Dress Up Extravaganza!

I just have a few highlights I want to talk about this week. We've been doing a lot of housing and streeting lately in an attempt to get new investigators. So far nothing has panned out fully, but we've had a lot of really good experiences because of it. And we have even more plans for the future, so I'm very excited to see how this transfer plays out :)

But without further ado, here are the highlights:

-This past week we have continued our "Heart Attack" Adventures. It's been really fun to sneak around and show the ward members some love. And they have really shown their appreciation as well. We have received so many heartfelt phone calls, texts, and presents <3 I have so much love for the ward here in Toyohashi. They are such amazing people and I will be so sad when I have to transfer. But I will enjoy every moment I have here while it lasts!

-We also had Zone Conference last Wednesday. The day started out kinda adventurous, since I didn't fully remember where we were going and Prince Shimai had never been before. But it all worked out in the end, haha. And Zone Conference itself went very well. We talked a lot on getting outside our comfort zones and trying things we've never done before in missionary work. They have been emphasizing lately something they call "Having Fun With the Spirit". Essentially they want us to follow the rules and remain in places where we can feel the Spirit, but don't be afraid to have a little fun while you are doing missionary work. Haha, so we have come up with many plans to try and branch outside our comfort zones. Namely, we're going to sing at the train station and draw a giant chalk Plan of Salvation in the park and teach people about it. Wish us luck!

-As I mentioned in last week's email, we also had the wonderful opportunity to go on a radio show. It was very terrifying, haha, but thanks to God's help we were able to do it. The host was very nice and walked us through the process before we went live. Luckily they kept the questions pretty simple, so we were able to answer them correctly. We mostly just talked about our English classes that we teach and the big festival the church is having this coming Saturday. Our Japanese wasn't perfect, but we were at least able to get the general idea across. And apparently a lot of people were listening, so hopefully that means we'll see lots of people at the festival!

-We also had yet another typhoon this past weekend. At this point, typhoons are kind of just becoming normal. I think it'll be weirder when there isn't a typhoon every week. 

-As I have mentioned in emails previous, we sometimes go to something called "International Club", which is a club of people from all around the world who all happen to live in Toyohashi. We go to try and find new investigators, as well as to just put the name of the church out there and show that we are normal people. This past week's activity included us all dressing up in the traditional dress from India. One of the ladies is from Bangladesh, so she brought some for us to try and and showed us how to wear them properly. It was super fun! And allowed for a good conversation on differences in culture. It really is amazing just how different people can be, and yet we are all children of God. We all have different circumstances and backgrounds, and yet we all can become happier and find peace through Christ. It is truly amazing!

-Sadly, on Sunday Prince Shimai was very ill, so we couldn't go to church or really do much of anything. We mostly just stayed inside and she slept while I went over some records. But sometimes a day of rest and relaxation is needed. And it was a good chance to recharge our batteries before we go all out this week. The members were so sweet though! Since we weren't at church we received many concerned phone calls and some of the members even dropped off food! Yet another reason why I love them so much <3

-Final story for the week. Today we went with some of our students from English class to a castle here in Toyohashi. They dressed us up in Kimonos and showed us all these cool old relics. It was so much fun and I learned so much about Japanese history, haha. The history in Japan is so different than anywhere else, so it was a very unique and exciting experience. The Lord really does bless us missionaries with some amazing experiences! Enjoy the photos <3

That's about it for this week. Wasn't quite as exciting as last week, but I can't see monkeys every week ;) Looking forward to seeing what this next week has in store for me!

Thanks for all the emails, letters, and packages <3

愛しています！