Week 18

I sent you a voice thing, and I am really sorry but I don't really want to send a group email this week. Tell everyone I am sorry haha.

But some things I forgot to mention,

Me and Isom shimai had this realization the other day that we are the youngest companionship in the mission, and have been since I have gotten here, so that is insane haha. I am surprised we are alive and still know what is going on haha. But we love it here, of course, Japan is the greatest place everrr.

Love you guys so much, ill send another voice message thing for Thanksgiving. I am sorry that I have no weekly email, but I mentioned mostly everything in the first voice message, anyways...LOVE YOU 

愛しています

Here are some highlights from her voice memo:

We didn't meet with any investigators this week, everyone here is soooo busy!  Our President asked us to focus on less-actives in the ward.  Sometimes it's hard when you aren't teaching people, you feel like you aren't fulfilling your purpose.  But on Sunday we had nine less-actives come to church! Some of them we had only dropped something off and didn't even get invited into their houses, but they came!  We also went to visit this eighty-year-old woman, her body is so weak she can't come to church.  She made us mochi cakes and showed us this book of letters from some pen pals from Provo from the 1970s.  It was cool to talk to her about her history and it felt so good to know we made her day.  I know that's what I'm doing here in Japan, spreading Christ's love.  It's hard to not get caught up in numbers so I'm grateful when I feel like I am letting people know Christ loves them.

We went District Christmas caroling.  They are already getting Christmas since they obviously don't have Thanksgiving.  Christmas is different here since they aren't Christian.  They just eat cake and fried chicken -haha

The weather is getting a little colder.  Not too bad, I'm in the warmest part of my mission.  I went shopping for some sweaters and they have this amazing self-checkout.  I literally opened the cupboard, put my basket in, closed it and within seconds it registered and gave me the total.  Then you just self-pay with the computer. Japan so efficient.

Isom Shimai has not felt well, but she is selfless and won't take a rest.  I did give her a spinal. The other Shimai that lives with us called it the "Ellie spa".  I'm not used to hearing my first name.  It tripped me out a little.  But that was funny.

One last funny story: We were trying to visit a less active girl so we biked out about 15 minutes from the church.  The address wasn't lining up so we couldn't find her house.  This lady came out told us to hold on, then she went inside for a solid five minutes.  She finally told us to come into her entry.  She was doing all this stuff like printing, then her husband started helping her.  They came out and had printed off six pieces of paper and put them all together and drew out this big map.  Turns out the address got mixed up and it was actually the address to our church!  With a marker, she drew out specific directions to get to the church.  It was so embarrassing, standing there with our name tags pretending we didn't know how to get back to our own church.  Then to top it off we gave them the pamphlet we hand out with information about what we teach and on the back is a map to the church!  Just like the one she just made us.  We were trying so hard not to laugh.  They probably thought we were idiots. 

The mosquitos are ruthless here, and particularly like me. Isom Shimai had some repellant spray and this is what it did to my tights haha. She felt so bad but I thought it was hilarious (they were $1 tights).

   Some lovely selfies

Noe and Kana Chan

Okonomiyaki