Week 35

Hi minasan!

Week two on the freezing tiny little island of Sado has been glorious.  People see us on our bicycles and stare at us like we are the weirdos that we are (no one rides bikes here, and definitely no one rides bikes in skirts and helmets at the same time), but mostly everyone willingly stops to listen.  There are miracles around every corner. 

Here they come...

On Tuesday, we survived a rain-hail-snowstorm.  The weather here changes in the blink of an eye.  But we like bad weather because then people feel bad for us and let us in.

On Wednesday night, we were just about to run out to catch a bus when President Budge called us.  "Sister Willden, how are you?  Right now you are on speaker phone with a general authority."  I already feel like I am an awkward telephone-talker but the Assistants (who were laughing in the back of the car listening in) said it was prettttty funny.  President Budge and Elder Whiting of the Seventy were just calling to see how we were doing in Sado but I was a little flustered because he is a very busy person and doesn't exactly just call every day.  But I told him Sado is good.

After that, we boarded the ferry and went to Niigata for the conference with Elder Whiting.  BEST THING OF MY WHOLE LIFE.  It was like every little thing said was exactly what I needed to hear.  Read on to hear what he talked about. 

On Saturday, we hopped on the ferry again to go home and survived a rather bumpy ride.  We  had the best intentions to study on the ride but it just turned into us six missionaries laying on the ground in corpse pose for 2 1/2 hours. 

Also Saturday.  Seven boxes of furniture delivered to us.  Sister Mondano and I are quite the handywomen, if I do say so myself. 

Today, we found a new family to teach.  The cutest middle school girl came out of her house and we shared with her the Book of Mormon.  She received it giddily and asked us if we would come back tomorrow to teach her family.  Why yes, we would love to.

This week was full of so many insights.  Housing the other day we talked to one man who said the island is really struggling.  Everyone on the island is growing old, there are no jobs for anyone, and there doesn't seem to be any hope in sight.  That is why we have the gospel, we told him.  And isn't that the truth?  My absolute favorite definition in the Bible Dictionary (I like to read it straight through--it's that good) is the definition of GRACE.  Elder Whiting mentioned this in the conference:

"The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ ... This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts."

Life is hard, but sometimes we make it harder than it has to be.  The price has already been paid, so why don't tap into the power that it holds?  Sometimes I think "I am the worst missionary in the whole entire world because I didn't sprint after that person and talk to them / dozed off during personal study / got annoyed when that grumpy old man starting yelling at us / etc. etc."  But repentance is a principle of change.  And we have the strength to change as we put forth our best efforts and turn to grace.  It's not something I feel like we talk about very much in Church ... but I like it a lot.  And I really don't know how to express it very eloquently in words, so read the scriptures because it does it a lot better than me. 

Anyway, this was sort of all over the place.  As usual.   But be excited for next week, because it will be becoming to you from an iPad mini.  The Church is true.  And getting very techie. 

Love, Sister Margaret

Pic 1:  Sister MacArthur, who was in my district in the MTC, sorting through the Area Book while we were in Niigata for the conference.  As we eat weird frozen banana things.

(Monday, February 3, 2014)