Japan Fukuoka: September 2017

Hello everyone,

I have no idea what to write about this week. It's getting harder to write these emails. Aaaargh. So, if there is anything in particular you want to know about, let me know and maybe that will help make these emails more interesting. :)

Fun facts about Japan:
---Aizuchi! Aizuchi is "back-channeling, sounds given during a conversation to indicate comprehension." In America, if I were saying "yes" or "is that so?" every sentence, that would be annoying, right? In Japan, however aizuchi is used ALL THE TIME. It's something I'm not very good at, but it's been a goal of mine this past week. And it's really made a difference. I want people to know they are being listened to. A huge breakthrough I've seen using aizuchi was this:
A lady answers this door the first thing she says is, "I'm Buddhist. Here in Okinawa, a lot of people are Buddhist. I pray at the altar." So we listen to her talk about being Buddhist using aizuchi. I thought using aizuchi was going to change the way she was going to respond to us. But instead, I think it changed the way we responded to her. First, we asked her if she knew the Okinawan phrase: "Icharibachoude" which is, "Once we met, we became family." After she said she knew the phrase, we testified about how everyone is God's sons and daughters and how we can have an eternal family. I told her, "I think we have a lot in common, because family is so important. In this book called the Book of Mormon we can learn more about God's plan for families. There are many new ideas in this book. But I know that as you read this book, you can find peace of mind, and feel God's perfect love. I know this book is true." She wanted the book!

---If you snap or clap your hands at night, there is a superstition in Japan that an oni (monster) will come after you. Yonei Shimai told my companion she doesn't believe it, but that she shouldn't do it just in case. ;)

---When we asked someone what their image was of Christ, the girl said, "fumie." It's not a great thing. It made me realize there is a lot of Japanese history I do not know at all. It's amazing how considerate people are of Christians here considering the history of governmental control on Christianity. When people reject our message, it's usually extremely polite and apologetic. I <3 Japan.

---Another saying: "Ryouyaku wa kuchi ni nigashi" (good medicine is bitter). I used it in my talk on Sunday. This transfer has meant a lot of new responsibilities and stresses, but through it all, I know it's helping me become a better missionary. It's going to be ok in the end. If you had never experienced difficult times, what kind of person would you be? From a talk by L. Whitney Clayton called "That Your Burdens May Be Light," it reads, "The adversity and afflictions that are ours, however difficult to bear, last, from heaven's perspective, for 'but a small moment; and then, if [we] endure it well, God shall exalt [us] on high.' We must do everything we can to bear our burdens 'well' for however long our 'small moment' carrying them lasts." Have a wonderful week!

Rogers Shimai

When we got home to the apartment....

Saying goodbye to cute dog and girl. :,)

Naha church!

Itoman church! (I did not take this picture though)

Sister Page just ordered extremely spicy curry, and there isfear in her eyes.

The Yoshizawa family! ^___^

Our new district! :) (I'll have some comp pics next time hopefully!)

The Trio ;;;

It's the kind of day where even the cicadas can't take the heat and drop dead. The three of us decide we should visit a member that hasn't been to church in a while, so we roll out on our matching mountains bikes in the heavy heat of mid-day. After we pant up hills and then weave our bikes down through alleyways the size of roadside gutters, we come to a halt in front of an empty parking lot.
"This is the address... but where is the house?" We discover that on one fence bordering the parking lot, there are two shiisa (Okinawan lion statues placed at the entrance of a home to protect evil from entering). But what have they to protect here? We knock on the closest door. A surprised mom that is not the member answers and makes pleasant small talk. Eventually, we bring up that we are searching for the Kina's house. Her eyes dart to our black name-tags. The smile fades from her face as she begins a tale of woe. When I don't actually understand the Japanese, the sweeping gestures and explosion noises make it pretty clear. The house was burned down by some explosion only a year ago. Just when it seems like this can't get any weirder, taking into consideration that nobody in the ward ever even mentioned this tragedy to Sister Perkins (the sister missionary that knows everything about everybody), the woman leans in closer and tells us that we shouldn't talk to the neighbors about the fire because they are still angry about it. She says she has no idea where the Kina family lives now.


The fire mystery shiisa that protects the....parking lot?

I've written out this story to be detailed enough that it deserves a better conclusion, but there is none. The fire mystery still hangs in the air and is burning brighter than ever as this transfer is coming to a close. It's up to Sister Page to scrounge up all her tv and movie knowledge of mystery cases to keep the flame burning and get to the bottom of this... And why is it now up to Sister Page you may ask?

Because--
I'm transferring to a different part of Okinawa called Oroku. I'll be with Sister Dimmit, and she is from someplace in California. (She's in one of the pictures below) I'll keep you updated when Sister Page digs up more information about the mystery.

Sister Dimmit up front there is going to be my new companion! (*kekko desu equals I'm fine)

Speaking of digging stuff up---we have been back at the jungle house to do more service two times in the last week. The first time, we dropped by short notice and once again were nearly eaten alive by bugs until the guy gave us some basil and said, "Chew on this, and then rub the spit on your arms. The mosquitoes won't bite." Well, let's just say we all took showers that night.
Yesterday for Miracle Monday (the Monday before transfers), we went back decked out in Victoria Secret jackets and long pants. This second time, we dragged the elders along (they were actually way excited to do some service :}). But this one time when we were actually wearing clothes suitable for fighting off mosquitoes, Elder Tanaka asked us to clean out his car and house instead while the elders took on the more manual labor. Needless to say, everybody had a great time. After a couple hours, Elder Tanaka ordered pizza! It was American pizza! America! We sang some hymns and Elder Tanaka played his ukulele. Wow I loved that.


Jungle house part with basil spit

AND I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. Transfers got me stressed, but it's ok because I know that all things will work together for our good. (D&C 90:24)
D&C 6:14
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time."

I know God is guiding our lives. As each transfer has brought me to meet new challenges and meet new wonderful people, I can testify of this. Having a tri-panionship seems rather unusual right? Especially when we had an even-number of sisters in the mission at the beginning of last transfer, it just didn't make sense to my human mind. But, what happened to the other tri-panionship half way through the transfer? One of the sisters had to go home because of health problems so the mission ended up with an odd-number of sisters after all. It all happened so suddenly and out of the blue. I'm praying for you Sister Macleod! I know God has a plan for each of us. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Still Sweating in Okinawa,
Sister Rogers