It's good to have pday. I am still cleaning up my Facebook and I have to un-follow a lot of people and end friendships, and in doing so, seeing my friend's engagement photos has been really weird hahaha. That seems so far away and I do NOT want to think about it. I sure am happy for Brig and Phillip though. They are two of the best for sure.
So this week started off incredibly well. We had a threesome exchange where our new zone leader, Maki choro, came to Kamagaya to work with us for twenty four hours. Let me tell you he is the best missionary I have met since the start of this crazy thing. I have never worked with someone who has more zeal, passion, love, and commitment to the work. As a nihonjin you expect them to be quiet reserved and polite, but not Maki choro. The guy is running down the streets after people who rejected us four times to give them a pamphlet before they lose us, he is telling jokes, and relating the people's lives and interests to the gospel with such excitement that you see the fire catch in their eyes. It was almost to the point where they were taking the Book of Mormon from us. We talked to so many people that day, and gave out eight books of Mormon all together I think. As a sannin (threesome) it is sometimes hard to work together, but me, Tsuchida choro, and Maki choro really hit our stride that day. We all contributed and I had never spoken Japanese that well before. It was an awesome day. We finished off with splits review and Maki choro really had some humbling things to say. He really had no advice for us. He said everything we are doing is what we should be doing, that we should simply be more confident out there when we proselyte was his only advice. I personally pretty much always think I am not doing enough in anything I do, so hearing that was really great. He also said that I had the best japanese of any second transfer missionary he had met. After that, he talked about how president Nagano had been hearing so much about us specifically and that he wanted us to take on this area ourselves because of it. Coming from such an incredible missionary, this stuff was more valuable than gold to me. All I can think about now is how I can do more, how I can better improve and serve. All these complements really took me off guard, almost like we didn't deserve them. So as a result Tsuchida choro and I are really committing to getting to the next level of work and commitment in any way that we can. Really such a humbling thing to hear.
The next day and days following we found out why we had been paid so many compliments. From Tuesday to Friday it was basically a desert for proselyting. All week we were rejected like we never have been before. Our schedule kept having wrenches thrown in it, and we simply could not connect with people. I don't think we gave any Books of Mormon out and maybe one or two pamphlets. So on Monday, God was prepping us to be humbled yet again, and to remember that HE is behind this work. It was very difficult for me not to let myself get down, but my trainer is the best. Tsuchida choro's faith was always sky high and he never let anything get him down. I simply tried to follow his example as best I could. Midway through the week we discovered where we were needed at this time. The transfer before I arrived, the other elders baptized one Yoshida Kyodai. He is a simple minded, really sweet man. He is committed and bikes very far to church every week and to eikaiwa (English class) as well. Since our area was consolidated, he is now our responsibility. So we visited him. We found out that his neighbors are insane, and have harassed and even stolen from him recently. He cannot move because he is very poor, so we talked about dedicating his home. Later we contacted the bishop and he gave us the go ahead. So we returned on Friday and dedicated his home. Tsuchida used some pretty solemn and respectful Japanese, so I didn't understand the honorifics, but I felt the peace settle on his home. I am so grateful I could experience that. From there, we went down to the apartment complex common for a small festival and ate dinner with Yoshida Kyodai. During the festival they had this awesom taikou group perform on stage. Let me tell you taikou is THE COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN. These tiny but jacked Japanese men go nuts on these huge drums with bamboo drumsticks in such intricate rhythms. There is so much power and reverberation in those drums. They mixed in chants and yells too. Really the only thing I can think of is power. But you should all go look it up, the choreography they mix in while playing the drums is soooo cool. They stretch their arms out and move with the rhythm at certain times that really enhances the experience. I definitely hope to see that again.
The next day we pretty much got rejected everywhere we went. A couple people even had the police come talk to us because apparently we were forcing people to accept our message. Whatever, it was frustrating, but also funny haha. We were about to do some service for a member, and got all changed, but right as we were getting on our bikes I had the most powerful and intense uneasy feeling come over me. I just sat there saying over rand over something is wrong. Tsuchida choro was really understanding and patient and just said okay let's go do some streeting at the train station. So we changed again and headed in the complete opposite direction. I was feeling a little down because the day had not gone well and I felt bad for making us switch gears and throw off the groove again. While on our bikes we were contacted by the sister in the ward who teaches seminary. Apparently one of the students named Takun had told her he didn't want to go home after class, so she left him at the church. She said that she was actually worried about all the children from that home, and that she knew proselyting was our first priority, but if we had time she asked that we think about swinging by the church to check on Takun. Of course we immediately went there. It turns out that there has been some fighting in the home. We didn't press, but we just talked with him about life and joked with him, let him know we loved him and gave a sort of impromptu lesson on family, love and forgiveness. I knew then that was why I had felt so uneasy. It was great to know that God trusted us to lead us to someone in need. Takun comes to eikaiwa all the time, and he is always willing to do member present lessons, so it was great to be able to help him.
Other than that we taught a few member families some lessons and things like that before the week ended. Fast Sundaywas a real treat. Takun got up and expressed how thankful he was for us and our service, and several of the other members did the same. They all felt that we loved them and wanted to help strengthen their testimony, which is our purpose. So that was really good to hear. Again very humbling, being blessed with these experiences only reinforces the fact that I need to work harder and try to do more.
All in all this week was about the members I think. Sunday night at the Eki while I was being ignored by nihonjins hahaha, a Mongolian who moved here to work just walked up and asked where church was, what I did here, what the book was that I was holding, and questions about the gospel. We communicated through my very broken Japanese for a while, then with Tsuchida's help got his phone number. He was in a hurry to catch a train, but he took the book and a flyer. So we hope we can meet him again soon. The week was such a roller coaster--holy cow. I can remember so often feeling like my faith was a little weak, or that I was beginning to doubt, but I think that as long as we work to maintain the faith we have, and keep ourselves obedient and dilligent, God will make up for the rest of our weakness. The keys are obedience and diligence I suppose. At least they were this week.
Today we had zone pday because of the new zone being formed which was very fun. We did a picture scavenger hunt, and suikardi. Suikardi is like Japanese piñata. Except it's a watermelon on the ground and you smash it with a pole. Then everyone eats the watermelon haha. Very funny because when people miss, the ground jars them pretty good.
Man...not sure what else has happened. I don't even know anymore. Things are just blurry and run together. It makes me nervous because if I am ever called to be a trainer or something, I feel like I won't even know what's going on half the time. Seriously, I never want to be in a leadership position here hahah.
Thanks for the letters everyone! Brit the camper looks awesome! Use it well. Macsen thanks for the collar stain advice! Shannon I am sorry I haven't had time to write you!
I love you all and I love this work,
Viehweg Choro
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| When I don't get email |
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| P-day antics |
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| Act like a duck |
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| Shake hands with a stranger |
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| Doing Service |
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