Joy and Sadness

Mom and Dad
 
This week... Oh this week, it was filled with some much joy but also
so much sadness. Okay I will start off with the good.
We have baptismal dates here in Urawa. Our investigators are doing so well.
I am so grateful to be a part of the work here. Sister Sticht is so
great. Like she is awesome. I love her so much, she loves missionary
work and the utes. So what more could you want in a companion.
Anyway...... Where should I start with this week. We had lots of
miracles but also lots of really sad hard things happen too!! For
example this week we found 3 new investigators. Talk about awesome and
we also taught lots of lessons. Something really cool that happened
was,
On Saturday we were on the train. And we started taking to this girl
and she was so cute and nice. Well long story short, we talked and
talked and talked. She has some interest in God but hasn't really
thought about him to much. She insists that she is another religion.
Well we asked her if we could exchange numbers and she said yes! So
then she like only took  picture of our email address. It was like
realy awkward. And then she said she would email us. Usually when that
happens, you never hear from them again..l but we tried to keep the
faith. And guess what the next night she emailed us and said thanks
for meeting me it was so great and thanks so much for praying for me,
I really appreciate it. She is so golden!! We are way excited about
her.
So that was an awesome part of the week. We were lucky enough to have
many things like that happen this week!
So, I never really realized the power of Friday the 13th until I
became a missionary... Because let's just say it was one to remember.
I now believe that Friday the 13th is truly an unlucky day! Haha  So
first off really sad news happened in the ward here, one of the young
members a boy about 14 years old, tragically and unexpectedly passed
away on Friday. He went to the doctors for a cold he thought he had...
But then it turned into like a tumor on his heart and he got it
removed and then was in a coma for a few days and the he woke up and
was like doing perfect and then a day later his heart just stopped. So
this past weekend was funeral things. It was so hard. Me and sister
Sticht literally stood on the corner of a street for 2 hours holding
up a sign and telling people where to go so they could go to the
viewing for this little boy. Talk about the worst Valentine's Day
ever. Also another things that came clear out of the blue on Friday
was.... Sonpon and her husband Yu (the Matsuhashi family) dropped us.
Yeah... Talk about ouch. That was very unexpected.  But I don't know... I
think that the Matsuhashi family will be back. They will realize the
way church, and God, and Jesus Christ have changed their life.

This week I have thought lots and lots and lots about this gospel. So often
I find myself questioning the very things I am here teaching. The
trials people are faced in this life, why people aren't born into the
church, why bad things happen to good people, why won't everyone
accept this message of goodness. And I don't know. I think that the
answer that I just keep coming up with over and over again is I don't
know why these things happen. I don't know the answer to any of those
questions, but what I do know is that God loves every single one of us
so much. And that he wants the very best for all of us in this life.
 
But things are great. I love Japan. I love being a missionary. I love
this gospel and I love my savior Jesus Christ!
 
Have a great week!
XOXO
E
 
 
 NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.