This past week I received my travel itinerary home. A strange thought.
As in, this really beautifully strange adventure will actually end at
some point. And my oh-so-efficient, wonderful mother already
scheduling appointments for when I come home--eye doctor, dentist,
haircut, chiropractor, whatever else is out of sorts--is a wake-up
call. It does not ever feel like I will ever leave Japan.
And so I will just keep on going until it is time.
It was a good week. Every week is a good week, even when you want to
think it's not. I went on exchanges to Chosei with my MTC friend
Sister MacArthur, where I almost had to ride a bicycle that was two
times bigger than me. Except I fell off trying to leave the station so
we just walked and borrowed another bicycle. Then we got lost for two
hours in the countryside and a policeman pulled us over and asked us
what we were doing. (The first time I've ever been pulled over on a
bicycle ... )
On Sunday, one of our friends came to church for the first time in
months, and as she listened to the hymns, she asks, "What is that
feeling? It makes me want to cry." That, my friend, is the Spirit. And
it's great.
And now, since Jesus was fond of parables, and I of literary
symbolism, I will tell you the parable of the Goya. Do you know Goya?
It hails from the island of Okinawa. Anyway, it is green, lumpy, and
just a little (a lot) weird-looking. My first experience with Goya
occurred in my first-transfer ignorance when I found it in the fridge
and decided to stir fry it. Unbeknownst to me, it has a bitterness to
rival Brussels sprouts. Unfortunately, it was chopped too finely and
couldn't be extracted from the meal. It was just EVERYWHERE. However,
as I now near my tenth transfer, my repeated encounters with Goya have
made it more tolerable, maybe even enjoyable.
The symbolism behind this--Goya--green, lumpy, kind of weird, is like
the challenges in life. We're not really sure why we have it until we
experience. At first, it REALLY just doesn't taste good, but with time
it becomes more bearable, and we become grateful for it (like how I
was sort of grateful in my first transfer to have such a delightful
vegetable for sustenance).
Disclaimer: I would be lying if I said I like eating it, but you get the point.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf says it so well:
"We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our
problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much
of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God
that there is rain? Being grateful in times of distress does not mean
that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through
the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges."
Mmm. This was a good reminder for me.
Have a great week. Thanks for reading! Love you all!
Love, Sister Margaret Willden
(Monday, August 11)
Pic 1: I looked through my camera and this is all I had from my week.
A family of dried squid that my grandma sent me. I guess this sums up
my week. Interpret as you will.
Pic 2: This is Goya.
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