The Adventures of Sister Fishburn: Nihongo wa muzukashii desu👎🏻

For all of you non-Japanese speakers out there, the subject line translates to "Japanese is hard". And it's true. Japanese is the bane of my existence. But. Slowly, very very very slowly, I am understanding more. Just don't ask me to express my feelings about anything other than the church.

This week was another week in Nihon (I forgot my journal so it won't be as detailed as usual). We had some really good lessons! So, there's this member who was baptized a little over a year ago (I think) and she is the cutest person ever. Her name is Minami Shimai and I love her. We had a lesson with her this week and while I didn't understand like anything that happened, I loved it haha. She is amazing. And she came to church on Sunday!! She came up to me after sacrament meeting and asked if we could meet with her again this week (I understood her, too!) and I was like "oh my, of course!" And then I remembered I had to say that in Japanese and my language triumph was quickly thrown away. But it's okay because Minami Shimai is the bomb. She's also going to have a baby real soon and I think she's the cutest pregnant lady I have ever seen. Yes. I love her.

Streeting here is real rough. Everyone is always in a hurry and no one wants to talk to you. So we like to talk to people on trains when they can't run away. It's the best. They're forced to stay and chat. Little do they know we've trapped them to help save their soul. We also kubari a lot (when we pass out flyers [chidashi] for eikaiwa, the free English classes we teach every week). People stop to hear about the free English classes and then we get to slyly throw in that it's free because we're all volunteer missionaries for our church and then we sometimes get some nice conversations about God from that. I like to kubari. I also like it because literally all I usually have to say is
"muryou eikaiwa!" And then explain where the church is using a map that's on the flyer. Saving souls one flyer at a time. We also get rejected a lot so it's helping me realize that not everyone wants to talk to the tall gaijin and rejection is okay. I mean, it's their salvation, not mine.

The weather here is kind of awful. It's either blazing hot and you're sweating all of the fluid you once had in your body out or it's raining and the humidity makes you so sticky you aren't sure you're going to be able to unbend your arm from holding your umbrella. It's lovely. BUT every once in a while, in a hot day we get a nice breeze that cools you off and reminds you that God still loves ya. It's the little miracles that get me through the day.

Homesickness. I thought I'd be good once I got to Japan. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA no. I miss y'all so much. All day. Every day. However, it's okay. Why is it okay that I'm doing the hardest thing I've ever had to do and my family is literally an ocean away? I'm glad you asked. Because my trials are nothing. I am literally nothing. Alma 26:12, right? But because I know that this gospel can and does bless people immensely, I have to share it. There are definitely days when I think about going home and having a good American meal cooked by mama fish while papa fish and I watch some college football. But by the end of those days I'm thinking about how I'll get to be with you all for eternity. I know that. So many people here don't know that. They don't know that their life has a purpose and through this gospel, they can see miracles and receive blessings. So yes, the mission is SO hard but it's also SO worth it. Especially when I come home at night and my feet hurt so bad they're throbbing and I have blisters the size of Japan. Those are the best nights because I know I did all that I could that day.

Eikaiwa. I love eikaiwa. We teach kids eikaiwa earlier in the day and they're all so cute. We did introduction words last week and one little girl raised her hand and said "I am from Japan" and I thought I was going to pass out from the amount of cuteness that was thrown my way in that moment. There's also this kid that just looks like he hates his life. He's a punk. But I enjoy him and his baseball cap even though he looked at me like I was the stupidest person he's ever met.

The members here in Hachiōji are seriously thee best. I don't know if I told you about Kitahara Shimai but oh my, I adore her. She's the relief society president and always helps us out when we need a member present lesson. She's also probably the smallest person I have ever seen in my life. SO LITTLE. But she's leaving us😭😭 her and her husband are leaving to serve a mission at the Sapporo temple on September 26😔 she's basically already a missionary, though. She just needs the tag. Another member who probably is my new favorite human being ever: Watanabe Shimai. First time I talked to her all she did was mock me. Seriously. She spoke slow and imitated my awful Japanese and then just smiled, laughed, and walked away. Everyone told me that Nihonjin aren't sarcastic. Watanabe Shimai proves all of them wrong. Everything she does is sarcastic. EVERYHING. I. Love. Her. Watching her and our district leader, Elder Jennings, interact has become my favorite activity. There are no words to describe her other than she is amazing and all I do is laugh when I'm around her. I'm never leaving Hachiōji.

I have had a few classic Japanese meals. Nothing too scarring from those experiences. BUT WAIT. So, it's rude not to eat ALL of your food here. You literally have to eat every grain of rice. So we were at a members house and they fed us lunch. Sandwiches, to be exact. I was very happy in that moment. At least I was until she brought out basically whole tomatoes for us to eat. I. Hate. Tomatoes. I just looked at Porter Shimai and she said "if you can get them on my plate without her seeing, I'll eat them". But that opportunity never came. So I ate them all at once and I had to physically stop myself from gagging. It was an awful experience that I would not wish on anyone. So there ya go, dad, I had tomatoes and I really don't like them. It's not just me thinking I don't like them. They cause me actual pain to eat.

HAPPY MTC ENTRANCE WEEK, MACRAE OR SHALL I SAY ELDER FISHBURN!!!!! You'll do great. It'll be awful at times BUT YOU ARE TOUGH AND YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS. And there will also be fantastic days so don't dwell
on the hard ones. Also, I need your mission email or you won't ever hear from me, ya goober.

Soooooooo since I forgot my journal, I can't tell you all the amazing scriptures I read this week.. And that makes my heart sad. So here's a few I can remember: D&C 105:14, 19, & 41. That's a good section. The whole Doctrine and Covenants is good. Y'all should read it.

Well, fam, I love you. I love you lots. But more importantly, Jesus loves y'all. Remember that, and remember that someone in Japan loves you!

Stay safe. Stay classy. Stay sassy.
--フィッシュバーン姉妹