Sister Crofts-Called to Serve

August 11, 2014

皆さんこんにちは

Well, it has been a rough week and I am looking forward to a new week. Last Tuesday, after finishing zone training I had to run to the bathroom because I felt so sick. We went to the doctor again on Wednesday morning with a member. He had no idea what was wrong with me, but gave me lots of medicine. The medicine made me sicker I think. I blacked out a couple times on my bike and had a hard time walking. I have been resting the past week according to doctors’ orders. I slept almost all day every single day and felt just so sick. President Yamashita called my Dad on Friday and asked him to call me to see if he could figure out why I have been so sick because the Japanese doctors are making me worse. After listening to my symptoms, my Dad diagnosed me as having celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and he emailed instructions to Sister Warner who is a nurse in our mission and has been helping me. After talking to Sister Warner on Saturday afternoon, I started the Celiac diet. I know a lot about the diet because Sami Sorensen had it when we lived together at BYU and some of my other friends have it. However, I don’t know anything about doing it in Japan. I haven`t seen any gluten free options for anything, so for right now I am just going with rice meat and vegetables. I don`t have a lot of time in the morning, so I don`t want to make eggs and am kind of lost about what to eat. We are trying to be really prepared and let members know and what not. We called one member who we had a meal appointment with on Wednesday and told her that I couldn`t eat gluten and could eat rice and vegetables she just said "ahhh what should we do, what should we do... maybe it is better to cancel the appointment." I know this is going to help my body and what not, but adjusting is hard.

Kobayashi san has been meeting with one of the members who is trying to encourage him and help him to meet with us again. Satan has been working so hard on him. We gave a picture of us that we decorated to brother Itakura to give to him. After he received the picture of us, we FINALLY got a call from him and he told us how much he loved the picture and wanted to meet again.　He walked in with two packages of cake for both me and Sister Moore and said he was sorry for not calling us back. The bishop`s wife came for the lesson and it was just the greatest lesson ever. Kobayashi san also said how much he loved Fujita Shimai and how much she helped him. He said I love you two, but this woman helped me to understand better because she is Japanese. Hahaha. He is seriously a miracle. I loved how strong the Spirit was during our lesson. Granted, it was a little bit hard for me physically but I really felt so blessed by the atonement. I love him so much!

We also met with Marina San! I taught her with Mikami Shimai for a companion exchange. She said she hadn`t read the Book of Mormon, but she asked her mom about being baptized and she was "hantai" (against/opposed) to it. When we started the lesson, she asked Mikami Shimai how she decided to join this church. She told about her experience to become a missionary and Marina was just speechless and said "I want to be a missionary too!" hahaha so cute. So Mikami Shimai talked a lot about how you can still be Christian and be a part of Japanese culture and do their customs and what not. You just have a different heart towards it. Rather than worshiping or praying to your ancestors, you pray to our Heavenly Father. That helped her a lot! I was so grateful for Mikami Shimai because I realized how important it is to understand the culture, because I don`t. Even though Japanese people think we are cute foreigners, they need to have Japanese fellow shippers in the church because they understand what I don`t. If Mikami Shimai hadn`t been in the lesson, I would never in a million years have known that that was something Marina needed to know. She is so excited about learning and I feel like she is just speechless after everything she learns. I love her so much.

Mayumi and Malom came all the way from Kariya to come and visit!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so awesome to see them and it helped me a lot. I was so happy to see them.

Also, there was a crazy typhoon that hit us on Saturday and Sunday. There were even evacuation notices and all the missionaries had to stay indoors. We survived!!!!!

As I have been super sick this last week, I can`t help but be so grateful for my Savior. Starting this new lifestyle where I can`t eat gluten has been really hard and discouraging and it has only been a few days. I would always look at my picture of Jesus on my desk and think "He understands. He knows." I am trying, but I can`t do it without Jesus Christ. He suffered for me, for all of us not just so we can be clean of our sins, but so we can have someone who understands exactly what we are going through. I love him so much and am so grateful to know that. This work I am looking forward to going back to working as hard as we can and talking to everyone. I really missed that last week. The church is true.

クロフツ姉妹