Let there be vegetables!

4/5 火

O Shimai the elder took us to see an LA today. She lived a long ways
away, and it turned out she wasn't home. That was too bad, but on the
way back, O was like, "Let me feed you two" and took us to an
Adventist restraurant.

Now let me have a moment to tell you about this morning. I had a bowl
of rice with otsukemono, milk with protein powder, and an egg because
protein is hard to get in Japan and I was stocking up. As I sat down
and looked at my breakfast, I was like, "I will never eat anything
green for the rest of my life." Not for lack of desire, but rather,
availability.

It was meaningful enough for me that I asked in personal study "Dear
God. I know you can do anything. I want to eat vegetables today. I
don't know how you're going to do it--we don't have time, and we don't
have vegetables, but I know you love us, and I want to eat something
healthy. Please bless us."

So we get to this Adventist cafeteria dealeo, and apparently,
Adventists are very healthy eaters, because everything there included
a kind of vegetable. And their pumpkin soup was delicious. I ate
myself full on vegetables. And there was cake (pumpkin cake),
so that was happy. I told O Shimai that she was an answer to my
prayer, and she was really happy. I was, too. That was really cool.

Then we went to H shimai's and helped her pick up trash. Her husband
came at the end and brought us back to the house. And H shimai's
husband was happy to see us :D

Apparently, I'm safe because I like cute things

4/4 月

Today, we got special permission to spend time with the O's, K's, and
M's down at the Himeji-jou. BEAUTIFUL!!! My companion was super
excited to go up into the castle. She's really cute--very Japanese. A
lot of her emotions are guesswork, but every so often, she gets
excited about something enough that I can actually tell without the
calculus and problem-solving that it normally takes.

Himeji-jou was beautiful--I'm so glad I got to go. I didn't think I
would be able to. Too bad I missed Kyoto, but I'll be back here soon
enough. Not an issue. Also, I splurged a bit and bought a
Shiromaruhime (Japanese castle mascot?) for my beloved Barii-san
(Japanese city mascot?). He needed a friend. I needed to be the one to
give it to him. (And I'm glad I did--Shiromaruhime seems to be a
seasonal item, and I got the cutest version.) When he saw what I had
bought, O kyoudai was like, "Ah, you like those kind of things?
That's good. It's safe."

Me: ...Safe?
Him: Because you're smart. (I guess liking cute
things makes me less intimidating?)

Come to think of it, T. Shimai called me a nakami, too. ...Hey, I'm
allowed to like cute things...

But anyways, we saw the "Evening Sakura." They lit up the Sakura
and the oshiro. It was beautiful. I'm really glad we went. That was a
great experience.

And now I have Shiromaruhime! :D

It's a great steed to end the mission on.

Today we went shopping. That is to say, I'm tired
now.

I've built up a lot of things, as far as resistance goes (for
example, I'm eating a piece of bread with fried fish on top of a layer
of boiled eggs and mayonnaise. Japan.)

Also, my companion and my unicycle. Because I know you wanted to hear
about those.

First the unicycle. I transferred and... actually did not receive a
unicycle. But my new bike provides the same, one-gear experience.
The handlebars are about the width of my shoulders, so I don't have
to worry about throwing myself off on the frogger walks, and there's a
cute little basket in the front. The pedal crank thing is also smaller than
I'm used to, so even on seventh gear, I have to pedal at twice the speed
of my companion to catch up with her. We're probably a great sight.

It's a great steed to end the mission on.

My companion is Japanese, who is adorable and secretly funny. Recently
she's started kidding around with me.

That's it for now - I am low on time, but I'll be home soon, so I can
fill you in on the day's events then.

Love you!

Wow. What a bookend to my first transfer.

火

We were going to make cookies on Sunday, but decided against it. Then
Monday night, N. kyoudai gives us a call and says, "White Day's
coming up..." (a holiday and "giving time")... So we spent a lot of today
making cookies. On the bright side, two of our members had AWESOME
missionary experiences with their family, and were just glowing. One of
them was thanks to my fantastic companion T. Shimai, and our heart points
with the ward went up by like, ten.

We finished talking with everyone at like, 8:58, so we booked it home.
First time I've run for more than ten seconds for a really long time.
And not to mention, I was in a skirt, shoulderbag, and shoes that I
occasionally throw off my feet by walking. But we made it! And it was
a lot of fun. Running with your companion and obedience on the line
isn't actually a bad activity. As we dashed to the apartment, we
looked at each other and burst out laughing. (We made it, by the way)
It was a really good bonding moment.

By the way, one or two things happened with the cookies, and... well,
they ended up tasting like salt and banana XDDD Surprisingly, it
wasn't bad, and I'm actually developing a liking for them.

水

So on Sunday, we received Mac and cheese from the Abeno sisters. I
made macaroni delight today for my companion, and she liked it! (On
that note, she didn't like hijiki until yesterday :DDDD) We went up to
a place where a bunch of members live. The missionaries call it
"Shinkou Yama", or Faith Mountain. I'll let you guess why.

I made it a good way up before I had to get off my bike. Wow. What a
bookend to my first transfer. One year and four months ago, I was so
angry at myself for not being able to climb up a hill on the way to a
member's. By the time I had to get off, it was far enough up that I
was actually proud of myself. When I got tired, I looked at a point in
the distance and went "Can you make it to that light?" "I can
absolutely make it to that light." And did so all the way up. I'm
still actually really happy, looking back on the experience, and I
hope to only do more from here on out.

Also met a LA's nonmember husband. He likes music, including and
especially Frank Sinatra. So now we're friends :D

And a cute highschooler across from them fixed the brakes on my bike
so that I don't have to fear for my life going down Shinko Yama.

For dinner, my beloved companion made udon. Now I actually know (kind
of) the tsurikata. :D

木

We helped prepare for the Easter party, and made paper flowers. Super
cool. I've never seen them in America, but I'll have to make some when
I get home, because it's simple, and really cool.

金

We received cake three times today :D First, we had a solid district mtg,
with a cameo from S and E chourou, then ate ramen with the Kobe
sisters. Then we took a train all the way out to a place called
Suzuranda, where we ate manju (Sakura and white anko), and ended up
getting taken up into a grocery store where we sat in weird heated
chairs and talked with them about health. And got another manju.

Times up. Love you

I know it's selfish...and it's just a picture on the wall

3/13 日

So, I called the Abeno sisters, like, a billion times to make
absolutely SURE that the baptism was on. A whole lot of crazy things
happened, but it finally worked out and we went. It was a lot of
fun--T Shimai is crazy good at naturally transitioning to gospel
topics. We taught a couple of solid lessons.

But the baptism. I know it's selfish, ...
...and I was the one who planned it to be like it is, but...
I'm so sad I'm not the one to stand in E's baptismal picture that
will hang on the ward-house wall. I worked so hard, SO hard,
and lost years of my life trying to get her baptized, and in the end,
because I was transferred and am not that area missionary anymore,
it should and will be Sisters M and S in the pictures. And in Y 's baptismal
picture, too. (She's getting baptized next Tuesday).
Darn. I'm so sad.
I worked so hard.

"But what is done in secret shall be rewarded in heaven." That's what
I'm hoping for. In all reality, it really is just a picture on the
wall.

And they know that I'm their missionary. When B Shimai (E-chan's mom)
hugged me goodbye, she said, "Thank you. I will always remember you. I
cannot forget you. You are my joy. Thank you."

I'll always remember you, too, B Shimai.

Something that was really surprising was that when the Bishop gave the
closing remarks, he gave me a hat-tip in front of the congregation.
And a White Day present :)

Thanks Bishop. It was a little rough, but I'm really glad we were able
to work through everything together in the end.


So, folks, this is Sanzu Shimai closing up another hastily-written
letter from Kitarokko, preaching repentance and baptizing converts.
Well, that's the plan anyways.

Five weeks left in the vineyard.


This week was really crazy, and I can only send you pieces of some of
the days right now, but this week, I got a letter from my recent
convert in Imabari that he's getting sealed to his wife two days after
I leave. Way to go! I feel my mission coming to a close, and it's
eating my heart. But in a good way. I'm glad to see everything finally
coming to a happy end.



Love,
Sanzu Shimai

As happy as I am / Friends Forever

3/9 水

We ate lunch at the K's today. It's always delicious, today was
especially delicious. And we got to meet M chan. That was really fun
:D She was so super sweet and at the very end, she prayed. It went
something like this:

"Dear God, I'm so grateful that we're able to meet everyone today and
(a bunch of other really awesome stuff)... I want to be happy. Sands
Shimai says that I can be happy if I pray. If that's true... I'd
really like to be happy like she is." There were a couple other things
she said, but by that point, we were both crying. At the end, we gave
each other a big hug, and I said. "You have a fb, right?"
Her: Yeah.
Me: Let's be friends forever.
Her: Yeah.
Me: Don't worry, I'll find you!

And I wasn't talking about on the Internet. I'll be far away, M chan,
but I will be your friend forever.

We also got hot chocolate at the Ya office. That was nice. Also got to
spend quality time with Ms. Ya, which was good.

Had another lesson with Y Shimai

Also, it was raining today.

3/10 木

Today was a lot of running around for the transfer. But I met my new
companion and I love her :D Must... Improve... Japanese...

I'M GETTING ANOTHER JAPANESE COMPANION! :D

3/8 火

We went to visit a less-active referral today, and we very
miraculously met her. On the way out of our apartment, I thought,
"Grab a Book of Mormon." And I was like, "We're not going anywhere
today. Everyone's coming to the church. And who needs an English Book
of Mormon?" But I grabbed it just in case. Afterwards, we bumped into
a trio of Germans, one of whom was fluent in English, and handed off
the Book of Mormon.

Then we rolled down the road and met a couple from Australia. Where do
all these gaijin come from? Don't they know that it's is Japan?

After that, we ate at a place called "Bikkuri Donki", and it was
delicious. At the end, we ordered parfaits (far different from
American parfaits) and it had a little dango on the top. It was
delicious. But the best part was that at the bottom, there were three
little dango! It was a bonus dango. Times three. I WIN!

Afterwards, we rode to S shimai's a little earlier than planned, and
she gave us HOMEMADE UME SODA. It was the most delicious thing I've
ever drank in my life. It's made by dumping a whole bunch of sugar on
a whole bunch of ume/plum (non-alchoholic), and then letting it sit for two
years. Then she gave us some of the ume, and it tasted just like fruit
leather. Now we know the secret.

Then we taught a quick lesson/goodbye to the M family, My Shimai, Y
Shimai, and N Shimai, who dropped by to pick up her tithing booklet.
XD It was a little surprising to all of us.

And the weather was beautiful.

And I know who my companion is now! (BC spilled the
beans on where I was going when I appealed that I couldn't send my
bags until I knew where I was going. What a sweet guy.) Her name is
T Shimai. I'M GETTING ANOTHER JAPANESE COMPANION :DDDD
I'M SO LUCKY!

Also, E. chourou is AP, now. TOTALLY saw that one coming.

What I didn't see coming is that we're in the same district. ... ...
Yeah, that's weird.