What Happened To February????

3 March 2014 Chiba

Hello minasan!

This week has been a blast! There was beautiful weather ALL week. This week won't be as nice, but at least it has stopped snowing! The cherry and plum blossoms are starting to come out too. I cannot wait.
Everyone talks about how beautiful they are.

We got our transfer calls today! Orton shimai and I are staying in Oyumino!!!!! The other two are leaving.
This week has been a great week for Orton shimai and I as well. We have been meeting lots of amazing people in the park. Lots of obachans. They are our favorite. Little old ladies here are SO cute! Most of them come to about my armpit. They are so little! And they all like to take hula classes. They're pretty spunky too. We met a lady in the park on Friday who wants to come to church with us next week too!

How exciting is that?

And S San, who a few lessons ago, told us her least favorite place in the whole world to go was...church. Great. Well, we talked to her on the phone a day or two ago and she decided she wants to go to church with us too! What a miracle. I can't wait for next Sunday.

We planned for our week Sunday night and it's gonna be great. We have it packed full! There are lots of people for us to visit and find. I've recommitted myself to learning nihongo too...or decided I need to be A LOT more proactive in learning it. Instead of sometimes SYLing (Speak Your Language) we are doing it all the time. I've already seen a tiny improvement in my speaking.

So, there were takusan (many) funny...some even hilarious moments this week. Here are some of our favorites:

On our way back home from Shibuya we had quite the experience. True to Orton- Molinari shimai form we got on the wrong train and traveled at least 20 minutes the WRONG way. After we corrected our course, we rode the hour and 40 minutes back to Oyumino. On one of our trains we were sitting, completely exhausted from the day, when the very old man next to us said something in nihongo. I turned, not sure if he was talking to us and he burst into laughter! I jabbed Orton shimai a couple of
times and told her to say something. So she starts speaking in Nihongo and he responds in beautiful English. He explains that his wife asked him what he wanted for dinner. The problem: he didn't know what he wanted. For some reason he found that ridiculously funny as well. Not wanting to be rude we continued talking to him. He asked where we were from. When Orton shimai told him Michigan, he made a stink face and spent the next 15 minutes or so bashing Michigan...and laughing. We later found out he had been entertaining someone for work. While entertaining this person I think he may have a few too many drinks himself. Boy was he funny though..and he thought so too!

Then, at our last station before getting home we almost get on the wrong train again! Luckily we discovered we were on the wrong train BEFORE it left the station. We run to the other side of the station
and hop onto our train. There is barely enough room for us and then these old men decide to cram themselves in too! We are squashed! Orton shimai is basically on top of this other guy, and there is nowhere to move too. So the train goes and all is going well until the track curves  and everyone goes flying to the right. Up against the wall is one of the old men who decided to force his way in despite the lack of room. He was this tiny little man. As we all shift to the right he gets squashed against the door and makes one of the most un-nihonjin noises I've heard yet. And that noise was soooooo funny! Orton Shimai and I started snickering not so quietly. Then, after a few dirty looks from the other nihonjin men we stop laughing. Demo (ed. Note: but), Orton shimai is still snickering silently and gets to the point where she just can't hold it in any longer and snorts really loudly! The best part about her snort...or maybe the worst was that she sprayed spit!!!! And it landed on a man’s jacket!!!! And all the control I had just gained was lost and I burst into laughter again. The laughter continues until we got off the train. Luckily we probably won't see those men again...

And it's a good thing his jacket was water proof...

Later this week we had another run in with a drunk. He was in pretty bad shape. He kept bowing to us. Over...and over...and over... And apologizing for his drunkness. I kept nodding my head back and telling
him it was fine. I think that May have been why he kept bowing..ha ha He felt obligated to. Well, long story short, we gave him a word of wisdom pamphlet. And... He loved it!! Ha ha ha.

I rode my bike for the first time this week. Our 35 minute walk to the station got cut in half! Demo, I haven't ridden a bike in years so my thighs were really feeling it. I thought I would wake up sore the next
day but I woke up with no pain. Mission blessing! Orton shimai and I also have a slight problem- my bike goes MUCH faster than her little mamachati. Going up hills behind her doesn't work. I catch up and then
lose all my momentum! And then...I have to walk. But I learned my lesson quick and that won't be happening again!

Noodle Tying

So super funny story. I tied this piece of pasta and stuck it in my mouth, and I was gonna pull it out to impress sister Orton. But, I needed to make it look like I really tied it hahaha and when I pulled it out there were two knots!!!!

We went on companion exchanges on Saturday. I was with Requilman shimai. We had a good time. And we got to teach a lesson. We taught this super sweet lady from the Philippines. She has the cutest
children too!! Twins and a baby! We taught about temples and the blessing that come from going to the temple. I taught about all the things we could do I'm the temple. My favorite was telling her about temple marriages. When we get married in the temple we are sealed for time and all eternity. That means, even after we die we will still be with our husband and children! As I told her about it she lit up. It was a really nice lesson. I loved it. And I think she loved hearing about the temple too.

Well, that's all for this week. I love being a missionary! And I love this church. The best part is that I get a front row seat to watching it bless so many peoples’ lives. I don't know where I'd be without it.

Love you all!

Sister Molinari