I can't believe how fast time is going. And now with it being 2013 I feel like the rest of my mission will just fly by in a second. SCARY!!! It is especially weird to think about being with my two companions because since this is their last they always talk about how they don't want to go home. Watching them go through the emotions and thoughts of last transfer is an interesting experience. It reinforces making every moment count. I definitely want to do better at that.
Well I survived this week with a full week of meal appointments, especially Thursday when we had two. All the meals were very good and I was able to eat some Japanese food again. Being in Shibuya I didn't eat that much Japanese food but now I was able to. Yay!! If I don't I will send you some in next weeks email. What was great is that I was able to meet a lot of the members really quick. The members here in Utsunomiya are amazing and I am so looking forward to get to know them and work with them. One family we visited has a daughter named Yui and she is 23 and is the cutest girl ever. She reminds of some of the sweet spirits in the 5th ward. I had so much fun with her and I felt like I was with an angel. That was probably the funnest meal appointment of this week. The food was delicous and the family is AMAZING!!! :D
The first week of transfers is always interesting. You feel like a fish out of water at the beginning. But it has been fun and I am so excited to work here in Utsunomiya. We have a lot of investigators and potential investigators. It is great!! This last Sunday was really fun because we were really busy. Two investigators came to church and so during the Sunday school hour we had to do splits and I went with a member and taught a woman named Irene who is from the Philippines and her boyfriend who is the father of her son is a member and they want to get married and he only wants to marry if it is in the Temple so she is investigating. We had a great lesson about the Book of Mormon. I could feel the spirit helping me with what to say and how to help her. Later I found out that she asked the same questions she previously has asked Sister Edstrom and Nishihara. I hope I was able to answer them that made sense to her this time. I think she did and I am so excited to see her again and teach her more. :D (It helps that it is in English).
Later that day we had another lesson with an investigator who has a baptism date for February and during this lesson we read from the Book of Mormon together and also taught him about Fasting and I was able to share with him a great experience that I have had with fasting. It too was a great lesson and I am so excited for his baptism.
I love my two companions. I love being back with Sister Nishihara and being Sister Edstrom's companion is great. I won't lie there have been some moments when I feel like a third wheel but we all feel like that in some way. Me because they are the ones who know everyone and plan a lot of things. Sister Nishihara because Sister Edstrom and I talk in English sometimes and Sister Edstrom because Sister Nishihara and I were companions before and talk about fun moments that we have had. But it is good now. We are all trying to involve each other more. But I really do love them so much. They are always encouraging me and giving me great advice of how I can become a better missionary. I am going to be so sad to see them go. But we still have a fun 5 weeks together!!
Utsunomiya is so pretty. I love being here. I can see the stars and the sun and everything here is just a lot slower and quieter then Shibuya with all of it's husle and busle. And it is fun because for district meetings I go to Oyama and can see everything there. Like last week when we went to District Meeting Sister Adachi came (it is just us and the elders in oyama so we need a member with us). I loved seeing her again and I hope I will be able to see a few others that I met during my time there. :D
And of course as you can see by the pictures I was able to wear a Kimono. It was a surprise to us that we would be doing that. We went over to a members house to teach the mother because she is not a member and after wards they made us lunch and the wife of the member whose mother we taught said we could wear her kimonos. It was so much FUN!!!! And she is an angel for doing that. There are three of us and each Kimono has a lot of parts and can take a lot of time and energy to put it on. So I love her for doing that for us. I will say that the shoes are not comfortable and it is hard to sit down in a kimono (on the floor). Basically the only way is by kneeling and that hurts after awhile. But again, LOVED IT!!!
