久しぶりだね (That's A Long Time)

 It's Monday already!

Time continues to race by. Even though we had what I guess was a "slower" week - lots of cancellations and people being too "sick" or "busy" to meet us. I'm not really sure what people think we do all day - maybe chill at the church or our apartment, because they seem to think they're doing us a favor when they cancel. "Oh it's raining today, don't bike all the way out to my house! Don't catch a cold!" And we're like, thanks friend. Since I can't be at your house I will now be standing out in that rain knocking on doors or trying to think of someone else to go visit uninvited. People definitely don't know how much effort we put in for them. If they did they might be kind of weirded out. Typical example of daily preparation:

• 9:00-9:30 the night before - plan the next day, decide what should be taught, begin and end with a prayer
• 10:30 - pray for our investigators before bed
• 6:10 the next morning - say a really groggy, half-asleep prayer for them
• 8:00 - pray again and study to be able to answer their questions
• 9:00 - pray, study and plan lessons with your companion
• 10:00 - pray, study all the Japanese you'll need for the day's lessons And add in maybe like 30 more prayers.

Then you get a text like two hours before the appointment saying "ehh, I'm kinda tired, let's reschedule for next week." Grrr!

Okay, rant over.

We saw some good things this week even though we spent more time than I would have liked circling the same blocks over and over, trying to find addresses than aren't written anywhere visible. I could complain for days about the awful house numbering system in this country - and, unlike Tokyo, there aren't 7-11's on every corner where we can mooch the free wi-fi and check Google maps. I wonder if the missionaries in America use 7-11 wi-fi as much as we do? I'd like to thank the CEO of 7-11 worldwide for all your company has done to hasten the work of salvation.

Ami Shimai came to church! Probably the first time in like 6 years. She had a good time and said she felt a warm feeling, even though the teacher in Gospel Principles didn't know she was a member at first and kept asking her all these questions like "have you ever see the Book of Mormon? Have you heard of Jesus Christ?" I was trying to think of a tasteful way to say something without embarrassing either of them but luckily another member did it for me.

We went shopping today for the first time in a while, and I decided to be brave and look at the pants section. Basically there are rows and rows and rows of size 22 (What is that in American sizes? Like a 00?) and then one tiny section of "fat" pants from sizes 24-30. Skewed, shrunken Japanese sizes 24-30. I have no idea where actual chubby people here buy their clothes. I actually did end up buying one pair of pants, because they were stretchy and XL - I wonder what it will be like to shop in America and not feel like a giant.

This week I ran over a snake with my bike for the second time in Japan. I think this one was already dead, but still freaked me out. Critters here are HUGE. Bees as thick as my pointer finger, spiders that would cover my hand, grasshoppers four inches long. I took a picture of a big moth we found, with my foot next to it for reference.

Other random highlights:

• Sister Jones and I sang "there is sunshine in my soul today" at Music Night, using a maraca I made with rice for percussion
• The elders taught one of the men in the ward how to say "good morning, my fair lady" so that's how he greeted everyone coming into church.
• Sister Jones taught me how to make pudding in the microwave with milk and an egg. It's been a blast.

Well, can't think of much else. Hopefully next week is more exciting.

Love you all and I'll talk to you soon! Although it'll be on Tuesday because we're going to the temple next week.

Anna

Big Japanese moth (the binomial name for the Luna moth is “Actias artemis,” and in Japanese it’s called “Oomizuao” (オオミズアオ))