OCTOBER 7, 2013

懇意痴話私の家族！

This week was TRANSFER CALLS. The long anticipated moment. So I don`t know how I am so blessed, but I am thankfully not a trainer. There was a smaller incoming of missionaries this transfer, so THANK GOODNESS.  However, I am transfering areas. :( Nagano is becoming a two sister two elder area again. Sister Grant is staying here and then a 10th transfer Japanese missionary is coming in. Me, Smith Shimai, and Katsuta Shimai are all leaving.  Me and Sister Smith are going to a place called Kariya. It is completely SOUTH. It is more of a city and I have lots to look forward to. Katsuta Shimai is opening Toyama with a missionary from the kobe mission. So our district is moving everywhere! I am so sad because I love our apartment, Nagano, and especially the people that are here. Me and Smith Shimai are going to a 4 sister area. So she is companions with Avarell Shimai (who was in my district at the MTC) I am companions with Sister Silva from BRAZIL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cool right?!?!?! She is a convert and didn`t know much English when she came out on her mission. SO she had to learn Japanese through English, but she didn`t speak either language so it was really hard for her. She now has really good Japanese and English! And I hear she is hilarious and a really hard worker. SO this girl is stoked. I am soooooooooooo sad to leave Nagano, but I know that the Lord has lots prepared there. It is more city, less country, less hills! We leave tomorrow for Kariya. I am so happy that me and Smith Shimai are still in the same apartment, she is hilarious. I honestly love her so much.

This past week has been insane. We have been everywhere just trying to get me prepared in case I had to stay. It has been super fun and we have been working hard. Amongst these travels I got a flat tire on my bike. OF course, me and Smith Shimai had no idea how to fix it so our elders helped us out. Elder Tsukamoto to the rescue!! Hopefully that doesn`t happen again and my bike is good for a while.

Me and Smith Shimai were on the train and these school children boarded with us. There was probably a good 20 of them and they surrounded us on the chairs. So I was studying flashcards and Smith Shimai was trying to sleep, and we would look up and all 20 eyes were just staring at us. Hahaha Smith Shimai said "it`s kind of hard to sleep when a million munchkins are staring at you." So we`d smile at them and they`d giggle and whisper about us and what not. SO after a while of this I turned to the girl next to me and started talking to her in Japanese. Every single kid was like "EHHHHHHH?!?!?!" Then they were like gesturing at the girl and asking her how I started talking to her. So the girl asks me what country I am from and I say, of course, America. Next thing we know, we are SURROUNDED by every child on the train just trying to ask us questions and talk to us. ALL of them are telling us there names and how old they are. Two of the girls came up and gave a picture of us they had drawn with our name tags and everything. On the name tag it said "Jesus" hahaha. It was the craziest thing EVER. I had no idea how to take it all in. So we had to get off the train and they took a picture with us, isn`t that the greatest picture ever? Classic, SO fun. Then when we all got off the trian we were visiting members and less actives houses and the kids would scream every time they saw us walking around and say hi.

Me and Katsuta Shimai went on comp switches last week since she is a Sister Training Leader. She is honestly the cutest, most beautiful human alive. ＷE HAD to take this bus wayyyyy up into the mountains to visit one of our cute little members who is only 8 years old and was baptized last year. His mom doesn't go to church. It was THE SKETCHIEST bus ride I have ever been on. The road was like 12 feet wide and just went back and forth around these corners. I honestly don`t know how I lived, but it was really beautiful and had the cutest Japanese cottages. 

Our members have been getting a lot of dendo fire, passing out pamphlets and doing everything they can. It`s been awesome to see them help in the work, with referrels and visiting people together. I love this branch from the bottom of my heart and the goodbyes have been really hard. We teach children's eikaiwa every Saturday, and when me and Smith Shimai told one of the kids mom`s that we were leaving she started bawling and just saying how much she is going to miss us. It is really hard because I don`t know if I will ever see these people again, it breaks my heart. Yesterday we told Takemoto san that we were leaving, and she was honestly devastated. She kept saying how deeply sad she is and was just crying and crying. She begged us to let her meet with her one last time today. She was hugging and just wouldn`t let go. I love the heck out of her and am going to miss her so much. It broke my heart and then some. She was so shocked and disappointed... Ahhhh :( I never realized how deeply you would love your investigators.. Wow it has been such an opportunity.

Yesterday we had an FHE with the cutest family ever, they have 4 kids and they just love the missionaries. We were playing fun Japanese games and they were asking all these questions about what it is like to be a missionary. I couldn`t help but reflect on when I was like that, it made me super grateful that I have this opportunity. Ahhh I love these people.

We will watch General Conference this weekend in Japanese. SO STOKED!!! It sounds amazing.

  

I have so much love in my heart for these people. I never thought I would have such a deep, yearning desire for the happiness of complete strangers. When they don`t accept the gospel, it breaks my heart. Jesus Christ is the same way, except He is more patient. He has grace and He understands God`s timing. He has so many blessings He wants to give us, and he just lovingly waits for us to receive them. I love my Savior so much. Each day I understand more and more how wonderful He is.

My next e-mail is from Kariya! I don`t have the address, so just send everything through the honbu. It only takes a couple extra days.

Love,

Sister Crofts

                                       Sister Crofts & Sister Smith with Japanese Children

The Nagano Branch

Those flat tire blues

All the children boarded the bus with us up to the mountains.

It was foggy up in the mountains, but beautiful!

Katsuta Shimai

Tsukamoto and Degeal Chourou tried to complete the Kats cafe challenge. After 3 minutes of downing ice cream they started switching off in the bathroom throwing up whille the other ate the ice cream. On the left is an eikaiwa friend who almost joined the church but heard lots of negative things from his friends, but still comes to English class. Asai Shimai was a super member missionary:) 

Kesako Shimai (the bishops wife) and another member. 

The Takeis are super missionaries. She would always turn to me during church to make sure I understand what they are saying. Their daughter was in the MTC with me.

Our classic pose when things were awkward. This is Hanyu Kiwako San. She has known missionaries for years. She took us to lunch at this really fancy restaurant and made us an amazing meal another time. Even though she stopped investigating the church, she said that she has never been so impressed and moved by young people. The missionaries do so much and it was her one way to repay all the service they do for the people in the community. 

Yuto. The very definition of energy and craziness. Our weekly kodomo eikaiwa student. 

September 30, 2013

HOLY SWEET MERCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am DYING RIGHT NOW. I cannot stop crying and I could not  be more excited for Kristy! Well my entire life has been made. And just like before my mind is BLOWN. She is going to be the most INCREDIBLE MISSIONARY EVER. I`m one super proud sister that`s for sure.:) AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I am so pumped for her to join me!!!

This week has been busy! I am feeling tons better and so is Smith Shimai.

Monday we went to Zenkoji and it was super fun to go there for a second time! We went to a park after and I kind of broke 3/4 of my big toe nail off... So it looks disgusting and has been spouting puss off for days. So i have just wrapped it in gauze in order to prevent it from bumping my shoe so much. It is so painful! While we were at the park we went and talked to this family that had a single mother and 3 adorable kids. So they were super interested and we played with her sons for about an houro and built a really good relationship with them. We also met two potential investigators from New York and NEW ZEALAND (AHHH) (Who we had appointments with today).

We are doing a new thing at a hospital in our area where we teach eikaiwa with the elders to some of the doctors and workers. The doctor we connected with who got it started is an orthopedic surgeon. We have gotten three PIS from that. Last week we had gone through all of the material and then the elders said "well what do you want to know or talk about." Then the lady said "well you can tell us about your church!" Of course, don`t have to ask twice. SO it has been a good thing so far.

I wasn`t recovering as fast as we hoped, so Smith Shimai made me go to the hospital with Katsuta Shimai. It was the most bizarre experience... I have never really been to a hospital in America, let alone Japan. SO we waited in this insane line and finally went into the doctor. He was saying all of these crazy fast things and of course I didn`t understand anything he or Katsuta Shimai said, so it was kind of overwhelming. It was insanely expensive, so fortunately I will be reimbursed by the honbu. He gave me prescriptions for medicine... One of them was this powder stuff that looks like cocaine. It kind of concerns me that I have these random pills I am putting into my body, where I have no idea what they are or do. I am feeling lots better though!

Takemoto san has a really hard job translating for some big prestigious company so she has been super stressed. We were planning to give her a baptismal invite, but then when she showed up she looked like she has lost a lot of weight and is just not healthy.... When we were helping her with English she was getting kind of frustrated so me and Smith Shimai just knew it wouldn`t be the state of mind to give her a baptismal invite. We met with her again on Saturday and she was doing a little bit better, but we decided to do something more simple. We shared a scripture and testified and shared some experiences and we really felt like she related on them... She is begging us to stay in Nagano, so hopefully one of us is still here next transfer!

We went streeting in downtown Nagano and just tried to walk as far as we possibly could and talk to every possible person. We had a lot of success, testified a lot, gave out a million "mormon.org" cards with our number on it so it was really great. There were some foreigners and we were going to go try to talk to them. They walked into this store and they didn`t seem too interested. However, one of them started talking in Spanish to the Japanese lady at the counter so we were kind of surprised. So they left and I asked the lady how she knows Spanish in Japanese. (I was going to ask in Spanish, but then I realized that Japanese has taken over the language part of my brain and I can`t say anything) SO then she responded in Spanish and told me about how she lived in Argentina and when she was 14 moved to Japan not knowing any Japanese. (We kind of related on how hard it is). She told me all about her family and life IN SPANISH. BUt I somehow understood everything and then would respond in Japanese. It was interesting because I haven`t used Spanish in so long, and I really didn`t know that much when I studied it. But because of the Spirit I was able to understand. It was so insane because I honestly understood more Spanish than I do Japanese... So aggravating. Hahaha it was one of those crazy cultural moments for me... Understanding Spanish and responding in Japanese? What on earth? So we just really clicked with this woman! She was so sweet and awesome. We ended up talking to her for about 30 minutes. We were about to leave and then we asked if we could teach her more about our church. She said that she can`t right now because she is working and she looked a little bit disappointed.. So we gave her our number and a mormon.org card and then told her we can get together another time. The awesome thing is that we can follow up with her and visit her again! So she is really great.

We have so many PIS right now and we are trying to get appointments with them and invite them to hear about the church! Some of them are hard to meet with and ones that have said that we could teach them more about the church are being kind of sketch about responding and making appointments. However, today we met with 4 potential investigators and it was really good. So there is lots that could be happening soon.

There is this man who comes to church every Sunday and all of the activities, but won`t take the lessons. So somehow he knew where we live and showed up at our door with this massive box of cracked figs he picked from a wild tree. Hahahaha. So Grant Shimai and Katsuta Shimai were the lucky suckers to answer the door. He told them they had to try them (and I guess they were extremely disgusting) ahahaha. So Grant Shimai took a bite and was like "ohhh.. yeahhh.. heheh.. yummy" He said- what, you don`t like it? Why aren`t you eating it? So then they had to eat the whole thing.. Hahahaha. We now have 2 massive bowls filled with wild rotten figs. TENDER MERCIES.

So maybe send letters to the honbu rather than my address. I want to make sure that they get to me. I have noooooo idea what is going to happen with transfers. Whatever happens, I will be happy and know that it came from God. So I find out Saturday. YAY! Smith Shimai is sold that I am going to become a trainer, so these past two weeks we have been doing everything possible to get me prepared. So we will see.

This church is true! My heart is changing every single day and I have so much love and happiness in my heart. I love being a missionary.

Love you all!

愛

クロフツ姉妹

Our favorite elder (elder Heo) gave us these face masks from Korea. They were incredible and they apparently are meant to make your skin whiter.. Hahaha all of our apartment did them together and it was really fun, we looked so freaky.  It was the craziest thing because I am so used to going in the sun to be tan.

Figs delivered to Sisters

The Amy Sisters (Crofts & Smith)

We found a subway!

September 23, 2013 

懇意痴話 家族-

Me and Grant Shimai have had to do quite a few companion swaps while Smith Shimai goes to the hospital. We have the most hilarious experiences together. We went and taught several members and tried to teach some less active people. I pulled over and asked someone where this store was and then as they told me directions I realized that I didn`t understand anything that they said. So we just laugh it off. Everyone is super patient with our Japanese when we visit and it usually goes really well! Whenever we go places people always give us random gifts because we are gaijin. It is so incredible, I love being us.

I have super potentially awesome news. The next transfer of girls coming in is like under 5, so the chances of us training has decreased by A LOT. There are 13 people that can train/trane(? why can`t I spell anymore)... In the last few transfers it has been 100 percent certain that you train, but now I might not. YAY>>> It will be interesting to see how things turn out in Nagano. 3 of us are most likely leaving. So we think that me or Grant Shimai will stay and potentially have a bean. They are also opening lots of new areas in the Nagano zone, so I honestly have no idea what is going to happen.

We went to Nagoya last week. Elder Aoyagi of the 70 came and spoke to our mission. It was super awesome. He talked a lot about getting a "vision" in each of our branches and wards and working towards it. He said that if we aren`t finding inverstigators we need to have more faith and talk to everyone. If our investigators aren`t going towards baptism, then we need to improve our teaching. It was really good because it was all about improving ourselves so that the work can improve. We are trying to get mogi lessons with the members right now so that we CAN improve our teaching and get more practice. There are so many young missionaries in our mission right now, so we need help. President Yamashita has been going throughout the mission and doing practice lessons with all of the junior companions to help everyone. He did it with the other two companionships in our area, so I didn`t get the chance. It takes us 4 hours to get to Nagoya by train, so it`s always a lot of traveling.

Thursday both me and Grant Shimai were vomitting our brains out. So that was miserable and a half. Friday Grant Shimai was still throwing up. Smith Shimai had to go to the hospital again so I stayed home with Grant Shimai. I ended up reading 75 pages from the Book of Mormon and studying a million vocab words. I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON.

Saturday I was FINALLY released from our apartment. I was so excited to be in fresh air again. We had an appointment with Watanabe san. Usually when we go she feeds us like 15 courses of traditional Japanese food. She is a classy lady. But it is super dangerous. I almost died from the questionable foods and the quantity last time we went and I was 100 percent healthy. So Smith Shimai said there is no way I am going. Even though I wanted to teach again, I was super grateful that I didn`t have to be welcomed into the dendou world through that experience. She has such an awesome understanding of the gospel and she just soaks it up, she just doesn`t have faith. She doesn`t have a car so we can`t get her to church. It is so tough. She loves the idea of Jesus Christ, she is starting to understand that he is a real person. She is understanding that the Atonement can help her individually. How cool is that?

We are going to Zenkoji for district activity! I could go there a million times. It is honestly the coolest place ever.  

I LOVE being a missionary. I am so lucky and blessed to be here. Even though this past week we weren`t able to do lots of dendo like normal with Nagoya, hospital, and sick- we are pumped about a new week and are going to work even harder. I am still pretty dang sick, but I`m just trying to act as healthy as possible so that we can work. The church is true. God knows each and every one of us. Because He loves us, He is always with us. Try to recognize His grace in your life. He WILL help you. He wants your happiness. He is patiently waiting for you to draw closer to him. His love is sufficient to make us strong and to make miracles happen. I send so much love from 日本. Never give up and don`t set limits. With God's help, you truly can do anything. I testify of that.

愛

クロフツ姉妹

The elders at kodomo eikaiwa. We made ice cream and taught them different words in baking and in the kitchen. Yuto is the most insane child ever.

A group of us missionaries at the Aoyagi conference

This is Heo Choro and Naylor Choro. Heo CHoro is our favorite person ever, he is from Koreo and he is hilarious.

Dear Family-

I hope all is going well! I can`t believe that KRisty could be getting her mission call sometime this week. I am dying over the anticipation. I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for the shoes, I really do appreciate them. They are perfect for the rain and have been such a blessing.

 Sister Smith has been super sick and had to go to the hospital last week. She is maybe getting an MRI tomorrow, so I have spent a lot of time studying Japanese this week, which is good and exactly what I need with end of the transfer coming up.

A former investigator of our area who comes to eikaiwa invited us to lunch this last week. She took us to this insanely nice restaurant and it was the fanciest thing I have seen in months. It was super yummy. We talked and got to know her and then we asked how she came into contact with the missionaries. SHe had met the missionaries through housing and she was curious about what they had to say. THey told her that god had a body like us and she was like, well that makes sense. THey showed her a picture of GOd when he appeared to Joseph SMith and she thought `well how can he be my father when he is white?` Her story was really interesting and she said that our doctrine makes sense to her, she just doesn`t like that we don`t believe in other religions our other peoples Gods. Elder Tsukamoto said, well you can ask God directly, you don`t have to take it from us. She said, well that`s true. BUt what was really awesome is she said, `you young people are in your prime, yet you are here in Japan teaching about this church. I am always blown away by the sacrifices of missionaries. So even though I don`t believe in your church, I think it is admirable that you people are here among the poeple of Japan trying to make it a better place and make people feel happiness. So I always take the missionaries out to lunch because you each spend 2 years constantly serving others to be rejected. SO I feel like this is a way I can kind of return the favor.` Isn`t it awesome how much missionaries have had an impact on her? Even if she doesn`T believe it is true, she has seen the example.

We ended up dropping one of our investigators last week.. We met with her for lunch and shared a message with her and asked if we could teach more. THe Spirit was so strong.. And she said that she isn`t ready yet. SO ultimately she chose, and we ended on good terms. We can just spend our time elsewhere.

Me and Grant SHimai went on splits this week, you KNOW that`s always an adventure. Hahaha. We hadn`t realized that it was so hard to order food. SO we had quite the interesting experience at the restaurant we went to. We had absolutely no idea what was going on. We went and taught a few lessons at less actives adn members houses and they were honestly really good. I was able to understand everything the member said because she is so expressive when she talks. I had no idea at the less active though... I just shook my head, said `hai` and `so desu ne`.. At least we both feel the same way! We totally got lost and I tried to pull someone over and ask for directions. She understood my question... But I have no idea what she said to me. She pointed in a general direction and so I just said.. "THAT WAY." hahaha.

Takemoto san is doing REALLY AWESOME. SHe is praying and reading the book of mormon and it is honestly incredible to see the change in her. SHe feels peace. SHe is happy. SHe is relying on GOd through her hard times. Man, I am so proud of her. GOd loves her so much.

Today there was a typhoon in our mission. We got a text form the honbu saying that we need to stay inside and that it`s dangerous etc etc..;... We had to go get some stuff done, that was normally like 10 minutes away. It was torrential DOWN POUR outside and it was super windy. SO we were trying to ride our bikes in this nonsense and my poor tiny companion kept getting blown over. So we figured walking would be best. As we were trying to get to this store, every semi truck known to man decided it was necessary to drive right past us. So they`d come and this giant wave of freezing, cold, water with it. We got SOAKED by every single one. Me and SMith Shimai would just turn to each other, bust up laughing and say SERIOUSLY?? Hahaha it was so funny, but probalby not the smartest thing. We were so wet. I am still freezing because we were that wet. I am thinking I might need to buy a different rain jacket. The one that I brought unfortunately soaks up a lot of the water, so all of my clothes were soaked There are some for super cheap- like 10 bucks.  I also bought rain pants because my skirt is always drenched. I have ended up having to buy a lot of stuff in Japan! I made quite possibly the best purchase of my life- an electronic dictionary! Last transfer of course.. Every missionary has one and usuallyu pays about 280 for the one I got? Me being the Crofts I am bought it for 220! So I got a good deal. It was expensive, but it really helps me to understand what is going on and find the most up to date and detailed definition. DIctionaries save lives. I also bought a backpack for 42 dollars. It was probably the 2nd best purchase of my life. It is really good quality and has a cover I can put over it for when it rains. It holds so much more, and even though I loved my brown bag, it is more realistic for every day missionary life. It is a lot easier on my back too. Could you possibly let me know how much is in my account right now? I probalby should have written that down before, I just have no idea.

My english is getting SO TERRIBLE. My spelling and grammar are the pits, and that was honestly something I felt like I was pretty good at before my mission. I am so afraid that what I say in English doesn`T make sense anymore. SO please bare with me.. If possible correct them please?:):)

Nagano is going to become a 2 sisters 2 elders area I guess again? SO it will be interesting to see how transfers go here soon. My trianer and lots will be free again, so I am praying that they can just train so I don`t have to!! :) I hope that God wouldn`t want to put my bean through so much suffering. A girl can dream.

Last week we went to the post office. A worker was super stoked to see us when we walked in. We usually talk to her and are really friendly, but it was more so than usual. SO we left the post office and she came running out after us. She said "I`m sorry this is so irrelevant, but I want you to teach me English, I want to be your friend!" She was so cute and we felt like it was a tender mercy from God. We had just dropped our investigator and that happened. We are so blessed. WE met with her on Saturday and it went really well! We are meeting with her again this week. SHe has a lot of potential to be a good investigator, she is 23. SUper excited to see how it turns out.

Well, i love you! Please write me... You have no idea how much it helps on the hard days. Even if you just wrote "I love you" and that`s it.. It means the world. :) The church is true!! God is watching over every aspect of this work. Helaman 10*4-6. Sometimes I don`t know what God wants me to do, but if I am dilligent he will bless me. He has promised me that. Even if I might not make a difference in the people`s lives I talk to everyday, I am making a difference in mine. I have no doubt that God is always looking out for me. He is proud of me,a dn will give me His help as I need it.

Much love,

Sister Crofts

 

 successfully ordering my first meal without sister smith to help me!

 

                                  Japanese English is hilarious. It brings me so much happiness

The mother daughter awkward photo.