Thursday, February 25, 2016

Week 45 Japan Tokyo Mission

 Dear family,

Another awesome week for me! I'm convinced that being a missionary is
the greatest thing in the world! It's really tough sometimes, but I
love it. Today, I am overly tired for some reason, so hopefully this
email will all make sense, ha ha. Thanks for your letters and emails!

I received a special letter this week from a Mrs Lys Hubbard, and it
totally made my day! Thank you Lys.

This past week I taught Sister Bettridge how to make Sock Monkey's in
preparation for our activity with the young woman. She is way good at
it! She's made three this past week and I was really grateful for
her help at the young women's activity this past Friday. The girls all
brought their different socks and we taught them and helped them make
sock monkeys! They all loved it so much!! In fact, yesterday at church
a few of them brought theirs to the church to show me because they
were so excited about them! These young women are so creative and it
was so fun for me to teach them. One girl went home and made a sock
bear right after the activity. She came to church and told me that she
was going to be a missionary like me and that she was going to make
and sell sock monkeys to save money. My heart melted! I just love them
all so much. I wish I got pictures of them with the monkeys, but
unfortunately I only got a few of the monkeys they made. I will have
to talk to the young woman's leaders and get the pictures they took of
us at the activity from them so that I can send them next week or
something. Anyway, this activity was definitely a highlight from this
past week! :)

Also, we have a woman in the ward who comes to church every week, but
isn't a member. When I first came to Matsudo, I remember asking the
ward about the situation. Her daughter was baptized about 2 years
previously and I.... San and her son have not yet been baptized. They
do, however, come to support Y.... Chan almost every week. We've
heard from the members that she has been dendou-ed countless times and
that she has expressed no interest. She's heard the lessons before,
but it has been a long time. When I first came to Matsudo, I remember
hearing from the ward that we shouldn't dendou her. So, we have just
made an effort to be nice to her as a result and have become good
friends. Long story short, this past week she told us that she wants
to hear the lessons again! :) Such a big miracle! We will be meeting
her this next week and teaching her. God has really been working with
her heart I think. So awesome.

Funny story! We ran into one of our potential investigators last week
in the Eki (train station) and she said that she wanted to meet and so
we made an appointment to see her. We had made plans to meet her in
the same place at 10:00 am where we had met her previously and to then
go and get breakfast together. Well, we waited until 10:10 and she
still hadn't showed up, and so we gave her a call. She is kind of an
older forgetful woman so we thought maybe she had forgotten about our
appointment. She answered and told us to wait where we were and that
she was coming! On the phone, she sounded like she was in a big hurry.
Now, side story (I had never heard of this until coming to Japan, so
if it doesn't make sense just try to use your imagination, ha ha)...
Many women in Japan place these little pieces of plastic-(kinda like
tape) inside their eyelids to make an eyelid crease. Naturally,
Japanese people do not have eyelid creases and so many woman before
putting their makeup on use these materials to help their eyes look
"big and bright" so to speak. Anyway, she finally came and met us and
she was wearing this big fluffy coat with these way stylish
sunglasses! She looked like she was about to go to a fashion show.
This however, isn't an uncommon sight as everyone in Tokyo kinda
dresses way out there and is really stylish. We went into this fancy
little bakery and bought breakfast. As we were talking with her, we
noticed that she still hadn't taken off her sunglasses. It wasn't
bright in the restaurant and so we were a little bit confused.
Sometimes it's difficult to really know what people are saying if you
can't see their eyes, you know? Anyway, we taught and it went really
well! At the end of the lesson, she stood up from her chair and her
sunglasses fell down a little bit. We saw her eyelids and there was
eyelid crease tape all over them! We figured she must have been in a
rush and so she just threw some sunglasses on, ha ha. It was funny to
see. You'd probably have to be there to see how funny it was.
Sometimes we see people put their makeup on, on the train and they use
this big metal poker thing to put this tape on their eyelid to make a
crease. It looks painful!! People from Canada and America naturally
have creases and so they use it to look like they are from a different
country. Isn't that funny? Ha ha. I thought it was. I personally like
their eyes just the way they are. So cute! I want Asian eyes and
and Asian features! :) 
Image result for japanese women taping eyelids


Sister Bettridge and I have talked to so many people this past week.


Sister Bettridge and I have talked to so many people this past week.
We've taken a new approach in the way that we talk to people and have
seen a lot of little miracles this week as a result. We fear no man!
We talk with everyone! We've made up our minds to speak and talk with
everyone and when we take a rejection we turn to the next person and
keep dendouing. It's great! I love it. :) We are going to find the
prepared people who are ready to receive us.

Lastly, today I had a few visitors from Koiwa! I wish we took
pictures!! Marjorie and her daughter, Kaori Chan, and Channa (from
Cambodia) came and visited sister Bettridge and I! It was so good to
see them. Marjorie is getting her patriarchal blessing soon, and she
is so excited! She is so full of light. It was amazing to see her
again. I never got to see her baptism because I transferred, but she
is so strong and has such a beautiful testimony. Channa is doing so
well and Marjorie has been fellowshipping her and they do everything
together. The two of them are such good supports for each other. Ah!
It was just so good to see them again.

As for the package, I think I am good! :)
Black tights will be perfect!
No news about the extension, but we have zone conference on the 1st so
I hope to find out then.

I love you all so much. This church is true. God lives and loves us.
He knows us perfectly. I love being a missionary! There is no greater
joy than this. I am so blessed to be here in Japan.
Love always,

Sister Hubbard

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