Monday, April 25, 2011

Week 31 - Akashi, Japan

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!

I think I`m still catching it on your Easter! I hope it`s been filled with lots of candy, chocolate bunnies, and rememberings of everything Christ has done for us! I'm reading the New Testament for part of my study time and it's just been blowing my mind how amazing Christ was. I knew before but as I'm reading the New Testament now, I can't believe all that He's done for us. Christ performed so many miracles and loved people so well, that it's astounding to me.

Anyway, a lot of news for this week! First, transfers!!!! Yes, they happened and yes as I knew things would change up a bit. I`m still in Akashi, along with Sister Weatherston, but my companion is no longer Sister Murdock. My new companion is Myagmarjav Shimai, haha, have fun trying to pronounce that one at home! She's from Mongolia. The crazy thing is, is that we're 'doki' meaning we came to the field at the same time, we were in the MTC together. Co-senpai/senior companions now! It's been way good. At first I wondered how it would go with the Japanese, according to missionary time, we're both still young and to be put together with your doki at this 'young age' is pretty uncommon, but so far it's been way good. We're learning a lot, making mistakes (like getting on an express train that took us 30 minutes outside of our area instead of a local train), but it's all working out. We're really having to rely on each other, there are a lot of words that she knows that I don't, and surprisingly a lot of words that I know that she doesn't, same with the kanji characters. I think from this transfer we'll both come out knowing a lot more, that will prepare us for later transfers when we are senpai.

Speaking of transfers...other great news! I don't know how long I`ll actually be with Megu Shimai (Megu is short, and easier to say, so we all just call her Megu Shimai). We got the news this morning that next week, they will start sending us Tokyo missionaries back to Tokyo!!!!!! It won't all be at once, little by little all through out the transfer. There are so little details right now that I don't know when I'll be headed back, but it most likely will be by the end of May! Tokyo is perfectly safe, they wouldn't send missionaries back if they didn't think so, but I guess there are still a lot of worried parents. I have loved serving in Akashi, but Tokyo is home, and I want to go back home.

As for celebrating Easter here, well Japanese people don't know to much about Easter at all. Even members, I think I heard one mention of Easter while at church and that was from a member who said it to me because I`m American and he knew Easter was an American holiday :) haha, but in our apartment we had a small and quick celebration of eating a giant chocolate easter egg, Sister Escalante's (Weatherston shimai`s new companion, and whom I shared a room with at the MTC) mom sent her, and some jelly beans (thank you!)

So tornadoes in St. Louis! I`m glad ,Mom and Dad that you, our house and the surrounding areas are okay! So many natural disasters lately! And it hit the airport, I`m glad everyone was okay!

So my bike, President Albrecht had told us to take apart our bikes and stick them inside the apartment, then if possible they would send them. I had taken apart mine, but since it was my first transfer, I didn't know that my bike bag was too small, so my bike was just taken apart and basically sitting in pieces in my apartment when I left. We have special slips for transfers where when we send our bags it automatically charges the mission, so the ward was able to use one of those and not pay for it, but they did have to pack up my bike and send it all down to me. The wards really do take care of us missionaries in Japan, definitely look after us. They are so good!
Anyway this is way long and time is up in a few minutes, but love you all! and hope you have a good week!

Love you all!
Sister Erin Benne

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