皆様おはいようございます！久しぶり！
This week was a really really exciting week. Here we go!
Tuesday:
I
emailed you all last Tuesday because we were on transfer week. I spent
all day Monday and Tuesday in an area called Hibarigaoka with the
Hibarigaoka sisters. All three of us were panicking the whole time
because we were about to be made trainers. Walbeck姉妹 had been a trainer
before (she trained someone from my doki! (group of missionaries who
came to Japan together)), but she didn't have the greatest experience
from it... It was really hard on her. So she was NOT excited about
having to do it again. Talk about comforting right? Well, we spent all
day Tuesday saying goodbye to their investigators and members and such
while I ran Kichijoji from my phone. x) Talk about weird. Finally at
9:45pm we FINALLY got the email telling us what time we needed to be at
honbu (Nakano) in order to pick up our new companions. In order to get
there on time, we had to be up at 5:00am. yay...
Wednesday:
5:00am : Wake up and get ready to go. Travel to Nakano.
8:00am
: Arrive in Nakano and meet all of the new missionaries. The whole
time we were thinking "which one is mine?!" Talk about nerve racking.
There was a point when the Hibarigaoka Sisters and I were alone again
for a little while and we started talking about which ones we wanted. (I
know... terrible right? :P) That was when it kind of hit me that I might get a Nihonjin companion... So I started praying that I wouldn't. I remember how hard my first transfers were and I really didn't
want to be training someone I couldn't communicate with! I mean, my
Japanese is MUCH better than when I first got here, but still. I can't
speak that well.
11:00am : Training from President Budge. He gave us all a training
on how to treat our new missionaries... Again the whole time I kept
praying "Please let her be a gaijin... Please let her be a gaijin..."
While praying, I remember having the thought come to me "Do you trust me
enough not to give you a gaijin companion?" I thought about
that a lot, but eventually brushed it off thinking "Well, I'm getting an
American so it's okay. Presidant Budge knows I can't do a Nihonjin
companion."
1:30pm : We got our new companions. You guessed correctly. Her
name is Sasaki姉妹. When President Budge first announced it I was SO
shocked and honestly a little disappointed. I hadn't talked to Sasaki姉妹
at all before her being assigned as my companion, but I'd really gotten
to know the other Sisters... I made a promise to myself before going
in to that meeting though that whoever my companion was, I
would love her and try to be her friend... Which with Sasaki姉妹 was WAY
too easy to do. :-) I'm about 99.9% convinced we were close friends in
the premortal life. From the moment we started talking we've been best
friends! :-D
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were all filled
with visiting investigators and members and introducing Sasaki姉妹 to all
of them. She really is amazing. SHE SPEAKS JAPANESE! xD I don't know
why on Earth I was praying to have a gaijin companion! How would I
have survived!? x) Sasaki姉妹 is SO amazing though. She's always
smiling and genki. Everyone who has met her has LOVED her. She is
defnitely here to work too! She does everything I ask her to and, even
when she's completely exhausted continues to help me out. :-) I don't
know how I got so lucky to have her. :) As for the language barrier....
It's not much of a barrier actually. :-) Sasaki姉妹 understands a lot of
English. Like a lot of English. She keeps saying she doesn't, but she
does. She can't really speak very well, but reading and understanding
are definitely strong points for her... which is kind of how I feel
about Japanese. So what it's turned into is I speak to her in English
and she answers in Japanese. :-D We also do English/Japanese days
which has been fun.
Basically I lucked out because my companion is
pretrained and amazing. :-) There have been 2 lessons I've learned so
far this week from this whole experience.
1: GRACE. I didn't
think I'd be able to handle being the real sempai in the area, but
somehow Heavenly Father has helped me. Before Sasaki姉妹 came I could not
for the life of me wake up at 6:30 every day... but I'm proud to report
that I have been able to follow the missionary schedule exactly all
week. :-) Heavenly Father definitely helps those He calls to do the
things he has asked. I couldn't do this without His grace.
2. TRUST. Like I said, I didn't think I could handle a Nihonjin
Bean... but Heavenly Father knew better than that. "Do you trust me
enough not to give you a gaijin companion?" The fact is
whatever Heavenly Father gives us in life will be for our good. He made
us. He knows what we can do much better than we do. Although we may
not think we can do something, He will always be there to help us. So
if anyone out there reading this is praying for something specific, do
you trust Heavenly Father enough not to give it to you? Do you trust Him enough to say "Thy will be done"?
I know that this gospel is true and I"m so greatful for
it. I'm so greatful I get this chance to be a trainer and learn so much
from my AMAZING companion. I'm looking forward to an amazing transfer
with tons of miracles. Stay tuned. ;)
I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and your letters and
your love! I will never be able to express how much they mean to me so
thank you! I love you all!
Love,
Christine
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