09-01-09I am still in Kofu. Sister Green is my new companion. I am co-senpai with Sister Green. Sister Perkins (Em's old companion) will meet her parents tomorrow and they will travel around Japan for 10 days. She will come to church next Sunday in Kofu with her parents and they they and me and my companion will go to a members house and have dinner.
My companion is from Centerville, Utah and there are 6 kids in her family. She graduated in Business from BYU Provo and left for her mission at age 22. She did a business trip with other students to the East, including Japan, before her mission. She also did a semester at the Jerusalem Center. I get the letter that tells my going home date, this transfer. I will get it towards the end of the transfer because at that time I will reach my year mark in Japan and have 6 months left.
I really think this transfer will be great for Japanese. I learned from Perkins Shimai some good techniques for study and then since me and Green Shimai are close in dendo age, we are about the same level of Japanese and will have lots of opportunities to talk. I can't believe all the things I am doing sometimes. I know how to read the train schedules now and I can get around alright with listening and speaking Japanese.
Last Thursday we went out for ramen before district meeting. At DM we each prepared a thing on one of the Christlike attributes listed in Preach My Gospel. I talked about obedience and shared Abrahan 3: 24-25. I got the idea to share that scripture from the True to the Faith book and thought it worked well.
Later that Thursday we had an appointment with a member so we took the train, but found a message from her when we got there saying she couldn't meet. So we just got on the train and went back. I talked to a 22 year old on the way back. She lived here but worked in Tokyo. I showed her my family pictures. Lately I have been making an extra special effort to be interested people when I talk to them. I have found it makes the conversation more fulfilling and interesting for me.
On Friday during our weekly planning, Hosada Shimai called and wanted to know how to spell Elton John. I thought that was random!!
Later that Friday we had a lesson with a potential investigator who we had met on the street. When we met her we invited her to bring a friend to the lesson. Well, she did! And, now we have two new investigators. Sweet! They seem to have a good amount of interest. We are going to meet again with them next week.
On Saturday we had a car wash with the young women. Two sisters and one other came, although there are 4 total. All 4 elders came as well and so did a less active recent c
onvert who was about 20. The Young Women's leader brought snacks. She is due to have her baby starting any time next week yet she was still doing the activity. We washed, vacuumed, and waxed her car and then we washed and vacuumed another member's car.
Saturday, in the evening, we had FHE at the church with a few families. Right before that we were talking to people on a street and met a lady whose friends joined the church years ago on account of watching the Osmonds on TV.
Saturday morning, going a bit back in time here, we ran to a very nearby park. There was a man practicing violin. He was playing a difficult song that sounded familiar to me. In Japan, people practice their instruments in the parks many times as to not disturb their neighbors. The man finished his song and said to us that we had met twice. He was the slightly buzzed man we met while coming home from an appointment earlier this transfer. HE was a professor at a university and spoke perfect English. When he was a kid he used to come to the park at 5 am to practice violin. I had also seen him once around the train station, and I guess he saw us too.
This week we met a man who spoke English. He spoke to us first and asked us where we were from. He was from Peru if I remembered correctly. He didn't speak English but spoke to us in Japanese. He had been living here 18 years but still had a Spanish accent. He teaches Spanish and gave us his card. We are going to give that information to the elders so maybe they can meet him as Spanish students and then start to share the gospel.
On Sunday I sat with a woman who was Japanese but visiting from Texas. I had met her a few Sundays before. She will be here until the 24th taking care of her mother. We spoke in English. She told me her two niece go to BYU Idaho. Would you have it, her niece was a piano major and I had taken classes with her. Small world!!!
Sunday evening we had dinner at a members. There were various kids and families. Maybe 20 people total. It was way good. The Japanese people sure know how to make a good meal!
Last night we were going to meet with members for dinner, but their kids got sick. So we went home but stopped to buy some milk on the way. The coast as 255en. It was expensive cause we bought it at a convenience store. Anyways, instead of putting down five ones, I put down five tens. The guy at the register didn't correct me. He just gave me lots of change. I thought he was pretty thoughtful to do that.
Well, I'm gonna go. I am so excited for this new transfer. We cleaned the apartment for about 5 hours yesterday and it is looking way good. Tonight we are going to visit Shimizu-san, the woman with 4 kids and no job. We don't have an appointment, but we are gonna go to see if she is there.
Thanks for all your effort and love for me and for the gospel!!!!!
Love, Sister McMahan
btw: Read Alma 7:11-12
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