Sister Malone's Mission in Fukuoka, Japan!: Things are about to change! / Week #39

Konnichiwa minasan!!

How was everyone`s week? Mine was pretty super! This whole transfer has probably been the best transfer ever on my mission. I love my area, my companion, my district, and the members and investigators we have here. (And I love our Eikaiwa students a lot.) I feel Iike I am finally getting a handle on missionary work. So I was feeling totally good about life and I wanted to stay in Tsuboi forever. Or at least for one more transfer with Pinzon shimai until she dies (goes home).

So Friday night I got the biggest shock of my life when the APs called Magalogo shimai to tell her she is training. And then they asked to speak to me and told me "Malone Shimai! How`s it going? Sounds like things are going great there! So we are just calling to tell you that this next transfer you will be...training!" And when he said those words my stomach dropped about a mile and I had a hard time hearing everything else he said about travel plans for the Trainer`s training meeting on Monday so I had to ask him one more time. So I am training. This Thursday I will get a bean chan. And to say I feel underqualified and insufficient does not begin to describe how I feel right now. I still feel like I do not understand Nihongo well enough to train somebody else, but shoganai.

The only thing that was making this better is that Magalogo shimai is also training. So of course we went through all of the scenarios in our head. Are we both staying and Pinzon shimai and Carvalho shimai are out? Is one of us leaving and the other staying? Either way I don`t get to spend next transfer with Pinzon shimai which we were both really bummed about. And maybe cried over.

So Monday I went with Magalogo shimai to Fukuoka for trainer`s training meeting. And it was actually really good. It made me feel better about taking some other missionary`s life into my hands. I can do this. I know the area pretty well even after just one transfer there. I can continue with out investigators and take over for Pinzon shimai. Yeah...

Then Kaicho proceeded to tell all the trainers where they will be training at. And he told Magalogo shimai she will be staying in Shimizu to train. And that`s when I knew I would not be staying. So he then told me I am transferring to Kumamoto with my bean. And I maybe felt like crying in that moment, but I didn`t because you can`t break down in front of 10 elders, the APs, and Kaicho just because he tells you you are transferring. So I am going to a brand new area where I don`t know anything and I will have a brand new missionary to train. Yippee!

The silver lining to this is that Kumamoto is still in the same zone as Tsuboi so I will still get to see everyone every once in a while. And I only have to haul my luggage like 20 minutes over to Kumamoto. I will be living with the Nagamine sisters so I will still be in a 4 man apartment. Yay for friends!

So sorry for the dramatic story. I promise I`ll stop now. It`s just some big changes that are happening that are going to require a lot of faith on my part. And apparently Heavenly Father thinks I`m up to the test, which he knows everything so I can`t really debate this.

I still do not know who I am training. I won`t know that until tomorrow night. So stay tuned for who my new companion will be!

Other than that, our week really has been great. We taught the Noguchi couple again, and Murata san, and Emi. (Not the Okinawa Emi).

We had challenged Murata san to pray last time and she told us she prays about 3 days a week both morning and night. We were totally happy to hear that! So we asked her how she feels when she prays and she says she gets a warm feeling and a grateful feeling. So we told her she`s feeling the Holy Ghost! So she asked some really good questions about the Holy Ghost and we were able to explain about him in more detail. Then we talked about faith and how it requires us to act and take that first step and then we will see the miracles, or receive our answer (Ether 12:6). I think it was a big step in the right direction for her.

We taught Emi the rest of the Plan of Salvation this week. I think it went really well and maybe is making Emi think about her life in a different way than before. I always love teaching the Plan of Salvation to people. I love helping them see that God has a plan for them and that he is aware of them. I love showing them why Christ`s Atonement is so important for everyone. Yukimatsu san also came to the lesson because they are friends. He`s actually the elders investigator and he`s been taught the Plan of Salvation before. He`s also Chinese so his English is better than his Japanese. So we would switch between Japanese and English to teach both Emi and Yukimatsu. It was fun. Good thing the Spirit speaks every language so we bore our testimonies at the end and know that either way they can feel it.

Well sorry this is such a long email. Changes are hard, but that`s also when the miracles come so I`m expecting some pretty awesome miracles this next transfer! Like me understanding Japanese:)

Have a great week everyone!

Malone Shimai

Us with Satoru san! Yanagida choro & Kazuki san in the background.