13th week in Japan, 2ND AREA

Beach scenes near Mito, Japan (picture from internet)

Nighttime View:  An unusual tower in Mito, Japan (picture from internet)

As you knew from my email last week, I got transferred to Mito.  It's about 80 miles NE of Tokyo.   It is 5-10 miles inland from the coast.  I am with Sister Lacey.   

[K-Mom's note:  the day I found out that my daughter got transferred to Mito, I had a dream.   I was in her new location, in an apartment, I saw large cockroaches in the dream, running quickly back and forth across the floor.  I wondered if Japan has a bug problem due to the climate difference, that we don't have here.   Sure enough, they do.   If you wish to know more, I found this website informative:  

http://zoomingjapan.com/life-in-japan/insects-and-other-pests/   ]

I've heard of cockroaches are very popular in Japan, haha. The hottest month here is August. Luckily, Mito is not as hot as Okegawa. :)

Thank you for your concern about the bugs and stuff.  The other day actually, we were praying for guidance of where to go finding people to teach, and found this old apartment complex.  We had already parked our bikes and as we were going to approach the stairs, we saw spiders all over the ceilings and the stair rails.  It took 3 or 4 times to get the courage to go.  We were going to turn around and find somewhere else, but we did it!  There were so many spiders!  In Japan, people do not kill spiders. Do not! I've actually heard that there are no poisonous spiders in Japan that could harm you seriously. There was like, a story of a person who was rescued by a spider or something, long ago and a bad guy killed the spider.  So Japanese people don't kill spiders.  They are seen as like protection, I guess?

From our efforts, two people answered the door.  One was not interested and the other was busy cooking, but we could hear a mother and a baby playing so we gave them a church flyer.  We felt they in the future may be baptized.  Later that evening, we went to a nicer apartment complex.  The first door we knocked on was a Chinese young man.  (Whenever we do housing-contacting, people only open their door a little bit).  Once we introduced ourselves, he was more interested and had many questions about the church and what we believe.  We gave him a church flyer which has the address of our church and he wants to go, but he said because he's a student and is busy he may or may not go; but he will go if he has time!  He showed us his Bible he's been studying, and it looked fairly new.  He's been in Japan for a year and a half and he knew some English. Chinese people are often kinjin (金人), "golden person" which we say for golden investigators. 

A few other people, were willingly listening to our message. It caught me a little off guard, but it was such a miracle!  Also, another blessing that same day, when we left the apartment, a spider was crawling down in the middle of the walkway in the air and almost landed on Sister Lacey's head and I almost didn't see it! So I walked right into it, and it almost touched my eye, but I backed up quick enough that it didn't touch me!!!

That's just one story I have of my week. 

Here's a picture I took this week:

Until later,  Parker Shimai   😄😂😍😘❤️💕💕🍣

Sent from the white fields of Japan 🍲🌅

[K-Mom here:  for some reason the river and the sunbeam in the above picture made me think of two things:  1.  From 1st Nephi it talks about the river leading to the Tree of Life (God's love). 2.  I also thought of this hymn: #335  Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy

Lyrics

1. 1. Brightly beams our Father's mercy
   From his lighthouse evermore,
   But to us he gives the keeping
   Of the lights along the shore.
2. (Chorus)
   Let the lower lights be burning;
   Send a gleam across the wave.
   Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
   You may rescue, you may save.
3. 2. Dark the night of sin has settled;
   Loud the angry billows roar.
   Eager eyes are watching, longing,
   For the lights along the shore.
4. 3. Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
   Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
   Trying now to make the harbor,
   In the darkness may be lost.
5. Text and music: Philip Paul Bliss, 1838-1876