January 13, 2014

Good morning from the land of the rising sun!

It has been a killer week and all I can say is how grateful I am for the gospel.  It was pouring rain last Wednesday and we had our plan to just ganbaru through the rain and visit a bunch of people who haven`t been coming to church. Around 10, we got a call from one of the girls in our ward who is less active, but was super sick. Her mom begged us to come over and to help and genkify her. So when we showed up she looked SO sick. She had had some form of terrible skin allergic reaction, had a fever, was just awful, but she couldn`t stop smiling because we were there. We sat down and had a fun time talking with her and her mom. We started to talk about New Year’s resolutions and how the Savior can help us change who we are. She talked about how she has made a lot of mistakes and needs to change.  How she is going to stop drinking tea this year and follow the word of wisdom.  She is going to try to come to church on a regular basis (even though her job makes her work late and she is super tired). It was absolutely incredible because she was in the complete depths of humility and just pleading to the Savior, in His grace and mercy, to help her change who she has become. Her and her mom told us how much their life has changed since we started visiting their family. They are becoming new people and they feel so much happier. They are being strengthened as a family, talking to each other, and have so much love for the gospel. It has been absolutely incredible to see the change of heart they have had and how much God is blessing them for their desires to live the gospel. The gospel truly does strengthen families our families by providing us with hope and the love of God.

I don`t think it will ever get old to teach people who don`t know about Jesus Christ just who He is. Even though it is hard and it takes more time, the Savior loves them infinitely and they can FEEL that. I feel like I really am understanding how deeply I need to know that Jesus Christ can help and that they WILL be able to feel it despite their culture and beliefs. As we teach some people who are Buddhist or don`t believe in God or the Savior, they recognize His love and their hearts change. I honestly see their countenance change as they begin to understand His life and what He did for them.

No crazy experiences this week, just lots of miracles and experiences that make me so grateful to be exactly where I am! The church is true. Have a killer week!

Love,

Sister Crofts
Cute fortunes Sister Kawai got for us:)