Week 59: Culture Shock

This week I got a big dose of culture shock. You would think that after 14 months you would be pretty adjusted right?

Well. I think I'm turning Japanese. I bet that is not what you were expecting when I said I had culture shock. 

This week was another super busy week! Today we are going to take nice long naps. Our bodies are exhausted, and we are really starting to feel like old missionaries. This week we had twitching eyes, sore throats, canker sores, and our bodies just sort of drag along behind us. The two of us are delirious. It is so much fun! :) I mean you can sleep when you are dead right?

Time is going too fast! I feel like I just got here, and it's already week three! This week has been pretty good. We got to go on a kokan with the Kurayoshi sisters this week. Hatch Shimai is amazing! I was so grateful to get to work with such amazing sister! As soon as we got on the train, she went and sat down by someone and up just started talking. I think I probably learned more from our kokan than she did. She is an incredible missionary! 

Dinner at an Indian restaurant after Kokan 

Besides our kokan this week, we had typhoon craziness, that didn't end up being too bad, but it was pretty windy, and we were told it would be safer to stay inside, so we did as we were told, and worked on things in our apartment. 

Before the Typhoon

Look a Typhoon is coming!

Despite the typhoon though, we were still able to teach so many people this week! We were able to teach 16 lessons this week, and it was so easy! I used to think 20 would be impossible, since sometimes it was hard to even teach 5, but I have really seen the hand of the Lord helping us this week. 

Yesterday we were invited to go to a Philippine party with some investigators. 

 

It was so crazy, and I felt like I wasn't in Japan anymore. It was fun for the first ten minutes, and then there was too much hugging, and loudness, and I realized that I have really gotten used to the culture here in Japan, and I might die of culture shock when I go home. Haha. It was really fun though, and we were able to get a lot of referrals. There were so many people that just walked up to us and started talking about how they had met the missionaries before, or how they hadn't ever learned about Christ before but they want to and want to come to church next week. It was so cool! I was definitely glad to be back in Japan after a couple of hours though. :) 

The work is going really well here in Yonago. We were able to witness so many miracles this last week, and especially on Saturday. Because we had to go to District Meetingon Saturday, we were able to meet M, her dad is from Pakistan, and her mom is from Japan, and her step mom is from Lithuania. I feel like we went on an international trip this week! So awesome. We got to teach her about God, and we are excited to meet her again. She seems so prepared. Then we had an awesome district meeting. After District Meeting, we got to teach our neighbor who we haven't been able to see in a while, and she is progressing wonderfully well. Next we went to go visit three other investigators we haven't seen in a while. Before we left we were feeling tired, and not feeling so well, but we went out smiling and waving to everyone. The first two investigators that we visited (a mother and daughter) ignored us, and then came out 5 minutes later as we were biking off. We were able to talk with them a little, and they didn't seem interested in talking to us anymore. So that was sad. But we just kept on smiling. Then the next investigator that we went to visit gave us back the Book of Mormon, and said that he didn't want to receive anything else. But, we didn't let that get us down. We just wiped off the dust from our feet and kept going. On the way back home, MacKenzie Shimai felt like we should go to the store to pick up something. It was really random, but she felt impressed that we needed to go. After we were about to leave the Zone Leaders called us about something, so it took a little bit longer to get out the door. As we were walking back to our bikes, we said hello as we passed this cute little great grandma, and grandma. They said hello and started talking to us. We learned that last September, the great grandma's mom died at the age of 103. We were able to share a little message with them about the Plan of Salvation, and they are excited to learn more and meet with us again. If we hadn't gone to Matsue for district meeting, we wouldn't have met any of those people. Heavenly Father is amazing! 

It has been an amazing week, and I am so grateful to be a missionary. :) the church is true! 

I love you all!

(I don't know why the tags I put on the photo's below are getting messed up and running long way, so I'll just write what the images are up here and you will figure out what pic they go to below. :)

* America! A really nice family that came brought us American food.  What's funny is I am the only American so it was super special for me! I was so excited!!!

*Heart Attacked

*Lunch with N Shimai. Her dad is the mission President in Sapporo. She made us American food, and fresh homemade rolls. I was in Heaven!

*The Elders toilet papered us (our bikes), then it rained! 

*at the Philippine birthday party at the Park with X and MacKenzie Shimai

*Ballet class