34th Week in Japan; 2nd Area. The love of family.

This past week we taught Family Home Evening on Monday night and we talked about baptism to prepare their son who is being baptized next month on Christmas.  He is just like my brother!  It's hard to listen to a lesson when a young boy is so cute you want to play games instead.  :) Haha Sister Shoji related too.

[For those of you who don't know what "Family Home Evening" {FHE} is, it is one night set aside, usually Monday night, for families in the LDS church to get together in their own home, with the other family members, and have a spiritual lesson.  They can also include a short family council, and games or refreshments if they wish, tailored according to their family's needs.  FHE is designed to help families bond and grow spiritually.  It does not take the place of regular weekly Sabbath worship and instruction. ]

I contemplate life's trials and the power of family love and support, and how the gospel is a guide to us to help us navigate through life's difficulties, just as a compass guides a traveler:

This is a test in life, although a very hard one, we can still choose to be happy and focus on the joy of the gospel! I promise as you love according to the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will always have peace and happiness through the power of the Holy Ghost. Of course, there are still times that we can't help but feel sad, hurt, or upset. 

I really like this scripture.

Alma 37:

"38 And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director--or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.

39 And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness.

40 And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.

41 Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey;

42 Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions.

43 And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.

44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.

45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.

46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever. [this makes a reference in the bible during the time of Moses I believe, when people were dying and if they looked up to the serpent on the stick, they lived.]

47 And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell."

I testify that God loves us and he always will.  Love conquers all.  Even during times of difficulty, God is always there to help and lift our spirits up.  And then when families live according to the gospel, there is that support that family members give to each other. :) So that's why we are here, to help each other.

Keep going! ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ

Sister Kirsten Parker

Sent from the white fields of Japan 🍲🌅

(image from the internet)

November 22, 2016 (6am Japan time) [11/21/16 afternoon US] Earthquake and tsunami offshore from Fukushima

Update after the earthquake:  From Kirsten/Parker Shimai--

I felt the earthquake.  In Tokyo it was about a 3 magnitude (said a lady who we talked to on the train today).  So in Mito, it was probably about a 4 magnitude.  The earthquake was at 6:00a.m., ten minutes before we set our alarms.  The trains were delayed for about and hour and some more, but we talked to this really sweet lady while we waited.  She may come to Eikaiwa (English conversation class). I didn't realize the earthquake was so big in Fukushima though! We are safe! :) 



*******************
We hope no news is good news (she's probably okay).  Kirsten/Parker Shimai is in Ibaraki prefecture (similar to a county), and lives a few miles inland, i.e. not near the beach, and now is under tsunami advisory (lowest rating).  I assume that she would've been woken up by the 6.9 / 7.4 earthquake though.  We'll continue to watch for aftershocks and see how the Daiichi nuclear power plant does.   

K-Mom

Here's a link to an instagram post if you want to hear what Japan's tsunami siren sounds like:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNFpalxAIEm/

Kirsten is in the yellow area below the orangey-red X.

Tsunami Forecast Region  Category of Tsunami Warning/Advisory
IWATE PREF.             TSUNAMI ADVISORY
MIYAGI PREF.            TSUNAMI ADVISORY
FUKUSHIMA PREF.     TSUNAMI ADVISORY
IBARAKI PREF.          TSUNAMI ADVISORY

******* Earthquake Information ******** Occurred at  05:59 JST, 22 Nov. 2016 Region name  FUKUSHIMA-KEN OKI Latitude 37.4N Longitude 141.6E Depth  about 30 km Magnitude  7.4

33rd Week in Japan; 2nd Area; In prayer we plant the seed of faith which gives us the vision (goal)

I don't have much to report this week. But one thing I learned this week was that prayer is not only a way to communicate back and forth to Heavenly Father, but it is a way of giving our hearts to God and becoming one with His will.  

We also found two new investigators:  Sa____-san and Ta_______-san ["san" is an honorific title that you give to somebody else.  You never give that title to yourself].
We've really been making time between our appointments to talk to everyone. There's a lot of people by the station so sometimes it takes like an hour or more to get there by bike (without stopping people, which unfortunately we have had to do sometimes, it's like 15 minutes).  On Friday after district meeting, we were super pumped to talk to to people. We have prayed and [as a missionary district] made a vision [faith goal] with the ward to get three baptisms by the end of this year.

John 20:24-29
"24 ¶But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord.  But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26 ¶And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

(Picture from internet)  By Caravaggio, "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas"

We can get three baptisms. We can do it!  That day, we talked to a lady on the train who was so kin金(golden), but we had to get off the train and couldn't get her phone number so we just gave her a flyer.  And then when we were off the train walking to Children's English class, we talked to another girl and she accepted to learn more!  Then after the class, the next lady we talked to has a lot of interest in God and is reading the bible a little bit. She read a Japanese comic version [of the Bible] first and liked it, so she started studying the Bible.  That's Ta_______-san!  After three weeks we finally found some more people to teach!!  I was ecstatic.   

Other news:  Today we had zone p-day.   Also, unexpectedly, Elder Newey our district leader was transferred and will be a Traveling Assistant for his last transfer and a half of his mission.  So now instead of three elders, there are two, Elder King and Elder Sato. (Elder Sato was my first district leader in Okegawa and then he came to Mito after me!). 

Love, Sister Parker

p.s.  On 11/11 it was Poki day.  Poki is a very popular sweet.  It's a stick usually dipped in chocolate.

Pocky /ˈpoki/ is a Japanese snack food produced by Ezaki Glico. Pocky was first sold in 1966, and consists of chocolate-coated biscuit sticks. It was named after the Japanese onomatopoetic word pokkin --Wikipedia

(packaging how it looks in America)