I'm a friend of the Bees

Dear family and friends,

The Bees

 

Its hard to believe that I`ve only been in Fujisaki for about two weeks! I still haven`t had the chance to tell you about my first week here and it seems like already ages ago!

 

Here are a few highlights from last week...

 

We received about a billion referrals from the Ward Mission Leader Brother Shiki. He is a big bee enthusiast and has a lot of fellow bee keeper friends, so he gave us a referral for one named Aoyagi san. I was really confused about how we were supposed to approach him because he said, `Just go to the gas station where he works and say, `I`m a friend of the bees``. Thats it. I was like...uhhh...haha. Kaneko Shimai didn`t seem to think it was weird so we went, did exactly that....and somehow in the midst of being taken behind the gas station and seeing his bee hives he accepted a Book of Mormon and said he wanted to hear our lessons. Haha! Another referral was for Brother Shiki`s chiropractor friend who used to attend BYU as an exchange student. We went and did a really sketchy lesson in his chiropracting room and he told us both our necks are crooked because when we were born we were yanked out. Is that true? Anyway, we also accepted the lessons. Some of the most interesting ways I`ve ever found new investigators.

Man on a funny bike

 

This ward is INSANELY awesome you guys. There are numeruous activities each week including cooking classes, Eikaiwa, BBQ`s, talent shows, etc. So many great opportunities to meet new people and have new friends come to the church. We`re planning a soap-making activity with a member to do with our friend Marie who is from the Philippines!

The senior couple who works here in Fukuoka. I love them SO much!

 

We saw a huge miracle this week! We were teaching a lesson at about 7:30 at the church with Araki San, which is kind of rare because we usually meet him in the afternoon. After the lesson was over I looked over and this woman was standing in the doorway all shaky like she was about to pass out from dehidration. We sat her down and it ends up that she is a less active member who said that she had walked for about 6 hours from a different area all the way to the church. We were all pretty confused but it just so happened that the member who jointed for our lesson with Araki san had brought a picnic for us to eat so we were able to feed her. After a while she finally told us she had run away from a hospital, and Araki san just happened to have the phone number on him so he called and her parents came to get her.Turns out that she ran away from a place she was being hospitalized that afternoon an her parents and all sorts of people were searching for her for hours! It was really just a miracle that we were in the church at all that night! I learned a lesson then about what Elder Bednar said in a talk once about how a lot of the time we`re being led by the spirit even when we don`t　notice.

With Bishop Miyake and his family after FHE

 

Did I tell you that Araki San is going to be baptized this Saturday? We finished all of his lessons and he had his interview so he`s all set to go. We`re so excited for him! More to come about that next week! Sorry it took so long for me to email this week. From now on I`ll only be emailing on Tuesdays. Today we had zone conference so I decided to just email today so we wouldn`t have to make the extra trip to Fukuoka.

 

I love the gospel so much and I`m so grateful for all of my blessings. Especially for my family and friends. I can`t wait to talk to you on Mothers Day!

 

Love, Tingey Shimai