Week 75 - Senzokuike, Japan

Hi Family!

Well, I guess this will be the last letter I write to you from Tokyo, my last one... that still hasn't quite sunk in yet, I don't think.

We went to the temple today, I love the temple. It was bitter sweet though, because I know it will be probably the last time I'll see most of the missionaries who have become such dear friends and people I highly respect.

Looking back on my mission, things have gone by way too fast, I've learned so much, but feel I now have so much more to learn. My last day of actually being in the field, occurs exactly one year after the earthquake and tsunami. So many things have happened since then. I never could have imagined the point I'm at now during those unsure days in Kichijoji.

During my mission I've kept a quote from the TV show "Scrubs" above my desk. In it one of the characters said, "Nothing in this life that's worth having comes easy". How true this is. I've seen investigators, members, people I care about struggle over different things, but if they have the desire and they've fought for what's right, each has overcome. My mission has by far been the hardest thing I've ever done, and yet from it has come the greatest rewards.

I've come to know for a surety, that God knows and loves each and every person in this world, even if they turn their backs on Him. His arms are always outstretched in mercy towards us.

I've learned that if you rely on God and pray for His help, you can get through anything.

I've learned that even on the coldest of days, a smile can melt someones heart.

I've learned that no matter how much you wish you could sometimes, you can't change other people's opinions and you can't force yours on them. God has given each of us freedom of choice and we have to respect when others choose something that breaks our heart.

I've learned that everyone needs a friend and someone to love them. And most of the time, those people who really need that friend are too sad to reach out.

I've come to know that families are a gift from God and that mine is one of the best!

and I've learned never to say something is impossible; somehow I learned Japanese.

Heavenly Father lives and He loves us. He gave His perfect Son for us, so that we too may be made perfect. He wants us to live with Him again and the only way to do that is by following the path that Jesus Christ laid out for us.

I know my Redeemer lives and that He is always with us.

I love you all and I'm so thankful for the support that you have given me on my mission. Your emails have lifted me up and helped me through the storms.

While I'll miss Japan and hate to leave so many that I love, I am looking forward to seeing you all shortly!

Until I see you in America (or Mom and Dad, Japan!)!

 

Love (for the last time),

Sister Erin Benne

Week 74 - Senzokuike, Japan

Hello!

I don't have much time today, but I just wanted to say hi!

This week has been great! We had the conference with Elder Oaks and he talked about receiving revelation and how a lot of people misinterpret revelation. It was cool to get an apostle's take on how to receive revelation from our Father through the Holy Ghost.

Also, on Saturday, I had the opportunity to go to a wedding reception. One of the members in my current branch got sealed to one of the members from the Kichijoji Ward. Miki helped me out so much when I first came to Japan, reminds me so much of Beth. Anyway, it was such a happy occasion and I'm so happy for her! It was fun too to see quite a few Kichijoji members as well! Good little reunion!

Anyway I love you all!

Sister Erin Benne

Week 73 - Senzokuike, Japan

Hello Family!

How's it all going? Did everyone have a good Valentine's Day?

In Japan, Valentine's Day is a little different. On Valentine's Day, girls give things to the boys. However, there is a whole other seperate day called, White Day, where the boys then in return give things to the girls.

Anyway, it's been a good week. We got a little bit of snow the other day, but it quickly melted.

Tomorrow, Elder Oaks is coming to Tokyo to speak to our mission. I'm so excited, it will be really good!

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well!

Love,

Sister Erin Benne

Week 72 - Senzokuike, Japan

Well Hello Family!

This week has been a good one. It's starting to warm up, which is REALLY nice, but well, it's still February so most likely it'll get cold again (oh and when I say warm, it's been in like the 40's maybe 50's). However, people are a lot more willing to talk to you on the streets when it's warmer out, so we've been able to talk to some really great people this week and found a new investigator! I'm excited to see where she goes. One of the goals Sister Edstrom and I are working towards this transfer is just coming home happily exhausted every single day, and it's been great! I'm exhausted, but happy, so I think we're doing pretty well on it!

Next week Elder Oaks is coming to our mission and we will have a conference with him! I'm excited! How lucky I've been since being here. Exactly 1 year ago Elder Holland came and spoke and now we get to hear from Elder Oaks! Cool!

Anyway I hope everything goes well for you this week!

Love you!

Sister Erin Benne

Week 71 - Senzokuike, Japan 3＝3＝『( ・＿・)』(running man)

Hello 

How was everyone's week? Dad said the Super Bowl was this past Sunday. I forget like things like the Super Bowl happen as I'm here.

Missionary life has been good this past week. I absolutely love Sister Edstrom, we're having so much fun as we're hitting up the streets searching for people to teach. It's amazing how many miracles we've seen. I love it! I'm just trying to work so hard these last few weeks. I want to make sure I didn't miss anything I was supposed to do or anyone I was supposed to talk to while here in Senzokuike or Japan. It's like with cross country. You've run the race, you see the finish line flags, but you haven't made it across the line yet. All that's left for you to do is to dig down deep and give it your all, sprinting, pushing against all pain so that by the time you finish you have nothing left. You do this so that when you cross that line you can say honestly say you did your best and you have no regrets. That's what I want to do for my last little while here in Japan as a missionary. I want to give it my all, sprint to the end, so that when I'm done I can look back and say I've done my best, I have no regrets.

On another note, I think you will be proud of me. Why? Topic: Sushi. So most missionaries when they come to Japan have the chance to eat sushi maybe 2-3 times. It's expensive so it's not on a commonly eat list for missionaries. Somehow, however, this is not true for me. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to eat sushi on my mission. Today, was no exception. For lunch we went out to eat with some members and a potential investigator to a sushi restaurant. We received a nice big bowl of sashimi (slices of raw fish) over rice. And guess what, for the first time it wasn't horrible. No I still will not go out on my own to buy sushi, however, finally after over a year in Japan, I was able to get down a whole meal of sushi without gagging! Count that one for the record books! As we persist through hard things, miracles happen. Sometimes, it takes a month, to overcome it, sometimes a year, sometimes more. But as we persist, we can in the end overcome.

Love

Sister Erin Benne

Week 70 - Senzokuike, Japan ( ^ _ ^ ) v Peace!

Well, Hello There!

It's always a happy day when I get to read your letters! So I guess the big news for this week is transfers. You'll never guess where I am! Okay, maybe you will since I think the only places in Tokyo that you know are areas that I've been, but still... Anyway to finish things off, I will be staying in good old Senzokuike! That will make a total of 7 1/2 months being here! I was really happy about that, it would've been hard to leave this area with only 6 weeks left.  My companion however did change. I'm now with Sister Edstrom. She's way cute, from Utah, and has just this awesome bubbly personality. She's on transfer 3, and transferred from Kichijoji, so we share the same first area! I can already tell this is going to be a fun and miracle filled transfer.

It's funny to think how the first half of my mission, I jumped from place to place so quickly, but I've stayed in one area for the last half of my mission (I've now seen 4 companions come and go here  ). I think there is definitely things I needed to learn from all the moving around. Hopefully I learned everything I was supposed to.

I hope you all have a great week!

Love you lots!

Sister Erin Benne

P.S. Today is my half-birthday! It's a good day! hehe  

Week 69 - Senzokuike, Japan \ ( ' --' ) /

Hello Family!

 

So the subject line, I'll quickly explain. It's a Japanese emoticon (?), they're a little different than American ones, but can you see it? It's a face with arms stretched up like saying Hello! or ready to take Christ's outstretched arms of mercy, which ever way you look at it. Hehe...!

 

Well, this week it snowed for the first time this winter! Brrr! It didn't stick, but well, it still wasn't the funnest to ride my bike in. I love snow, however, so I happily danced around when I saw the flakes falling. It was definitely worth the frozen face. I have come to really love those moments where I could be bitterly miserable due to the cold, rain, or other circumstances and yet choose to laugh and be happy. There comes great power in how we react to our surroundings and the choices we make when not neccessarily the most comfortable thing or our personal preference happens. We, ourselves choose our attitude. We choose whether we want to make the best of our situation and continue pushing on with a positive attitude or if we want to grudgingly finish our task. Today, we were out about 30 minutes by bike from our apartment when it started raining. Neither Sister Barbour or I had our rain gear, but we needed to get back home and the only sensible way was on our bikes through the rain in the cold. When we got to our apartment all I could do is laugh with amusement as I rung my skirt out and peeled off layers of tights, socks, etc. I think back to a year ago and wonder would I have found it as amusing, or more miserable. One thing I love about what my mission has taught me is how to laugh at the difficult things that you can't change. There is no point in being unhappy about something that you have no control over. I hope I can continue to remember that even after I come home from my mission.

 

This weekend is transfer calls. Next week starts my last transfer. It's a scary thought. It all goes by so fast, everybody said it, but I never believed it.

I love you all!

Hope you have a good week!

Love,

Sister Erin Benne

Week 68 - Senzokuike, Japan

Hello Family!

So I'm coming to you a little later than usual...that's because today we went to the temple. We're allowed to go to the temple once a transfer, and well, since the temple is closed on Mondays, when we do go, we switch our P-days to tuesday. Despite it being p-day, it's been a really busy day! Running from here to there, but that's okay, we're settled down now for about an hour or two!

Things have been going well here in Senzokuike. Lately we've really been struggling to find investigators, all of our previous investigators seemed to disappear during Christmas and New Years, which has been hard, but it seems that things are picking back up now. We've been able to find a few new people that I think have quite a bit of potential.

We have a conference this week with President Stevenson, the area authority here in Japan, on Thursday. It's going to be good, and we're all excited!

That's about all I can think of to say right now!

I love you all! Hope you have a good week!

Love,

Sister Erin Benne

Week 67 - Senzokuike, Japan

Hello Family!

Good to hear from you this week!  It's funny, while I know time is passing here, I forget that other people's lives continue on. I'm realizing that slowly; so much has changed, but that is okay, because in order for us to grow, things have to change...so it just means all of you have grown and learned so much!

Today, we had a ward activity where we made mochi. Mochi is a traditional Japanese food really only eaten around New Year's. Basically it is pounded up rice; gooey, and good. I think I sent some pictures last year of me in Kichijoji making mochi. It's fun, Jon, I feel you would be very good at it. It takes a lot of strength, and you can buy mochi at the store, so people don't make it too often on their own anymore.

By the way Jon, one of the members here, I guess found me on facebook and was looking at your pictures and he came up to me and he was like, "Sister Benne, your brother is cool!" haha it was really funny, especially since I didn't know he even knew I had a brother! I can't believe you'll be graduating in April, what kind of planes are you up to flying now? Will you do any commercial size planes before you graduate?

Anyway, I don't really have much else to say... but thank you for all the support you give me! I love you all so much!

Sister Erin Benne

Week 66 - Senzokuike, Japan

Hello Wonderful Family!

あけましておめでとうございます(akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!)！or HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Can you believe it is already 2012? I can't, that just seems too crazy! Has everybody made their goals for the New Year? If I wasn't a goal-maker before the mission, I definitely am now. It's amazing how much more can be accomplished when we have goals and are really working to achieve them.

It seems strange to me that I was just talking to you a week ago, it feels like so much longer than that. How was everyone's New Year's? Is everyone now back in their respective cities?

New Year's in Japan is 10million times bigger than Christmas. Really it's like our Christmas is their New Year's, and our New Year's is like their Christmas. But it's fun. During New Year's every family has a big meal just full of traditional Japanese food. I love Japanese food, but will admit this is not my favorite meal of the year, as it is for most. Maybe a little too traditional for me, but it is still really good. Mainly I just love being able to spend time with the families in our ward, sharing in all their joy and excitement for the New Year's celebrations. Thinking back on last year New Year's, I have to laugh at how little I knew what was going on. Thank goodness we as human beings can progress, learn, and grow!

Anyway, I hope all is going well!

Love you!

Sister Erin Benne

Week 65 - Senzokuike, Japan

Merry Christmas!

This one is going to be a short one, since I just talked to you this morning! It was so good to talk to you! So strange seeing everyone. You all look so different, but I guess that is what happens after a year and a half! Basically I just wanted to say Merry Christmas again! and send you a few pictures.

 The first is of my new companion Sister Barbour and I. She's from Sacramento CA.

Sister Mano and I in Tokyo Tower. We decided it was our official Christmas Card picture. It says Merry Christmas in Tokyo Tower. I love Japanese English.

our Christmas dinner last night with the Shichijo Family. Which was a lot of fun!

Love you all! Have a good week!

Sister Erin Benne

Week 64 - Senzokuike, Japan

Well Hello Fabulous Family!

How's life? It sounds like everyone at this point is getting ready to head back to the Benne Family House at some point this week! Too fun!

Mom and Dad, I got your package! Thank you! Sister Mano and I had fun decorating the tree and the nativity's will be put to good use somehow for Eikaiwa! Thanks, my curiosity is peaked however on what is in the very smashable wrapped package. Alas, I shall wait until Christmas!

Are you even having church on Sunday? Here both are just an hour. That's going to be weird, I'm used to being at church from 8:30am straight until 5pm with both wards. No plans for what we're doing yet though...most likely it will be normal missionary work here.

As for transfers, well,  you might have been able to guess as to where I still am at. Haha, yup, I'm still in good old Senzokuike! It just goes to show you how unpredictable some transfers can be. It's good though, I'm excited to stay! Sister Mano did head up to Kofu though. One of the biggest areas in our mission and completely country. I've always wanted to head out that way, but really I've stayed in the city for the most part. She was excited though and a little nervous, especially after all the members said "It's so cold there!" when she told them where she was going (She's right next to Mt. Fuji).

Anyway as for my new companion, still not decided. I'm training again, so i'll find out on Wednesday, you can meet her through skype on Monday though! I'm with Gantumur Shimai for a few days until our new companions come. Do you remember Gantumur Shimai? She's from Mongolia, and we were in the MTC and Kichijoji together, so it's a lot of fun. And crazy to see how much the two of us have grown and actually know what we are doing since those first days. I don't even want to think about it! Haha!

Anyway LOVE YOU and MISSIONARY WORK LOTS!!! Can't wait to talk to you!

Sister Erin Benne

Week 63 - Senzokuike, Japan

Speaking of Christmas, can you believe it, it's that time of year that I get to call home! Because transfers are this week, and I can basically tell you I am transferring from what President Albrecht told Sister Mano and I at interviews.

 

Highlights of this week: going to a Potential Investigators house for a lesson and instead getting a lesson from her on Japanese tea ceremony (which involves tea we're not allowed to drink). It was really cool, and we got to testify about the Word of Wisdom, but needless to say, she didn't become an investigator.

This week is our Mission Christmas Party! I'm so excited!

Sorry for this being so short!

Love you all!

Sister Erin Benne

Week 62, Senzokuike, Japan

Hello!

It's December and Christmas is in the air! Yay! I love Christmas! Christmas is not nearly as big here, but you still do see lights up in some places and stores are all set up for shopping. Along with singing Christmas songs in church, you get a Christmas feel! It's the best. We have fun talking to people on the streets asking them why we celebrate Christmas (they're all Buddhist, but still all go to Christmas Parties) and very few actually know. So it's a really fun way to teach about Christ, it's something they like and know, but just don't know the point of.

This year, we, as a mission have been working on a goal to bring 300 people unto Christ through baptism. Last year, we had just over 200 people get baptized. We met our goal then, and this year we wanted something that would make us stretch. With the earthquake, we took a big hit. We had been doing so good, but since then we've never been able to make it quite back up to where we were before. With a month left though, something really cool is happening in our mission. We've realized to make our goal we need a miracle. But miracles still exist today, so we know it's possible. Every missionary in the Japan Tokyo Mission is making one final big push. Every ward in the mission has a baptismal service planned for the 25th. Here in Senzokuike we don't have anyone set for baptism yet, but like the lamb sent to Abraham, the Lord will provide. I'm excited to see the hand of Lord taking shape as miracle upon miracle continue to be shown forth.

This week marks my 1 year in Japan. Strange to think it's been that long. How far I've come. Those first few weeks in the field, as I'm sure for any missionary were rough. I'm so grateful that God strengthens and trusts those that are weak. This is a work that without Him you cannot do and I would not even attempt to do. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways highter than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9

I love you all!

Have a great week!

Love Sister Erin Benne

Week 61 - Senzokuike, Japan

Hello!

So how was everyone's Thanksgiving??? Beth ate jellyfish, that's a little gross, luckily I haven't come across that here in Japan, but we're approaching the season where all the really traditional foods come back out in Japan...Japanese New Year, gotta love it. I think the worst thing I've seen so far was baby octopi swimming around in soup. Needless to say, I steered clear of that one as best as I could.

So Thanksgiving here went well. And I did get a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner at the Nagano's that was absolutely delicious. I think it's a good thing that they live a little farther away and we went by bike, on the way home, we were able to work off some of that food!

As with that nothing too much else is happening. We're working on starting up a Kid's Eikaiwa here, so we're just going crazy trying to get a curriculum together, getting publicity out, and making vocab cards, homework etc. It's fun though, and we think we'll really be able to introduce a lot of people to the church through it. In Japan, english classes are huge. With needing english so much in the world today, tons of parents want their kids to learn english. People pay 100's of dollars for just an hour long class with a native english speaker, so with us teaching for free we're able to really help the community and get more people associated with members of the church as well with teaching them about the church. Anyway, we're excited. It starts this week though, and we still have a lot to do.

It's gotten cold again in Japan. Pulled out the gloves, and scarves, once more. I can't believe it's already winter again, let alone a few days until December. Time is going by so fast!

Anyway I hope everyone has a good week!

Love you all!

Sister Erin Benne

Week 60 - Senzokuike, Japan

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

Is it really even Thanksgiving Week? That seems so strange to me that a holiday could even be coming up! 

In Japan they have a holiday on Wednesday. Japan has a LOT of holidays, it seems like one every 2 weeks, but I'm not complaining, because it means everyone is off of work and out of school, so we're free to teach them. They're always some of our busiest days! 

As for my Thanksgiving celebration, we are headed to my freshman year roommates house on Saturday Night for a Thanksgiving dinner. I'm so excited! It's going to be good and they are inviting 2 nonmember families, so it will be even better! 

Thank you Dad and Mom for sending those Thanksgiving activities for Eikaiwa. It will help a lot and I think it will be a lot of fun! Our students are always wanting to learn more about American culture, so holidays always give a good chance to share part of our American life. And it's fun for us, because we always get to celebrate in some way.

As for other news from this past week, we had a District Conference yesterday with all the English Branches in Tokyo and well, the English Branch I've been working in got dissolved. After the earthquake a lot of foreigners living in Japan went home and with the economy as well, numbers in the District have just been dropping. Really though, they just combined 2 of the branches and took the name of the other, so I still have an English Branch I'll be working in with more people and a lot larger area to cover; I think President Albrecht is trying to figure out what to do, since they meet in our area's building, but over 3/4 of the members live outside our Senzokuike area! Anyway, I'm excited for it. It will be fun having new members come into the ward!

Oh, and my voice has returned! YAY! and I didn't even have to go to the doctor! Thank goodness! It's still not back to normal and I have a cough, but I can actually talk now and I'm just so thankful for that! Thank you for your prayers, I know they helped a lot!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving, eat lots of yummy food, but remember the true meaning and to really take this time to show your love and appreciation for others by serving them. Because really that's how we ourselves become the happiest, by helping others.

Love you all!

Sister Erin Benne

Week 59 - Senzokuike, Japan

Hello!

 I actually might have to go to the hospital as well tomorrow. Don't worry no huge thing. In Japan, they go to the hospital for every little thing because it's free. But anyway, starting last P-day I wasn't feeling to well, and while I feel fine now, I have completely lost my voice. Anyway so for about a week now, I have been completely without a voice, a little difficult when youre a missionary. It's accompanied with a nice cough too. So I talked to the mission doctor, and he said that until I get rid of my cough my voice isn't going to come back, because it's straining my vocal cords everytime I cough. So to get my voice back I will need to get some cough medicine, which In Japan they don't have any over the counter cough medicine so in order to get some I'll have to go to the doctor. He gave me until Tuesday to see if I get better. I don't like going to the doctor, so I'm praying I'll be better before than.

But yeah, life without a voice has been pretty interesting. Mano Shimai has really stepped up, making phone calls, leading lessons and streeting as I take the more quieter route. There isn't much I can do, but I've noticed when I really need to say something, I have voice enough to get it through. It's been a huge miracle. Maybe I needed to learn not to talk so much!

The members have been really cute too. At different activities we've had going on and at church they've all been giving me cough drops and different remedies; aromic oils and well, everyone has their own way that they believe cures different ailments, so I've had the privelegde of seeing how everyone fixes not having a voice. I've really felt people's love and concern through it.

Oh and this is exciting! Did you all celebrate 11-11-11 at 11:11??? It's probably the luckiest minute of the luckiest day of all of our lives!!! So fun!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a good week!

Love you all!

Sister Erin Benne

P.S. The Primary Program was yesterday in both of the wards. The CUTEST thing ever!!! Little Japanese kids singing Primary Songs is so cute! It's amazing to me how I'm half-way around the world in a completely different culture, but the church is exactly the same! It wouldn't be that way if it wasn't true!

Week 58 - Senzokuike, Japan

Well, Hello!

So transfers came and went and guess what for the first time on my mission I did not get a call! Yeah! Actually since it was Mano Shimai's first transfer, we basically knew we both wouldn't be getting one, almost ALWAYS a trainer and trainee are together for 2 transfers, but it's still exciting.

 

So Dad you googled Senzokuike? Yeah, I get to see that beautiful lake every single day. You really were actually looking at where I live my life basically everyday. The lake is about a 1 minute walk from the church, 3 minutes from our apartment, and right across from the train station. So we're there talking to people in the park all the time. Mano Shimai and I used to go running around it in the morning, too, until she sprained her ankle. (She's okay, but running is still a little out of the question at the moment.) I've heard it's absolutely gorgeous during cherryblossom season!

 

Not much else new to report, but I've been thinking a lot about a quote I got back in the MTC. It's by H.D. Thoreau and he said, "As if you could kill time without injurying eternity." It's become a favorite quote of mine, as I've realized how true it is. The time we have right now here on this earth is too precious to be wasting. We have to go out and do things, be proactive in accomplishing our highest priorities in life. We can't just sit around wasting time expecting things to fix themselves or something to occur that will change the course of our lives. I guarantee those things will happen over time, but it is according to what we do that effects the earthly and eternal outcome, whether it be good or bad or whether we be injurying ourselves or the lives of others by omission. Everything in this life ties to our reward in the life to come. It's a good quote. Think about it.

 

Love you all so much!

Sister Erin Benne

Week 57 - Senzokuike, Japan

And Happy Halloween!!!

 

I think it still might be Halloween in good ol' America so technically I am not late! However, I am writing a little bit later than usual! What was everyone for Halloween this year? Beth said she would possible pull out her violin costume...anyone else? I was a witch. Which actually, surprisingly enough, I'm not sure if I ever was. I remember having a witch hat at our house though... No Japanese people don't really celebrate Halloween. I don't think they would find the same joy that we Americans do dressing up and eating candy. But luckily I teach an English class, where we can always have fun with American traditions, and I have an English branch that I work with, so we had both an English class Halloween Party and a branch Halloween activity. The branch party was way fun. We missionaries were in charge of a room and so we picked the activity where you put things like pasta, grapes, hotdogs, etc, into different boxes and without looking you guess what "zombie part" it is. Anyway we rigged one of the boxes so that Sister Mano could hide under the table, put one of her hands through the bottom of the box and when someone reached in she would grab them. Yeah we had a fun time scaring people! That was fun, good old Halloween!

 

And now we're in November, strange...

 

Other than that things have been low key here. For the past couple weeks we've been really busy. A lot of activities going on and things to plan for, but with this past Sunday it all died down. It'll be good to get back to the basics this week.

 

So the CARDS WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I can't believe I missed it. Oh well, that just means they will have to win again next year! YES go CARDS!

 

So Beth you asked if since I've been in Senzokuike for longer than any other place, am I getting restless. Haha yeah, I'll admit, I think I got used to things changing so often that I'm ready for something to happen to mix things up. However, I love actually being able to see things through all the way to the end instead of always just planning and then leaving. It's been a blessing. And with transfers coming up, I still would prefer to stay in Senzokuike rather than head out. I'm actually getting a chance to really get to know the ward members, I love it!

 

Anyway I love you all! Hope everyone has a good week!

Love

Sister Erin Benne

Week 56 - Senzokuike, Japan

Hello!

So the Cards are in the World Series!?! Wahoo! I'm cheering for them all the way out here in Japan! The other day one of my English Class students found out that I was from St. Louis and a Cardinals fan, and he got so excited and started asking me all these questions on whether or not I ever got to see Sol Taguchi play, he being from Japan and all. He was even more excited when I said that I remember well cheering him on. I'm slowly realizing all the little influences that I've had in my life that had something to do with Japan, but yet I had no idea!

So President Albrecht wrote an article (Epicenter Japan: Leadership in a Natural Disaster) about the earthquake and the after effects. I don't know which two sisters he was talking about in the article. But, I do know who was with me in the Honbu at the time (so it wasn't them) and then just knowing the sisters well, I bet I know who they were. Ah that was a crazy time. I feel like things are just now sort of settling down from all of us leaving and coming back. It's taken a while, but we're getting back into the swing of things here. For the most part all of the areas are back open now. I think the last two will be closed, well, for much longer than I will be around.

Brother Togo

Things here are going really well. I think I mentioned last week that we would be having a baptism on Sunday, and we did! It was so fun! Brother Togo's two sister-in-laws (who really helped teach him the gospel) flew in from the Philippines and Illinois for it. You could just see the happiness and gratitude that he had for them in his face. He was so grateful to them for being the ones to introduce him to the gospel. Honestly, the whole day was just pure happiness. That's what I love about being a missionary. No matter how rough your day was, no matter how many times people slam doors in your face, or how tired you are, by the end of every single day, for some reason you're still happy. There is a joy that comes from talking to people about the gospel that just cannot be explained. And to see someone else embrace that same joy that you feel and realize the happiness that they can have, there is nothing that can replace that. Ah, I love it!!

Chou Shimai

Japanese is okay. I can get along, and feel relatively comfortable with the language. However, I know that my Japanese is nowhere near perfect, and there are many things that I still do not understand when people speak to me. Usually if I just have them say it again to me a second time, I can get it out. I feel I've become an expert at guessing. There is a saying that goes along the lines that people serving in South/ Central Americans come back linguistics. Missionaries serving in Europe become scriptorians. And Missionaries serving in Asia come back humble, because after a year and a half/ 2 years you still don't get the language and you teach only very basic principles. Haha, yeah, I think that sums it up right there!

I love Japan, the culture, and everything except for the fish. Nope still not a fan...

I love you all! And hope you have a good week!

Love,

Sister Erin Benne