Week 53 - ONE YEAR

Dear everyone,

Greetings. Thanks for reading. This week marks exactly ONE YEAR since
I got dropped off on the MTC curb with my overstuffed baggage and a
whole lot of worries and excitements for what the next year and a half
would hold. It feels like an eternity ago and yet still like no time
at all.

Since it was transfer week I accompanied Sister Mondano to Niigata and
bid her farewell (too many tears) and was on an exchange all day with
the Niigata sisters till the bus of missionaries came from the Honbu.
I guess I need a lot of help because they sent me TWO new companions.
Our trio ranges from ages 21-27 so it was strange at first but ...
What is age but a number? [British accent]. Sister Mayama joined the
church three years ago and is in one word: unshakeable. Sister Owens
is a bright and bubbly so it is a good example for me (conclusion of
many companionship inventories: Sister Willden often seems bored, even
when she is not. I will change, haha).

Anyways, since this is a five-week transfer, it feels as though I am
here to hand it over, and then I will depart to some unknown location
once the transfer's over. Time is short so I will eat up every minute
of it.

The week was full of lots of goodbyes (for Sister Mondano) and lots of
hellos (for Sister Owens and Mayama). We both thought, "It's funny how
much love you feel when you're about to leave a place." Amen. AKA we
should just love people all the time, but sometimes we forget. We can
always be better. (Quote attributed to Sister Mondano).

We have our work cut out for us. 21 referrals to visit this week. The
elders literally send us a referral every day because there are so
many stay-at-home moms on the island, and lots of really nice people
with lots of time (a change-of-pace from the hustle and bustle of
Chiba).

After hitting the year mark this week, I couldn't help but reflect on
the past year. So up and down, but oh-so-good. Every day is just a
glimpse into God's hand in the lives of everyday, ordinary people.
It's easy to feel forgotten (or to be the one who is forgetting) when
we're all wrapped up in our own little corner of the universe, but
God's there. He's in the details. It's just a matter of having the
eyes to see it, and oh what a difference it makes in your life.

Love you all dearly!
Sister Margaret Willden

(Monday, June 9)

Pic 1: Sister Mondano and I ate some balot for fun. It didn't actually
turn out to be that fun.




Pic 2: For transfers the elders took apart Sister Mondano's bike and
plastered it with hearts. PRECIOUS.




Pic 3: Found this gem in the Niigata apartment. Walking comforter /
Japanese snuggie.





Pic 4: Saying good-byes at the bus stop in Niigata. We cried.





Pic 5: The new Sado sisters. One American, Japanese and half-Japanese.
People for some reason always think that's funny when they see us.