24th Week in Japan; 2nd area. Rain, rain, come today.

Also from Sept. 4/5th, 2016 (last week)

Currently, there is a lot of rain outside. Probably a typhoon. 

2016 Pacific Typhoon Season (from Wikipedia)

  

Japanese pedestrians battling typhoon season (picture from internet)

I like the crazy weather because then it cools down a bunch!  I'm really excited for Fall!  It's suppose to start cooling down at the end of this month.  Then the leaves will change color.  In Japanese, the word for thunder is "Kaminari" it makes me think of kami, which means God and nari, means ringing.  Although the kanji is different, 雷(rain on top of rice field), kaminari sounds more like the meaning is "God's ringing." 

We found a new investigator. It's actually a family!  We had this potential investigator in our Areabook who we've been trying to meet and teach.  One night, we prayed for help and guidance, and we were searching and searching for her apartment and finally found it.  Although, her husband answered the door.  He knew some English so that made things easier!  His wife (our potential investigator) could not come to the door, but as we were speaking with him, we were able to make a return appointment.  When he was a college student he read the whole Book of Mormon, which was shocking, all of it he had read.  He was curious of which church was the most remarkable, so he studied about many religions at that time.  We offered to give him a Book of Mormon, but he did not want to hold some thing so big in possession.  He asked, "Do you have something smaller, like a pamphlet?" [smiles]: Of course we do.  I have like 20.   So we whip out a 'Restoration of Jesus Christ's gospel' pamphlet, which was perfect.  He asked for one in English for his son to study, so we gave him that too.  Then, he asked about church and our English class we teach so we offered him a handout;  He took that too.  That was quite a miracle!! 

We are teaching that family tonight with a member.  Most people I've taught have not really had a background of Jesus Christ or God, but this family knows a lot more so they may have many questions about the Church.  I'm a little nervous, but I read this morning in 2 Nephi 27:23 --

"23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith."

So I have faith that we will be able to teach with the Spirit. I pray we will be able to teach efficiently and clearly so that they may want to be baptized!!  And then they can go through the temple and be sealed together as a family!!

From Sept 12, 2016

This week we visited a bunch of less-actives! [Remember the list of 200 I mentioned a few weeks ago?] We've been working more with the Filipinos in the ward too.

We had dinner with the amazing M______ Shimai [the one mentioned in blog posted last week when we went and visited Sister F_______] at the M___________'s house [different family]. They cooked us real Chinese food. We talked about families and it made me very excited to be a mom and to raise my own family someday.

The family of proclamation says,
 "The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."  

[The message of family is important to Japan because these days, many younger people in Japan are not choosing to date nor get married and have children.  Japan has an aging population -- including many Centenarians.  This 'fewer marriages and children' is not a trend which leads to good population balance!! ]
https://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/no-of-japans-centenarians-increases-to-65692

About the weather again, I think typhoon season is ended [almost], however, it is expected to be raining all this week and then it will cool down into Autumn.  I love Fall I'm so excited!  

In this video we are having a district meeting while we are waiting for the rain to let up.  "District meeting!" .. "It's raining!"

The elders' names are Elder Ishikawa and Elder King. Elder King is from Australia and he's hilarious, but very humble.  Elder Ishikawa--we were at the MTC together.  [He is Native Japanese] His English is good and he's a district leader.  Well, we just got transfer calls today and he is going to be our zone leader now!  Sister Madsen is staying in Mito with me!  Elder King is staying in Mito and he's going to get two new companions, so he will be a sannin (3 people companionship)!!

Also, do you have any Halloween party ideas?  We are throwing a little Halloween party at the church for everyone, but just need a few more ideas.  We are going to do this relay race that involves possibly bobbing for apples, wrapping people like a mummy, and then trick-or-treating upstairs. Nothing scary though.  Just very kid-friendly, but it's for everyone!  Pumpkins are different in Japan so we won't do carving probably, but we were thinking of decorating cut-out pumpkins from paper.

One thing I'm working on is loving people more.  When we share our message of the restored gospel, but don't show love like Jesus Christ would then it's hard for the Spirit to teach.  When we are filled with the love of Jesus Christ, it overcomes everything else.  The Lord wants everyone to be able to have the chance to choose happiness and return to live with Him again.   It's our choice if we accept Him and live with him again.  Our faith and our actions have to show that we want to be with Him again.

Until next time,  Parker Shimai

Sent from the white fields of Japan 🍲🌅