almost halfway. π³ November 4th is the big day and it's Sister
Yamaguchi's birthday so we're going out to eat sushi!π£
Miracle: After Don talked with Ana on Sunday, she called us the next
day and suddenly became super available for a lesson even though
before she was always too busy before! We set an appointment with her
for the next day on Tuesday. We went with Don and had a really good
discussion about the Restoration (which we reviewed because we had
taught it before) and the Plan of Salvation. She still has lots of
concerns but she is more open to having lessons and we are so happy!
Fun Stuff: We went to the Machida Symphony with Hikari chan, visited
Nora and brought her flowers, visited Rie Kugai and brought her a card
and cough drops (she's sick too), and had Zone Meeting- I sat next to
the Slade's who are basically my mission parents. We chatted the whole
time! I love them!
This last Tuesday I caught the sickness that has been plaguing all of
the missionaries in our area for the last month. I was the last one to
catch it, thanks to my stellar immune system (haha jk); however, it
completely knocked me out Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Obviously, my
immune system was not good enough for this one! Being a sick
missionary sucks, period. But because I'm sick, I have been able to
study deeper the history of our church through one of the books
recommended for missionaries called Our Heritage. It's so goodπ
I discovered that the first pioneer group to leave Nauvoo and start
their exodus to settle the west began on February 4th! That's the day
I entered the MTC and began my journey as a missionary! π✨ I have
found lots of similarities between my feelings about my mission and
the pioneers' feelings about their trek.
For example in one account, a man who had crossed the plains in the
Martin Handcart Company, one day, was in a group of people who began
sharply criticizing the Church leaders for ever allowing the Saints to
cross the plains with no more supplies or protection than a handcart
company provided. It is written of this experience:
The old man listened until he could stand no more; then he arose and
said with great emotion:
'I was in that company and my wife was in it... We suffered beyond
anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but
did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of
criticism?... [We] came through with the absolute knowledge that God
lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.
I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness
and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other.
I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I
have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up, for I
cannot pull the load through it... I have gone on to that sand and
when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many
times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew
then that the angels of God were there.
Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any
minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with
God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to
come in the Martin Handcart Company.'
After reading his words, I felt a deep gratitude for all of the trials
I have experienced in my life and for my mission experience which has
pushed me to my limits in lots of different ways already. But just
like this man, it was through relying on the Lord, in those hard and
difficult instances which brought me closer to him and built my
testimony in my Savior Jesus Christ. We are never alone in our trials.
We always have the help of our Father in Heaven and our Savior. "I
will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in
your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up" (D&C
84:88). They have bore me through my trials and I promise they will
help you through yours. Just start by asking in sincere prayer for
help. I would never exchange the knowledge and testimony gained from
my trials or my mission experience (so far) for anything. For it is
through hard times, we are humbled and then strengthened π
Love Sister Fordiani
1. I made inarizushiπ (and peanut butter cookies, but I ate those too
fast to get a picture haha π)
2. Our less active member Sister Nakano dressed me up in her handmade
apron and fitted me with a mask because I was feeling sick. π Then
she gave me food to give to my family. But I won't make you guys eat
it because it was gross haha!
3. Sister Yamaguchi has had a flat tire for the last month-ish. So to
fill up her tire, we make pretty frequent trips to Asahi which is the
bike shop near the train station. It's gotten so frequent that it's
pretty embarrassing... "Why not just buy a new tire?" you might ask...
I sure did. Her logic is that, she only has a transfer left and then
she's just going to throw away her whole bike. So this picture is us
in disguise as we go, yet again, to Asahi for air. Hahahaha πππ
4. The Machida Symphony!
