It's that time of the transfer again! I'm going to describe all the missionaries I have the pleasure to work with. （≧∇≦）
1. Sister M: You know a lot about her. I've never laughed more in a single transfer as I have with her. I've also never been to the gym so much, eaten McDonald's so much, or shopped so much. Do you all remember President Packer's talk at General Conference? He said the two essential ingredients to his marriage were a cookie and a kiss. The two essential ingredients of our companionship is McDonald's and miracles. Yeah we laugh a lot but we see so many miracles it ain't fair. Sister M IS my mom. Whenever she hurts herself, she screams out: "I SAW STARS!" I nearly cry every time, I get so homesick. She's also he prettiest person on the planet.
2. Elder H: He is Captain America. I could drop my iPad there and end it. He's giant, with blond hair and blue eyes. I don't think he's ever once been asked where he's from; everyone knows he's American. He walks into a room and all the Japanese people go silent. They laugh at everything he says, obey his every command, ogle at his Japanese, and admire his every move. His level of admiration from the Japanese people is beyond 30 Rock's "good looking bubble." He is absolutely adored, nearly worshiped here. All of our investigators and even the recent converts have a crush on him. For me, he's a great tool to get people to English Class.
3. Elder Waite: He is the older brother I never had! He's from England, just south of London. He's our ultimate protector from creepy men because he's just as big as his companion Captain America. He's always laughing, always complimenting, always reading scriptures. He is the first person we call when we're in a panic. He is THE BEST consoler in the world. I remember once, we got instructions from headquarters, but it came from a Japanese elder in Japanese so I didn't quite understand completely. I called Elder Waite and this is how the phone call went:
"Umm hey Elder Waite I don't understand how to set up our new phone."
"Well, call Elder so and so."
"I did, I just didn't understand his Japanese."
"Well call him back and tell him you didn't understand."
"But...I'm embarrassed..."
"Alright. Blame it on me then."
"(already laughing) What?"
"Just call him back and tell him 'I'm sorry Elder Waite didn't understand. His Japanese isn't very good, will you explain it again?' Just blame it on me."
"(laughing too hard to professionally end the phone call)"
Combine his kindness with a London accent and he just became the sisters' favorite elder."
4. Elder M: I was way happy when we got the news that Elder M. would be coming to Chiba. He's from the same area as Sister G. so I was way happy to hear his informal, funny Japanese. He's always more than willing to teach me Japanese because we actually began our missions together! We flew from the MTC to Japan together. I never talked to him before because I was absolutely terrified of Japanese elders for some odd reason. He speaks a little English, but whatever English he has to spit out is enough to make me laugh. He also has an infectious, ginormous smile. When we're in meetings, he is so solemn and professional he looks like a Japanese grandfather of seventeen. When we're out playing sports or ping pong, he jumps so high I start to think he might just sprout wings and fly. He knows how to show respect to his elders and how to win hearts of children. He glows.
5. Elder K: He is actually a gymnast. In the first two minutes of getting to know him, he did a back flip for us. So he looks just like you think a Japanese gymnast does: strong shoulders that shrink into a tiny waist and skinny legs. His English is fabulous. He's got a funny lisp that makes every English phrase he knows adorable. He's nearing the end of his mission, so when it comes to night time phone calls, he can get sleepy. I remember we asked him a favor once and he just said in slurred English "I got you!" like eight times. I'm still getting to know Elder K. I know that Elder M. is his first Japanese companion. When he said that, I thought of Sister G. who is entering her fourth transfer in one of the two English branches in the Tokyo mission! Isn't that cool?!
So that's my district! You'd think because we have two zone leaders in our district we'd take life a little more seriously? Of course not. We're a district of absolute clowns. Yet this district has seen a lot of baptisms. We're the highest baptizing zone in the mission right now. But that goes in one ear and out the other for me. I know Sister M. and I have our work cut out for us.
So this week I got to know my Savior a little bit better. I remember hearing every single missionary come home and say they got closer to their Savior on their mission and I never understood that. This week we had some experiences that helped me understand the life of Christ, which brought me closer to Him.
This week we trekked to he further reaches of our area, took a train, then a bus to get to an investigators house we hadn't met before. When we got there, she just complained about how they took the second pair of sisters out of the area. She said she liked them better than us. She said she hated change and didn't show a ton of interest in our message despite the potential she showed to the sisters before.
I learned a ton from this! At first I was angry. Do you even know how much money we spent to get here, lady? I thought. We're budgeting our money food just so we can make it out here to visit your ungrateful face. You have no idea how much we've done for you! But of course my next thought was Do you have any idea how much Christ did for you, Sister Prideful? Heck His own disciples went with Him to the Garden of Gethsemane and what did they do? They fell asleep. They were near Him, walked with Him, talked with Him, and ate with Him and they still didn't even have a clue what He did for them. They slept through His greatest act of love. Only John was at the cross! Christ had "greater love" (John 15:13) for not just His "friends" but the people who hates Him, the people that killed Him. That's incredible to me.
Also, with the start of a new transfer, we looked a lot of our friends that were stuck, not getting any closer to baptism. It's hard to drop friends and not blame yourself a little. I looked at these friends and thought, I know there is something more I could have done. This is my fault these people aren't progressing.
I think of that moment when Christ tells the people that He is the Bread of Life and they TURN AWAY. Many turned away! Many DISCIPLES, people that believed in Him before, turned away. Christ was the perfect teacher! No doubt the Spirit was there testifying to the people. They just couldn't understand and turned away. And Christ didn't run after them hitting the people over the head with scriptures like I do. Christ and the Father have immense respect for agency. Sometimes, we do all we can, and people still fall away. That's alright. It happened to Christ too. It isn't our fault. We can choose and that's awesome.
That was my week! I love you all! I'll see you soon!
Sister Goldsberry
Free English Classes
Scarves sent to both by her abuelita, also known as Tita
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