tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52513689689837971232024-02-19T16:10:55.245-08:00Sister Shakira Aspen Johnson Japan, Sendai MissionMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-44872454806703585662014-11-05T13:18:00.004-08:002014-11-05T13:18:39.249-08:00Monday, November 3, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWZGfYksF7V-aDDebS0J1y4Wgnq-fVjAJyPeFrvuZroo510rLZV3hK9iZPCa3jZnCcJSk3w3O88gYc29ojoZQOanZXWzjxDCtr6FKkiAsMXIY5MMaTKs_5UdmtoHYFFm2dO9Iti_3jEMO/s1600/115-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWZGfYksF7V-aDDebS0J1y4Wgnq-fVjAJyPeFrvuZroo510rLZV3hK9iZPCa3jZnCcJSk3w3O88gYc29ojoZQOanZXWzjxDCtr6FKkiAsMXIY5MMaTKs_5UdmtoHYFFm2dO9Iti_3jEMO/s400/115-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQpOkSS3kqpBL2xQQ7lz3tlZvx54j1jJ1BwMT60fCZt9S-Bf6DInyV-DZUJQi3mIXx952-eC-T2eGzgq9awaOZhQ2R25SufV5Qru_tWLEjtYr0VzLoPIlwDs3eSB4tvwpQn4ru5kZxcVP/s1600/115-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQpOkSS3kqpBL2xQQ7lz3tlZvx54j1jJ1BwMT60fCZt9S-Bf6DInyV-DZUJQi3mIXx952-eC-T2eGzgq9awaOZhQ2R25SufV5Qru_tWLEjtYr0VzLoPIlwDs3eSB4tvwpQn4ru5kZxcVP/s400/115-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFD9tuJdQ0ZWjZYPE9zY9HuKHOSI5n0eTJrsq6x6k40I_XDZP0BxPNlHrBnR7iKKm0MiuFcXmZEJfZ0gSG2mTvZjqOhdqLiMMiBAAhE4YRE3lUZlzU2kQlvJl8_GhyIkfzS-rXYfC9zU-/s1600/115-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFD9tuJdQ0ZWjZYPE9zY9HuKHOSI5n0eTJrsq6x6k40I_XDZP0BxPNlHrBnR7iKKm0MiuFcXmZEJfZ0gSG2mTvZjqOhdqLiMMiBAAhE4YRE3lUZlzU2kQlvJl8_GhyIkfzS-rXYfC9zU-/s400/115-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNmfaCqSNH5ga-U7Vo-xaBpG7pUQPdXaSWNVRg_WUl7uJnqmTNjGZXVxD5X5rCPxrPBob_5jA8NLj6hvqRaCLhxj3BeClHOjv2ObEjlrWHcnI2sygScq7ih3dYBZllsNBy07LxFRpI4o6/s1600/115-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNmfaCqSNH5ga-U7Vo-xaBpG7pUQPdXaSWNVRg_WUl7uJnqmTNjGZXVxD5X5rCPxrPBob_5jA8NLj6hvqRaCLhxj3BeClHOjv2ObEjlrWHcnI2sygScq7ih3dYBZllsNBy07LxFRpI4o6/s400/115-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0A9Iyw3JvEA_6i1y1ZcC6AzRrCu5Iv-KppEHl0j70biluo6k2cODn4IlIJyiDfM3SJe6_OnjO4iU6poBA3WVbi6SJANTYQvWOx6-lnBc-_ux6MI9YxTChBhX7Gh8wXVakSFJpdikG3eg/s1600/115-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0A9Iyw3JvEA_6i1y1ZcC6AzRrCu5Iv-KppEHl0j70biluo6k2cODn4IlIJyiDfM3SJe6_OnjO4iU6poBA3WVbi6SJANTYQvWOx6-lnBc-_ux6MI9YxTChBhX7Gh8wXVakSFJpdikG3eg/s400/115-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-8SsJWvfpFMBKviuLYunzYuk3z90IVy5UhHcwVLq_HiqG5MRzybNRhn3Qips3nkInlOBa6aS6T3zcoVXzAJ5-dePxVwfWRqp7iR9JFPPuc2uyBFkkFJogpO40IWPXBedmZPOjDYpbQf7/s1600/115-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-8SsJWvfpFMBKviuLYunzYuk3z90IVy5UhHcwVLq_HiqG5MRzybNRhn3Qips3nkInlOBa6aS6T3zcoVXzAJ5-dePxVwfWRqp7iR9JFPPuc2uyBFkkFJogpO40IWPXBedmZPOjDYpbQf7/s400/115-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7k12U5aIdF3ApX55efYwO3TZ_gwBZ7zyE1VytEWz0BXLyHjMlt6Yva8gI_lxAZ6zSX3yVx6Otuuttso5pEmdBhcSK4Jf4afKbYlITVI-mMgzwxYRgTzxHRH6FjhDibnd7ASYNxdFuhhp4/s1600/115-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7k12U5aIdF3ApX55efYwO3TZ_gwBZ7zyE1VytEWz0BXLyHjMlt6Yva8gI_lxAZ6zSX3yVx6Otuuttso5pEmdBhcSK4Jf4afKbYlITVI-mMgzwxYRgTzxHRH6FjhDibnd7ASYNxdFuhhp4/s400/115-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLp-UkY4BmxvGOnGE2YgL3l-WvpA4Q2Bo4v_dZUCeOlb6riWVVbEIS4MezwP3TD-fEh0ERoYzTVRJIpPaP82nH1Pw6Sb2VNv-X95_qAjaKfnvTqnuMsYZnOAOpZhRdafVBFx2502cbrZg/s1600/115-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLp-UkY4BmxvGOnGE2YgL3l-WvpA4Q2Bo4v_dZUCeOlb6riWVVbEIS4MezwP3TD-fEh0ERoYzTVRJIpPaP82nH1Pw6Sb2VNv-X95_qAjaKfnvTqnuMsYZnOAOpZhRdafVBFx2502cbrZg/s400/115-8.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, November 3, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Well, I am so excited about coming home that I almost forgot that I need to write about this week! Haha! My inbox was flooded with emails full of excitement and tears and promises of new beginnings. I can't wait! I will be home in Colorful Colorado in FIVE DAYS! I can't believe that! Leaving Japan is going to be very hard for me. I have fallen in love with this country, with the people here, with their customs, culture, and with their spiritualism. I have connected to the divine in more ways than I can describe in this beautiful place. I have heard the hum of the mountains. There is so much spiritual energy here, and you can feel it resonate in your bones when you take the time to observe the movements around you. Japan truly is a magical place, one that has filled my soul with love and light and truth and understanding. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have had to spend a year and a half in this beautiful country. What an incredible experience it has all been.<br />
<br />
This last week has been really great, full of love and life and insanely vivid color. Fall in Morioka is probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. The way the sunshine comes through the trees casts a light on the ground that makes the world seem like it is on fire. It seriously is breathtaking. I took some pictures, but they can't do it justice. I felt so much peace and love through the trees this week; it was a miraculous blessing. <br />
<br />
We went to a temple this week, one of the Buddhist nature (probably my favorite kind...), and I think it was the coolest place I have ever been in my life. It is super historical and famous, and it is called 500 Rakkans (well, that's the English version). Inside the temple, there's a big Buddah, of course, but there are also over 500 statues that are Buddhist disciples. ALL of them are different!!! ALL OF THEM! It's so cool! They represent the many people who have reached enlightenment and are living in the Buddhist version of the Celestial Kingdom (which to me is the same...). They are all in a state of never-ending happiness. It was so beautiful. I can't describe the feeling that I had standing in that temple. Wow. It penetrated my chest and reverberated in my heart. I felt peace and truth. I loved it so much. I think the best part though was talking to the little old man that was on duty at the temple that day! He spent an hour and a half talking to us about the history of the temple and about his personal beliefs. His name was Tamura San, and him and I instantly connected. He told me that he feels he has met me in a former life and that it was our destiny to meet that day and to engage in enlightening conversation. It was so beautiful and I told him that I felt the same thing! he became an eternal friend, and I am so grateful for the chance I had to meet him. <br />
<br />
So, this last Thursday, we went with Elders Bodily and Butler to eat wanko soba, which is famous in Morioka! It's basically all you can eat soba, and if you eat more than 100 little cups-full, you get a plaque! We went because an old investigator of ours, Miyuki San, works there, and we went to visit her. She is probably the nicest, most wonderful person in the entire world. I LOVE HER. She talked to us in English the whole time, and she also explained to us that she reads the Book of Mormon and prays every day! Wow! The only reason she is not an investigator is because she has about three jobs and is INSANELY busy. Her husband is also very opposed to her receiving baptism, and so she hasn't been able to meet with us. It was so sad to hear that. But we had a great time with Miyuki San, and we connected with her so well! She is adorable, and I left the restaurant feeling very uplifted by her. Wanko soba was so much fun though! Sister Hayashi, and both the Elders all ate over 100!! I could only eat 81... it was so sad. I have no idea where in the world Hayashi Shimai put all of hers though! Holy crap, that girl can eat! haha, it was awesome. I am glad we went. <br />
<br />
Continuing with Miyuki San, I was sitting in church yesterday with Hayashi Shimai and with two potential investigators that came to church for the first time! It was good. I was sitting and listening to the testimonies being born when I decided to look around to see if the two recent converts we have been working with had made it to Sacrament meeting. I looked back, and there was Miyuki San, sitting two rows behind me! I gasped, I had NO idea that she was coming! So I got up and ran back to sit with her. I wrapped my arm around her and she looked at me with tears and said, "Oh, I just love church. I wish so badly that I could get baptized." During Sunday school, we were talking about the Book of Mormon, and when Elder Bodily asked her to explain the Book of Mormon to the class, she did in amazing detail, and everything was perfect. She pulled out her Book of Mormon and it was COVERED with markings and highlights and her own writings. She said, "I love this book. I read it everyday. It is true and it teaches me about Jesus." It was incredible. I have never seen someone like this the WHOLE time I have been on my mission! It was a great experience and I know that someday the Lord will open the way for her to receive baptism and go to the temple. Miyuki San's faith is incredibly strong, and she has such a strong desire to be a good person. The way will be opened for her, I know that is true. <br />
<br />
What a beautiful way to spend my last Sunday, in the company of people who believe in the Savior and trust in Him to make their paths bright. It was a great day. It was a great week. And I am so looking forward to the time I have remaining here in Japan! I get to spend it with people I love, which makes me happy. I am so excited. <br />
<br />
Well everyone, this is my last blog entry in the field! I do want to keep writing though, so my next entry will be about COMING HOME! I can't wait to see you all. Know that I love you and that I can't wait to share my experiences with you and catch up. I love you! I love my Savior. He is my Light. <br />
<br />
See you all soon!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
Love and farewell, Sister Shakira Johnson! Michelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-49242802731225545612014-10-29T14:54:00.003-07:002014-10-29T14:54:41.500-07:00Monday, October 27, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkt222DGG8IVUx8s2YUB-fc8qTsnzFvd9WJjibvQrYeNYSqdL03QpbrNhFxsCnfkkRLnDHvVaOUrsi_OKjt32jW_qDpJVmWu1WIo-FCJBnZaLZJpwmLi6IxGOOQEcWlDDK9JUcIsLKcUJY/s1600/1029-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkt222DGG8IVUx8s2YUB-fc8qTsnzFvd9WJjibvQrYeNYSqdL03QpbrNhFxsCnfkkRLnDHvVaOUrsi_OKjt32jW_qDpJVmWu1WIo-FCJBnZaLZJpwmLi6IxGOOQEcWlDDK9JUcIsLKcUJY/s400/1029-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPWRZI7zBxpEdXMQbZSHMiIXzbNXKkgUfeQgKPW0rul3Pqw_ib-F8O2hvjDBOVqj-cmslwL_Lj63L6-XdytEIQng-eaAOpSOoafs0tjLgop889WViAkxouH56hxnHgRnxTGpJKfOa7-1f/s1600/1029-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPWRZI7zBxpEdXMQbZSHMiIXzbNXKkgUfeQgKPW0rul3Pqw_ib-F8O2hvjDBOVqj-cmslwL_Lj63L6-XdytEIQng-eaAOpSOoafs0tjLgop889WViAkxouH56hxnHgRnxTGpJKfOa7-1f/s400/1029-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUScOdaNq6zpFd3_ypPjdzi1AJm3G7u90CP7loRrsLQco5phRdjluhdJYKVsf7t65tY6GCJZYOiB_JjDftWXDumeobQWXXhAm4HrOJZcX9bdRE_zErv7cZL0yTCsstEdRSCOEJKi5kKdu2/s1600/1029-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUScOdaNq6zpFd3_ypPjdzi1AJm3G7u90CP7loRrsLQco5phRdjluhdJYKVsf7t65tY6GCJZYOiB_JjDftWXDumeobQWXXhAm4HrOJZcX9bdRE_zErv7cZL0yTCsstEdRSCOEJKi5kKdu2/s400/1029-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCaC1yyfYrOSe-YaFNczvB5CSpNuPY01GM25V5_zZ7URrltWrYVoAx2Mj6HEwHvu9QPmU828rNrWsFPU3cv3MfO-5tjOv8wXkR0bshJ7YlBeHQFMgmWipdm5zn4eyWc-g2iWWIm7685YnJ/s1600/1029-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCaC1yyfYrOSe-YaFNczvB5CSpNuPY01GM25V5_zZ7URrltWrYVoAx2Mj6HEwHvu9QPmU828rNrWsFPU3cv3MfO-5tjOv8wXkR0bshJ7YlBeHQFMgmWipdm5zn4eyWc-g2iWWIm7685YnJ/s400/1029-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH94eDmL4RsyFHkFMAlo_e4T-QAgKedmmfLg61HJaTrCUGPaSwG5l3YvCNqy94F5aBsfIJfZ0n4KBCXLIrhym6MH8Wl5OpfVf5mQqxGaYqkJ5aZcdhcVYTFQD0r4AWfwTpnSlIi8UUu7k_/s1600/1029-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH94eDmL4RsyFHkFMAlo_e4T-QAgKedmmfLg61HJaTrCUGPaSwG5l3YvCNqy94F5aBsfIJfZ0n4KBCXLIrhym6MH8Wl5OpfVf5mQqxGaYqkJ5aZcdhcVYTFQD0r4AWfwTpnSlIi8UUu7k_/s400/1029-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZ0Ycil_D4cj7841jefCHOYgIBTLuoka_sjgz8MgLCFuyme_tJQY3SniwogDD2HxW1YH3yZcMnZAaaXnCZ653cu8nznlKN9NJC9TbVbfYFqNRAxR0IOCnop7PUjr-IU64Za3gShKZLvar/s1600/1029-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZ0Ycil_D4cj7841jefCHOYgIBTLuoka_sjgz8MgLCFuyme_tJQY3SniwogDD2HxW1YH3yZcMnZAaaXnCZ653cu8nznlKN9NJC9TbVbfYFqNRAxR0IOCnop7PUjr-IU64Za3gShKZLvar/s400/1029-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsTeqPCbKZdPx7hWbKTbpFb1AT0n1Ygq9ukQUZtbae5TLsQue-eJCsXTQaBrHu-t5uzN5LC5IUZkPY70QHZQblK28GgqhA9rXS2zoYzQvXsYo7y1rduGsAKcc1ntn8v5EvUdR5FUbBMX5/s1600/1029-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsTeqPCbKZdPx7hWbKTbpFb1AT0n1Ygq9ukQUZtbae5TLsQue-eJCsXTQaBrHu-t5uzN5LC5IUZkPY70QHZQblK28GgqhA9rXS2zoYzQvXsYo7y1rduGsAKcc1ntn8v5EvUdR5FUbBMX5/s400/1029-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLpfZVZALv-UCpsZyEkIAUz09xwycehQlTu8rJn3woOhwFNNT1uWtGt9Lo7D9nVFxTSuY0T31c-Gewo1imzsVq9HcArvEOZ6r5FzowGHPSPRwJt2yYJPOVtWChRwqnBmO1zU8pRShTxXT/s1600/1029-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLpfZVZALv-UCpsZyEkIAUz09xwycehQlTu8rJn3woOhwFNNT1uWtGt9Lo7D9nVFxTSuY0T31c-Gewo1imzsVq9HcArvEOZ6r5FzowGHPSPRwJt2yYJPOVtWChRwqnBmO1zU8pRShTxXT/s400/1029-8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K2nWNPgo-tdzemaTG-ziGcMj9ZcoiFhCaHBLSJkk4s1xwVNlOsTiV3LxIR8nu03Daiiy9c2vKkAumaAmxT7bYY3tVSrjZsomjtW8y-n-rJZLs-U2J0TIDWun_8wjs1GVlJFk56zx8MML/s1600/1029-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K2nWNPgo-tdzemaTG-ziGcMj9ZcoiFhCaHBLSJkk4s1xwVNlOsTiV3LxIR8nu03Daiiy9c2vKkAumaAmxT7bYY3tVSrjZsomjtW8y-n-rJZLs-U2J0TIDWun_8wjs1GVlJFk56zx8MML/s400/1029-9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFwrDGYwN0K_jFR-K1UT1gVncM5jcYGSBmdSNxneqp1vhLCJV2_YMpSUaUP6p0IfsBV1Nv0viKkEDx-n5GC0LyPe7vrTYVFCsA6JXXjB938dhZF2KMGa24RbYQCnD7e357LDn5MeZHUop/s1600/1029-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFwrDGYwN0K_jFR-K1UT1gVncM5jcYGSBmdSNxneqp1vhLCJV2_YMpSUaUP6p0IfsBV1Nv0viKkEDx-n5GC0LyPe7vrTYVFCsA6JXXjB938dhZF2KMGa24RbYQCnD7e357LDn5MeZHUop/s400/1029-10.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8nf34oULwfenFouC27vBmfgEXIlyvZWB9EU-ZORLaGeMgDJM-SM1UreLOMFpKPHhGIiEjesq34yLuAeT4WHy2iSD4tTC0TrnbZAiJd1Qj23NZPzrvzd7XTG7WnxM4Nb3R1aQNswjyo9x/s1600/1029-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8nf34oULwfenFouC27vBmfgEXIlyvZWB9EU-ZORLaGeMgDJM-SM1UreLOMFpKPHhGIiEjesq34yLuAeT4WHy2iSD4tTC0TrnbZAiJd1Qj23NZPzrvzd7XTG7WnxM4Nb3R1aQNswjyo9x/s400/1029-11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, October 27, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Hi Momma! TWELVE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow! Shinjirarenai! I can't believe it! The end of my mission has finally come! Don't get me wrong. I love being a missionary. But.... when it's time, it's time. The plans for the next week are normal; this is my last normal week of being a missionary! So I am going to spend all my time loving the members and experiencing real Japanese things! I am going to start today by going to get my last Japanese haircut! My hair has gotten insanely long and suuuuper annoying so I am going to get it chopped. Haha, not too too short, but just enough to be cute again. Japanese haircuts are the best. They seriously massage your head for half an hour. BEST. Tomorrow, we are participating in a cooking class with a member, and then we are going to visit an old woman in the ward that is my favorite, Sister Fujimura! I love her so much. Then on Wednesday, we will ride out into the rice fields and visit some more members, and I will also be teaching my last Eikaiwa class! I will miss teaching English to Japanese people. It is really a fun time. Then on Thursday, we have our weekly visit to the old folks home for community service, and there, I will meet my friend, Fujisawa San! She is the cutest little old woman. I don't know what it is, but for some reason, I have really connected with the old ladies here in Morioka. I love listening to their stories. After that, we will go and eat Wanko Soba, which is something unique to Morioka and is basically a soba eating contest!! I AM SO EXCITED! I am going to miss soba really bad. So that will be fun. Then on Friday, we have our last zone training meeting, so I will see some of my missionary friends for the last time. That will be sad, but it's okay. I will write them when I get home. On Saturday, we are having a ping pong tournament with our less-active, 85-year-old friend, Brother Kikka! I am so excited for that! It will be a hoot! He is such a cool man, and I love talking with him. Sunday will be pretty regular, just fast and testimony meeting. Then, next week will be super busy I think. I am not sure when I am leaving Morioka, but it will most likely be the morning of the 5th. I don't think I will get to see people I love from other areas, except Kamisugi. I will probably be going to Eikaiwa in Kamisugi that night, so I will get to see all those people, which I am very excited about. We will see what happens. Then, I will be at the mission home on Thursday for my last interview and testimony meeting with the sisters I came to Japan with! Tui Shimai and Luk Shimai and Gass Shimai and all my other lovely sisters will be there with me! It will be a great time. Then, we leave on Friday morning! Crazy. I am excited; it will be a fun last few days in Japan. <br />
<br />
This week was a good one for the most part! Last Tuesday, Sister Hayashi and I were in the Morioka Times, a local newspaper here! It was so awesome; we went for a walk around the lake in front of the church, and right when we got there, six beautiful swans came and rested on the lake! Apparently, hundreds of them come from Russia for the winter and make a home on the lake, and I guess that these six were the first to come! There were people all around us and the swans were absolutely beautiful. Then, a woman came up to Sister Hayashi and I and started asking us questions about the swans, then about who we were and what we are doing here in Morioka! She was so nice and so cute, and the next day, we were in the paper! The full name of the Church was listed, the fact that we are volunteer missionaries was listed, and it had our names and ages and information and everything! It was so awesome! Nothing has really come from it yet, but it was great publicity and a great way to tell lots of people about who we are! So, that was fun. <br />
<br />
Eikaiwa this week was really awesome! We have been seeing some really great success this transfer. Last transfer, there was only one American here in Morioka, so the Eikaiwa program died. It was really sad when I first got here. But we have really been pushing to make the program better, and this last week, we had over 20 people come!! That was the biggest attendance I have seen the whole time I have been here! It was great to have new students come; one of them was a 22 year old college student named Yuuki San. He came in and he was wearing a Colorado State University sweatshirt! I was so blown away! But when I went to talk to him, he told me that he had no idea what it was! Haha, it was a great bonding moment, and I am looking forward to seeing him again this week. <br />
<br />
This last week we had the Halloween party and it was a great success! We had about 60 people there, half of which were nonmembers! It was so awesome and so much fun! It was a little bit hard to pull together, but we managed to do it, and we were able to make lots of new friends. It was a good week, and I am grateful that I have another great one planned! <br />
<br />
I love my Savior. I love His words, His life, His light. I love that I have an opportunity to be His hands here in Morioka. I love that He trusts me enough to do the things He needs me to do. I have found so much joy and peace in living His Gospel. My Savior is my compass. He is my chart and He is my north star. I love Him, I serve Him, and I rejoice in Him. <br />
<br />
I love you Momma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TWELVE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO! We can do it! LOVE YOU!<br />
<br />
Love ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-52900067097778079022014-10-20T12:31:00.000-07:002014-10-20T12:31:11.887-07:00Monday, October 20, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSwf2zWWy9loCAIKfLYcBXKx7OU-Iz-saEG1wpi-fG-OIrWRBU2HIbZELS9GRXEbMrHib0VndP2ZUun1sTeJ-EUN80R7BggwIDQK5WDskD3rCNvKRfAWTv9SbLX4-UltVvLqZ-EJJoKP4/s1600/1020-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSwf2zWWy9loCAIKfLYcBXKx7OU-Iz-saEG1wpi-fG-OIrWRBU2HIbZELS9GRXEbMrHib0VndP2ZUun1sTeJ-EUN80R7BggwIDQK5WDskD3rCNvKRfAWTv9SbLX4-UltVvLqZ-EJJoKP4/s400/1020-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEfVJTPmNjH6Wslypzt4mH-LX3y7eBrbNmcnpLMAbyI13NnTgxH843Y1PraG8kWm_jLVHvaIlunGq5VRG2uQUvROi3zBprtg_Q0TJq0TfCa_2Mo5M3sIZK3ntsQIZaewO7QGIoxpNGvVe/s1600/1020-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEfVJTPmNjH6Wslypzt4mH-LX3y7eBrbNmcnpLMAbyI13NnTgxH843Y1PraG8kWm_jLVHvaIlunGq5VRG2uQUvROi3zBprtg_Q0TJq0TfCa_2Mo5M3sIZK3ntsQIZaewO7QGIoxpNGvVe/s400/1020-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w4BGi26hZd0FK9XZpYBRGorLFWviswyfSCrWWP2vmEE_vtgwOoh5ws3ratqlQsMZIvg3cQI40ukEoepCK_RO2yrmQKsS47L8jsJKcZyhuTsHpXrvzqLsML2RWnrg87spD2vCkjx86yMV/s1600/1020-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w4BGi26hZd0FK9XZpYBRGorLFWviswyfSCrWWP2vmEE_vtgwOoh5ws3ratqlQsMZIvg3cQI40ukEoepCK_RO2yrmQKsS47L8jsJKcZyhuTsHpXrvzqLsML2RWnrg87spD2vCkjx86yMV/s400/1020-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04FJY5_pD2p6dbpKWfBcVknc1pJBESJ6U47YmX8H6Jgu_O4n4W2r0tC2ckEpPKS4RzOmipZ1IoCfNI-8YWWiOhvMECzDXD1eOLcYobJ14E4HvGcotD5_VHrplnOGui5X4TvvvmEFDA-Ys/s1600/1020-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04FJY5_pD2p6dbpKWfBcVknc1pJBESJ6U47YmX8H6Jgu_O4n4W2r0tC2ckEpPKS4RzOmipZ1IoCfNI-8YWWiOhvMECzDXD1eOLcYobJ14E4HvGcotD5_VHrplnOGui5X4TvvvmEFDA-Ys/s400/1020-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEqJa1tz7_euMB5udjhnnSG5KUsj-31shyphenhyphenZq7XJ8ZOcnDq1Xd9T6yxZuzC7_cBfNTAjTRCDrUdMTbQoWNaYTI41sj55FJgudeeDBKMJDmo8RVIKeVmWGXc0VuN3AIfGN5u13roJDDSJu0/s1600/1020-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEqJa1tz7_euMB5udjhnnSG5KUsj-31shyphenhyphenZq7XJ8ZOcnDq1Xd9T6yxZuzC7_cBfNTAjTRCDrUdMTbQoWNaYTI41sj55FJgudeeDBKMJDmo8RVIKeVmWGXc0VuN3AIfGN5u13roJDDSJu0/s400/1020-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6u-DIPuJRdI8ZcJISS5zefrfCdUXHNUGwDSB_JhNP4S451Q9FFu_2HK4tCQRHioo8117hk9NPegl0RfNcAVZD9gMAzesbjTBMn_9aRpo4TdlRSIEphN7ML9RM2mKJ2Euc8LtbJ2OfguAx/s1600/1020-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6u-DIPuJRdI8ZcJISS5zefrfCdUXHNUGwDSB_JhNP4S451Q9FFu_2HK4tCQRHioo8117hk9NPegl0RfNcAVZD9gMAzesbjTBMn_9aRpo4TdlRSIEphN7ML9RM2mKJ2Euc8LtbJ2OfguAx/s400/1020-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7eQT4jhWZ1-CF-0ed5TcH-28MAGLOggUBM4l334mrtBE9Vrt-3k3xDntOZLRmbSaOF6LY6jHtbmOf0lMYPGCjJFxfehP5FKyfcdZ2esmzGry4Cg7L6fSFLvaYeKd97oOlGCQ14IebrFK/s1600/1020-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7eQT4jhWZ1-CF-0ed5TcH-28MAGLOggUBM4l334mrtBE9Vrt-3k3xDntOZLRmbSaOF6LY6jHtbmOf0lMYPGCjJFxfehP5FKyfcdZ2esmzGry4Cg7L6fSFLvaYeKd97oOlGCQ14IebrFK/s400/1020-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRrANJmo7UtUS7CnqF8bS7Oy_dK5zfrNOLeJA8NN_SIZceqSjVI_rIklxKhkJrE-W7Q4kqV9dWc40nyrBS9kl9Pwlp1sGibLFH2hfM0cqZWhyLLsNc0p9naxHsCQi4rdmMC-MEijY4Ev2/s1600/1020-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRrANJmo7UtUS7CnqF8bS7Oy_dK5zfrNOLeJA8NN_SIZceqSjVI_rIklxKhkJrE-W7Q4kqV9dWc40nyrBS9kl9Pwlp1sGibLFH2hfM0cqZWhyLLsNc0p9naxHsCQi4rdmMC-MEijY4Ev2/s400/1020-8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIO79nGpVMZwONy0QhLRcR0vqv51y2Ls6ZKLBUXdQQX1tZJbaTcW3c-xvH88hYu74NXamtYl7UO7g35ALjj1LTII-a8jcdc5eKNPygbbSQ8UGV1NVRXzBXXu2XuMK4zC_SNInzJoCb-x7/s1600/1020-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIO79nGpVMZwONy0QhLRcR0vqv51y2Ls6ZKLBUXdQQX1tZJbaTcW3c-xvH88hYu74NXamtYl7UO7g35ALjj1LTII-a8jcdc5eKNPygbbSQ8UGV1NVRXzBXXu2XuMK4zC_SNInzJoCb-x7/s400/1020-9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJiW4Wi7iW3T4P89iwDKJFxOsovD_ZV_U2tt1htYhLHcCJpzJqS1d3TF8oEk_IgBkpV_uk6npnAOQ-jWyEVmnbIdoX83bcnq8a0aOo4xhCWN7gL4AKH-Aca9qkAjA4bA0aRsVazZiI5RQ/s1600/1020-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJiW4Wi7iW3T4P89iwDKJFxOsovD_ZV_U2tt1htYhLHcCJpzJqS1d3TF8oEk_IgBkpV_uk6npnAOQ-jWyEVmnbIdoX83bcnq8a0aOo4xhCWN7gL4AKH-Aca9qkAjA4bA0aRsVazZiI5RQ/s400/1020-10.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1j6Vg5Q38bzDLwH8S1mROicpWx4e4p6WSCNgQ7O6Hue75t_37rrLUZ9DjgSMm79Svw7JRCQ8nATqUq3Y-YHRAxZ2ECGjrJj0HLP1JPRGhjqhy3v7Rq6nhXx4tIVob8Yv00sWCGKlWBzv/s1600/1020-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1j6Vg5Q38bzDLwH8S1mROicpWx4e4p6WSCNgQ7O6Hue75t_37rrLUZ9DjgSMm79Svw7JRCQ8nATqUq3Y-YHRAxZ2ECGjrJj0HLP1JPRGhjqhy3v7Rq6nhXx4tIVob8Yv00sWCGKlWBzv/s400/1020-11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLQwPBeSNd8h3srJAshmJ0BV00cCjMYXBwuvRMhLQKrrs3sjPe6xxZPNXd22ZGSA_nHiXfI0SLCGoR-FOTlHblJ6Pohwbg6dbQtXLo192wKXXZnkxCU5GqmuHn5Y8kT9zDFc-gLQAa8Tj/s1600/1020-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLQwPBeSNd8h3srJAshmJ0BV00cCjMYXBwuvRMhLQKrrs3sjPe6xxZPNXd22ZGSA_nHiXfI0SLCGoR-FOTlHblJ6Pohwbg6dbQtXLo192wKXXZnkxCU5GqmuHn5Y8kT9zDFc-gLQAa8Tj/s400/1020-12.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPFRtEW9iQBdd7kRFdP16A2Wlj6b4j71v2bgBHp2_llG69SIdKxMwuOw3T1pMKNQOIIkJRAkYZ2mT8JHSznbGseOvnY_fr_C-t1flxMQ8I8NdE_qrrIQw_ABn2vIpdNaSrsBAbXmkoTNi/s1600/1020-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPFRtEW9iQBdd7kRFdP16A2Wlj6b4j71v2bgBHp2_llG69SIdKxMwuOw3T1pMKNQOIIkJRAkYZ2mT8JHSznbGseOvnY_fr_C-t1flxMQ8I8NdE_qrrIQw_ABn2vIpdNaSrsBAbXmkoTNi/s400/1020-13.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9VBUeMT3WlFO1752lf8dizxkyLnkOafCjVOGJGy2VMF_hCbQBSAYahfUw1B5o-jo2Ax-g_BXVyy4DGGKbR7ssLZqyLbQr9-wMyKmeb1Vvff5aDlUXHkUbRl3i0ZWNdqRg68_9btS8UXC/s1600/1020-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9VBUeMT3WlFO1752lf8dizxkyLnkOafCjVOGJGy2VMF_hCbQBSAYahfUw1B5o-jo2Ax-g_BXVyy4DGGKbR7ssLZqyLbQr9-wMyKmeb1Vvff5aDlUXHkUbRl3i0ZWNdqRg68_9btS8UXC/s400/1020-14.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmeH-UvvDsu3JPs6SXVYrBz6l1AcITypdkhAD6f62olJN3gkcnXU9W25E3zWZaXL_NhEiaCDVq2seRxjFjnrcKxNajfFI67b8h5fsBKO3x7nMSabmV_1sDiuD3ZzCRGEf-gNPOvchppG6/s1600/1020-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmeH-UvvDsu3JPs6SXVYrBz6l1AcITypdkhAD6f62olJN3gkcnXU9W25E3zWZaXL_NhEiaCDVq2seRxjFjnrcKxNajfFI67b8h5fsBKO3x7nMSabmV_1sDiuD3ZzCRGEf-gNPOvchppG6/s400/1020-15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, October 20 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Guess what Momma? Just over TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoa. I am so excited that I am having a hard time sleeping at night! But! With that being said, I am breathing in Japan. Oh man, do I love this place. Right now it's fall, and in Japan, it's a season called Ko-yo, which can't really be translated into English, but it basically means that the hills are on fire with the colors of the changing leaves. It is absolutely BREATHTAKING. This time last year, I was in Aizu, and the mountains were orange and yellow and red. It was amazing. This year is even better! Morioka is like Aizu; it is completely surrounded by mountains, but the mountains here are a lot closer. So, you can see everything in amazing detail. Also, in front of the church, there is a great big pond called Takamatsunoike, and it is surrounded by trees that are changing right now. It is SO BEAUTIFUL! I will be taking some pictures with my companion later and I will send them to you! So beautiful. It is impossible to not feel God's love through the nature here. The people and the nature are my favorite parts of this wonderful place. I am so happy that I have a little over two weeks left that I get to spend in Japan! YAY! <br />
<br />
This week was a really great week! We were able to spend some really nice time with members! We had a sports activity last Monday (unfortunately, due to my foot, I couldn't really participate. It sucked.) that was really fun! We also are working with this super cute little old lady in the branch, Sister Fujimura, and we were able to visit and eat dinner with her this week. She joined the church about two years ago, and it's a really great story! Her husband died three years ago and she was feeling very lonely. But her grandson that lives in southern Japan and is a member of the church decided that he wanted to serve a mission! He was called to the Sendai mission, and he had the opportunity to work here in Morioka! During that time, he taught his beautiful grandma the gospel and she was able to join the church!! Recently, she has gone to the temple and done the work for her husband, and they are now sealed together for all eternity! What an amazing story! I am so grateful for that grandson of hers and the good missionary that he was! <br />
<br />
This week, we met again with the less-active member that we found last week, Brother Kikka. What a cool man he is! He is 85 years old and has more energy than I do! It is awesome. He took us out to a ramen shop that he loves this week, and we were able to talk to him about what he believes in. He has had some really wonderful spiritual experiences in his life that have brought him really close with God. He has strong faith. We invited him to come to the Halloween party this week, and we also made plans to have a ping pong tournament with him! Apparently he is very good! Haha, I am excited for that. <br />
<br />
Two days ago, the other sisters and I went on companion exchanges and I got to work with Sister Smith! My goodness, do I love that girl! We were laughing the whole time! During our exchange, we had the amazing opportunity to attend a piano recital! One of the primary girls in the branch was performing and we went with her family to see her perform. Kuon Chan is her name, and she is 11 years old. Holy CRAP, is she good!!!! She performed a piece by Chopin and it was absolutely incredible! Some of the piano people that I went to CSU with aren't even as good as her! I was very seriously impressed. And it wasn't just her; the recital started with a 7 year old that performed Beethoven, and ended with a third year high school student playing Prokofiev. The high school student absolutely blew me away. I could not believe how good he was. It was awesome. Yes, I cried. It had been such a long time since I have been to a concert like that, and it was so good and healing for my soul. <br />
<br />
Also this week, I think that Sister Hayashi and I went at least 100 kilometers on our bikes! We rode out and played in the rice fields! It was so beautiful and so.... Japanesey. It was great. We went to go contact a referral that was FOREVER away, and we had so much fun. It turns out that the woman we went to go see had retired a long time ago and no one knows where she is! So that was a bummer, but it was a really great time. <br />
<br />
I had a really great time at church yesterday, too. Since we had General Conference last week, we didn't get to take the Sacrament, and it was amazing the difference I could feel in my life. So yesterday, when I was taking the Sacrament, I was thinking about my Savior. Jesus Christ loves us all so much. I can feel His love for the people around me. I know that He loves me too, and yesterday, I could really feel His love and forgiveness at church. It was a wonderful feeling. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He is the best. <br />
<br />
I think the best thing that happened this week actually took place about an hour ago as I came here to check my email! Do you remember me writing about _____ in Kamisugi? She came to the church one day and we ended up talking with her and teaching her right then and there. Her and I really connected and she opened up to me that she wanted to commit suicide. We talked a lot and eventually she ended up going back to Austria, which was really sad. But I was so happy to have met her. Anyways, when I got here this morning, I opened up my email and I had an email from her!!!!!! She asked me where the nearest church to her was in Austria and she told me that she wants to go and talk to the missionaries there! What a miracle! She said that she misses me very much but that she wants to make more friends like me. I so hope that she goes and that her heart will be open to feel the love that God has for her and that I and those missionaries in Austria will have for her. What a wonderful thing! I am so happy. <br />
<br />
Well, that is about it for me. I love you! Don't forget to feeling the sunshine. <br />
<br />
Love, Shak!Michelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-9010309178804376632014-10-14T08:47:00.003-07:002014-10-14T08:47:54.515-07:00Monday, October 13, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXtlBO3s5Q9tu5pDwRz-0AS_GNry7ZoSD4-Kh-jWdDAh8Lb0IO-RAJJ_ik3UrvlFNlbUJxm5R6Sas55IRP3oqG8FZSF0s3hOfyq2O9yvYh4fZVkfnDK80GzHXUeZjAKwxFhshe0EU21q2/s1600/1014-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXtlBO3s5Q9tu5pDwRz-0AS_GNry7ZoSD4-Kh-jWdDAh8Lb0IO-RAJJ_ik3UrvlFNlbUJxm5R6Sas55IRP3oqG8FZSF0s3hOfyq2O9yvYh4fZVkfnDK80GzHXUeZjAKwxFhshe0EU21q2/s400/1014-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvr1KIdYPLNn_U-j3bDLNKd-SccifrBdJK61jys2TJLHK20d7zhsS5Vpz-T9El9p_V9fS-Gk99guFcUzuCk9sfiDv7JdiFfwMdgXpj2bVgHjn6qEkds5_DldVARHZDvo70cwE7gXjpfIri/s1600/1014-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvr1KIdYPLNn_U-j3bDLNKd-SccifrBdJK61jys2TJLHK20d7zhsS5Vpz-T9El9p_V9fS-Gk99guFcUzuCk9sfiDv7JdiFfwMdgXpj2bVgHjn6qEkds5_DldVARHZDvo70cwE7gXjpfIri/s400/1014-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJiyvBhxEABm0oz5X37rcib6hAxpxSX4Vyep1H3D5MU2wZG4iAK_lsvXVTNJ-Kn_7Z5tuQAVwoAx0sacq-mGUkJen8-qftvq7OS0n-w2fF5UMmHvQs5QW2qWh4V-PQUItC47IyJE0t7JE/s1600/1014-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJiyvBhxEABm0oz5X37rcib6hAxpxSX4Vyep1H3D5MU2wZG4iAK_lsvXVTNJ-Kn_7Z5tuQAVwoAx0sacq-mGUkJen8-qftvq7OS0n-w2fF5UMmHvQs5QW2qWh4V-PQUItC47IyJE0t7JE/s400/1014-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvWnRLts4HKrhabhk02TIJQcKBaajHFcdWtQXBNnfjALRvYFEdRP37XwmtCS7Ssx47eMJaJ2vZv-unHQx7HSdpVkRdz51cqDV-j97HcIisjVErJZ0r9IKhUScqeKfrOd0jo9U24YepEVC/s1600/1014-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvWnRLts4HKrhabhk02TIJQcKBaajHFcdWtQXBNnfjALRvYFEdRP37XwmtCS7Ssx47eMJaJ2vZv-unHQx7HSdpVkRdz51cqDV-j97HcIisjVErJZ0r9IKhUScqeKfrOd0jo9U24YepEVC/s400/1014-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WAjIN27Mc3ZfKHnYgcVk4pboKdFO6jRkRSYWLtA8tSLlpxglqO2J04agpgzSCb9FUa8JangLZghV685kKmSLl0l5zsjMPjOoOqTxSOstuju5LlgP-idKi_LhB4rhSBKTA9GXPfhKVQkT/s1600/1014-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WAjIN27Mc3ZfKHnYgcVk4pboKdFO6jRkRSYWLtA8tSLlpxglqO2J04agpgzSCb9FUa8JangLZghV685kKmSLl0l5zsjMPjOoOqTxSOstuju5LlgP-idKi_LhB4rhSBKTA9GXPfhKVQkT/s400/1014-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wPX6M-YAIRG23smJphkFZadWgMvDx0lGi_ye25ABilxRXEDjdoq34ye15K3RMJCTb_e-42Gc-5yOKGmzDldjOPZAk_ueRwhCE-Tk5l3FZ0yHoNVBsVD-qWOMTXUB4ZXuFodHPeWBO6w6/s1600/1014-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wPX6M-YAIRG23smJphkFZadWgMvDx0lGi_ye25ABilxRXEDjdoq34ye15K3RMJCTb_e-42Gc-5yOKGmzDldjOPZAk_ueRwhCE-Tk5l3FZ0yHoNVBsVD-qWOMTXUB4ZXuFodHPeWBO6w6/s400/1014-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rhKD3zQca9wE38wXim3grzik432s4R-vH9fBt7lU_0eWdwUnvhy1TI4DXkBOq6750f55x6S6HJlqui_w7CQpWjDf93cOynpTIGbL8SZordgmo3C5z_L-rK0VaUKU3xdC49KWsvzEPMRb/s1600/1014-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rhKD3zQca9wE38wXim3grzik432s4R-vH9fBt7lU_0eWdwUnvhy1TI4DXkBOq6750f55x6S6HJlqui_w7CQpWjDf93cOynpTIGbL8SZordgmo3C5z_L-rK0VaUKU3xdC49KWsvzEPMRb/s400/1014-2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, October 13, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
This week here in Morioka was a good week, I think. I tried to take it easy because of my foot and some other sicknesses that I had, but in spite of that, we ended up biking all over the city! It was crazy; last Tuesday, we had 8 solid hours of nothing. That was the first time I have ever had a day like that on my whole mission! No appointments, no activities, just time. It was scary and hard to plan, but we set out trusting the Lord to lead us, and that is exactly what he did! We were able to visit a lot of less-active members, and at about 6:00 that night, we met a man named Brother Kikka. He is now 85 years old, and has been less-active for about 30 or 40 years. He told us that he realized that he was in fact Buddhist, even though he joined the Church. He said that he has a lot of respect for Christ. I could see that in his eyes and in the way he treated us. He was so nice and so funny! We talked with him for about 40 minutes in his entry, during which he told us all about his life. He is such a cool man; he recently wrote and published a book called The Snow Queen's Lullaby (the title is a lot more eloquent in Japanese), and he gave me a copy! He told me that he was very impressed with my perfect Japanese (those are his words, NOT mine. My Japanese is so not perfect.) and that he wants me to translate his book into English! Haha. So, I will try and do my best! He wants us to come back and eat with him and talk more about life. He is a really good man, and I could feel a lot of love from him. It was a good day. <br />
<br />
This week, we had zone meeting! All of the missionaries in the zone came to Morioka and we had training from the Sister Training Leaders and the Zone leaders. It was a great day and I was blessed to be able to participate in the training because I am a "dying missionary with lots of cool experiences," to quote my zone leader, haha. It was a good day. We were able to talk about obedience and unity, and how when you and your companion are obedient to the promptings you receive and you are working in a spirit of unity that the Lord will trust you and your companion with more spiritual guidance and direction. It was something that the zone really needed, I think. We will all be able to grow together as we are more unified. <br />
<br />
This week, we also had interviews with President Smith! My interview was interesting. I mostly just told him about my foot because he is a foot doctor, so my interview was really just like going to the doctor. It was funny. I also told him that I have been feeling exhausted lately, and so he asked me to start taking some iron pills. So that is fun. I will have more energy hopefully! Yay!<br />
<br />
This week was also general conference week in Japan! Two days of lots of much-needed English instruction! I really liked Elder Scott's talk about choosing to make a relationship with God. It is indeed a choice that we make to pray and seek knowledge from on high. It was a good reminder for me about my choices, and what I need to do. I went to conference with a question about the future, about what I need to do when I go home in three weeks, and Heavenly Father's message for me was all about agency. I have been experiencing lots of temptations lately, but I have a desire to do what the Lord wants me to do. I want to overcome the feelings that I have so that I will be able to to experience all the blessings that the Bigs have in store for me! So, Heavenly Father's message to me was that I need to exercise my agency in a way that will allow those blessings to come about. He trusts me, and He let me know that I must make the decision to have those blessings. It was a good conference for me. I still have a lot to learn! <br />
<br />
That is about it for this week! I am grateful for the time that I have left and I hope that Hayashi Shimai and I will be able to make a difference here in Morioka with the short time that we have together! I want to go and find the one the Savior would have me serve. That is His mission. That is MY mission. <br />
<br />
I love you Momma! THREE WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not trunky..... <br />
<br />
Love Shak <br />
Michelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-1716792242777482212014-10-09T14:26:00.003-07:002014-10-09T14:26:19.913-07:00Monday, October 6, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lYRxJxi8HRoyeUQHtIUsm8l2TNf1E3GMSZUlYvUIJDq3Xsnwqd9zC_A5t4NQlgPZ9FOySHkU98A1Cd4VGa6HDzIsfsVe7jTZNiGP4S_Y6BZhP7KsKBVxsJqKtm6_d_tmjiZBmMrqrm3S/s1600/109-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lYRxJxi8HRoyeUQHtIUsm8l2TNf1E3GMSZUlYvUIJDq3Xsnwqd9zC_A5t4NQlgPZ9FOySHkU98A1Cd4VGa6HDzIsfsVe7jTZNiGP4S_Y6BZhP7KsKBVxsJqKtm6_d_tmjiZBmMrqrm3S/s400/109-9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilDsjKLVgpTYqA_9UtoChOd2q6QaNZn5iDTku6-Qe7NAKjAEzVxcamNMtsp6D_4aDlc2-JsnRuF0m6eBZrdHyVOtNetszTJO9AkAzuFN2KkWCNEs84mClG0hVVRW-iI9MdD30xSfJGD0zF/s1600/109-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilDsjKLVgpTYqA_9UtoChOd2q6QaNZn5iDTku6-Qe7NAKjAEzVxcamNMtsp6D_4aDlc2-JsnRuF0m6eBZrdHyVOtNetszTJO9AkAzuFN2KkWCNEs84mClG0hVVRW-iI9MdD30xSfJGD0zF/s400/109-10.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_teuJhQNebuRCgmTBYCcd7DKXe7dWQ_4YxFRlA0BBDMyA4_B16LJIwWVyzTdGvXaZd4XmZIUSCL743qH4EJxbo4cZF5d8h0227vcLf9dlJhFHReSlEyArJYKG8dOulO7ecOp59E3nqgZ/s1600/109-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_teuJhQNebuRCgmTBYCcd7DKXe7dWQ_4YxFRlA0BBDMyA4_B16LJIwWVyzTdGvXaZd4XmZIUSCL743qH4EJxbo4cZF5d8h0227vcLf9dlJhFHReSlEyArJYKG8dOulO7ecOp59E3nqgZ/s400/109-11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpSpy6vqFtK7MvOXHSEQiXXQWouBMR4SlaELHhq1roFi5MpKh_2S9-tsJM1RNz0WuyHfnmO5kmIKDTHCT_wy4I6AFfrU_ShmlpAKMXgfWhkxKLMli9JSHGAB8ZAHfKoe46VuwyIkPOS8V/s1600/109-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpSpy6vqFtK7MvOXHSEQiXXQWouBMR4SlaELHhq1roFi5MpKh_2S9-tsJM1RNz0WuyHfnmO5kmIKDTHCT_wy4I6AFfrU_ShmlpAKMXgfWhkxKLMli9JSHGAB8ZAHfKoe46VuwyIkPOS8V/s400/109-12.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, October 6, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
So, funny story.... As soon as I got to Morioka, they asked me to teach the Kids English class (mistake.....) and so I did. Well, I showed them Duck, Duck, Goose and guess what happened? Yeah.... I broke my foot.... Yeah. It hurt. Real bad. But! I am okay. I got my pinkie toe caught on a chair as I was running, and so I have a fracture just below the toe part. The doctor said that it should take about 5 weeks to heal. HAHA! I laughed out loud when he said that. It's already doing really well; the swelling as gone down almost all the way. Just the bruise is left, so that's good. My foot is a color wheel! And it changes everyday! It's entertaining for me. I can still ride a bike, which is nice. Walking sucks. It's getting easier, but it still hurts pretty good. Japanese docs don't believe in pain meds... So I am on Advil for a good bit, I venture. But! I am doing my best with what my body can handle. <br />
<br />
I am LOVING Morioka so far! It is such a beautiful place! And guess what? It's the COLDEST place in the mission! It hasn't snowed yet, but I have already busted out my coat and boots and everything. BRR!! Today, there is a typhoon, so it is raining like CRAZY! And the wind is so cutting. Shivers. But! It's all good. <br />
<br />
I have an ANGEL of a companion. I absolutely LOVE Sister Hayashi. She is from Tokyo and is probably the most humble person I have ever met in my entire life. She is comes from really humble circumstances and it is a complete miracle that she was able to serve a mission. Since she was a little girl, she has been allergic to rice (big problem in Japan...), eggs, milk, chocolate, things like that. She would get very sick every time she ate them, and so when she told her parents that she wanted to serve, they were very opposed. But, she promised the Lord in prayer that she would work her hardest to save money and to get her affairs in order to serve, because she had been guided by the Spirit to prepare. A few months after that, she went to the doctor for her pre-mission stuff, and the doctor told her that all of her allergies had disappeared! She could eat anything just like any of the rest of us and would be completely fine! It was a huge miracle for her and her family, and because of it, she has been able to serve a very successful mission. What a cool story, right? It's amazing to me that the Lord will make possible the path as we put our trust in Him and strive to follow His will. Hayashi Shimai is a living example of this principle. <br />
<br />
Morioka is a beautiful place. It is in the middle of Iwate Prefecture, and is completely surrounded by mountains. It is nestled in a little basin, and is a pretty good-sized city. I would say that it is probably the size of Boulder maybe? Yeah, about that. The people here are so nice! They remind me a lot of the people in Aizuwakamatsu actually. They are all super nice, but there are lots of crazies too! I love that. Gotta keep things interesting. The members here in the Morioka branch are great too! They are all super nice and welcoming. OH!!! I forgot the best part about church in Morioka! IT'S ONLY TWO HOURS LONG!! How awesome is that? Yesterday was the best. Short sacrament meeting (45 minutes), 15 minute break, Sunday School, DONE! YAY! Best. I love it. I wish the whole world was like that. Three hours is just too long...<br />
<br />
But yeah! So that is about it for me! I have been resting a lot this week because I need my foot to get better FAST so that I actually CAN work. Hayashi Shimai has the patience of an angel. Seriously. I love her. <br />
<br />
Well, I love you. Did you watch any of Conference? Anything I should look out for? We will watch it this coming Saturday and Sunday. Japan is always a week behind on those things. Any advice for me? I love you! I miss you! Down to a month! Craziness! <br />
<br />
I am not trunky. I am NOT trunky. I am not trunky. <br />
<br />
This is my mantra. Haha. ;) <br />
<br />
LOVE YOU! <br />
Love ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-61226370045419034162014-10-09T14:14:00.003-07:002014-10-09T14:14:53.990-07:00September 29, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOf1p686T-d06Fb3zDW6w7uUxPKpgjhG0mP0PI2bRnrO866CXQt-uq0DQHcgp0Xd49J8Ton0SXPjm4ldSb9jMzohP1q40FhvFB44QEo29RDei5woSmPghBs2pRr20xY3lK37bOHUAg8_rS/s1600/109-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOf1p686T-d06Fb3zDW6w7uUxPKpgjhG0mP0PI2bRnrO866CXQt-uq0DQHcgp0Xd49J8Ton0SXPjm4ldSb9jMzohP1q40FhvFB44QEo29RDei5woSmPghBs2pRr20xY3lK37bOHUAg8_rS/s400/109-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbthqnO1QWY-3IhvldeOoxu3gWmZD2Zm5lHwpPQsKrme4FDRwi-DuPlITw4Z9NqVa2eiZu9OL1x0Mwdmzmk_ZUf1VDeVzjNl7BhpGte2xrCZROkV2YHIQP55UK1SE-LVf4XDj-O-Cgwbn7/s1600/109-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbthqnO1QWY-3IhvldeOoxu3gWmZD2Zm5lHwpPQsKrme4FDRwi-DuPlITw4Z9NqVa2eiZu9OL1x0Mwdmzmk_ZUf1VDeVzjNl7BhpGte2xrCZROkV2YHIQP55UK1SE-LVf4XDj-O-Cgwbn7/s400/109-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CFIa6oTOFIL8TpvtWw0xWMmSMmaZPYGNKRQTf5x2kzFZ6cg7YawT6Ah8z6slEL7HfAR8-qA51QCF1dMm-uY93-H-TgWX0PWIY5O1cl18NhNeQeoX9ZX9jBGffzNKsC5IxObZhYh-NxAu/s1600/109-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CFIa6oTOFIL8TpvtWw0xWMmSMmaZPYGNKRQTf5x2kzFZ6cg7YawT6Ah8z6slEL7HfAR8-qA51QCF1dMm-uY93-H-TgWX0PWIY5O1cl18NhNeQeoX9ZX9jBGffzNKsC5IxObZhYh-NxAu/s400/109-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQaa-SH63h_mCyy3CpxnwFCKxpxuXTy9JcSw6QWuA1MlHjvAg-KLsLrMj0brw4a9PL_lwzW_8xu3M_-YmkieQddJ74yP71WiEqI8Pf3R1qliVWf-qYqyQiym4BwvdgiE32NdhZg2SGkFO/s1600/109-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQaa-SH63h_mCyy3CpxnwFCKxpxuXTy9JcSw6QWuA1MlHjvAg-KLsLrMj0brw4a9PL_lwzW_8xu3M_-YmkieQddJ74yP71WiEqI8Pf3R1qliVWf-qYqyQiym4BwvdgiE32NdhZg2SGkFO/s400/109-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjeINAgjQ7hqwTbm3S62mBwArEq2zgB_kHSztJazIcvU55l8vIDK9EXQMu-VUpSFGmKnm6-1zdLWjgAmzDBp9H4cBJNaAASV7sXyfRT-ImTGvrJn31aw8o72eQ9oaWBhHKX_wT_ESQOoA/s1600/109-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjeINAgjQ7hqwTbm3S62mBwArEq2zgB_kHSztJazIcvU55l8vIDK9EXQMu-VUpSFGmKnm6-1zdLWjgAmzDBp9H4cBJNaAASV7sXyfRT-ImTGvrJn31aw8o72eQ9oaWBhHKX_wT_ESQOoA/s400/109-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWJtLDykw9uCuvIE9YhZohnltcILsjEu0-WLuBpjhYJhjc-ldjWS1fp9z33GSMnyl3eg-8PNooQfA8YVHZqZPfu4wvvAZDzZW5cwBpunxOFvQv-Gzf8EuopSOMeavkE7bcpFlJA7OcE_B/s1600/109-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWJtLDykw9uCuvIE9YhZohnltcILsjEu0-WLuBpjhYJhjc-ldjWS1fp9z33GSMnyl3eg-8PNooQfA8YVHZqZPfu4wvvAZDzZW5cwBpunxOFvQv-Gzf8EuopSOMeavkE7bcpFlJA7OcE_B/s400/109-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6fZ8EmpR1Ky1IbqukrjA09A8nWxSt0uiAPr-EiKhb0zMAHvVUD8UBFtzI2v76Hxf6f2VsuSxYw5wNwiwmEOuRPtlR3CIf924eyqKoCiVv0JyY9hx2QJt3MzKRm1TAk_OJFwwmrFRtrs8/s1600/109-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6fZ8EmpR1Ky1IbqukrjA09A8nWxSt0uiAPr-EiKhb0zMAHvVUD8UBFtzI2v76Hxf6f2VsuSxYw5wNwiwmEOuRPtlR3CIf924eyqKoCiVv0JyY9hx2QJt3MzKRm1TAk_OJFwwmrFRtrs8/s400/109-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSEryPgj-PXls9jja1e5hh6CIc5peksfGtIgrlM-GwBPkeIDJE-PPJxLGGoM7O-JFGDJ3s0obpsvb_PvsIOEdcHaksAItFGfe09xyvHetwsMGLIP-she1z9Kob01sjQljCHIBQYPlt7LQ/s1600/109-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSEryPgj-PXls9jja1e5hh6CIc5peksfGtIgrlM-GwBPkeIDJE-PPJxLGGoM7O-JFGDJ3s0obpsvb_PvsIOEdcHaksAItFGfe09xyvHetwsMGLIP-she1z9Kob01sjQljCHIBQYPlt7LQ/s400/109-8.jpg" /></a></div><b>On Monday, September 29, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
So, news! I am being transferred for my last five weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will be going to a place called Morioka, which is north!!! I have never been north before! I AM SO EXCITED! I will become companions with the CUTEST little Nihonjin, Sister Hayashi! She is adorable. YAY! I cannot tell you how overjoyed I am! I got the news from President Smith a little bit early, last Thursday, and I have had the most incredible feeling of relief. This last transfer has been hard, and I am so excited for a new start to make this transfer the best of my mission! WOOHOO!! <br />
<br />
So, that is exciting. These next five weeks are going to fly by! I woke up this morning and just had a thrill in my chest, like YES I ONLY HAVE FIVE WEEKS LEFT! THESE ARE GOING TO BE THE BEST FIVE WEEKS EVER!!!!! It was an interesting feeling. So, I am happy. <br />
<br />
This week was pretty normal, other than that. I think the most exciting thing that happened was that in Japan, there is such a thing as McDonald's delivery! Yes, we got McDonald's delivered to us. Best day EVER. Haha. It is sad that that was the most exciting thing. But it really was. I also was able to go and visit Itosaka San again! That was so great. I know that one of the reasons I came to Kamisugi was to meet her. She is my soul sister, and she is so beautiful. I love her. It was good to see her, and I am sad that I am transferring, but it is okay. We have become eternal friends. <br />
<br />
Well, that is kind of it. I don't have anything new to report. We work, but sometimes nothing happens. And that is okay. <br />
<br />
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU SOON!!<br />
I love you. I love Jesus. I love life. <br />
BYE! Love Shak! Michelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-12897387215175449612014-09-22T13:27:00.002-07:002014-09-22T13:27:23.928-07:00Monday, September 22, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYOO8yrVJ-jgl7WYhwEnweAPU7wT1742eICPZXOL1v84ZhWdwSIpcp2AgR_hAvZ8-_QMKtpEnGxujislLka214a9eDakdaPlQFin5dc7bi47EO3D2DjPq3FZ32SH63BWfkok2x439kiwo/s1600/922-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYOO8yrVJ-jgl7WYhwEnweAPU7wT1742eICPZXOL1v84ZhWdwSIpcp2AgR_hAvZ8-_QMKtpEnGxujislLka214a9eDakdaPlQFin5dc7bi47EO3D2DjPq3FZ32SH63BWfkok2x439kiwo/s400/922-11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruHSVGed4cSs8KA8PMujYGqNO20ZujtylzrtQvA4mEcRKpRuXPH09SLuePE7WV8pSf5r58aUYJOulzHFYm0y4l1MVkMu7jl_lkFpSc2BG8xx5QzxdxzkjIWfL_b5byDV6SU8FhmDd0AAx/s1600/922-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruHSVGed4cSs8KA8PMujYGqNO20ZujtylzrtQvA4mEcRKpRuXPH09SLuePE7WV8pSf5r58aUYJOulzHFYm0y4l1MVkMu7jl_lkFpSc2BG8xx5QzxdxzkjIWfL_b5byDV6SU8FhmDd0AAx/s400/922-12.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTMMh7JkxS7SNXs9_mbBD1utkbjDL6dqTGUGMtrCo_GBkQePb1eUFHUm1G3G6rS4oQk2fnfp6n5dI5vWw_cip6pq7dNIPVyFaEQQ51SVFQU5HEnRJ0SxaVI3J9A9D04t2XLVf3WG48Itz/s1600/922-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTMMh7JkxS7SNXs9_mbBD1utkbjDL6dqTGUGMtrCo_GBkQePb1eUFHUm1G3G6rS4oQk2fnfp6n5dI5vWw_cip6pq7dNIPVyFaEQQ51SVFQU5HEnRJ0SxaVI3J9A9D04t2XLVf3WG48Itz/s400/922-9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0DVt50PXea86aekns4usks3rL2jjkUGo1LbnH_WqDLCRnRhu66x9G_j3QeQ4fi4e3VWqAIhOANIfnMdk4rsQL0iJXx6bwxDAdtAp-SUzpsNiCb72XumQ_gUVfZp_Pc9fVq1qMOd1bKWj/s1600/922-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0DVt50PXea86aekns4usks3rL2jjkUGo1LbnH_WqDLCRnRhu66x9G_j3QeQ4fi4e3VWqAIhOANIfnMdk4rsQL0iJXx6bwxDAdtAp-SUzpsNiCb72XumQ_gUVfZp_Pc9fVq1qMOd1bKWj/s400/922-10.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9sNuLvpR7M6hlexxfbUHns6budIseqYK1fxqgI5BXzC8gxRvfuQQ7uRThL0H8AbQE_98qcnKh5YI9TZOpQsbmhxMS-jT8KLFkXS9Tqa2a8PtoQZGRVwaREQKFaSv7wC6-LYPdGXUQlwx/s1600/922-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9sNuLvpR7M6hlexxfbUHns6budIseqYK1fxqgI5BXzC8gxRvfuQQ7uRThL0H8AbQE_98qcnKh5YI9TZOpQsbmhxMS-jT8KLFkXS9Tqa2a8PtoQZGRVwaREQKFaSv7wC6-LYPdGXUQlwx/s400/922-13.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmQVQB1TLDcJIbI6Q24L-ytRNothu-KKmVx4bCkTgmHV8v6gCm-MXau6VS6dSHrQuJw-f3QU6qaWrxhcG6xCT0R30uvXFFNx1cYwpv5e_g9UEqWhG5cedsEmNUJMP6SUJ0-roDmks4_rL/s1600/922-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmQVQB1TLDcJIbI6Q24L-ytRNothu-KKmVx4bCkTgmHV8v6gCm-MXau6VS6dSHrQuJw-f3QU6qaWrxhcG6xCT0R30uvXFFNx1cYwpv5e_g9UEqWhG5cedsEmNUJMP6SUJ0-roDmks4_rL/s400/922-14.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, September 22, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Well, this week was AWESOME!!!!! It was one of the best weeks I have had in a while, and for that, I am so thankful. On Thursday, we had district meeting at the church and when we walked out, there was a woman standing in the entry looking into the Chapel. I recognized her instantly; I had seen her walking down the street near our apartment a few days before. I ran up to her and introduced myself and we instantly clicked. Her name is ---- and she is originally from Sendai, but she married an Italian man and now lives in Austria. She speaks Japanese (obviously), Italian, and German. ---- said that she had visited an LDS church once when she lived in Italy and she really enjoyed it, so she came to see ours! She was in Sendai for about a month visiting her parents, and she actually is a member of the Protestant church that is just down the street from ours! She is an organist and so she plays in church when she comes back to Japan to visit. Well, we got talking with ---- San, and she opened up to us that she has really been struggling lately and that she is really scared about the future. She is 49 years old and doesn't have any kids. She is also at a point in her life when she has to get a job and help support her husband, and she is just feeling really scared. She told us that she had been feeling suicidal. She told us that the very day we met, she was thinking about jumping from her parents' sixth-floor apartment, but that she didn't have the courage to do it. After we sat and talked with her for a while, she said that she felt something different from us, she felt warmth and love, and that because of meeting us, she was able to feel a little more hope in her heart! So, we made an appointment to meet with her again the next day, and then the next day! We were able to meet with her three times this week! Unfortunately, she left to go back to Austria today. But! We got all of her information and we are going to send it to Austria so that the Church can get in touch with her there! It was a miracle three days! Oh man. I can't even express the joy in my heart that Heavenly Father trusted George Shimai and I enough to be in the right place in the right time so that we could help ----. She is such a beautiful person, and I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to help her feel love from her Savior and from her Heavenly Parents. She needed me that day, and through following the Spirit, I was able to meet her needs. I am so, SO sad that she had to go back to Austria, but I know that the seeds that were planted in her heart had a BIG effect on her. I will forever love ---- San. I am so grateful for the opportunity that we had to cross paths. What a beautiful blessing. It was so wonderful to have someone to teach and to love and to focus on. It was what George Shimai and I needed. <br />
<br />
That was the biggest miracle this week. There were also lots of cool things we did! On Saturday night, we went out with Mitsuru, Ai, and Kosuke (some friends) and we ate cow tongue! Oh my gosh, it was DELICIOUS. You have no idea how good it was. It was super fancy, a kind that is especially famous in Sendai. It was awesome, probably the best food I have had in a long time. We also got to spend time with three of my favorite friends. It was a really good time.<br />
<br />
This weekend, I got kind of sick. Well, I got sick. We got home from church and I slept all day and all night and woke up this morning feeling better! Thank goodness. I am doing well now though, so nothing to worry about. <br />
<br />
Well, the time is coming down close to the nitty gritty! Only six weeks left in Japan! I got a letter from my dear friend Tatiana (who lives in Ishinomaki!) this week that was full of support and encouragement. She told me that when she was in her last transfer, she set a goal to place a whole box of Books of Mormon. Having a goal to work towards helped her stay focused, and it helped her and her companion work more in unity and have more love. This morning, I reread her letter and was thinking about what kind of goal I could set to help me stay focused this last transfer... I am still in the thinking stages, but I know that as I create a revelatory environment for myself, the Lord will help me set a good goal.<br />
<br />
I know my Savior lives and that He loves me and you! I hope that you always remember that. <br />
<br />
Love you! <br />
Love ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-6397007298239390042014-09-22T13:17:00.002-07:002014-09-22T13:17:18.736-07:00Monday, September 15, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLk-RcJ4ajeo_DUa7thILCmUJQJejgS42TxWA2UzZarp5tleevo5VZ3kS6B2gzGZl3vx66IekRrRRaTeYIxvaW9umkL6yWywAVh6aphi3tur4X5Ae_0YxOFKlzkWmq-ltQayqoSPYUN6JF/s1600/922-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLk-RcJ4ajeo_DUa7thILCmUJQJejgS42TxWA2UzZarp5tleevo5VZ3kS6B2gzGZl3vx66IekRrRRaTeYIxvaW9umkL6yWywAVh6aphi3tur4X5Ae_0YxOFKlzkWmq-ltQayqoSPYUN6JF/s400/922-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fYZ0vc9UoT0fbcVjKzxHxIZn3OzGQDV22hdCKRCwiRoGgQNgwgUN2Fzsm7oZVl2NemnqAkbkHbTMtSAXvkCgjBtb58KIxmVd2ldgyYSYpiGPB558IRRccfIeciDkphzLTOddXoINiS92/s1600/922-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fYZ0vc9UoT0fbcVjKzxHxIZn3OzGQDV22hdCKRCwiRoGgQNgwgUN2Fzsm7oZVl2NemnqAkbkHbTMtSAXvkCgjBtb58KIxmVd2ldgyYSYpiGPB558IRRccfIeciDkphzLTOddXoINiS92/s400/922-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdvXF41-SXGg4CKyVE1hi5CDxbXdpJPjTDj-1jJ4IH7yd7RdqRatXqyEgTepVBd8RXzG9dF2fGnhR6fjTwl20sdCmxO04078FhLi3jUybhyZCxP2uWxJLuvAJsTlz8QfRMxqgWi2_LzkU/s1600/922-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdvXF41-SXGg4CKyVE1hi5CDxbXdpJPjTDj-1jJ4IH7yd7RdqRatXqyEgTepVBd8RXzG9dF2fGnhR6fjTwl20sdCmxO04078FhLi3jUybhyZCxP2uWxJLuvAJsTlz8QfRMxqgWi2_LzkU/s400/922-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvekPmAsgEp-lnccd1GRFIW1VW1f7yauiFS82c06aBuiFIpwtmleelZKkM5FNGrcHpgo22alzzYpNzudsOmdISz-OBESKnSs8bBJXZ9MspeAZS_SATQvhwWQomY-NxhleH-AVqaqxqduM/s1600/922-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvekPmAsgEp-lnccd1GRFIW1VW1f7yauiFS82c06aBuiFIpwtmleelZKkM5FNGrcHpgo22alzzYpNzudsOmdISz-OBESKnSs8bBJXZ9MspeAZS_SATQvhwWQomY-NxhleH-AVqaqxqduM/s400/922-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9pHR9q7Xt6PYecfOpSL2cgwWCfuV92yjxkYSPVXkv8USVx3o9GJz8M_zMr8ZjgId5c1UTyXEiKFGrLr1HGdIHU1PdeqribpN2EgZHHdSTcX1LLcHaKqvhhQCDM1nF63ltQQiIRey7BQE/s1600/922-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9pHR9q7Xt6PYecfOpSL2cgwWCfuV92yjxkYSPVXkv8USVx3o9GJz8M_zMr8ZjgId5c1UTyXEiKFGrLr1HGdIHU1PdeqribpN2EgZHHdSTcX1LLcHaKqvhhQCDM1nF63ltQQiIRey7BQE/s400/922-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVOrLPAenMRI-uEIEYS7uDzBfYmsq1KzIl1biZhzgzk-bqb6ZCJh7_D9XCsdzBSqKByWRC88VnSU4SNS_bsjbl58jIFAIX1-kWWSzPxu6upFt7DtyGtNzGGv5A8TbcLIkiYio04VD6Fhd/s1600/922-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVOrLPAenMRI-uEIEYS7uDzBfYmsq1KzIl1biZhzgzk-bqb6ZCJh7_D9XCsdzBSqKByWRC88VnSU4SNS_bsjbl58jIFAIX1-kWWSzPxu6upFt7DtyGtNzGGv5A8TbcLIkiYio04VD6Fhd/s400/922-8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-AMPsAHs4mz6fXQ6-LNpPCgb-KpfmBMMIYMN4EVl3v_1JLEWM4Mkm04rMUbhQvZDaEfNLbX0In2xqSxRa4BxU3OaZ6NvEcT91Ctaumx1HR2GOBP51iBCjUaWh6zd4hdi6dVomP3DpqZzQ/s1600/922-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-AMPsAHs4mz6fXQ6-LNpPCgb-KpfmBMMIYMN4EVl3v_1JLEWM4Mkm04rMUbhQvZDaEfNLbX0In2xqSxRa4BxU3OaZ6NvEcT91Ctaumx1HR2GOBP51iBCjUaWh6zd4hdi6dVomP3DpqZzQ/s400/922-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKphcVH7UJ2D2rlVsfyWGQg1VNf-tO6CirSVFTzA_WH4fZYlluxWLMlHZHprsU0zU5N-nC1hG48VAz88q2dU3VVNJZvle7aq_t4r96FxPQD0N3KHGS85xADUSly2XmcVgojHTg4xdpTnm/s1600/922-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKphcVH7UJ2D2rlVsfyWGQg1VNf-tO6CirSVFTzA_WH4fZYlluxWLMlHZHprsU0zU5N-nC1hG48VAz88q2dU3VVNJZvle7aq_t4r96FxPQD0N3KHGS85xADUSly2XmcVgojHTg4xdpTnm/s400/922-2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, September 15, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Thanks for the reassurance, Momma. Lately, I have not felt effective. AT ALL. But I guess that comes when you are companions with someone who does the work in a COMPLETELY different way than you. But that is okay. I am still loving with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength. And yes, this is enough. I know that that is what I am here to do. That also includes loving my companion, and so right now, that is what I am working on. <br />
<br />
With that being said, it was an interesting week here in Kamisugi. The biggest thing that happened was on Friday; we had a half-mission conference! A member of the North Asia Area Presidency, Elder Whiting, and his awesome wife came to visit us! All of the southern half of the mission gathered here in Kamisugi, so I got to see a lot of people that I wouldn't have gotten to see before I left! So that was good. The conference was good...ish. The morning session was one of those "question and answer" times with Elder Whiting, so it was just a big discussion. No one was brave enough to ask the first question, so of course, I raised my hand. The question I asked was this: as authorized representatives of the Savior Jesus Christ, how can we more fully access the blessings of the Priesthood in our daily work? I decided to ask this question because it is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. I have been given authority to represent my Savior, and I want to learn how to use that authority to be more effective. I know that the Priesthood is not a power that I can use for my own benefit. I know that it isn't like some sort of super-power like earth-bending or teleporting, but I know that the power of the Priesthood is real and that I have access to it everyday. So, my question was how. How can I access the blessings more fully? Well, Elder Whiting was cool and funny, but he didn't answer my question. What he said was "Your authority is not the Priesthood, and your power comes from the Holy Ghost." It made me sad to hear that. Yes, I agree that we must use the power of the Holy Ghost in this work, but if my authority doesn't come from the Priesthood, than what authority is it? It wouldn't be real authority. I loved Elder Oakes' talk in the last Conference from the Priesthood session. He mentions specifically that full-time sister missionaries have been blessed with the authority of the Priesthood. I know this is true. So, yes I was disappointed with Elder Whiting's answer, but that is okay. I can receive personal revelation for myself about this topic. The afternoon session of the conference was really good though. We talked about the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Spirit immediately entered the room as soon as we began to talk about the Savior. It is so amazing to me how that happens! People could be talking about church-related things all day long and not have the spirit, but as soon as the Savior is mentioned in an uplifting way, the Spirit is there. What a great blessing that is! I learned in the afternoon session of the conference that if I want to access the powers of the Priesthood more fully in my life right now, that I must access the powers of the atoning sacrifice of my Savior. He is the answer. Of course, He is ALWAYS the answer. <br />
<br />
So, that was the main thing this week. It was a good experience. But what came after was so much better! I awoke to some revelation yesterday morning. It was a really interesting experience. We talked in the conference about creating a revelatory environment, and so I spent the rest of the day pondering what that means. And lo, and behold, I was blessed with revelation because I had sought in prayer and was studying it out in my mind! I woke up at 6:03 with a thought in my head that was clear as the sunshine on a summer day. The thought was this: "Seek first the kingdom of God, and all that you desire will be added unto you according to your righteousness." Lately, I have been having kind of a hard time focusing and wanting to still be a missionary. My focus has been on other things, like friends and music and home and fun things. I have been very distracted by lots of things, and it has been pretty detrimental to the work. I have been trying with all my might to figure out how to refocus and how to get back on track, and so I asked Heavenly Father to help the zone conference be an uplifting experience for me. So, when I received the revelation it was a good (and very literal) wake-up call for me. This was The Big People's way of telling me where my focus needs to be. As you can see, the wording of the revelation and the words of Christ from the scriptures are a bit different. I did some studying yesterday and as I searched the words of Christ, I was able to realize just how personal this revelation was; it was indeed just for me. So, now comes the part where the refocusing needs to happen. I need to develop the faith to sacrifice the good things I have now for the absolute best things in the future. I need to put off the natural Shakira and be Johnson Shimai for seven more weeks! I know that as I focus on the basics, prayer and scripture study, and focus on the Savior, that I will be able to realign myself and make these last weeks really count. I have faith in my Savior that He will help me do this. <br />
<br />
Well, there were some awesomely fun things that happened this week too! Last P-Day, we went to a baseball game with some members and some friends! IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! Oh my gosh! The member that we went with, Sister Date, is an avid Eagles fan, and so she got us seats about 20 rows behind home plate! It was awesome! Unfortunately we had to leave at the bottom of the 6th (the natural Shakira was grumbling about this a LOT), and they were down 4 to 1. But apparently, after we left, they came back and won the game! So awesome. I am sad that we missed it, but I am grateful for the opportunity to have gone! Baseball in Japan is so different than in America, but it is still just as fun. I loved it. I want to go back. We went with Mitsuru (my violin-playing best friend) and Kosuke, a friend of ours from Eikaiwa. It was great to spend more time with them and get to know them even more. There was so much love there! I could feel it really strongly. It was awesome. Then, this weekend, there was a big Jazz Festival in Sendai! It is famous in Japan, and there were SO MANY PEOPLE here in Sendai. There were makeshift stages put up all over the city, and there was jazz going all weekend! It was wonderful to listen to as we rode our bikes to and fro. I miss Jazz. I miss music. So it was good to hear. <br />
<br />
Speaking of music, yesterday we had the opportunity to perform a musical number in Sacrament meeting! It was me on cello, Money Shimai on violin, Gass Shimai on the piano, and George Shimai singing! Gass Shimai wrote the arrangement; it was a combination of "I'll go where you want me to go" and "My shepherd will supply my need." It was absolutely beautiful! And there were so many people who were there to hear it! I love performing music as a missionary because it is one of the ways in which I can really bear my testimony in a sincere way. The best part though, was that my friend Mitsuru came! He is the violin-playing one. We have been inviting him to come to church for a long time, and yesterday he finally came! I was so happy. And he said that he was moved by the musical number, that he almost had tears come out! Haha. That is the power of the Spirit in music right there. Yep. It was so great, and I am so happy that I got to share my testimony with him through music. <br />
<br />
Another fun thing that happened this week was on Saturday night. So in Japan, there's this thing called Jiro ramen. It means BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG ramen. On Saturday night, we went with some friends and ate jiro ramen! It was INSANE! I thought I was going to die, but it was so much fun. It was one of those things that you can only do in Japan, and so it was a very fun time. I will send pictures of it later. <br />
<br />
Well, I think that is about all from me. I finally feel better this week! I love you all. I hope that you can feel my love all the way from Japan. I hope you have a happy week! <br />
<br />
Momma! Happy anniversary! I was thinking about you and Dad this morning, and that you have been together for 26 years! WOW ! That is such a long time! I love it. And I love that you and Dad are so in love. It is the best. It gives me hope. <br />
<br />
I love you Momma! I hope you have a happy week! <br />
<br />
Love Shak Michelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-37330856383160387512014-09-09T14:01:00.003-07:002014-09-09T14:01:35.099-07:00Monday, September 8, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwSxvMixytnmroqa6e0HMSs2TDlGr_uMWhLi7gStirqbFZ_RWd0UHgLWqjDzKbr97fWEAIWUmkJSfgyhA2utFQstuUQlrFXuQYMuMvhL6an15HdywRhq1IfupzCAGIaebwhEyiCp5M5q2/s1600/9-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwSxvMixytnmroqa6e0HMSs2TDlGr_uMWhLi7gStirqbFZ_RWd0UHgLWqjDzKbr97fWEAIWUmkJSfgyhA2utFQstuUQlrFXuQYMuMvhL6an15HdywRhq1IfupzCAGIaebwhEyiCp5M5q2/s400/9-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAfLpDzs0rLY0E3wEq2oi7FnoEZK7PPIjkb51dCfhi9Nh0EFlfONZiJQ-PrwBHYf1jw9lWyz4x0PJMF5wJAOniNOtS3CORMI3W-mLsWfbLJLT13f2cAepT6dnofeNzGEctHST5hYOlz2-/s1600/9-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAfLpDzs0rLY0E3wEq2oi7FnoEZK7PPIjkb51dCfhi9Nh0EFlfONZiJQ-PrwBHYf1jw9lWyz4x0PJMF5wJAOniNOtS3CORMI3W-mLsWfbLJLT13f2cAepT6dnofeNzGEctHST5hYOlz2-/s400/9-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmarH0Dg75uE7eiuXd5prn-vdZ74VPKD2d14J_o3BdFRNFOu7cXXFWX9NJK-Z8FHbTpnzE4oaYKeC7_I3Mgay3Q-DZyEkmCcQrbAaYvkhJ_amOoL4H7i1H3Y2NjjCseQpRW0cmNa8m8iwa/s1600/9-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmarH0Dg75uE7eiuXd5prn-vdZ74VPKD2d14J_o3BdFRNFOu7cXXFWX9NJK-Z8FHbTpnzE4oaYKeC7_I3Mgay3Q-DZyEkmCcQrbAaYvkhJ_amOoL4H7i1H3Y2NjjCseQpRW0cmNa8m8iwa/s400/9-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqz8K9XbZkhYcC2_41Ub59qQGZx8mNZIcVjdz5w9O-GY_q0j7QFX76W5t9wuqxmT1PMG6x3xDs01TooRQfZAKouRk4euqZe0myy8LlWHjzXm1w2I4Zz-L-h5ATQnspdbjlWbB0cWWkcdm/s1600/9-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqz8K9XbZkhYcC2_41Ub59qQGZx8mNZIcVjdz5w9O-GY_q0j7QFX76W5t9wuqxmT1PMG6x3xDs01TooRQfZAKouRk4euqZe0myy8LlWHjzXm1w2I4Zz-L-h5ATQnspdbjlWbB0cWWkcdm/s400/9-8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5LV-INgYya7VesXs9thU_TxG_VTUf6LvD080uWQ3dX4euuT_vZgfMrCjqrq6m4vM52KXffxdF72qy9QEqffXxW3Xtg1of9_9fSgrSitCJ7D3tHZamrmPTnwkPomakhohhjJ3uwzqCRM2/s1600/9-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5LV-INgYya7VesXs9thU_TxG_VTUf6LvD080uWQ3dX4euuT_vZgfMrCjqrq6m4vM52KXffxdF72qy9QEqffXxW3Xtg1of9_9fSgrSitCJ7D3tHZamrmPTnwkPomakhohhjJ3uwzqCRM2/s400/9-9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit89ItT1aSMIelZ_XZJwNKVLg_-y5Mz3frAY1KNPkGG-XwLKoG_bbpKex5EBUBoq4nsTrXtjhv6JqmLvlW0fR3U0wsFXLZchOxJVAFxb6z0d-v3r319oeWDr0KYZy8liQLF7q-70BjAj_k/s1600/9-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit89ItT1aSMIelZ_XZJwNKVLg_-y5Mz3frAY1KNPkGG-XwLKoG_bbpKex5EBUBoq4nsTrXtjhv6JqmLvlW0fR3U0wsFXLZchOxJVAFxb6z0d-v3r319oeWDr0KYZy8liQLF7q-70BjAj_k/s400/9-10.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fva9xolsBy2s7gupBeQVeeAB3KACAS8hmPaWlhU0FR9Yal_DAyKpQrXjuAe5urno6l0qO-XghvisZNbNs3397wx8ZuSJJbOYPQhrU0CqGVgpDCh6lnOygDNm9VVhWlgddnenONkOv8d7/s1600/9-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fva9xolsBy2s7gupBeQVeeAB3KACAS8hmPaWlhU0FR9Yal_DAyKpQrXjuAe5urno6l0qO-XghvisZNbNs3397wx8ZuSJJbOYPQhrU0CqGVgpDCh6lnOygDNm9VVhWlgddnenONkOv8d7/s400/9-11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6D6Z7ESId7TYPCoJq0ZBZklpH3TIs8g7UEeyndbEgYBjJ_CgmIzI_BY2vBhWwBRab4udohLkuuD328_4oMkA1H40ic5jtevQVtIfQ3-YBMKVX_PKWWlSIP5cAk_iGbfvxgTAGOrjGSSn/s1600/9-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6D6Z7ESId7TYPCoJq0ZBZklpH3TIs8g7UEeyndbEgYBjJ_CgmIzI_BY2vBhWwBRab4udohLkuuD328_4oMkA1H40ic5jtevQVtIfQ3-YBMKVX_PKWWlSIP5cAk_iGbfvxgTAGOrjGSSn/s400/9-12.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGWChba4eAyXGJAYvEAsu7DOh7aMX86dyjUPxomjOPA59UkcVr6H7pvGrXRjqPlyli4v-lRFbcwWf6XJlodFYP_9OgMgfzF-WvnQxol04_7oaMYp5McC11V_SDY6C03jmDLqSCGhpV5SS/s1600/9-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGWChba4eAyXGJAYvEAsu7DOh7aMX86dyjUPxomjOPA59UkcVr6H7pvGrXRjqPlyli4v-lRFbcwWf6XJlodFYP_9OgMgfzF-WvnQxol04_7oaMYp5McC11V_SDY6C03jmDLqSCGhpV5SS/s400/9-13.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, September 8, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Hey Momma! Sorry it's the middle of the night for you! <br />
<br />
Two months, Momma! TWO MONTHS! Wow. Boy, am I excited! What am I going to do with my two months? I am going to try my best to make it out of this alive! Haha. I know I will live. But will I LIVE?? I want to live. I want to love. I want to make peace. I want to feel peace. I want to be happy. I had a discussion with my companion this week about how we could better work in unity. We have been having it rough for a few days; we tend to have differing opinions on a lot of things. But, we sat down and we talked out our differences, and I feel that we are going to be more understanding of each other in the coming weeks. I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed me with the gift of love and empathy. It helps a lot in establishing a firm foundation, especially in companion relationships. I love George Shimai so much, and I am so glad that I have the opportunity to work with her here in Kamisugi. I hope that we will be able to see miracles together. <br />
<br />
This week was slow. We don't have anyone to teach right now, but we still have a lot of people to love! I was sitting on the stand in sacrament meeting yesterday because I was leading the music, and so I quizzed myself to see how many people in the chapel I could name. I was able to successfully name ALL the members that were in attendance yesterday! It was about 100 people! My heart was filled with love as I looked at each member's face, thought of their name, and thought about my relationship with them. It was a great time for me, and I felt lots of love! :<br />
<br />
Nothing really happened here this week... So, I am sorry that I don't have much to tell you. But know that I am happy and healthy, and trying to not think about coming home TOO much. My head is still in Japan. I'm doing my best. <br />
<br />
I love you Momma! SO much. Keep on the sunny side of life! These next two months will be faster than we even know! I love you! And! I love Jesus. :) <br />
<br />
Love: ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-91374581340200121602014-09-04T12:55:00.001-07:002014-09-04T13:08:47.143-07:00Monday, September 1, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmIavNXK_VsVZq68zUhef0eeaM0ySnPny-8rMkP8EEAy8F9lhkweHfhM_jqLyk4Y9N5kPYRmgj5gKXuTlRdMy1z_ZU8I2_CJGVAT3palhZXjhQe3Ahhn6WAyfdANhiXwf9GwsMss_vkhD/s1600/9-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmIavNXK_VsVZq68zUhef0eeaM0ySnPny-8rMkP8EEAy8F9lhkweHfhM_jqLyk4Y9N5kPYRmgj5gKXuTlRdMy1z_ZU8I2_CJGVAT3palhZXjhQe3Ahhn6WAyfdANhiXwf9GwsMss_vkhD/s400/9-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJdX0z39G6_NaXRk0Z7qMzPWot6bEa7WRaQkpfQXYL9SlnhYTspQuxdQovqaeDYv6SixSnCv-6g3qlde07_8wKw8pU2vuS2lu7dF1TAbiavcuEUJUxZqmLZbBBwCHEACwL5R2NbC5r7uZ/s1600/9-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJdX0z39G6_NaXRk0Z7qMzPWot6bEa7WRaQkpfQXYL9SlnhYTspQuxdQovqaeDYv6SixSnCv-6g3qlde07_8wKw8pU2vuS2lu7dF1TAbiavcuEUJUxZqmLZbBBwCHEACwL5R2NbC5r7uZ/s400/9-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJ2SB-atCwdRZUhFCGx6csSTKRBnbMEQvY1feX36fJoLmAsSn-ni6a90-BS9MNqSJlzoxXBDtCp-8QjebkcA3_QBlPSaYMAZwgMmImYEvQY9Yn2i7qS7O3JeayGre2ktpBpGl2PPkBuVP/s1600/9-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJ2SB-atCwdRZUhFCGx6csSTKRBnbMEQvY1feX36fJoLmAsSn-ni6a90-BS9MNqSJlzoxXBDtCp-8QjebkcA3_QBlPSaYMAZwgMmImYEvQY9Yn2i7qS7O3JeayGre2ktpBpGl2PPkBuVP/s400/9-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaPpFrqfAYMcoN6M9IdGNz5I980pWYLgypNlDnQ5ZzlowaoY-nfHGnVS2oo1Y3DR8_63vDAdQxOY3ikUDx8BtzMj4EAqXb_bzcWXfrDSCVoxXnnDLhuKV6_iozJfWq7YwLUnPEx3VDPT8/s1600/9-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaPpFrqfAYMcoN6M9IdGNz5I980pWYLgypNlDnQ5ZzlowaoY-nfHGnVS2oo1Y3DR8_63vDAdQxOY3ikUDx8BtzMj4EAqXb_bzcWXfrDSCVoxXnnDLhuKV6_iozJfWq7YwLUnPEx3VDPT8/s400/9-4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, September 1, 2014 Sister Johnson Wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Well, I only have an hour today, so I need to write quick! We are going bowling as a district, so we are shortening our email time this week. I am excited, it should be good. Our district really, REALLY needs the bonding time. It doesn't feel like we are working in unity at all here anymore... So, the time to get to know each other and be friends is MUCH needed. I am looking forward to it. <br />
<br />
This week was a pretty sad one; we can no longer visit Itosaka San, my beloved friend. Every time we would go to visit her, she would just talk for hours and hours. I loved listening to her, but she really had no interest in our message as missionaries. I am very sad. Itosaka San is my soul sister and I will miss her a lot. But I know that in her, I have found an eternal friend, and I am looking forward to seeing her again someday. She promised me that she would write., so I hope that she does. I cried when we left. It was sad. <br />
<br />
Also this week, we attended a funeral. The mother of a less-active brother in our ward suddenly passed away, and so we were asked to attend the funeral to show him support. Sisters Gass, Money, and I were also asked to perform a musical number, so I got to play my cello for people again! It was the first time I have been able to do that since Izumi last year! The Spirit flooded the room as we performed "Come Unto Jesus," and I could feel the love of God in the room. It was a good service and I know that Brother Akiho felt the love. There was also a miracle that came from this funeral! Brother Akiho hadn't been to church in over 20 years, and yesterday he came! He said that he wants to start coming back to church! Yay! From now on, he will be working with the Elders. I am so happy that he felt the love and recognized it. <br />
<br />
Last Thursday, Sister George and I with Elders Willey and Slade went to a free Japanese class at the international center here in Sendai. I had heard from Elder Willey that the teacher was super strict, and that he would clean up my Japanese real nice. Little did I know how TRUE that was! Holy cow! The teacher's name is Harada Sensei (teacher), and he kicked my BUTT! Let me tell you. It was hilarious and awesome and my confidence was completely shattered! That makes for a good Japanese class, I think. According to Harada Sensei, my Japanese is wayyyyy too familiar, meaning that I don't use enough polite language when talking with my superiors. I just treat everyone like a friend, what can I say? There was one point when he was showing us the textbook he made for the class from scratch, and I said "O-tsukaresama desu," which is roughly translated to "Wow, you worked hard! Good job!" Apparently you are NEVER EVER supposed to say that to your teacher. He grabbed my head in that moment and said "NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!" Haha. It was hilarious. He really isn't a scary man, even though he sounds scary. He is hilarious and I am looking forward to going to his class again. <br />
<br />
On Saturday, we had an activity with the young women in the ward! We made little bow necklaces that are adorable and they all match! The two young women, Ran Chan and Rinako Chan, are so cute and they are hilarious. I love them. It was good to be able to bond with them even more. I love the members in the Kamisugi ward, and I am happy to be here serving and working with them. <br />
<br />
Well, there isn't much left to tell! I am still here, and life is still moving. Jesus is still my Savior. I love you all so much and I hope that you have a happy week! <br />
<br />
Love, <br />
Love ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-50155231820218027742014-08-25T14:25:00.003-07:002014-08-25T14:25:31.495-07:00Monday, August 25, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQJ53SLINUYOwRimMIPfQMiNpOMPqgpb-GalQLVWcNlzjT1Sl4U-0h-D2pk1z_MChpGfLYAAdC5KVfCj4eJrohfeeR-x9nWUoHNp_eGp-2xL6Ojq_7O3aeGE6lukEZWfSlYqXdeblYJcs/s1600/25-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQJ53SLINUYOwRimMIPfQMiNpOMPqgpb-GalQLVWcNlzjT1Sl4U-0h-D2pk1z_MChpGfLYAAdC5KVfCj4eJrohfeeR-x9nWUoHNp_eGp-2xL6Ojq_7O3aeGE6lukEZWfSlYqXdeblYJcs/s400/25-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfcOHujhyphenhyphenzQH5mgOJFl4yc6Kn4_vWSFRlcO60tiqzG9jOSjopnl22D9NrakfzM6Bcmxsl4-2sZLv6RFvHSR867DkSmW3kk2cAvr010XwUqszEMNDTznZExKwSOhuC08ZmEy5xw1jQKF9n/s1600/25-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfcOHujhyphenhyphenzQH5mgOJFl4yc6Kn4_vWSFRlcO60tiqzG9jOSjopnl22D9NrakfzM6Bcmxsl4-2sZLv6RFvHSR867DkSmW3kk2cAvr010XwUqszEMNDTznZExKwSOhuC08ZmEy5xw1jQKF9n/s400/25-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLe6TwRqJb0MemYHo2NskY937DYIzhjPpgN_ReqXzyDrPOF8ZLVseeWcshMOQcO3LeyvY4lW3KQFRL5bziLvrf889aohWEsO9GSb1io22i0Qg6AmVMK9chdBaFFo2N3R1kKwwFVQDBk6Y/s1600/25-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLe6TwRqJb0MemYHo2NskY937DYIzhjPpgN_ReqXzyDrPOF8ZLVseeWcshMOQcO3LeyvY4lW3KQFRL5bziLvrf889aohWEsO9GSb1io22i0Qg6AmVMK9chdBaFFo2N3R1kKwwFVQDBk6Y/s400/25-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknCCRnvS2IGikWM2uY7Pic_vfDMpGWji6C2mJcxOYuGyLs6Zpt_mSJcJ2JYkRq2qjkLiYyb0mOEBUvQUxCclDE2azm1H9pS4WuG1Du7YYyxSNWbhHleZAACD4ChUGRkF20V3rCixtoUp9/s1600/25-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknCCRnvS2IGikWM2uY7Pic_vfDMpGWji6C2mJcxOYuGyLs6Zpt_mSJcJ2JYkRq2qjkLiYyb0mOEBUvQUxCclDE2azm1H9pS4WuG1Du7YYyxSNWbhHleZAACD4ChUGRkF20V3rCixtoUp9/s400/25-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTJT_PgLdW4hvr1ZT6xYzHuv79bXQH-xHiKFoZfP_3ljCgzvKCeT_ORlN665wcAZgnfLNCdS0FVXSR2a0_S5afem0vi4rooIyoTEciTgM6RAKAHjx-yf_LYdV9HCgq6nGqbxdIL3uAll_/s1600/25-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTJT_PgLdW4hvr1ZT6xYzHuv79bXQH-xHiKFoZfP_3ljCgzvKCeT_ORlN665wcAZgnfLNCdS0FVXSR2a0_S5afem0vi4rooIyoTEciTgM6RAKAHjx-yf_LYdV9HCgq6nGqbxdIL3uAll_/s400/25-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTqpb6YdS5H6Lh1R7bD1huDwzjSI_FrRvmwEFGrb8sjx1Vz6siFAhGzu7V7N9pnUSL4rULA9rhhaA94buiEtEfjmCTuSjmUhYFN434RlzN-wu6PVvrHWAN8QlgIM_3g9GGNNVyjwXN1Z9/s1600/25-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTqpb6YdS5H6Lh1R7bD1huDwzjSI_FrRvmwEFGrb8sjx1Vz6siFAhGzu7V7N9pnUSL4rULA9rhhaA94buiEtEfjmCTuSjmUhYFN434RlzN-wu6PVvrHWAN8QlgIM_3g9GGNNVyjwXN1Z9/s400/25-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Obb5x4QJ1CHSjFXLuLO_XckI_3j_raN4dT3F-Zm6GpbiU8dufakieZT6fryNJ68-ffq-9k8X-WysEm8sizK4UJCpQ4ThW6w_e69uzHsSCID3hTB5EmOvwWPVqumPFoZ3ofedqRd8wOMQ/s1600/25-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Obb5x4QJ1CHSjFXLuLO_XckI_3j_raN4dT3F-Zm6GpbiU8dufakieZT6fryNJ68-ffq-9k8X-WysEm8sizK4UJCpQ4ThW6w_e69uzHsSCID3hTB5EmOvwWPVqumPFoZ3ofedqRd8wOMQ/s400/25-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsbkS0UuJQaqaaR5u1HxMGTfJIVmQDbvjkaIcG7rapuYLekHp22570vsMC_8xQj1JADGTHn_gCnMaoexLA9qU45Ln91WS5JuN3NuwaAPNbyxasNrnnSs1Vr7xrIozmZr7i7-LTyUXxNZT/s1600/25-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsbkS0UuJQaqaaR5u1HxMGTfJIVmQDbvjkaIcG7rapuYLekHp22570vsMC_8xQj1JADGTHn_gCnMaoexLA9qU45Ln91WS5JuN3NuwaAPNbyxasNrnnSs1Vr7xrIozmZr7i7-LTyUXxNZT/s400/25-8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-t-XNZaBq5aHKgl1YFgEX3-x_8tSlodQjdVvw7BPx431g0ruZitqoOBG9KYycQXq_EzVNAiURN8gDR9IKDKStyLHWbjQGkowHBr0C28M843Q2ROwuVtnpoFAKdPY425RwKoUFoPDykKkB/s1600/25-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-t-XNZaBq5aHKgl1YFgEX3-x_8tSlodQjdVvw7BPx431g0ruZitqoOBG9KYycQXq_EzVNAiURN8gDR9IKDKStyLHWbjQGkowHBr0C28M843Q2ROwuVtnpoFAKdPY425RwKoUFoPDykKkB/s400/25-9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxY54Lk7A_KjJYy3UvOR80cAAmRF8bjOPL3sx_apUaz03z3SaZgYMwD4lsH7-sS5lY8XHiGB5teenXzHQHm2ei0_Kqdc-oY0RNzFPq-4A4EYp1bZITlHZLg_zKeW0i8Ja4SgJFxrU3xzES/s1600/25-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxY54Lk7A_KjJYy3UvOR80cAAmRF8bjOPL3sx_apUaz03z3SaZgYMwD4lsH7-sS5lY8XHiGB5teenXzHQHm2ei0_Kqdc-oY0RNzFPq-4A4EYp1bZITlHZLg_zKeW0i8Ja4SgJFxrU3xzES/s400/25-10.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, August 25, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Hey Momma! <br />
<br />
This week was a pretty normal transfer week, I guess. Sister Ishikawa left for Yamagata on Tuesday. It was pretty sad. I miss her a lot! But now I have Sister George, and we are doing well together. We had a lesson right after she came into town; we left as soon as she got there. The zone leaders took us to visit a woman named that they had found the day before. She called the church and said that she wanted to learn about the Bible together with them! When they got to her address, they discovered that it was a mental hospital, unfortunately. But, as they taught her, they learned that she has lots of knowledge about in faith in Christ, and she seemed capable of learning and keeping commitments, and so they took us to meet her the next day. We had a good lesson and she asked good questions. We also felt like she had a lot of knowledge that could help her grow her faith, and it didn't seem like she had that much of a mental problem, maybe just some depression. So, we decided to make another appointment with her for the next day. We went to teach her on Friday, and we took a member with us to help. When we got there, she was a little disoriented and couldn't hold a solid conversation. She mentioned in passing that she thinks she is not saved and that Christ didn't die for her. The look of sadness and dispair in her eyes was so saddening, and it brought me to tears. But, in that moment, I was able to testify to her of the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and that He loves her and has saved her. After we left, we decided that she is not in a right mindset to be a real investigator and that the Atonement of Christ already has her covered. She is saved. I felt much love for her that day. So in the future, if we go to visit with her, it will just be as friends, and not as missionaries teaching her. It was a good experience for me to meet and get the opportunity to love her. As we were sitting with her, I had such an overwhelming feeling of love for her and peace fill my heart. I knew right then that she is okay. She doesn't need to worry. She is wrapped about in the arms of her loving Savior. Her life is hard right now and it will be until the end, but she is guaranteed rest in the presence of the Savior. This I know. <br />
<br />
On Saturday, we had a great day! In the morning, we had a church activity that was so much fun! A bunch of the YSA in the ward came, and also our friend Mitsuru San was able to come (he is the guy that surprised me with a cello)! We did a game called "Minute To Win It," which is just a bunch of really ridiculously fun and silly games with a one-minute time limit. One of the games involved pulling all of the tissues from a tissue box in less than a minute. Just little funny games like that. It was way fun. Then, when that was over, we had a wanko soba contest! That was SO MUCH fun. Basically, it is little amounts of soba (buckwheat noodles, my favorite thing EVER) and you have to eat as many as you can in three minutes. I did so badly, and it was super sad, but it was way fun! Elder Iida won; he ate 25 bowls-full. Wow! I want to do that again someday for real. I have un-American noodle-slurping abilities now that I can't let go to waste! After the soba activity, we had sports like we always do, but the weather was BEAUTIFUL this week! So we had about 20 people there other than us missionaries, and they were all FRIENDS! Only three of them were members, and they are all recent converts! It was a great activity and we got to build lots of really great relationships with people. The majority of our new investigators as a district come from this sports activity and Eikaiwa, and we are seeing lots of success as a district. It will be good to see the miracles that come from here on out! <br />
<br />
Well, that is about it on my end. It was a very normal week with nothing too spectacular. But I still know that Jesus loves me and I know from the bottom of my heart that He loves you too! I hope you have an awesome day! <br />
<br />
Love ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-4267597933564636592014-08-19T12:45:00.005-07:002014-08-19T12:45:54.856-07:00Monday, August 18, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOz7MtOSKWWcQD4Z1QDh_lUKR04d1yMANdxfDz6oDkpsfR_4e1mB02eJoJQzzlX1YHW-jk4534KmLshLD68496-wELrwd2Db1_CUb74MfcwS6sQwgoQZmcYGNVNziJpjdewlSlGjkpF3v/s1600/19-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOz7MtOSKWWcQD4Z1QDh_lUKR04d1yMANdxfDz6oDkpsfR_4e1mB02eJoJQzzlX1YHW-jk4534KmLshLD68496-wELrwd2Db1_CUb74MfcwS6sQwgoQZmcYGNVNziJpjdewlSlGjkpF3v/s400/19-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBM_m-AspSJmS8IvbKMzubkoG84QKvgS7bGQX6GjF0P0qOPe8mnfvvGOctB9wqd9zJTXMD4jcev5YZByMTAfbJpL-pWxPI537GX5cq3doth0sO_no4QlU8RYuF4U2vp-CVjpioDTYiWWN/s1600/19-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBM_m-AspSJmS8IvbKMzubkoG84QKvgS7bGQX6GjF0P0qOPe8mnfvvGOctB9wqd9zJTXMD4jcev5YZByMTAfbJpL-pWxPI537GX5cq3doth0sO_no4QlU8RYuF4U2vp-CVjpioDTYiWWN/s400/19-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3VRuI3vfBlZFyUnfjvRlpG4oTf5nqqC9bG0I5BsYwWkr5Pi-XwE97ARdy1dPAEZfGM6WhYXyKoi6Y1BwQxehku1d7X3RL-FVzbi0Li2gPzj9V_KCjrkxNcwnClHVNEPUezFYuAhJiICs/s1600/19-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3VRuI3vfBlZFyUnfjvRlpG4oTf5nqqC9bG0I5BsYwWkr5Pi-XwE97ARdy1dPAEZfGM6WhYXyKoi6Y1BwQxehku1d7X3RL-FVzbi0Li2gPzj9V_KCjrkxNcwnClHVNEPUezFYuAhJiICs/s400/19-16.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_BwCvDgoAJQ0qjL3B6SawkqvREcHVio6Bn-JeiHE17nyGSh9stO6paBl6mVwTwa0ST0-C3PjhYHV_41CDrIUb49Dfce13P5_irwwLoHGiCFJ56BJ3Q2igs-3x2jlc2FQl6bO-B0cVVhY/s1600/19-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_BwCvDgoAJQ0qjL3B6SawkqvREcHVio6Bn-JeiHE17nyGSh9stO6paBl6mVwTwa0ST0-C3PjhYHV_41CDrIUb49Dfce13P5_irwwLoHGiCFJ56BJ3Q2igs-3x2jlc2FQl6bO-B0cVVhY/s400/19-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFuCgUU2KTNquqocyAJ6wCpaB-5aPsiNjgmpVjrKaoC2A841YsIratJ0t1Z4vygoI4HxKu09OOgXU-gM-zsW3WSk33kwwMeeAoGnSjACv9Ei5S54QXKnfoS8op7P1ROMs33EayYs-nokj/s1600/19-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFuCgUU2KTNquqocyAJ6wCpaB-5aPsiNjgmpVjrKaoC2A841YsIratJ0t1Z4vygoI4HxKu09OOgXU-gM-zsW3WSk33kwwMeeAoGnSjACv9Ei5S54QXKnfoS8op7P1ROMs33EayYs-nokj/s400/19-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5EaWz9d6TxUHlr2t0Py-ZPQCjalDSCh08L1NDTNfcDbEUlicewOBicsnxLNx61q9f6m-aCZ7OBRWLYItaO3kBCG9iUKiPh4nUmpo3MuaEQjN4Ik1UONa292a5V1gYu9D053O86OqeQ0E/s1600/19-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5EaWz9d6TxUHlr2t0Py-ZPQCjalDSCh08L1NDTNfcDbEUlicewOBicsnxLNx61q9f6m-aCZ7OBRWLYItaO3kBCG9iUKiPh4nUmpo3MuaEQjN4Ik1UONa292a5V1gYu9D053O86OqeQ0E/s400/19-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ll55AEVMul71QJjWBykvQdM45FEBYJTemRfUFz26e27_3S6hsGRPVjIejMLuuhKolm4j8KkXLHbzKQDyrWpEA6GWKn78Sj9KB8hKqxQoiG11O4AcHIn3l-LOB5L63JMI2evSx3PhajNN/s1600/19-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ll55AEVMul71QJjWBykvQdM45FEBYJTemRfUFz26e27_3S6hsGRPVjIejMLuuhKolm4j8KkXLHbzKQDyrWpEA6GWKn78Sj9KB8hKqxQoiG11O4AcHIn3l-LOB5L63JMI2evSx3PhajNN/s400/19-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-KxhFkTbJMfK6qL6zgKMSFq4L8HbjJk_3tF7K35uVxIXoTh1bXLowa9iCpcWS2g2dTd27OGur3D_zNYebkkH4ufeoThVD6lrHeNb8Yw0bpb9arnEKIqoLLxJlUY0i9ajhFMGa4wNGXcz/s1600/19-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-KxhFkTbJMfK6qL6zgKMSFq4L8HbjJk_3tF7K35uVxIXoTh1bXLowa9iCpcWS2g2dTd27OGur3D_zNYebkkH4ufeoThVD6lrHeNb8Yw0bpb9arnEKIqoLLxJlUY0i9ajhFMGa4wNGXcz/s400/19-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzp3WkuQzp4MQ784MQKbWLTqYoDzWOJo2dbUn_CNDuijhRt9kqTrwKApl2i3wGGpyZJiQ_3M1Vzi7XO6Bi1YiGOc17-YRopGypOFroCLust8oeWtKkv8SyxKe9BHLVc0GsKeOH12yrdqn/s1600/19-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzp3WkuQzp4MQ784MQKbWLTqYoDzWOJo2dbUn_CNDuijhRt9kqTrwKApl2i3wGGpyZJiQ_3M1Vzi7XO6Bi1YiGOc17-YRopGypOFroCLust8oeWtKkv8SyxKe9BHLVc0GsKeOH12yrdqn/s400/19-8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixriiR0xTVKP3CjPUWFX7w4Bx8CIq1r48JobXlGIqb1ZvmULNCvwqVLHFJuQk4HS1c1lRLvzdx2owiTpG3ruY4crQdlbTOg5KT8lFXsltH7vzOPGpEGO4C4TgZBSFD4W8hrvC_m2hJvTG4/s1600/19-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixriiR0xTVKP3CjPUWFX7w4Bx8CIq1r48JobXlGIqb1ZvmULNCvwqVLHFJuQk4HS1c1lRLvzdx2owiTpG3ruY4crQdlbTOg5KT8lFXsltH7vzOPGpEGO4C4TgZBSFD4W8hrvC_m2hJvTG4/s400/19-9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58BNI2-N4JwAdjqBjtBbqB9LaeDGqX1rBUdYIic1UOp8Z5xEbHA1lFr_ZHbIhpm1nC_K6oBhXZXyxWXZbTwMm_Lkt5Uu3_loKGMOQE0hMBPlFZy9LiX5LYaLUgqCYF4jmq74fpMiYIZQR/s1600/19-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58BNI2-N4JwAdjqBjtBbqB9LaeDGqX1rBUdYIic1UOp8Z5xEbHA1lFr_ZHbIhpm1nC_K6oBhXZXyxWXZbTwMm_Lkt5Uu3_loKGMOQE0hMBPlFZy9LiX5LYaLUgqCYF4jmq74fpMiYIZQR/s400/19-10.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeN7-8PSfau1itdroOaef8QX1SkN6A1OeOR639YeVmzVfNzBJry-F63UkA9yhZ9BtL9VvLJtkZOFWS1BtqZtVE4GI-2tVkHxaDTjZajEqZB_IavjVrKSF6EY7xP9Mkc3p-zUj3hRwbyDH/s1600/19-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeN7-8PSfau1itdroOaef8QX1SkN6A1OeOR639YeVmzVfNzBJry-F63UkA9yhZ9BtL9VvLJtkZOFWS1BtqZtVE4GI-2tVkHxaDTjZajEqZB_IavjVrKSF6EY7xP9Mkc3p-zUj3hRwbyDH/s400/19-11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKT-duQLtVgNiEPzTWyGBqXsNl3qnzQY_ESNq2Cyhq6sWdKtrPVI0583pDLzuP_rjkz8pDv8lDacRNOCAWC435TXoFIsnnKWa4oK2eHvEOPa9BOooKRIvwBu-c1ThWJSfesr8KUvOKQGd/s1600/19-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKT-duQLtVgNiEPzTWyGBqXsNl3qnzQY_ESNq2Cyhq6sWdKtrPVI0583pDLzuP_rjkz8pDv8lDacRNOCAWC435TXoFIsnnKWa4oK2eHvEOPa9BOooKRIvwBu-c1ThWJSfesr8KUvOKQGd/s400/19-12.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBufN9YnbBX850wfzFEPghZ-vsezlyONp5JDfiz6wMvxBEidK7oYCLUZuTlyyLONKbGC_mOYGscY_tAJ6WX-XfY9KCXHF_1LHNAEKJrxRWLSaKaBi8xDtZ9E6GHr9R29L01DX6WyBPQsn/s1600/19-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBufN9YnbBX850wfzFEPghZ-vsezlyONp5JDfiz6wMvxBEidK7oYCLUZuTlyyLONKbGC_mOYGscY_tAJ6WX-XfY9KCXHF_1LHNAEKJrxRWLSaKaBi8xDtZ9E6GHr9R29L01DX6WyBPQsn/s400/19-13.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjfO9jOfJt9RMAcrDqWqYwoPjFrg3Wx7zErBufnOjKYBS_urElOifiwy0AlxQXTnzNOGAQPlP02Q7O6U3MPZXQMUfDKTYDFUj0Sinb52LcWTsqLWArZiVjN14NNe5VafKWUHYSnbYVItE/s1600/19-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjfO9jOfJt9RMAcrDqWqYwoPjFrg3Wx7zErBufnOjKYBS_urElOifiwy0AlxQXTnzNOGAQPlP02Q7O6U3MPZXQMUfDKTYDFUj0Sinb52LcWTsqLWArZiVjN14NNe5VafKWUHYSnbYVItE/s400/19-14.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtqfhdk2_P9kRgsCJvoxBl276FM5vKtHOGvpo3PBH4zQso-cXHZVC5Sz7t92gYS9atLsujtZsj4GUbmijvtZ2dEP1Pr8HISJtjHDGiCqjDiWCNa2gIEkGt-yJd89HQeiWQTIwtu4elaoj/s1600/19-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtqfhdk2_P9kRgsCJvoxBl276FM5vKtHOGvpo3PBH4zQso-cXHZVC5Sz7t92gYS9atLsujtZsj4GUbmijvtZ2dEP1Pr8HISJtjHDGiCqjDiWCNa2gIEkGt-yJd89HQeiWQTIwtu4elaoj/s400/19-15.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGitqGinXL2FCckVis8QUGb5kK-J0n86UTPtvpovIf5880C9lGIE84xNSI7Dt3ko-YvyLxz_8z7kRSHshmB9lf6BBC3gDJzCroutjwzLOkSNH5wsyPgE5ATsDQ08gUn4QRZK7gFoPWvfZA/s1600/19-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGitqGinXL2FCckVis8QUGb5kK-J0n86UTPtvpovIf5880C9lGIE84xNSI7Dt3ko-YvyLxz_8z7kRSHshmB9lf6BBC3gDJzCroutjwzLOkSNH5wsyPgE5ATsDQ08gUn4QRZK7gFoPWvfZA/s400/19-17.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, August 18, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Hi!! Oh my goodness, thank you so much for all of the pictures! I want to see more! I am so filled with joy for Olive! She looks RADIANT! Wow. I am a little sad I missed it, but it is nowhere near as bad as last year. The reason I was so sad about Iver's wedding was because I was just super depressed anyways, so this time around, it's a lot better! I am so thrilled for Olive and Jared. How wonderful. <br />
<br />
I am so happy that you got to see Ashleen! Oh my gosh, I miss her! How is she? I haven't heard from her AT ALL on my mission. But I hope that we can reconnect when I come home. I am so happy that you got to spend your week and weekend with so many lovely people! That makes me so happy. We are so truly blessed by the people we have in our lives. <br />
<br />
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE BIRTHDAY LOVE!! That skirt from Olive was so awesome! I wore it all day! I also read that entire book on my birthday, and that swatch watch is SO CUTE! I love it so much! THANK YOU! It was the best birthday! I was 100 percent completely overwhelmed with love from EVERYONE. So awesome. <br />
<br />
My birthday was so good. Probably the best birthday I have had in a LONG time, to be entirely honest. I woke up and all the sisters in the apartment had decorated my desk with hearts and streamers and they sang to me. Then, Sister Smith made me crepes. LOVE. Then, in the afternoon, all of the sisters went with me to take a puri, those hilariously awesome Japanese photobooths. So we went, and we handed out a lot of flyers for English class and called it "puri proslyting," haha. Then, we went out to dinner as a district to shabu shabu, which is dipping raw meat and veggies in boiling sauces. SO DELICIOUS. Oh man. The Elders gave me some earrings and lots of cards and messages and stuff. It was super nice. Then, we went to the ping pong tournament that we have every Friday night. Lots of our friends come to that. When I got there, I had people showering me with gifts! It was crazy! But, the best part of my birthday was actually Sunday at church. The members were so nice and wrote me a bunch of messages and love and gave me hugs and presents and food. Then, I have a friend, Mitsuru Saito. He is a violin player and is super good. He showed up after church WITH A CELLO!!!! He said that his friend let him borrow it until I leave Japan, and that he took it to the shop to get it all fixed up for me! It was the BEST birthday present ever! AH! SO MUCH HAPPY. I can't even tell you. SO awesome. So many people, so much love. It was crazy, and I have only been here for one transfer! I felt the love. Let me tell you that much!<br />
<br />
Transfers are crazy. AGAIN. President Smith is transferring HALF THE MISSION. AGAIN. I can't believe it. It is so sad and weird. Sister Ishikawa is transferring to Yamagata to be Tui Shimai's companion! Sister Smith is going to Iwaki. Sister Clark is going to Tagajo. Elder Law is the new AP! And Elder Fidler, who came to Kamisugi WITH ME is transferring to Furukawa! He was only in his last area for one transfer too. I feel so bad for him. My new companion is Sister George, from my MTC district.<br />
<br />
In other news, this was a great week for us here in Kamisugi! We had so many fun things and so many miracles happen this week! We had splits with the sister training leaders this week, so I got to go back to Izumi again. It was weird, but very good. Sister Orr and I spent the whole time talking and de-stressing. It was much needed. On the night of the split, we were walking back to the apartment in Izumi and a woman was biking through the same crosswalk that we were walking through, and all of a sudden, a million cherry tomatoes jumped out of her basket and scattered all over the road! We frantically ran to help her pick them up, and all the cars stopped for us so we could see the tomatoes in their headlights. I seriously can't believe how nice Japanese people are. It's insane. But yeah, so we helped her gather her tomatoes, and it was a great opportunity to serve someone in need. And it was really funny. <br />
<br />
We had another precious miracle happen on Thursday! Ishikawa Shimai and I were hanging out in a park in the middle of downtown Sendai eating some soft-serve cones, when we saw this adorable little Japanese girl and what we thought was her family. We said konnichiwa to the little girl, and all of a sudden, the mother said, "OH!! I know who you are! You are the Mormon missionaries!!" She proceeded to tell us that she received all the lessons about seven years ago, and wanted to join the church so badly, but her husband was scary opposed to her getting baptized, so she was forced to cut off all contact with the church (probably for her own safety, by the sound of it). She said that she stopped drinking coffee and alcohol and that she was still living all of the commandments and praying regularly. She was holding my hands and looking in my eyes when she told me, "I never thought I would be able to see you again. I never thought it was possible. But God listens to my prayers. You are a blessing." It was so sweet, and in that moment, I felt God's love for this woman so strongly, it flowed through my whole being. It was amazing. I am so glad that our Heavenly Parents trusted Sister Ishikawa and I enough to follow Their guidance and be the answer to this woman's prayers. Wow. What a cool experience. <br />
<br />
On Saturday, we got together with a bunch of our musical friends and put on a concert at the church! It was so much fun! We sang a lot and there was lots of violin playing, and there were lots of people that came and listened to us. It was so nice, and it was a great way to invite our friends into the chapel to feel the Spirit. <br />
<br />
This week was just so great. There was so much love. I finally feel at home here in Kamisugi, and I am so grateful for the time that I have left to be here and serve with all of my heart and more! I am so sad because my companion is transferring. I am going to miss Ishikawa Shimai so much, I can't even tell you. AH! SAD! But she will do incredible things on her mission! Exciting. <br />
<br />
Well, that is about it for me. I am happy. I am healthy (Smith Shimai got Insanity, the workout program, from her family in the mail recently. Too bad she's transferring!). I am doing my best with the help of my Savior and my Heavenly Parents. <br />
<br />
I LOVE YOU! <br />
Love ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-69413934506956738382014-08-13T14:38:00.001-07:002014-08-13T14:38:19.386-07:00Monday, August 11, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Z80EBPdHEisZ0b_grtaSGlwI1Py3gokZsffqjXT35iRW4ejn4SjjEteLYkyH4kG51bJUqOSldlehfx6tSlAmkYJ_LOA9Ycw8jI4BEYYgkCUS8tYpG3SpRGP3MFTvhIs5D3DmjHKWQwrD/s1600/Aug1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Z80EBPdHEisZ0b_grtaSGlwI1Py3gokZsffqjXT35iRW4ejn4SjjEteLYkyH4kG51bJUqOSldlehfx6tSlAmkYJ_LOA9Ycw8jI4BEYYgkCUS8tYpG3SpRGP3MFTvhIs5D3DmjHKWQwrD/s400/Aug1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSGrs_UmQ2_vlhKwnKlHt3EY-ay3Z80_kJOcDZ4jpS2Dm2k_tnsanVKF8SiaAWJ-zfEvnoBvkIANNy3Z64NFCvJtu4i2hSQe4X5tMBE_bJzqIZH2XmPZFDFPuZJYEP2vBMcRCB3J3XHdH/s1600/aug2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSGrs_UmQ2_vlhKwnKlHt3EY-ay3Z80_kJOcDZ4jpS2Dm2k_tnsanVKF8SiaAWJ-zfEvnoBvkIANNy3Z64NFCvJtu4i2hSQe4X5tMBE_bJzqIZH2XmPZFDFPuZJYEP2vBMcRCB3J3XHdH/s400/aug2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86ILPhaVhs5c2y6Cc2sf5A_juGLvECTU6EBM_2ePiFfRQuaRx-iEY9Mms_v4qEsK66Sv5pLncWqndbzNA9rU_KEo4pE507ZT6XIt8tW_g-x7pjOOITjEfXHUXcHWtjhyphenhypheniqJ9kTeFs4RsH/s1600/aug3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86ILPhaVhs5c2y6Cc2sf5A_juGLvECTU6EBM_2ePiFfRQuaRx-iEY9Mms_v4qEsK66Sv5pLncWqndbzNA9rU_KEo4pE507ZT6XIt8tW_g-x7pjOOITjEfXHUXcHWtjhyphenhypheniqJ9kTeFs4RsH/s400/aug3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxY4zymVE3LcNEqyZt7RoIugtUxPi5FWmMP7ToHN4Y2Izzg4DalFGjYNx9IzSQ01pwk3gKZUOb4kH8YJbpoVBTnvLSauZPgV0V_BhnAzTRxHFlAnaQAXLovmNeXL1jh2pwnTf9qiPewCr/s1600/aug4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxY4zymVE3LcNEqyZt7RoIugtUxPi5FWmMP7ToHN4Y2Izzg4DalFGjYNx9IzSQ01pwk3gKZUOb4kH8YJbpoVBTnvLSauZPgV0V_BhnAzTRxHFlAnaQAXLovmNeXL1jh2pwnTf9qiPewCr/s400/aug4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2A001WFH5AD_C_R57h-imIw4Uul13hd1dyvzA0LDFkJP6OPHktT842AP6z_OAJdyFLGewGqcMFwy7FAlcwYXH_9UhSkuHLzfJe_YneFJcGv2X-6U6JbEKA1pS4YjivJPcJZplXYlVcxDr/s1600/aug5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2A001WFH5AD_C_R57h-imIw4Uul13hd1dyvzA0LDFkJP6OPHktT842AP6z_OAJdyFLGewGqcMFwy7FAlcwYXH_9UhSkuHLzfJe_YneFJcGv2X-6U6JbEKA1pS4YjivJPcJZplXYlVcxDr/s400/aug5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDJpP08MBxoQaBHZDwOO5S-YIpBEl3N2ZS6ruAnSqXRBCjqwGslqxo8zoVDxdTSl99rTBUa2dQMk0cSx0XFMhaBWiTh5AtW-7pJhJKD3bIn3FZyY2y9tWuErCsNyZF5Eh2S5AoFMFvOUk/s1600/aug6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDJpP08MBxoQaBHZDwOO5S-YIpBEl3N2ZS6ruAnSqXRBCjqwGslqxo8zoVDxdTSl99rTBUa2dQMk0cSx0XFMhaBWiTh5AtW-7pJhJKD3bIn3FZyY2y9tWuErCsNyZF5Eh2S5AoFMFvOUk/s400/aug6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6rVo4sofKbNTdDTWN9HEB9VHrnqlwrwpmJ2oEOic1l6hvDlgVkwyw2HoajSlHoSJYWpfn1guQg1UnpjKWgs7sgLciqpXtI0WgHVu_2Yx0UTn5qxUB1HF_mMkO5bfry3_WsowIHLLg148/s1600/aug7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6rVo4sofKbNTdDTWN9HEB9VHrnqlwrwpmJ2oEOic1l6hvDlgVkwyw2HoajSlHoSJYWpfn1guQg1UnpjKWgs7sgLciqpXtI0WgHVu_2Yx0UTn5qxUB1HF_mMkO5bfry3_WsowIHLLg148/s400/aug7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENqEYk-LCbn5jnot6vUpJqmzmLSgXk_yjWMt7odI6eD1YVj7zI-jyAARXLrZkUCiheVLPUN1cOk1aLWchtWpdEsJeGq714lgNoiEqPRdTE0dEYO3VyULYOvbwvYUOsef_rhsuDjNl6ZWq/s1600/aug8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENqEYk-LCbn5jnot6vUpJqmzmLSgXk_yjWMt7odI6eD1YVj7zI-jyAARXLrZkUCiheVLPUN1cOk1aLWchtWpdEsJeGq714lgNoiEqPRdTE0dEYO3VyULYOvbwvYUOsef_rhsuDjNl6ZWq/s400/aug8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOouFZjGt-T2jta_ZeIJmbwkoMdRaBUAEiPFAsKfyETM8KptRAoK1mlqZC8qgKZScHbCORCi2eIgx81yXLjOFejtUnUyBaiuXaUHw6vLU4uS8-4-9af6mlftToY2QaSOlOhXodV_ZCtOBv/s1600/aug9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOouFZjGt-T2jta_ZeIJmbwkoMdRaBUAEiPFAsKfyETM8KptRAoK1mlqZC8qgKZScHbCORCi2eIgx81yXLjOFejtUnUyBaiuXaUHw6vLU4uS8-4-9af6mlftToY2QaSOlOhXodV_ZCtOBv/s400/aug9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha65aQ-JTdcLHl4auov8YTDVNvM-KMUowxQ8cjg6scrOl8gJmwkIrJV5gnz9hv-IP3gt-pIUV9UMeERPdwSIu4sJWkjowTzu7FfX7AEvovsvryT5pbRPOwfMg1A0lE9MvCazt0Yfj5LZwn/s1600/aug10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha65aQ-JTdcLHl4auov8YTDVNvM-KMUowxQ8cjg6scrOl8gJmwkIrJV5gnz9hv-IP3gt-pIUV9UMeERPdwSIu4sJWkjowTzu7FfX7AEvovsvryT5pbRPOwfMg1A0lE9MvCazt0Yfj5LZwn/s400/aug10.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SfH35w5gYRqZh1r1qrsn0PNDcQizjCFiHpW1aeUTC_rvAkpU7sP6lWdzAv6ENETeaHOd9VdyD0ZEuS5CCiAGpMRNey59EjqT9uaDgVrCknHBRpFTwr7UewQJt8BE6Eam9NAlfGSa3sR_/s1600/aug11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SfH35w5gYRqZh1r1qrsn0PNDcQizjCFiHpW1aeUTC_rvAkpU7sP6lWdzAv6ENETeaHOd9VdyD0ZEuS5CCiAGpMRNey59EjqT9uaDgVrCknHBRpFTwr7UewQJt8BE6Eam9NAlfGSa3sR_/s400/aug11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg692_hsl3eQtp5hFy1pmSS0k3si9uHCKsIbcr100kgoXVQRNqt19nkl_jzMNxfNm9jfl__Ap3ST1jWCKXfmIF5Ohc1ykIIfxXWrHK5dTPRBI7-w27UI4kXQ8NJ0gcsfoprYmfGgMxpYUEh/s1600/aug12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg692_hsl3eQtp5hFy1pmSS0k3si9uHCKsIbcr100kgoXVQRNqt19nkl_jzMNxfNm9jfl__Ap3ST1jWCKXfmIF5Ohc1ykIIfxXWrHK5dTPRBI7-w27UI4kXQ8NJ0gcsfoprYmfGgMxpYUEh/s400/aug12.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaCJInIaj95Bm0u9emQBLwbZtKKeI1hJOKRf-ZWES2YBU3Zqn9A4mkD2Yeh04JhXK87lTKM0_WhTvIV-Tm5slX16xsgFQkR0E8wHaCx1um5DUPop8FKm0MDqGCOaF1E5SPD8SxrxdQQdk/s1600/aug13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaCJInIaj95Bm0u9emQBLwbZtKKeI1hJOKRf-ZWES2YBU3Zqn9A4mkD2Yeh04JhXK87lTKM0_WhTvIV-Tm5slX16xsgFQkR0E8wHaCx1um5DUPop8FKm0MDqGCOaF1E5SPD8SxrxdQQdk/s400/aug13.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxTAS5B24gkT6X3A8-10b_a6K-I-ITkaUu6IW8NMqCDA2XCVVvUug5Ls_ze4wOXBihX7wHH6uetzlttEgiEPYq2fPYmVdj-tvotgjt_7DfBPtTOnJGizSmK3H1NbsJTp1cc4c0QvTn_e6/s1600/aug14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxTAS5B24gkT6X3A8-10b_a6K-I-ITkaUu6IW8NMqCDA2XCVVvUug5Ls_ze4wOXBihX7wHH6uetzlttEgiEPYq2fPYmVdj-tvotgjt_7DfBPtTOnJGizSmK3H1NbsJTp1cc4c0QvTn_e6/s400/aug14.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwsZMfAcJ8xMEVxBJ_53EDni1A6b-7miccHN9JpL6GPm-ftTHSTbIjlNMAwblJ9CJuJcQStffDrFu3Wb-dn-4io2q2JtUKNWmnP98HxttiBeT4L_GIpQ1yhgXUrDINaTUuS8Q5zVRGQqD/s1600/aug15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwsZMfAcJ8xMEVxBJ_53EDni1A6b-7miccHN9JpL6GPm-ftTHSTbIjlNMAwblJ9CJuJcQStffDrFu3Wb-dn-4io2q2JtUKNWmnP98HxttiBeT4L_GIpQ1yhgXUrDINaTUuS8Q5zVRGQqD/s400/aug15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, August 11, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
So this was a good week! We went to the tanabata festival on Tuesday night, and that was a blast! Natsuki and her momma came down from Izumi and dressed us all up in yugatas! That was so fun. I felt like a princess again. We went to the festival with a less-active friend of ours, Mai Chan! We also went with some of the YSA girls in our ward, and with Brother Miura and Sister Aizawa! It was so much fun, and we got to talk with a lot of people and see some awesome Japanese fireworks. To be honest, we probably should have spent more time talking to people, passing out flyers, you know, doing "missionary work," but we had a wonderful opportunity to really bond with the YSA girls in our ward that came with us. To me, that was way more important than trying to talk to the millions of people that were at the festival, and it was time very well spent. <br />
<br />
Also this week, we had another baptism in Kamisugi! WOW! This area is on fire. One of the Elder's friends Brother Sato was baptized on Thursday night! What a beautiful service it was too! He was so prepared. He was found by the sister missionaries about five months ago, but he got passed to the Elders because it's a (really stupid annoying) rule in this mission that we can't teach people of the opposite sex. Well, it really isn't a rule, but if you don't pass your opposite-sex investigator, people start to get upset. It's dumb, and it's caused a lot of drama, but that's besides the point. Brother Sato is so great! At his baptism, he bore his testimony and just like Sister Oyama's a few weeks ago, he just stated simple, beautiful truth about the Savior. It was wonderful and the Spirit was so strong. I am grateful for his example and I am excited to work with him from here on out. <br />
<br />
Yesterday was a good day for us! We were able to have two (yes, count 'em, TWO) lessons yesterday!!! That never happens! Haha. But yeah. The first lesson was with Itosaka San! Boy, do I love that woman, but does she TALK! She loves talking. I have noticed that she has a lot of really interesting knowledge, and most of it are things she has learned from her friends. Ishikawa Shimai and I got the impression yesterday that Itosaka San has never really prayed to know what the truth is. She just takes what she hears as truth. She has conviction that there is a God who knows and loves her, and she believes that Jesus is her Savior, but we don't think she has ever asked to know for herself what else is truth. So, from now on, we are going to focus on teaching her the Gospel of Christ, about how faith in Him changes you, leads you to repent, and allows you to make and keep sacred covenants and ordinances. I really believe that as she learns more about how the Savior can help her and her family personally, that she will realize the worth of meeting with us, that it is more than just fun friends to share her knowledge with. We are her friends that want to grow in knowledge and love and the Light of Christ TOGETHER. As we grow together, we will change together, for the better. Oh, I love Itosaka San. She is so passionate. <br />
<br />
Our other lesson was with a new investigator (!!!!!!!!)! Well, at least new to us. She was passed to us from another pair of sisters. But anyway, her name is Diep (pronounced Jep), and she is from Vietnam! SHE IS SO CUTE! She is about 30 years old, and is amazingly smart! We are doing a program with her that is Japanese study and Gospel study! So, we studied kanji for about an hour, and then we talked about the Book of Mormon and about prayer. She already believes in God, and when we asked her to pray in the lesson, she very happily agreed! Right now, she is on her summer break, and so she has some free time to spend with us this week, and we are looking forward to it. She is great! Yay, Diep San! <br />
<br />
This week was weird weather; suuuuuuuuuper hot, but the last few days have been typhoon weather: cold, wet, windy, awful rain. Gross. But, it's supposed to end tomorrow, so that's good. <br />
<br />
Well, that's all from this end! I think. This is week six of the transfer, so that means it's a new one next week! I don't think I will be getting transferred, but Ishikawa Shimai might. That makes me so sad. I love her so much. But, whatever the Big People want is what I want too! <br />
<br />
I love you all. I hope you have a happy week! And congratulations to my very best friend Olive!!!!! She is marrying Jared this week on my birthday! YAY! Good for them. <br />
<br />
Love you all! Remember the Savior! <br />
Love: ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-23479957764158848662014-08-06T09:18:00.002-07:002014-08-06T09:18:36.031-07:00Monday, August 4, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CXrA0lr0hO6ulX3brIfXlIQdzWwkXPlX-PUKMno2mJuwyRysKN5On-mdTEe03qh-C6PlHvaVoQjRcNXuqikCDtEYXHzv2wtjhtwGm92fJ2STgTw_k2r-QCFVHwG5M127Tc3tdqpeR7gS/s1600/8-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CXrA0lr0hO6ulX3brIfXlIQdzWwkXPlX-PUKMno2mJuwyRysKN5On-mdTEe03qh-C6PlHvaVoQjRcNXuqikCDtEYXHzv2wtjhtwGm92fJ2STgTw_k2r-QCFVHwG5M127Tc3tdqpeR7gS/s400/8-6.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, August 4 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Hello friends and family! <br />
<br />
Well, the rainy season is officially over here in Sendai and it is HOT HOT HOT! Wow. This week has been full of long sweaty days, red faces, and lots of cursing. Haha, not actually cursing, but things along the lines of "Holy CRAP! It's gotta be at least 200% humidity today, this is INSANE!" Yep, back to being constantly wet and sticky and sunburned. But, the funny part is that I am starting to tan for the first time since I was a little girl! I have a watch tan line, and a neck tan line. Also, the backs of my hands are super tan, but my fingers are white because of biking. Hilariousness. But I am enjoying it! <br />
<br />
This coming week is a big one in Sendai; it's the Tanabata Festival! The festival is a celebration of shooting stars that happen in the summer, and the legend is that there is a male star and a female star, and that only once a year, during Tanabata, they can be united in the sky! So, there are giant tissue paper balls with streamers hanging from them ALL OVER the city, which represent the stars!! And the cool part is that they are all hanging from giant stocks of bamboo that people have hauled in and propped up. The festival starts tomorrow, and so there are thousands of people putting up decorations right now. I am excited because we are going to go to the firework show tomorrow with some members and we are going to be dressed up in yugata, which is kind of like a kimono but not as fancy!!! But I am so excited, and we will take lots of pictures. <br />
<br />
This week was not very interesting, to be honest. Nothing really all that exciting happened. But! We did get to meet with my beloved Itosaka San again, which was so wonderful. We talked a lot about Adam and Eve. She has some pretty interesting beliefs about the Fall. We also talked a lot about Christ and about our Heavenly Parents. That was an awesome AWESOME discussion. I love when I can be open with people about that kind of thing. So it was so nice and refreshing to talk to someone about that. We also talked about love and how important it is to love EVERYONE. We talked a lot about how love affects the way you go about life. We also talked a lot about prayer, and she shared with us her first experience of getting an answer to her prayer. Itosaka San has so much faith in God and in the Savior. It has been so much fun to get to know her and talk to her about these things. We invited her to come to church this week, but she was busy. Someday, we will go with her. <br />
<br />
One thing I absolutely love about being in Kamisugi is that there is more diversity here than anywhere else I have been in Japan! For the past few weeks at our English class, we have had people from Bangladesh, the Congo, Canada, Vietnam, and Nepal! It was so wonderful to be sitting and talking to these people, to listen to their stories and their backgrounds, to be getting to know them. I have realized in the past few weeks that I LOVE DIVERSITY more than I can ever say. I have decided that yes, I want to be a professor of music theory, but I also want to do something where I can be involved with people from all over the world on a regular basis. I LOVE PEOPLE so much, I can't even describe it, and I want to bring peace to the world. I really do believe it is possible. ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE! <br />
<br />
I am going to be honest, the past couple of weeks for me here in Kamisugi have been a little bit rough. I feel like I have kind of lost sight of my purpose and I am feeling a little bit lost. It is a weird feeling, and I am not quite sure why it's here. But I am trying my best to rely on The Big People. They know how to help me, so I just need to trust in Them. But in the meantime, I could use some extra prayers from all of you on the home front. Thank you so much! <br />
<br />
Well, I love you all so much. I want you to know that I know that my Savior is real. I know that He lives and that He loves every single one of us more than we will ever know. I also know that it is only through His power, the enabling power of His perfect Atonement, that we can overcome any sort of obstacle that comes our way. I really do believe that. I also hope that you can find strength in the Savior in your own way, too. <br />
<br />
Love you! <br />
Love: ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-52626641228417195612014-07-28T14:34:00.004-07:002014-07-28T14:34:25.435-07:00Monday, July 28, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcEPqYZWcuPH5U1yrsig2xxC5MkG7_JGGNRG0BYvMvTo2JjSr2sd6jbj8nYS8eBPL6hWWeLrVAR2MVWZT2MGU-__Ljm0EriUtAQd_3CWPs7b1K-tIEbnMmax08RIM8D5EJxpTI1Wlx-3r/s1600/gass3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcEPqYZWcuPH5U1yrsig2xxC5MkG7_JGGNRG0BYvMvTo2JjSr2sd6jbj8nYS8eBPL6hWWeLrVAR2MVWZT2MGU-__Ljm0EriUtAQd_3CWPs7b1K-tIEbnMmax08RIM8D5EJxpTI1Wlx-3r/s400/gass3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFpTPXZi6_AuSNfbVNmQc8c3QrqaQRcWDgzL0pEvy7OjVHf5WP6pjLFcy1pDkBCSt5ngUDTZSEvC5Tp8eDLZBqqkKVEGl-fF7z98ymfMbGU9RZ3tlE4QwVzo6nTirOPW8r6J61lXxAVyC/s1600/gass2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFpTPXZi6_AuSNfbVNmQc8c3QrqaQRcWDgzL0pEvy7OjVHf5WP6pjLFcy1pDkBCSt5ngUDTZSEvC5Tp8eDLZBqqkKVEGl-fF7z98ymfMbGU9RZ3tlE4QwVzo6nTirOPW8r6J61lXxAVyC/s400/gass2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbSTjm1xQVuxmCTprvA0jhHbUe5zfZlPUHCs1KQTzLA0vYN9qoAJga_PdUCB-jL3GapOsyvvIKSxULvmFUbRWV395fSGMwNEqJLyVkKspR6MVvZUtJJdm4j3xc1EKpFGMNi9U7xaUWOZ3/s1600/gass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbSTjm1xQVuxmCTprvA0jhHbUe5zfZlPUHCs1KQTzLA0vYN9qoAJga_PdUCB-jL3GapOsyvvIKSxULvmFUbRWV395fSGMwNEqJLyVkKspR6MVvZUtJJdm4j3xc1EKpFGMNi9U7xaUWOZ3/s400/gass.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxofMDvCMaZOrUvqluOkmoqHCYpFFhVd9zL6UV0KySOOz0-9ETG129mYlEIBvpDjssz6OGYVwcTGkS_8oZhp0kYzJyj9pV3Gl3EKiRc9knuV560g_rgRzQJci0oIySDMqbofpyaTxt_YC/s1600/28-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxofMDvCMaZOrUvqluOkmoqHCYpFFhVd9zL6UV0KySOOz0-9ETG129mYlEIBvpDjssz6OGYVwcTGkS_8oZhp0kYzJyj9pV3Gl3EKiRc9knuV560g_rgRzQJci0oIySDMqbofpyaTxt_YC/s400/28-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbcfn67IG1FGYHlaYNcNMv-NJXYa-XMNzSKkq88XB1UiKpLSvXvjpns8CbZTDt7wIwtnoEY8RqvPcIMUOePh_olxoG4Z4zyuvpT4DUuEU9QU8wtkYgc4KzhRwprV6ZvDy8-LfGqwXkyIT/s1600/28-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbcfn67IG1FGYHlaYNcNMv-NJXYa-XMNzSKkq88XB1UiKpLSvXvjpns8CbZTDt7wIwtnoEY8RqvPcIMUOePh_olxoG4Z4zyuvpT4DUuEU9QU8wtkYgc4KzhRwprV6ZvDy8-LfGqwXkyIT/s400/28-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFyCkYfxpfXCrWi_36_h77ZgNs402PHQV5goTGmJ0a5tl9a0TxCaO5zFPzv0qHGr0YyVhSQOQUqg-O4qsuuCkX1kqrSnR8CzP5uIxUfdHpp1A-8nLdbCqNTP3AXTv50M6RMz-sOa4Mohk/s1600/28-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFyCkYfxpfXCrWi_36_h77ZgNs402PHQV5goTGmJ0a5tl9a0TxCaO5zFPzv0qHGr0YyVhSQOQUqg-O4qsuuCkX1kqrSnR8CzP5uIxUfdHpp1A-8nLdbCqNTP3AXTv50M6RMz-sOa4Mohk/s400/28-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-vNmSLIqMY_4IJuCyH7vXXIMb7fnGI-SN_kHWxrWs1hOcOhGK39Q-xEppV1Uix27j3aHXcmapsMtYcIOpvpeY_bCf1fcBY0MHLsOOdFnu3FDpWl7runh0bwaGdFRal1AnXyyndh_cWb9/s1600/28-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-vNmSLIqMY_4IJuCyH7vXXIMb7fnGI-SN_kHWxrWs1hOcOhGK39Q-xEppV1Uix27j3aHXcmapsMtYcIOpvpeY_bCf1fcBY0MHLsOOdFnu3FDpWl7runh0bwaGdFRal1AnXyyndh_cWb9/s400/28-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggv3-ADSu6GUZ5ljYZsi8eFhWGd2kzgbZfXHiQtbkQp9nSXHRWvGLi1bD8iikA2ELvs7yNx2FH7UmnZ76XcBYM_CXLVwIxu90lUgeaxtgsKw_jc3DzclKmHfmBrppsO_G-jya_A11bgs9z/s1600/28-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggv3-ADSu6GUZ5ljYZsi8eFhWGd2kzgbZfXHiQtbkQp9nSXHRWvGLi1bD8iikA2ELvs7yNx2FH7UmnZ76XcBYM_CXLVwIxu90lUgeaxtgsKw_jc3DzclKmHfmBrppsO_G-jya_A11bgs9z/s400/28-5.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, July 28, Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
This was a great week in Kamisugi! Sister Gass and Sister Clark had their friend Oyama San get baptized! Oyama San is an ADORABLE little old woman who is actually from Ishinomaki originally! But they have been teaching her everyday for the past month, and she is the most wonderful person! Her baptismal service was so wonderful! Oyama Shimai bore her testimony after she got baptized, and she said so simply "I have been given a new start through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and for that, I am grateful." It was so simple, so beautiful, and the Spirit brought her words right into my heart. She knows Christ, and I am so happy that she has been found again. It was a great spiritual lift to share in that special day. <br />
<br />
This last week, Sister Ishikawa and I were FINALLY able to meet with one of our investigators, a woman named Itosaka San. Oh, there are just no words to describe how much I LOVE that woman! I knew as soon as I met her that she is the reason I came to Kamisugi, and my heart was filled with love for her. She is very much like me, very free-spirited and very strong. She is a widow; her husband passed away seven years ago. She lives by herself, but she is very busy always working in her garden or volunteering at hospitals or volunteering with her friend Omiya San, who is a director of an organization called Women's Federation for World Peace. How awesome is that?? I want to be involved with her and volunteer together. But we had a great lesson! We spoke about God's love for all humankind, and we also talked about the nature of Christ. Itosaka San is a Christian; she has incredible faith in the Savior and a TON of knowledge about all kinds of religions. We talked about how you can find truth everywhere, and about how God loves us all so much. We also talked a little bit about Adam and Eve and the Fall. In previous lessons, Ishikawa Shimai told me that Itosaka San thought that Adam and Eve were terrible people, but when we talked about it this last week, it didn't seem like she thought that at all! We talked about how through the Fall, all people were able to come to the Earth and live! We talked about the blessings that come from the Fall and Brother Miura, the member that came with us, bore such amazing testimony of the love of God and the Savior. Brother Miura just recently got baptized and is so awesome! He actually reminds me a TON of Dad! It was wonderful to have them there with us. It was a beautiful time. Itosaka San and I really connected. I am not sure why, but I know for sure that she is one of those eternal friends that I came to Japan to reconnect with. She feels the same way; she gave me a call a few days after the lesson and said that she knew it was God's guidance that got her in touch with the missionaries the first time in 2008, and that they found her so that she could find me! When she said that, it reminded me of the first paragraph of PMG Chapter 9: the Lord will lead you to those who are prepared to hear the Gospel, or He will lead them to you. The Lord definitely led Itosaka San to me. I know that she is my sister and I am so excited for this opportunity to grow with her! <br />
<br />
In other news, the rainy season is officially over!!! It was not nearly as bad as last year, I think! But now it is getting hot hot HOT! And here in the city, it is so humid, it's insane. Woohoo, sweat. But! It's a fun adventure. Yay! I am thankful to have a nice Camelbak water bottle that my Momma sent me in the MTC last year. <br />
<br />
Well Momma, I love you so much. I hope that you have a fun week seeing your family! Please tell them all hello for me! I hope you have a wonderful time. <br />
<br />
Love, ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-12033612257842800572014-07-22T13:30:00.001-07:002014-07-22T13:30:13.155-07:00Tuesday, July 22, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJEEcdN3WGqGjsSXqnrRC_oIU5NEF7Tsrg_zYL4p9QuSDqTTSZPGoYXI8PLYxN1Al-ejWpcWRbQ35Sz5pNuMEXv5OTgPvZOemV0avBJMJzhEDyVrYpTlp25KZKw70BGxJC1niaVdlvSME/s1600/22-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJEEcdN3WGqGjsSXqnrRC_oIU5NEF7Tsrg_zYL4p9QuSDqTTSZPGoYXI8PLYxN1Al-ejWpcWRbQ35Sz5pNuMEXv5OTgPvZOemV0avBJMJzhEDyVrYpTlp25KZKw70BGxJC1niaVdlvSME/s400/22-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpG1ccaHBhOZwp3H8ul4ZkDfkQdL2CM14G6JHha7pxBPYS70NsYdwXk6NdQEao5N-85VBWyEnaV-R1YmUk9AwRsUdOtiXplzBH5sHX0Nomh-KJXNKdrybWQPWmiDMweIWk8NIyB1PPlMc9/s1600/muddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpG1ccaHBhOZwp3H8ul4ZkDfkQdL2CM14G6JHha7pxBPYS70NsYdwXk6NdQEao5N-85VBWyEnaV-R1YmUk9AwRsUdOtiXplzBH5sHX0Nomh-KJXNKdrybWQPWmiDMweIWk8NIyB1PPlMc9/s400/muddy.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8IyX11yVtdd1aixgvHI-oAPtF391f0TENinvsskuuYp_f0IrTopvdXG8oDpYPUBAnpbJixatGKS9r46za5M5gWSSz-LujIKLT3J8zRw0wpkqJRU9cL_lubp7m2Ug46Lyob8baj3mPXo5/s1600/22-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8IyX11yVtdd1aixgvHI-oAPtF391f0TENinvsskuuYp_f0IrTopvdXG8oDpYPUBAnpbJixatGKS9r46za5M5gWSSz-LujIKLT3J8zRw0wpkqJRU9cL_lubp7m2Ug46Lyob8baj3mPXo5/s400/22-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ni0tMujxQKxugzb54dwLYWtp329V5kdQ9G5keNb4qKRxzAcniPeeERoFM6HF5BWishln07R6Ch5qJHrIeuGbBCboLY5ZpNsonxEKpllsPmj1XQEs8TncFcYjJvBWm8R0JQuNUFvK5zj9/s1600/22-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ni0tMujxQKxugzb54dwLYWtp329V5kdQ9G5keNb4qKRxzAcniPeeERoFM6HF5BWishln07R6Ch5qJHrIeuGbBCboLY5ZpNsonxEKpllsPmj1XQEs8TncFcYjJvBWm8R0JQuNUFvK5zj9/s400/22-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFtawwVyYEoWMnSn-ODkAen2iK4HLp4MbdPHKBYy6Cjz2V-eMIxLrSnYYMO-3x_ejonHIQ6zNjaYX1FqkeGLEC7h5flAivRDMreL8zHazlyvMLqxtL1h7V70TQfTniXu1M2qHus5RzTSG/s1600/22-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFtawwVyYEoWMnSn-ODkAen2iK4HLp4MbdPHKBYy6Cjz2V-eMIxLrSnYYMO-3x_ejonHIQ6zNjaYX1FqkeGLEC7h5flAivRDMreL8zHazlyvMLqxtL1h7V70TQfTniXu1M2qHus5RzTSG/s400/22-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCApx2kcjYsF51-E-Gg83_hBtl1n_iQGC4_TFKBLIp6jphWUrAAwwBPrkLG1zPyoGgsbpPJgpVjjV0de7F6z2FjT7su_j1Qt2FnvFOc4D4oAd-sgKwN2g6-47cm_mv1yyKbLoMUjRc5zzH/s1600/22-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCApx2kcjYsF51-E-Gg83_hBtl1n_iQGC4_TFKBLIp6jphWUrAAwwBPrkLG1zPyoGgsbpPJgpVjjV0de7F6z2FjT7su_j1Qt2FnvFOc4D4oAd-sgKwN2g6-47cm_mv1yyKbLoMUjRc5zzH/s400/22-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduIV-FnXi-e3DPopZLA1EXnsLEk4U2adm9CEcq_EEvnJwhuseYC9JsC38CXm8vjXjzMn9YJtruqMX4Z2xWpNWiTZSMugaLLsUtmLtRVdJIqWitw-XTezpNTgAHSMur-CGi4pIjWpbTFV1/s1600/22-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduIV-FnXi-e3DPopZLA1EXnsLEk4U2adm9CEcq_EEvnJwhuseYC9JsC38CXm8vjXjzMn9YJtruqMX4Z2xWpNWiTZSMugaLLsUtmLtRVdJIqWitw-XTezpNTgAHSMur-CGi4pIjWpbTFV1/s400/22-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqfj0YIA0BawgSBJNe-XNzi98U-x8I7oY3XBV-VQUTVMW7IDBHWyIuSFZVRVcKQj_-IwEL8FNywp5qPAH6hO2eTbtAvM8FD4TBGTEsmHR370wa3Uu6eWUuA5GWYUmCEP2PPx-oVBPEszw/s1600/22-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqfj0YIA0BawgSBJNe-XNzi98U-x8I7oY3XBV-VQUTVMW7IDBHWyIuSFZVRVcKQj_-IwEL8FNywp5qPAH6hO2eTbtAvM8FD4TBGTEsmHR370wa3Uu6eWUuA5GWYUmCEP2PPx-oVBPEszw/s400/22-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGnGceo5lQ8eM8zDSaX9zF9H1rvPpJnrJE14_ftcUjzO63H9HC5feHjkcrsSmfpRH-OClxmBOn0SSTNvyyersHd29YdI-40JVgm__j5gR2qSM80zteoOggItBvn7gA9i0TjXNLmVaHeQy/s1600/22-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGnGceo5lQ8eM8zDSaX9zF9H1rvPpJnrJE14_ftcUjzO63H9HC5feHjkcrsSmfpRH-OClxmBOn0SSTNvyyersHd29YdI-40JVgm__j5gR2qSM80zteoOggItBvn7gA9i0TjXNLmVaHeQy/s400/22-8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39hLPfZO85qqui7_WcGSsGuRuOMBjOHPr7zaowoOKpQ-wQEy7JWQNiciNwZgjJqN7ZWOy_UUImB7jpcaNELW9MmBaJNXUcLZ7L-tJ8EmqBR11w7yZht7WPcdDxtJO2iy0D2ho4zsZmdxz/s1600/22-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39hLPfZO85qqui7_WcGSsGuRuOMBjOHPr7zaowoOKpQ-wQEy7JWQNiciNwZgjJqN7ZWOy_UUImB7jpcaNELW9MmBaJNXUcLZ7L-tJ8EmqBR11w7yZht7WPcdDxtJO2iy0D2ho4zsZmdxz/s400/22-9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL5ufbR7BkzTEHp6lcshr6yuS0n_eNa7MZ0ojl1yWXeWHo2Vlu1vJVxgrM12szWFxd5P29Y5BDx2opdrd9XlrhIQrci9NP5hSqxgnvGZ0XQAtVETPPVQgh3ucQQmIe3DLgbqTHOOJ38G7/s1600/22-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL5ufbR7BkzTEHp6lcshr6yuS0n_eNa7MZ0ojl1yWXeWHo2Vlu1vJVxgrM12szWFxd5P29Y5BDx2opdrd9XlrhIQrci9NP5hSqxgnvGZ0XQAtVETPPVQgh3ucQQmIe3DLgbqTHOOJ38G7/s400/22-10.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBk5V-Bs5RVy8CO8njnsFRT65Dp7p7JKZdOPBZHz9nDZC-suxNcJez11WFPZ8i-ez1oxJ4rXh1dUoAQlc8-WyMmpJcmuWQWmTfa8OKsPI_b5GfRGx8WRk8GwsBE0UKFNSeDoB3Hl709o9/s1600/22-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBk5V-Bs5RVy8CO8njnsFRT65Dp7p7JKZdOPBZHz9nDZC-suxNcJez11WFPZ8i-ez1oxJ4rXh1dUoAQlc8-WyMmpJcmuWQWmTfa8OKsPI_b5GfRGx8WRk8GwsBE0UKFNSeDoB3Hl709o9/s400/22-11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
On Tuesday (yes, Tuesday, UGH!) July 22, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:<br />
<br />
Hi Momma!!!!! I really am so sorry that we didn't have time to email yesterday. But! It was a special holiday in Japan: umi no hi! That means "Oceans's Day!" So, we celebrated it by going to the ocean as a district!! Oh boy, was that so much fun, I can't even tell you! We biked about an hour to the coast and played in the waves all afternoon! Don't worry, there was no swimming. We are obedient missionaries. It was so beautiful though, and the water in Sendai is so warm. We really bonded as a district, the ten of us. And we went with a member, Brother Miura, who just got baptized! He probably already posted pictures on Facebook of the beach (I hope he did!). He is a great member and he just got called as a ward missionary! We are so excited to work with him. <br />
<br />
So yes, the November 7th thing is true! I didn't know about it either actually until this week! I got a letter from President Smith in the mail that was basically a "don't get trunky and be a finisher" letter, but at the end, it said that I would be coming home on the 7th of November! Apparently there is an Asia Mission President's conference that is happening and it shortens that transfer into five weeks! So I get to come home one week early! WOOHOOOOOO!!!! I cannot tell you how excited I was to hear that! That means I will be home one day or two after Dad's birthday! What a good birthday present! I am happy that you have gotten in touch with Gass Shimai's mom! I cannot even say how much I love that girl. She has been such a huge support for me during my mission. When Fisher passed away, she just held me for hours and let me cry in her arms. Then she helped me when I was a bean and was struggling really bad. She just has always been there for me with such HUGE love and I am so thankful for her. I am LOVING serving with her here in Kamisugi. <br />
<br />
Things in the new area are interesting, that is for sure! There has been so much going on; I definitely feel like I am in the city again! Everything goes a million miles a minute here! It is much MUCH different from Ishinomaki. But! I love it! I am getting used to being a city girl again. The thing that I miss about Ishinomaki though is that everyone, EVERYONE greets you on the street. Here in the city, if you say hello to someone, they just look at you like you have three heads and then keep walking. I actually had kind of a sad experience with that this week. I was biking with Sister Ishikawa and the other four sisters to the store because we had to do some shopping for the ward party, and I said konnichiwa to a man that was walking past. He stopped and said, "Wow, it's really rare to have someone say hello to you on the street nowadays!" So we laughed and talked and I introduced myself as a Mormon missionary, and all of a sudden, his countenance got very dark and his expression changed. His voice became very rough and he got angry at me and said that I am a brainwashed terrible person and that I do not believe in God or Jesus Christ. He then started yelling at me for being an American in Japan trying to "change the spirituality of the Japanese people and brainwash them too," or something to that effect. Then he blamed me and my ancestors for World War II and then yelled at me in English and said "Stupid Yankee, go home!" It was frightening. I was really scared of this man, and I could tell that there was something else inside of him besides his own spirit that was controlling his thoughts and actions. I wanted to turn and run away as fast as I could, but I couldn't move my feet. In that moment of great alarm, I felt the power and authority I hold as a representative of Jesus Christ pulse through me and cool my head. I was like being plunged into a lukewarm tingly pool. I then stretched out my hand, and testified to the man of the love of God and of my Savior Jesus Christ. I testified that I know They are real and that They love all people equally. I apologized for the conflict that took place between Japan and America (before I was even born...) and told him that I loved him and that I would pray for him. In that moment, he was silenced. I wished him a good day, and walked away. It was a very unusual experience. I have only had one other person treat me that way in Japan, and it was when I was in Izumi last year. But this time around, I walked away feeling like I had (and God had) left an impression on that man that he is likely to never forget. Afterwards, I was feeling very drained and sad, but my wonderful companion said just what I needed to hear to help me cheer up again. I am so grateful for Ishikawa Shimai and for all the love that she shows me. She is a wonderful companion. <br />
<br />
Sister Ishikawa and I spent a lot of time doing less-active rescuing this week. We have decided to focus on less-actives as a companionship, and while we were not able to meet anyone this week, we are still going to work hard. We also had a chance to volunteer at an old folk's home this week with the other sisters! We put on a concert! It was so much fun; we had violin and ukulele, and singing, and so much wonderfulness! It made me realize how much I miss my cello. I have got to find one here in Sendai. I am sure I will be able to. <br />
<br />
I have learned this week that it is really very easy to get discouraged as a seasoned missionary, but I have also learned that when I become discouraged, I have power to overcome those feelings. That power lies in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. There is so much happiness and joy to be had as you lose your life in the divine. There is also much joy to be had as your allow your own spirit to be free and to commune with divinity in nature. These things are truth, and these are the things I cling to. <br />
<br />
I love you! I hope you have a good week! I will do my best to have a good week too! <br />
<br />
Love ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-24058200568570196992014-07-15T14:10:00.002-07:002014-07-15T14:10:22.064-07:00Monday, July 14, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NF3AWB2oN0VStK_4qbULzBUjpJG8ld-69jK15BV-7SlARe_CPdsLQdzhhOFHSn-AfZOWHYZZF06dPSnobEX4tkDpJQSiwrFIfZqAwVujRI_E_f__1sAi51vF7eTcaYPFK3RX-az9Uka4/s1600/comps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NF3AWB2oN0VStK_4qbULzBUjpJG8ld-69jK15BV-7SlARe_CPdsLQdzhhOFHSn-AfZOWHYZZF06dPSnobEX4tkDpJQSiwrFIfZqAwVujRI_E_f__1sAi51vF7eTcaYPFK3RX-az9Uka4/s400/comps.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHujkbXDfv4qG-A8Z58tvtoppDvKO7LRd9JIpZmTpBBSIyDNyFfzOWHc6FaYWiBs6-x65_OYHejVsE0aPUCMMZSw-fPF0tzx7Ja4B4BQpIzashMVRRLFdsjIehO1Tsx85wOBtFkaje5IM/s1600/15-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHujkbXDfv4qG-A8Z58tvtoppDvKO7LRd9JIpZmTpBBSIyDNyFfzOWHc6FaYWiBs6-x65_OYHejVsE0aPUCMMZSw-fPF0tzx7Ja4B4BQpIzashMVRRLFdsjIehO1Tsx85wOBtFkaje5IM/s400/15-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmDweENhx12zTjkPtWrwB-0e_eWusAL5CHQCXDt4REHxAmwuc2G0bd-J-Az9PNDexseJLbSQChPqhLBnhH5JFH9ujay8zZBk-KV3eIsiLfcTF777ftL9bnlPfDhA4iadCczKZHJURqeEk/s1600/15-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmDweENhx12zTjkPtWrwB-0e_eWusAL5CHQCXDt4REHxAmwuc2G0bd-J-Az9PNDexseJLbSQChPqhLBnhH5JFH9ujay8zZBk-KV3eIsiLfcTF777ftL9bnlPfDhA4iadCczKZHJURqeEk/s400/15-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVk54PDemY9YKufyucj42eqGFLkEqLNtlkM6gqLPVmN6e4g9_YWjweJHx-X7gKP-OKv-uv8CuLNlCKfz0TBX4PoPI8o_N0bzvpJYlhHpQFkzvjb5TFjSW56JRuMqIujl0kTY1jORMTcxg/s1600/15-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVk54PDemY9YKufyucj42eqGFLkEqLNtlkM6gqLPVmN6e4g9_YWjweJHx-X7gKP-OKv-uv8CuLNlCKfz0TBX4PoPI8o_N0bzvpJYlhHpQFkzvjb5TFjSW56JRuMqIujl0kTY1jORMTcxg/s400/15-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUnRdUoZ1-qT9E1s5Z5tgDBDw3N0IciLH6aIuHIAp8Z64bcEeL9TiKkY_ZkbYHQvHisG5IUc3lM7zpKZ2mYuT9bUaUm3lvQfkqvEiHdpRiwaC8Z8tlm4E2rSCadaDy5lUQExzGaM1WVpD/s1600/15-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUnRdUoZ1-qT9E1s5Z5tgDBDw3N0IciLH6aIuHIAp8Z64bcEeL9TiKkY_ZkbYHQvHisG5IUc3lM7zpKZ2mYuT9bUaUm3lvQfkqvEiHdpRiwaC8Z8tlm4E2rSCadaDy5lUQExzGaM1WVpD/s400/15-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoW1p1M2pSXpI7nzdvpt1QpMIlE7qZrwbXet0n36rf13Q4O5bQNyYLRPjrVgXErEqi-Td3F27ctoqxPDj8BpaMKQMHNaLN_GUykFuddbXatrV7gLfSCop35H9yM2eJZrXA7djSvc4phpD/s1600/15-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoW1p1M2pSXpI7nzdvpt1QpMIlE7qZrwbXet0n36rf13Q4O5bQNyYLRPjrVgXErEqi-Td3F27ctoqxPDj8BpaMKQMHNaLN_GUykFuddbXatrV7gLfSCop35H9yM2eJZrXA7djSvc4phpD/s400/15-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevdM6NFnBrytnnEEUpB4JODDqJs1Kc9v5KbXuQ2sKM1QBcgDEFoMth68ET91tjlYXB-pEHstgTjF1bT2cXJWwQnQUhHM5HIHe-9mwicw0ch4SRDgOn8YscGk0O_8Ic2GRH1hwpBxGOACy/s1600/15-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevdM6NFnBrytnnEEUpB4JODDqJs1Kc9v5KbXuQ2sKM1QBcgDEFoMth68ET91tjlYXB-pEHstgTjF1bT2cXJWwQnQUhHM5HIHe-9mwicw0ch4SRDgOn8YscGk0O_8Ic2GRH1hwpBxGOACy/s400/15-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1SsFRD1zNSc4aqSl8EL74yh_iZGpYqiJtidFfnz9bJ5UpFAvKaVgLf2YzAfjCtvoNX4Y8B8bzOj5VgbqEH5BNeUcsiMC0nbSUop4PZDydV76Nj9pDFaJUI1F9dTEV3gm1PwerN-3ZcWb/s1600/15-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1SsFRD1zNSc4aqSl8EL74yh_iZGpYqiJtidFfnz9bJ5UpFAvKaVgLf2YzAfjCtvoNX4Y8B8bzOj5VgbqEH5BNeUcsiMC0nbSUop4PZDydV76Nj9pDFaJUI1F9dTEV3gm1PwerN-3ZcWb/s400/15-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQdXqZ4DNNynXsv1bIA8Od4NIHo0Zv2M8MDrx1XA-g6j3xFxcFSRedVDR-CevQiusv8epYCsdTDDDNQ01CEweowvHRIsP9CT90Qd3O3zfdeCT8doolOmEl1HTl_7-L97pEhFx-Lce_-b7/s1600/15-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQdXqZ4DNNynXsv1bIA8Od4NIHo0Zv2M8MDrx1XA-g6j3xFxcFSRedVDR-CevQiusv8epYCsdTDDDNQ01CEweowvHRIsP9CT90Qd3O3zfdeCT8doolOmEl1HTl_7-L97pEhFx-Lce_-b7/s400/15-8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6z4O-dC10T4MF94impcSyRRKvEKBYDaBUdgSSUkO-16gfv6BXdzZDrciu8GfPHsQSRKYuC2r1CMZiQ070O9-4eILb-QjGG-UMwn1Xs5k9z1WsfyEABP0zWibOCteAQ4hQsGWjdMr9Wd6c/s1600/15-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6z4O-dC10T4MF94impcSyRRKvEKBYDaBUdgSSUkO-16gfv6BXdzZDrciu8GfPHsQSRKYuC2r1CMZiQ070O9-4eILb-QjGG-UMwn1Xs5k9z1WsfyEABP0zWibOCteAQ4hQsGWjdMr9Wd6c/s400/15-9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz33zf_2q4AIxVureobxxNnyxEPXFmN5NJm5szjRrRDNaIqJLxUM-KzzUQuEHj0ZsIeYWyKPBg2Hb_LU5FnOiwBDakF3GlzVxxC1xs2uT8ZyulSNCjSg22rgDjZB6F5Rh7UgH4Q1OzBJP8/s1600/15-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz33zf_2q4AIxVureobxxNnyxEPXFmN5NJm5szjRrRDNaIqJLxUM-KzzUQuEHj0ZsIeYWyKPBg2Hb_LU5FnOiwBDakF3GlzVxxC1xs2uT8ZyulSNCjSg22rgDjZB6F5Rh7UgH4Q1OzBJP8/s400/15-10.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBasTXF9aDLacTh5Sv6E1Gwv11m9081QV-L-Z0sSvRAhmNNRRJsUt4KmoSwZb_QwkfRSN_zqhhT6zHGb0vhxonMoTKuqc9e0tMyGHmO5dqPoId1gInjs0_L7mPRd8OTZm9OEzzGL-Hr4_C/s1600/15-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBasTXF9aDLacTh5Sv6E1Gwv11m9081QV-L-Z0sSvRAhmNNRRJsUt4KmoSwZb_QwkfRSN_zqhhT6zHGb0vhxonMoTKuqc9e0tMyGHmO5dqPoId1gInjs0_L7mPRd8OTZm9OEzzGL-Hr4_C/s400/15-11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTvwTJfoe_xQAunwcNntdiqeH8qhRkmnmKpHxkRES9T8Z809wXWH4cCzT0m3W-5jDnFNe7ivXPk9sUmJ0phbZguumn_WB_TMUeHQnPWcg-AA9N0TvzQ7ibLs5d7PTANKJ0ijIYKKw3s6k/s1600/15-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTvwTJfoe_xQAunwcNntdiqeH8qhRkmnmKpHxkRES9T8Z809wXWH4cCzT0m3W-5jDnFNe7ivXPk9sUmJ0phbZguumn_WB_TMUeHQnPWcg-AA9N0TvzQ7ibLs5d7PTANKJ0ijIYKKw3s6k/s400/15-12.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1HmBUonBabJtNuxsG6cdOqlbsigCkgyVQHw-cK66xagEog_826usGZxRlSXjnfO6CtW642UUFV3GW8vpUSqv9OXE-Zmevf2m-vFhr4xidm33cNvN0NbW7eVjr5o2c3kP4V41V5SiZuKi/s1600/15-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1HmBUonBabJtNuxsG6cdOqlbsigCkgyVQHw-cK66xagEog_826usGZxRlSXjnfO6CtW642UUFV3GW8vpUSqv9OXE-Zmevf2m-vFhr4xidm33cNvN0NbW7eVjr5o2c3kP4V41V5SiZuKi/s400/15-13.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjTzl2lwLFrN_rNwmE5wqGOlnHWSUArhRAc_8MEmGEM9QKWG7jLlBaLzOvl_pxGTlZFn7ilrBUqbvApG-BF8ObJ3CHjCL-fyRzFslxCdCdn5NwmDVy7gabdzh2Y42inmZYtBvp8_jvY8M/s1600/15-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjTzl2lwLFrN_rNwmE5wqGOlnHWSUArhRAc_8MEmGEM9QKWG7jLlBaLzOvl_pxGTlZFn7ilrBUqbvApG-BF8ObJ3CHjCL-fyRzFslxCdCdn5NwmDVy7gabdzh2Y42inmZYtBvp8_jvY8M/s400/15-14.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulSKa4wJKUn7Ew3_4vreitpay3oOHxvSc53a3enM2ul0P0o2eeh1rXMA_nCT9MD5xurj_4li2bjjsRLaPI31EdxXSC9E4i2WaVkLdGtuwls_lDhXU-dUVvmOHNNk-j1U41lg1mLh63c-L/s1600/15-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulSKa4wJKUn7Ew3_4vreitpay3oOHxvSc53a3enM2ul0P0o2eeh1rXMA_nCT9MD5xurj_4li2bjjsRLaPI31EdxXSC9E4i2WaVkLdGtuwls_lDhXU-dUVvmOHNNk-j1U41lg1mLh63c-L/s400/15-15.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOcLdMTIkbs-Q2_qjuFPKqVkefcgbflby0a6Z-CW-3_v4xjnwEqQbvMpWLx4hIZdMAvzN5xXuRf7cY1KqLu20x68K3UfWO2f2UZ6xN0eiSVk8ElttXsfXzd4MZLaG3SBbwKM6mTe7x3g7/s1600/15-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOcLdMTIkbs-Q2_qjuFPKqVkefcgbflby0a6Z-CW-3_v4xjnwEqQbvMpWLx4hIZdMAvzN5xXuRf7cY1KqLu20x68K3UfWO2f2UZ6xN0eiSVk8ElttXsfXzd4MZLaG3SBbwKM6mTe7x3g7/s400/15-16.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQL4VDnIzOe3jqSsu_TLLJl2LKUm5vCBu8M74LKUQjDbQkcUNxkN5oxsyow7TS95j52dYe6u9rL3feOVDS1uS3gWxsw43vD6KXyjhK4sIzBycdsC5jigvemUYLPNvDYdtK3AYqdOIDZZB/s1600/15-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQL4VDnIzOe3jqSsu_TLLJl2LKUm5vCBu8M74LKUQjDbQkcUNxkN5oxsyow7TS95j52dYe6u9rL3feOVDS1uS3gWxsw43vD6KXyjhK4sIzBycdsC5jigvemUYLPNvDYdtK3AYqdOIDZZB/s400/15-17.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, July 14 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Momma! You are so in-tune! Yes, we had an earthquake. It happened at 4:22 in the morning and was very big. We are on the fifth floor of our apartment building, and even that high, everything was shaking. My pen-holding-can fell off my desk and went everywhere. My adorable Japanese companion ran and got under her desk. Then all the sirens went off from our cell phones warning up of the earthquake (which is supposed to happen before the earthquake... whoops.), but then it was over after about 30 seconds, I would say. It was pretty wild. I heard that a tsunami came to Ishinomaki. Scary. I hope that everyone was okay. I can only imagine how scared the people must have been, and that breaks my heart. <br />
<br />
So, yeah. I transferred from Ishinomaki to Kamisugi! It was a very emotionally trying week for me, to be honest. I could not believe how sad I was to leave Ishinomaki. I cried more than I have since I was a bean! We spent last P-Day with the Elders; we went to the awesome Pirate Ship place again! It reminded me of Dad. I would love to take him there. But it was way fun! It was Elder Whittle's last P-Day (he is home now!!! I can't believe it! I miss him so much) and so we decided to do something fun together. After that, Sister Alcazar and I spent lots of time visiting members and friends and less-active members. We had a miracle happen on Tuesday that was so eye-opening for me! We went to visit a friend named Keiko San, and she lives over by the ocean, so we biked to her house. When we got there, she wasn't home, unfortunately. So I wrote her a goodbye message and told her that I love her. When we were biking home, we passed a woman on the street who looked extremely familiar to me, but I knew that I had never met her, so I just kept biking. In that instant, a voice in my head said "GO BACK." and an image of a less-active record came into my head. The woman we had passed was Sister Melody Mori, from the Phillipines! I had only ever seen her picture once, but the Spirit brought her record out of my memory. So, we turned around and went back to talk to her. She was SO HAPPY that we came back! She said that she hasn't had any contact with the Church for a long time and that she had been hoping someone would reach out to her in some way. We ended up talking for a while, and Sister Alcazar was able to exchange phone numbers with her and set an appointment to visit her and her three year old daughter. I walked away from that experience so full of gratitude for the prompting that the Spirit blessed me with so that I could bless Melody's life. She is adorable, and I am so sad that I won't get to see her, but I hope and pray that she will progress with the Sisters in Ishinomaki, and that she will once again gain the desire to come back to Church. After the miracle, we visited and visited and visited EVERYONE, and it was so great. We went to see my beloved Sister Kimura, who is my favorite person in the world. We went to see Sugiyama San, who cried with me when I told him I was leaving. We prayed together and I asked Heavenly Father to leave a special blessing of love and guidance on him so that he will be able to grow in the truth. Then we went to Institute, and there were about twice as many people there as normal, and they all came to see Whittle Choro and I, and Elder Anderson off. It was a beautiful night full of so much love, and much testimony of the Savior. There are no words to describe how much love was in my heart that night; it was full to bursting! I was able to feel a fragment of the love that The Big People have for us. It was incredible. I will miss Ishinomaki more than I can even say. <br />
<br />
But! Now, I am in Kamisugi! The big city! This city looks so much like Denver, it's INSANE! It has been bringing back so many memories of home; it's making me a little homesick, but it is still Japan, so no worries there. I have the CUTEST companion! Sister Ishikawa is adorable and she is a GREAT missionary! She is young, in her third transfer, but I have learned more from her example already than I have from anyone in a long time. She is so good at loving everyone and at opening her mouth. She invites everyone to come to everything and she has no fear. She is the only Japanese girl in our apartment of six, and so she is going to learn English really fast! Haha, but she also helps me with my Japanese, and it is way helpful. The other sisters serving here are so wonderful! Sister Gass, my super close friend from the MTC is serving here! It has been an absolute BLAST to be with her again, and we have already performed together (her on ukulele and singing and me singing). Our district is insanely musical, and so we are going to use that to do some great work here! The elders are awesome too! We have the zone leaders in our district, and then two other elders. Our district leader, Elder Willey is so awesome! He is a great leader and is super chill and fun. He also builds bikes and so we have a lot in common and have had a lot to talk about! I can tell that we are going to work well together. <br />
<br />
So far this week, Ishikawa Shimai and I have been visiting members and have been planning. We are going to dive right into less-active work here; that is my favorite kind of dendo, and she hasn't really done much of that yet, so that is going to be our focus as a companionship. We haven't been able to meet anyone yet, as far as investigators are concerned, but hopefully we will have some appointments this week. We are teaching a woman from Nepal named Bindiya! I haven't met her yet, but I am way excited to. We are also teaching a man from China named Cho, and a woman from Vietnam named Diep (pronounced Jep). We are also teaching an American woman named Donna and a Japanese person named Itosaka San. How awesome is that???? DIVERSITY!!!!! I have missed it so much! WOOHOO! Yay for the city! I am so looking forward to working with all of these wonderful people. <br />
<br />
Yesterday, we had church! WOW, talk about a big ward! The Kamisugi ward is twice the size of Capitol Hill! So crazy. There is no way I am going to be able to memorize everyone's names.... My goal is to have them down by the end of this month... We will see what happens! But, church was great. There was a man there on a business trip from America and so I translated Sacrament meeting for him, and that was a fun experience. The Bishop here is named Bishop Furukawa and him and his wife had the six of us sisters over for dinner last night. It was INSANE the amount of food they gave us; I thought I was going to die. But it was delicious pasta, and it was way fun. <br />
<br />
So yes, so far I am liking Kamisugi. It is fun to be in the city! But cities in Japan are not really based on a grid system so it is going to take a bit for me to get oriented. But, I am looking forward to getting lost! I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here in Kamisugi. The work is very different here, but I am ready to spread the love of my Savior. It is very needed in Kamisugi. <br />
<br />
I love you so much! I hope that you have a good week! <br />
<br />
Love, Shak<br />
Michelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-89979755334200429652014-07-08T09:52:00.002-07:002014-07-08T09:52:58.864-07:00July 7, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilW30nxVdXSvLHk0NvNwNnfx-qDL0w2uaZPvnZEwDTOnDgSk1vtskTKNMciM0R4SVQ9SI02NKW8f4mfgFb8MmndhTIuiQRnD-Osvtvpi8qjUuUCmzoR9EfH9uSnguv3Lom9WIqUxXgdu8r/s1600/7-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilW30nxVdXSvLHk0NvNwNnfx-qDL0w2uaZPvnZEwDTOnDgSk1vtskTKNMciM0R4SVQ9SI02NKW8f4mfgFb8MmndhTIuiQRnD-Osvtvpi8qjUuUCmzoR9EfH9uSnguv3Lom9WIqUxXgdu8r/s400/7-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFhWB-PBa8gJs5LeD6oo-3MLlrnysfyTE04TcW2E-e8q8txi0ykwzia_qsJxYcy2W5txXhLxEun4U88l5jFIYy5r07ovaeNy2mgKfD5xSABayhlm_zuVrKBwVeGNmr6Dnp9rJj6zq4Hix/s1600/7-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFhWB-PBa8gJs5LeD6oo-3MLlrnysfyTE04TcW2E-e8q8txi0ykwzia_qsJxYcy2W5txXhLxEun4U88l5jFIYy5r07ovaeNy2mgKfD5xSABayhlm_zuVrKBwVeGNmr6Dnp9rJj6zq4Hix/s400/7-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNR_rtVgUhIz1nBERDxM4q5UfEN5KNPgh-hWGF25COpWsEcJ1qvIklvF8pxWdq0jfIVGWtS9GMiq_cu8D_esljghf1XP12D_eYKwz5-SAGd89d8h3zZEHvrNwC2F40NWJHsulxznXoFAm/s1600/7-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNR_rtVgUhIz1nBERDxM4q5UfEN5KNPgh-hWGF25COpWsEcJ1qvIklvF8pxWdq0jfIVGWtS9GMiq_cu8D_esljghf1XP12D_eYKwz5-SAGd89d8h3zZEHvrNwC2F40NWJHsulxznXoFAm/s400/7-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzb3ucE6Mh0mnQDa4Pobiqr5ttmi-7Czk24gw4XwWPFaOm4hMfepv3NBKo5w82xyvFO0dfhY4b0p6sUj7UooBE6cB8P5_HTx38Ci4eZ-rhhI2-AuAoWiaa_RIiSAgS3GxQIiljl5milQ1c/s1600/7-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzb3ucE6Mh0mnQDa4Pobiqr5ttmi-7Czk24gw4XwWPFaOm4hMfepv3NBKo5w82xyvFO0dfhY4b0p6sUj7UooBE6cB8P5_HTx38Ci4eZ-rhhI2-AuAoWiaa_RIiSAgS3GxQIiljl5milQ1c/s400/7-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoGc7tO0BfS1665SwwKwqjVTwdMZvOpeD1sT3rO738HLo6vCW8drUTDQ178Af_6P55jmUNt4Z9KQWA8eBkLtXrnQLNW8NmWC1VfzpnU3E5e824ky-CEJSdWWdiqdf3DHy3g-UeP6xYZhz/s1600/7-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoGc7tO0BfS1665SwwKwqjVTwdMZvOpeD1sT3rO738HLo6vCW8drUTDQ178Af_6P55jmUNt4Z9KQWA8eBkLtXrnQLNW8NmWC1VfzpnU3E5e824ky-CEJSdWWdiqdf3DHy3g-UeP6xYZhz/s400/7-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGO5SCqq9t7TNuGwlEha1i79vGBkwJgk-bZ1DNccft5b82l73o_E6fAmBxfnZXWJuqQgYO7Dz1Q7x9CQ2ch-aYIk9_F02HiDHLUH35DHCjSHDsmE5ohmLQeXbg_Weds6X4fc6FYcjyfeVI/s1600/7-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGO5SCqq9t7TNuGwlEha1i79vGBkwJgk-bZ1DNccft5b82l73o_E6fAmBxfnZXWJuqQgYO7Dz1Q7x9CQ2ch-aYIk9_F02HiDHLUH35DHCjSHDsmE5ohmLQeXbg_Weds6X4fc6FYcjyfeVI/s400/7-5.jpg" /></a></div><i>About the photos: Leaving my small mark on Ishinomaki. A joy. This is our favorite Indian curry place, with our favorite guys from Nepal, Hari and Katri. I love them so much. They made the Elders special naan for Aono Choro's birthday. Frisbee!!! I am standing next to Elder Whittle, he goes home this week. So sad. This sign says, "GANBAROU ISHINOMAKI!!!" That essentially means, "FIGHT!!!" This big sign was painted a few days after the disaster, and has become the city slogan. This slogan is in the window of every single shop in the city. Love. This is Onodera San. He is an investigator that we have been working with as a district since I transferred to Ishinomaki. I love him so much. He is seriously the Japanese version of dad. They are the same.</i><br />
<br />
<b>On Monday, July 7, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Big news! I am transferring! I am going to Kamisugi, which is the middle of downtown Sendai! BIG BIG CITY! Woohoo! I am so excited! So sad. But so excited.<br />
<br />
My new companion will be a third transfer Japanese girl named Sister Ishikawa! She is way cute. There will be six (yes, SIX) sisters in my apartment including me, and there are four elders! Wow! I will be in a ward again, attending church at the stake center (that actually has pews in the chapel! Crazy!), and I will be readjusting to the city girl in me! Woohoo! Look out world, here she comes!<br />
<br />
With all the excitement is a lot, a LOT of sadness. I have so many precious members of my family here in Ishinomaki, and I am so sad to leave them. That will be very hard. There have already been many tears shed, and there will be many more to come, I think.<br />
<br />
I am so sad to be leaving Sister Alcazar. So sad I can't even say. She has become one of the most precious people in my life, and we have become very close friends. I am going to miss her. I am so grateful for the support she has given me in times of distress, and for the unconditional love I feel from her every minute of every day. But! The good news is that we are still in the same zone, and so we will get to see each other at least once a month. Oh man, I am crying right now. I am going to miss Alcazar Shimai so much. <br />
<br />
Well, this was a great week here in Ishinomaki! We spent a TON of time with the Usui Family this week! Sister Usui's daughter and her husband and newborn kid were in town from southern Japan, and so we hung out with them a lot. We played basketball, softball, ping pong, and frisbee with them! We had crazy amounts of sports time this week, and it was so much fun. This week, I discovered that I am fairly good at softball (I was asked to be the pitcher for the game, and I striked out six of the ten people batting, and I hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th), so I am thinking that I might get involved with softball when I get home and get back into school... It seriously would be so much fun. Yay!<br />
<br />
At all of our sports activities this week, we had a friend named Ryotaro come! He is 18 and is a really cool kid. We met him at the temporary housing last time, and we hit it off really well! This last week, Sister Alcazar invited him to meet with us and he said yes! He has a great interest in God and what we believe in. And, it turns out that he is family friends with the Usui family! So he has built-in fellowshippers! How awesome is that?! I am so excited to see where things go with him. I won't be able to teach him, but that is okay; I know that he will progress nicely with Sister Alcazar and her two new companions! (She is becoming a tri with Sister Robertson(holy cow! ALL of her companions have been related to me in some way! Crazy.) and Sister Kanno, an adorable nihonjin that I served with in Aizu!<br />
<br />
This week, I took Sister Alcazar down to the coast that was hit the hardest with the tsunami. We visited the memorial, and we talked with a man who runs a yakisoba shop right in the middle of all the destruction. Most everything has been cleaned up, but there is a little shed that he built called the Arigato House, and it is where he serves his soba. He is actually a really famous man, well, the tsunami made him famous. He was in his shop with the earthquake happened and the tsunami came. Him and his wife, along with his house and his shop were washed away. He said that as he was running to safety, he looked back just to see his wife get swept away and killed. It was a very sad story, and he was showing us a bunch of news clips about himself and his wife. We cried together and then we talked of hope. Hope in life after death. Hope in God. Hope in those living beside us. Hope in the future. A really cool thing about the Arigato House is that hundreds of volunteers from foreign lands have visited it, and so the man started doing something really cool. He made wooden plaques and had all of the volunteers sign them, and then he nails them to the side of his shed-shop. He asked Sister Alcazar and I to make one, and so we did! And then we nailed it to his shop. We have officially left our mark on Ishinomaki! It was a beautiful experience. Also, while we were there, we met a couple from Tokyo named the Satos. They asked us what we were doing in Japan, and we got to talk about the church a lot and the kind of volunteer work that we go in Ishinomaki. The husband started asking us a lot of questions about the Mormons, and it was really cool to talk to him. It is amazing the way that volunteering in Ishinomaki has led me to meet and talk with so many beautiful and amazing people. Oh man, I don't ever want to leave this place. <br />
<br />
My heart is exploding with gratitude for the incredible opportunity I have had to serve the people of Ishinomaki. As I look back on the last seven months, I am filled with humility and awe for the way that the Savior has worked through me to touch the people here. The theme for the Ishinomaki branch this year has been "Become the Savior's Hands." I really feel that I have fulfilled that mission. I have fulfilled MY mission here. The Savior sent me here to love people in the way that He needed them to be loved, and I am confident that He is pleased with the work that I have done. I haven't taught very many lessons. I haven't seen any success numerically. I haven't found very many people to teach. But, I have loved with all the room that my heart could give, and because of that, there are many, MANY people here in Ishinomaki that have felt the presence of God in their lives. This was my mission. This IS my mission. This place has forever changed me, and I have learned how to love with all my heart. The people in this city are the most Christlike people I have ever met, and they don't even know Christ! But, they know the divine, and because of that, they treat others with love and kindness and respect. Wow, what a beautiful place this is. I will never forget it.<br />
<br />
Well, that is about it on my end. I know that my Savior is real. I know that He lives and that He loves me. I know that He loves all people unconditionally. I know that He is my Advocate and my Friend. He leads me along. I trust that He will lead me in bright paths in Kamisugi. <br />
<br />
I love you all, and I hope that you have a great week filled with the Savior's Sunshine!<br />
<br />
Love, ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-4855083057891203122014-06-30T12:26:00.000-07:002014-06-30T12:26:23.462-07:00June 30, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lePudH225PDX2R7iRDQKIv1R412bYWpZysAUNvZCyUZhWVpJ365dcYmggDhOX9_Rp9IosUtH8_PG91xhUPSWiXv39qATtYeitzYBqWYoeVuRYKS-z5mezKfAgEcw7F1pvOg68bV6_veA/s1600/30-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lePudH225PDX2R7iRDQKIv1R412bYWpZysAUNvZCyUZhWVpJ365dcYmggDhOX9_Rp9IosUtH8_PG91xhUPSWiXv39qATtYeitzYBqWYoeVuRYKS-z5mezKfAgEcw7F1pvOg68bV6_veA/s400/30-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRKEWPmePpet6P29-1hnGbOxKlMFNMbyGiPOE_fzB_K8EiwC6LtvoL3k16RsZBsPc8KZ4NzCCu3hSdZTGan1PiJ75ioUn-Uhmwyut1mF4h8WgVSoSP9kG85uXCLv_PbiA_Il3XfEveL5N/s1600/30-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRKEWPmePpet6P29-1hnGbOxKlMFNMbyGiPOE_fzB_K8EiwC6LtvoL3k16RsZBsPc8KZ4NzCCu3hSdZTGan1PiJ75ioUn-Uhmwyut1mF4h8WgVSoSP9kG85uXCLv_PbiA_Il3XfEveL5N/s400/30-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9KXdUSCO4yXI2XXuLmVyp-gcggMpmcKeBbBJAeH3hck_FVnuZUsuEYeZjxwzCspcaUtoQEgHC173O4ljID4GWr2rcEolwSzsn4BbJuQlWIYDrSS9OU_ZKAoqSOEl6bwz5vYMAd8CgC6_/s1600/30-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9KXdUSCO4yXI2XXuLmVyp-gcggMpmcKeBbBJAeH3hck_FVnuZUsuEYeZjxwzCspcaUtoQEgHC173O4ljID4GWr2rcEolwSzsn4BbJuQlWIYDrSS9OU_ZKAoqSOEl6bwz5vYMAd8CgC6_/s400/30-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH3aJHePTKpBJ-OuVmxkdfPT_MJ-yNGwH1sw98K1fZwxhpdcmoklDut29u2UYT-yhjvk-VrlTfKwOpzOgXdBwtXileJ7OjP398IadkccE_mNkd7RZJzXqLYKZdSqQpZQBfYAPjVmBBi03/s1600/30-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH3aJHePTKpBJ-OuVmxkdfPT_MJ-yNGwH1sw98K1fZwxhpdcmoklDut29u2UYT-yhjvk-VrlTfKwOpzOgXdBwtXileJ7OjP398IadkccE_mNkd7RZJzXqLYKZdSqQpZQBfYAPjVmBBi03/s400/30-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVT0IapfzzueL5EsLN_kh7OZRRO0YDhUBsn9gzXnBWMTPvljqDlBgVhIOXl0ZbnqAc1IPHTHQLO1RmT6wqKUQNdisxmRZGcyq650e596m-azhVX1esvchPMWI3gCkdlx7TCFOLG7udvLo/s1600/30-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVT0IapfzzueL5EsLN_kh7OZRRO0YDhUBsn9gzXnBWMTPvljqDlBgVhIOXl0ZbnqAc1IPHTHQLO1RmT6wqKUQNdisxmRZGcyq650e596m-azhVX1esvchPMWI3gCkdlx7TCFOLG7udvLo/s400/30-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JzSidgKNg94npOM6WCaVPkcqRsXqZDZdVHvYxy843ESi8waCgiDeiamV7BLyW-8GcqcI2xyMGIOZYBR7bWZoke__iXYLB1oIEufZpJ-La3h-jxTNZTWM_QJXi3hNikG8C9WpYfhgyT6S/s1600/30-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JzSidgKNg94npOM6WCaVPkcqRsXqZDZdVHvYxy843ESi8waCgiDeiamV7BLyW-8GcqcI2xyMGIOZYBR7bWZoke__iXYLB1oIEufZpJ-La3h-jxTNZTWM_QJXi3hNikG8C9WpYfhgyT6S/s400/30-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpWAAet_1Bk1El_dbbOOI03Tw8P6cQlzeyNIJfe6H_W3PcvPQG-HLeAtJcTrjA7Yfy01FV2jL29TDcJUOSX7qHhni-A0wUWGhl3tK0bP1wyZag5owLfIFAR53RKQFqLja0fW734PMiG4c/s1600/30-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpWAAet_1Bk1El_dbbOOI03Tw8P6cQlzeyNIJfe6H_W3PcvPQG-HLeAtJcTrjA7Yfy01FV2jL29TDcJUOSX7qHhni-A0wUWGhl3tK0bP1wyZag5owLfIFAR53RKQFqLja0fW734PMiG4c/s400/30-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FBKTsJUllMe1ARMnre_d_JkgvXBGid1h7KbByvSyoL_FuE8J2qrQVGbQ0xt3G5yWfntyQpTe8rqz1k7piXsSZQtVKt7JA7tHwgBZGjky5hAR8oZROE3jmMr5sRcIHYO1OBsvJ_DoJ7OI/s1600/30-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FBKTsJUllMe1ARMnre_d_JkgvXBGid1h7KbByvSyoL_FuE8J2qrQVGbQ0xt3G5yWfntyQpTe8rqz1k7piXsSZQtVKt7JA7tHwgBZGjky5hAR8oZROE3jmMr5sRcIHYO1OBsvJ_DoJ7OI/s400/30-8.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, June 30, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Hey Momma! This was a great week, and I am so excited to tell you all about it!<br />
<br />
I will start with last Monday! So, we had a wonderful Family Home Evening with the Kawatsuna family! They have three young boys, Kouta, Yuuta, and Souta. Souta is preparing to get baptized in a year or so, and so Sister Kawatsuna asked us to talk about baptism! They also are living with Sister Kawatsuna's mother, who is not a member of the church, and she joined in for the lesson! It was so wonderful to teach so simply for Souta and for Sasaki San (the Mom), and then we were able to invite them all to come to Shimizu San's baptism! And guess what? They all did, even Sasaki San! And the great thing was that she came to church the next day too! She loves the Church, and thinks that it is a great thing for her grandsons, so maybe we will be able to talk with her more about the Gospel in the future. <br />
<br />
On Tuesday morning, we had another opportunity to go to a temporary housing unit and do hand massages! We get to go every third Saturday and fourth Tuesday. So, we went and it was great, as usual. Then, our investigator Yuki San showed up, and told us that Sister Usui (a member who is my favorite Japanese person EVER) had invited her to come! It was SO GREAT to hear that Sister Usui is reaching out and becoming friends with our investigators. Yuki San especially needs the support, so I cannot even say how grateful I am for Sister Usui. Then, Sister Alcazar started telling the woman she was massaging that I have a great singing voice, and then Sister Usui chimed in and said "Sister Johnson, why don't you get up in front of everyone and sing??" And then everyone got involved and rallied me up to the front to sing for everyone. It was pretty nerve-wracking, not going to lie, haha. But, I decided to sing Amazing Grace. It was amazing the silence and the Spirit that filled the room. Almost all of the people there are not members of the Church and they ALL had a terrible experience with the tsunami. I could feel my Heavenly Father and Savior's love pulsing through me as I looked into their eyes. I know that they could feel it too. I absolutely love volunteering with those who have been so affected by the tsunami disaster. I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to share my love and the Savior's love for them though my music. Now I just need a cello! <br />
<br />
Later on Tuesday, we had companion exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders! I will be honest, I was dreading it. It is not that I don't like the STLS; in fact, I love them both so much! But I always get the feeling that when they come to visit, they are "checking up" on us and making sure that we are doing what we are "supposed" to be doing. So, it has always been stressful for me because the way that I do missionary work is very untraditional, and I feel like they will try and correct me or something. But, it ended up being a WONDERFUL split! I picked the theme of "I want to introduce you (Sister Hamano) to people that I love here in Ishinomaki!" We spent our time visiting with members, potential investigators, and other people that I just LOVE!!!! And it was time very well spent. Sister Hamano and I really bonded over our desire to share love with everyone, and it ended up being a very uplifting time for both of us. Before the split, I had been feeling kind of down because I felt like I wasn't being a very successful missionary because the numbers have been really low recently. But through the split, and then through the Spirit, Heavenly Father assured me that I am doing EXACTLY what He needs me to be doing, and that I am loving in the way that the Savior would love if He were here. I am being the kind of missionary that the Savior needs in Ishinomaki right now. It was such a blessing to gain that reassurance though the Spirit this week. It was something that I really needed. And so, I am grateful. <br />
<br />
This week, our beloved friend Yuka Chan moved to Canada! I miss her so, SO much! But I bet she is having the time of her life. Before she left, she handed me a letter that she wrote. In the letter, she thanked me for teaching her English, and for also teaching her about God. She said that she didn't understand anything really that we told her about God, but that because we taught her with love and friendship, she wants to know more about God! She said that she even wants to continue praying! She thanked me for being such an awesome big sister and that she hopes she will be able to come to Colorado to visit me when I come home! I love Yuka Chan so much. She is growing in her relationship with the Divine, and I am so blessed that I got to be a part of that seed being planted in her heart. <br />
<br />
And then there was Saturday. Oh, Saturday was such a wonderful day! It was so full of joy! I thought my heart was going to burst because of the joy! On Saturday night, Brother Shimizu got baptized! It was a beautiful service and the Spirit was very strong. We all could tell that when he first got there, Shimizu San was suuuuuuuper stressed out and nervous, but as the evening went on, he was able to relax a little bit. The baptismal service was only about 35 minutes long, but it was perfect. Shimizu Kyodai (Brother) bore his testimony at the end, and the Spirit was so strong as he talked about his faith and hope in a brighter future. There were lots of other investigators and less-active members that came, and I can tell that this was the miracle that was needed to bring some changes in people's hearts. It was so wonderful to welcome Shimizu Kyodai into the Ishinomaki branch, and to see the light and joy that filled his countenance. The confirmation on Sunday during Sacrament meeting was also great! It was branch conference, and so there were a record number of people in attendance. Shimizu Kyodai was so happy and at peace. It was so great. During Sacrament meeting, we also get a new branch president! President Onuma was released after eight years of service (WOW!) and President Abe was called. Abe Kyodai got baptized a year and seven months ago, and is one of the most incredible people I have ever met. He is so full of love and he radiates with the light of the Savior. I am so happy to be working with him and I know that he is just the right person for Ishinomaki right now. I am excited for the future of the Church here in Ishinomaki. <br />
<br />
So yes, it really was a great week. I am feeling very blessed and very loved. I am being better about recognizing the blessings that have come from my Heavenly Parents and from my Savior. I am being better about following Their guidance and direction. I am being better about giving myself enough credit and about not being so self-critical. I am so blessed to be serving my Jesus here in Ishinomaki. I love Him, and He is my light.<br />
<br />
Let's keep seeing miracles! I love you Momma. Have a happy day!<br />
Love, ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-23270501493471728862014-06-23T10:22:00.003-07:002014-06-23T10:26:59.376-07:00June 23, 2014<i>About the photos: This is Sister Akatsuka from Izumi. </i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYbrEqBehnBjv1norwLa-FHi_yQi6q-WuelColxbll1qU6n9UVDa9JMSxOtSHH7ZxOnhPl9gzs0oGEI_A3Qzbvk9amZhPxpHUyLMWGMalur9skcLEWvc7bbfgEXk7GmwwbbWtF5XF4gX-/s1600/623-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYbrEqBehnBjv1norwLa-FHi_yQi6q-WuelColxbll1qU6n9UVDa9JMSxOtSHH7ZxOnhPl9gzs0oGEI_A3Qzbvk9amZhPxpHUyLMWGMalur9skcLEWvc7bbfgEXk7GmwwbbWtF5XF4gX-/s400/623-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrduilJ8e5YXpR3LBxX-HMNZseMMPlflZm7pSdRQSfLbImt3VWYLoMaDNPHkzjEIDlH31l9nU3j7YfJpQAPJtukAVd1eE6cJCmnZeqiqGhOrswQNYhg4JcMXuGNXw2D9aTFdNrEQswdrHo/s1600/623-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrduilJ8e5YXpR3LBxX-HMNZseMMPlflZm7pSdRQSfLbImt3VWYLoMaDNPHkzjEIDlH31l9nU3j7YfJpQAPJtukAVd1eE6cJCmnZeqiqGhOrswQNYhg4JcMXuGNXw2D9aTFdNrEQswdrHo/s400/623-1.jpg" /></a></div><i>This is Sister Yuri and Sister Brown, both from Izumi.</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSUd8L7JUxgFRG11C32EF1l0sXNMGU-jW6MOvhj9I5cT03zfgEwTW39b3iwh0JXCvP05wpGs6TAbSeIlhVP19jVxOILVNS8HZ12Y24xRvHhp5_2TKjLY2a7VSCPKbzUhUdaiJshQmMrmv/s1600/623-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSUd8L7JUxgFRG11C32EF1l0sXNMGU-jW6MOvhj9I5cT03zfgEwTW39b3iwh0JXCvP05wpGs6TAbSeIlhVP19jVxOILVNS8HZ12Y24xRvHhp5_2TKjLY2a7VSCPKbzUhUdaiJshQmMrmv/s400/623-3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwlQG0MltLyqeSDKKWfBinU4JZ3zzrod-yNnrWXjuPOKCRByGQiGWD4QXLj8rYhVRhvztm0SiKdLdQXUPGJ2egntE_C3lEddQlaCOQNKCFThjrwKB7YqokDa-q_8w_Tt3WT1YbNg80Yjw/s1600/623-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwlQG0MltLyqeSDKKWfBinU4JZ3zzrod-yNnrWXjuPOKCRByGQiGWD4QXLj8rYhVRhvztm0SiKdLdQXUPGJ2egntE_C3lEddQlaCOQNKCFThjrwKB7YqokDa-q_8w_Tt3WT1YbNg80Yjw/s400/623-4.jpg" /></a></div><i>This is Brother and Sister Hatanaka from Tokyo! They are the ones who organize oaal of the hand massage volunteer work that we do. I love them! And this is Sister Natsuki. She is a member in Izumi and I love her so much!</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6S_oSOWEx0_h8MW7fjlEUIWwG5-KfwMuaBRILoP1-9dts7HlVEyLkIUfFTuNHn4JCWmJt6jO7W9r9j1iPotSoNA5Rh1XagUcyFldcTX6xquCBabamY-ss_mlIxHn-U9CNcM_BLnrG2NI/s1600/623-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6S_oSOWEx0_h8MW7fjlEUIWwG5-KfwMuaBRILoP1-9dts7HlVEyLkIUfFTuNHn4JCWmJt6jO7W9r9j1iPotSoNA5Rh1XagUcyFldcTX6xquCBabamY-ss_mlIxHn-U9CNcM_BLnrG2NI/s400/623-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTRDvgPggQJ8uJDO9ckhKrL3xWpl_wp3-OnmBOvg3Mv7xZwaRP_ZMCF8-VNz6gMkehf9IG9tbH9dDKVfleLP4nnwa3Oong-hnkYIXdeIMrfTU8dciBf2dNP1xJpvMI0_wWOdcxJI2_Y8Q/s1600/623-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTRDvgPggQJ8uJDO9ckhKrL3xWpl_wp3-OnmBOvg3Mv7xZwaRP_ZMCF8-VNz6gMkehf9IG9tbH9dDKVfleLP4nnwa3Oong-hnkYIXdeIMrfTU8dciBf2dNP1xJpvMI0_wWOdcxJI2_Y8Q/s400/623-6.jpg" /></a></div><i>Elder Whittle fell asleep in the car to Stake Conference. Hilarious! This is me and Hiromi!!! So good to finally meet her!!!</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TSBKU584wJEc-e-LIEs0CJHvNGJ42FJ68DPbrm-webq_pfU51EWVKmz_x4vDcbit1pnMUVrZ893rJYJJGMCa_Y3Er-UVZP8rFTkLHkdH_QshXPXsY_vrPm8IPDcdhZoN1Tq6U9psGPhC/s1600/623-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TSBKU584wJEc-e-LIEs0CJHvNGJ42FJ68DPbrm-webq_pfU51EWVKmz_x4vDcbit1pnMUVrZ893rJYJJGMCa_Y3Er-UVZP8rFTkLHkdH_QshXPXsY_vrPm8IPDcdhZoN1Tq6U9psGPhC/s400/623-7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCvL9IwgXitrySvZs5FUKWXZmWdHEN7fD_GBYbX092UW0D1SJonGHx-sW2Hm1i1LZf8t4JS14XWZaR2NYwOrAx4Wn_yw-9ghkzi4lX5oAUAQiCATNtKmj4QmsI_QD1raYAvVoZBkcuM6D/s1600/623-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCvL9IwgXitrySvZs5FUKWXZmWdHEN7fD_GBYbX092UW0D1SJonGHx-sW2Hm1i1LZf8t4JS14XWZaR2NYwOrAx4Wn_yw-9ghkzi4lX5oAUAQiCATNtKmj4QmsI_QD1raYAvVoZBkcuM6D/s400/623-8.jpg" /></a></div><i>Us and Yuki San!</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OzH7ZnPV8x7kOyqFZubwDbMx43taQcy_p7wXAk6ipqsgnbwG4NkqceQSI_2BjW1IKF3ML_REmbdygy63PP0jHL-yde_vgizznQuc8OU3m3Dbv4J5E1fi_uY9vrgLMx5_iFMfztXBUGuE/s1600/623-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OzH7ZnPV8x7kOyqFZubwDbMx43taQcy_p7wXAk6ipqsgnbwG4NkqceQSI_2BjW1IKF3ML_REmbdygy63PP0jHL-yde_vgizznQuc8OU3m3Dbv4J5E1fi_uY9vrgLMx5_iFMfztXBUGuE/s400/623-9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaYzswmc6rfHKV0C2mBJ21yihd6ReXLzpbkdoQPXbMzoUBoe_ZqTgLgsj-9LjOqinN2PO6XP_uJK9IBkChJo436FwwO3OsEsjjqHHPEgIu2tagZuoRK-1F2C2253Qw0LcqfPVWnvHKkqc/s1600/623-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaYzswmc6rfHKV0C2mBJ21yihd6ReXLzpbkdoQPXbMzoUBoe_ZqTgLgsj-9LjOqinN2PO6XP_uJK9IBkChJo436FwwO3OsEsjjqHHPEgIu2tagZuoRK-1F2C2253Qw0LcqfPVWnvHKkqc/s400/623-10.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, June 23, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
This week was insanely crazy busy, and I am exhausted! We were in Sendai THREE times this week! The first time was on Thursday; we went down for our last zone conference with Presidents Rasmussen. That was a wonderful day! I received lots of guidance and lots of motivation on things that I need to improve. I am working slowly but surely to become a better missionary. It was really weird to say goodbye to President and Sister Rasmussen. It doesn't seem real that they are going home! They leave this Saturday, so that is also when Presidents Smith will be here! I am excited to meet them; it will be wonderful to work with them. The second and third times we went to Sendai were on Saturday and Sunday for Stake Conference! Wow, talk about crazy amounts of Japanese Mormons!! I think the Sendai Stake is bigger than the Denver Stake! It was a good conference though; there was a broadcast of General Authorities from Salt Lake and they were speaking in Japanese! It was cool. Elder Christofferson spoke (him in English though), and I always like when he speaks. I also was able to see a lot of people from the Izumi ward, the ward that I was working in last year when I first got to Japan! Talk about a crazy trip down memory lane! It was so nice to see all the members and to actually be able to understand what they are saying now! Haha. I also was finally able to meet Hiromi Shimai, the girl that I became friends with on Facebook before my mission! She is SO CUTE! It was so nice to talk to her! We only got to talk for a little bit, but she is so cute and so fun. But yeah, Stake Conference was insane, and this week, we have branch conference to look forward to, so that will be awesome!<br />
<br />
Speaking of awesome, WE HAVE A BAPTISM IN ISHINOMAKI THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One of Elder Whittle and Elder Aono's investigators, Shimizu San, will be getting baptized on Satuday at 6:30pm! Yay! Shimizu San is a golden investigator! He actually lives a stone's throw from our apartment balcony, in a temporary housing unit. He was found by a member named Brother Kaoru, when Kaoru Kyodai was putting church flyers into some mailboxes near the Church. There was a survey on the back of the flyer that had a question that said this: are you interested in learning about Jesus Christ? with a box to check 'yes' or 'no.' Shimizu San checked 'yes' and started meeting with the missionaries the very next week! Well, a little under three months has passed, and he is getting baptized! Shimizu San has been so prepared. He has had a very hard life, but has been experiencing many miracles as he has learned of Jesus Christ. His testimony is strong, and he loves God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am so excited for him, and for the joy he has and will experience. I have a feeling that this baptism will be the start of many miracles in Ishinomaki! This miracle will change the way the members in Ishinomaki feel about missionary work, and then miracle after miracle will flow from heaven! I really do believe that. I hope for that. Ishinomaki needs some miracles. <br />
<br />
This week was a little bit rough for us on the investigator side of things. We met with Yuki San and had a really great lesson with her about tithing. But, she hasn't been coming to church for a while, and so we asked her why. It turns out that she got in an argument with a member, and has been very offended with this member, so she decided that she doesn't really want to have anything to do with the Church right now. My heart is broken. I am so sad inside, and I don't know what to do. There have been so many times in my life that I have been in the same situation as Yuki San, being rundown and belittled by other members of the Church, and so I know exactly how she is feeling and why she doesn't want to come to Church. It is so amazing to me that people who claim to follow the Savior Jesus Christ, and who claim to be members of His Church can be so hateful and judgmental. But all we can do is find healing in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and we can love as He would love. Christ taught us to love our enemies, to pray for them that hate you and despitefully use you. This is what we can do. We can pray to love the way Christ did, and we can pray for the bravery to act the way that He would act, always with compassion. This is my prayer and plea for Yuki San. I hope that she will be able to move past this, that she will feel the love of the Savior enough to be able to forgive. Christ gives us forgiveness, and I know that as she learns to trust in Him, she will find relief. It is just the getting there part that is hard. But, I have faith in my Savior; He can do ALL things. <br />
<br />
I am grateful for my Savior. I am grateful that I have Him to lean on, both when my days are sunny, or filled with rain. He is my Light. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I have His authority to proclaim His name, the Gospel of His Love. It is my hope and prayer that everyday I will grow more in unity with Him and with my Heavenly Parents so that I will be able to perform Their will for me. I pray for unity with my companion. I pray for unity with the members in Ishinomaki. I pray for unity with the other missionaries serving here. I pray for unity in Zion. It comes when we are "of one heart, of one mind, and dwell in righteousness," and "it is on the Rock of His Righteousness" where we must build our foundation of Unity. I know that as we do that, "we cannot fall."<br />
<br />
I love you Momma! I hope you have a wonderful week full of love for EVERYONE! Love you!<br />
Love: Shak<br />
Michelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-23926272135718408752014-06-16T12:09:00.001-07:002014-06-16T12:09:13.777-07:00Monday, June 16, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoM8KFtMkRmbOJuctp3xGiLxYAXyQj_UBsCPGk50wLiy2IHvuFxOon10cokWgeyk-vKv-ktgDIJXTplD3rewpsfKi36IkTGDCzn4srnB53WLplpyjpaEexQ2PNeLmFv87CTPLtYrVhXt-5/s1600/16th3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoM8KFtMkRmbOJuctp3xGiLxYAXyQj_UBsCPGk50wLiy2IHvuFxOon10cokWgeyk-vKv-ktgDIJXTplD3rewpsfKi36IkTGDCzn4srnB53WLplpyjpaEexQ2PNeLmFv87CTPLtYrVhXt-5/s400/16th3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-gBM_p_Q3n6Q_6CeI3v0y5Y5ymI4BdqqCtVHTH3Jq0Wtz5pmig9dRXNefUBb2wBDCZCdPKSfvkvGe3K9MB6EtwKThHpVNFff-9R68mVIYwVWUheI-z2OrMZdpbQIPIeyyGrozidlePbX/s1600/16th1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-gBM_p_Q3n6Q_6CeI3v0y5Y5ymI4BdqqCtVHTH3Jq0Wtz5pmig9dRXNefUBb2wBDCZCdPKSfvkvGe3K9MB6EtwKThHpVNFff-9R68mVIYwVWUheI-z2OrMZdpbQIPIeyyGrozidlePbX/s400/16th1.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdkaTh6B5Jc4xBayMENY-XDwFH5S3FfFHeZaTy-VVjeo0PtEXaoHTyVF_Ias2Y8SnWT8sBpAx-Xrsw3ypTMojrT_5QgXLZei6MHvHr3OTBlh0iYBruZw0oUfv9NOI3HUMv36QJSnDVyVJ/s1600/16th2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdkaTh6B5Jc4xBayMENY-XDwFH5S3FfFHeZaTy-VVjeo0PtEXaoHTyVF_Ias2Y8SnWT8sBpAx-Xrsw3ypTMojrT_5QgXLZei6MHvHr3OTBlh0iYBruZw0oUfv9NOI3HUMv36QJSnDVyVJ/s400/16th2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieeXU7LereLOUpDA9FeZjTAes-xl-vg_UDgL-1keC-k7cvp643ndqShdNjxT-bWHN2dzRQ8OMvcKw4rI1_rukdYd6lzmzkjejvbZU66dH_PS4Z26STI7Y0ELmhXD2macMB2bVKcLH6Eopg/s1600/16th4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieeXU7LereLOUpDA9FeZjTAes-xl-vg_UDgL-1keC-k7cvp643ndqShdNjxT-bWHN2dzRQ8OMvcKw4rI1_rukdYd6lzmzkjejvbZU66dH_PS4Z26STI7Y0ELmhXD2macMB2bVKcLH6Eopg/s400/16th4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhId2PVcvck1fzPXOkc_kkW2b8nGRpuG53awdqaJkMmYgbAGtGCpYPdlrfVsVcyajk7ejQoLemplnNYmRL1FolYDjzpMqytMU55-rk1uvfOt1CHk6R8ekiDgms-TuCmHNhAMoWiFzmgCD5R/s1600/16th5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhId2PVcvck1fzPXOkc_kkW2b8nGRpuG53awdqaJkMmYgbAGtGCpYPdlrfVsVcyajk7ejQoLemplnNYmRL1FolYDjzpMqytMU55-rk1uvfOt1CHk6R8ekiDgms-TuCmHNhAMoWiFzmgCD5R/s400/16th5.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<i>About the photos: This is at a Relief Society activity We had last week! This is Sister Date and me, and Sister Usui and me. I love them both so much! This is Sugiyama San. We went over to his house yesterday and he fed us deer meat (not sure how I feel about that). He was our investigator, but we passed him to the Elders which made me sad. But, I love him! He is so cute and small and awesome. This other picture is from bowling today with Sister Kikuchi.</i><br />
<br />
<b>On Monday, June 16, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
We have had a busy day today; a member and her sister (a potential investigator!!) took us to lunch at this suuuuper authentic soba restaurant and then we went bowling! And then after that, Alcazar Shimai and I went to the mall, and I got some rain shoes that are super cute and 100 percent made out of rubber so they are all the way waterproof! And the best part is that they were only six dollars! Yay! Thriftiness! So, now I am here emailing you. <br />
<br />
The rainy season is going on and on, but this week, we actually had a few days of brilliant sunshine, which did WONDERS for my health! It was so nice, and we spent most of those days outside playing sports with our investigators. Right now, we are having frisbee activities twice a week, and a baseball activity once a week! It has been so much fun to play sports and become really close with our investigators and also other friends like students that come to Eikaiwa. It is such a great way to just relax and become really great friends. We also have a lot of members that are starting to get involved, which is awesome because they are also becoming friends with all of our investigators. It is so great to see all of the people coming together in Ishinomaki right now! The unity that we are seeing between the missionaries, investigators, and members has been so wonderful. Things are really starting to pick up here, and I am so excited for the success that Ishinomaki will be seeing in the future. <br />
<br />
This week, we were only able to meet with one investigator, Yuka Chan, but we had a great lesson! We watched Finding Faith in Christ together, and the spirit was very strong. After the movie ended, we asked Yuka Chan how she felt, and she was like, "that movie was so awesome that I almost think it's all a lie!" Haha. 'Almost' was the keyword there. We then bore testimony that Christ really is the Savior and that He really did perform the miracles that were depicted in the movie. Yuka Chan ended the lesson by saying the closing prayer. Usually we give her something to say, but this time, she did it all by herself!! She said what she was feeling and everything, and it was wonderful! We all left feeling happy. A wonderful member, Sister Taeko, joined us for the lesson, and I am so happy that she was there. Taeko Shimai always bears really simple testimony that is really easy for Yuka Chan to understand. They are becoming friends, and I am so very happy. The sad thing is that Yuka Chan is moving to Canada in two weeks to do a foreign exchange there, so we won't be able to meet her anymore. That is super sad, but I am excited for her because she will have so much fun in Canada. <br />
<br />
We had two other lessons lined up with Yuki San and Michiru San, but they both were cancelled, unfortunately. But that is okay because we have more appointments for this week! <br />
<br />
There is a less-active member in our branch named Ganbe Kyodai (he is one of the people I am friends with on Facebook actually. He posted all those fun videos of rhythm games), and we have been working with him since Luk Shimai and I came to Ishinomaki. He is so awesome! I love Ganbe Kyodai. We have become great friends. This week, we had a mogi lesson (a role-play lesson) with him, and we decided to talk about following the Prophet. The mogi was pretty normal, us butchering Japanese and him being nice enough to pretend we did a good job, but after the mogi, we sat and talked with him for a while. I asked him about his experience with the tsunami. He had a crazy experience! He was at home that day because it was his day off. The day after was actually supposed to be his day off, but one of his co-workers asked to trade him, so there he was at home. When the earthquake hit at 2:46, his house was crumbled, but he was able to get his 94 year old Grandpa and 86 year old Grandma to the evacuation area safely. After that was when the tsunami came, and his house was completely ruined. The structure was still standing, but there was black water that filled the entire first floor all the way to the ceiling. He said that a few days after the disaster, he found out that the head of his company had been swept away in the tsunami because he decided it was safe enough to leave the evacuation center and go back to work. Him and a lot of Ganbe Kyodai's coworkers were killed. He said that if he had not switched his day off with his coworker, he probably would have been swept away too. After telling us the story, Ganbe Kyodai said that he has never felt God's love and guidance more than he did on that occasion. He recognized the Lord's guidance and hand in his life over those two days, and it was a huge testimony to him that God is aware of him and his family, and that He loves them very much. It was a wonderful story, and I could feel the Spirit very strongly. Ganbe Kyodai has such a strong testimony, and I am so grateful for his faith. I am sad that he is not coming to church right now, but I know that as he continues to have faith in the Savior, that he will come back. <br />
<br />
It is amazing to see the hand of the Lord in my life here in Ishinomaki. There are times when I feel like I can do nothing right, like I am the absolute worst missionary in the whole world and that I should just quit. But then there are times when I can see in real time the Lord work through me to bless the lives of those around me. I can feel the love of the Savior flowing through me, almost as if it was blood flowing in my veins. My Heavenly Family has blessed me with the gift of Love, and I am grateful that they teach me how to use that gift to the best of my ability. They watch over me everyday, and I can feel Their love. For that, I am grateful. <br />
<br />
I love you Momma! I hope that you get better soon! I hope you know how much I love you, and that you are the best Momma ever.<br />
<br />
Love ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-16631435006809073512014-06-10T10:04:00.001-07:002014-06-10T10:04:14.733-07:00Monday, June 9, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6O-_49A3maFMG4WIUzBDBkacghpnv1blAXBEoII6YtehRq9_loRWmls__drFIqRi0QP7tu_dOKrSPed62f9SWoGVOKZF8QuFuL3P1D3vm8AehcdtWGDe7Rh8wBeb9bV78jXZD1s2F6Dm-/s1600/j6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6O-_49A3maFMG4WIUzBDBkacghpnv1blAXBEoII6YtehRq9_loRWmls__drFIqRi0QP7tu_dOKrSPed62f9SWoGVOKZF8QuFuL3P1D3vm8AehcdtWGDe7Rh8wBeb9bV78jXZD1s2F6Dm-/s400/j6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SMDEf_joi59VHSCRJlfRyOA-RMZugbnEmhL-pcZQPxyJbToBYRLTFrElTy73-31ygo8005cNI0HJ745JUOsea7fmSO4TcUWpWcENhO6ncHct25aSy9WsLX-R3JxKM9bQl2_h4KaAcKo2/s1600/j1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SMDEf_joi59VHSCRJlfRyOA-RMZugbnEmhL-pcZQPxyJbToBYRLTFrElTy73-31ygo8005cNI0HJ745JUOsea7fmSO4TcUWpWcENhO6ncHct25aSy9WsLX-R3JxKM9bQl2_h4KaAcKo2/s400/j1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnB0_84kbrOAeG8SopKZRXeEY_zMgdDhA4aY1XPK-07oYB4_X9ra0uGaOeCWoXFqmyWyeVjWMM6NRD68VizBlz1iysezLi0oaIp1hFdEbmSDa33pDjXiSJ7u8Bn8_s9LIrZeVHw-3MgHK/s1600/j2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnB0_84kbrOAeG8SopKZRXeEY_zMgdDhA4aY1XPK-07oYB4_X9ra0uGaOeCWoXFqmyWyeVjWMM6NRD68VizBlz1iysezLi0oaIp1hFdEbmSDa33pDjXiSJ7u8Bn8_s9LIrZeVHw-3MgHK/s400/j2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOD9sVEcfIMm6Hq0gYYAOnWcdbzBQMvBl-hoeeMJfqIdLdGmlc-CzEw0RrV9Lv8rHwnIoSMrMdldFLk1k9h8p9tiPSSU8SXy-O8J2CNqzdADedBnwxuWkdDF0-AVt3BcqkaZSFdl1pjG8x/s1600/j3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOD9sVEcfIMm6Hq0gYYAOnWcdbzBQMvBl-hoeeMJfqIdLdGmlc-CzEw0RrV9Lv8rHwnIoSMrMdldFLk1k9h8p9tiPSSU8SXy-O8J2CNqzdADedBnwxuWkdDF0-AVt3BcqkaZSFdl1pjG8x/s400/j3.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSS-PlKhgZtPhnoPpoK1qGSCpwZeTzcLgwD1iBNJilswGJO5vwNPOwjvSWQVxSSnU-wWx2mdcudoN1_u7lzGSyabG6zjs-acvoo6H1OK9UA9lxA98zjvy69rC9kbQo92uWFD9SohpCJvIc/s1600/j4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSS-PlKhgZtPhnoPpoK1qGSCpwZeTzcLgwD1iBNJilswGJO5vwNPOwjvSWQVxSSnU-wWx2mdcudoN1_u7lzGSyabG6zjs-acvoo6H1OK9UA9lxA98zjvy69rC9kbQo92uWFD9SohpCJvIc/s400/j4.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5N5wc8W2cGSW9VCTa_pDKn821XoufG7_KBY8d_TmVnQ5FDDltFo4nnCu4OKlLAq3LLebCjbJ__C8AFHiSLAW1tubUNigBayj0VtwMFTCcPgKrE8l2sgf1Rr0JIhL2bYRrm1yvQ2ojFX6Y/s1600/j5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5N5wc8W2cGSW9VCTa_pDKn821XoufG7_KBY8d_TmVnQ5FDDltFo4nnCu4OKlLAq3LLebCjbJ__C8AFHiSLAW1tubUNigBayj0VtwMFTCcPgKrE8l2sgf1Rr0JIhL2bYRrm1yvQ2ojFX6Y/s400/j5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYDLR5Oi5tGXWp-YqKCJSGLePWGVAtPotGIaj6BUJoL8O7IBFP0Lk7mszsHJfYFlAVQXL5DmChajKBA-QkxO9i0ZLg6ntuSaj0IckPZ9rh4ns_qOX97O67_FqMKU_o6VBUPVpZP74tjOO/s1600/j7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYDLR5Oi5tGXWp-YqKCJSGLePWGVAtPotGIaj6BUJoL8O7IBFP0Lk7mszsHJfYFlAVQXL5DmChajKBA-QkxO9i0ZLg6ntuSaj0IckPZ9rh4ns_qOX97O67_FqMKU_o6VBUPVpZP74tjOO/s400/j7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4n7poHwEGdsFHOPj9QM-xnkzeX_1ixQl-STEbPJeW33U2bwtwoY8zvVcJxRpTJmTv4e-tPwxd3tLKz1mUhV1TQjXbxxiTuL0cg-KETiog5ZGFWGPmjjPJ84NDdCnewcHwCZcuL7_u6gM/s1600/j8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4n7poHwEGdsFHOPj9QM-xnkzeX_1ixQl-STEbPJeW33U2bwtwoY8zvVcJxRpTJmTv4e-tPwxd3tLKz1mUhV1TQjXbxxiTuL0cg-KETiog5ZGFWGPmjjPJ84NDdCnewcHwCZcuL7_u6gM/s400/j8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzONe1LTK0eeSxuDRc8v2UPCM6CG7tp0mBAjtt3zbkrX3I0gISv7hSx7eNfRCT82WOki-nqwyX5TtVxV_3JCbmJvIg2T-KuohEASYTjOYM1_vUMrVTvygjz2LLo2c40bwjV7T9aOvII8TS/s1600/j9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzONe1LTK0eeSxuDRc8v2UPCM6CG7tp0mBAjtt3zbkrX3I0gISv7hSx7eNfRCT82WOki-nqwyX5TtVxV_3JCbmJvIg2T-KuohEASYTjOYM1_vUMrVTvygjz2LLo2c40bwjV7T9aOvII8TS/s400/j9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On June 9, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
The rainy season has officially started. We haven't seen the sun for about four days now, and we won't see it again until July 25th! Oi. I am already going crazy... but, I have my sunlamp from Brian, and I have some vitamin D supplement. So I should be alright. The rainy season will not suck nearly as bad as it did last year because I am much better equipped this time. I have a rain suit, and rain boots, and I will buy a basket cover for my bike today. So, I am going to have a better attitude and not complain about being wet ALL THE TIME. <br />
<br />
We actually had a really great experience with a less-active member this week named Kimura Shimai. She joined the church when she was in junior high school, but never really was active. She really wanted to be involved in the Church, but she said that she never received an answer to her prayers that the Church was true. She said that she would pray everyday at least once, and she would read the passages from the Book of Mormon that the missionaries gave her to read, but she feels like she never got an answer. While we were talking about all of this, we were at her store; she owns a furniture shop in downtown. She then proceeded to tell us that she wants to pray with us, but not at her store. So she gave us her home address and said, "Come visit me at home and we can pray together there!" Last week, the Elders stopped by and she told them that her Book of Mormon was swept away in the tsunami and that she was pretty sad. So they gave her a new one, and when we visited her, she said that she loves the new one! The font is bigger, so the kanji is easier to read, and it also has been newly translated, so the scriptures are much easier to understand. We are hoping that the next time we visit her, we will be able to read some of the Book of Mormon with her, and pray for her. It will be so wonderful, and we are very much looking forward to it. She is absolutely without a doubt one of the people I was supposed to come to Ishinomaki and meet. I love her so much, and I want to help her feel some more love from The Big People. <br />
<br />
This week was the anniversary of my precious Fisher's death. It was a hard week for me, to be honest. We had no appointments this week, and we had a lot of "free time," which translates into "finding people to teach" time, and so my mind had a lot of room to wander, which is never good when you are sad. There were lots of tears shed. But! I have felt Fisher by my side all week. Every time the tears would come, I could feel his arms wrap around me. It was very beautiful and very comforting. He is at peace, and is encircled about by the love of His Savior. He doesn't want me to be sad for him, but he wants me to rejoice in the fact that he is better. I love my Fisher, and I miss him terribly. But! He is doing well and is learning and growing in his knowledge of Light. And for that, I am eternally grateful. <br />
<br />
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of hope, of light, and of love. I am blessed to have the knowledge that I do of loving Heavenly Parents, and a perfect Savior, even Jesus Christ. They live. They love unconditionally. They bless me everyday. <br />
<br />
Love, ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-85509600843514102522014-06-06T14:42:00.000-07:002014-06-06T14:42:05.008-07:00Monday, June 2, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLYAaoPbiLtNPz4idg2YlR4fDaqLH2y43qJTfWXKnvHKR7dlxIwHagme_5Yhqnk9LnDKmNvWS_E3DmJGSdOjGXH6_B_cZ4Px3roV73K2wmdEmZPxm00R7vHneeoSbNSUcKDIzrCGwUpPl/s1600/june7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLYAaoPbiLtNPz4idg2YlR4fDaqLH2y43qJTfWXKnvHKR7dlxIwHagme_5Yhqnk9LnDKmNvWS_E3DmJGSdOjGXH6_B_cZ4Px3roV73K2wmdEmZPxm00R7vHneeoSbNSUcKDIzrCGwUpPl/s400/june7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3OuXzWr3rtHOpWTLWbxpMLPZehF96cFHhqnfgRcUKsQ8ntpKNzmGaSM9igaJf2kKWgHq3wHQt3UwZ6QGQj3nG2gxwZk2aD-1VcRwjW3ykDYj52oHTaZWJS3aAJXki-c3LL0eEcKKwbP9/s1600/june6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3OuXzWr3rtHOpWTLWbxpMLPZehF96cFHhqnfgRcUKsQ8ntpKNzmGaSM9igaJf2kKWgHq3wHQt3UwZ6QGQj3nG2gxwZk2aD-1VcRwjW3ykDYj52oHTaZWJS3aAJXki-c3LL0eEcKKwbP9/s400/june6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElpX4BnS3QibA2XMTLYNvJRj_DglW-iXWKfIj9gqOW2xeiisZMEF7VQBEv3qsLo4TdEaeL61wyDLN4X6R6dR0G6mtaZw79aiRQcKrXb4SiWgM-X5XjNVRVXLrw77IYlUFnVHiNu8djmeb/s1600/june3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElpX4BnS3QibA2XMTLYNvJRj_DglW-iXWKfIj9gqOW2xeiisZMEF7VQBEv3qsLo4TdEaeL61wyDLN4X6R6dR0G6mtaZw79aiRQcKrXb4SiWgM-X5XjNVRVXLrw77IYlUFnVHiNu8djmeb/s400/june3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOa6abSJ47xmM5KIKN1FI1aoLZaiqL6cUCdj8cW7aXt7zgmKhaDukIlJQ4UXhbrHYvIOSt0W3nwqHNPBtjJDqXqTPhcKh_winUJ5VPrXJu2wTPtinA9zLS4m8ZKloLvobbV6LVKfR0xbl/s1600/june1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOa6abSJ47xmM5KIKN1FI1aoLZaiqL6cUCdj8cW7aXt7zgmKhaDukIlJQ4UXhbrHYvIOSt0W3nwqHNPBtjJDqXqTPhcKh_winUJ5VPrXJu2wTPtinA9zLS4m8ZKloLvobbV6LVKfR0xbl/s400/june1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06lCiTwWgZ63GexK0wVqCs0r2_ivrEn1ZVQJdSxhZ9Q4B0PZ9j_UMhE8aCCENxMs0ZRtJzHN4U5tpqpfCCMcBJenonZFPca4KIrMdIoCyQ0WH8cfWwan5vOhOdgR60JXYqcdYjdks_CQI/s1600/june2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06lCiTwWgZ63GexK0wVqCs0r2_ivrEn1ZVQJdSxhZ9Q4B0PZ9j_UMhE8aCCENxMs0ZRtJzHN4U5tpqpfCCMcBJenonZFPca4KIrMdIoCyQ0WH8cfWwan5vOhOdgR60JXYqcdYjdks_CQI/s400/june2.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWWv3M_xb1WD2Pd_35xtC9AfoaKsACVWQN-xxfIB8CMWwzQwZoj-xhACSB0BulJ7YXQPJxNDsdvCvSMjEbQTWo5Szyky4RiSS1_AVo8454Nk4OfarPvmWLCnTF4i84rE0HXCb3UJELgxd/s1600/june4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWWv3M_xb1WD2Pd_35xtC9AfoaKsACVWQN-xxfIB8CMWwzQwZoj-xhACSB0BulJ7YXQPJxNDsdvCvSMjEbQTWo5Szyky4RiSS1_AVo8454Nk4OfarPvmWLCnTF4i84rE0HXCb3UJELgxd/s400/june4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RDrjQfaf7pP_ixfhZwT3huEud0Nh93VytCv-ofcz9U0UW2m3_fz5m1htfCnn01RkD1JjkrjDaMQLq8C-Dn2bSBPhbR9MC6z1rKdIw2coqq55WZpi3AVt9wxzb1tymfFTHx7ral0m32eC/s1600/june5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RDrjQfaf7pP_ixfhZwT3huEud0Nh93VytCv-ofcz9U0UW2m3_fz5m1htfCnn01RkD1JjkrjDaMQLq8C-Dn2bSBPhbR9MC6z1rKdIw2coqq55WZpi3AVt9wxzb1tymfFTHx7ral0m32eC/s400/june5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7o0OZ5HmfGj02enDDGI8CuiD0YZoW5dfA4FLC1vlhIidLlypKv7SZYLeX6CtmUO8szeL7J0k9S4Ifh07zyqkM_s3ggfG07FOE1R2nV6gz3t9ZpHJVHX-G5ELfq2u0nISXwChOr_g8t3h/s1600/june8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7o0OZ5HmfGj02enDDGI8CuiD0YZoW5dfA4FLC1vlhIidLlypKv7SZYLeX6CtmUO8szeL7J0k9S4Ifh07zyqkM_s3ggfG07FOE1R2nV6gz3t9ZpHJVHX-G5ELfq2u0nISXwChOr_g8t3h/s400/june8.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, June 2, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Hey Momma! It has been quite a busy P-Day, and I don't have that much time. I had to go to the doctor this morning because I have a sty in my left eye. It is super painful and itchy and swollen, and I look super gross. I can't wear make-up and I just feel awful and sick and bleh. Ugh. So that is not fun at all. But! We had a good day. We had a taco party with some members today, and then we went to a nearby mountain and hiked! It was super fun, and I am exhausted.<br />
<br />
Yesterday was transfer calls, and Elder Canepari will be transferring to Akita, which is where Luk Shimai transferred! So that is cool. I am so happy that I get to be in Ishinomaki for another transfer working with Alcazar Shimai and with the wonderful Elders and members here! <br />
<br />
Thank you so much for the beautiful blessing you sent me. It is amazing the love that I can feel from all of my mothers, from you, from Mother, from my grandmothers, and from my Japanese mothers and grandmothers. So much beautiful divine love. I can feel it all the time. I am blessed with so many angels leading and guiding me everyday and every moment! I really can feel them all the time. <br />
<br />
So, I ate whale this week. We went with Elder Whittle and Elder Aono to Sugiyama San's house for lunch, and he made us whale! I felt really sad eating it. And then I felt more sad because it was DELICIOUS. Yeah... I felt like a terrible person, haha. But! It was a new experience, that is for sure. We passed Sugiyama San to the Elders, which made me really sad, but it is okay because we are still really involved with him, and we talk to him a lot. I love Sugiyama San so much. I just love Ishinomaki so much! I was thinking about that the other day; I absolutely love and adore every single person with whom I have come in contact here in Ishinomaki. I really, truly, from the bottom of my heart, love this beautiful wonderful place and all of these beautiful wonderful people. <br />
<br />
We had the privilege of having two lessons this week, each with a member present! The first one was with Yuka Chan. A 28 year old from our ward, Taeko Shimai, joined with us. We talked about prayer with Yuka Chan again, and it was so wonderful to watch Taeko Shimai bear a very simple and easy to understand testimony of prayer to Yuka Chan. Yuka Chan was so receptive, and listened to Taeko Shimai very attentively. Yuka Chan still has yet to pray really sincerely, but I know that she is feeling the love of God through us. It was a good lesson.<br />
<br />
Then, we had another lesson with Michiru San, who is Brother Utagawa's girlfriend. It was a GREAT lesson! Sister Alcazar led this lesson, and it was SO GOOD. Alcazar Shimai has a way of making people feel very comfortable and so at-home. She is so full of love, and it was so easy to feel in our lesson with Michiru San. We talked to Michiru San about prayer, also. She has never prayed before, but she agreed to pray once with Utagawa Kyodai this week, and once again on her own. She is also pretty receptive to the message, I think. She was opening up a lot more this time around. I am looking forward to seeing her again. <br />
<br />
We have started doing frisbee activities about twice a week, and this last week, we had our Nepalese friends who own the Indian Curry restaurant come and participate. It was SO MUCH FUN! They are absolutely HILARIOUS. I love having Nepalese friends. They told us that next week, they want us to come in during break hours, and they will teach us how to make naan! How awesome is that?? I am excited. <br />
<br />
Well... that is about it for this week I think. I am so grateful that I have the chance to still be here in Ishinomaki. I love it so much, and I am so grateful to be here doing the Savior's work. This really is His field. I can feel His love fill me every time I talk with people here. It is really an amazing thing. The Savior lives. He loves us all. One Love.<br />
<br />
I love you Momma. I hope you have a happy day at work! <br />
<br />
Love, ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-83780740498804840202014-05-29T08:59:00.000-07:002014-05-29T08:59:01.749-07:00May 26, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_34Cm_HGsdPU3OSlYtwM6g2fLjeHvsGJyJzjJNQBeubeOb2OPQMtUXHfY886_JOLwA-zf8UNTJG9kckHhA8JOZfgoXqaNUuXCfkKpHTY_wI_gz7imGsFfalKj_MGXdKv0URxonHLcpxS/s1600/may33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_34Cm_HGsdPU3OSlYtwM6g2fLjeHvsGJyJzjJNQBeubeOb2OPQMtUXHfY886_JOLwA-zf8UNTJG9kckHhA8JOZfgoXqaNUuXCfkKpHTY_wI_gz7imGsFfalKj_MGXdKv0URxonHLcpxS/s400/may33.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAl1j9xT9LNHRoaiHBK6zqRBspHUP_DM91IaEqVTXBsC0FhDRDfbjrvgdhJ4ylHVaNL5DTcm1_PjGVYmUTr0GECgB25nwaekjqJXOhGxl1baPMCbIxAHCNiJt6z3SP-tfYYhywZvzpHIs/s1600/may32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAl1j9xT9LNHRoaiHBK6zqRBspHUP_DM91IaEqVTXBsC0FhDRDfbjrvgdhJ4ylHVaNL5DTcm1_PjGVYmUTr0GECgB25nwaekjqJXOhGxl1baPMCbIxAHCNiJt6z3SP-tfYYhywZvzpHIs/s400/may32.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEBQhgmz6oMAT8NHj4y_5xIIuLC5RR2r1Y1F1vq2AGPTXQ54_so28kNltTFogs3Upjcy-K5WbDIodeoLLUMNbIIW8b9BazaaI3vVPav5wJ-0PIDbZF4ynQqquxiD0nozlHTbG5vOSaUrL/s1600/may31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEBQhgmz6oMAT8NHj4y_5xIIuLC5RR2r1Y1F1vq2AGPTXQ54_so28kNltTFogs3Upjcy-K5WbDIodeoLLUMNbIIW8b9BazaaI3vVPav5wJ-0PIDbZF4ynQqquxiD0nozlHTbG5vOSaUrL/s400/may31.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZ0Q92ewuTaAmBXQPvPR6KppXf9MMCwWkkBLrXi8W0l04kroTlvzvYxbXjbME1RDW_r_InbEau62I9CFjQ_2iB9ZZ7k2VBYIx0oftkG-0wtcaTp8Z-ZnHjos1813FSd6ACbaiQPAplrFL/s1600/may30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZ0Q92ewuTaAmBXQPvPR6KppXf9MMCwWkkBLrXi8W0l04kroTlvzvYxbXjbME1RDW_r_InbEau62I9CFjQ_2iB9ZZ7k2VBYIx0oftkG-0wtcaTp8Z-ZnHjos1813FSd6ACbaiQPAplrFL/s400/may30.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, May 26, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
So, this has been a great week on the revelation front! First of all, I will not be transferring from Ishinomaki!!! I will be here for another 6 weeks at least! WOOHOOOOOOO!!! And yes, Sister Alcazar will be my companion. BEST EVER. So, that is exciting!<br />
<br />
Also! We had interviews with President Rasmussen this week. As you know, I have had the whole To-Go-To-BYU-or-To-Not-Go-To-BYU-That-Is-The-Question ping pong battle going on in my head for a while now. I had been praying for a few weeks that my interview with President Rasmussen would be a time of revelation through the Spirit, so that I could make a decision about my future and not look back. So, I went in for my interview, and the room was immediately filled with the Spirit as Rasmussen Kaicho and I talked about how unified Alcazar Shimai and I are, and about how unified we are with the Elders in the district. President Rasmussen told me that he has never seen six missionaries more unified as a district than the six of us here in Ishinomaki. That was so wonderful to hear because it is really true! We are all so close! We all have the same vision and goals for Ishinomaki, and we all have become such good friends that you can feel the love! It is so wonderful! So, that started the interview off on a good foot. Then, we started talking about the future, and I voiced my concerns about transferring to BYU. I talked for a little bit, weighing the pros and cons, and the whole time President Rasmussen just sat and listened intently. I detailed about how this has been a matter of very fervent prayer on my part, and that I was seeking his counsel and direction as my mission president. President Rasmussen paused and listened for a minute, and then said "I feel very prompted to discourage you from transferring to BYU." He proceeded to advise and counsel me to go where I have a name, go where I am known, and that the Lord will provide a way for me to finish my education at Colorado State University. The Spirit at that moment testified to me that the advice I was receiving from President Rasmussen is the will of the Lord, and that this was the answer and the revelation that I was so earnestly seeking. What an amazing thing! So, I will not be transferring to BYU! I will finish my Bachelors degree at CSU, and then we will see about grad school. But! I know that this is the will of Heavenly Father for me in the future. I also have faith that as I remember to serve him first, that He will help me to achieve all of the goals that I have in life. So, I have made my decision, and I will not look back! <br />
<br />
I am so grateful that President Rasmussen was in tune with the Spirit to be the vehicle of the Spirit in answering my prayers. I learned a lot about that from this experience; if we live worthy of the Spirit, not only will we receive guidance and direction for our own lives, but the Lord will trust us to be the answer to other people's prayers. I really hope that I can be that way, especially for my investigators. All of the beautiful women that we are teaching are in the very beginning stages of establishing their relationships with deity, and so my role as the missionary is to create an environment in which they can have their own spiritual experiences. We can create this atmosphere as missionaries when we share our love unconditionally and frequently. We share our love, and then bear testimony of the truthfulness of the Love of God and the Love of the Savior. This allows those we meet with to feel the Spirit touch their hearts. What a wonderful and divine process this is! I am so blessed to be a part of it. <br />
<br />
This week was really slow on the investigator front. We were not able to teach! But, we did meet with Yuki San. We went to lunch with her. She seemed very down about something. She has been having a lot of issues with her teeth lately, and so she hasn't really been able to eat. She is really low-energy and hasn't been able to do the things she normally does because she is exhausted all the time. We then explained to her that she could get a priesthood blessing. We explained what it is, what it looks like, and why they are so powerful and wonderful. She was concerned because she hasn't been coming to Church lately and she is not a member, so she said that she feels like she is unworthy to get a blessing. But! We assured her otherwise. She still hasn't gotten back to us about it, so we are planning on giving her a call here pretty quick. I really think that that would be a beneficial experience for her. <br />
<br />
Other than those things, this week has been a little bit rough on me. I have been having lots of moments of "wow, I am the worst missionary ever," and I have felt Satan sitting on my shoulder telling me that I am worthless. But! I have prevailed! My Savior Jesus Christ has been outpouring His love into my heart, and I have felt great peace in the face of great discouragement. I am so grateful for the Atonement, and for the enabling power it gives me to keep going everyday. I am a witness of my Savior. I know that He lives and that He is aware of all humankind. He is my Light. <br />
<br />
So, that is about it for me, Momma! I am glad to hear that you are all safe in the crazy weather!! Dad said that he got nailed with a hailstone. But, I am glad that you are all okay! I am also glad to hear that you are going to Grandby with Meghan and others! How many women will be at the retreat? That will be so wonderful for you, Momma. Let the Spirit speak truth to you.<br />
<br />
I love you! <br />
<br />
Have a happy day!!!<br />
Love, ShakMichelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251368968983797123.post-90086762907375800732014-05-20T12:28:00.001-07:002014-05-20T12:28:04.405-07:00Monday, May 19, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0XOU8zh9m5zi3gOUro5Rv3HyU1agHK8OXU2irzU8IAjjJWH7CqwGq2tdqFSqrgJT8QykhP3JxRz9r-BdCFbW7E4XrQvEg6sLjIuj9rdN1u9xeF_7QIf9CAuTmudqHCY3xctCBcx908fl/s1600/may11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0XOU8zh9m5zi3gOUro5Rv3HyU1agHK8OXU2irzU8IAjjJWH7CqwGq2tdqFSqrgJT8QykhP3JxRz9r-BdCFbW7E4XrQvEg6sLjIuj9rdN1u9xeF_7QIf9CAuTmudqHCY3xctCBcx908fl/s400/may11.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgkwLqrr7v7NnzOyZR7MLCnK6VTMDUy1qNgGviKVaSX6eIOVBcWbIBQNmbbHT7_oMU6g5LfJmbsXthHEOjuPVYjuMvFTlXytdyYko8HOYVlmEc1ZkBLzuG3atCU-LHb8XHQwICxjiGmV3/s1600/may12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgkwLqrr7v7NnzOyZR7MLCnK6VTMDUy1qNgGviKVaSX6eIOVBcWbIBQNmbbHT7_oMU6g5LfJmbsXthHEOjuPVYjuMvFTlXytdyYko8HOYVlmEc1ZkBLzuG3atCU-LHb8XHQwICxjiGmV3/s400/may12.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Q76zPEB3p-RzGKBpFMC710ZrpjqjpsiwvrTSlQeHvRi-fEwO-h_sfAxQtMpYPFlk7GTlpveMU6wxWEZ0SeQG-XJlzq0u5ngNlb8FzsRJ4Z_PbL281nO7C2AJ2Ex8KDSH_RYso7SMyysG/s1600/may13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Q76zPEB3p-RzGKBpFMC710ZrpjqjpsiwvrTSlQeHvRi-fEwO-h_sfAxQtMpYPFlk7GTlpveMU6wxWEZ0SeQG-XJlzq0u5ngNlb8FzsRJ4Z_PbL281nO7C2AJ2Ex8KDSH_RYso7SMyysG/s400/may13.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbllLiTCuqwaS2wI1JbAfuFQhZ90008-FDd3IT1t7IDBvGV4u_E4YttodnEPjO8DpQkp1MyiEuEKrv-BK50IGmPkfT8wESjUpZ3tWnDjHEmGl8ctLGyyq9W6q5Ourcr-F2hUTdj-sDYylt/s1600/may14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbllLiTCuqwaS2wI1JbAfuFQhZ90008-FDd3IT1t7IDBvGV4u_E4YttodnEPjO8DpQkp1MyiEuEKrv-BK50IGmPkfT8wESjUpZ3tWnDjHEmGl8ctLGyyq9W6q5Ourcr-F2hUTdj-sDYylt/s400/may14.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpA951Rdtr_FyYT-XjDdj031MVZWJFg1M8YRHAfyYwzC3U8dqE86W9pYFffosmU0OnO8fP7bF26n77BV_E5p2qwVmmVWJ2Xm_S4elwzsyYQ-WVzYbr2yiDDLMWflmnPdjcS0X1rozrig9/s1600/may15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpA951Rdtr_FyYT-XjDdj031MVZWJFg1M8YRHAfyYwzC3U8dqE86W9pYFffosmU0OnO8fP7bF26n77BV_E5p2qwVmmVWJ2Xm_S4elwzsyYQ-WVzYbr2yiDDLMWflmnPdjcS0X1rozrig9/s400/may15.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wtmSfxLpvto0JCg3pqDeuDGpK3QfI1eLbqrUP2wXxAtz27uOfv5En6K1zFNByzgrIkKlD4IvnjOzzyqHt497HPLyR3vsVxUKP_PyO4Ok93t20boBJWlm_tfAp1YkmhS7cz5L9LQ_7Zmz/s1600/may16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wtmSfxLpvto0JCg3pqDeuDGpK3QfI1eLbqrUP2wXxAtz27uOfv5En6K1zFNByzgrIkKlD4IvnjOzzyqHt497HPLyR3vsVxUKP_PyO4Ok93t20boBJWlm_tfAp1YkmhS7cz5L9LQ_7Zmz/s400/may16.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b>On Monday, May 19, 2014 Sister Johnson wrote:</b><br />
<br />
Hey Momma! I am sorry that I am late in emailing; we had zone p-day today in a beautiful place called Matsushima! It is one of the top three must-see most-beautiful-sites in all of Japan! It was very beautiful and so rich in religious history! It was absolutely incredible, and I loved every minute of it, except perhaps the sunburn that I now have. That won't be fun tomorrow. But, Matsushima means something along the lines of "group of many islands," which is exactly what it is! Matsushima is a town right on the beach of a beautiful bay that has hundreds of little islands (and lots of big ones too), and they are all so beautiful! The city also has many shrines that date back as much as 2000 years ago. There were so many statues of different Gods and different people, and there were so many temples! I went to a dera (temple) that was right on the coast and I prayed there. It was a beautiful experience! I needed to do that. We also rode on a ferry that took us on an hour long tour of the islands in Matsushima, and it was beautiful! A lot of the Elders were feeding the seagulls, and it was hilarious. At one point, they were putting peanuts in their mouths and the seagulls would fly up and basically kiss them to get the peanuts. It was pretty hilarious until they got yelled at by the ferry staff, haha. Fun times! But, I am really glad that I got some time to commune. I needed that. This has been a pretty exhausting week, mentally.<br />
<br />
This week, we had a great lesson with Yuka Chan! She read the passage in the children's Book of Mormon that we gave her, 3 Nephi 17. She didn't really understand it, so we read it with her again, and talked about Christ and who He is. We talked about how loving He is and that He performed many miracles. We then talked again about prayer. We are really focusing on her building a relationship with God. I felt inspired to ask her if she thought that prayer was scary, and she immediately said yes. When we asked her what was scary about it, she had a hard time expressing her feelings and she couldn't really figure out why it is scary to her. There are lots of reasons for that though; she has never really even thought about God, let alone prayed before. She might be afraid of the result of praying, or she might just be embarrassed. She could even be afraid of God Himself, or maybe she feels like if there really is a God, her life would have to change? Maybe. We are not sure. But! I love her from the very bottom of my heart, and I hope that as I love her, the Lord will help me understand how to help her. She has become such a great friend to me, and I love her so much! I will miss her when she goes to Canada!<br />
<br />
We were finally able to contact Yuki San again! She has been pretty AWOL lately, and we haven't had much contact with her. But, we called her this week, and she wants to meet with us next week! So, we have an appointment with her on Wednesday, and we are so excited! <br />
<br />
A really wonderful cool Wow-this-is-totally-a-prompting-that-I-am-glad-I-followed moment happened just a little bit ago when we got back from Matsushima! We were biking from the station to the Church to email and I all-of-a-sudden remembered that I had NO money to buy groceries, and the ATM closes at 5 (it was about 4 at this point), and so I asked Alcazar Shimai if she had money, and she said no, so we turned around and headed to the ATM. When we got there, guess who was standing outside the ATM? My old investigator and long-lost friend Kato San! She is the woman that I found in my first transfer here in Ishinomaki when I was on splits with Sister Smith! We were doing some Christmas Caroling and she gave me an umbrella as we left! We ended up teaching her, but she eventually dropped us, which was absolutely heartbreaking because she is SO prepared to hear the Gospel. But! We were able to see her and talk to her for a little bit, which was great! She still likes us, and I can tell that she is a little bit apprehensive still about us and what we are doing, but I was able to tell her that I still love her and care about her, and that I think and pray about her often. I hope that she was able to feel some of Heavenly Father's love through me today. I think that she did because she told me, ONCE AGAIN, that it wasn't a coincidence that we ran in to her today, that Ten no Otosama (Heavenly Father) guided us to make us meet. It was really wonderful to see her though, and I am so glad that the Spirit reminded me to get money to buy food. <br />
<br />
So, this transfer has gone by remarkably fast! It has been the most fun transfer of my mission, and I am so loving this district. I am loving Alcazar Shimai. She is my favorite. We have become so close and we are seeing lots of miracles together. One thing that I love about her is that she is so full of love for EVERYONE. She talks with everyone and loves them and helps them know that someone is interested in their lives. It is so inspiring to see her talk with and bond with people. She is so great, and I am so blessed to be her companion. <br />
<br />
I am grateful for the guidance of the Spirit. I have been really sensitive to it this week, and the Lord is blessing me with the recognition of so many beautiful tender mercies. Like trees. Have you ever taken the time to feel the soul and wisdom of an old tree? Or the lively energy of a young tree? It is truly amazing, and I have felt my Savior in the trees this last week. What a beautiful thing. <br />
<br />
I love you Momma! Please keep me in your prayers. Please pray that I will have the knowledge and the wisdom I need to make the right decision for what I need to do after my mission! Also, please pray for me that I will be able to focus. <br />
<br />
I love you and pray for you!!!!! I hope that you can feel the miles shrink!<br />
Love, Shak<br />
Michelle Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549491374195537917noreply@blogger.com0