First Week!

Here is the email we received from Sister Dolan during her first week at the MTC. She would love to get letters! They help her out so much. And, you can use dearelder.com to send them! It's a free service where you type your letter out to your missionary on their website and they print it and deliver it for you the same day. And when she's in Japan, it's only $1.50 to do it. It's super easy and she would love to hear from you! 

Here is her letter:

So I wish I could e-mail all of you individually but I can't. I only have 30 min. for e-mail and they actually time you. I know lame but I guess it must be done. My first week here has gone by really well. I have had some hard times of course and part of that is missing your guys but I am really enjoying my time here. My companions name is is Stubbs shimai (sister) and she is from Australia and we have hit if off really well. She has taken 15 years of Japanese but isn't fluent but she still knows a lot so she helps me a lot. She tells me that I am really spiritual and that I help her that. So its a good give and take relationship. On Friday we taught our first investigator, in JAPANESE!!! They really throw you under the bus here those first few days. The day before we just barely learned how to pray and testify in Japanese and then we had to teach a lesson for 30 minutes. Crazy!! But it went well. The investigators name is Higaki san and she is from Japan. She is really sweet and patient with us when we stumble around the language. We taught her about prayer and how Heavenly Father loves her. We started teaching her about the Plan of Salvation yesterday but Stubbs shimai and I both feel like we need to focus on prayer more so that is what we will teach her tomorrow for our lesson. Wish me luck. :)

     On my first day here I had a cool experience. We were doing teaching experiences,  30 or so new missionaries would go into a room for an "appointment" and teach the investigator in there. Two missonaries would knock on the door and start off the lesson and then we would stop and let the whole group in on it. Well on the last door the teacher chose Stubbs shimai and I to be the "door knockers" and we were teaching a man named Chicho from Italy (but he spoke English). His friend told him about the Church and asked if he would meet with the missionaries. He has 7 children and 13 grandchildren. He said that he has been refusing to see the missionaries for 10 years but what made him change his mind was his youngest grandson who reminded him of another child of his, a son who only lived for 3 days. He talked about how it was to hold a small baby and I jumped in saying it was a miracle, like holding an angel. After I said that he just stopped and looked at me for a while. Then he said that angel is what they called their little boy who died and that it was interesting that I would say that. He felt guilty for not baptizing his son and believed he was limbo. He felt like a failure as a father. At that point the rest of the missionaries could jump in and an Elder talked about how little children are spottless before God and will live with Him. The spirit was so strong and it was amazing to feel that spirit the first day.

    Oh a funny story that happened this week was on Friday night as Stubbs shimai and the choros (elders) were leaving the classroom to head back to our rooms there were fireworks going off over at the baseball field. You should of seen the herd of missionaries running towards it. It was so funny. It was cool to see but some of the missionaries who have been here for a month were sooooo excited. It was like they were deprived of water and just found an oasis. Mom also tell the Schifflers that I ran into a choro from Mongolia and he knew Kirsten. Small world right. :)
    It is amazing how much the Lord has already blessed me while being here for my first week. He has blessed me with a confidence that I have never felt before and the spirit everyday. I want to be the best missionary ever and so it can be hard when I get frustrated with myself because I can't speak the language or don't know what to teach. But I just remember what you told me-just about sticking my glove in the air and catching it. I try to do that everyday.

Love you, 

Mackenzie