Slight signs of trunkiness....

Last week, Emily was able to meet with two young girls who had been homestay students in America. They had lived with the Mumford family of Washington. Elder Mumford is currently serving in Tokyo; his mom, Karen, was able to connect Emily with these two young ladies. To view Elder Mumford's blog: http://www.martinsmission.blogspot.com/

3 March 2010

I mailed you a copy of the picture with the friends of the Mumfords. One of them asked my companion some church related questions, but as for the other there were none such so I am not so sure. We don't have a next appointment but when the time is right we want to meet again and try to get the family involved, especially since they are so young.

It is amazing to me how hard the adversary is working on me these past few weeks. I can tell I am doing the Lord's work because, just like it was when I was about to go into the MTC, I can feel that the adversary would not have me follow build the Lord's kindgom. I work very hard to remain obedient and focused on the work because I know doing so is the correct thing to do and it will make me happy.

Well, last Tuesday, and we are going again today, we had dinner with the ward mission leader Brother Ikezaki and his family. We always play UNO. Last time Elder Provost and I were the last two playing and it was seriosuly about a 20 minute battle until someone finally won! Today we shall see who is gonna win. MY companion went to a trade school, if you will, and studied Japanese confectionary. She made some stuff that we will eat tonight at the Ikezakis!

Wednesday was a lot of housing and stuff. We took the bus to the nearest train station and then walked to the next train station over, where the Urawa church is. We had a lesson with Koto chan, but she didn't show, after which I practiced with Elder Hancock. He was going to sing at the Zone Conference. Then we took teh train on over to Kawagoe church to teach eikaiwa. We were disappointed when the lady who we found houging the other day didn't come. The pronunciation practice was for the letter J, and another letter I forgot... well, the last work was JOY. I had hand written the words out and gave them to the elders so they could practice with a group of students. THing is, I wrote BOY instead of joy. Elder Bennet came up to me as he was returning to his seat and said, jokingly, "what are YOU thinking about?" It was super funny!

Thursday was zone conference at Matsudo church, about an hour and fifteen away by train. It was 3 zones together, or something. I played for Elder Hancock to sing "My Kindness Shall Not Depart from Thee". The conference theme was Christlike Attributes so we had all prepared our 3 minute talks (in the language you were learning) but President Albrecht had been asked to speak on the Mission Vision for 2010. It was pretty good. I also was the pianist. All the returning missionaries share their testimony of the gospel at the Zone Conference and.... it was my turn this time around! I got to the pulpit after the 3 elders had gone before. I cried fo rliek 10 seconds but then moved on. I told everyone to be obedient, love their companion, and write in their journal. It was sad to think I leave all the friends I made among the missionaries when I go back to America! At one point the sisters, about 8 of us, went into another room. I trained on "doing more than one ward", sharing the things I have learned, like copying the ward memebr book from the Elders and color coding the wards etc etc. The elders stayed in the other room and learned about other stuff. I haeard it was vitrue or something.

Well, coming home on the train I talked to a lady on teh train who happened to be going to the same station (from which she would change rains), lived in Takasaki (by Maebashi), taught piano, and I think we had one more thing in common. She walked with us all the way to the point where she would switch to another platform than us. I gave her a lesson one pamphlet. I liked seeing hoe she opened up to me and my companion (when my companion came into the convo) when at first she kind of shyed away. People on the trains don't usually talk to each other so it is a bit unusuall for someone to just strink up a conversation.

Thursday night we met two two girls who homestayed with teh MUmfords. I told you above hoe that went. We met at Oomiya train station. Outside the station there was a guy of spparently Native American descent playing some tradition flute instruments to music being pumped out of a speaker. He had some feathers in his hair. I kinda liked the music :) We tried passing out eikaiwa pamplets but it just plain wasn' effetice. IT was a busy time in teh evening and we were right by a crosswalk and as sister missionaries we only pass stuff out to and talk to girls so dodging the men coming home from work when passing stuff out was kind of inconvenient. We went to MAcDOnalds with teh girls and got someon off the dollar menu.
Friday we had a lesson with Koto-chan. We talked about the law of tithing, or givign one percent of our income back to the Lord. I had 10 little chocolates and asked her to give one back. In return I gave her a goodie bag filled wtih some chocolate truffles we had back at the house and explained that we sacrifice but God gives us back so much more. After that we stayed at teh churh for Outreach. Lin was back from China. She is so cool! She brought back a charm thing for a cell phone etc. It is the Japanese kanji that means "blessing."

Saturday we left out apartment at 9am to go to Kawagoe church for the annual RElief Society birthday celebreation. THere was a slide shoe thing on the Prophet Joseph Smith and Relief Society followed by lunch. Then we came back over to Urawa and..... went apartment shopping. Brother Kasai had worked with some real estate guys and had come up with two apartments. We were going in a car but then realized we needed a woman to ride in the car because that is the rule so Brother Kasai ran over to the church (across the street) and grabbed the Dorff's 19 year old daughter. We chose the second apartment. Is is like a 5 minute walk from teh Ikezaki'S and a 12 minute walk to the church. I can' explain this real well, but long story short, is is very conveient as far as trains go. There are three stations in the area by the church, all on a different line. At the new apartment we can get to Kawagoe more conveniently. Yeah, there ya go, long story short. Also, we can take a bus to get to teh station that is right next to Kawagoe church.

Saturday evenign we walked about a half hour to Mibuki chan's house and dropped off the bread we had made at outreach. Well, we didn't make it. A lady demonstrated how to make it and had, before that night, made some extra loaves for us to take to church people. We then walked about 30 minutes back to our house.

Sunday was church at Urawa. So fun. All the boys passing the sacrament wore suits. That really had an impression on me. After church we visited two less-active church members. We had forgotten the map so we kinda fel tour way around. One was home with her daughter and had ran itnto the bishop's wife just the other day. We coudln't help but think it was God'S way of telling her she needed to come back to church.

Yesterday, Monday, we walked the whole day and then housed occasionally. We are trying to save money. PLus my bike is ok to ride but my companion's is still in the ecarry bag and needs to be put together so that wasn't an aoption. We had Outreach and a message by Bro. Ikezaki at the church that night.

We housed around the church before heading over to the FHE/Outreach. We actudentially housed into a member who had just had the elders over for dinner theday before. She is 9 months pregnant with her first child and was heading over to Gunma prefecture the next day. SHe explained the person who lived below her was a mother of 3 kids and had chatted with the elders before. I felt like we were guided to that member's house to hear about her friend/ We can go back and visit. We were really tired from walking all day and just kinda walking along. My companion wasn' hitting every house and goingto the convenient ones but since it was getting dark you could se the lgihts in teh houses clearly. I saw there were some lights on in a two story apartment building we had just passed and decided to go back and that is were we ran into the member.

After that we ran into a grovery store to buy a bit to eat even though we had packed dinner.... my companion wanted some meat. Well, good thing we went! A lady came up to me int eh store and said "REmmeber me?" in Japanese. Apparently I had ran tino her housing the other day but honestly couldnt't quite remmeber her. She had very good english but since I speak onyl Japanese with my compaion it was a bit weird to switch over so I spoke mostly Japanese. I told the woman I was going back to America in a month and that we had an activity on Monday and Friday at the church. She said she would come :) Well, not that night, but sometime. I talked ot my companion after. My companion remmebered her. We had housed into her and a man's voice on the itnercom had said "just a minute" and then she came out, explained in perfect in enlgihs that she didnt' had interest in teh church because she was BUddhist but wasnted to speak english. So, well, I really think we were guided to her in the store that day. Hopefuly she will come to the church and can learn about God's plan for her!

FHE was a blast. One elder in particular, Elder Draper, was really funny. Every time he hitthe birdie he pretended he was the sorting hat front Harry Potter and would shout ot the house names in a high pitted british accent. Yeah, good times.

I hope I dont' forget to take a picture of the drying room of the house we are staying in. Japanese houses tend ot have these. It kinda reminds me of a greenhouse. People don'T use dryers so they hang their clothes up in a room attached ot their house. I bet not all houses have one, but ours does. It is a machine that taked the water out of the hair... a dehumidifier. That way the clothes dry faster. I have often wondered why people would build something that takes so much space when you could just use a dryer. I thought about how much elecreicity would be used though if everyone in Japan had a dryer. Whoa. And, maybe it has something to do with the culture an architecture. I bet that back in the day people used to do it and so they keep doing it now.

So yeah, things to remember when you come...

No dryers

Don't drink or eat anything that is green because it is probably not in accordance with the Word of Wisdom!

... What are the exact dates and time you will come etc etc? And, are you going to stay at the house of anyone?

Perhaps you sent it in a letter that I will get this week, but just to double check :)

Thanks for all you do! I love you sooo much! Se yoou in 28 days! I found some candy in our apartment and eat one a day as a countdown :) Maybe it's trunky, but it sure is fun.


I love you!