February 15th

Hey everyone! Happy Valentine's Day!
Our week was fun and full of LOVE! Valentine's Day took on a new
meaning for me as the love of God became the theme (:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
John 3:16
I chose to focus on His perfect love and this week I found myself
forgetting my own worries and cares and enjoying showing love to all
those around me. My love is not perfect at all, but I hope that with
my best efforts others can learn to feel God's perfect love.

Highlights of the week:
-FHE with the Kawatani family! We had a wonderful conversation about
showing, feeling, and recognizing love. We studied from scriptures and
talks and challenged everyone to share a simple note of love with
someone they care about! Saying "I love you" is REALLY hard for
Japanese people but there are so many ways we can express love! We
talked about the things we can do to always feel God's love in our
homes. I gave them an assignment chart I made for their family home
evenings and encouraged them to continue FHE together even when we are
not there!


FHE chart for the Kawatani family                Making frosting with Sister Tsukada

 -RS cupcake making activity: We decorated the cutest cupcakes for
Valentine's and ate lunch all together with the RS women. One way I
feel love is from the fellowship and support i feel at church and
among the members.

My Valentine ;) Sister Yamaguchi

-We had a really great lesson with Ishizuka San. Sister Hatanaka came
with us and was perfect! She was able to explain so many things that
we couldn't and had the perfect experiences to share. She could really
relate to Ishizuka San because they are close in age, are both
Japanese, both wives and mothers, both work, grew up outside of the
church, etc... We shared the plan of salvation and she loved it. She
says she has always thought that we must have lived before this life
and that death is not the end. When we began teaching about the
atonement of Christ, she expressed that when she thinks of Christ,
it's more an awareness rather than having a relationship with him.
Please pray for her and for us! Our next step is to help her to
understand the atonement and her relationship with Christ by helping
her to know who He is by scripture study and praying in His name.

-We met with our PI, Mika on Wednesday before eikaiwa. She had just
had a birthday so we met and made pancakes together to celebrate! It's
was also my one year mark in Japan! Can you believe it?! Anyway, she
shared with us that she had never believed in Christ and doesn't know
much about him, but recently has had experiences that have led her to
begin to believe. She loves church and says sometimes it's hard to
understand. Her schedule is really busy so it's hard for her to meet
with us but hopefully soon we can meet for lessons!
 

Valentine's Day Kid's Eikaiwa with Ma San and her daughter

Birthday Pancakes for MIKA

-We met with a less active, Risa chan for a lesson and activity. We
read scriptures about hearts and decorated papers hearts to tie on a
string and hang! It was really fun and they are reallyyyy cute! Risa
chan is awesome! She is a convert, and a great member missionary! She
has a busy work schedule and can only make it to church every once in
awhile. She makes it to the temple often but really misses the
spiritual nourishment of Sunday school and church attendance.
Hopefully we can continue to meet and study together as her schedule
allows!

Shitami Shimai at the Sisters' Conference





 -We visited a less active, Muramoto Shimai. She's a cute old lady who
at first wasn't thrilled that we had visited because her husband is
pretty against her meeting with missionaries. In the end she invited
us to come again in the afternoon when her husband is gone. We were
able to say a prayer together and she teared a bit, remembering the
Spirit that comes from prayer and gospel living.

-On Friday we had a Specialized training meeting for all the sisters
in the mission! The theme was hearts! We learned about change of
heart, kind heart, healthy heart, sharing heart, etc. It was so fun to
learn together and to reunite with almost all my old companions! After
the conference Sister Bryson, Sister Merstrand and I stayed for dinner
at the mission home. Our investigator, Patrick, had come in town and
was invited by the Wada's for dinner! He learned a lot and Sister
Bryson invited him again to be baptized.


at Moeka's Baptism, with Sister Bryson

Sister Sasaki surprised us at the Sister's Conference!!

-Saturday was crazy... We woke up super early and spent our day
basically all over the mission. We had a meeting with the stake
presidency in the morning at the machida stake center and then went
back to Hachioji for district meeting and then went to Moeka's baptism
in Kichijoji with an investigator. It was AMAZING. We met Moeka last
March when Sister Feist and I were together. She has changed so much
since then, and she radiates light! Her faith is strong and her future
is bright. She had the courage to ask her parents for permission to be
baptized and they supported her and attended her baptism. She bore
testimony of the timing and hand of God in her life. It was no
coincidence that she was placed with a Mormon family when she home
stayed in America, it was no coincidence she had a mormon friend at
school, it was no coincidence she met the missionaries and began
taking lessons when she did. I love her so much! She is actually
really excited to meet the family too. When I told her you were coming
she said, "can I please hang out with you guys?!" It was fun to be in
Kichijoji and reunite with some of the members and actually really
exciting that most of them remembered me! I am SO grateful to be a
missionary. I'm grateful for each of the experiences I've had and the
people I have met and learned to love.

 
Happy Baptism to MOEKA


Haruka chan came to church!!

-Sunday was Seki shimai's one year mark as a member! We met for a
lesson and made caramel popcorn together. Popcorn is her favorite! But
she said it was her first time to have sweet popcorn! We had a lesson
about service and talked about all the opportunities we have to serve
as members of the church in callings, and visiting teaching
assignments, and through simple acts of kindness. Service helps us
understand God's love for his children and helps us to forget ourselves
and find joy in helping to lift other people. Seki Shimai is awesome!
She is one of my favorites (:


Scripture Hearts with Risa

Y'all are my favorites, too! I have so many people I love(: Thanks for
loving me.
Have a happy week(:

Love,
Sister Reeves


All the Sisters of Tokyo South :)