Friday, November 13, 2015

Old People Out, New People In

Konnichiwa Kazoku!

Wow... What a week. I felt like it would just keep going on forever,
but I can't believe how much stuff we did in a week. So, I told you in
my last letter, I went to trainers Training in Fukuoka and then came
back. Tuesday we were booked too. We were asked to come over by Ota
Shimai and her sister to have lunch. We had to take a 40 minute
grandma bus to her house but it was a lot of fun. All six of us
Taniyama missionaries went. The fed us fried chicken! It was so
delicious! I couldn't believe it! Fried chicken, curry, salad, cake
and hot chocolate. We were all dying from eating too much but they
kept bringing more and more out! We were so grateful!

Tuesday and Wednesday we took a little bit of time getting ready for
my new companion and cleaning up Stevenson Shimais stuff so she could
go home. I think she was sad to leave but ready too. She left on
Wednesday and we dropped her off at the train station and she left. I
was in a trio with the other two Shimai for the next day.

On Thursday we left early to take Kozaki Shimai up to the Kagoshima
Eki so she could get on a bus. She went to Okinawa. Well, we had to
wait at the station for our new companions! Luckily, the senior couple
in Kagoshima, the Rowes were there helping us and they took us for
lunch and we got to help them kind of set up for a new Shimai
apartment they just opened this transfer in Kagoshima. It was a lot of
fun. My new companion got here soon afterwards! Her name is Sister
Styles and she is from Washington.

This week has been full of a lot of firsts. I have had to text, call,
and speak more Japanese than I have had to in the past. Unfortunately
I am still not fluent, and it sometimes is hard :) However, I was able
to purchase a bike using my Japanese for Sister Styles. I think that
has to mean something. We bought her a bike, we started the 12 week
program, we started iPad training for her and a lot of other things.
It is a little overwhelming. I think overall the most overwhelming
thing is just not always knowing what people are saying but I can't
ask anyone anymore. I have always been able to ask after we talk to
someone to clarify or make certain I understood, but now I am the one
trying to fill that position and it is harder than I thought. Japanese
is hard! I am still working at it, and hope that one day I will have
that "wow! I can speak!" Feeling they always talked about.... The
funny thing is that sometimes Sister Styles says exactly what I
thought when I was a first transfer, it's pretty fun.

We had a really awesome lesson with our investigator this week, she
accepted a baptismal calendar, and then last night she texted us
saying she had some problems at home about our religion and it's
causing her a lot of stress and anxiety. We don't really know what to
do. I guess this is how missionary work goes. You try and try and it
really is all in the Lords timing. She agreed to meet with us
tomorrow, so we are praying that it will go over well and that the
Lord will be able to soften her and her family's heart. It's
disappointing when you have things fall through. You work so hard to
help people and you think about them and pray about them all day, for
weeks at a time and you really feel so discouraged and disappointed
when things don't work out. We are staying happy and positive though,
so we are doing our best.

Other than that, I am just doing my best to be normal. I don't think
there are such things as "normal" as a missionary. Sometimes I look
around and it hits me "wow I am in Japan" or "wow I understood what
they were saying" or "I am not old enough to be doing this." It is
hard for me to believe I have been out for as long as I have. I feel
like I should still be the new missionary. I sure have a lot to learn
still. I guess missions were never meant to be easy. But it's amazing
how much joy you can have from serving.

Mom, I am praying for your health, I hope you are doing alright. You
never said anything else about BYU or BYUI what were you peeps
thinking about that? Also, I left you a note on the calendar? Wow... I
am cooler than I thought ;) haha. What did it say exactly? I really am
starting to forget things. Someone asked me who wrote a certain book
the other day and I couldn't remember right off the top of my head
like I used to be able to. Ahh, time adds and it detracts. Be careful
out there in the real world. Use your time wisely or its gone and it
had no purpose. You can't get time back.

I am glad everyone seems to be doing well. I am sorry if my letters
ever get repetitive or something, I feel like I say the same things
every week! But I love you and I am grateful for your letters to me
too!

I am looking in the mail every day for a package or letters! The mail
got stopped for transfers but it should be coming around again soon I
love you!

Enjoy Thanksgiving things in America! I can only dream of it here!

Love, Raines Shimai

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