Quote of the Week:
"The happiest life is one where we are not at the center of it!"
This just in:
I stay in this area as an STL and I am still here with my beloved members! Yay!
My new companion is Sister Gusman and she is from Hawaii. We were in
the MTC together and I ADORE her. So cute. It will be an amazing
transfer. So excited.
So so happy and blessed. Can't wait for it all!!!
Minasan, konnichiwa!
First of all before I get started on things I have some shout outs for
people just because I can haha. First of all, my baby sister turns 13
this week! If any of you know Brianna at all, please go and harass her
and buy her ice cream for me. Love her so much! Also my best friend
Spence finishes up his mission this week...seriously also can't
believe that but am way proud of him and all the work he did in El
Salvador. And finally (a week early, but whatever time difference
haha) HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD! I was so blessed to have an amazing daddy
that showed me all about the love that God has for me as His daughter.
So grateful for Him in every single way!
We had an awesome week here in Kawachinagano just working hard and
seeing all the great miracles that God has in store for us. I don't
know if I will ever get tired of being here.
Monday night after P day we headed on some trains and made our way to
Sennan for a companion exchange! Woohoo! Nothing too crazy but we had
some good train Dendo opportunities and had an adventure where my
companion lost her name tag near a rice patty in the dark. We also saw
fireflies so it was a successful night I would say.
The next day we were in Sennan and I was able to work with Sister
Shumway! She just finished up her first transfer here in the field and
was super sweet. We didn't have bikes and so it was sort of a super
long day of walking all over this super countryside place where there
weren't a ton of people unfortunately, but it was still good. We were
able to role play and prepare a lot for a lesson we had that night
with a member to teach the Restoration! After that and a good old
Eikaiwa, we were kidnapped by the classic "Loves the missionaries but
refuses baptism" English student that bought us ice cream and took us
to this bridge to see all these crazy fireflies with lots of families
and people. It was awesome, I love the experiences we have on the
mission!
Wednesday we headed back to Kawachinagano in the POURING RAIN, because
it is the start of the rainy season here in Japan! Woohoo! Hurray for
six weeks of wearing rain suits and looking dorky on bikes, but it is
okay because it is still super fun. That day was super chill because
by time we got home we had to have our weekly planning session (last
one of the transfer, so crazy) and then go to ping Pong night with our
ward where I once again ALMOST won, but didn't. My companion was
starting to get a little sick again (poor girl seriously can't kick
whatever has been bothering her the past three months) so we went back
and she rested and I studied.
Thursday we had another companion exchange with the Sakai sisters! I
was blessed to work with Sister Maiwiriwiri and it was SO fun. I have
known her since she came to the mission and it has been such a
blessing to watch her grow and progress like she has. We had a super
cool miracle where I had felt prompted to have us take a train out and
go visit this potential investigator but when we got there, she wasn't
home. Still confused but whatever, decided to House around because we
just felt like there was someone waiting for us. After almost an hour
of this and literally no success, I just exasperatedly cried out "Okay
there is SOMEONE here who needs us!" and then rang this doorbell. This
woman comes out and is WAY kind to us and we get talking and she knows
like ALL this stuff about the church. I'm freaking out because I think
we found a golden person, and then through the conversation we piece
together that she is a less active and had been for many years. She
was way sweet and invited us in and we had an awesome discussion with
her and totally opened the door of communication for us to go back and
start working with her. After further investigation after the fact we
found out that this is a LA we had been told we were not allowed to
meet because she didn't like the missionaries...but it appeared her
heart had changed and it was SUCH a miracle. Such a cool thing to see,
so grateful that God truly led us to find her! Later that day we also
taught another less active the Restoration lesson and the Spirit was
crazy strong. All of us were moved and it just made me once again so
grateful for this gospel and amazing message that we share. Then that
night we had plans to go visit this OTHER less active but on the way
ended up meeting with one of our 3 young women in the ward and her
friend. We played basketball with them for a bit and then taught them
a lesson and now we are going to start teaching her cute friend!
Seriously we were blown away by God's timing, the miracles were crazy
that day.
Friday was District Meeting in Hashimoto! We were all asked to give
trainings on our "strengths" and I was able to teach on working with
members. Good meeting, learned a lot, we then went back to our area so
my Dying companion could sleep before our Eikaiwa appointment that
night with the Oonishi girls. They are just so cute, teaching children
is the best.
Saturday was another awesome day because I got to fulfill one of my
mission dreams and go up into the mountains and labor and do service
in a Japanese rice field. It was sooo fun, we basically just frolicked
in this mud with frogs and planted individual sprouts(?) of rice. We
were there with one of our PI's, and it was way great because we were
able to serve and develop good relations and get her committed to come
to church (and to potentially date a young guy in the ward, because
they are literally a match made in heaven, flirt to convert anyone?).
That night we had a meal appointment with a member family and one of
our investigators named Serika. She is 20 and living away from her
family from school, and is doing way well. She is still clinging to
Buddhism pretty hard but has also attended church and is reading the
Book of Mormon like a champ, so we are excited to see where it goes.
The members were AWESOME and we had a great lesson on the Book of
Mormon and I was just once again so grateful for the members in this
amazing ward here.
Sunday was a little crazy but in a good way. For the first time in my
mission I had to give a real talk in sacrament (don't ask me how I
have avoided it up until this point, I have noooo idea haha) and so
did my companion AND we had a musical number AND had to help teach AND
had an investigator come...so it was madness but good madness! I spoke
on why I decided to serve a mission and if was cool to reflect back on
all the little decisions and all the amazing people that helped me get
here. So blessed. After the meetings ended we went on splits with the
members and I had a miraculous few hours with my favorite couple EVER
and the RS President as we went crazy visiting less actives and
inviting them to upcoming events. My companion went with another
sister and visited all of her friends, so that was also way boss. This
ward is the best! That evening we had a meal appointment with the
Nakata family and had a spur of the moment lesson plan (thanks Spirit)
and had a great meeting with them. God is really so good.
One thing that has really struck me this week is how much God loves us
and how much PATIENCE that He has with us. Something I have really
noticed as an STL is that it is so easy for me to see these issues
that the sisters have and the solution is SO obvious and SO simple and
yet they won't do it or will ignore it and then it ends up ridiculous,
but then they end up going back and taking our advice and it all ends
up great. Sometimes it is hard for me to want to continue doing this
and guiding and helping in my frustration, but in those moments I
learn so much about God. He is so merciful and filled with everlasting
patience, and I am sure it is so the same when He looks at us and sees
our problems and tries to tell us the answer, and yet we are stubborn
and just try and do it our own way. How grateful I am for his love and
His patience, because I would truly be nothing here without it. Isn't
it just the most comforting thing ever that we are in the hands of the
most perfect teacher and He will NEVER EVER abandon or lose hope on
us?
Every single day I am just so grateful to be here...in Kawachinagano,
in Japan, as a missionary, whatever. This week we have transfers and I
have no idea where I will end up and who I will be with, but all I
know is I trust God and know that things will work out for the best as
they always have a tendency to do for all those who rely on Him. I am
grateful to be here and to show the Lord my love and dedication for my
last six weeks here, and to see what miracles He has in store for us.
It is only just gonna get better from here!
Have a wonderful week! Aishiteimasu!
Love,
Sister Pickering
P.S. We went to the beach with some sisters in the Zone for P day!
Seriously so much fun. I love the summertime and it is great here in
Japan!
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