It's Raining and Pouring

Tsuyu (or the Rainy Season) technically started last week, but the downpour didn't start until last night. It's been dreadfully hot and muggy of late, but looks like it's going to be a little cooler with all the rain that's expected; just about every day this week I think.

Teaching this week went pretty well. We're seeing a bit of progress with Nanba-san, a single mother of three. Her heart's been opening up wider and wider, especially as we work with the members with her. Cross your fingers, I'm hoping she'll be coming to church soon!

Umetani San... drumroll please! ... ... ... ... ... Okay, maybe it's not all that exciting, but still! We've officially taught her all of the pre-baptism doctrine, so now we just have to work up to her baptism. She was in church again yesterday, for the third time!! We drove with some members to visit her yesterday afternoon and to meet her husband. Awesome!! I felt absolutely no animosity from him, he was very kind, not opposed to the church at all, and even seemed a bit familiar. He doesn't want to hear our message at this time, but he has no qualms whatsoever about his wife joining the church. Well, we'll see what happens and if we can't start to meet with him sometime soon!

Well, hopefully these emails haven't been too boring. I'm trying to think of ways to spice them up... I’m working hard and trying not to get discouraged. It seems that now that my companion and I are out and about a lot more than last transfer, I've once again started to get those feelings that I'm not doing enough. I know that negative feelings don't come from the Lord, but it just gets to me a little sometimes.

One thing I'm a little confused about, but will hopefully be resolved at Zone Conference this week, is "effective" missionary work. Recently - and I've said this before - our leaders have been making a big emphasis on "Natural Conversation"; avoiding the tendency to stop people on the street by asking "Do you have a moment" but talk with them in a more natural way. Also, to not spend all your time housing, but to find the proper place for it... But then I read Elder Palmer's emails, and see that he's still having cool experiences with street tracting... Maybe I just need to not compare. I'm sure I shouldn’t compare! I just really want to know what I should be doing -- what kind of Missionary Work is the most effective, and I'm running out of "New" or "Different" ideas. Don't worry, I'm still trying to keep my face to the Son (thanks for those encouraging words, Dad). I know that He knows what I'm going through, and that I can find peace in Him. So from here I'm going to try to trust in Him a lot more and make sure to have a constant positive attitude.

Oh by the way, I have learned that you can make your own yogurt by opening a carton of milk, covering it with tissue and a rubber band, and leaving it out for a day. . . I haven't tried any yet (Lacey, you KNOW how paranoid I am about these kinds of things), but I was making a cake for a dinner yesterday... You see we ran out of milk the other day, and I had already added all the other ingredients not realizing I needed milk. Well... pulling up my sleeves, puttin' my game face on, and mustering all the courage from within my senkyoshi (gut), I valorously opened the homemade yogurt and poured some in the batter!

It actually turned out okay... And looks like no one's gotten sick yet. Tee hee.

Anyway, last night's dinner was at the church: Hayashi Rice, potato salad, Sou Mein Salad, Tempura Beans (can't remember the kind of bean, but they were way Japanese), and my little Cinnamon Dessert Cake! It was with the Yamane Family (Branch President, his wife, Mother, and son), Brother Satou, some of the Young Adults, and Katsumi Yoshioka - a 20 year old investigator who seems to "only want knowledge"...

Hmm, we might be dropping some investigators soon -- it's been either really hard or impossible to meet with some of them, but we'll see.

Wow, Kajiuchi Choro made a superbulous Beef Stroganof-esque pasta dish the other night. I'm hoping to learn a lot of cuisine tricks from him!

Well, this week we have Zone Conference again at Okayama. This time I get to see Sister Condie from my MTC district, and Elder Uemura (from my "Honbu Doki" - or same-time group at the Mission Home)! Woot!

Don't hesitate to write any snail mail letters. Our mail box has been quite hungry lately, and he seems to have a pretty big appetite.