It's Getting Cold!

10 November Sakado

I can't believe another week is over already! Where is the time going??? This week he days felt really long, but he week just zoomed by! We had a little more free time than we usually do. A lot of the people we work with are students and right now it is test season...which means they don't have time for us. But, it ended up being a blessing. We met two new (to us) less active families who had managed to fly under the radar. One of the new families is from Peru and the other is from Brazil. 

This week, please pray for my Spanish and Portuguese speaking ability. While I surprise myself in lessons and can say things, and bring things back to memory...I am nowhere near capable of teaching an entire lesson. But, I know with heavenly father's help and your prayers it's possible!

Every week we go to the family from Peru's home (a different family, same as last week). And the rescuer ring trend seems to be something funny with language and wrong translations seem to happen. This time we got to their house before the mother was home. She said she would be there soon. So we sat outside and called people. The grandpa must have hear us because he came out and invited us in. We went into the entry way but since he was the only one there we weren't allowed to go any farther. No big deal right?...the only problem was we didn't know how to explain the missionary rule in Spanish. Finally I figured out the word for rule-regla. I said missionary rule! He didn't get it. He thought I was saying black- Negla. He kept leaving and coming back, and since we hadn't come in he was getting a little frustrated.

We didn't know what to do! Finally Ushimaru shimai came home. She explained it to the grandpa and he started muttering about regla and negra. Throughout our visit we would hear him periodically muttering about it. It was so funny. I could understand it too so it just made it even better. Each visit I think my Spanish gets a little better! And I'll be sure to extra emphasis on my RegLa next time I use it. 

We met a lady this week who had met the missionaries 8 years ago..or something like that. We met her at Mr. Donuts, had donuts and talked about church. She is amazing, and a hard worker. Her daughter disappeared and left her two children at her mother’s house. So she is now grandmother and mother to them! I really liked her a lot. I hope she comes to church with the kids. It would be perfect for them! Before our lesson we had called a member to come with us. The member is probably in her 50's. While Hall shimai was on the phone with her she told her the lady we were meeting was probably around her same age...we didn't know. It occurred to me she could be older. I voiced my concern to Sister Christiansen and We burst out laughing. Oh we thought it would be so funny if she was older. And then she turned out to be much older than the member. Poor Nohagi shimai...

This week, and every week, Hall shimai mixed up the words ninjin and Ningen. One means carrot and the other means humans. It makes a big difference. I love when she says life is hard as carrots. Or we are all carrots. It just doesn't get old. It brings great joy to my life. 

Funny story from this morning: we let for a lesson and as we were biking I thought to myself "wow I haven't felt the wind in my hair for a while...my helmet!" I'd forgotten it. So we race back to the apartment and see that the garbage truck is pulling in. The garbage hadn't been taken out. We called the sisters and they didn't answer and we didn't know what to do...we had soooo much garbage this week so I came up to the garbage man, told him we had garbage and asked if he could wait, and then made a pity me and my Nihongo face cus I don't think it really made sense. He told me to run so..I did! Sister Hall and I tore up four flights of stairs grabbed our garbage and came running back down and handed over the garbage. We were sooo out of breath. Also, we didn't have our key so we came around our apartment to the back door and I hopped the fence (all in one motion) and let sister Hall in through the door, then we ran up the four fllights of stairs...oh we were pooped after wards. But we got a really good laugh. 

This week was really good. I've started to change how I dendō. I feel a lot more confident in my nihongo skills and so I have gotten a lot more bold. When I extend an invitation they know I expect them to do it, it isn't a suggestion.  And I've stopped letting people make up excuses too (nihonjin don't like to say no, they just like to make excuses instead). Sister Hall finds it very amusing. I'm just ready to stop being a push over missionary. It's very easy when you don't understand what is going on. But I feel like I do now. So, it's time to step up! We saw a lot of progression this week in some of our investigators and lots of little miracles. Christmas is approaching...I'm ready for big miracles. And that means I need to be doing my part. Don't worry though. I'm not mean or anything, just bold. 

I love you all!

Thank you for your emails! They made me very happy! 

Love, Sister Molinari