Sunshine in my Soul Today: Nihon Week 59

This week Alyssa shared a very visual yet spiritual lesson with me.  I loved it so I will share it all with you.

"So every Thursday night we go over to this member's house and teach English to her daughter and her small friends and then share a spiritual message with the mothers. We were there setting up and were trying to pull out this table and the little girl Mashiro (she is three) wanted to help us, so we let her. She was "carrying" this tiny corner of the table and because she was there it took like 500x as long and was hard but she was so proud and happy that we let her do it. In that moment I was so filled with love as I realized that is how God is with us. He can do everything on His own if He wanted, and He could do this missionary work thing so fast and efficiently on His own...but because He loves us He lets us grab this little corner of the table and walk alongside Him. We the whole time feel way proud and think we are so strong and can do things, but really we are just blessed that God loves us and lets us help Him in this amazing work, because He knows it will bless us and make us happy. He is so good to us."

Isn't that story amazing and simple and yet so powerful?  And it definitely applies to all of us as we serve and work in our small corner of the world.  We just need to remember who is carrying the majority of the load.

Minasan, konnichiwa!

First and foremost, I wanted to give a quick shoutout to my wonderful

mother who has a birthday this Thursday! I seriously am so blessed to

have been raised by someone so amazing and I am so grateful for her

every single day. For all of you that know her and would like to

either send her some love or go and give her a big hug for me, I would

appreciate it tons :)

We had a super good week here in Kawachinagano! Nothing super terribly

extraordinary happened but the fact that we were just able to be home

and get out and work in our own area with our own investigators and

members was seriously such a blessing. The weather has been warm, the

people are great, and we really have nothing to complain about life

here! I am always just so hit with how happy and blessed I am to be

here. Life is good, people.

Tuesday was pretty calm but fun, as we got to go out and do visiting

teaching with some sisters in the ward. I really love these people so

much, their love for the gospel and excitement to be about their

Father's business is infectious. We spent the morning together

visiting a lot of less active sisters and everyone was uplifted by the

situation. In the evening we spent time getting ready because we

spontaneously decided to throw a late Easter Party for Eikaiwa. It was

a lot of fun; we had some ridiculous games and culture things that the

Japanese people were way confused by but it was fun to teach them and

then teach about our Savior and the reason why we have the season. Our

Eikaiwa program here is way cute, it ranges from fluent people to

little old grandmas who know absolutely nothing, so it is always

entertaining to say the least. That night we had our last lesson with

Kana for a while because she is moving to Australia indefinitely. It

was sort of soul crushing but we trust she is going where she needs to

be and you better believe we will continue to haunt her and send the

missionaries her way so she can continue learning and progressing

towards baptism.

Wednesday we were back on the road, this time to Sennan to have a

koukan with the sisters there. I was blessed to work with the one and

only Sister McGuire, and we had one of the funniest and coolest days of

work my entire mission. First of all I love this sister with my whole

heart, it took us like two seconds and we became amazing friends, and

we just tell everyone we are EXACTLY the same...but a little different

and it is so true haha. Because we have so much love and so much fun

in our companionship, we were able to teach a lot in unity and see a

lot of miracles. We had a super boss companion Study where we both

felt prompted to specifically pray to find specific investigators and

the Spirit was way strong and guided us all day. We ended up finding a

super solid new investigator for Sennan, and it was awesome. I have

really come to know that our relationship with God can be as specific

as we want it to be, and the more we pray to Him about our specific

challenges and desires, the more personally He can reach out to help

us.

Thursday we had a lesson with Kim. She still isn't doing amazing, but

came to the lesson and was definitely softened as she has started

praying again. Prayer works, people! It changes people and their

countenances and I have seen it time and time again. We talked a lot

about the resurrection and plan of Salvation and I think were able to

help her a bit. Please keep her in your prayers. That day we also met

with some less actives that we are helping through the 12 Step

Recovery program so we can get them clear of addictions and get them

to the temple. It is honestly one of my favorite times of the week.

Friday we had district meeting in Hashimoto which was great as always,

and then that night we had some appointments with some families to

teach them the 30/30 Program of English and the gospel. The first one

went great, but then the second one fell through but thanks to our

amazing angel couple the Minamimoto's, we were able to spend the

evening visiting less actives instead. I seriously want to be like those

people, I love them with my whole heart.

Saturday was wonderful (and it was warm and I got a sunburn, so that

is also a plus)! We started out bright and early to go and do this

service cleaning thing at this pond we do with the ward on a monthly

basis. Usually we just do random stuff like pick up trash or gather

sticks or whatever, but this time was fun because tons of youth were

there volunteering for school clubs. I wanted to talk to them but was

overwhelmed by the sheer number, but eventually felt drawn to these

two girls named Nanami and Yurika. They were way cute and we had a

great time talking about life and whatever, but then Yurika saw my

name tag and she got SO excited as she told me all about how she has

ALWAYS wanted to learn about Christ. She is basically this kinjin and

we had a great talk and exchanged contact information and set up an

appointment to meet with and talk with them BOTH this week. They are

so cute and prepared and I can't wait to see where things go with

them! That afternoon we had a ward party which was great, and we

basically got to go build a lot of Kaneki with the members and random

less actives and investigators that filtered in throughout. I love the

Kawachinagano Ward with my whole heart!

Sunday was amazing because we got to be back in our own area for Ward

conference. The talks were amazing and the Spirit was real and

basically the Sabbath day is just the best day ever.

So this week we were blessed to start the "Doctrine of Christ" Book of

Mormon challenge as a mission! It is kind of crazy because we are

reading in unity about four chapters a day so that we can finish

before President and Sister Welch return home, but it has been so

awesome. Basically all our spare time is dedicated to reading, and I

already just feel myself and my testimony changing so much throughout

this process. One thing that has really stuck out to me during these

first few chapters of Nephi is how ACTIVE faith needs to be, and in

order for it to be strong and driving we need both belief and desire.

So often we have this image of faith being passive, but it is truly

just the opposite. In order for miracles and for our faith to truly

grow, it takes patience and dedication and desire...but it is

beautiful because the outcome is always amazing as we inevitably

become closer to our loving Heavenly Father, and our Savior, Jesus

Christ.

I love this gospel so much-it is everything to me! I feel so blessed

to be here sharing it with these amazing people that I love so much in

Japan. They have my heart so completely and I can't wait to keep

working to find those prepared to receive this message and have their

lives changed.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and remember to look for the hand

of the Lord every single day! Love you all so much! Aishiteimasu,

minasan!

Love,

Sister Pickering

Photos: Some members heart attacked us, Kids Eikaiwa and Easter, Kana

and I, exchanges with my homegirl Sister McGuire, District Meeting in

Hashimoto, Yurika and Nanami, and some squirrels at the park where we

had the ward party

Not that I am counting . . .

Being in Your Own Area is Overrated: Nihon Week 58

If I were to pick the title of this week's email it would have been CHOOSE TO BELIEVE.  I loved Alyssa's insight on how faith begins with the choice to believe.  It is so simple and yet so profound.  Alyssa has grown so much and has come to deep understanding on so many gospel principles and of life itself.  I am just so amazed.

Minasan, konnichiwa!

First of all just a quick shoutout to my baby brother Ryan who turns

17 today in America! Can't believe he is so big now, but I love him to

pieces and if anyone wants to give him lots of hugs and embarrass him

for me, I would appreciate it so much haha. Love you Ry!

We had a wonderful week here in the Japan Kobe Mission as they all

tend to be, even if it did end up being a little unique. Due to

scheduling and other life circumstances I ended up being on an

exchange with every sister in our zone this week haha, and so my

companion and I were literally together only on Monday and half of the

day on Saturday...haha life is crazy but I love Larsen Shimai so much

and feel blessed to be back home and working with her again!

So the first of our many adventures this week was to head over to

Sakai to have an exchange with those sisters before Zone Conference! I

was blessed to once again work with Sister Maiwiriwiri from Fiji and

it was so fun. She is such a bright and vivacious individual, and I

learn so much from her! We did a lot of great work together and had

some of the most awkward housing experiences of my entire mission

(like this one time this dude invited us into his gate of his yard but

we got stuck because his gate got jammed and then he tried to kick us

out and then we got stuck again and it was literally the most awkward

five minutes of my life), but it was neat to see such a young

missionary work so hard to be bold and share her testimony with

others. It was also awesome to have the koukan in my last area Sakai,

because we were able to meet with some of my favorite investigators,

Mayumi and her precious son Taichi. They are doing great and it made

my heart so happy to see them.

The next day started off bright and early with an ultimate frisbee

game for exercise before we got ready and had Zone Conference! I love

Zone Conference with my whole heart, President Welch came and gave

some amazing training on the Doctrine of Christ and he really talked

about how if we are all wanting to baptize more, we need to understand

this doctrine more...and so starting on the 22nd of this month we are

doing ANOTHER Book of Mormon challenge where we will be studying and

focusing on the Doctrine of Christ, and I am so excited. Because

President Welch leaves in about two months we are all going to be

reading four chapters a day to finish before he leaves, and I just

know the revelation is going to be crazy so I am excited. I love the

Book of Mormon with my whole heart! My companion and I also gave a

training on working with members and had some of our wonderful members

there to help us teach which was a blast, and we learned tons about

goal setting from the zone leaders. I absolutely love meetings, they

are such great opportunities for revelation and to know more of what

Heavenly Father would have us do.

After the conference and leadership meeting ended, we were finally

headed home where we had another exchange with the Wakayama sisters. I

worked with Sister Harada who is from Northern Japan, and she is such

a sweetheart. Her goal was focused on listening to the Spirit and so

we had some great Study and discussions together and were also able to

apply it in some lessons. Really wonderful exchange!

Our next exchange was with the Sennan sisters! I was working with

Sister Ashdown who is still in training, and she is just a dendo

fireball. She is way solid and loves working hard and so we had a

great day of just hitting the pavement and seeing some miracles. The

weather was BEAUTIFUL and so we did some good Finding in a nearby

park, and also had some good lessons with other investigators. Our

last contact of the night was super miraculous because it was this 16

year old girl who wanted to learn about Christ and eagerly accepted a

Book of Mormon. She won't be able to meet for about a year because she

is not allowed to until after she graduates, but it was just exciting

and humbling to some small part of her eventual conversion. Next year

she will be golden and a miracle and when we focus on that eternal

perspective that God has, it is just all the more rewarding in the

end. Never been happier to be a humble sower.

Finally this weekend we were back in Wakayama and I was able to spend

a lot of time with Sister Hokanson. She is an amazing sister with so

much love and charity and I was able to learn tons and tons from her.

We actually were companions on Easter, and it was neat to be able to

really think on and focus on the Savior together. I love Jesus Christ

so much and I just wish I could adequately put that into words. He is

everything to me, and He is the reason and I am able to do everything

that I do.

Our investigators are doing well, but it has also been a challenge to

be able to meet with them lately because of schedule issues. Luckily

Sister Larsen was able to have a lesson with Kana earlier in the week,

and she says she wants to be baptized and so we are excitedly working

with her on that goal! She is just so prepared and cute and it is fun

to work with her and help her seek her conversion through the Book of

Mormon. Kim has honestly been struggling with so much turmoil in the

world lately, and had a lot of questions about where God is for the

innocent who struggle and die whether it be in war or poverty or

whatever. They were some tough lessons but they were also awesome

because the Spirit was so incredible. I know for a certainty that God

loves all of His children and that He has a plan for us, and as long

as we trust Him we can know with certainty that it will all work out

in the end. I would be so lost without this gospel and the hope and

joy it brings.

Something I have really been reflecting on lately is faith and how it

truly begins with a CHOICE to believe. Being perfectly honest, if we

really wanted to, I am sure that every single one of us could go back

and doubt every spiritual experience we have ever had, but having

faith is CHOOSING to believe...choosing to believe that God is there,

choosing to believe that things will work out, choosing to believe

that there can always be hope found through our Savior. We had an

investigator who was struggling with wanting to choose to believe, and

it really just made me think on my life and experiences with the

gospel, and honestly I have said it before and I will say it again,

but if in the end by some crazy chance this gospel ended up NOT being

true, I would have no regrets. I have been brought so much peace and

joy and hope from this gospel and from God and Christ, it has changed

me. Even if my faith was just a choice to believe and it ended up

being for nothing, I wouldn't even care.

 

But the most beautiful thing about all of this is that it IS true.

God really does live and He does love every single one of us. Jesus IS

the Christ and did live, die, and even now lives for every single one

of us. Joseph Smith really saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, and

through Him we really do have the restored church. The Book of Mormon

really is true and families really can be forever and this gospel is

really everything to me.

I feel so blessed to be here and sharing this gospel and beautiful

message with the Japanese people. I love them so much and I want them

to have this more than anything, because it is true and has blessed me

and my loved ones more than I can even begin to put into words.

This church is true, I promise. If you aren't sure, choose to believe

me and believe that it is true! I love you all so much and hope that

you have an amazing week, wherever you may be. Aishiteimasu, minasan!

Love,

Sister Pickering

Photos: Exchanges for days, Zone Conference and frisbee, Mayumi and

Taichi, shots from the ward hiking party, and random views from

working this week.