Japan Fukuoka: Weeks 15 & 16: I Cried in Front of a Stranger

It was snowing and we were happy!

Wow! Weird week! My MTC companion probably still has her eyebrows on fleek, so life goes on. Here in Japan, given the choice between a college-age person and an obaachan (grandma), I would choose the obaachan any day. Yesterday, we revisited this obaachan we had given a Book of Mormon to about four weeks prior to see if we could continue a religious discussion. Well, she slid open her door with the Book of Mormon in her hand and told us she hadn't read it and wanted to give it back. "I can't have a big book like this! The words are too small. I have no time. I'm an obaachan." This was the beginning of a long discussion on who was going to keep the book. I could tell my comp was thinking we should have taken the book and left looooong ago. But I swear by being a crazy lil bean chan at all times and didn't want to walk away yet. Rejection is hard to swallow all day every day.
We said, "We'll take the book if you let us sing this church song ("I am a Child of God")."
And she said, "You mean I have to listen to you sing to give you the book?"
Long story short, we sang the song (without her being offended), and then there was a brief silence. Brown Shimai saw the obaachan lock eyes with me and start to push the book into my hands, which was kind of a long overdue transaction at this point and we all knew it was time to leave. So the obaachan started to give me the Book of Mormon, but then she took it back and held it to her chest, and Brown Shimai was way surprised. So she looked over to see what in the world was happening, and saw me crying for the first time ever. I was probably as freaked out as she was about it. And the obaachan said, "Akewatashita, akewatashita!" Which is to say, "I surrender!"
And then it started to rain, and I said, "The rain is getting in my eyes. I'm sorry!!!"
And she said, "Because you are crying, I will keep the book, but it will take me ten years to read it, ok??"
This whole conversation lasted about twenty minutes and then the obaachan came out of her house and waved goodbye in the pouring rain, clutching the Book of Mormon, smiling at us as we biked away.

Funny thing is that there is this stress test all new missionaries take, and earlier that day when I had taken it and gotten a green score, Brown Shimai had commented on how weirded out she was that I was so well-adjusted and calm with all the new changes happening in my life. She said, "All new missionaries cry! Why haven't you had a breakdown?" Later last night I had a breakdown. I guess getting asked how I am managing stress gets me stressed. Haha :P

I want to tell you about the biggest miracle I have had on my mission thus far (but that's not saying a lot is it?): we have two baptismal dates with these Filipino sisters! :D We discovered them when I was on exchanges last week with Hunt Shimai. We had decided on just this last row of apartments before biking back before curfew. We knocked on the far left door because it smelled like good food cooking. The woman answering the door spoke in English and told us she wanted us to come back, because she had met with a missionary two years ago that had been inviting her to church, but the communication had been lost somehow... turns out, she was still in contact with the missionary, but she was back in America and married two years ago. When Brown Shimai and I came again this week, we had a beautiful lesson, and they are so excited about baptism! One of them had almost been baptized when the other missionary had asked her two years ago, but now she feels actually ready. At the end of the lesson, they said,
Tris: "Thank you for coming and sharing the word of God with me. It's been a long time since I have felt this. "
Leena: "But weren't you studying the Bible everyday in your 7 day adventist school?"
Tris: "Yes, but I felt they were trying to convince me. Today you (looking at Brown Shimai) explained the scriptures so I could understand. And today as we read these scriptures, I felt you explained it so clearly so I understand not just with my head but with my heart."
I shared a story and after Leena smiled at me and said,
"That's why you're here! So you can share this with me."
I could be sent home tomorrow and feel as if my work here has been performed, because of the great spiritual joy I have felt from being with these two Filipino sisters who have such a strong faith in Jesus Christ and who are willing to be baptized on March 4, if they discover the Book of Mormon to be true. The work here is sweet. It feels like I got here just yesterday, but it's already been over a month!

The shimai-tachi in my apartment are the best! We've decided if each of us were flowers, this is how it would be:
Brown - cocoa plant
Mac - lavender
Hunt - daffodil
Rogers - snapdragon

Also princesses:
Brown - Anna from Frozen
Mac - Ariel from The Little Mermaid
Hunt - Belle from Beauty and the Beast
Rogers - Jasmine from Aladdin

Before I came to the apartment, when the Shimai would make this food called gouma pasta they would throw in whatever to enhance the flavor, including this clear liquid that made it taste "really fresh," but they had no clue what it was. Five weeks later... I'm here and Brown Shimai says, "Here, put this on your pasta."
Mac Shimai looks at the bottle more closely and says, "That's cooking alcohol."
My trainer was trying to get me drunk. She saw me writing this story and she just said, "What? Nooooooo." Because she had been hoping I forgot this ever happened. "It's cooking vinegar," she says. Nice try, Brown Shimai. ;)

I read this talk called "He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home" and this is a quote from it that I really like:
"Surely, I thought, if man can take the ruins, rubble, and remains of a broken city and rebuild an awe-inspiring structure that rises toward the heavens, how much more capable is our Almighty Father to restore His children who have fallen, struggled, or become lost?"

Two years ago, Tris didn't feel worthy to be baptized. I just want her to know of God's mercy. I want her to know that she can be freed from past feelings of guilt and worry. Baptism is a miraculous new beginning, and I'm on cloud 9 right now that she has that desire to be baptized. God is always ready to help us. We need only seek Him.

Much love,
Rogers Shimai

Sorry the pictures aren't as good this week I think!


Mac Shimai and Hunt Shimai secretly used my camera and created this story using stuffed animals, and this is my favorite one from the series. ^__^

"I'm a missionary and people are gonna think I'm drinking champagne right now."

A recent convert has spent soo much time and energy creating these lists of Japanese sayings. I have over a hundred now. She's an angel. 渡る世間に鬼はない (there is kindness to be found everywhere.)