Sister Crofts-Called to Serve

March 10, 2014

Helllooooooo.

Well, it has been an awesome week on our end of the computer and we are doing really awesome. It got a little bit warm for a bit and then it became freezing again, so yayyyy. Aso Shimai is from Hokaido where there is tons of snow and she says that is feels so cold here because of the wind and what not. We both had bike crashes this week... of course they were really small. We also caught some colds... WOOT. but she called this week our "punishment week." Hahaha. I love Sister Aso.

This week, we were at the train station and I had to use the bathroom. So of course, it is one of those terrible Japanese standing ones. I do the standard, and then go intended to flush the toilet. I don`t read kanji, so of course I had no idea what the button said, but next thing I know there is the loud, terrifying alarm going off throughout the train station... because of me. I frantically am trying to press the button again and again to make it stop, but no. So I got scared, gave up on flushing and just booked it out of the bathroom. Aso Shimai and two other girls were staring at the bathroom I had just departed from and then of course, she starts busting up laughing. She asked me what I did, but I was so scared that I just ran away from the "scene" and left the eki. So, for the next 15 minutes, the siren/alarm, whatever you call it was beeping and as we walked away we could hear it for a good long time. I honestly have no idea what I did.

We were so lucky to see some really incredible miracles this week with some of the less active people in our area. We visited a lady who has been less active for about 5 years and hasn`t been visited by missionaries or anyone in a long time. So we showed up at her home and she was completely shocked. But we were able to pray with her and feel the spirit and she remembered why she joined the church and the feelings she had before. SO AWESOME. We left and Sister Aso just looked at me and said "MIRACLE." We visited another family with two of the members in our ward and we were able to talk and she remembered how much she loved the missionaries. After we left, the Relief Society President looked at us and just said. WOW. She has visited her several times, but she had never opened up like that- so many incredible experiences.

I am so grateful for the power of the atonement, the strength that we can feel every single day and the ability that we have to change our hearts through the mercy and grace of God. I love being a missionary.

Love,

Sister Crofts