Weeks 57 & 58: " My wife is like a tsunami"

Visiting a Shrine

  Hi there.

Happy thanksgiving. 🍁 For Thanksgiving, because there is not really much turkey in Japan, I'm planning to cook up some spam stir fry. Try it. It's delicious with the right sauce.

So we're teaching this one investigator English.
"Let's practice with writing a letter in English to your wife."
"My wife is like a tsunami. She is scary."
"Well, for the sake of this letter, when you miss your wife, is there anything that reminds you of her? Like a flower or a bird?"
"A nightmare."
Well, we helped him remember, "smile" and "curry" and you can see the final result turned out alright in the picture below.  He almost wrote "sweatheart" instead of "sweetheart," but it worked out and he was very happy with his letter.
"This is English that is alive. It breathes. I want to learn more English like this. Not textbook English." I really liked that comment. I can say the same for Japanese.

The English letter

These past two weeks, with the appearance of wreaths and tree ornaments around the local mall, I've asked people on the street, "What do you think the meaning of Christmas is?" Girls wear their school uniforms with the plaid skirts, button up jackets, and the long socks. Some of them wear hospital masks for colds, and their eyes dart around as they consider the question. They pause as the monorail above us races alongside a cool breeze and then say, "God?" "Jesus?" and the most common: "I don't know." I share the video "Light the World" with these people on the streets, and it feels like just yesterday when I first came to Japan and was doing this same thing.  Amidst vibrant red candy canes and glittering Christmas trees, will this message about celebrating Christ's birth shine brighter? Just one person at a time learns a little bit more about Christmas. It doesn't feel like a lot, but it's still something.

"Heavenly Father, I am grateful for your eternal presence.
I am learning to be patient and that you are really there.
Sometimes I am afraid and I know that's lacking faith.
But I am beginning to understand that for me you have a plan." ("My Little Prayer")

I know God has a plan for the people of Japan. The church members in Japan are incredibly kind and devoted. I could write so much just about how they have helped us time and time again these past two weeks. I am so grateful for them.

Sister Rogers

We went to Shuri Castle again

Beautiful Crane

Elder Segura

You'll have to be observant with this picture... :D

Companionship goals

Shuri Squad

Best buffet ever

 The mom said, "when we can't come to the English class, my daughter cries because she always wants to come!" :,)

When everyone draws one facial feature to create your face... wrecked

Our District

Weeks 55 & 56: If you give an investigator a church invite....

Other Japanese missionaries will understand...the magical furugura!

Hello.

My pictures have devolved into meal selfies. Sorry in advance!

These past two weeks have been packed with a lot of lessons (seven of those lessons involved church members even), but we are still struggling getting people to come to church. Last week, they had a
pretty legit excuse, "There's a typhoon, so I'm sorry but I can't."
But this week, well...
The church is a 30 minute bike ride all the way to Itoman. A little bit far. BUT one of our investigators was explaining to us how he runs to Itoman on the weekend so he can go get drunk with his friends. He can't drive home drunk, so that is his reason for running. We don't use wine for the sacrament, but we invited him to church anyways. He can't because, though right now he's living away from his family for work, his family will soon come to Okinawa. So he can't come to church
because he has a family to think about soon. Hmm.
Another of our investigators can't come to church because he says a 20 min motorcycle ride to church would be too dangerous... Hmm.
Another investigator was sitting in church with us on Saturday night, having a long discussion about church. He says baptism is "divine" (kougoushi or 神々しい (the kanji means "god")) and that church is his favorite English, but because he doesn't believe in God, he can't come to church (and we've invited him many times). But he will pray every night and read scriptures. Hmm.

Our apartment smells like an old person library and that is mystifying. But our investigators and their reasons for not coming to church are slightly more mystifying perhaps. Maybe it's time to put more emphasis on finding new people. Nothing is more peachy than having investigators attend church, and there is a lot of peach flavored food in Japan so that's saying something.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween. The weather is great in Okinawa--barely need a jacket! But still we hear the locals saying, "Wow it's getting cold!" Ha ha :)

Until next time,

Sister Rogers

Curry dinner with the district.

Powerful curry!

Member Dinner

 

McFlurries, yay!

Road. Train. Lamp.

 

Sister Hansen :)

The Forest of Owl

Cheers!

Sister Hansen and me--"say cheese" sign.

Chinese dinner with the district