#28 "Little April Showers"

I was going to save this Disney reference for when it actually was the middle of April, but seeing as it will be April tomorrow, and I live in Komatsu where it rains pretty much daily, I'll share it now. Do you remember that song in Bambi where it starts to rain? They sing "drip drip drop little April showers..." and a whole bunch of other words that I actually don't know. What I do know is that the rain starts out as a drop or two and turns into a huge storm, and then returns to a couple of drops again. I feel this song perfectly describes Komatsu weather...

We had a couple of downpours this week, and somehow when it rains, it takes a lot of time to do very little. We still make sure we work hard every day, but because this week was very slow, I don't have much to write.

My companion and I are still doing very well. We absolutely love each other and talk about how after our missions we are definitely going to meet up. We still hit our frustrations, we are very similar in some ways and polar opposites in others. But what can you expect from spending 24/7 with a person and having to work with them to do anything? We realized the other day how lucky we are. We were complete strangers, barely new each others' name, but we work together, forgive each other, and love each other. We still have the ability to talk to each other for hours... it sometimes can be difficult to stop talking and laughing. AND SINGING. We love to sing together.

So that's us for right now; we're just two missionaries in Komatsu singing in the rain.

#27 "When I See an Elephant Fly"

So a week has come and gone, and transfer calls along with them. The news is that there is no news. I'm not going anywhere and neither is my companion. We will be staying in Komatsu for another 6 weeks. We're actually pretty stoked to be working together for another transfer, but we're in kind of an after-baptism daze of "what do we do next?"

Carla is doing great and glowing. We still get to meet with her whenever she is free and we continue to study together and help her to be able to find the resources she needs to study on her own. She sets such an amazing example to me. She will be moving either this week or the next, so we will only have a couple more days with her. I'm really going to miss her glowing face, and her big hugs. (She gives awesome hugs). She has such a strong desire to continue to grow and learn more about Christ, that I no longer worry about her being able to find what she wants. She's one of the strongest people I know.

After she leaves, the Komatsu sisters will have a lot of free time on their hands. People have been "dropping" us right and left, and so now we are down to one investigator. We teach Kaede chan and her two younger siblings, Anji chan and Hinoki kun, English and basic gospel principles. Their parents are not interested in our message, but the grandparents are Mormon, and said it was okay for us to teach them the basics. This week we plan on teaching them about prayer and I cannot wait! They are so much fun and so cute, I just want to hug them all the time. 

Besides that one weekly appointment, we will otherwise have a lot of time. We need to do some "finding", but that can be a difficult task in Komatsu. It either rains or snows here, and it is still pretty cold, so people don't like to come out of their houses, or if they do, they go by car, and there's just something about talking to a car that is pretty one-sided... We talk to people as we go to and from other appointments, but there is really no one on the streets in Komatsu. That's why "I'll be done seein' about everything when I see an elephant fly", or when I see someone walking around who would love to hear about Jesus Christ. 

I told my companion we could just run around yelling "Who wants to learn about Jesus?!" But somehow that isn't a very good method of "finding". Go figure. 

For now, I'm just happy to be in Komatsu for the next six weeks. I'm happy to be in this small, but loving ward. I'm happy to be with Sister Grant. I'm happy that today is actually sunny. I'm happy that my Japanese seems to be improving (although seems is the key word there). I'm happy to be a missionary, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity.

Well! I will just have to keep working hard and see how this next week goes. If there is one spiritual thought I have circling in my head it would be that God will hasten His work in His time. He knows what He is doing, and He knows that I'm here. He's gotta plan and, if I'm lucky, He'll let me in on it little by little.

#26 "Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days of my entire life."

Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days of my entire life. 

The past couple of weeks have been particularly stressful. Planning for Carla's baptism has been a lot more complicated than I thought. Maybe it was just me adding on, wanting to teach her more and more, wanting to make sure that she knew exactly what she was getting into, but then in the past week I was calmed by her casual phrase of; "I know I am making the correct choice". 

How do I even begin to describe what an amazing person Carla is? I sit here typing this out and I have no idea how to put into words the love and admiration I feel for her. We don't even speak the same language! We've been communicating through Google translate, and my relying on the similarities between French and Spanish. 

On the morning of Sunday, March 16th, Carla met us at the church at 7:45. She walked in, hugged us, and then we got her changed into all white clothing. We took a couple of pictures (they will follow next week) and we entered the big chapel for the service. I spoke about baptism in Japanese, and another missionary spoke about the gift of the Holy Spirit in Japanese. She sat there, not truly understanding the words we were saying, but glowing with the feeling that she was "making the correct choice". After the talks, I hopped on the piano and played the only song I know on the piano (half of the duet My Heavenly Father Loves Me, I fixed it up to make it simpler) while my companion sang in Japanese to her. We stood up, took Carla's hand and led her to the font. She took off her shoes and stepped into the font, glowing. The missionary who had previously spoke, stood there waiting for her. He helped her down the stairs, raised his hand and baptized her in Spanish. As she climbed out of the font, I stood there holding a towel. I wrapped it around her and hugged her. She was glowing. 

I'll never forget the words she said to me. She knows that I can somewhat understand Spanish, but that sentences are hard, so she usually speaks to me in words. These are the words she said;

"Neuva. Gracias. Te amo." 

I am new. Thank you. I love you.

This week's Disney reference comes from Tangled, because she said those words to me and all at once everything was different, as I saw her, glowing.

And at last I see the light, 

And it's like the fog has lifted,

And at last I see the light, 

And it's like the sky is new

And it's warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

All at once, everything is different 

Now that I see you.

#25 "Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da. Zip-A-Dee-Ay!!"

"It happened on one of those Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da days. Now that's the kind of day when you can't open your mouth without a song coming right ou-Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da, Zip-A-Dee-Ay. My, oh my, what a wonderful day!"

SO CARLA WANTS TO BE BAPTIZED! We invited her on Tuesday and she just teared up and said yes. She truly wants to. She said she just wants to be a part of our family, and she wants to come closer to Christ and learn more about him. Grant Shimai and I are just bouncing off the walls, we are so excited. We adore her; she truly is a beautiful person, and has some of the strongest faith I have ever seen. I'll tell you why...

She doesn't speak Japanese, and she doesn't speak English. She only speaks Spanish. Grant Shimai doesn't speak Spanish. I don't speak Spanish. So when we teach we sit around her computer and take turns typing into Google translate what we want to say and see if the other person can understand. Sometimes the translation can be challenging to read, but at least my years of studying French have some good use, and I can usually make out what she's saying. 

She's also moving in about a month. She doesn't know the exact date, but she will be going to Peru to visit family, and then she will be moving to Kanagawa, a different city in Japan. 

It's pretty hard for me to face the fact that after this month, I might not ever see her again.She is really a beautiful person. She inspires me with her faith and her constant desire to learn more about God. She always says with her broken Japanese "Watashi...Kamisama ichiban!" (With the help of her body language and some Spanish words we understood that she meant "For me, God is most important"). 

Kinjin, desune? (she's golden, right?)

I absolutely love her, and I am so grateful and honored that she would try to be baptized here in Komatsu before she moves. From the moment I met her, I knew she would receive baptism, she just glows with the Light of Christ, I just never imagined I would be so lucky as to be there to hug her as she makes this covenant to follow Jesus Christ. 

It's days like these that Grant Shimai and I can't open our mouths without a song coming right ou-Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da. Zip-A-Dee-Ay!!"