Hello everyone!!!

Well, since many peopleare not happy with me and my lack of letters
last week, I will try to make up for it.

 So, NOW I reside in the beautiful place of Yamate- which means
mountain hand!!! You can google it if you like. It is where all of the
 Japanese movies are filmed. It is absolutely beautiful and is NEVER
boring. People from all over the world live here and part of out ward
is English speaking.

My companion is...well...awesome! She is the perfect example to me and
 is teaching me so much! We are trying hard to focus on the work and to
 not have too much fun with each other.

Because we are opening this area for sisters, we inherited no people
to teach and knew about 5 people- 4 being elders. But since then, we
have been praying (ichiban taisetsu) and talking with everyone, and we
have made SO many great friends! We love them so much, and because we
do we want to share the Gospel with them. We met two high schoolers
this week who I absolutely love! One has been to a church and is
curious about them and the other wanted to know why we were so happy.
They asked us if we could sing a hymn so we did I am Child of God in
Japanese on one of the busiest intersections in Tokyo. One of them
closed her eyes and had the most peaceful look on her face. Sometimes
people try to complicate the Gospel Jesus Christ and forget the root
of it. And that is peace. And sincere happiness.

When i first gothere, I was so focused on doing everything to the T I forgot

what I was there to share. And God wants us to remember the core of His
Gospel. And I have the privilege of spending all of my time dedicating
myself to that cause.

So I basically love it here. It is most certainly not easy, but it is
 absolutely worth it.

Um..other news...so we found an awkward olace in our area. Our area is
the smallest one in the mission, because there are so many people
here! But we traveled to the other end of our mission (about 10
minutes by train) and came to my new favorite place. Because it was
just strange. Like, the eki started to close on me while getting out
(scariest moment of my life) Hubbard Shimai slipped on the incredibly
small stairs, a family had a personal portapotty in their front yard,
I broke a handrail in a really old apartment building (but we fixed
it),and a lot of very awkward things. But it was hilarious and we
just kept pushing forward. and we found a referral there!

Things may seem awkward at first, but sometimes you just have to plow

through it! わたしの日本語。。。 well, I am trying. I can see how much

the Lord had helped me so far. And i can converse (painfully slow) with people.

But He has helped me so much in learning the fifth hardest language in the world.
And I find that, when my learning Japanese is no longer about me or my
pride but it about helping others and loving them enough to speak
their language, it becomes so much easier.

I love you all! Keep being awesome! God is real :D

Love

 モレン姉妹 

 Well I hope everyone is happy!

Okay, so here is the fun fact: We have no time to email because of a
very long story of buying $300 worth of stuff for our new apartment at
a store 30 minutes away walking, had no bikes, and had to callt he
zone leaders to help us carry it home. But it was a blast! Here is
the picture. We literally had to tape our bags while walking

Molen Shiamai

 BLIZZARD!!!!!!

So, for anyone who is keeping track of Japan, this should come as no
surprise. But to everyone else, we had a massive  blizzard this week!
It was insane! My companion and I couldn't leave the apartment on
Saturday,  but we delivered treat to ours neighbors, who were very
surprised to see us in the Blizzard! Then, (while we were calling
people in our apartment) we received a text from Bishop 山口, who
cancelled church. I didn't know he could do that! Insane, right?
But on Sunday the snow had stopped and, although a lot lf the roads
were undriveable, people could get around by foot. So we made the 40
minute trek to the church. We were actually walking back from a もぎ
lesson with a member who lived close to the church, we stopped to talk
to someone on the street. While we did, a lady walked by and smiled at
us. The conversation ended shortly thereafter and, as we walked away
the lady that passed us earlier yelled for us to stop. We quickly
walked over. Her name is Joyce, and she is from the Philippines. She
is married to a 日本人 and has a nephew on a mission. She then said (in
English) "I was really busy before, but now that I have time, I want to
go to church. And I like the Mormon church best. Can you come by my
house next Sunday and we can walk to church together?" Needless to say
we said yes.

I have met so many wonderful people here in Fujisawa! I am absolutely
in love w ith the members, investigators, and PIs here.
Then, this morning, we got a call from the APs. "Sister Molen,
President Wada went to the Temple and prayed very hard about this
decision. And the Lord has told him that people need you in Yamate.
So you will be opening that area with Sister Hubbard on Thursday."
Well, okay. I suppose that is the life of a missionary. My companion
土田姉妹 will be training Sister Hokanson in Fujisawa. I think they will
work perfectly together. I hate to leave ,y companion, though. She has
taught me so much! I feel bad that i got the best trainer in the
mission, but I am glad I was given that blessing!

It is a very strange thing, a mission. To fall in love with a people
and then be called elsewhere. But I am trusting that the Lord knows
best- He is the one that is helping me, lifting me, and leading me. I
am so glad that i chose to serve a mission. Sometimes it is difficult,
and sometimes it is beautiful. But it is always worth it  and I am so
glad to be here.

I hope all is well with everyone at home! 愛していますよ
Ever onwards,
モレン姉妹.

Smile for the Day:  This is what you do with all that snow :-)

Sometimes a picture says a thousand words.  We did not receive a new blog entry because of her using a new keyboard(Japanese) but she was able to send some pictures.  Those of you who know Mari have experienced the extra something she adds to the day.(I know I am biased but hey I have the right). Well
in this picture I believe it says all we need to know how she is this last week.  I know she appreciates all your support and for that I thank you ~~~~~ Mari's Mom

Molen Shimai 2/14

ADVENTURES IN THE LAND OF TWO BOOKS

 

Really. That is what the Kanji for Japan is. Two books. 

 

Which is ironic because, in Japan, there are two big American imports.

The first is 7-11. It's like their Walmart. And they are EVERYWHERE. On every other street corner. Their sushi is pretty okay, but not as good as fresh. The second is Book-Off. That's right- Book Off. We are not allowed to enter book stores here. I think that rule was meant just for me. The Japanese people are REALLY big readers. They even sell book covers for all of their books. 

 

The food adventure for the week: last night at an appointment, I was fed raw bacon wrapped around some sort of spicy cabbage. I feel very conflicted about that. But it tasted pretty good! :D And the food hasn't made me sick (yet) so i should be fine.

 

My companion is super awesome! I love her so much as she inspires me all the time!

The Japanese culture has figured something out that a lot of the world is not sure about-  silence. My companion is silent often, and it frustrates me a lot because I thin something is wrong. But, no- she's fine. She's just thinking. That is very common here. I am trying to get used to that.

 

So, last week at Eikawia (free English class the missionaries teach at the church building) I had to explain to my students for 10 minutes that Americans usually only shower or only bathe once a day. They do not do both. Apparently that is unfathomable here. Everyone was very shocked at this notion. "Don't you get cold?!" "Um...nooo...?" They are so sweet! I love my class so much!

 

Here is an inspiring story for everyone. We went to a member's house named Ito Shimai. She looks about 55, which means she is about 70. (That is a fact here. I think it is so awesome! They eat rice, fish, and veggies, and ride their bikes. That is the key) And we shared with her a short message. We planned afterward to dendo (tract) her neighborhood, but during the message she felt the Spirit so strongly that she asked if she could come with us! So,m she put on her jacket and went out and talked to a bunch of people with us! Hvaing her there made such a difference! Her dendo fire inspired me so much! That's missionary work: feeling the Spirit and telling people about it.

 

All of you are so awesome! Please keep being cool!

 

Love,

 

Molen Shimai

January 10,2014

今日　わ！
I hope everyone is doing absolutely fabulous today! I think about you all and hope that all of you are doing quite well.

This week was an adventure. Here are some fun facts about Japan to brighten every one's day:

- If you are a foreigner in Japan, people will openly stare at you. Especially children. We were walking by a day care two days ago and all of the kids ran up to the window, pressed their faces against the glass, and stared as we walked by. That is common. Of course, in Japan, everyone has been gaijin on television and even from far away. But if, as a foreigner, you talk to them or stand next to them, they freak out. I love being called "exotic" here- my pasty self.
-On that note, all Japanese students are required to take 6 years of English in middle school and high school. So they all can understand quite a bit of English. They actually know a lot of vocabulary. So, when a gaijin starts to talk to them, often they will want to answer in English- slow English with the most adorable accent ever (seriously, I love Japanese people so much) So learning Japanese is an act of love- because you could probably say messages in English and they could understand the basic idea of it. But when you say it in Japanese, it shows that you respect and love them enough to choose to speak their language-0 to make it more convenient for them.
-Japanese are very action oriented. My companion and I talked about love this week, and she says that the way couples show affection for each other here is not by snuggling or kissing- but by serving one another. Actions and deeds are how love is really communicated here. I think that is very important.

So, how was this week? It was very good.

I am learning a valuable lesson. Missionaries called to Japan find, at the start, that they tend to be good at either one thing or the other: speaking or understanding. They are supposed ot even out at some point. But I have found that I can better understand what people say than I can pronounce the words. That is very humbling. At home, I often figured that if I spewed out enough pretty words or sounded eloquent enough, that would make my opinion right. But here, I am learning that a lot of the beauty and wisdom that God gives us  by listening and caring about other people. When you care enough to listen and are not totally focused on what you want to say, life becomes so much easier and we can learn a lot more. And you can love a lot more.

Funny moment of the week: The ward mission leader (coolest person ever.) called us and asked me what kind of food I wanted from the ward. Frankly, I have no idea what I am eating half of the time here. So I asked for him to surprise me. He didn't like that. Finally, my companion asked if I liked potato chips and said, "Sure."
This is a proof for the Japanese people: they always try their best to help others. So, now, I have about 10 containers of Pringles sitting in my apartment. :-)

I love you all!
Keep being wonderful,
Molen Shimai

 も　一回　お願い　します

(I hope that is the right kanji. Japanese keyboards will automatically change what you are writing in hiragana into kanji characters)

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing subarashii!

I am doing great here! It hit on....Wednesday, I think, as I was walking along an older part of Fujisawa, "Hey, I am a missionary in Japan!" 

I love being a missionary SO much! A lot of people who are not members of the 末日　生徒　イエス　キリスト　の　きょかい(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) may think a missionary's job is to shove religion down other people's throats. But for our church that is never the case. Our job is to "Invite". We do a lot of inviting everyday. Sometimes people want to ear it. Sometimes people don't.

The reason I bring this up was because I had an interesting situation on the train yesterday. I sat down next to this older woman and we started a conversation. She was very interested in talking until she saw I was a missionary. Then her whole demeanor changed. She automatically shut off and looked very upset (a thing with most Japanese people- they are very good at poker faces. So when someone looks upset it means they are REALLY upset) I hadn't even said anything about the Gospel yet! But she was so angry...and we still had 15 minutes of riding to go. So we just sat there awkwardly. Then I saw a piece of trash on the floor. Without even thinking, I picked up the piece of trash and put it in my pocket (the Japanese pride themselves in a clean society) The woman looked absolutely shocked. She even looked less angry. When she left and I said goodbye, she actually said it back.

So, after that encounter, I realized some people might have a wrong impression bout missionaries. 

So, here are some fun facts about being here:

-Missionaries teach free, quality English classes every week. I am finding my speech classes as a child are helping out a lot now; I can tell people how to move their mouths to enunciate certain sounds. Eikaiwa is so much fun! And people speak English, so it is a little less stress than Japanese. 

-There is this store called Daiso. Oh.My.Gosh. Daiso. It is what the 99cent store wants to be when it grows up. It has everything you'd ever want and everything you never knew you needed within aisles and aisles of katakana bliss. And it's all 100 yen. I am in deep trouble and am trying to control myself. I think it helps that all apartments here are super tiny, so you don't have room for 200 notebooks with English on them (Example: "Let's play with me" and "I was happy because it looked very nice" with no explanation- just a cute puppy) The Celestial Kingdom has Daiso. 

-My mission in a few weeks is expected to get "Special Mobile devices". I don't know why i am going to be trusted with an Ipad, but I ill pray very hard and try not to break it. 

-All I do is eat here. Seriously. Their food. Is. Amazing.

-My companion is Tsuchida Shimai and she is absolutley wonderful. She (like most other Japanese students) were required to take 6 years of English in middle school and high school. So she understands quite a bit of my English when I cannot speak in Nihongo. An interesting thing is people will always want to try out their English on you if you are a gaijin. Because they are taught British English in school, their accents are adorable!!!! I love hearing them speak!

-The ward in Fujisawa has about 150 members right now (Which is quite large)The members here are so nice to us! They are very focused on their callings in church- even if they are very young. Their faith inspires me everyday, and they are focused on missionary work and helping us out. I cannot wait until I am able to talk to them more to find out about their stories!

-In the ward... okay.... so in the ward there is the absolutely cutest baby in the world. All Japanese children are flat out adorable (they will run up and hug you out of nowhere) But this one baby is so cute it has to be dangerous and/or unhealthy. She has the fattest and reddest cheeks, black eyes, and hair that stands up in a mohawk. And her parents carry her around in a straw basket. She. Kills. Me. And then you make eye contact and..whoa, she is adorable.

We have an investigator who I am in love with! I will call her (since Japanese respect privacy) Allison. She is so so sweet and wants to learn absolutely everything she possibly can. She speaks very quickly, but that is okay. I get the main meaning of what she gets across.

Being a missionary is not easy. The schedule is not easy, and watching people you love say no to the most important thing in the world. Losing pride and being willing to make language mistakes is not easy. But this so rewarding. When you do find people who are ready and when you do make friends, when you feel the Lord's strengthening hand push you onward and see how He helps other people- it is so so wonderful. I think everyone should be a missionary. In a world of sleeping on the floor, toilets with built in sinks, bowing to people on the street, and roads that run backwards, that is one thing that has remained the same. This Gospel is true and God lives. And everywhere should be a missionary anywhere. It is so rewarding!!!!