Transfer 10!

Oarai Beach 

Hello everyone!

Sorry I didn't get on and email earlier, we had a busy day! I've hit
double digits now. I have three transfers let... But good news is,
Sister Solomon and I are staying together for another transfer! I'm so
happy I get to finish her training and we can't wait for all the
miracles awaiting this transfer!

Last week was very busy! We had companion exchanges in Matsudo and I
got to do doki dendou with Sister Hubbard! I love her so much! We had
a great time and learned so much from each other. The next day we had
a New Missionary Follow Up Training in Tokyo and it was so fun! I love
being at the mission home but it was just crazy realizing how old I am
in the mission... Reality is finally hitting me and it scares me
because sometimes I feel like I'm not where I should be and I should
be better at Japanese or be a better missionary but I'm trying to
focus on the positive things. This week I'm focusing on Hope and I
found a simple scripture that I really liked which says,

"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

That's really what I want to try to focus on. I am here in Japan to
share the love of God that I feel. I may not see too many people in
the waters of baptism but I know if I touch their hearts through the
spirit they will want to know more and in their time they will choose
to follow the Savior.

We had a little Hallelujah Easter concert after church. We invited
some of our investigators and Saito and her little baby came and
Nakamura San and her three kids! We were so happy to see them! I sang
in some of the choir and just looking out at them made me feel so much
joy and they just looked like they fit in so well. The ward also did a
great job fellowshipping them so that helped a lot. It made me so
happy because Itsuki (Saito's baby boy) came running up to me! It was
so cute that he knows who I am and remembers me! I love it here in
Mito and I am so blessed with many wonderful people to meet and be
friends with and to share this amazing message of hope and peace.

I love you all so much! Thank you for everything! I miss you all. I
hope you all had a great Easter and were reminded that because Christ
Lives we all can live again. I know that my Savior and Redeemer Lives.
He loves each and everyone of us! Always strive to remember Him and
His atoning sacrifice. I love you all! 愛しています！

Love, Sister Lacey

早いじゃん⁈

Hello everyone!

Thank you for all the awesome emails! I have officially passed my one
year mark in Japan and it's crazy that now I can say "a year ago
I...." So weird. Anyways, last week was really good! We had a great
time at the temple and I felt the spirit so strongly. I love going to
the temple and receive such strong heavenly guidance. After the temple
I took Sister Solomon around Tokyo and we had a great time! I have a
bunch of photos for you all so stay tuned!

We had a really great lesson with Saito San! We finally really felt
the spirit in the lesson and connected with her a lot. In the morning
during study we both had no idea what to teach her. We wanted to show
her a Mormon message but we couldn't decide which one. We just prayed
really hard that it would all work out and right as we began the
lesson the video popped in my head so we showed it to her and she
connected with it a lot! She was finally able to see how the gospel
can bless her in everyday life. We bonded with her a lot and said how
we care and love her and want to help her. She also opened up to us
and said how she feels so much peace when we visit her and she just
feels stress free. It was really great moment and tears were shed. I
really think she'll begin to progress more now!

Not too much exciting things happened this week but it was still great
and we say little miracles everyday! Bishop has asked me to give a
talk next week on Easter and I'm actually really excited and I was sad
when he said only 5 minutes. That's not long enough to give a talk!?
Haha we'll see if I decide to go over or not.

I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your amazing examples! Stay safe!

Love Sister Lacey

Sent from my iPad

One Year in 日本！

Making some Japanese food for Sister Solomon's birthday!

Add caption

Happy Birthday!

Festival in Kairakuen

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皆さんおはようございます！

Today is going to be a little short because our Pday is kinda split in
half. We are going to the temple tomorrow so we are doing some things
today and some tomorrow. I literally can't believe that this week I'll
hit my one year mark in Japan. It's crazy that I've lived in this
amazing place for a year. I'm definitely going to start treasuring
each moment more and more.

I just wanted to share a few funny things and things I've learned this
week. First off, we teach this one lady, Saito San, english and also
share a message to her. She has the most adorable little baby. Itsuki
is so cute and he loves name tags! He always grabs them and tries to
take them. Recently, he has also tried to adventure in sitting on my
lap. Let me tell you, it is the hardest thing to set him off of me. He
walks over to me and wiggles his way in between me and the table and
sits on my lap and then turns and looks at me with a sly smile. It's
almost as if he knows he's not allowed to sit on my lap and then I
have to set him off. Anyways, the first thing I want to do when I get
home is hold a baby!

I decided to watch part of the face 2 face with Elder Holland to the
YSA. Elder Hollands testimony at the end was so powerful. He said some
things that were exactly what I needed to hear. One quote from him is,
"whatever the question, the answer will always be The Gospel of Jesus
Christ." He shared Moroni 10:32-33,

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves
of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all
ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then
is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect
in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can
in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and
deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of
God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the
covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become
holy, without spot.

Elder Holland testified that this is what the gospel is. This is the
message to all - Through Christ anyone and anyone can be freed from
guilt, sin, sorrow, and pain. There is no other way to completely heal
us except through the atoning blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. He is
the way. He is the light of the world that cannot be dimmed. I know
that it is only through the Redeemer of the world that we may receive
everlasting joy and happiness. We can all receive this promise if we
accept the call from the Lord Jesus Christ to "come, follow me." He
will keep every promise made to you, all we need to do is trust and
not deny him.

I love you all so much. Thank you for all your love and support! Have
a great and safe week!

Love, Sister Lacey

Sent from my iPad

Over 6,000 views!

Sister Lacey's blog just went over 6,000 views today!  Thank you for your interest and support as she serves her mission Japan!

One hand left...

Her new necklace

"Greenie" package her mom and sisters sent

Someone just handed them some donuts
(and coffee, which they didn't drink of course)

English Class

View of their area with Sister Soloman looking out 

Banana muffin making pro!

Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well! This week flew by. We
can now count how many months I have left on one hand. Yes. I'm
freaking out.

This week we had zone conference and it was amazing as always. The
Naganos help me every time. I learned so much but probably the thing
that stuck out to me the most is being prepared. President said the
Spirit looks through our brain and sees what we have studied and then
prompts us to use that. I never thought of that! I always figured that
if we had the Spirit with us we'd be fine and everything would work
out but it finally clicked to me that of course I need to be prepared
and study because sometimes I get so jambled in lessons or they say
something that throws the lesson off so obliviously I need the spirit
to guide but I need to make sure I'm prepared with things for the
spirit to guide me with.

I'll give you the bad news first. We have no idea where Vy has gone.
She hasn't contacted us back all week.. We're a bit worried and her
member friends said they'll let us know if they hear from her. Also,
Mayumi finally came to church again but she's not completely sure she
wants to continue the lessons... I'm not sure why. She wants to keep
coming to church and learning but my guess is maybe she was just
converted to the member she has a crush on. Sad. We'll see what we can
do. President Naganos words are just comforting me from when he said,
"the elect will do hard things" so it's helping me know that the
prepared people will make it.

On the bright side, we have 4 new investigators and they're all member
referrals!! We didn't have to do anything! We decided to try to bond
with the ward more so we went to where we teach Kodomo Eikaiwa in a
small little neighborhood and brought the bishops family and another
member family some banana muffins. They were talking to their friends
in a neighborhood park so we met some of the friends. One of the lady
asked us to tutor her daughter in English and we made an appointment
to do that. The next day Angell Shimai said she is willing to listen
to a church message as well! The members took us around to their other
friends houses and we seriously didn't have to do anything but smile
haha. The members said who we are and what we do and asked if they had
interest! だからwe have 4 new investigators! We are excited to see how
these appointments go this week! Dendo is definitely more successful
when working with members!

I love this work so much! I am learning so much and I'm sad it's
coming to a close quickly. I'm trying to stay focused and work hard.
One scripture that has kinda been my theme for the week is, "I will
not leave you comfortless; I will come to you." I love you all! I hope
you have a great and safe week! 愛しています！

Love, Sister Lacey


Sent from my iPad