Week 3

Hi everyone!

So last Thursday after I was finished emailing was like the funniest day of my life. We headed over to the temple to do temple work and we run into this tiny old lady named Rhonda. She stops us and is like, "Would you sisters like to hear a story?" We are all like, "Ya!" cause she's like the cutest thing. She says to us, "One night I woke up and I had the feeling that I should call all of my children and tell them to bless their houses. I got the prompting 3 times so I did it. Then a couple days later there was a tornado that ripped through that part of the countryside, but it missed all of my children's houses because they were blessed." At this point we were kinda looking at each other because we weren't sure if this lady was just standing in front of the temple to like speak blasphemy or what. But then she said, "I just had the feeling I should tell this story to everyone. You know so that they can hear my story. I've adopted it as some sort of mission of mine. And when you sisters go to teach the catholics and the prodestants tell them my story because they believe in the Melchizedek priesthood and they will be converted to Mormons." Hahaha so she almost made us late to our session but she was so funny. We gave her a hug and left. 

After finishing our temple work, we met this old temple worker sitting at the bottom of the stairs and he stopped us and said, "Aren't you ladies the prettiest things I've ever seen! I'm Napoleon Dynamite's grandfather!" What??? Hahaha he told us this long story about it and asked if we would teach him a cool word in Japanese. Oh! My favorite word is Sukinushi which is Savior in Japanese haha. You say it like Sku.ee.new.shi haha its super fun to say. Kabocha is pumpkin and momo is peach haha! 

Okay so I'm like getting so fat here. So anyone who really knows me knows I'm like super addicted to really yummy tasting fries because I love potatoes. I love hash browns, fries, tatertots like the whole deal! And guess what they serve in the MTC like every meal?? Potatoes! Like they literally have tatertots and curly fries from Arbys and hashbrowns for breakfast. Like I'm literally in heaven but my gut has grown substantially. And I guess it doesn't get better in Japan because the members feed the Americans tons of food because we have big bellies haha. And its super rude not to finish your meal....

Oh! At the temple last Thursday though we totally went to the cafeteria and had a REAL DINNER! It was steak and holy yum! It was so good!

During TRC's we taught this girl that just got home in October from her mission in Tokyo South. So we took time at the end to speak English to each other and she told us how amazing Japan is and how great president Wada is! She took a selfie with us and sent it to President Wada hahaha. 

We also taught the Sunday lesson this week to our district on the Book of Mormon. With every fiber of my being I cannot express how important it is for the spirit to be present when you're teaching any lesson. If the spirit is not in your lesson no one learns because he is the teacher not you. We asked questions and bore our testimonies on the truthfulness of the BOM and the spirit there was so strong it was like thick. Like almost a fog over the whole class. It was such a good experience teaching in English. We teach in Japanese every time. We never teach in English here. 

Sunday night we watch the movie Legacy hahahaha! If you've been to the MTC you know the riot that is caused by that movie. It totally has a door scene where he kisses her and you just hear all the elder's hooting and hollering hahaha! One of the presiding members had to get up and remind everyone that we were supposed to be reverent. Sister Law leaned over to me and was like, "they've kissed like four times." I leaned back over and was like, "who's counting??" hahahhaa! Needless to say our district is watching that every Sunday now. 

After that we went back into our classroom and Elder Harrell told us two of his 12 almost kissing stories from going to school at BYU hahahaha! We were dying! He's never kissed anyone but he's had like 12 opportunities that are like so awkward because he says he gets too scared to take it :'D  

Anyway hahaha I had a great week. This church is the true church! Turn outward and think of others before yourself. Instead of praying for things you need pray to be a tool in the Lord's hands so that he can lead you to the people who really need you. I know if you live your life in the service of others that's when you find true happiness because that's how the Savior lived.

Love,

Sister Fordiani <3

Week 2: Like where has the time gone?

So I got here yesterday and now I've been here for two weeks? I don't understand how that works. 

I've been working really hard on my Nihongo and now I can pray fluently and bear my testimony semi fluently! I working hard on learning lots of new words and SYL (speak your language) all the time. I understand a lot of what my sensei tachi teach now. I can pick out what they are saying when they speak to us. You can only learn so much here though. I think I'd learn faster being submersed in the language. You have to speak it constantly to really get the hang of the crazy sentence patterns. Instead of saying something in English with subject-verb-object, Japanese is subject-object-verb. So saying "God loves all of his children" turns into "God all of his children loves". I'll get it eventually with Kamisama's (God's) help :) 

We had our first TRC's a couple days ago. We taught a BYU student. The objective is to help that member or non member come unto Christ. So she was a member and had served in Fukuoka. We couldn't really talk to her but she shared her testimony with us at the end in Japanese and I got hit by a wall of the spirit again. I know God is telling me that I am doing the right thing serving him and I can't wait to find my brothers and sisters in Japan!

So study is all that we do here. Pretty boring. And I took way too much time answering emails today so that's all I got for ya'll. I'm sorry. Please enjoy these pretty pictures. 

So the first two are today! We were going to do laundry! We love P-day. Those are all the shimai (sisters) I'm rooming with and in my district. 

District=classroom

Zone=group of classrooms 

The last two are during and right after our temple walk on Sunday :) That's what our class looks like. We're really squished :) 

Love you all!

Sister Fordiani

Week 1-- MTC Loooovvvveeee!!!

Hi everyone!

The MTC is freaking awesome! I love it here besides having to eat the food. That's pretty crummy. Its like heated up cafeteria food and if you drink the orange juice you get constipated. 

My first day here was a blur. They took me to drop off my things in my room and then they threw me in a Japanese language class where they spoke Japanese to us and we had to guess what they were saying for three hours. So that class is every day too so that's been way crazy. We taught our first lesson in Japanese on Friday (two days after I got here) and it was entirely by the spirit that me and my companion have been making through the lessons. We have little books we call the "ninja" to help us but we never know exactly what Shibatta Kyodai is trying to tell us/ ask us. 

We were teaching him yesterday and getting a baby bit frustrated that we couldn't express our testimonies to him and explain to him things that would be so easy to explain in english. When I got the impression to just bear my testimony in Nihongo. I just expressed to him that I know my heavenly father loves all of us and listens to our prayers. It was way broken Japanese because I only know the words for prayer inoru, Heavenly Father Ten no Otosama and that's about it. But the Spirit hit me like a brick wall and I just started bawling in the middle of the lesson. It was the best experience of my life! Shibatta Kyodai was a little taken back but I know those things with all my heart and I can't wait until I can express my testimony in perfect Nihongo. 

We joined the MTC choir of like 500 missionaries. Its the perfect way to have a break from studying. I totally advise all missionaries to do that while they are at the MTC. Its so awesome! We sang "I need thee every hour" this last week during Tuesday devotional and I got on the big screen with my companion! Yeah!

Our Sunday walk was beautiful! That is what you'll see from the pictures! It was so sunny and warm. We study all day and are basically prisoners to our classroom so we are never outside. You'll see pictures of my district and of me with my red haired companion Bybee Shimai. She's awesome! She's from Riverton UT and she has the sweetest spirit. 

We were made district training leaders the second day we were here. Our class is a district and a couple of districts make a zone. So me and my companion are like the zone leaders over all the sister missionaries in our zone. :) There are Elder zone leaders too but they aren't in our class. My district have become my family. They are freaking hilarious! I love all of them with all my heart. Yesterday we went around and told each other what animals we look like haha. I was a Tucan and my companion was a starfish. 

Mom and dad! So the best way for me to call you at the airport is if you buy me a cell phone and put like 200 minutes on it. Then send it to me right before I leave to fly to Japan. Then I can call you at the airport and throw away the phone when I'm done. I heard that calling cards that you can buy here sometimes don't work and the lines at the phone booths are long so this is the best way. 

Thank you for the chips and salsa! That keeps us sane! And Bybee Shimai loves rootbeer so that was a wonderful thing too! I love you all have a wonderful week!

Love Fordiani Shimai (sister)

P.S. Please send me a sim card reader for my camera. I have a normal sized sim card. That is the only way I can get pictures onto the email :) 

Companion Sister Bybee

Provo MTC

Hi I'm Not Dead

HI!

The MTC is awesome! I'm not dead or sad so don't be sad at home or I'll be really mad :) my companion is Bybee Shimai (sister) and she has red hair just like my dream! We were called last night to be Sister Training Leaders which means we are in charge of all the sisters in our zone. We are supposed to be missionaries to the missionaries haha :) Its sooooooo great! We've already helped other Hermanas in another zone with homesickness. We get along so good. She's awesome! Um, so this is supposed to be short and my p-day is on Thursdays so you'll know when to look for another letter. I'll have 60 minutes to write here. I love you guys!

Love,

Fordiani Shimai

Companion Sister Bybee

Provo MTC

MTC Day