Week 25 Hodogaya Week 4 (July 20- July 27)

So sorry I missed last weeks email! I got on for the same 90 minutes, but I swear last week went by so quick! I had an amazing week and I got the best news last week! My investigator Emiko San from Yamato area is getting baptized this Saturday August 1st! She passed her baptismal interview and everything! I'm am so excited for her! 

Monday-- we took a trip to the recycle shop called Watmans. It has tons of Japanese things that we looked at all for very cheap! Maybe when I want souvenirs I'll go back there someday.

Tuesday--we had a ton of time to find people so we went housing and on the top of a huge apartment I finally saw Mt. Fuji for the first time! (See picture below) The clouds were all wrapped around it so beautifully! The picture doesn't do it justice. Then we went and handed out flyers for Eikaiwa (Wednesday English Class) at the train station. I handed a flyer to this man and he smiled at me and said, "Shimai senkyoushi desu ka?" Which translates into are you a sister missionary? Hahaha I instantly knew he was a member :) I found out he was from the Atsugi Ward and since that was Handy shimai's last area he totally knew her! We took a selfie with him! That same night we went to Yokohama for hamburg (how you say hamburgers in Japanese hahaha) with a member. They were the best I've ever tasted! But my perception might be twisted because I haven't had a good hamburger since I left America haha.

Wednesday--we called our P.I. Horiuchi San in the morning to see if we could help with anything today, and she told us, and I quote: "I'd like to learn more about this Joseph Smith person and when your group came to be." YES! I was jumping up and down all over the apartment I was so happy! Sadly, she didn't need any help with anything this Wednesday but we are planning to visit and help her out sometime soon! After studies, we went to Yayoidai to visit Don Kyoudai our new member. He introduced us to his daughter which was a huge miracle! We hadn't met her yet because she is hard to catch with school and work. She was nice! We also got to teach two lessons to Shio Shimai and Saijou Shimai who are two members in our ward. Then we taught やっぱり Eikaiwa and that was good too.

Thrusday-- we taught Hattori Shimai (another member) a lesson :) she is sad a lot so we made her really happy. We found her old house in Taiwan on google maps and she freaked out when she saw it! She didn't know you could do "street view". After dinner we went heart attacking in Tsuragamine. I was in charge of directions but I got a little confused so I accidentally took us in the wrong direction. So we only got to one house out of the three we wanted to visit. Then it rained on us. But it was okay! 

Friday-- we visited Shirai Shimai a less active member with her visiting teacher Tsutsumi Shimai. We shared the parable of the lost sheep and because we had a member there we had her help us explain it. We basically told Shirai Shimai that she was the one lost sheep and she won't make it home unless she comes back to church. Hah being bold is scary sometimes but it was a good lesson and we felt the spirit so strong. 

Saturday-- we didn't study in the morning because we had a lesson with Nagano Shimai another less active member. When we were talking before the lesson I told her her nails were cute. So she ran off in her house somewhere and brought back a bin full of every color of nail polish you could ever imagine! And then she painted my nails right during our appointment! I was cracking up! We had to book it home to let the Wada's into our home! We had apartment interviews this transfer. My interview went really well and we discussed how important it was to have a good relationship with the ward so that they trust you. After eating Sister Wada's delicious cookies and getting a full cleaning check on our apartment we ran to Yamato to meet our investigator Rie San at Music Night! Her and her daughter Reika had a great time! (That's the picture you can see on FB 😊) after that we had Questions of the Soul. Sadly, Rie San couldn't stay, but Horiuchi San our Romanian investigator came to that one! We discussed the purpose of life! It was so good! Lots of miracles ね！？

Sunday-- we had church and then in Shonandai we had a departing missionary's testimony meeting. Brox Shimai bore her testimony and it was really good! She was nervous because she was up first. We had a little time to house after so we stopped at this hidden house and we met the cutest old lady! She wasn't interested but she still kept talking to us! And after we finished talking she said that if we were in the neighborhood again we could stop by. Good thing we literally live like 6 blocks away! :)

This week I am learning a lot of patience. Sometimes the work doesn't move as fast as I'd like it to, so I want to move myself faster and faster in hopes that if I work the hardest I can--to the point of death-- then maybe my investigators will be more and more blessed. However, even though working the hardest I can is good, this is still the Lord's work and he will move it in the time frame and the direction that will benefit all of us. So I need patience and I need trust him :) that can apply to our normal life too. Sometimes we don't see the benefit of the trials or things we are going through. But I know that our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us and everything we go through he benefits to our gain. As we look back at old trials we faced, we see the growth within ourselves and how our testimony has been strengthened. I know that through trials the Lord shapes us into the son or daughter we have the potential of becoming. I promise as you rely on Heavenly Father he will guide your life where it needs to go :) 

Love you all!

Sister Fordiani

1. Mt. Fugi 🗻

2. Hamburgers in Yokohama

3. Skype with our MTC tutor! 

4. Meeting the member at the Eki

5. President interviews and talking to Wada Shimai 

6. Matsuri in Yamato (festival)

Week 24 Hodogaya Week 3

This week has been pretty great!

We went to Kichijoji again and I saw Law Shimai and Leach Choro, but I got to see Bybee Shimai too! Seeing everyone from the MTC is so wonderful! It's like seeing family.... Well okay really close but definitely not the same as family!

We went on splits so me and Handy were with Roth Shimai who is a sister I used to live within Yamato. She's super nice and we had areally fun day dendoing in the park! We took cute pictures on a Japanese bridge!
We had a busy day Friday! We went with an investigator to an old folks home and we sang them hymns! Then our investigator played them old Japanese songs on the mandalin and they were singing in Japanese at the top of their lungs! It was SO CUTE!

We also had a Meet the Mormons movie night that night where we and he surrounding areas brought our investigators to see it for the first time. They just barely this last week released Japanese subtitles with the movie so no one in Japan has seen it yet! It was so good and on the Utah missionary part......nasukashikatta!
Saturday was Don's baptism! He's been taking lessons from the elders in our area for about 4 months. He was confirmed a member yesterday and I'm so happy for him!

You might have noticed me on FB yesterday ;) yes we are getting FB in my mission so I will be on quite a bit.... like all the time :) I can't communicate with anyone on FB so please don't write me on there. The purpose of Facebook is to use it as a proselyting tool. Please don't send me Facebook messages and try to talk with me on Facebook. And still communicate to me through here on p day please!

Okay that is all! Love you all!

Sister Fordiani

Week 23 My New Area Hodogaya Week 2

We had a huge surprise this week! We got a new companion! Her name is Sister Handy from Sandy Utah! She's the best! She's SO FUNNY! And being a San Nin is probably the best thing that's happened to me on my mission so far! It's so fun every day! This week we went to Kichijoji to get things for Sister Handy and I got to see Law Shimai! Of course I started bawling because it's been since April since I saw her! That's so long! She gave me the biggest hug! And then I saw Elder Leach! It was the best day ever! We're going back to Kichijoji tomorrow so I might get to see Bybee Shimai! Ah! I'm really excited! This week the Elders in our area have a baptism and we are playing Meet the Mormons movie at our church to invite investigators to! Tons of fun stuff! So be ready to get blown away by photos this next week haha! This week we had a pretty slow week but we had a district blitz which was really fun! I hope you all got slurpies on 7/11 because slurpies don't exist in Japan even though there are 7-Elevens every half mile here. :) love you all! And back in Yamato Emiko San has a baptismal date for August 1! Pray for her to be able to be baptized that day! It's a miracle! Guys this work is amazing and the Lord has his hand over Japan :) Alma 26:37 "Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen."

Love, 

Sister Fordiani (フォルデイアニ姉妹)

1. Me and Nozomi Chan 

 2. At the temple with Gappmeyer Shimai and her family

3. Me and Law Shimai in Kichijoji

4. Our new San Nin! 

Week 22 My New Area Hodogaya!

Hi everyone! 

So I'm in my new area with Sister Brox and it's super great! She is transfer 12 so she is leaving right after this transfer back home. I'm always with older missionaries! Their going home talk always makes me homesick, but what do you do? I'll probably talk tons about home when I'm that age! Missionary obaachan ;) 

My new area is hilly and still very rural. I'm just next door to Yamato. Ten minutes on the train. Oh and my mail was a day late because we went to the temple today! There's a picture below :) 

We don't really have any progressing investigators here so we're working on that. We did go to a Luau in Shonandai on Friday with our investigator Sakura chan :) she loved it! We danced the Macarena and hula, ate Hawaiian food, and talked a lot! I'm getting better at understanding Japanese so I can talk to people! Today I talked to a lady on the train ride home from the temple! She is a mom and she loves to shop and she loves New York! Her friend teaches English at the university in Tokyo! She was so cool! People are so cool! Talk to everyone everywhere you go! People love to chat!

We met the parents of Sister Gappmeyer who lives in Mapleton. She's going home so her parents are in Tokyo right now. They were telling me all about the Payson temple and I was dying! I want to go sooooooooo bad! For all of you who live in Utah really close to a temple, make going a priority! It will bless your life so much! Today when I went, peace just washed over me when I walked through the doors. It was incredible and it just grew as I went through a session. The only peace we find in life is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that I'm in Hodogaya to help all these wonderful Japanese people and I have already seen so many miracles here! The lord has his hand over Japan! 💕

Love,

Sister Fordiani (フォルデイアニ姉妹)

Before I transferred we, my old Yamato district, went to Yakiniku! (Probs butchered the spelling) it's all you can eat meat! So delicious!

My new companion and Remi at a relief society activity! We made cake cups.

 Us and Sakura chan at the luau

 Us at the temple!

Week 21 Transfer Calls Came!!!

Hello Everyone :) It's transfer week! I'm now transfer 3. If you want to see my call skip to Saturday or to the photos. If you want an intense experience read through the whole email first. You decide haha :)

Monday-- We went late at night to visit the Kikuchi Family. Emiko San wasn't home but Chinatsu San was! We got to talk to her and ask about her work, which has been really tiring for her. We shared scriptures to help her and had a discussion on faith in Christ and relying on God, which has helped me entirely through my mission thus far, so we were able to testify boldly that if she reads her scriptures, prays, and goes to church to show her faith, God will support her even more through her hard times. 

Tuesday-- We visited Keiko San! She was really happy to see us! I love visiting her! We shared a spiritual message practically about the same as Chinatsu san. Faith is so essential people, but it's hard to develop and maintain when you aren't reading your scriptures or praying everyday. It's the small things that build your testimony! We helped encourage her and talked with her. Later that night we taught a less active member named Hermana Zoila. We taught her about Joseph Smith and boy is there power behind bearing testimony of that prophet and his experience. I've felt nothing like it! The Book of Mormon and the restoration are SO POWERFUL! 

Wednesday-- We finally got to help Hasegawa Shimai clean her home. We have been planning to go and help her for weeks but it hasn't been good for her. She's been in and out of the hospital for months. She is deaf too so we have to do a lot of planning around going to visit her. Luckily I've been learning Japanese sign language so that came in really handy :) we helped her clean and then drank tea and had pineapple with her. There are lots of different tea and some is okay and some is not. I don't know which is okay and which isn't through... I really don't like any tea haha. Before Eikaiwa one of our students Moeka San wanted to hang out with us so we went out to dinner for ramen and got to know her better :) she's really open to the gospel and she has been living in Italy for the last year so the English she knows has an Italian accent! Gah!

Thursday-- We had a zone meeting in Hodogaya! It was good :) then we had weekly planning so not much there.

Friday-- I thought it'd be really nice to bring my district Swedish fish for our district meeting. So I wrapped up Swedish fish all cute like and everyone was so happy! They were like Swedish fish!!! And then we have one Australian elder who's like "gummy babies!" We all looked at him weird. The Japanese missionaries had never had them and Funa Shimai loves them! After we taught Matsuda San about faith. It was a faith week with everyone! 

Saturday-- Okay I got my transfer call and I'm transferring! I'm going to Hodogaya area and my new companion is Sister Brox. She's awesome! She's is on her last transfer so I will be in Hodogaya for two transfers for sure. I'm still in the Fujisawa East Zone :) and my new area is right next door to Yamato :) I'm really excited but sad too. All of my investigators were sad. Except for Matsuda San hahaha. Later that day, there was a stake relief society activity that we invited all of our investigators to and they all came! Nakamura Keiko San, Matsuda San, and Ueda Akemi San. I was teamed up with Nakamura san during the event and she is sad that I'm getting transferred but I'm just happy that because I am leaving she is coming to more and more activities! Right after the stake activity there was a baptism for David. So we invited them to all stay and watch if they wanted. We were waiting for a ride from Nakamura san's husband, so she agreed to stay and so did Matsuda San. After they saw the baptism, we had planned to leave to make it to the eki on time, but Nakamura San wanted to hear David's testimony. So we stayed a bit longer for her. After Kawahara Shimai went home on the train with Matsuda San and we went with Nakamura San. Her and her husband Charles used to be investigators. In the car Nakamura San had lots of questions that she has been dying to ask us! (According to Charles) but she has been too embarrassed before. The really are the sweetest couple! I'm so excited that this step was taken for them! 

Sunday-- I said bye to everyone and took pictures. 

Anyway, way fun week! Tons of miracles! I love you all!

Love, 

Sister Fordiani 🏻

Ramen with Moeka San 

The zone 

The Kikuchi family :)

My transfer call

 Keiko and Charles

Me and Namie Chan

Eating steak with Moeka San (we went out to dinner twice with her cause she's leaving to America)

Our district

Week 20 Photos Week :)

皆さん今日は！元気ですか？

私は元気です！

Hahaha okay just kidding! My whole email isn't going to be in Japanese. Well I'm not really capable of sending a whole letter about weekly events in Japanese quite yet! But anyway here's my week in English :) it was so wonderful! 

Monday-- (last Monday) Vainerere Shimai called me totsu zen (outta the blue) and asked if we wanted to go bowling! Heck yes we do! So we took a train to Kawasaki, went out for burgers and fries, and went bowling! *See awesome pictures below*

Tuesday-- I had my first Zone Conference. It was combined with all of the missionaries from Fujisawa East and West Zones. Probably the most missionaries I've been around since the MTC. We had lots of trainings focusing on recognizing the spirit and inviting people to be baptized. Really good :) trainings are so helpful. After Funakura 姉妹 had more leadership trainings so I went on splits with Hotu 姉妹 and Shindo 姉妹 again. Splits are not my favorite when it comes to the staying the night at another person's apartment. But hanging out with different missionaries is pretty fun :) They had a lesson scheduled with a cute girl named Sakura chan. She's in high school and she is so nice! We taught her the plan of salvation! She had lots of questions and I bore my testimony to her about the comfort from knowing where your going and your purpose on Earth. *See awesome photo below*

Wednesday--At Eikaiwa (free English class) we were teaching the grammar pattern "Have you ever...". So of course I was like, we are turning this into a game! So I taught my class how to play Have You Ever. Hahahaha. It was awesome! I died first because I haven't done anything too cool with my life yet, but our class was spitting stuff out like, "Have you ever been to Korea?" and "Have you ever eaten alligator?" So yeah of course I died first.

Thursday-- we had another lesson with Matsuda San. She read Moroni 7 as her homework for last lesson and she had tons of questions about angels. We explained that angels can be the celestial beings with God but also they can be people in our life too. She has two daughters and we said that they could be angels in her life. She had never thought of that before. Then we taught her about the blessings of sabbath. We told her that coming to church is hard but that it will bless her life and family so much. She's come to church before but she has a hard time coming because she lives far and that is her daughter's only day off of work. I felt super prompted to tell her how my young woman's leaders blessed my life. So I told her when I hated my parents when I was a teenager the only people who I'd listen to were my Beehive and Mia Maids leaders. ;) (thank you for being such a good influence for me!!!) we told Matsuda San her daughters will watch her example and she needs to be a good example if she wants her daughters to be good people. Bold but true eh? ;) After her lesson we went to a members house and helped her clean her home. Her parents were there from Nagoya and they know Motter 姉妹 from the MTC :) They said he first time they met her she was looking up all their words in the dictionary. Hahaha ain't that the truth. They made us lemon cake and lemon aid :) sooooo yummy!

Friday-- I went on splits to Odawara! On the train there I sat next to this cute Japanese girl named Mori San. She's in college working on her blood testing degree. We had to pass the dictionary back and forth to have a conversation but she was so patient with my Japanese! I showed her pictures of my family and she showed me pictures of her two dogs! Haha :) It was such a blessing :) after we arrived at the station she told me, "thank you so much for talking to me." And she waved goodbye to me until we were out of sight of each other. What a blessing! My companion for the split was Shitami 姉妹. She is Japanese too but she is the cutest! We were super good friends right away. Friday night we went to bible study class. We read the scriptures with their new member Natsuki chan who was baptized a couple weeks ago. She's the cutest! And her Japanese is impossible to understand haha. She had questions about the abrahamic covenant so I did my best trying to explain it in Japanese. After she told me she didn't understand at all and I told her that is okay for now. Bahahaha. I didn't understand it until like two years ago myself anyway.

Saturday-- I finally got to visit Mariko San my grandma's friend! She brought us to her house and we looked at all of the pictures they had with my grandparents. They went to Catalina Island, Huntington Beach, Cannon Beach in Oregon, the Grand Canyon, Mt. Fuji, and Temple Square. They were going on and on about how beautiful the temple is! Mariko asked about what we believe so we taught her a few basic things about how our church is centered on families and that we are all god's children. She says she believes in God and knows he's been helping her make the right decisions all her life. :) she is just like my grandma Yasuko! They were so loving and so excited to meet me! We talked for a long time and they printed out pictures of Mt. Fuji and temple square for me and Shitami 姉妹. They love MOTAB :) they're so cute! They played it for us and blasted it in their apartment :) *see photos below*

Sunday-- okay this day blew my mind. We have 4 investigators right now and only Akemi San comes to church every week. But this week Matsuda San came too! We were freaking out! We think it's because she felt how important it was from our lesson! Yayayaya!!! So we sat through church and then when sacrament ended we turned around and there in the back was the Kikuchi Family! They had come late and slipped in the back! Holy freak! #peeingourpantsfromexcitement #thechurchistruepeople! This week I sent them an email with a spiritual thought attached. I do this every week for them but this week I had the thought to send them a part of a talk instead. So I sent them "Stay By The Tree" part #4 from last conference. When she emailed me back she said: 

今、メール見ました。
とても感動し涙が目からこぼれてしまいました。

本当にいつも有難う。

Which translates to: Right now I just saw your email. I was totally brought to tears. Really, always, thank you. 

Holy crap! And Funa Shimai said that my mail must have convinced them to come to church. A freaking miracle. Miracle. 

The Lord knows what his children need and I am just the tool. Honestly, I can't do this without the spirit. Live your life so you are worthy of his companionship every day, every day, every day! 

Love Sister Fordiani

Burgers and bowling

Teaching Sakura chan

Our district this transfer
Me with Mariko San and her husband!
Me and Shitami Shimai
I got the package today! Thank you! And forgive my getto-ness in the
one with the poster from the ward. The photos and notes made me bawl
my eyes out! Thank you so much everyone! I love my ward!

Week 19 Transfer Two is Almost Over :(

Hey Everyone! 

I hope this email doesn't mess everyone's systems up because I'm sending it as a reply to my last weeks email haha. It literally takes me like 10 minutes to type everyone's names into the send box and this week I'm not having that.... 

I'm really excited to tell you that we are teaching Matsuda San again! We were teaching her weekly in April, but when Golden Week came she decided she was way too busy for our lessons for a whole month. That made me sad. But this last week we had a lesson with her and a member and I think it went really well :) I'm happy that our prayers were answered!

I figured out last night that another one of my prayers had been answered and I didn't even realize it. So I have been praying to figure out a better way to be healthy. I have set goals around my health, like drinking water and eating better, but the biggest thing that is hard is we can't go running or biking in the morning because Funakura Shimai already is so fragile with her health this time of year, going running would push her over the edge. So it's been difficult for me to find exercises to do in the apartment every morning. However, this week I had the idea to ask one of the Zama sisters if they would like to go running with me in the morning. When I asked, what I thought would be a "no" from both of them, was a huge "Yes"! I was so happy! And then I realized, I would've never thought of that idea by myself. God must have put that thought to ask them to go running with me in my head! That was an answer to my prayer! Yay!

I think I have just been so blessed this week and throughout my mission. The reason I say that is because I have been able to recognize most of the little blessings the Lord has given me to help me along the way. They have been feelings of intense love or peace, comforting thoughts, people in my path, and leaders loving advice, but all of those things are ultimately from my Father in Heaven who loves me so much! He loves you too. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In everything we give thanks: for this is the will of God." I know that through recognizing those little blessings and giving thanks to God daily, I have become more humble and more optimistic. Life isn't too hard when God blesses every step you take :) 

I love you all! 

Here are lots of pictures to make up for the short weekly report! 

Love Sister Fordiani :) 

1) A selfie of the group from Music Night in Shonandai on June 6th! (I'm on the far right)

2) The group who attended President Wada's Questions of the Soul (I'm in the back and a little to the left

3) Funa 姉妹 was sick all Saturday :( so I made cards for our investigators and really disgusting chunky pudding...

4) The Slades took us out to dinner on Atsugi Base! We had real American Pizza! Yummy! (I had pasta but it was so cute to see the look on Funakura 姉妹's face when she saw the size of the pizza they brought out) :)

5) we had lunch with the Watanabe family! They were telling us about their life and it was so awesome! That picture frame behind us has all these pictures of them with all the prophets who have passed away! So crazy.

6) Funakura 姉妹 loves Rapunzel :) so when she was sleeping I harnessed my inner artist power and drew this picture for her haha :)