It`s Sister Walker`s Last Preparation Day, So We`ve Got a Lot To Do.

Sorry, this is going to be a little bit of a short letter.  It`s Sister Walker`s last preparation day, so we`ve got a lot to do, and she`s got to do a lot of packing!

Not much happened this week.  We taught U***** on Monday after eating lunch with her, which she seemed to really enjoy.  We had a relatively powerful lesson about eternal life last week, so we were wanting to follow up with another powerful lesson about baptism this week. 

Tuesday: Much much housing. :)

Wednesday: We went to Hikone to help A******* Shimai`s friend with her Eikaiwa class. Basically, we just talked to some nice middle aged women who were really good at English for an hour and a half. Then A****** Shimai was super sweet and took us out to lunch at an ITALIAN restaurant!  (It was kind of weird.  Japanese Italian food is a lot different than American Italian food.  They like to put fish in everything.  But...it was...still good.  Yeah, still good.  Or, that`s how I would say it if I were Stitch.) That night we also had our own Eikaiwa, to which fewer and fewer of our students are coming, but that`s just because it`s the holidays.  Things will pick back up in a few weeks.

Thursday:  We taught H***** about Jesus Christ!  And she says she believes in Him!  We don`t think she quite understands all that that entails, but it`s definitely a great starting point. :)

Friday*  District meeting, finding, and study!

Saturday:  Finding in the rain and the Christmas party.  (See attached pictures)

Sunday*  The Elders had another baptism, so we went up to Otsu for that.   The kid is an 11 year old named K**** from a part member, inactive family.  His dad baptized him, and it was so sweet!  He started crying and could hardly dunk K**** under the water.  The Spirit was really strong.  The mom, who didn`t look happy to be there the entire time, also started crying.  Hopefully the family is able to remember what they felt and will start coming back to church!

Before I go, here`s a thought about personal revelation from Elder Bruce R. McConkie!

`We are entitled to revelation. I say that every member of the Church, independent and irrespective of any position that he may hold, is entitled to get revelation from the Holy Ghost; he is entitled to entertain angels; he is entitled to view the visions of eternity; and if we would like to go the full measure, he is entitled to see God the same way that any prophet in literal and actual reality has seen the face of Deity.`

This Christmas, I intend to give God more than I ever have for the next year.  I need this revelation, and if we give all we have, we can really get it.  He wants to give it to us, we just have to be in a position where we have readied ourselves to here it.  

I love you all!

The church is true! The book is blue!

Love, Sister Whitney

          Pictures of the Christmas party we had on Saturday night at the church!

 

                  Also, me and N********** Shimai! 

 

Finally, Walker Shimai and I with the present we got from the ward.  It had a lot of candy and food, a warm scarf each, and some warm winter boots each!  It was really sweet.  Plus there were Lindor truffles.  I`m eating one now. :)

 

Today we tried to go running to the ruins again.  Made sure to get there at nine and we brought a dollar like it said to on the outside.  But it turns out the entrance fee was five dollars!  We were so mad.  Clearly, we are just not meant to hike these ruins.  THen we're going to dendo for a couple of hours, go grocery shopping and go home so Walker  Shimai can pack.

     The face Me and Walker Shimai made when we found out we couldn`t hike the ruins after all.

  

                       The face we WOULD have made if we could have hiked!

Me and the trees and stuff by the ruins.

      I actually really love my Japanese translator now.  It`s helpful for when I`m talking to someone and we both know I don`t understand a word, so they tell me how to spell it, I look it up, and Walker Shimai and I go `OOoooh!`  It`s also getting easier to be able to hear what people are saying so I can look it up.  I also figured out that I can draw Kanji (the big complicated characters that there are around 80,000 of) and look up what they mean.  That has been awesome. :)  I would recommend it.