Bonus Post: 20th Week in Japan; 2nd area.

[Subject matter taken from a family letter]

So as I said in my letter last week, my new companion (greenie from the MTC) is Sister Madsen. She is really motivated and we have great plans for this area.  

Among other things, we wish to visit the less-actives (those who rarely attend church or have ceased attending all together).  There are 200 less-active-in-church people here.  

I'm doing pretty good by the way. I fell off of my bike, but I am good. It's nothing too serious.  I told Sister Nagano (President's wife).  We found two new investigators in one week!  They are both about 20 years old!  We are really trying to strengthen the ward and the youth!

I feel stressed sometimes, but I'm able to overcome it quickly.  Since coming to Japan, I've become much more patient.   My Japanese language skills are also progressing nicely.

As for the question in the letter about teaching others without a language in common, I have similar experiences with teaching people who don't know English or Japanese very well.  Usually they speak Chinese, but sometimes, it's Spanish.  

[Sister Kirsten Parker's words about dealing with trials]:   Don't let temptations overcome the spirit that you've been feeling.. Keep feeding yourselves with the joy of the gospel.  Satan tried and continues to try hard to make sure everyone doesn't have joy.  This may be a trial right now, but trials can be overcome and completely conquered when you continually ask the Lord for help.  Please continue to have the faith that everything will be okay.  No matter how dark the road may seem, if you hold fast to the iron rod and not let go, you will see the light and you will always have that inner peace from the Spirit.  When afflictions come, if we don't let ourselves get down, we will still feel that peace and comfort of the Spirit.   Constantly uplift each other. Have a family conference and make goals of how to constantly lift each other up even during trials.

October 2011 General Conference address:    [images not part of talk]

"You are not forgotten."

        Sisters [and Brothers], wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love.

        Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time!

        He who created and knows the stars knows you and your name--you are the [sons and] daughters of His kingdom. The Psalmist wrote:   [Psalms 8]

        “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;    

(images from internet search)   

        “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? …

        “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”

        God loves you because you are His child. He loves you even though at times you may feel lonely or make mistakes.

        The love of God and the power of the restored gospel are redemptive and saving. If you will only allow His divine love into your life, it can dress any wound, heal any hurt, and soften any sorrow."

[For full text of the talk, go to: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/forget-me-not?lang=eng

***********************

It may be hard, but Jesus Christ makes it easier!!

Remember, how powerful God is.  He created everything and His hands continually guide us when we follow Jesus Christ.  He can help you overcome the boulders placed in your path.  

Art by Greg Olsen

   

Image from giftsandbooksforchristians.com; Greg Olsen art
www.bradfordexchange.com

  

 

Never cease to pray and glorify a Heavenly Father who is rooting for you right now!! 

Thank you for continuing the Lord's work and preaching the gospel. :)

Your loving missionary daughter,

Sister Kirsten Parker

Sent from the white fields of Japan 🍲🌅

20th Week in Japan; 2nd Area; The beginning of Week 3 Trainer stories

Hello people of America and beyond,

We did a service project for the a temple president and now our mission president owes us ice creams I guess.  It felt great serving in such hot and HUMID weather.  I drank so many liters of water.  Japan is hot.

Service Project, August 2016
Sister Parker's new companion, Sister Madsen, is on the left in the purple shirt

Sorry I'm not writing too much this week.. I fell off of my bike and hurt my hand.  

We found two new investigators this week and they are so awesome!!

Here's a poem from an Elder who shared it during District meeting. #missionarywork

[thank goodness for copy and paste, so less typing]

 He has been there before.

The alarm bell rings at 6:30, I stumble to my feet
I grab my companions bedding and pull off his sheets

A groan fills the room, is it already time to arise?
It seems like just a second ago, I was able to shut my eyes
The morning activities follow- study, prayer and such
When it's time to leave the apartment, you feel you haven't accomplished much

"We have a super day planned,"My comp. says with a grin
I lowly utter a faithless breath,"Yeah, if anyone lets us in."

With the word of God and my faithful companion, we ride off into the street
prepared to face another day of humidity and heat
It's 9:30 in the evening, the day is almost through
My companion and I are riding home not accomplishing what we thought to do

We ride up to the mailbox, hoping to receive a lot
Only to look inside and hear my echo reverberate "air Box"
We go up to our apartment, the day is now complete
The only thing to show for our work is a case of blistery feet

It's past 10:30 p.m. My companion is fast asleep,
Silence engulfs me all about and I begin to weep
In the midst of sadness, I kneel down to pray
I need to talk to Father, but I'm not sure what to say

"Oh, Father" I begin, "What happened to us today?
I thought we'd teach somebody, but everyone was away
My hands, my aching hands- worn, hurt and beat;
If our area was any smaller, we'd have knocked every street"

"Why on missions are the days so much alike?
The only difference about today was the flat tire on my bike
Will you send some cooler weather? The heat is killing me
I sweat so bad, it gets in my eyes, it's very hard to see"

"Why do I have to wear a helmet, isn't your protection enough?
People always laugh at me, and call me stupid stuff
Please send us investigators so I may give them what they lack
I want to give them Books of Mormon, the weight of them hurts my back"

"And what about my family: They don't have much to say
I'm sick of not hearing from home day after day after day
Oh Father, Why am I here am I just wasting time?
Sometimes I just want to go home, I'm sorry but that's on my mind"

"My companion, Heavenly Father, what are you giving me?"
The way he rides his bicycle, I don't think he can see
Now you have it, I can't go on, I don't know what to do
That, my Father in Heaven, is the prayer I have for you"

My prayer now finished, I stand up, then jump right into bed
I need my rest for tomorrow, we have another long day ahead
Sleep starts to overtake me, I seem to drift away
Then it seems a vision takes me to another time in another day

I'm standing alone on a hill. The view is very nice
A man walks towards me and says, "My name is Jesus Christ"
Tears of joy well up inside, I fall down to His feet
"Arise," He states, "Follow me to the shade. You and I need to speak"

My attention's towards my Savior, total and complete
He says, "Your mission is similar of what happened to me
I understand how you feel, I know what you're going through
In fact, it would be fair to say I've felt the same as you"

"I even know how you felt when no one listened to you
At times I felt not quite sure what else I could do
I know you don't like to ride a bicycle, for you a car would be sweet
Just remember the donkey I rode wasn't equipped with 21 speeds"

"I understand you don't like sweating, in fact it's something you hate
I remember when I sweat blood from ev’ry pore, oh the agony was great!
I see you don't like your companion- you'd rather have someone else-
I once had a companion named Judas who sold my life for wealth"

"It's hard to wear a helmet and have people make fun of you
I remember when they put thorns on my head and called me King of the Jews
So you feel burdened down by the weight of your pack
I recall how heavy the cross was when they slammed it on my back"

"Your hands hurt from tracting and knocking on doors all day
I guess when they pounded nails into mine, I ached in a similar way
It's hard not to hear from home when your family's not there to see
I lost communication on the cross and cried, "Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?"

"We have a lot in common, but there's a difference between us you see
I endured to the end and finished my mission, so follow and do like me"
He embraced me with His arms and His light filled me with His love
With tears in my eyes I watched as He went back to the Father above

I stood with awe and wonder when a beep rang in my head
I listened and heard the alarm, then realized I was in my bed
My companion let out a groan, "6:30 already, no way!"
I sat up and said, "Come on, I'll even carry your scriptures today!"

頑張ろう日本」

When we turn our thoughts to the Savior and keep in mind the sacrifice He has made, we can always remain joyful no matter what our circumstances in life may be.

Sincerely, love

パーカー姉妹

Sister Parker

Sent from the white fields of Japan 

19th Week in Japan; 2nd area. 祭り時間 (Festival time); new companion from the MTC

[I'm waiting on permission to post the new companion's name or picture]

祭り時間 [Festival time] !!! YAY!!!

Hello everyone!!

This week, my companion Sister Lacey went home and I got my green bean, my little companion amigo, trainee, bean-chan, or to be interpreted, Sister M______!!

Sister M_______ is a great missionary!  She just got here, but her Japanese is very good for a first transfer! She studies hard and is very knowledgable.  She just wants to teach people and find people and is so motivated. She's not too afraid of talking to people.  I almost feel like I'm the one being trained. It's very humbling. I can see the Lord is trying to pick out all the leftover impatience and selfishness that I have in me. The littlest things are the hardest, but I'm excited for how much will change this transfer!

We got a new investigator through a less-active this week. There was a less-active who was on our Areabook map but not our Areabook records.  We visited her and wanted to do a little self introductions and we really got to know her! She hasn't been to church in awhile.  She called her daughter over, who is 16, and we started talking.  She explained to her daughter that we were sister missionaries and she got excited.  She has interest in the church, but doesn't know anything about it really.  We became friends!  And we gave her a Book of Mormon and testified of the joy we get when we read it.

She's coming to English conversation class this week and we got a return appointment. We are so excited to help her mom come back to church and help her daughter learn of the Savior and his amazing and everlasting love and atonement!!!!

Our other investigator, S_______-san, did have a baptismal date, but she can't come to church in Mito because of bad childhood memories there. We are going to meet and teach with her this Wednesday about going to church in the Sendai mission, which is actually a little bit closer to her than Mito.

And E____, our awesome kinjin Chinese investigator went back to China. We have been trying to skype her because she really wants to continue to learn about God and Jesus Christ, but we haven't been able to reach her for some reason. 

However, this week we've been talking to a lot of people and really trying to get to know people and becoming friends and inviting them to take our lessons or come to Eikaiwa. This week is going to be busy, I hope!!

This next week, we are trying to be obedient for the right reasons.  We are being obedient to reap souls, to help people know that there is a way back to a loving Heavenly Father and that's through the Savior and his eternal sacrifice. In Luke 22, when the Savior had already suffered in Gethsemane, arrested, and denied by his best friend.  He was taken to the council --   "67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:"

It can be hard to believe in things we cannot see. But we can know through the Holy Ghost and its promptings, feelings, and small directions that Jesus Christ lives and has saved all who believe in Him and follow Him.   In 2 Nephi 32: 3, it says that you can be taught what to do in everything:   "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."   Feasting means that you should learn a lot of the words of Christ until your soul is full, just like the body is after a holiday meal--partake until your soul isn't hungry, but has been satisfied.

That's all for now!! Until the next adventure!!
頑張りましょう!!!

Love,

Sister Parker

p.s. Here are some videos of the festival fireworks.  
Fireworks are the best in Japan!! 花火 (hanabi)

Video 1  (1 MB)  (about 11 seconds long)

Video 2  (1.3 MB)  (about 15 seconds long)

Video 3 (16 MB) (about 3 minutes long -- this one is the most spectacular of the 3 videos and in real life to watch it must've been very beautiful.  The sponsor spent a lot of money).