Ishigaki wa saiko desu yo. (Week 31)

Good morning world! I fine sank you and you?

So this week was good I guess. I honestly can't remember most of it. I don't know why. I remember teaching O_____ san twice. We were having a bit of trouble at first with her not praying and reading and stuff. But she said she made a plan to go up into the mountains to pray about everything and see how she feels. So that will be good. I think that could be a really special experience for her. She is just having trouble feeling like a hypocrite because she is still going to the Catholic church and so she feels like she is being a bad person by not sticking to one church. And she won't leave the Catholic church until she knows for sure this is the right thing for her to do. So I'm really hoping she gets her answer this week. The zone leaders made goals for the zone to have a couple baptisms and Ishigaki is one of them that has to get that done. So I think she will get baptized soon. She is such a funny lady. She doesn't even like the Catholic church. She always talks about how bad it is and how no one there lives their religion. And she has a friend who is wondering if the Catholic church is true and she wants to introduce her husband to religion too but O_____ san said she can't introduce him to the Catholic church. She says its too messed up. So she has made arrangements to introduce us to them this week. That blessed woman. Its only a matter of time for her.

So U_____ san did not come to church yesterday. That made me really sad. I love that man so much. He went to go work in his field. He's a busy guy and the weather was too good to pass up a good work day. And it rained a little which I hear makes grass grow real fast and he had to take care of that. I hope he can come next week. I love that man. I keep praying that he will come. He is such a wonderful man.

When I first got to Ishigaki I met an investigator we have named E_____. Or something. I only know her Japanese name which is E_____. She lived her first 20 years in Brazil and then spent her next 20 in Japan. So her Japanese is way good. But still kind of sounds like she has a slight accent. But that is besides the point. She wanted to get baptized a while ago but her husband was way against it and it would basically have destroyed everybody's lives and ate all our steak if she got baptized. But she no longer lives with this man. And when I first met her it was just at ping pong. And since then I didn't meet her until yesterday when she came to the church after church to meet us and a couple members to just talk. She is such a wonderful woman. I think it will start getting easier to meet with her and maybe she will be able to get baptized soon. I really hope so. She is such a wonderful person.

So yesterday I had a talk in sacrament meeting on repentance. It went for like 10 minutes and I didn't write anything down I wanted to say in Japanese. So I had to pump the Japanese out as I spoke. It was hard. But not horrible. I felt like my talk was not very flowy. But it went good I think. I had a really special experience while speaking. I was sharing something concerning repentance that I experienced that was very personal and close to me. So I won't talk about that here. But while I shared it in sacrament meeting in Japanese I really felt the Spirit. And I said one sentence I had not planned on. And had I been speaking English I probably would have caught myself and not said it. But it was harder to catch what I was doing in Japanese. And after I said it I realized what I said. And then tears came to my eyes and I had to stop speaking for a minute so I wouldn't just cry. A few of the members had tears too. It was cool. And it is nice to know that I can feel the spirit like that when I'm using really broken Japanese. It was a good experience. And a record length talk in Japanese for me.

So. I'm running out of things to say. I talk to the Yonaha's kids a lot. Sara and Kei. The youngest ones. And they always tell me to speak English. And then I just tell them I don't speak English. And then I tell them I don't speak Japanese and that really drives them crazy and they keep saying but you're speaking Japanese right now. But I just keep saying I don't and they go nuts. Its so hilarious. I love those little Japanese children. Way too cute.

We went housing this week. In like a weird group of apartments that were somehow cut off from the rest of the world. It was way creepy. there was no one there. Except two people. One of which only talked to us through his front door. Come on Japan. But it was creepy. We could see cars in the distance and hear construction sounds and stuff but it just felt way creepy. I didn't really like that one.

So we had a gyoza dinner the other night in our apartment. Gyoza and rice. And it was really romantic. We used the lightsaber chopsticks for a pop of color and we had the mood lighting on and quiet Kenny G Christmas music playing and some nice romantic fragrances wafting through the air. The funniest part was that we did it all on accident and realized at the same time how romantic that dinner could have been had the other person not been a guy. It was funny.

So one time we were at a store. And I had the distinct thought that any one of these people could be watching me and what I do as a missionary. So I made sure not to do anything stupid. And I just looked at some watches while Elder Munro finished his phone call. And then we left and I thought nothing of it. But then like two weeks later one of the members just mentions that she has a friend that works at that store and told her she saw the missionaries. And then Sister Murayama asked what we were doing. And then she said we were just looking at watches. I just thought that was interesting that I had that thought and found out weeks later someone actually was watching me. I'm sure glad I didn't do anything stupid.

So if my memory serves me my parents have an anniversary this year. And that they have been married almost 22 years now. Wow. Someone's old. Well happy anniversary! Anniversary Omedeto! Have a wonderful anniversary.

And this next part is for Grandma Liddle. Grandma. Thank you for the card and the gift. I really appreciate it. I will definitely be able to find a use for it so don't you worry. Thank you very much. I love you.

Well I think thats about what I have to say today. I hope you all have a good day. Be awesome. I love you all. I love Ishigaki so much. I'm not going to transfer away from here. No one can force me on the plane. Anyways. Peace out. Heian soto. 愛しているよ。れドル家族は一番です。

ジョシュア・リドル長老