Transfer 12! I live in MIto!

Exchanges with Sister Tausinga, she's awesome!

Hey everyone!

This will be a shorter email but I wanted to let you know how
transfers went. So.. Very shocking news. Sister Batchelor is leaving
and I'm staying! I'm practically just a Mito member now though haha.
She is actually going to Okegawa where I was last summer. My new
companion is another Sister Parker. I will be followup training her. I
think she's on her 3rd transfer or something. At first I was pretty
shocked and a little bummed that I'm still here and I won't be able to
see more of Japan but after I said a prayer I just got so excited and
just like I rule Mito now and this is my place and I'm just so excited
for this next transfer!

This past week we had a new missionary followup training down at the
mission home and it was so good to see president and sister Nagano. I
was able to talk with them for awhile and it is amazing how much love
they have. I hardly see them but they still care and love me so much.
They gave me a lot of good advice for my last transfer. President also
told me to sprint to the end so I'm determined to do that!

I love you all so much! Sorry this is so short, I'll have a better
email next week! Have a great week!!

Love, Sister Lacey

子どもたち

Junichi kyoudais baptism!

Some high school girls they met :-)

Hello everyone!

The rainy season has officially begun... And it's all nice and humid
again and the cherry on top is the mosquitos are back and still love
my blood. It's a wonderful life as a missionary! Haha no but it is
really fun. I like wearing my rain pants!

But anyways, this will be a little short but this week was good! I
just love the children here. We went to go visit a member who lives in
a big apartment complex but the weren't home. But a little girl was
coming home from school and started asking us questions. We told her
who we were and where we were from and she told us she wanted us to
meet her mom. We walked with her to her house but her mom was asleep
so she begged us to please come back another time. I had just found a
four leaf clover a few minutes before that so I gave it to her and
said we'd come back and visit. Then as we were getting back on our
bikes, two more girls came out and started talking to us and wanted us
to play. We said we had to go but we'd come back another time. One of
them kept saying how she had seen us before but she couldn't remember
where. It was such a neat experience seeing how pure little children
are.

A few days later, we went housing met this mom and little girl but she
wasn't interested. We walked down stairs and the little girl, Mari (7
years old) came out after us and started asking us questions. She told
us she wanted us to meet her friend who live a few doors down. She ran
to the door and calls after Ayumi and she was so surprised to see us.
Ayumi is 12 and she has interest in everything we had to say! She's
been to church before and loves learning about Christ. We asked if we
could come back again and she said of course anytime and we set an
appointment for last night but sadly she wasn't home but we will try
again this week! Mari was also telling us to come back and see her
again.

I definitely have come to understand the scripture, "For the natural
man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will
be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy
Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through
the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive,
meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things
which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth
submit to his father." Children are so pure and innocent and are
humble. We need to be as they are and follow as the scripture says and
we will be so blessed.

I love you all so much! Thank you for everything!

Love, レイシー姉妹

水戸！

Greenie Package

Hello everyone! Thank you for the amazing emails as always! I love you
all! This week was pretty eventful so I'll fill you in on my favorite
experiences!

We have a few Eikaiwa students in high school. Naoki invited us to his
school festival and we decided to go so we could show our faces around
the students and parents and they could see we are harmless
everything. Let's just say I wish I went to a Japanese high school.
I've never been inside one yet and it was so nice! It was seriously
the best high school festival I've ever been to. There were all sorts
of games and mazes and activities. We totally stuck out like a sore
thumb but everyone was so nice trying to speak to us in their school
English but then they were surprised when I could actually understand
some of what they said. we had a great time and maybe the students
will open up to us some more when we stop and talk with them on the
streets!

We had a great time with the party last night. The Menzawa family's
son just got back from his mission so we had a big gathering with a
lot of less active's and part member families and they YSA in the
ward. After church we went to their house and cooked all day! It was a
lot of work but so much fun! It was all a success! One family who
came, the Furuichis, are very special to me. A few months ago I met
with Furuichi Shimai and her daughter Rumi but haven't seen them in
awhile. Furuichi Shimai is a member but her daughters are not. She
hasn't been very active in the church for a long time but my
companions and I call her every once in awhile and share spiritual
messages with her. Well, she has been to church three times in a row
now!! It's seriously so huge because she hasn't been in years. Well,
she brought her daughters to the party and I was able to talk to Rumi
for awhile. I was getting to know her more and she is super shy but we
bonded well and I told her I was glad we could be friends. Then she
told me how she's never had a friend before because she is so shy so
she was so happy to know that we were friends. It was such a tender
moment and we are planning on surprising her today for her 19th
birthday!

Also, huge news!! My good friend Junichi is getting baptized this
Saturday!! I haven't said much about him because technically he's the
elders investigator but, not trying to take all the credit, but I kept
telling the elders to start working with him because I knew he was
ready. He's been an Eikaiwa student on and off for a few years so I
think that's why the elders weren't focusing on him, because he hadn't
shown too much interest in the past. Well, a couple months ago Sister
Solomon and I were talking to him and he said he drank coffee but we
kinda taught him the word of wisdom and I told him I'd make banana
bread for him if he didn't drink coffee for a week (which he committed
to do! He said he really liked the banana bread:)). And then we
invited him to YSA activities and kept telling the elders to work with
him (in our mission we are encouraged to only teach members of our
same gender) and now, long story short, he's getting baptized this
Saturday! Last night I talked with him at the party and he opened up a
lot to me and told me some nerves and concerns he was having about the
baptism coming up so I helped give him advice which was mainly just to
pray because Heavenly Father knows what is best for him rather than
anyone else. I've been asked to speak at his baptism and I'm so
excited! He's such a good person and says he wants to be baptized
because he know it'll help change his life and help him be a better
person.

I finished the Book of Mormon this week and I just love it so much. I
was kind of postponing finishing it because I didn't want it to end
because it is literally my favorite book but then I had to remind
myself that I can just read it again haha. I know it is true. I love
you  all so much and I am so blessed to be able to be serving the
people here in Japan. Until next week!

愛するレイシー姉妹より

"Perfection Comes Not in this Life, But in the Next"

Temple

Garden by the Temple 

愛する家族へ

Hello everyone! Thank you for the emails and pictures! I'm g,ad you
are having a great summer vacation! This week was really good! Our
lesson with our member referral didn't quite go as planned but
hopefully she'll come around again soon! We were able to go to the
temple on Tuesday and it was amazing as usual. It definitely refills
me spiritual and gives me an extra boost. I also had my last zone
conference. I had a lot of mixed emotions. Zone conference was perfect
and it was everything that I needed to hear. Leading up to conference
j was really nervous and had mixed emotions about me going home soon
and it just felt so weird giving my final testimony but right after I
bore my testimony I felt overwhelming peace and comfort. I know my
time to go home will come and I will be heartbroken to leave Japan but
I know ending my mission isn't ending everything. I can still learn
and progress after, I just need to work as hard as I can right now and
serve others and not think about myself and I will feel that same
peace and comfort when the end comes.

I just wanted to share something I learned the other day. I was
watching the Mormon Message "Men's Hearts Shall Fail Them" by
President Russell M. Nelson. He talks about how if we have faith we
can handle difficult times because we have an eternal perspective and
know all will be well.

He says, "People are afraid. Men's hearts are failing them and that
includes women. Because they forget their identity and their purpose."
I find it so sad when I talk to people on the street and ask them what
they think the purpose of life is and many times they never have
thought about it or they don't even care. I have trying a lot more to
have Christlike love for everyone I speak with and that comes with
blessings and also trials. The blessing is that I have pure love for
people and want to help them, the trial is I get heartbroken when
people reject their Savior and I just wish they would open their
hearts.

President Nelson also says that heartaches will come but we need to be
patient with ourselves [and others]. Perfection comes not in this
life, but in the next." We need to not want or demand things that are
out of reach but we need to strive for improvement. I testify to what
President Nelson says is true and if we let the Lord help us, He will
make up the difference because He is full of love and mercy.

This morning I was reading in Mormon and it goes along with the Mormon
message. Moroni is crying out to our generation for us to trust in the
Lord and not fall away. He saw his people die and become extinct and
he testifies and pleads and asks "Why are ye ashamed to take upon you
the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of
an endless happiness than that misery which never dies--because of the
praise of the world?"

I pray that we are all never ashamed to take upon the name of Christ
and we don't let our hearts fail us because of the troubles of the
world. I know that if we keep an eternal perspective in mind then we
will accept our Saviors mercy and we can allow Him to strengthen us.
We need to be aware and accept the fact that we and others are not
perfect, but we are striving to be. We all need our Savior and
Redeemer.

I love you all very much! Thank you for your examples and continues
love and support. Have a great and safe week! Aishiteimasu!

レイシー姉妹より

Sent from my iPad

Over 7,000 views!!

Sister Lacey's blog went over 7,000 views this week!  Thank you to those who continue to show interest and support as she serves her mission in Japan.

"Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage."

皆さん、こんにちは！

Thank you all for your emails! I love you all! This week I have
learned a lot and have seen so many tender mercies of the Lord. It
started off with a rough week but I can say without a doubt that I
know the Lord is guiding this work.

On Monday, we finally were able to meet with Saito... She ended up
kind of dropping us... But I know that was God's will. We asked her if
she received any answer to her prayers and then she said "yes, God
told me to tell the missionaries my true feelings and I don't want to
change my life right now." As soon as she said that it answered my
prayers and I felt peace. I believe that was Heavenly Father helping
us know she's not ready and we need to find others who are ready and
focus on them. I was still pretty sad but I kept praying so diligently
that we would finally find prepared people. I read Mosiah 24 and it
helped bring me so much comfort.

14 And I will also ease the aburdens which are put upon your
shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while
you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses
for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord
God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma
and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them
that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit
cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their
patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be
of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

Let's just say we are starting to see the fruits of our labors! Last
Sunday, a YSA member told us he might have a referral for us soon. He
said to pray for him that he would be able to share the gospel with
his friend. Well, Saturday, while we were out finding we get a phone
call from Akiyama Kyoudai. He asked us what we were doing and we said
we were finding and then he said, "well I found someone for you to
teach!" It was the greatest phone call I have ever received. We are
meeting with Izumi later tonight. I don't think I've studied or prayed
more in my entire life.

Last week our zone was focusing on meaningful contacts and a few days
ago we set the goal to talk to 100 people. About the 90th person we
talked to was Aya. She is Japanese but studied in America and her
husband is Nigerian. She said her husband is Christian and sometimes
she goes to church but she has a lot of interest in our english
programs for her 15 year old son. She also has a 3 year old daughter
and asked if we could teach her and we mentioned we have a family
eikawa program and she had a lot of interest! We exchanged phone
numbers and she has been in contact with us. We planned to meet this
Saturday and we will give her a church tour. I can truly testify that
God hears and answers prayers.

I am loving being a missionary and I am so grateful for my Heavenly
Father and for His guidance. I have a new motto which is everyday I
tell myself, "It's a great day to be a missionary!" Kinda cheesy but
it helps me have a positive attitude and enjoy everything, excluding
the difficult times. Thank you all for everything! I love and miss you
all so much!

Love, Sister Lacey

P.S. Quick funny story. We were out finding around the lake yesterday
and this guy in maybe his 50s was running and he had a shirt that said
"run!" On it. I said (in English) "ah, I like his shirt." Then he
kinda looks at me and said thanks and kinda caught me off guard. Well
he is a really good runner because he passed us around the lake like 3
times. On of the times he stopped to talk to us and ask who we were.
He said he knows of our church and he wanted a flyer. He said how we
were doing good work and we also talked about running a little. It was
just funny and every time he would pass by us again we would high five
or cheer him on. Anyways, moral of the story. Well I'm not really
sure. But give people compliments!! I love you all!

P.P.S. Another story, more on the scary side. We were walking down a
busy street doing finding and a guy comes up behind us and starts
talking to us. The feeling was really weird and I could tell it was
bad news. He kept asking us questions and wouldn't stop following us.
He then asked if we would go to his house with him and i of course
told him no and tried to ignore him. When we realized he still
wouldn't leave, We told him we were missionaries and asked if he had
interest and he said no then we said "okay, then bye!" But still no
luck. I called the elders and they talked to him on the phone. He was
finally starting to get the hint. Then he tried to give me a hug
goodbye but I think I may have thrown my hands in to fists because
when I said "DEKINAI!" He kinda took a few steps back and said "sorry,
sorry" and look a little scared and then we walked away. The end.

I hope you all got a good laugh :-)

Sent from my iPad

Transfer 11

Good morning everyone!

This has been a crazy week! It was so hard saying goodbye to Sister
Solomon. We had to separate in a busy train and I was practically
pushed out of the train as we yelled goodbye to each other. Gotta love
trains in Tokyo. So my new companion is Sister Batchelor from Arizona.
She's 19 and so cute and has a lot of good desires and I'm excited to
see the miracles this transfer!

This email will be a little short so I'm sorry about that! Since I'm
still in Mito I rearranged the whole apartment, well as much as I
could, so it felt new to me. This is the first time I've stayed this
long in an area and I want to make sure I haven't gotten too
comfortable. The ward members were definitely really surprised that I
stayed but to my reassurance they do seem happy to still have me and
also they know I'm training again so they kept telling me, "wow you're
an amazing missionary so you're training again!" (Totally not the
case) and it kinda worked out though because we received two new
referrals yesterday from members! I'm really excited to meet with them
in the coming weeks!

The other day I was talking with President Nagano and just expressing
some concerns and asked for advice and he helped me so much. He said,
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." Whatever has
happened, today can be totally different and we can live each day with
perfect brightness of hope."

I'm grateful for his counsel and help he has given me. We can always
keep trying. It just reminds me of Elder Hollands talk that as long as
we desire we will be blessed. Let us keep pressing forward with a
perfect brightness of hope!

I love you all so much! Thank you for your prayers and support! Aishiteimasu!

Love, Sister Lacey