Adjusting to a new area :)

I can't believe how fast time goes by!  I've decided that on a mission the days are long but the years are short.  I celebrated my year mark with a box of easy mac that Angie sent me when I was in the MTC (Mission Training Center) :)  Don't worry it had only expired the week before :)!  It was a nice taste of America for my one year old "Mission B-day".  

This week in Kurume was an adventure.  I finally got my bike fixed and I am starting to get a hang of things.  I did tell Oi Shimai (Sister Oi) that if she ever did leave me stranded somewhere I didn't think I would be able to make it back to the apartment.  I think the thought was tempting her :)  so if I don't email next week you know what's happened to me!  I love working with Oi Shimai (Sister Oi).  Heavenly Father has really taken care of me.  I think he knew I would be upset about leaving Okinawa so he gave me Oi Shimai instead.  We have been having a blast!  This area is HARD.  We had MLC (mission leadership council) week with all the APs (Assistants to the Mission President), zone leaders and Sister Training Leaders and our mission president this week.  It was really, really good.  We learned our Kaicho's (mission president) vision for this transfer and what we can implement in our zone training meeting and during junkai's (splits).  I also got to see all the zone leaders and sister training leaders (like Sister Lewis my Mission Training Center companion and the Okinawa elders and lots of other people) which was fun.  But Kaicho let it slip that Kurume is a hard area.   He knew it was hard!  I usually really like that guy, but at that moment I just wanted to cry.  So we really stepped it up this week.  I like TEACHING.  And in order to do that you need to find investigators so we've been working so hard.  An average amount of contacts in our area ( if you really try hard and meet the standards) is 120.  We did 340.  I am exhausted, but it paid off and we found four new investigators.  We're still starting from ground zero and there is a possibility that these people won't pan out but I'm really hopeful and I keep telling Heavenly Father that we are desperate and we will talk to ANYONE that is within our vision so just send those kinjin (golden investigators) our way and we'll find them!  

This week we have zone training meeting (I'm a little freaked out to train the zone).  They are all such AWESOME missionaries) and our first junkai (companion splits) as Sister Training leaders.  

In other ground breaking news, I have officially become Japanese.  I used a squatter toilet for the first time.  I finally became desperate enough.  Lots of the members have a hard time remembering Hawkins Shimai so I told them if I was actually Japanese I would want to be Miyuki Chan and so members have started calling me by my Japanese name :)  

I love my companion, I am learning to love my area, I love the sisters I'm working with and I am so grateful to have this opportunity.

I love you guys!  Have a great week!

Hawkins Shimai