Last week in the good ole USA

Has it really been 2 months since I left?!?! Nuts. T-minus 4 days. I'm just waiting for someone to walk into our class and tell us this Japan thing is a joke and were actually going to Kansas. But nope.

Lots happened this week and at the same time I feel like not much happened. I'll let you decide.

On Friday my doryo was feeling crummy again so we went to the doctor.  He wasn't in so they sent us of campus *gasp* to the BYU student health center. I was in the real world. Anyway, we were there forever and they finally decided that she had (not the contagious) pneumonia. My doryo is getting all the weird illnesses. Anywho, she's been sleeping pretty much since. I was in the room for most of Saturday to Wednesday. I had a few excursions that I will detail in my letter. It think she's doing better though. What did I do while she slept for 5 days straight? Studied. Read scriptures. Read conference talks. Listened to conference talks. Watched lots of Jesus videos. And "I'm a Mormon" videos. And journaled. And accidentally fell asleep. Wandered aimlessly around practicing vocab and grammar. It was rough but also really nice because I'm a homebody anyway.


End of last Thursday: we decorated our hall with pumpkins and Halloween streamers and stickers. It was a 2 hour party in the hall with the sisters in my district and we had a blast. It was probably the most fun I've had in ages. Lots of sugar was involved.


Friday: we got our flight plans (happy dance)(but also scared dance). We fly to LAX and then to Tokyo and then to Fukuoka. I leave the MTC [Mission Training Center in Provo] at 3:30 in the morning on Nov 2 and get to Fukuoka at 8:05 in the evening Nov 3. Still no sign of our Japanese name tags though. We meet for the last time with M-san. We have new investigators to practice with the pamphlets. It was a good lesson. She agreed to baptism. Then we told her that we were getting transferred and she was sad and we were sad and we all hugged and almost cried (and she's not even a real investigator).

Saturday: my doryo was sick and I studied with her sleeping body. But then after lunch C shimai was feeling sick so she came back with my doryo and slept and I went to class with H shimai. I forgot that we were suppose to teach that class period. But we persevered. I taught without a lesson plan and without my normal doryo. Fortunately it was a getting to know you lesson with the pamphlet so it didn't go
too bad.

Sunday: no Nihongo talks for me in the MTC. I stayed in the room most of the morning with my sick doryo. I memorized D&C 6:36 (shout out to Addi who gave me the idea). "Ayayuru omoi no chu de watashi o aogi mi nasai. Uttagatte wa naranai. Osorete wa naranai". [Look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not] And what a great
scripture for this week. Look unto the Lord in every thought. When I
do, I have no need to doubt my Nihongo ability. I have no need to fear
what's to come. The Lords got my back.

Monday: I just chilled with my byoki [sick] doryo. I studied lots. I'm really familiar with the Gospel Library app now.

Tuesday: devotional time. I managed to go 8 weeks without an apostle coming (to be fair we've had 5 members of the 70 come). BUT GUESS WHO CAME. ANDERSEN CHORO. As soon as he walked into the room, I felt the spirit testify so strong that he is a representative and a witness of Christ. We sang More Holiness Give Me. It was so cool to sing to an apostle. The coolest part was that us he has been set apart to testify of Christ, so have I. As I sang, I testified of Christ. As he spoke,
he testified of Christ. It was an amazing opportunity. He sent a copy of his notes for the talk to be distributed to us. I'll send you a picture because he used lots of good scriptures and quotes.

Wednesday: weird day. I was stuck in the residence like I had been all week. But then C shimai wasn't feeling good again. So she came back and slept and I went to class with H shimai. Well, we had skype TRC that night and we didn't there was no plan for it because of changing companions and such. So we walked in with no plan and lots of prayers. We really had to rely on the Spirit. I had a lot more promptings because I was more willing to do whatever since we had no plan. Then something weird happened. As I was walking back from TRC my back started to have a sharp pain in it. It hurt to breath. We went to find a doctor but there wouldn't be one until the next morning. So when we got back to class, I asked for a blessing. The first thing that was said was that I had been promised good health and no injuries while being set apart as a missionary and that the Lord (ALWAYS) keeps His promises. I just needed to have faith. The elder who gave me the blessing didn't know I had been promised that. But God knew. The rest of the blessing was wonderful and everything I needed to hear. I went to bed that night, still in a lot of pain. But I had faith. God made a promise to me "and [God] is bound [to keep My promises] when we do what he says" (D&C 80 I think?) [D&C 82:10]. So I went to sleep. I woke up this morning and all the pain was gone. God works miracles. He works them through us. The priesthood is His power given to men to act according to His will. I know it's real. I was healed. I know that blessing are given through men who carry the priesthood but are given by God. How else would a 19 year old boy know about what I had been blessed before I knew him and what what words I needed to hear to feel comfort and peace about going to Nihon? It's all God. I am so grateful for the
priesthood. But I'm also grateful that there are worthy young (and old) men that can hold it and bless people with it.

I love this gospel. I love this church that is centered around us being happy and feeling peace. I have felt a lot of happiness and peace this week instead of feeling freaked out and nervous. God is real. Jesus lives. What a glorious message I have to share.

Next time I email I'll be in a foreign country. Weird. I love you all so much.

あいしています！
Bearman しまい

P.s. I didn't include many funny stories. I'm sorry. Plenty of funny things happened. I'll share one. In our skype TRC H shimai gave the closing prayer. I was sitting there, enjoying the prayer in peace when she taps me on the shoulder and whispers "I finished the prayer". I had missed the amen! So I was just sitting there oblivious with my head bowed for a good 20 seconds after the prayer was finished. It was funny.
P.s.s. I have another funny thing that may not be super funny to you but it's funny to me. One of the choros in my district said "I can't wait until I have a baby burrito" (referring to wrapping a baby in a blanket like a burrito). But he said it so seriously with so much enthusiasm!
P.s.s.s. One day for lunch (I get it delivered by shimai in my district because my doryo was sick) C shimai brought me 2 pieces of lettuce so that I could eat something healthy. Lol.

Sent from my iPad