28
December 2014 Sakado
It
never really felt like Christmas here. It was a little sad. We are still
waiting for it to feel like Christmas! Guess I will have to wait for next year.
This week was still pretty busy but, because New Years is coming up no one has
time to meet us, they are all "busy". So, past and upcoming week will
be the calm before the storm! While it is sad not having lots of lessons, it's
a blessing in disguise. We inherited the other sisters’ investigators and
everything else that was theirs when Sakado area went down to only one pair of
sisters. It's been crazy! And it'll be nice to have. A chance to go through
everything now and organize!
This
week wasn't nearly as exciting as last week. We got lost twice; once because I
wanted to find a short cut (and didn't) and once because we got fault
directions. And my Christmas package from my family was delivered to the wrong
person! And they sinned for it! So we spent a lot of time having to deal with
that. All the members banded together to find it. It was really sweet of them!
They also put together a package for me to make up for my lost one! It was full
of food and hand warmers! It made me sooo happy. We eventually did find my
package. Ito Kyodai did some calling during eikaiwa and by the end of the night
he had found the package. When we got home we were met by Ito Kyodai and two
met in suits, in a nice car, and they handed over my package. I'm not sure how
that package had been retrieved...it had been opened and things were missing
from it. But, maybe the person who took it needed those things more than I did!
This
week we had lots of Christmas parties to go too. On the 23rd was our ward
party. Our bishop renamed it our Christmas celebration. Because he doesn't
think it's a party. We are celebrating the savior's birth so it should be
called a celebration. I liked he thought. M San came to the Christmas
celebration. She fits right in. You wouldn't even know was she wasn't a member!
Everyone loves her and her kids. The next day she came to our eikaiwa Christmas
party too. She even came early to help set up!
After
we went to our bishop’s house and had Christmas dinner. That was fun as well.
We shared a message...naturally it was the Christmas story! But it was so
awkward. We asked the kids to help and they just wouldn't say anything and
neither would the adults! Ahh. At the end we said tonight Christmas
is over, but that doesn't mean we need to stop thinking about Christ. We should
have him in our hearts everyday! And then we asked them all to think of a way
they could remember Christ throughout the year.
Christ
isn't part of Christmas here. I think that's why it didn't feel like Christmas.
Christmas in Japanese doesn't even have Christ in it! It is KU-RI-SU-MA-SU.
They took Christ out! I'm sure not intentionally, but still they took him out!
We need to make sure we don't take him out of our Christmas! I know, from here
on out, I will be trying much harder to keep Christ in my Christmas.
Time
for a cool miracle this week! On
Saturday we had planned to bring cookies to a
member and his family, who had helped us a lot this week. First we needed to go
to a seven eleven to get wifi and see on the map where this member was. Well,
as we tried to leave, I couldn't find my bike key. It was nowhere to be found!
And I couldn't seem to find any of my spares. Oh well, guess that is a sign we
needed to walk. So we did.
We
tried to stop everyone who walked by. And they all ended up being Jehovah's
witnesses! What! We got the address, and realized that it was nowhere near us
and that we had to bike. Back to the apartment we went. I still couldn't find my
key I'd been using but I did finally find the spares. Off to the member’s house
we go!
And
I take us on the wrong side of the tracks..oops. So we cross back over and head
in the right direction. But, we couldn't find the house! And after looking for
a little we had to turn around and go. We had a lesson that night. I was
feeling pretty discouraged. We had found no one interested all day! As we
headed back to our apartment we stopped at a light. There was a mother and two
girls standing there. We said hello but she didn't seem too interested in us.
We continued on, we were in a hurry. But, I just couldn't bring myself to ride
away, so I stopped hopped of my bicycle and ran back up to her. I told her we
were missionaries and would love to teach her! She is from Africa, she came
here about five years ago with her husband, Bijoux. We exchanged information
and we are just waiting for her call, pray she calls! Sister Bettridge was sooo
excited. It was her first real positive contact. Yay!
 |
| Nihongin restaurant meal |
 |
| Me! |
Sunday we went over to
a member’s house for dinner and we started swapping second language bloopers.
Sister Bettridge has already collected quite a few. But she is speaking and
trying so I'm so proud of her! My favorites have been "I'm a
squirrel" instead of "I'm twenty" and today we told someone the
headband I gave her keeps her eyes warm! One of them members told us that she,
when she was in the US, would call people on the phone and they would say
hello, who is this? She thought they were quizzing her, jokingly, so she would
reply "I don't know who this is." I laughed so hard when I heard
this. And whenever I think about it I laugh too. So funny.
 |
| Sister Bettridge's first heart attack |
Well,
that's all for now.
Here are some pictures.
Love
you all!
 |
| It's COLD! You can see Mt Fuji in the background |
