This week in Higashi Osaka was
AMAZING!
But then again there is not a single week in Higashi Osaka
that is not amazing. One thing that I have learned this transfer is how much I
just really love MISSIONARY WORK! Even when we are having very little success.
That is not to say that we should ever become complacent when things are hard
or not going well...we should always be pressing forward in faith, but
sometimes the Lord loves us enough that He wants to try our faith...and so we
should do all things with a cheerful countenance! Cain Shimai and I decided
that there was going to be a miracle in Higashi Osaka this week (that really is
not on our side of the power chart...but we decided that we could just feel one
right around the corner). And so on Monday night we went out and Dendo-ed with
ALL of our strength and might and vigor and vim and it was an incredibly
successful night. We went to Kinki University, a daigaku in our area, and it
almost felt like no one could say no to us. We met tons of people and set up a
good amount of appointments for the rest of the week! ...... And every single one of those
appointments fell through/ we got spoked. Spoked = Sister missionaries waiting
at the church and calling their potential investigator who somehow dropped off
the face of the planet! I don't know how they do it...but so many people that I
meet here manage to just disappear off of the face of the earth quicker than I
knew was possible!
On Tuesday we met more people who had interest in learning
about the Church, one of them who lived in America and worked at Disney World
and she is the cutest girl ever! And, she lives RIGHT BEHIND THE CHURCH! I
don't know what the chances of that are (we didn't meet her anywhere near the
church), but we were really excited. We also taught a totsuzen lesson in the
middle of the moat in our area...and at the end of it the girl did not have a
phone, or a home phone, or an email address...so that was unfortunate. We do,
however, know where she lives. On Tuesday morning while I was running around
the park, I had a hilarious moment with two older men who were drinking beer at
6:30 in the morning. Each time I ran around the park they would yell some weird
stuff at me in English, and I would say good morning and keep running. Finally,
I stopped and put a look of confusion on my face and told them I didn't
understand what they were yelling at me. (Which was true...their English was
very strange, perhaps it was impacted by the beer). They then assumed that I
didn't speak English. So they started yelling at me in Italian! And I told them
I was not Italian. They started throwing out countries that I might have come
from, and finally, I just told them that I spoke German. They jumped to the
conclusion all by themselves that I come from Germany, and then I spoke a
little German for them just to add to the fun. And then I told them that I am a
missionary and shared a quick message with them. Which, I really don't think
that they understood much of...and not only because of my thick American
accent.
Wednesday we had interviews and our mission president is the
most inspired man ever. We received so much needed counsel. In the training at
the beginning of the meeting he talked a little bit about the way we contact.
"We need to say something from the start that will allow others to
feel the spirit from the moment you start talking to them. We need to say
something that can penetrate them...
"Beck Choro, how do you start your
contacts?"
"...I'm from Amerika!"
"Do you think that they
can't tell that by looking at you? Does that allow them to feel the
spirit?"
It was hilarious, and I am totally guilty, because that is how I
generally start my contacts....and I have now tried to shift my contacting
methods so that I begin with a less obvious statement. (Although, some Japanese
people apparently think that I look Italian or something...but maybe that is
only 60 plus year old men who are drinking beer at six in the morning).
My
interview with Zinke Kaicho (My Mission President) was so amazing! I received so much counsel for my
area and help for Japanese. While it is true that a mission is not about the
language, the language is a very necessary tool. Confidence in the missionary
skill set often comes from our command of the language. I was talking to Zinke
Kaicho about this and he said something very interesting: "So many times
missionaries get excited about the new things they learn - but does it really
matter if you have a break through on the atonement and you can't explain it in
Japanese?" This is a spot on analysis of the situation. Gospel
fluency really means learning how to express myself in Japanese in a way that I
can fulfill my purpose. And it means constant improvement. There comes a point
in Japanese where it is easy enough to "get by" and teach all the
lessons well enough in Japanese, to the point that they are understood. I do
not feel satisfied with that. As we gain a greater understanding of the
language, we gain a deeper access to the hearts of the people. This is truth.
Thursday we had a lesson with one of the investigators that
I have taught since I arrived in Japan. It was...both a wonderful lesson and a
disaster lesson. She had really been struggling with...well, everything...and
through a LONG conversation and follow-up, we discovered that she had a
very strange image of God. She was under the impression that sometimes when she
prays, God also would like some advice from her. She also feels that He is more
like her loving Heavenly Grandfather than loving Heavenly Father...it was an
interesting conversation.
Saturday we met a lady on the street who took us to
McDonalds and talked about religion with us for a while! She seemed decently
interested in us and hearing about what we teach, but is really firmly Buddhist
and she seemed worried that she was going to mislead us into thinking that she
wanted to convert. The pineapple smoothies that she bought us were delicious
though. (She wanted to take us to McDonalds, because she thought it would
remind us of home...so that was funny). We also met a lady from Peru who has
lived in Japan since she was two years old and recently got married. Her
husband is Japanese and they are the CUTEST COUPLE EVER! They have been looking
for a church. She grew up Catholic, and so church was really different for her
on Sunday, but she still wants to meet with us again and ask us a lot of
questions. They recently moved to Higashi Osaka.
I LOVE THE HIGASHI OSAKA WARD. I don't really know at what
point exactly I started loving these people so much. But they are all some of
the most amazing people on the entire planet. Yesterday after church there was
a ward meeting and I was asked to speak on member missionary work, so I spoke a
bit about how the ward could help by coming to Eikaiwa, bearing testimony etc,
and really helping with our less active efforts. I closed by bearing testimony
of this work and that because God loves ALL of His Children, He wants ALL of
them back...not just a few...but all of us. The whole human family. After
speaking I was sitting next to one of the sisters in the ward, and she just put
her arm around me and said something super loving and sweet that I don't
remember and it was the sweetest moment. We had a shokujikai after church and
the ward fed us lots of delicious food, and at some point when I was talking to
some of the members I had a flashback to my first terrifying Sunday in Higashi
Osaka six months ago. I don't know at what point I started loving these people
so much...or at what point I started understanding (most) of what they say. But
I just love them so much! They are so hardworking and kind and supportive and
caring. One lady in particular that terrified me when I first came to Japan is
this elderly lady in our ward. And she likes to wear a ton of black. And her
Japanese is super confusing. Yesterday I was asking her how her personal dendo (teaching) is doing (she likes to go streeting or housing by herself and also she talks to
everyone on the trains about the church. She is the craziest, coolest lady
ever) and she told me all about her mission...back when there were only two
missions in Japan. As we left church yesterday, I saw her go outside and start
inviting everyone that was out on the street to come in. It was the best thing
ever. While I was studying Preach My Gospel this week, I read a quote that went
something like this: "Our desire and commitment to share the gospel is a
mark of our personal conversion." This lady has a deep, true conversion to
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She knows how lucky she is. She knows that this
message is TRUE! That it is the most important thing on the entire planet!! And
I just love it so much :)
Have a great week!
Grundvig Shimai
No comments:
Post a Comment