lot of when I first came out on my mission. I was so very homesick, and even sometimes considered going home. But I remember thinking of this song, and how home will be where the heart is. I remember thinking that going home was just not an option for me, I was not going to quit, I need to be here. I then came to the conclusion that I needed to put my heart here, in my area, and then home would surely follow. It's taken some time and patience, but I've found it to be true. Although Belle is right, home is infact where the heart is, I've learned that we have the choice of where we place our hearts. Whether we give them to other people such as family and friends, or put it in things such as cars and houses, our hearts are still ours, and we have the ability to move them and keep them with us.

Home will be where the heart is, but we have the ability to chose what, where, or who, our home is.

#43 "Mother Knows Best"

Do you remember that song from Tangled, when the mother goes on about how she knows better than Rapunzel, and how Rapunzel needs to trust her? Lately these words come to my mind;

"Mother knows best, take it from your Mumsy, on your own you won't survive! Sloppy, under-dressed, immature, clumsy? please, they'll eat you up alive!" 

Partly because the lady who sings it does a really good job and in other part, although she is not (too) sloppy, under-dressed, immature, or clumsy, I worry sometimes that my Bean, my trainee, won't make it on her own. Haha lately I've had my patience tested as I've taught my best in Japanese, but realized that only so much of what I said really went in. I know I just need to take a breath and let the stress go, and realize that while our time together is going fast, I need to teach her what she needs to know. I've come to realize that what I need her to know and what she needs to know are sometimes different. A lot of the times, I find myself on my knees asking Him what she needs to know because He knows better than I do. 

It makes me laugh how they compare training to motherhood...Momma, I have a new-found respect for you. Haha Happy Birthday this week!! I love you.

#42 "You're Mocking Me Aren't You"

So my companion likes to laugh...a lot. There was this one time that we were preparing for a lesson, and I said that I wanted to "mogi" (role play) it before we go just to make sure that I knew all the Japanese I wanted to use, so I didn't have to use my (increasing-in-talent) charades. I hadn't even gotten past saying hello, when she started laughing and just could not stop. And when I say she could not stop, I mean she could. not. stop. I eventually left the room, went into the kitchen, got a snack and came back and she was still laughing...

It's now something we are working on, not laughing too much at Sister Johnson, because apparently she is always making a funny face (I had no idea...). I have to admit there are moments when I stop and, like Buzz from Toy Story, I have a moment of realization, "...you're mocking me, aren't you?". I love to laugh too, but sometimes I just want to work! We're working on finding a balance though, and I think we found one;

The other day we were starting a lesson with a member. We had the other sisters with us, so it was four sister missionaries and this one sister who wants to re-take the missionary lessons. We sat down to teach her and no sooner had I got my first sentence out after the opening prayer then the two Japanese sisters laughed and pointed at my face telling me I had a funny face. I was kind of disappointed. Here I am trying my best to be the best teacher I can be, and they just sit and make fun of me. But before I could act on my almost-frustration, I just took a deep breath and focused on the member. Eventually they grew quiet, and they listened to the message I had prepared. By the end of the lesson, the Spirit was strong. I felt so good going home that night. 

The day before that member lesson, my companion and I had taught an investigator of ours, Tsuchida san. We spent the first half of the lesson teaching English, and the second half teaching gospel. Like the story above, in the beginning, my companion and Tsuchida san as well, just laughed at me when I didn't understand the Japanese they used. They laughed when I stuttered or used the wrong word. But, as I taught them the Plan of Salvation, and shared my testimony of how I know that it is true, they grew quiet. I shared the story of how my dad strengthened my own testimony of the Plan, and how because of how he knew, and how he taught me, I know for myself, and I want to share this knowledge. Once again, as they grew quiet, the Spirit came. The investigator said that she felt 'hot inside', and I explained that the 'hot' feeling is God. After she left, my companion was so happy, she could not express it. She just kept telling me that she felt the Spirit so strongly. 

So I remember reading in the Bible that "loud laughter" was not a good thing and I remember thinking that it must not be right: laughter is wonderful! But maybe I got a glimpse this week, and in the weeks before, of what God meant by "loud laughter". I know (or rather, recently learned) that I make funny faces all the time. I know that I'm a strange person, that I like to be weird and do my own thing. I know that I can't speak Japanese.

But I do know that He's making me a better teacher. I've come a long way. I still have a long way to go, but I look back now and see that I've come a long way.

#41 "Anyone Can Cook"

So the ride in the ambulance wasn't so bad, and I still feel kinda iffy, but I'm okay. JUST KIDDING. About the feeling iffy, but I did actually ride in an ambulance. Aoki's companion, Furukawa Shimai had hives that just kept spreading so we called an ambulance and got a ride to the emergency room. She got a shot, and she's doing much better, but she was told to avoid stress...That will be interesting with missionary life. 

If there's one thing I gained from the experience, it was a nickname; "Mamma Mia". Not very original, but I love ABBA so I can't complain. I got it because not everyone has a first-aid kit the size I do, and pulls it out to help take care of another sister. Haha poor Furukawa Shimai, I was covering her in itch-relief cream and wrapping it up with medical tape. We all laughed because she looked like a mummy, but at least this way she couldn't itch!! Every time I caught her itching I'd make her stop. Apparently this somehow all ties to motherhood. 

That and maybe because of all the four of us, when it's dinner time they all look at me and tell me they're hungry.... haha that's their cute way of saying please make me food. SO I make all the dinners. I'm not so good at cooking, but hey, "anyone can cook", right? Or maybe, like Linguine, I need a lot of practice until I can fake it, haha. 

Sorry this post is a little short, but I promise next week's will be better!

#40 "Following the Leader"

I HAVE A NEW COMPANION!

 

Her name is Abe Shimai. She is Japanese, 20 years old, and from Akita-Ken (way up north). She is probably the cutest and happiest person I have ever met, and I am just ever-so lucky to be her trainer. She makes missionary work 10x more fun! 

This week has been pretty much just getting her unpacked, settled in, and ready to go for the rest of our time together (we have a total

of 12 weeks together, granted we don't transfer, so now we are going on week 2). We've begun training, which is really good review for me. I've told her that I'm not perfect and I want to improve as a missionary, so she has my back on that. She's just so energetic and ready to go! Or at least she was at first. Yesterday after our nightly planning (9:30pm-ish) she completely passed out with her planner in her hand. It was the cutest thing. I just remember planning with her and she muttered something about being so tired, so we wrapped it up and said a prayer. I started to clean a couple of things off my desk and then turned around to go do a load of laundry and she was OUT. I called her name a couple times, turned on music, took some pictures, but she was just OUT. I ended up being able to wake her up enough for her to get ready for bed and crawl into her futon. She's so funny, I absolutely love her. 

 

 

She is Japanese, which means that we only speak Japanese. There is one hour a day that I get to speak English to her, and that's during language study, when I should be studying Japanese haha. I just figured that my whole day is language study, so I may as well get one hour study break. I like teaching her English, it's way fun. Yesterday I came up with some tongue twisters for her to work on pronunciation. We like to play around with them;

"How is your companionship relationship?"

"Did you sincerely seek some lovely revelation from the Lord?"

"I threw my liver in the river" - (this one is not original, but it's fun anyways)

These phrases are hard for the Japanese to pronounce, so we say them over and over again. They make her laugh. I make her laugh. She makes me laugh. We just laugh.

I cannot believe I am now a senior companion. I thought God knew I would never be ready. But maybe that's His logic - I'll never be ready, so I need experience to grow. Leave it to Him to have it all figured out. For now, "we're following the leader, the leader, the leader. We're following the leader wherever [she] may go... We're following the [young] leader, the [inexperienced] leader, the [doesn't-know-what-she's-doing] leader. We're following the leader because [He] told us so". 

I have no idea why, but He apparently told us so. 

#39 "No Matter What"

I'll start off this week with my Disney reference from Beauty and the Beast. In the musical (yeah, that's right, it is also a musical), Disney adds a song in which Belle asks her father if he thinks she is odd, and he tells her that from his point of view she is "creme de la creme". Belle replies that "no matter what they say [he] makes her proud" and that she loves "the funny way [he stands] out from the crowd". They realize that even though the townspeople think that they are strange, they are the only family they have, and they love each other no matter what others may say. 

I thought of this recently when we assigned Disney characters to all the missionaries in our district. I was voted Belle, because apparently, I'm odd. I love it - Belle loves to read, is very sassy, and loves adventure. Yesterday was Father's Day, so I just wanted to ask my dad, "do you think I'm...'odd'?" 

Haha, I love you Dad, and no matter what they say, you definitely make me proud. (although I haven't heard what they say yet... JK!)

Yesterday was also a beautiful sunny day for Tomoko and her son Kouki, as they came to church, ate their lunch and hopped into their white clothing....yes, that's right, their white clothing! 

TOMOKO AND KOUKI GOT BAPTIZED!

It was a beautiful service. I was given the task to introduce them to the ward, so I gave a brief introduction of who they are and how they met the missionaries. Aoki Shimai gave a talk about baptism, and then the Elders sang Come Thou Fount. We then proceeded to the baptismal font, and watched as Tomoko and Kouki began a fresh start and their life-long journey to follow Christ. After their baptism, Tomoko bore her testimony to the ward. She was just glowing. 

I was so privileged to teach Tomoko and Kouki. They are so wonderful. She has such strong faith, she told us that she did not know everything, but she knew that she was doing something good. As I watched her share her (short, but soon to be longer) testimony, I was overcome with this feeling of peace. We've spent the past couple of weeks frantically deciding what she needs to learn and how we can teach it in such a short time, and it was at this point when she stood up with so much confidence and thanked the ward for letting her be a part of them that I realized what baptism truly is. 

I used to think that when one has a testimony and a strong knowledge of the gospel, that's when one should get baptized, but I've since learned that when one receives baptism, it is an act of faith. I remember my own baptism, and how I was 8 years old. I did not know why one pays tithing. I did not know that God really did ask us to eat our vegetables (but I know my mom did). I did not know what Salvation was, or even that there was a Plan for it. There was so much that I did not know, but I did know the promise that baptism was, and that after my mom had shown me the promise in Mosiah 18, I wanted more than anything to be a part of it. I remember being filled from my head to my toes with warmth and love, knowing that I was a part of something so much greater than I could ever become on my own. I didn't know everything, but I had faith. That's what baptism is: an act of faith. 

Before I sign off, I thought I maybe should mention that we had transfer calls this Saturday (it was a busy weekend for us). But I have only been in Fukutoku and with Aoki Shimai for one transfer (she has only been here for two), so we both assumed that we would not be getting a phone call and that neither of us would transfer. We were half right. Neither of us are transferring BUT WE DID GET A PHONE CALL (it scared us to death). 

So maybe, I just might tell you that I kinda sorta might be TRAINING NEXT TRANSFER! (WOOHOO). Yep, that's right, I am becoming a trainer, and Aoki Shimai is as well. We each are getting a brand new missionary to train and teach the ways of the Japan Nagoya Mission. The Fukutoku sisters have just doubled in size (watch out, Nagoya city!). The "Bean"s will be arriving Tuesday night, and staying over in the Mission home. We will go on Wednesday morning to pick them up and welcome them to mission life.

Cleaning the Baptismal Font with Sister Aoki,  June 2014

#38 "What Does Your Heart Tell You?"

This week was...well...this week. Everything went by fast and crazy with hardly a moment to think. There were hours of stress, and seconds of rest. It's weeks like these that really test your faith in God. 

This week we felt it was time to ask one of our investigators to be baptized. Her name is Mika Nakane. She is a mother of three children, the eldest being mentally handicapped. Her husband left her when her children were young and ever since then she's been on her own to earn money, raise the children, take care of the household etc.. She's truly an inspirational person - she's so nice. She's been listening to our lessons, praying and she even came to church. She said she really loved church, and that it was a great place to learn. We talked about the Plan of Salvation, God's plan for us, and then we focused on our life on earth. We talked about how Jesus Christ is our example, and that if we follow him, he can show us the path to eternal happiness. She listened so intently and asked questions along the way. I was so nervous to ask her, but as we taught I felt like she was willing, that her heart was ready, and that she would answer yes. We asked her and she said.....no. She told us her reasons why, and the big underlining reason is that she believes no religion is wrong, and that they are all right, so if she were to join our church, she would be saying that the rest are wrong. 

I remember feeling so heartbroken, but a quiet voice whispered to me and told me it was okay, all I needed to do was listen to her and pray for her and ask her if she will keep listening to us. That's really all we can do as missionaries, we can only invite. Whether or not people come to a knowledge of truth or not is between them and God. This is not the first time I have invited and been told no, and it most certainly will not be the last. 

To be honest, I know where she is coming from. I remember plenty of hours I've spent on my knees asking God, how come this church is called the "one true church", and why must there be a "right" church and a "wrong" church. I believe it is a very sensitive and difficult subject to discuss, but I can only offer Mika the way I received an answer and the way she can receive an answer, should she ever want one: prayer.  

In the movie Pocahontas, the Native-American princess speaks to the Grandmother Willow and asks her what direction she should take. Like Pocahontas, I was wondering which direction I should take, I wondered which path was the right path for me. Grandmother Willow then answers Pocahontas to "let the holy spirits guide you" and to "listen to your heart, you will understand". 

I know that when we get on our knees and truly pray, God listens. He will guide us. If we listen to our heart, He will answer us there. Then we will understand.

Lunch with an investigator (far right) in her restaurant.  (Sister Johnson in the back.) June, 2014

#37 "You're Not A Lady"

I can't believe it is already June. It seems like just the other day I was heading into the MTC, completely dazed, drying my tears, and putting all my trust in the Lord. But here I am, reaching my half-way checkpoint this Saturday. I'm halfway done, can you believe it? I sure can't. There are moments where it feels like I've been a missionary for years, but there are moments when it feels like only a day. Eventually, you hit checkpoints, and you suddenly realize that time does move, not too fast but fast enough, that you just have to enjoy the time you're given. 

This week was a lot of housing (going door-to-door, asking if anyone is interested in hearing our message). It's a tiring task, and involves a lot of doors shut in our faces. It puts your resilience to the test, but I think it is so worth it. Just to know that they hear who we are, if not our entire message, is important to me. 

During this housing, however, we may have slightly noticed that the weather is becoming ever-so slightly warmer...it's hot. As one of our investigators said, "But it's only May!" It is, but it is already hot. According to the locals this is unusually fast, so I'm hoping that it will cool down faster as well, but something tells me it's going to be a loooooooong summer. Japan is almost famous for it's hot, humid summers and already we crank the AC the second we get to the apartment, eat plenty of ice cream, and do whatever we can to dry ourselves off from all the sweating that goes on. It's barely June...

But this reminded me of a funny joke I had with a sister back at the MTC. We were joking around one day, I think getting ready for gym, and we were quoting Disney movies. She pulled out "you're not a lady, you're my sister!" from Aristocats and it made us laugh so hard. We began using it all the time, whenever we felt that what we were doing made us lose whatever dignity we had held on to - "you're not a lady, you're a Sister!" 

In the state we do our missionary work, I wear the baggiest clothes I own, my hair is always up in the same bun or ponytail, and I am always sweating. I'm not a lady, I'm a Sister. And it's so worth it.