MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SO this week was really interesting. We had 4 member present lessons! What? When does that happen? I know. So three of them were with Mori san. He has such great childlike faith. He has had so many trials in his life but he really wants to find peace. He came to church yesterday and said that he felt a lot of peace at church and couldnt hear the voices in his head anymore. We are trying to teach him how to rely on the lord- we dont want him to be converted to the missionaries but to the Gospel because we will leave but Christ will always be there. He has a baptism date but I think we are going to postpone it becuase he needs to work on his Word of Wisdom problem. But we have faith in him!
Tsugumi san (that girl that knocked on our door) came to church yesterday! I think right now she is really lonley and it was more for a social interaction- but I know she is a prepared person and we will keep fellowshipping her in whatever way she needs right now!
Hayashi san is so cute! we have been visiting him every day for the 12 days of christmas. I dont think that activity translated very well because he still doesnt get why we keep coming and bringing him random things that go with the 12 days of christmas haha. BUt we have a real lesson with him on Wednesday. He was our other member present. He is coming to terms with the fact that god exists I think. We taught him the plan of salvation and I know he felt the spirit. ALso we talked to his wife who is seriously so cute. SHe looks like a Japanese angelina Jolie except she is like 60.
ANother great thing was Ami came to church!!!!!! yayy!!!!!!! she is really trying to turn her life around and start coming back to church and get a job and become self reliant. We are going to lunch on Thursday with her.
Ken has been coming to church and reading the book of mormon- I am so excited!! the elders are teaching him now. I am so thankful for them!!!! I know they specificaly are supposed to teach ken because I asked him the week before they came if he wanted to take the discussions and he said not yet. and then the elders came a week later and he agreeed! what the heck so cool.
ALso guess what....I like okonomiaki now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I gues you just have to eat things a billion times and then you like them!
I watched the Christmas devotional yesterday- it was so great! I loved the stories. Lets all remember the reason for the season and think about what gift we are going to give to Jesus this year. Even if we dont have a lot- we can give our heart. I sometimes feel a lot of pressure to do more- but I have been working on just asking for daily bread instead of weekly bread and accounting to the Lord for affirmation that I am doing all I need to do. I am just trying to do my best every day instead of taking it a week at a time.
The weather is pretty freezing but I got some nice arm warmers from the daiso haha I look so japanese its disgusting. actually its awesome.
I am excited for Christmas!! What is everybody doing??
Gotta go- the elders need the computer!
Love you all!
Merry Christmas and Happy New year!!!
Sister Nelson
Merry Christmas!!!! so in Japanese you just say Meri Kirisumasu! めれきりすます！
Its been fun to say that to people! We are having a ward christmas party on the 21st and have been inviting the world so I hope tons of people show up! Everybody loves Christmas here. Even though they dont know the meaning, they know its a special day. They also eat cake. Im not really sure how that started. haha
Today we made a bunch of popcorn for pday and watched legacy! It was fun- melissa I died of laughter as always at the faces Jacob makes. So funny. It also is raining right now. no snow yet.
This week as always, was super emotional. We found five new investigators!!!!!!! One was this cutest 12 year old girl who was so excited to learn about god. But she had to cancel her return apointment becuase her parents are never home and she cant meet with strangers. So we are really sad about that but Know she is being watched over and will someday meet missionaries again. We gave her a book of Mormon so at least she has that. Another 2 investigators have meetings set up for this week.
We met with another lady who we randomly (yeah right, obviously nothing is random when you are missionaries.) housed into that is an old investigator. Before we got to her appartment, I had this horrible feeling not to go. But then we prayed and I got a confirmation to go ahead. We found the lady and she wants to join the church- she just has a tithing issue. We are going to work with her with some members because she didnt come to church because she said she couldnt understand my Japanese. I am not gonna lie, I took a really big pride blow on that one. I cried all sacrament meeting. I felt like it was my fault she didnt come. All of the members were so cute and concerned. I love the Ube ward! But I know that I did the best I could and that everything is all in the Lords timing. Anyway, this week I have really felt Satans influence directly. It was really kind of a scary week. He has really been working on my confidence and faith. I know that it was his influence that I felt telling me not to house that apartment. I have never felt that kind of influence before. But it honestly just strengthened my testimony to know that if satan is real than heavenly father for sure is and that this Church is true! so thanks Satan- that would be Heavenly father 10000, Satan, 0. He will never win if we ask the Lord for Help. We will always recieve help if we ask. ALWAYS! Because we are children of GOD! And he loves us. We are GOOD! we have so much good in us.
SOo we taught a lesson to Hayashi san again this week. He prayed! He speaks really good english, so our lessons are half in Japanese and half in English. At the end of the Prayer, he said ITS OVER! really loud. It was so funny! because he is this small little man. he tries to use really big english words like spectacular. But his grammar is a lttle lacking. Its okay though because my Japanese is apparently hideous. Hahaha. We are meeting with him on Wednesday. We are going to invite him to be baptized! and to church- he has a pet dog (thats what he always says. I have a pet. I have a pet.....like every other sentance. Dogs are a mans best friend even in Japan!). so he uses that as an excuse not to do anything...like pray or go to church haha but its okay because he usually just agrees if we ask him twice.
Mori San is coming home from the Hospital this week! The elders in Tokuhyama visited him again. he has read all the way to 2nd nephi in the Book of Mormon! Yayyy MIracles!
We had a fun mogi this week with Yamano shimai and Kyodai. We had some delicious dinner afterword. She went to costco when she went to the temple and so we had GRILLED CHEESE SANDWIchHES! soo good! I made some really good banana bread this week Mom! You would be proud!
We biked 30 miles to visit the Tateishis, a recently reactivated couple. They are our ward missionaries! I love them! It was quite a bike- I know I have nothing on Bob Bleck, but still, I can now sympathize with lance armstrong.
We went to a fun Christmas party at an Eikaiwa students house. Her name is Cathy. I have talked about her a lot. I love her! We literally were fed so much food. SO much food.
But it was a really good week- I was so happy to get some pictures from the Ice skating thing and some really great christmas stories! thank you so much for emailing those!
I have been working on developing the Christlike attribute of Faith this week. I know that when we ask heavenly Father for help developing something, he is going to give us a chance to excercise our faith and to act. Because if we dont act, how do we know we have faith? Elder Holland said that Exacting mountian Moving faith precedes the action and the miracle. I am thankful for the trials of this week that helped me strengthen my faith.
Love to you all!
Hello from the North Pole!
Just kidding. This week was so freezing! it rained and hailed and was sunny and windy all in one day. every day. it was so wierd. BUt today is great weather! I am so happy . weather is Tenki in Japanese.
This week we had a lesson with Mori San who is a really special wonderful person. he has a baptism date! But he was sick Sunday so I think we have to push it back. We taught him about faith in Jesus Christ and how when we rely on the Lord and are obedient to his commandments we are able to have peace about our circumstances.
We also met with a man named Hayashi san. It was the hardest lesson I have taught. His question was why if God loves us and is powerful would he let his children kill each other? He has such a strong testimony that our bodies are sacred and our lives are important. Every soul is important. We used the book of Mormon to help explain the nature of god. We are going back on Wednesday for another lesson. He asked me to ask other members of our faith why Christians kill each other? I said I would ask you all so please if you have an answer- let me know. I gave him my oppinion and shared some stories from the BOM but I would love help from the outside. He is the most humble person I think ive ever met.
We had a little miracle this week! Our Less active missionary couple caught reactivation and dendo fire and are coming back to church! we had dinner at their house on thanksgiving and I seriously gained about ten pounds. You think after about eight hundered plates of sushi that you are done. But no, you forgot about the ice cream. Anyways I am excited to work with them and that they have reactivated themselves so to speak. We have been praying for them and wondering what to do so this is an answer to our prayers. WIth another less active, we invited him to church and he came! I am so happy!!!! Another LA on our top ten we have been visiting called today and asked for a preisthood blessing so we are going with the elders to his house after pday.
We also had 5 investigators at church!! WHATT??? yes fast sundays are the best. We also had a great mogi (role play) lesson and Nabe for dinner at a members house last night. They are so nice! Nabe is pretty much the best soup ever. Except not for Moms. Moms is still way better. But it was really yummy and Im going to make it this week.
We had a zone conference the day after thanksgiving and had a thanksgiving feast together! I made the desserts; apple crisp, pumkin pie, peach cobbler, blueberry cobbler, no bake cookies, corn flake cookies, and white chocolate popcorn! Whewf I had a busy morning! It was great- our theme for this month is NO FEAR! We set some big goals this month but I know we can achieve them!
Okay so funny thing- when we were housing at night, this guy across the street walks up to his house from his car, sees us, and then does like fifty judo moves, and casually goes inside his house. Hhahahahahahah it was so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for your love, letters, and prayers. Love you all- have a great Christmas season and remember the reason!!!!!!!
Love, Sister Nelson
