#68 "So This Is Love"

So I gotta little story for you!

Well as you know, my knee popped on the 26th of January. I went about my week as usual, just wearing the brace and icing when I had time. On that Friday, the 30th, I got home at night and my knee was swollen to a level I had never seen before. I talked to the Mission Doctor (Doctor Hansen, who is actually currently attending my home ward in Tokyo) and he asked that I take 12 Ibuprofen a day (and slowly ween myself off the medication), elevate my leg, alternate between ice and heat, and do my best not to move around very much. At that point, I would wake up and my knee would be sore, I would try to sit down as much as I could and follow Doctor's orders, but at the end of the day it was always swollen and painful. I wasn't so worried, though; it wasn't really getting better, but at the same time, it wasn't getting worse, so I just assumed it would take some time. (The Doctor also confirmed that this is going to take me a week or so until I could re-start my muscle strengthening exercises again).

All was going well, until we went to visit a Less-Active last week's Thursday. He is an old grandpa, who is rather pushy. He's blind, a massage therapist, a nice guy...but he gets what he wants (that typical Japanese grandpa pride). That morning, I was feeling really nauseous, so I asked my companion to call him and tell him that I was too sick to go to his house. He replied that if I canceled now, it would be rude, and that I had better come. So I sucked it up, and we biked out (about a 20-30 min bike ride). We got to his house and he and his wife talked on and on about their life and they got to know Sister Takahashi, so that was good. I was NOT feeling very well, but I ate the snacks they brought out for us and was trying to keep them down. When we had been there for about an hour and a half, I was ready to call it quits, but he asked us if we would stay and eat lunch with him. My companion very politely responded for me and told him that I didn't like Japanese food (little white lie). He said, "Okay, we'll make spaghetti!", to which I finally spoke up and told him that I can't eat, because I feel sick. He then asked why, and I explained that when my body is in a lot of pain, I feel nausea. He asked where the pain was coming from and I told him my knee. He came over to me and began to touch my brace. Long story short, he and his wife made me take off the brace and my tights as he poked around finding the places that caused me pain and then having his wife put a sticker with a magnet on that point. I spent the next 15 or so minutes in a lot of pain, as he felt around my knee until I would lurch with pain (my knee has not stopped hurting since). I didn't say anything, but I was sweating like it was summer with how much pain I was in. I didn't want to say stop, because I thought he knew what he was doing, so I just held my tongue. When they finished, and I was putting on the brace again, that's when I knew something was wrong - the brace was a lot more difficult to fit around my leg.

We said good-bye, and as we walked out of the house, my leg just felt numb. We hopped on our bikes and biked around the corner, and I told Sister Takahashi that we needed to stop, because I was in so much pain that I couldn't ride or walk. I (rather embarrassingly) started to cry, and we sat down so I could call the Elders and ask for help. We ended up leaving the bikes at a nearby convenience store, and hopping on a nearby bus that took us to the main train station. The Elders met us there with a wheelchair we borrowed from the church, and I have been in that ever since.

I called Doctor Hansen, and he said that the less-active man most-likely irritated the bruised patella and other parts of my knee, so I'm back to square one, if not further behind. On doctor's orders, I am not to leave my apartment, and if then only for a little while. I may use the wheelchair to go to church and appointments I may have there, but other than that, I'll be flat on my back, resting, elevating, icing and heating, and back to taking 12 Ibuprofen a day.

Well that was my funny story! But it brings me to my Disney reference for this week and the last, "So This is Love". It's a song that Cinderella sings when she meets the prince at the ball, but oddly enough, it's one that I didn't come to know until about a couple months before my mission (I had always fast forwarded the boring mushy gushy parts). The part that really hit me this week, was that for Cinderella, to see such kindness and love was almost a surprise to her. "Ah, so this is what love is? this is what everyone is talking about? Well this is divine!!" - maybe not quite to that exact wording, but that's the wording that came to my mind this week.

I've spent a lot of time out on the streets, trying to talk to people, but sometimes people can be cold! Sometimes they won't give us the time of day. Usually, they stop to look at us, then our badges and then without another word, they walk on. It's cold, but as a missionary you kind of get used to it. It was this week, when I lost the ability to walk, that I was hit with the surprise of God's love. Most of us look to see God's love in miracles, and big signs, but this week I saw God's love in the members of Yokkaichi ward, as they offered to help me. They've been so kind to me, driving me to hospitals, helping me get in and out of buildings, even making food for me when they heard that I wasn't really eating anything. They've been so kind and loving, and I just know that they were sent my way by my loving Heavenly Father.

So this is God's love? Well, this is divine!

#67 "I Know You"

I guess I am about due for a blog post, but not much is actually new. 

We were able to meet with a couple of investigators, and that went well. 

Roshio is a new person we've met. She is from Peru, but married a Japanese man and moved here. She speaks fluent Japanese and Spanish, so she actually works as an interpreter. She used to come to Eikaiwa a long time ago, but recently found time to come and that's how we met. She wants to study English more and more, but is so busy. We were able to offer her another English program we have, where we teach English for thirty minutes and then we teach the gospel for thirty minutes. She loved the idea, so we set up a lesson. She told us as we set the appointment that she couldn't take our religious discussions very seriously - she had previously brought up the subject of religion with her husband and found out that he was totally against her joining any church. She said that she would still come to help interpret our meeting for our Spanish-speaking members (she has a heart of gold!). So she came to church two weeks ago, and we were able to meet with her this past week at her home, where we taught her some English basics, and also about the Restoration. We offered to give her a Book of Mormon and she was so grateful! She really is the sweetest lady, and just needs a couple more friends here in Japan. She was telling us that she doesn't have many here in Japan, so we told her to come to our church and our parties anytime! I hope she does, she's so great. 

We also had a great lesson with Miyu chan! We met with her and taught her the Restoration. We told her that, like Joseph Smith, it's important for us to learn for ourselves what is truth. We asked her to pray about Joseph Smith's experience, and then we gave her a Book of Mormon to take home. She's kind of a tricky investigator - we're doing the thirty-minutes-English-thirty-minutes-gospel program with her, and as naturally happens with the program, some people are only interested in the English. Well, we thought it was at least an opportunity for us to tell her some of the truths we know and to let her feel the warmth that the Spirit brings. We invited her to church, but she sounded really busy...

We were very lucky this week to have interviews with President Yamashita. I know he is so busy, but when he can make time for the individual missionary, it always helps. He is such an amazing man. I was so so lucky to be able to talk to him. I walked into the room for my interview, and he asked me how I was, and I almost cried. I honestly felt so relieved! I love talking to President Yamashita; I always feel like I can say exactly what I'm thinking about; what my worries and concerns are. I had a wonderful interview, and was able to receive some personal training for me to learn how I can clear some of my current hurdles. 

And as per request from Momma, my week's high and low;

My low is that I had an old friend come back to visit... I thought I was free and clear of knee problems for the rest of my life, now that I had done so much physical therapy and had been doing the exercises they taught me on a daily basis. Well last week Monday, I ended up popping my left knee (usually it's my right, but I guess now I know they both aren't so friendly). I've been so blessed my whole mission to have only had one other pop in the MTC, until this one and I was like, "I know you, I walked on you once upon a [nightmare]". I've been in a brace all week, and on Friday I saw a whole new definition to the words "swollen knee". I got a blessing from the Elders, and called the mission doctor, but other than that, I've been laying in my futon, with my leg elevated, icing and heating, and taking 12 ibuprofen (as perscribed) every day. Not so fun... But I think it's better now! The swelling has gone down a little, and while it's still shaky and a little painful, I just tape it up, brace it up, and I can go! I just gotta watch out not to bike or walk too much. Ouch!

My high is that Miyu chan came to church!! I was so shocked when one of the members pulled me out of my meeting to say that someone was here for me. I walked into the chapel, and she was sitting right there!! She came to church! And she had prayed! And she had a good experience! And she had felt that the Book of Mormon teaches truth! And she liked church! And we taught the Plan of Salvation and the Atonement and the Sacrament, and she prayed again! I was just bouncing off the walls, I was so happy. 

And yeah, I think that was my week!

#66 "Dreams Do Come True In Yokkaichi City"

Sister Takahashi (left) and Sister Johnson (right) in Yokkaichi (Jan. 2015)

Well this week was another busy one!

Monday was filled with meeting a couple of people who wanted to say good-bye to Sister Kittaka, and I joined them as we packed her all up, and headed to transfers the next morning.

Tuesday was just strange, it's always strange when you receive a new companion, it always takes a while to get used to their style of work, their style of living, and for me this transfer it's now an adjustment to always be speaking Japanese. Hahaha hopefully my Japanese improves... Anyways, Sister Takahashi is from Hokkaido, Japan. She's 25 (all of my companions have been older than me!) and she was working right up until she left on her mission. She's currently on her transfer 8 (I'm on 11, if you were curious) so she's been a missionary for a while now, which makes mission life absolute bliss (it's nice to not be training for a while). From what I've seen this week, she's a fantastic missionary!

Wednesday we did our weekly planning session, and I introduced her to all the people I knew, which wasn't a lot. I've only spent 6 weeks here in Yokkaichi, and those were with another person who had also only spent 6 weeks trying to take all this information in! It's a LOT to take in for those short 6 weeks!! But I warned Sister Takahashi that I don't know anything and that we have no one to teach here anymore, so it's going to feel a lot like we are "white washing" (when you come brand new to an area with your companion, starting from scratch. I've heard it's really really hard). But so far, we're just fun!

Thursday we did our PMG study with Yuki, who's filling out her mission papers right now. It's so exciting to watch people prepare for missionaries! Especially from this side of the work. This week we talked about the Spirit and how it really is the key to missionary work, without it, not much gets done. I've realized that the Spirit works with me a lot more than I thought he was, all I had to do was listen. After that lesson, we headed about an hour out to visit a recent convert, Nishino. She's a really cool grandmother! But for reals, this grandma has the coolest style - she bought us awesome socks for Christmas. Also her hair is fun-dip-bright-deep blue-green. She is SO COOL. But we heard about her family life, and this woman is so strong. She's been through some very hard trials in her life. I didn't really know what to say, mainly because I wasn't understanding the big hospital terms, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that people just want to be heard; that's why we have two ears and only one mouth. So I listened to her, and hopefully, she knows that's just me loving her.

Friday was a leadership meeting that happens at the beginning of every transfer, and pretty much takes the WHOLE day. I was soooo tired, but that doesn't make sense, because I did nothing but sit, and listen, and teach, and listen some more! Oh well, it was spiritually uplifting.

Saturday was just the DAY OF MIRACLES! That was it's name, the DAY OF MIRACLES! so that's how I refer to Saturday, as the DAY OF MIRACLES! Seriously, dreams do come true in Yokkaichi city. So what made this DAY OF MIRACLES a DAY OF MIRACLES? I'll tell you. WELL, that morning we visited two less-actives, who both told us they were too busy to chat, but that they would like us to come back another day, so we rescheduled a specific date and time to come back (woot!). THEN, we received a message from an investigator that we hadn't heard from in a long time (woot!). THEN, we met with another investigator for the first time and talked about who God is and how to pray, and then we asked her to pray every day to feel God's love and she said she would (woot!). THEN, we went and talked to a lot of people at the train station, but one girl said she actually is interested in our message and is willing to meet with us, so we set up an appointment to meet her at the church next Saturday (woot!). Then we made it home, only to receive a phone call from an investigator who had just been messing with our hearts, telling us he has no interest, and then calling us and telling us that he misses us - we love him, but he's hot and then he's cold, he's yes then he's no, he's in and he's out, he's up and he's down, and you get the picture - BUT he called us and asked us to meet him at the church in thirty minutes to chat. At the church, he told us he apologized for having not come to anything lately, but he said he would be coming to our English class that week and then he gave us yakiniku (delicious meat.) as an apology (woot!). THEN we had some time to clean out our records in our apartment (woot!). Overall, just really and truly a DAY OF MIRACLES.

(And Sunday was just exhausting, I ended up getting a migraine and having to lay down for a good chunk of the day... But)

I had a really great week! I hope you did too!!

#65 "Beauty and the Beast"

Well it's been a while since I've written so let me give you an update!

New Years was super fun over here in Yokkaichi! The members know that it's a hard time of year to work, so they set up appointments for us for the entire week!! I think I gained a couple pounds, but I also gained so much love for this ward.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else to really tell you about, we didn't have much happen these past couple weeks. To be completely honest, the work has been hard. People have been dropping us right and left, and I can't tell if it's because of the holidays or if they are simply done with the missionaries.

Within all of the confusion and holiday haze, I did figure out that it's a new year! Happy 2015! It's strange to think that the year 2104, my solid year of work, is over, and that in a couple months I'll be home. Strange, right?

Well with the start of a new year, we also had transfer calls, and... Sister Kittaka is OUT. She's heading to Hamamatsu to be companions with Sister Hamamura (hamahamahamawhat?). I'm lucky to be safe in Yokkaichi. I've got a Sister Takahashi headed my way, and I'll tell you more about her once I get to know her better. For right now, I just know that she's Japanese, she's a little bit older than me (25ish) and she's been up in Nagano. I also know her English is super good, and she has the cutest style. Needless to say, I think we'll get along just fine!

All I do know is, it's the new year, and I have no one to teach this gospel to, so something's gotta give. It's "bittersweet and strange, finding you can change" as the story of Beauty and the Beast teaches, but hey, isn't that what new year's is all about? I've got some self-assessments to do, improve my skills as a missionary and hit the streets.

Look out, Yokkaichi, she was the new girl in town!

#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!