Holy cow!! Christmas time came and was done in a blink of an eye! Christmas in Japan. Wow. What a fun time. I Skyped my family this morning and what was left from that was a puddle of tears. Happy tears of course. I was so happy to see and talk to my family. AH. I love them so much. The second I saw them on the screen, my whole being turned into Niagara falls. I was probably crying and choking up the whole time. Haha I love them so much.
So many things happened this week! But here are some highlights and miracles! :)
PRIESTHOOD
I forgot to include this in my last weeks email. But it was a very special moment that I wanted to share. So last week, I was super sick and because of that I was in bed. Which led to one thing...--> lots of doubts
lots of doubts and feelings of inadequacy started eating at me. I showed up to Eikaiwa just feeling so gross inside. And the second the elders saw me, they asked me if I wanted a Priesthood blessing.
They had no idea the doubts I was feeling...or how i felt personally. all they knew was that I was sick. But the very moment they put their hands on my head.. I felt a strong sense of home. A feeling of peace and a power that was greater than any being. The words that flowed, where exactly what I needed to hear at that time. A feeling of reassurance and love from my heavenly father. They finished the blessing and there was a puddle of tears on my skirt. I am so grateful for those who are ready and willing to give Priesthood blessings. The Priesthood power is real. The place of where it comes from...thats my home. That is where i belong. That feeling of home came because thats where I am meant to return. With my Heavenly Father :)
TEMPLE PDAY
Holy cow. best day of my life. not only did I get to go into the Lord's house...but I saw MY BEST FRIEND. my trainer was there and when we saw each other we both bawled. Actually...I think it was just me. I just cried. Not her...haha but wow!!! I miss her so much. It was so nice to catch up with her afterwards❤
EXCHANGES
Probably my favorite thing to do every transfer is go on exchanges with the sister training leaders! Last time I had exchanges....we were followed by this crazy dude...but this time I experienced something so much more powerful. I experienced joy. True joy. I was with Sister Nicholes. She is by far...the happiest missionary to be around. She SHOWED me how to have joy as a missionary. She was beaming with the light of Christ. It was the first time in a while where I felt SO HAPPY. so happy. Missionary work is suppose to be happy!! It was the best experience ever. She inspired me so much.
CHARLIE
The day after exchanges, we found 3 investigators! Which is huge in this area! haha one of them...my best friend ever...Charlie. She is Chinese, and is in college. She is basically the Chinese version of me. She is fluent in Chinese, English, and Japanese. So I guess...she is the cooler version of me haha! we introduced ourselves as missionaries and had a full on lesson in the street basically. She kept repeating this phrase, "Oh my goodness. I have been searching for something like this." I heard that and there are no words to describe how i felt. The word that comes to mind is "Joy". Real joy. we invited her to come to church, and SHE CAME! I was able to teach her about the sacrament and about the priesthood! And she is craving to know more. It is so inspiring! She will totally get dunked....I mean..baptized. :)
More about charlie next week!
CHRISTMAS EVE
We spent Christmas eve with the bishops family. They are American! It was so nice because it was like a piece of home. and I actually could understand what was going on. Ahha We played the game "Pie Face" (if you don't know what that is...look it up) it is sooo funny!! And we played all sorts of games! For dinner, we had Mexican food. Oh my what. I didn't realize how much I missed Mexican food 'til that moment.
After all the fun and games, we were able to start a discussion about the gospel. The spirit was so strong and hearts were turned. at least mine was. The most amazing feeling is when I have the opportunity to testify of my savior, and words just come. (and the best thing is...that feeling can happen to anyone if you try it :))
This is the first time in my life where I was actually focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. My heart just flowed with gratitude. Jesus Christ is the reason for this season. I was told that my whole life...but when I lost myself in trying to bring that knowledge to other people, thats when I really believed it.
CHRISTMAS
"Merry Christmas you filthy animals!"-- I had to.
Christmas was on Sunday for us, and that was SO FUN. Charlie and Yuka came to church, and then they both came to the members home with us for lunch! First off...I have never seen a mansion before in Japan...until this day. We walked in...and my jaw just dropped. The food they fed us...was like wow. actually...yeah it was like...wow.
The first course they gave us was this green ice cream. or....what I thought was ice cream. it was this mousse stuff. that tasted like death....oh my gosh we all died hahah. But of course ate it so they didn't feel bad. Hahaha holy cow, "fake it 'til you make it" is a real thing. hahah and then they brought out fermented tomatoes...ohhhhhh. it was like you were eating an eyeball.
But the rest of the food was so good! we had to basically roll ourselves out of the house! Charlie and Yuka had a blast!!
The dinner appointment we had that night was with our gygene HOMIES!! that was so fun too!! this ward is home to me. i love this area with all of my heart :)
This email is all over the place, but I am just a happy missionary :) Things haven't gotten easier for me. in fact, probably the opposite. but at the same time...I haven't felt joy like this before. It is well worth it. ❤
Happy holidays everyone. I love you❤🌲
-Sister Phelps
Christmas Skype
Temple
Frogs
Christmas Eve
Christmas
Puddle of Tears
Christmas
