Week 8 - Hola :D

Hola! :D

It sounds like the Tokyo mission had a very busy week this week! The Sister's training meeting sounds like it was amazing! I want to read a copy of your talk mom! onegaishite mo ii desuka? :D The Sapporo mission does something like that too around transfer times when everyone goes to Sapporo to transfer, but we weren't able to go because we didn't transfer and we're out in the countryside - it would have been too expensive to go just for the sisters training meeting. Hopefully next time it happens I'll be able to go! Do you do all of your talks in Japanese? Do you have someone translate them for you, or do you write them yourself? That is so neat that you got to attend a triple baptism! We are having a baptismal service in our ward next week (an eight year old girl from one of the member families) and right now we have commitments from at least two investigators to come and see it. One, Onodera san has a baptismal date for November 18, and the other had a date before but it fell through - we are hoping to be able to set another one soon! This past week has been a little more difficult in terms of appointments, and people cancelling at the last minute - we've come to realize that the planners have a "Back-up Plan" section for a very good reason - we even need a back-up for the back-up sometimes. That's just how it goes though, and we work through it, and often times its when we have to revert to plan B that the really neat things happen.
One example from this week - we were on our way back home from an appointment about 30 minutes away by bike. We were riding along, when we decided to stop and talk to someone up ahead. We stopped and said hello, and instead of the usual "Oh sorry, I;m really busy right now I can't talk" - she looked astonished to see us! Luckily for me my companion had the frame of mind and the memory to put two and two together and realize that it was the same lady that we had stopped and talked to for about 5 minutes my first week in the field, about a month and a half ago! At that time she said that she wanted to come to church, and gave us her home phone number, but she never came and when we called it was a wrong number. There was nothing else we could do, so we thought that was going to be it - until we ran into her again! She said that she had had to go to the hospital that Sunday, and that her Father had answered the phone, and he is very protective I guess and doesn't like people calling for her, and so he had said that it was a wrong number! Anyway, since that time she said she had been hoping to run into us again, and had even tried to find us, but had not been able to. We exchanged cell phone numbers this time, and were able to meet the next day for lunch. I don't know quite yet where it will go from there, but I don't believe it was an accident that we met again!
Obihiro is getting pretty cold now, it is always pretty sunny but the wind is super strong so that makes it pretty cold - especially on bikes. I think its usually about 15 degrees celcius, but it feels more like 0! I'm starting to pull out more and more of my winter clothes, and getting a little nervous for what the winters will be like if the fall is this cold! But so far its been all in all very good weather - as long as I bring a coat :D
My favorite scripture of the week is Mosiah 24:12-15. I have especially felt on my mission and in the last few weeks that God does hear my prayers, both spoken and those said in my heart, and I have felt his strengthening influence in helping me meet the responsibilities of being a missionary. We are given trials so that we can be stronger - but I have realized recently that that strength does not come from us, but it comes from God - and that is the test, to see if we will have the faith, humility and patience to let him strengthen us - because he will!

I love this gospel, and I love being a missionary! I love all of you, and reading your letters!

Until next week!!

love,

Sister Budge :D