Sister Crofts-Called to Serve

July 14, 2014

Minasan konnichiwa!

Well, it has been an awesome week, and a hard week for sure. Ahhh. This week has really strengthened my testimony about how much there is opposition in all things! ALSO, the transfer is almost over and this week I reach my one year in Japan. I guess I am basically a Japanese citizen right???

This week started off amazing with a lesson with Tanaka san. We went to meet her and she told us how upset she was because her uncle just died (her mom also died this year) and everyone is dying. So she had been an investigator 8 years ago for about 2 years ago, but she was the one we randomly found housing because we felt like we should go in her area. So we said Tanaka san, do you know about the plan of salvation? She didn’t. So then we taught her about it, she started to cry during the lesson. She said she doesn’t know if this is true, but if it is it makes her really happy because she wants to be with her parents again. SO AWESOME!

The next day, we tried to visit Kobayashi san. So we rode our bikes out an hour and a half to go and see him... One disadvantage to being a missionary is all we have is a map to look at and we have no idea what the road will be like. So we start on this road and it ended up being this really tiny highway with only two lanes on the edge of a river... The sides of the road where there is usually space for bikes wasn’t really in existence either.... So basically it was just kind of terrifying. As we started on it, me and Moore shimai started screaming and were like OH NO OH NO. WHAT IS THIS?!?!?! I don’t think I have ever ridden my bike so fast in my entire life. (don’t worry though! We got there safely!) We were praying so hard that God would protect us and we wouldnt have any problems. We were so protected and it was honestly a miracle. これから気をつけます! We showed up at his house after that long bike ride and of course, he wasn’t there. So we started making some origami hearts to put on his door. Next thing we know his mom walks up to us and is like -oh konnichiwa! You are decorating my door!- and she was so happy, but she didn’t remember us at all. Hahahaha so then Kobayashi san comes walking around the corner and he was SO surprised and happy! He couldn’t believe that we went all the way out to his house by bike. Then his mom was like isn’t this the first time you met? He said no mom!! These girls saved your life. Obviously, she was pretty out of it when we met her. But anyway, we went in and he talked about how he was sorry he didn’t call us. He just needed time to think. He read in 2 Nephi 31 and he said that he can’t join the church because his family is Buddhist. So he was just thinking. So we talked to him about the plan of salvation. He said in his cute Japanese accent -disu izu pefecto shyshtemo. goodo goodo.- He LOVED the plan of salvation!!!!

We went housing in this area and ran into this man who came out to talk to us. We introduced ourselves a little bit and talked about how our message helps us understand where we come from, why we are here, and where we go after we die. At that point, he jumped a little bit and was surprised. He said that his mother in law died the day before and they were all pretty upset about it and planning the funeral and what not. We testified that he would be able to see her again and that she is okay! He said that Christianity is kind of hard for his family right now... So right now we can’t meet, but it just strengthens my testimony that God answers people’s prayers and gives us little tender mercies to help us have more hope! I honestly think it was a miracle.

So the typhoon... Yeah... We got an e-mail from the honbu on Thursday morning that said we can’t leave the apartment the whole day because it is dangerous. We did lots of planning and calling people, but man it made me so grateful that we can work and ride our bikes and talk to people OUTSIDE. We started going crazy a little bit. It was super windy and rainy, but for the most part it wasn’t a big deal. I guess better safe than sorry. Anyway, it did destroy some other areas in our mission though. We were sure protected.

Yamamoto san. I LOVE THIS WOMAN. We met her several times last week and she was progressing so well!!! We taught her about the word of wisdom and I honestly think she was going to start crying. She said -my coffee jelly, I eat it every day-. Hahaha and she couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that we don’t drink green tea. Green tea is coupled with almost every Japanese meal. It is the Japanese culture. So it is really hard for them to understand. But she said she would follow it! She only drank tea one time from the time we met her on Saturday. However, Saturday we met her and talked about the priesthood and Jesus Christ and what not and it was an awesome lesson. Then we talked about the forms to sign before baptism and it kind of freaked her out a little bit... But we were okay we thought! So the next day at church, she didn’t come. We were like NOOOO because now she can’t be baptized next week. So i called her to see what was going on and she said that she just needs some time... It became a little bit impossible for right now. We were like?!?!? what/!?!??! So I asked her what changed. She said that when she was signing those forms and it asked her about her parents name and she was not even slightly okay with that. Her parents died and are Buddhist. She thought that it was just her entering but she doesn’t want it to have any relationship with her family. I explained that it is okay and she doesn’t have to do temple work and that the information is private, but she said please understand, I just need time... ;****((( Wayyyyy bummer. But she was doing so awesome and progressing so well that, there just has to be opposition in all things right? It will be okay!

So you know how we met the deaf family last week???!? Well we taught them last week. It was actually awesome. We started out teaching their two darling children English and it was so fun. So we had written out little cards in Japanese to teach them the lesson. So we would ask them a question on a little card or something and they would just write out the response. It was so exciting to wait for their response or watch them as they read our testimonies about God and prayer. And to feel the Spirit come in as they were reading... The wife had never prayed before. We prayed at the end and they just watched our mouths as we prayed and it was definitely not your standard first lesson. SO much fun!

4 of our investigators came to church this Sunday, it was really great!

It has been a hard/wonderful/awesome/faith strengthening week. I love this work! I also love my companion to death, she is so awesome. We are learning so much together!

Have a great week!

Sister Crofts