Well.. uh..

This week was filled with a lot of experimenting and failing.. but now we know what not to do so that's good!

One cool thing happened on Wednesday while we were walking to the church for eikaiwa. When we prayed before we left, I specifically asked to be able to find someone who we could give a copy of the Book of Mormon to. On our way to the church there is basically NEVER any younger people over there because it's all just old couples that live on those streets. But as we were walking we saw a high school student! So I was like "don't freak out. You gotta risk it to get the biscuit." And we stopped her and talked to her for a little bit. We talked about families and how much they mean to us and how we're all children of God. We were able to share one of my favorite scriptures, 1 Nephi 11:17, with her and she accepted the Book of Mormon!! Whaaaat!? God hears all of our prayers. And He's just waiting to help us with what we need. When we ask, He will help. He will bless us. He will guide us. The power of prayer is seriously insane. Heavenly Father loves us so much and has given us a way to talk with Him. How cool is that!?

On Thursday I went back to Kamiōoka! I was on splits with my new STL, Miyagawa Shimai. She is so cute. We taught a lesson to their investigator who is straight up adorable. We taught about tithing and fasting. We were kind of worried about it because she LOVES to shop and tends to spend all of her money on that.. but after we taught her it we asked her what she thought and she said she wanted to keep it! Yay! She is still praying about baptism but Miyagawa Shimai and I both feel like she will be baptized one day. She just needs to recognize her answers first. It was a way good lesson! I love going on splits because there's always sooo much you can learn from other missionaries.

We also had a lesson on Saturday and it was sooo good! We gave her the Restoration pamphlet last week and asked her to read it before our next lesson. And she did! She even took notes and wrote down what questions she had! It was so cool. She's just like a sponge who soaks up information and can't get enough. She was like "can I keep learning about this?" YES!! It was amazing!! We're going to meet her again this week. We're pretty excited about her and hope we can continue to help her learn and grow in the gospel.

This past week we learned a lot about what not to do.. but we're hoping to take that and be better this week. We fall so we can stand up and try again, right? Well, that's what we're going to do! I'll hopefully be able to report back to y'all next week about how that goes, haha.

This past week I hit my 15 month mark. Whaaaat? So crazy, right? I am such an old woman missionary now.. I'm always tired and Rodriguez Shimai was like "well, when you're an old woman, you need more sleep!" Ouch. But so true. Hahaha I'm going to sleep like a baby on that plane ride home. But that is still far away so for now I'll just keep poppin mints to keep me alert, haha.

I hope you all have a great week and know how much I love you!!

Stay safe. Stay classy. Stay sassy.

Love you!
愛しています💕

--フィッシュバーン姉妹🐟🔥

In a random park we found where people were
doing some crazy ceremonial Japanese archery.
This part of the park reminded me of a sad and
lonely Gatsby mansion. I quite enjoyed it.

I finally bought new shoes and
decided to retire the old ones.

 It was a sad day..⚰️

Walking back today✌🏻

Big shock here..

I forgot to write down my scriptures again..😒 so sorry. Please read on your own, folks. You'll get more out of it that way, anyway😊😊

Hahahaha today in Japan is respect for the elderly day and so we want to make cards for elders because we think we're funny😂

This week in Yamate was a good one! But not overly exciting, if I'm being honest haha.

It rained a looooot. Like a lot. So going out and trying to talk to people was a bit rough but we did our best. Actually, speaking of rain, it rained all day Saturday and Sunday because there was a typhoon! Yaaaas! But to my disappointment it like really came Sunday night when we were sleeping. Lame😒

On Wednesday we had zone conference but it was the whole Yokohama stake so there were a buuunch of missionaries here in Yamate. It was way good. We focused on Enduring to the End and working with the ward and stake leaders. So good. Definitely inspired. It was cool to see all of the Yokohama stake missionaries. But it also made me realize that I don't know like any of the younger missionaries anymore and I am just an old woman now. I don't know them and they don't know me. Sad, right?

So fun history fact for all of you: back on September 1, 1901 here in Yamate, not far from where our church is, the dedicatory prayer for the the Japan mission was said. How cool!? So all Zone conferences were held here in Yamate in honor of that. And because of that there's a ton of church history stuff in the Yamate church and I'm just like a kid in a candy shop. It's the best. Seriously. So cool! We also had the first stake president in Japan come and speak to us. He's like 91 years old and so cool. He wants to live to be 129. I like him. He also basically told us that if we want to run away and go home to just do it. I don't think President Warnick enjoyed that part😂😂

Okay. This broke my heart. We went to meet one of our investigators here and her husband is pretty opposed to church things. Well, he wasn't supposed to be home and he actually was home. So he answered when we got there and told us his wife had "stoped the Christ thing" and that we weren't allowed to talk to her anymore because he said so. We tried to leave some banana bread and he wouldn't even accept that. He wouldn't listen to literally anything we said. It was bad. And I started to cry and then he apologized but I was just done and couldn't take it anymore. His wife wants to follow Christ so badly but he won't let her. I don't understand. I mean, I do because Christianity doesn't have a good reputation here in Japan but at the same time it just makes NO sense to me. None. So as he was apologizing I just had to walk away. Rodriguez Shimai and I are praying that one day his heart will soften and he will allow her to be baptized like she wants to be. If he never does, I know she'll have the opportunity in the next life to fully receive the gospel and all that it has to offer her.

Missions are hard. They're real hard. People tell you no a lot. Way more than any other time in your life, I think. But even though that's true, you also get to meet people who tell you yes sometimes and they make up for it all. But if you let those "no"'s stop you and keep you from trying to find those who will say yes, you'll only find the sad parts of being a missionary. So you have to keep going and keep trying. The blessing don't always come right when we want them or how we want them but they will come. You just have to endure to the end! Keep enduring, fam.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week! Oh! Next week we're going with the elders to a zoo where apparently you can ride camels. But it's kind of far so I don't know how much emailing time I'll have..but I love you all SO much!

Stay safe. Stay classy. Stay sassy.

愛しています💕

--フィッシュバーン姉妹🐟🔥

We went to a park one morning to do some finding and it was beautiful! We also met some cool people who wanted to take pictures with us and then they showed us their drawings and they are like reeeeeal good. So good. We talked to them for quite some time. I enjoyed it haha they said our church was too far from where they actually live but they would try to find one closer to them so that was cool👍🏻

First week in Mountain Hand✌🏻

Yes, the kanji for Yamate 山手 means "mountain" and "hand". I live in "Mountain hand". Cool. It's actually really pretty here and I quite enjoy it. I mean, tears were definitely shed when I left my beloved Hachiōji but change is a good thing, right? Also, Yamate is like the most fancy area I have ever seen in my life. It's filled with lots of rich people and lots of gaikokujin (foreigners). It's weird. I have heard more English in the last 4 days than I think I have my entire mission. So weird. I also feel like I am waaaaay too poor to live here. But it's okay because I live in the "normal" people part. It's kind of like how in Kaysville when people live up on the mountain, you know they are rich. It's the same here in Yamate. SO MUCH MONEY. It's crazy.

Before I left Hachiōji I called basically all of the ward members and told them I was leaving and it was the worst thing ever. I don't like saying goodbye. Not one bit. Nope. And they were all so cute and a bunch of them came to eikaiwa to say goodbye or set up appointments with us for before I left. My heart❤️

Yamate is a good place. I like it! I really do. The ward is smaller than Hachiōji but everyone is suuuper nice. We had dinner with the bishop and his family on Friday and then met a bunch of the other members at this like summer festival the ward put on. It was way fun. They did this thing where they make a little noodle slide with bamboo and then they put soumen (noodles) down it and you just stand around and try and catch the noodles as they whiz by. It was fun haha I'll send some pictures for you:)

The Yamate Ward is really great. They have all been so welcoming. It's also probably the most diverse ward ever. Like really. So many different nationalities! My favorite thing is that there's a Chinese woman who speaks really good English and okay Japanese and she's married to a Japanese man who speaks perfect English so they speak English to each other and their son has lived in Japan his whole life but only speaks English. How does that happen!? Mind blowing. But I think it's cool haha when you live in Yokohama, you don't actually need to speak Japanese, apparently.

We have an investigator here and she's so cute. She loves the Book of Mormon and has received all of the lessons but can't be baptized even though she wants to because her husband won't let her😭 it makes me so sad. So we're trying to figure out how we can soften his heart so she can come to church and be baptized😊

Speaking of baptisms... LIZA GOT BAPTIZED!!! AHHHHH!!! Words cannot express how happy that makes me:) really. It was hard knowing I couldn't be there for it but it was slightly easier knowing that mama and papa and brother fish went and supported her. Liza is so strong and I'm SO blessed to have her as my best friend😊

Today we're going to Costco! Woot woot! It's been so long since I've been to Costco haha. It's my first time going in Japan! So I'm excited hahaha. We're going with the elders and should be good:) Gotta buy me some big bags of delicious Japanese granola!

To end I'll leave you with some scriptures:) Words of Mormon 1:8, Mosiah 3:20, and Mosiah 5:7.

This week I learned that change is hard but it's a good thing. We just have to trust in the Lord and it will all be okay.

Have a good week and never forget how much I love you!!

Stay safe. Stay classy. Stay sassy.

Love you!!
愛しています💕

--フィッシュバーン姉妹🐟🔥

There are SO many churches here in
Yamate and this one is across the street
from ours hahahaha I died😂😂😂

Awful walking selfie with Rodriguez Shimai💙

The noodle slide! So funny hahaha
People take these things seriously here. 

The noodle slide! So funny hahaha
People take these things seriously here.

We had lunch with Yamaoka Shimai before I left Hachiōji. She's so cute.

Hatanaka Shimai💕 she gave me chopsticks
because I told her I love them:) and a cute
handmade holder for them. I love her so much.

Minami Shimai and Furui Shimai.
They're adorable. Love them!

After kids English class with some of my favs✌🏻

My beautiful Aoi chan.
She came to eikaiwa to say
goodbye to me and I could've cried.

The week of trashed shoes👠

Hey, fam!

Yup. My shoes are reaching the end of their lives (mom, this doesn't mean you send me more, I have plenty!). This week I noticed that one pair has holes in both shoes and another is just straight up falling apart😂. I guess that's just life when you walk literally everywhere🤷🏻‍♀️. Not going to lie, makes me feel like I'm maybe doing this whole "missionary" thing semi correctly. Idk.

In other news for the week.

We had a good family home evening lesson with the Kurogi family on Monday. They are great! The parents both graduated from BYU (although I have yet to hear them speak English..) and are SOOO nice. They have three daughters; Riana, Riria, and Riira. Riria just got back from spending a month in Utah and was so happy when she heard I was from Utah and lived close to lagoon hahaha she also gave us waaay too much American candy that she brought back. It was even in a Smiths bag and I was like "woah. #throwback". The Kurogi's LOVE A1 steak sauce so Riria brought some back with her and because of that, we had steak for dinner haha it was so American. I mean, except for the side of plain white rice haha. We shared a message with them based off of an article from the September Liahona called "Physical Comfort from the Scriptures". We can always get comfort from the scriptures but when we need it most it's best that we've practiced finding that comfort each day so that it's easier when those hard times come. Read your scriptures, y'all! Find the comfort!

Okay, here comes the sad part. On Wednesday we met with one of our investigators. Last time we met with her we asked her to do Moroni's challenge again and read and pray about the Book of Mormon and if it's true and if this is the true church. So we asked her how that went and it went great! She said she got an answer and the Book of Mormon really is true and this is Christ's true church! Buuut then she followed it up with "but I was trying to figure out how to tell you this.." no. No no no no no! She says she realizes the importance of baptism but for now she thinks studying other non-Christian churches and "taking another path" is what's best for her. She believes she'll end up back at the same place we're at but she'll just take a different route. No! There's only one route and it's through repentance and baaaaaptissmmmmm. It's safe to say there were tears shed during that lesson. She basically dropped us. She said she'll still come to church when she can but probably won't take lessons. So sad. 😢

We also got to meet with one of my favorite members, Tomoko Shimai, and her daughter Momo Chan! We talked about peace and how we all can find peace through different ways but it's all the same and that's so cool! Because it's all a gift from God! I think it's cool anyway.. it was a good time and we were really happy because we weren't expecting Momo chan to come so when she did it was a little miracle for us😊

I got to go on splits with the beautiful Hirata Shimai and as we were walking around we saw this older couple walking while holding hands so we commented on how cute it was and next thing we knew we were on our way to have tea with them. Hahaha it was great. They're so cute. They've met missionaries before but never been to church even though they live like a 3 minute walk from it. If even. But we offered to give hem a tour some time and they said they'd like that! So we'll go back and follow up on that very soon:). Also, Hirata Shimai is just the best and I was able to learn sooo much from her. It was a good day:)

We also met with a super nice lady and her cute kids. They're 10 and 7 and she wants them to learn English so we're doing half English, half church lessons with them. The jury's still out on them but I think this could be really good! I'll keep you updated on them.

Here I am, rambling. Yet again. So sorry. I'll wrap this up now..

Scriptures!! Jacob 4:12, Jacob 5:41&50, Jacob 6:4, Jacob 7:12, and Enos 1:5-7. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the Savior and His Atonement while I'm a missionary so now you all get to do it with me:) you're welcome😊

Oh. Good news! It's starting to cool off here which is making me REAL happy because last September was hotter than hades and I was not looking forward to that again. But according to the weather forecast, the highest it will be in the next ten days is 80 and that makes my heart leap for joy🕴🏻like, I wore a cardigan to church yesterday. Yeah. That's right. The Gods of Fall are smiling down upon us here in
Hachioji (and by "Gods of Fall" I mean Heavenly Father because, ya know, there's really only one God.. sorry, Buddha).

Okay. I'm done.

Have a great week and enjoy your Labor Day tomorrow!!

Stay safe. Stay classy. Stay sassy.

Love you!
愛しています💕

--フィッシュバーン姉妹🐟🔥

These fruit leathers look like tongues😜 

Tomoko Shimai and Momo Chan💕

The always beautiful Hirata Shimai and I after
walking up a hill that just about killed our
grandma missionary bodies✌🏻

This picture is for Heidi and Crae.
Yes, it is a dinosaur.
And it's holding a dinosaur skull in its hand.
I found it at the train station