Kenzie Says "Kon'nichiwa": January 4th

Dear Family,

Happy New Year! I hope you had fun celebrating. My week was crazy! Who knew New Years was such a big deal?!

During Christmas we were pretty surprised that literally no one invited us over for dinner or anything. We had to create our own celebration and it was really fun! Well, we were shocked again when everyone and their mom wanted to have us over and feed us during the week of New Years. Christmas and New Years here are the exact opposite from how it goes in America. Christmas is the holiday that's for going on a date or hanging out with friends. But New Years is when everyone has work off, sends cards, visits their family, relaxes, eats a ton, plans parties, etc. So no one realized Christmas was a big deal to us and we didn't realize New Years was a big deal to them! So we got Christmas again!

President Wada told us our week would be pretty miserable if we didn't have tons of appointments with members because the work would be really slow and literally no one to find because it's the holiday! Luckily we had so many appointments we could barely find time for the things we had planned and time to plan for this week!

On Tuesday I went on exchanges with Sister Hotu. She is from Australia/New Zealand/is quarter Chinese/lived in Hawaii. Anyway it was a day of unexpected miracles. We had a lesson planned with their investigator, Goto San. She has a history of not following through with appointments and she also lives over the hills and across forever so we were praying and calling to confirm several times that she would be home. So we were riding our bikes to her home and on the way Sister Hotu started feeling faint. We were stopped at a red light and she started falling over so still on my bike, I grab her arm and pull her towards me so she and her bike don't fall in the middle of the road. Then she comes to and starts biking across a major road so I followed close behind.. Then she stops right before she runs into a big bush. After resting for several minutes we decide to walk up the rest of the way to her house. An ambulance passes and Sister Hotu jokes that she hopes its not for Goto sans mom who was being taken away on a stretcher last time they visited. Well we get there and it most definitely was for her mom. So we left a note and started knocking on doors. We met her sweet neighbor who only opened the door because she recognized that we were the missionaries that she had said hello to before. She is very devout Buddhist but wants to come to the church for English class and would love us to continue to say hello when we are in the area. Next we visited a sister in the ward who's husband is less active and less than excited about ever coming back. She wasn't home but he was so he graciously accepted the card we made for his wife and was very polite. Next unexpected miracle happened when we were on our way to visit a couple less active sisters for their birthday. We sat down next to this super cute girl on the train and immediately began a conversation. She was on her way to Hokkaido for New Years but works and lives in Hachioji. We invited her to come to church with us when she came back and she asked where the church was. She found me on facebook and then started looking at the church's facebook page. We asked if she had heard of our church before and mentioned that sometimes we were called mormon. We explained that we read the Bible and another book, the Book of Mormon. We offered her the book and she was really excited to receive it! We got off the train and went to visit the members and realized their address was incomplete in the directory so we couldn't find them but we were grateful for God directing our path. We had opportunities to share our purpose and message and invite! Successful day!

Wednesday: We taught the Kawatani family and then visited Sister Tanaka who lives nearby. Her parents are non members and her father used to take lessons with the elders. She called him out so we could meet him. He is really funny and stubborn. He knows a lot about the bible and has really deep, difficult questions. He says if our church can answer all his questions then he will join. He asked why Adam and Eve had to eat the fruit to become mortal but the animals in the garden were already subject to death. He had lots of other questions too. I'm not sure how satisfactory my answers were but I had the opportunity to point him to the Book of Mormon for his answers and teach him about the Restoration. When I told him about the apostasy, he seemed interested and said he had never heard of that before. I invited him to church and he said he would think about it. We called him again on Saturday night and he came! But told me he just came because I invited him and it would just be that one time! I'm not so sure we will let him off that easy! The ward was really happy to see him there!

On our way to the train station we met a new friend, Mai. We were waiting at the cross walk and complimented her scarf. She answered in English. Turns out she is fluent and has lived over seas for several years. She is in college studying English but went to a Christian school before. We invited her to meet with us to learn more about our church and she immediately agreed. She says she usually has time on Saturdays and Sunday's. Perfect!

Later that day we had a lesson with our Filipino friend, Jeanne. She brought her American boyfriend, and Japanese niece. We taught the restoration and taught in both English and Japanese. Her niece, Norika, who is just eleven years old, listened intently and took notes when we taught her how to pray. Jeanne said she would read the Book of Mormon and pray and come to church! We hope she'll continue to meet with us and become a new investigator.

Thursday: we woke up early to watch the first sunrise of the year. It's a japanese tradition to watch the sun rise from a high mountain. Well, we felt like our balcony was pretty high so we stepped out our door into the cold and watched the dark sky turn into day. We didn't quite catch the first glimpse of the sun because it was hiding behind the clouds but it was a peaceful experience and a cool tradition I would love to incorporate into how I celebrate the new year!

On Thursday our overeating began! Also it snowed! We had lunch with the Yamaoka family and ate lots of delicious food and played fun games. All the missionaries were there and it definitely felt like Christmas. They also gave Brown Shimai and I a referral to meet their friends, the Maeda family and have dinner with them next week.

We had dinner with the Furui couple. Sister Furui's husband is not a member. We shared a lesson about Jesus Christ and the power of his life and sacrifice that makes it possible to become the people we want to be. We talked about our New Years resolutions and how it's our new start to becoming better people. We talked about how our purpose in this life is to learn about Christ, believe in Him, follow Him and become like Him. We invited him to meet with us again to learn about Christ. He was unsure but very polite. And we had a really good time at their house and the spirit was way strong as we testified of the Savior.

Friday: we had lunch with the Suzuki family. Brother Suzuki is a marathon runner so we bonded over running. He was actually watching a big race on tv as he was making lunch! He has run 19 marathons in many different countries. Genius! I definitely want to do that... You get to run marathons and travel the world! So cool! Anyway we had lots of fun and of course stretched our stomachs even wider. It hurt. Our dinner appointment for that night had been cancelled and we were rejoicing but the relief society president found out and insisted that we go to her home for dinner. So we spent our evening with the Kitahara family. And ate even more. Haha she also had tons of fun games and we sang songs together. Sister Kitahara referred Brown Shimai and I to a less active in the ward she would like us to visit.

Saturday: We had a break from eating for a bit so we hit the streets. We were on our way to visit a referral the elders had given us when we met the cutest girl, Tomi. She is Buddhist but really wanted to meet again to talk about religion. She lives really close to the church and was so excited we met!

So we get to the street the elders directed us to and they say it's a blue house. So we ring the door of the first blue house we see. A man opens the door and we explain that we are missionaries and our friends visited and talked with his wife a while ago and asked if she was home. His wife comes to the door and actually has never met missionaries but we explain that we are greeting everyone and sharing a happy message and could we share it? She said, go ahead. So we start teaching and bearing testimony right then. She cuts us off after a little bit and tells us good luck. But we know we were directed there for a reason. It was so cool! Brown Shimai said it was definitely in God's plan for her to paint her house blue so we could meet her and give her an opportunity to feel the spirit.

Saturday night we had dinner with the Tsukada family, and the bishop's family and all the missionaries. The bishop has all girls and they are so cute and funny! It was soooo much fun! They play lots of silly games and punish the losers by making them eat more food so they can get rid of it all.

Sunday: fast Sunday thank goodness. Kosuge Shimai brought her friend to church so we invited her to join us in gospel principles class and sat with her in the other meetings. They have been friends for awhile. They are coworkers and neighbors! Kosuge Shimai was a great missionary and offered a Book of Mormon to her friend. We will help her continue to be a missionary and share the gospel with her friends.

We participated in ward council after church and it was really encouraging and I felt very supported by the ward. I like that we get to attend and learn about the ward vision and coordinate the work.

We had a lesson with Seki Shimai about the plan of salvation. We focused on how the atonement helps us to overcome the obstacles that keep us from returning to God.

Then we think we are about to start our weekly planning finally when another recent convert shows up way early at the church building. So we have an hour to kill... We ask her about her New Years and her goals. She says she really wants to go to the temple and see it and do baptisms this year. She wants to meet with the other sisters again and learn about the temple. We suggested that we could study a little bit with her right then so we did a quick lesson about the temple and our baptismal covenants.

Then Seki Shimai met us at the church and we all walked over to the Yamada home for dinner. Yamada shimai's friend came as well and sister brown and I will be able to start teaching the friend and her husband soon!

Anyway it was a great week! Seemed too busy to do work, but we saw many miracles in the little bit of proselyting time we had and built relationships with members that are leading to teaching opportunities!

I found this quote in my study this week:

"True ministry is measured more by the depth of our charity than by the perfection of our statistics.” Sister Beck

I hope that the lesson I'm learning and the quality I'm developing can be charity. If I have charity I can never fail. It won't matter how many converts I have or how many lessons I teach with a member present or how many investigators came to church. It will matter though if I am becoming more like Christ and loving others the way he would if he were here.

Brown Shimai and I have a new theme scripture for this year and the last but most productive 6 months of our missions.

"Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever."

Moses 4:2

As we learn of Christ and follow the example he set and invite his spirit to be with us, we can always do the will of he Father. We can repent and always have a remission of our sins and be clean and acceptable before the father. And the things we do can glorify him and serve him and carry forth his work as we love his children. So there's an important question: "What does the Father want me to do/be?" Always remember that he is cheering you on. The plan is in your favor. His son came to give you power to change and become like your Father. All that you are and have is because of a loving God. You can achieve your goals and find strength and gifts only through the divine help of our Heavenly Father. Remember him and rely on him as you set and work to achieve goals this year. I love the new year because it's a fresh start. But because of Christ, every day can be a fresh start as I repent and turn to him.

Alma 37:47 "Look to God and live."

Love,

Sister Reeves