Earthquakes galore

Hello!


Well, this was an exciting week. Every day since Thursday,  we've been having earthquakes over here in Japan (as you've probably heard). They happened all night Thursday and Friday. And then randomly ever day since. We are ok (as hombu [Mission Office] told you [They emailed within 20 minutes of the two big earthquakes letting us know all the missionaries were safe]). The earthquake wasn't as big here as it was at the epicenter. Down in Kumamoto it was pretty bad (so I've heard (like a 7 I think)). It was really big. But it was a fun 2 nights of no sleep as earthquake after earthquake and their aftershocks hit us. That's the really exciting news around here. But here's the more normal parts of this week.

Monday: we made reversible book covers for our scriptures as a district. Like, we sewed them our self. A member taught us how. They are so awesome. I feel really legit now. After pday we decided to train dendo [Do missionary work on the train?]. So we trained somewhere. Well, we go off the train and it was just farms. Sooooooo, we trained back and that was our night. Because we got a little lost on the trains. It was bound to happen.

Tuesday: was a rough day. We stayed in the apartment almost all day. We did get out and teach T a lesson and then went to a relief society service project. We walked around and chatted as we picked up trash. We also had district meeting which means we had our weekly indo curry! Nan.  [Bread?] It's so good. There were some kids in the restaurant who just thought we were the coolest so they kept on coming and talking to us. Their moms were very apologetic but they were adorable. So we didn't mind.
Emma finds a "Date" in Japan
Wednesday: we showed someone a Book of Mormon and she asked us if she could have it! That's nuts. It never happens! We hadn't even explained what it was. We only showed it to her. Then we biked up a huge mountain to dendo [do missionary work]. The view was amazing. It started to rain as we were praying so we prayed that we wouldn't get
wet (mostly as a joke) but then it stopped raining! Gotta love mini miracles. Then, like 30 minutes later it started to pour rain. We were soaked so we puddle jumped in between every house. We were so wet the puddles didn't make us any wetter. It was way fun. Then we had Eikaiwa (English class)! We had so much fun. We teach the beginner class and there 2 high school girls come and we just have a really fun time
doing pronunciation, making up silly sentences, and playing English games. This week we played telephone pictionary. They were so good at drawing it was ridiculous.

Thursday: we weekly planned. Yup. We also randomly dropped by the K family house because we haven't seen them in a while. We shared a quick message with them. It was crazy. We finally got through the scripture. Then, somehow, the kids got ahold of my iPad while I was praying and took 1000 pictures. So yeah.

Friday: we talked to a TON of people today. And the weather was lovely. We had Eikaiwa (English class) at a members house with their kids and their friends kids. We played Simon says (which they are pros at). And then we tought them "down by the banks" (the hand game). They loved it. In the middle of the night, there was a huge earthquake. It woke us both up and since we were half awake and half asleep we were
way confused and had no idea what to do. Stuff started falling off shelfs and out of cupboards and that woke us up. We ran to the doorframe asap. Because that's all we know how to do in an earthquake.

Saturday: Kodomo Eikaiwa!  [Childrens English Class] My favorite. My favorite family came. Me and their 12 year old daughter are best friends. 「ともだちだよ」  In dendo news- WE MET A CHRISTIAN LADY! We taught her the restoration on the street. It was nuts. She told us "I'm Christian yo!" And we were like "Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Now what?" So we whipped out the restoration and the good ole BoM. And she was way nice. Then we found another lady while housing and we gave her a BoM and after we testified, she asked "can I have this?" Yes!!!!!!! I also tried a really good ice cream from a konbini [convenience store]. It was strawberry raspberry. Amazing.







Sunday: we went to church and my Japanese brain was just not on. Who knows why. But it managed to start slowly chugging by the time we started dendo-ing which is a relief. Because that's what we did all day. But it was a really funny day of dendo. Not because it was any funnier than usually, we were just really tired so everything seemed way funnier. A old lady (who talked our ear off for 20 minutes) gave
us these small drinks in glass bottles. Of course we had no idea what was in them, we can't read kanji. We we like "there might be tea or alcohol in here but we should open it and smell it." Since it smelled like berries we figured it was ok. It also listed what looked like vitamins on the side (in the English alphabet so we could read those). So we tried it. It tasted like cough syrup. We didn't finish them. I know what your thinking mom "I can't believe you drank a drink a stranger gave you!" Well, I'm still alive! And they seem to do it all the time (well, normally it's the old ladies. Who just think we're the nicest people for stopping by to chat) Candy, snacks, water bottles, umbrellas, the works. We also went to a park to swing. 2 times. One time there was a random bear statue in the park. The other time, the park may or may not have been someone's backyard. Also, when we rang someone's ping pong (like a door bell with a camera and speaker), we would sing while we waited for them to answer. Everyone in those houses heard us singing. Not even real songs. Just Japanese words to the tune of a hymn. Man, this paragraph is a hot mess. I think on to 

Monday: which was not a pday which is always a little rough. We had lunch with A. She made us Korean food. It was way good. Then we dendoed for 5 hours. Which would have been mind numbing, but we took a lot of fun breaks. We stopped and took pictures of a funny house. Then we went into the middle of a river on stepping stones. We had a break in a park and ate snacks. We went to Cosmos and bought bleach. For dinner we had Sushiro. A dollar for a plate of sushi. Yummmmmmy. Ate some good salmon and shrimp. And more shrimp and salmon. Best of all, it was only ¥600. Total score. When we got home there was a cockroach the size of my pointer finger in the sink. There was some freaking out. And we called the elders. Then I killed it with a shoe.

Transfers!!! We are staying together, W shimai and I. But we're going 4 man!!!!!! [The two sister missionaries that were in Kumamoto are moving to their apartment] Way exciting!!!!

Tomorrow will be exciting. New missionaries will be at hombu (mission home), and on their first day in Japan, they go out an dendo with missionaries in the area. I did it when I first got to Japan. It was absolutely terrifying. Well, since I'm "in the area" (an hour away but that's ok), we get to go to Fukuoka tomorrow and dendo with a new missionary for 4 hours! I'm way excited! And it won't be as terrifying! It'll be so fun. It was so fun when I was a new missionary.
What Emma found on her Desk when 
She ended her month Chocolate Fast
So yeah, that's my week. Way fun. A little crazy. All normal in the life of a sister missionary. Living in Japan. You know, I love Japan so much I might not come home guys. You should just all move out here.

Love love love
ベアーマン姉妹（＾∇＾）