Dear fam-I'm 疲れた！(worn out).
Today we went to Kamakura with a member friend and saw the big Buddha statue there. (Evidence is included in the attachments.) We were able to go inside of the statue and there is a picture of Sister Derricott and me looking up towards the inside of the head. Afterwards we went to a temple as well. Thursday night Sister Derricott's dad got together with us and the elders and he kindly took us to a cake shop where we all talked about missionary work and specifically the problems we are facing in Japan. We talked
(I'm back... I'll continue from the draft I saved yesterday. Our P-day got cut short.)
We talked especially about the challenges that members in Japan seem to struggle with the most and how to help them. It has been interesting to serve in an area with Americans. We have 2 English speaking branches and 1 Japanese ward. There is a striking contrast between the two cultures. The English speaking branches are a lot more jovial and have a really light, happy atmosphere. The Japanese ward is much more serious it seems (I have never been because the ward times overlap). Even more so than the Japanese wards I served in in my last area.
Anyway, it's gotten to be sort of a problem - even some of the Japanese members who doesn’t speak any English at all have started coming to the English-speaking ward because they don't like the Japanese church. Japanese people have a strength of being super meticulous and exact, and sometimes they take religion so seriously that they are unable to really enjoy the fruits of living a righteous life. We are really focusing now on getting to know the members better and be examples of perfectly obedient people who still have a lot of fun. The Japanese ward has a lot of less-active members that we would like to work with, but before that happens we need to get the ward to be a place they would actually want to be at. Interesting. It's been a good reminder to me too to just be happy sometimes and enjoy the fact that we have God's truth.
We talked especially about the challenges that members in Japan seem to struggle with the most and how to help them. It has been interesting to serve in an area with Americans. We have 2 English speaking branches and 1 Japanese ward. There is a striking contrast between the two cultures. The English speaking branches are a lot more jovial and have a really light, happy atmosphere. The Japanese ward is much more serious it seems (I have never been because the ward times overlap). Even more so than the Japanese wards I served in in my last area.
Anyway, it's gotten to be sort of a problem - even some of the Japanese members who doesn’t speak any English at all have started coming to the English-speaking ward because they don't like the Japanese church. Japanese people have a strength of being super meticulous and exact, and sometimes they take religion so seriously that they are unable to really enjoy the fruits of living a righteous life. We are really focusing now on getting to know the members better and be examples of perfectly obedient people who still have a lot of fun. The Japanese ward has a lot of less-active members that we would like to work with, but before that happens we need to get the ward to be a place they would actually want to be at. Interesting. It's been a good reminder to me too to just be happy sometimes and enjoy the fact that we have God's truth.
I have received a lot of mail lately so be sure to thank everyone if you see them: Aunt Chelsea and family sent a really great package, Grandma and Grandpa Waite sent a letter, Annie Holliday sent a letter, and you (MOM and DAD) are so dutiful to keep me updated. Thanks a bunch. (Also, Mom you asked if Jesse actually sent a letter... he did. That was nice of him.) Mom, have I ever told you that I LOVE the CD you sent for my birthday? I do.
So on Saturday Brother Derricott called Derricott Shimai and I and asked if he could take us to lunch. We thought it was sort of odd since we were scheduled to be with him all the next day too but he was sort of persistent so we went. As we were standing outside waiting to go in, this guy on the sidewalk walked up and put his arm around Sister Derricott... it was her little brother Jeff. He flew here and surprised her. He is a senior in high school and reminded me a lot of Cam. We had a great lunch and then on Sunday all 4 of us went to Sister Derricott’s old area where she and her dad were speaking. During the English-speaking branch's church there, they asked me to translate during Relief Society for this lady who had come to church for the first time with a friend but actually just spoke Japanese. I'm nowhere near being able to translate yet, but there wasn't anyone else so we gave it a go. The lesson ended up being on the scattering of the house of Israel... Pray that the lady will come to church again despite her experience with me! : )
Will you all do a favor for me? Tell one other person in the family that Mariah loves them, because I do.
Will you all do a favor for me? Tell one other person in the family that Mariah loves them, because I do.
Ja ne..
-Waite Shimai
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