Good week!

Hello everyone!

This week, my testimony of prayer has really been strengthened.  I was having a really hard time last week, for various reasons, and I prayed very specifically for the things that I needed help with.  I also asked Mom and Dad to pray for some specific things that I've been struggling with, and this past week, I have literally felt strengthened and lifted up by the powers of heaven in ways that could not have come from myself.

This has just taught me that I need to pray more specifically for my investigators.....and also that we'll actually be able to find investigators, haha (:

Soooo....guess how many OYM's we got this week as a companionship?

93!

We talked with 93 people this week!

I think you can imagine how big of a step forward that is for us, seeing how the first 2 weeks in this transfer, we were lucky if we talked to 1 or 2 people everyday.

I don't know what happened this week, but I can do it now.

Miracles happen (:

On Tuesday we had Zone Conference in Yokkaichi and then we went on exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders in Yokkaichi.  I was with Sister Crofts, and she is boss at OYM!  Even during the short walk from the chapel to the eki to go back to Nagoya, she just stopped 5 people on the street.

On Wednesday, we probably stopped about 85~90% of the people we saw on the street, as we went to and came back from an appointment.  Although we didn't find any investigators from OYMing, it felt a lot better once we started doing it.

I think watching Sister Crofts just simply stop people took away about 75% of my fear, and as I've started doing myself it these past few days, the rest of the fear has slowly started to evaporate.

Yesterday, we went to Nagoya-eki with a member to OYM, and it was amazing how easy it was to talk with people!  I still get nervous, but the nervousness doesn't immobilize me, like it used to.  It's more like the nervousness that I got when I played for the opera--whether I do it well or not, it's happening anyways!  haha

This week in Zone Conference, Yamashita Kaicho introduced the book, ''The Power of Everyday Missionaries'' (Clayton M. Christensen) to us, and encouraged us all to study it.

I just finished the book yesterday, and I really really loved it!!

The book is about how to do member missionary work effectively, from helping people to be interested in the gospel, to helping investigators progress and see the truth.

There is so much in this book that I want to apply to my missionary work, and I challenge you all to look it up and take a look through it!  (I think you may be able to read it online?  I'm not sure)

If any of you have a chance to read this book, I would love to hear what you think (:

Before I end, I have a few questions....

How can I use my talents in missionary work?

Seeing how I can't cart a piano onto the streets of Nagoya, I kind of feel at loss as to how to use my talents, but this is something that my district is focusing on this transfer so I would like to hear your ideas (:

Also, what would you like the missionaries in your ward to do better?

How do you think they could be more connected with the ward members?

I love you all!!