Kenzie Says "Kon'nichiwa": April 27th

Howdy y'all!

Here's your update:

Life is so good! God is so good!!

Monday: Our investigator, Rie San, has a desire to know things and she taught us that to know is more than gaining knowledge, it's gaining experience. It's applied knowledge. But as we taught her this last week, she expressed that she has little to no desire to know if God is real. She also doesn't believe anything will change in her life if he was real. Therefore, she has no desire to plant the seed or apply what she is learning with us. But she loves meeting with us. She is intelligent. She loves the deep questions we ask and the discussions we have and always looks forward to it. She has interest in the message but no intention on practicing it. We plan on teaching her the restoration this evening.

Tuesday: Zone meeting in the morning. We learned a lot about obedience and worthiness and earning the trust of the Lord. I had the opportunity to do a training using the scriptures and talking about the Liahona and how the story applies to the assignment we have as missionaries and how it applies to our investigators who are seeking answers. I love the meetings in this zone. They are always focused on the Savior and having a spiritual experience together. In the afternoon we went out to visit a few members and less actives and talk to everyone! And we did! And it was so fun! We had the opportunity to teach and testify of Christ and make new friends. One friend, Ito, invited us back to her tea party. We had watched the Because of Him video with her right on her doorstep as she was headed out to sweep her front walkway. She loved it! One friend, Riko, had never spoken with a foreigner before but was so happy to meet us! Another, Sumie, was a really crazy old lady who thought we were the prettiest people ever. She couldn't get over it and kept talking about how she was losing her brain but she wouldn't forget meeting us. Haha.

Wednesday:

We had a lesson with Shimizu shimai. She is awesome! She had just gotten back from her work trip to Guam and brought us yummy coconut cookies. We focused our discussion on the Book of Mormon and encouraged her to pray to know if it was true. She said she had never tried that before. We testified that the answer to that question would increase her commitment and help her to find the answers to all her other questions. The Book of Mormon is true! It answers all of life's questions and all the questions of our souls.

Kids eikaiwa was fun! We did a sports theme and made flash cards with lots of sports, and taught them the song, take me out to the ball game!

When we got home we saw a double rainbow from our apartment! It was beautiful! And surely a sign of God's love. It was the happiest!

Thursday:

We visited Mineko San. She made us lunch and we talked about her family and her relationship with God. We talked about how God had led the missionaries to her 5 years ago because he loves her! She said the missionaries had come looking for someone else and she let them in because they were sweaty and so she offered them water. Sometimes that's how it goes. We go out to work thinking we are looking for one person, but God leads us to someone else. It was no coincidence he lead the missionaries to Mineko's door. We felt as we met with her that she has a lot that's keeping her from progressing but she's so close! She has many concerns and we need to listen to her but first we need to build a relationship of trust. She is not super willing to make appointments to meet for formal lessons because she is really busy and lessons are not a priority but we want to show her that we care about her and want to help her and be a part of her life. She is not one to ask for help but she cooks and cleans every day at the dorm she owns. So we want to serve her each week and come over and just help! We believe that through service her heart may open to listening to the message we have for her and her family.

Friday:

Yamauchi San is our new investigator! Sister Hotu and I met her a few weeks ago and she expressed interest in coming to church and meeting us again but wasn't super eager to give us her number so we gave her a meishi and... She called us last week! We had a lesson on Friday. It was super long because she talks forever but we suffered long. And prayed and endured. Because we love her! and then she attended stake conference on Sunday, and then she spent like all day with us. We had another lesson and then she attended Ooishi san's baptism. Her husband was Christian so when she was married she was baptized into the Anglican Church and received a Christian name. We taught her about baptism and the correct method and authority. She felt the Spirit way strongly at the service and kept mentioning how she was thinking that she probably needs to receive baptism the correct way and wanted us to ask if she could get baptized too! We will be meeting her on Tuesday and setting the date! She is 82 years old and should be like our grandma, but she is 28 at heart, is tomboy and loves sports, used to be a catcher, loves talking, dresses like a teenager, and is super hip. So she wants to be called Noriko Onechan. Our older sister! She feels the spirit so strongly and she knows it's not a coincidence we met. She believes and she wants to learn and follow. After she prayed, she said she felt like she just entered pre-school again... Learning little by little.

Later we met with Hidaka shimai, the young women president, to talk about how we could work with and strengthen the youth. We had a great discussion and have lots of plans to continue to get to know them individually and encourage them on the path.

We visited the Watanabe family in the evening. They have 5 kids and 4 of them are youth or YSA age. We had a great discussion with them about the Book of Mormon and studied a bit with them. We encouraged them to pray about the Book of Mormon and write their testimony in the cover of one of the free ones we give to people we meet. It was so great! Two of their daughters who were a little less active have recently started coming back to church more regularly. One of them has returned because her non-member grandfather has started to pray.

Saturday:

Lots of time inside. Study, district meeting, weekly planning. But... We got out in the evening and visited a young family and shared a message with them about families and our responsibility to defend the sanctity of the family. We extended a challenge for them to share the family proclamation with someone they know! We also got way close to our SOS invitations goal this week. 68!

Sunday:

Stake conference. New stake president was called to replace President Tokuzawa. The new stake president is half Japanese and perfectly flawlessly fluent in both Japanese and English. Our friends, Hiura San and Yamauchi San were both able to attend! It was perfect. Hiura San rode and sat with a member family. She comes to church every week but has declined invitations to take lessons but this member family wants to help us out! Yamauchi San rode with us and the Ward mission leader and a couple other members. She loved it and met lots of members. And got to see sister Hotu, as well! Both Hiura San and Yamauchi San came to the baptism, too! An 8 year old girl and an 88 year old man were baptized. So cute. The old man's family came, too and it was a wonderful service. He has come to church for 10 years because our church is the closest to his house but the members finally encouraged him to take lessons and he agreed and got baptized and says he feels like he's started a new life. Yep! Endure to the end!

Another woman who has been coming to church for years but doesn't think she knows enough to meet with the missionaries or get baptized called us up and brought us some sushi she had made for us! We are slowly being able to form a good relationship with her. She is a social worker and super busy but the sweetest old lady. A family in the Ward said they are willing to help and invite her to FHE!

Anyway, it's been a good week. God is pouring out the blessings.

Sister Wilson is a fantastic companion. We want to be obedient and work SO hard and invite everyone and teach everyone. And we have seen so many miracles and met so many amazing people. God is guiding our path and we feel his love and approval.

Love y'all lots.

Love,

Sister Reeves