I am no longer a teenage (Happy Birthday!)

Mom! Dad! It is weird to have an adult daughter? I assure you, I probably still act like a crazy teenager. The longer I'm on my mission, the crazier I get.

Tuesday: We had a cleaning check in the later morning. So we naturally cleaned all morning before that. We passed with flying colors. "Celestial" the sheet says. The couple doing the cleaning check also bought us a ton of ice cream because their angels and our stand in grandparents. When we went out to dedno, the first person we talked too turned into a return appointment. We were so shocked we forgot how to speak Japanese for a moment or 2. Then we biked over to a Family Home Evening with a part member family. The mom was baptized a little over a year ago, the husband is taking lessons with the elders, and they have a cute 3 year old boy. It was way fun. We talked about the temple and the power families get from the temple. I got to talk about my own awesome family and how much they have blessed my life and how grateful I am to be sealed to them forever. I wouldn't want to be stuck with anyone else. Then we made our own shaved ice after!
Shaved Ice
Wednesday: Was such a good day. I woke up at 6:30am not to my normal chewbacca alarm but to the Japanese sister in our apartment banging on a pan, singing happy birthday. It was an exciting start to a jam packed day. We had district meeting where happy birthday was sung and they surprised me at the end with some fire crackers that were way loud and covered me in streamers. Then we had all you can eat Italian food followed up by 31 ice (what they call Baskin Robbins in Japan). It was a good food 
31 Ice
day. Then we rushed to a lesson with M shimai (our recent convert). Her lessons always make me so happy. We talked about temples and you can never be sad when talking about the temple. Then she gave me this gorgeous red kimono because in Japan, when you turn 20 you become an adult and take lots of fancy kimono pictures. I love her to death. She's like my Japanese grandma. Then we spirited to our lesson with K San  WHO IS KINJIN (golden investigator). We met her last Wednesday, she came to church and loved it, and Wednesday was our first lesson with her. She is a spiritual power house. I've never met anyone SO prepared. We invited her to baptism and SHE SAID YES. 

We asked her when was good and she said the sooner the better because I want to go to the temple. So on August 13th, we plan on having her baptism (happy birthday dad). We are going to have to teach her almost every day next week but she's willing because she wants to come closer to God. After she left, we danced and screamed. I was so happy. I can't even describe how amazing she is. And how ready she is. And it makes me so happy. And excited. Man. So after that awesome lesson, we head back to the apartment to eat a quick dinner before Eikaiwa and go to unlock our apartment door to find the door decorated for my birthday. I was very happy. Then, as always, Eikaiwa was way fun. We taught everyone what "she's a peach" means. Then they suprised me again during conversation time by pulling out a cake with candles  and singing happy birthday. It was such a fun day. I felt so much love. Love from home (thanks for the packages and letters!!!) and from missionaries and from members and from Eikaiwa students and from God.  Sorry, that was long. Next...

Thursday: I got a letter from my companion in my last area and she told me that my convert in that area (T shimai) GOT ENGAGED and I was so happy. I danced around a bit. She's going to convert her husband for sure. In weekly planning we planned out how to teach everything to K san before she gets baptized in less than 3 weeks. It'll be a crazy week. I'm excited.

Friday: We met again with K san. She came before our member did so we showed her the room and went to go wait for the member. When we came back with the member, she was diligently reading from the BoM and taking note! Who does that? We had an amazing lesson with her. She loves God and prays to Him all the time be aide she knows He will listen. She even says she can hear His "voice" inside her heart when she has questions and doubts. We're not even teaching her really. She knows everything. As soon as we teach something she agrees like she known it her whole life even though she just learned it. Well, I guess she knew it all before this life and just forgot. We are just the lucky shmoes who get to remind her.

Saturday: We met with K san AGAIN. We taught her a quick lesson and then went to a baptismal service with her. She's way excited to be baptized. Then we biked all the way up to the stake center and arrived drenched in sweat. But then we had an awesome concert. My companion sang a song from Pocahontas and killed it. K san came to this event as well. She's practically a member already.

Before Bike Ride

After Bike Ride

Sunday: K san came to church. Even though Sunday was yesterday I don't remember much of what we did. We visited 2 members and made mission plans with their family. Hopefully we'll start getting the missionary work rock rolling because members are dwindling in the stake and they might get downsized to a district of big changes don't start happening [A stake is like a Diocese, while a district is a smaller organization] . Were working on it! Also, it's fun to visit with the members. Especially the younger one who dendoed so they know exactly why we came to visit them. Family, you're on top of it! You already have a Bearman mission plan. You rock. Keep it up.
Cool Park


Park




Well, this week should be fun for me so I hope you guys have fun too!

Love love love
ベアマン姉妹

Sent from my iPad