Sister Crofts-Called to Serve

July 22, 2013

子に痴話渡しの家族

WELL I:M IN JAPAN!!!! SORRY THIS　IS ALL IN CAPS... ITS THIS OR JAPANESE AND I DON:T THINK　YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND MUCH OF THAT... WELL, THAT MAKES TWO OF US! HAHA. THE FLIGHT WAS ABSOLUTELY SO LONG, BUT IT WAS COOL AND I COULD DO IT. WE BEGAN OUR TRAVELS AT 530 THAT MORNING AND　DIDN:T GET TEHRE UNTIL 230 AM UTAH TIME. SOOO CRAZY. I HAD HAD A TON OF PRACTICE IN THE MTC WITH THAT SO IT REALLY WASN:T TOO BAD. I DIDN:T SLEEP ON THE PLAIN BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO PREVENT JET LAG... THAT MAY HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE MORE STUPID DECISIONS OF MY MISSION. THIS WHOLE LAST WEEK I AHVE BEEN SO EXHAUSTED IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY. I DON:T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING THAT ANYONE SAYS, I HAVE TO SPEAK THIS LANGUAGE I DON:T KNOW ON THE SPOT AND　I:M OUT ALL DAY LONG. SO IN RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTIONS... I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE YAMASHITAS. THEY ARE INCREDIBLE. AFTER WE GOT OFF OF THE FLIGHT WE WENT TO THE MISSION HOME　ＤAND HAD SOME FOOD THERE AND TEHN WENT TO BED. JAPAN IS HONESTLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE I:VE EVER SEEN. IT TRULY DOES TAKE MY BREATH AWAY. THAT NEXT MORNING WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A MEETING WITH YAMASHITAS.. HE FOCUSED A LOT ON HOW MUCH HE TRUSTS US AND LOVES US AND HOW WE NEED TO BE CREATIVE IN OUR 伝度　BECAUSE THE OLD METHODS AREN:T REALLY WORKING. WE THEN WENT TO THE CHURCH AND i WAS HONESTLY SHAKING IW AS SO EXCITED. SO WE COME IN AND THEY:RE SINGING CALLED TO SERVE (ALL THE TRAINERS) AND MY NERVES WERE UP THE WAZOO. SO I GO UP AND AM SO EXCITED (KEEP IN MIND THAT i SERIOUSLY HAD BEEN PRAYING AND HOPING i WOULD GO TO NAGANO. WHY? i DON:T KNOW.　i JUST REALLY FELT LIKE I NEEDED　TO BE THERE.) i DIDN:T WANT TO GET MY HOPES UP THOUGH, BECAUSE i KNEW REGARDLESS I WOULD BE HAPPY. SO THEY PRESIDENT YAMASHITA SAYS I HAVE BEEN CALLED TO NAGANO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I:M SO STOKED. THEN, TO TOP IT OFF, YOUR TRAINER WILL BE:::::::::::::: AMY SMITH, FROM JAPAN!!!!! SO SHE:S HALF, FLUENT IN BOTH, AND ABSOLUTELY THE CUTEST/GREATEST EVER. I DON:T THINK I:VE EVER BEEN SO EXCITED IN MY LIFE. i LOOKED LIKE A GOON I WAS SMILING SO MUCH. HAHAHA. SO ANYWAY.... THEN WE WENT AND GOT JAPANESE FOOD, KIND OF SOME RAMEN, SUPER YUMMY. NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE. OH! aND BEFORE I FORGET, GRANT SHIMAI LIVES IN MY APARTMENT WITH ME SO WE ARE TOGETHER ADN IT:S TOTALLY AWESOME. WE THEN WENT ON THIS 4 HOUR LONG TRAIN RIDE TO NAGANO.　THE WHOLE TIME I WAS JUST IN AWE OF HOW HOT IT IS, HOW LUCKY I AM, HOW GREAT LIFE IS, HOW I DON:T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING, HOW I CAN:T READ ANYTHING, HOW BEAUTIFUL JAPAN IS, HOW I STAND OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB AND YEAH... ANYWAY! THAT NIGHT WE WENT TO MEET WITH THE BISHOP AND WARD MISSION LEADER AND THEY TALKED TO OUR TRAINERS FOR 2 HOURS AND I WAS SOOOO DEAD. I WAS TRYING TO STAY AWAKE AND TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WERE SAYING, BUT ME AND GRANT SHIMAI WERE STRUGGLING. THE FIRST 3 DAYS WERE PROBABLY THE LONGEST DAYS OF MY LIFE. THE JET LAG, KILLED ME. I WAS ABSOLUTELY SLAUGHTERED BY IT. YOU KNOW, IT:S COOL BECAUSE I DON:T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING AND IT DRIVES ME CRAZY AND SOMETIMES　MAKES ME QUESTION WHAT GOD WAS THINKING WHEN HE SENT ME HERE, BUT IT:S AWESOME BECAUSE I ALWAYS JUST TRY TO SMILE AND MAKE THE BEST OUT OF IT. I CANT HELP ANYONE BY BEING A DOWNER ON HOW LITTLE JAPANESE I KNOW. I LEARNED THAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING PLEASE WRONG THROUGHOUT THE MTC, SO BASICALLY... STARTING FROM SQUARE ONE AGAIN. HAHAHA LUCKILY I HAVE SMITH 姉妹 WHO KNOWS JAPANESE AND CAN GET US AROUND. THERE WAS ONE DAY LAST WEEK WHERE WE WENT TO A HOME THAT HAD PEOPLE WITH ALZHEIMERS. I WENT IN　AND TRIED TO TALK TO THEM, AND JUST ENDED UP DOING A WHOLE BUNCH OF NODDING AND SMILING. IT WAS FUN, I COULDN:T TELL YOU ONE THING ANYONE SAID. HAHAHA. BUT THEN AFTER, ONE OF THE ELDERS (OH BY THE WAY WE HAVE SIX MISSIONARIES IN NAGANO) BUT HE TOLD ME THAT OUR WARD MISSION LEADER MENTIONED ME WHILE WE WERE TALKING HE SAID (IN　JAPANESE OF COURSE) *NOW THAT:S A GOOD MISISONARY RIGHT THERE. EVEN THOUGH SHE DOESN:T KNOW ANYTHING, SHE USES THE LANGUAGE SHE DOES HAVE AND JUST TRIES AND OPENS HER MOUTH.* SO THAT MADE ME KIND OF HAPPY THAT PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THAT I:M REALLY TRYING.　THAT DAY, WE WENT ON THE TRAIN AND I TALKED TO EVERYONE, YOU KNOW ME. THERE WAS ONE ENGLISH COUPLE WHO I TALKED TO QUITE A BIT AND GAVE A PAMPHLET. BUT WITH EVERYONE ELSE, I JUST ROCKED MY GEIJING POWER!!!! THEY SERIOUSLY LOVE ME... NOT TO BE COCKY, BUT THEY DO! THEY ARE SO FASCINATED THAT I CAN SAY ANYTHING. EVERYONE ALWAYS SAYS HOW *SKILLED* MY　日本語 IS... BUT THEYRE JUST SAYING THAT BECASUE THEYRE KIND. SO ANYWAY, OUR GOALS FOR OPENING OUR MOUTHS BEFORE I CAME WAS LIKE 2-3, BUT THEN ONCE I JOINED THE RANKS OUR GOALS ARE 15-20... hAHAHA I:LL BE HONEST, I SOUND LIKE AN IDIOT. BUT IM TRYING. I CANNOT ASK FOR THE GIFT OF TONGUES IF I:M NOT OPENING MY MOUTH. MY BIKE WAS... GET READY FOR THIS... 400 DOLLARS!!! ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. THE GUY WE GO TO IS A POTENTIAL INVESTIGATOR, BUT HE GIVES ALL OF THE MISSIONARIES AN AWESOME DEAL. IT WAS AN OVER 600 DOLLAR BIKE THAT HE GAVE ME FOR 400!　I SERIOUSLY LUCKED OUT SO MUCH. SO I GOT A BASKET... AND A MOUNTAIN BIKE SINCE WE:RE IN NAGANO AND IT:S A HUGE AREA. FROM OUR APARTMENT, WE CAN GO BY TRAIN AN HOUR EACH WAY AND STILL BE IN OUR AREA. THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE I:M RESPONSIBLE FOR... BUT NONE OF THEM SEEM TO BE INTERESTED IN THE GOSPEL. KIND OF A BUMMER AND I DON:T KNOW HOW TO HELP THEM SOMETIMES. TODAY ME AND SMITH 姉妹 WERE DENDOING AN AREA AND　NOBODY WAS INTERESTED. WE WERE GOING TO LEAVE BUT THEN WE DECIDED TO DENDO ONE MORE HOUSE AND THE MAN WAS SUPER SWEET AND HAD LISTENED TO THE MISSIONARIES BEFORE. HE SAID IN A GENTLE AND KIND VOICE *I KNOW WHO YOU ARE* AND IT WAS LIKE ... WHOA. SO COOL. LONG STORY SHORT HE:S NOW A PE AND WE:RE VISITING HIM NEXT WEEK. MOST OF OUR INVESTIGATORS AND POTENTIAL INVESTIGATORS ARE RELATIVELY OLDER... SO WE:RE TRYING TO GET MORE YOUTH INVOLVED。 MOST OF OUR STREET CONTACTING AND EVERYTHING HAS TO DO WITH OUR ENGLISH CLASSES WE TEACH. THEY:LL LISTEN TO THAT BECASUE IT:S FREE AND RELIGION IS NOT RELAVENT. SO WE PASS OUT SO MANY OF THOSE. IT:S AWESOME BUT I REALLY WISH SOMEITMES THAT WE COULD JUST TEACH ABOUT CHRIST FROM THE GET GO INSTEAD OF HAVING TO FIND ALL OF THESE WAYS TO GET PEOPLE TO LISTEN. KIND OF HARD. YESTERDAY WE HAD A LESSON AT ONE OF OUR AWESOME RM MEMBERS HOUSES. ONE OF OUR POTENTIAL INVESTIGATORS CAME AND IT WAS SO FUN AND WE TALKED ABOUT FEELING GODS LOVE THROUGH THE BOM. WE ARE NOW IN　THE WAITING PROCESS OF WHERE SHE:S AT BECAUSE SHE HAS SOME DEPRESSION ISSUES AND DOESN:T LIKE TO BE PUSHED. SHE:S IN HER 20S THOUGH SO THAT IS REFRESHING! I HAVE NEVER EATEN SO MUCH RICE AND NOODLES IN MY LIFE... IT:S DELICIOUS THOUGH AND I:M TRYING TO ENJOY NEW THINGS. WE:RE SWITCHING OFF COOKING STARTING THIS WEEK AND I DON:T KNOW HOW TO DO IT BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS IN KANJI AND I CAN:T READ IT. HAHAHA SO PICTURES HAVE BECOME MY BEST FRIEND. YOU KNOW, THIS IS SO HARD. IT:S HARD TO STAY POSITIVE, BUT THROUGH THE SAVIOR I FEEL SO MUCH JOY ALL OF THE TIME. EVEN THOUGH IT FEELS LIKE NOBODY IS INTERESTED, ITS STILL FUN AND IM STILL FULFILLING MY PURPOSE BECAUSE IM OUT WORKING HARD AND TESTIFYING. I AM IN A BRANCH THAT IS SO SMALL... ITS CRAZY. I CAN:T BELIEVE HOW MUCH I HAVE TAKEN FOR GRANITE. I LIVE IN THIS CUTE LITTLE APARTMENT WITH 4 OF US SISTERS (GRANT しまい AND HER JAPANESE COMP-I STAND OUT SO MUCH. SMITH 姉妹 IS SO LITTLE BECAUSE SHE:S JAPANESE... AND WHEN WE:RE ON TEH STREET I ALWAYS SAY KONNICHIWA TO EVERYONE AND THEN THE LITTLE KIDS ALWAYS SAY *HELLLLOOOOOo!!! AND THEN GAWK AT THE FACT THAT I:M AMERICAN AND POINT AND STUFF... IT:S KIND OF UNREAL. HAHAHAHA. ESPECIALLY SINCE　I:M IN NAGANO. THERE IS NO DIVERSITY. I:M TRYING TO EMBRACE THE CULTURE, PEOPLE ARE SO KIND AND RESPECTFUL HERE. IT:S HONESTLY INCREDIBLE. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SOMEWHERE WHERE I FELT SO LOVED AND RESPECTED. THESE PEOPLE ARE SO CHRISTLIKE... NEXT STEP IS HELPING THEM TO KNOW WHO HE IS! I REALLY HOPE TO HERE FROM YOU SOON! IF YOU EVER GET THE CHANCE, COULD YOU SEND ME THAT BIKE CUSHION? I AM REGRETTING NOT TAKING YOU UP ON THAT OFFER. thE CHURCH IS TRUE!　I LOVE YOU!!!

愛、

CROFTS 姉妹