Great Teaching (and learning) Moments

Lacee is having so many great teaching (and learning) moments as she continues her language and teaching training at the MTC.  These are a couple of experiences from this week's email:

I'm struggling to remember what happened this week. I really don't remember. The weeks and days are really just starting to blend all together. Tomorrow I will be officially half-way done in the MTC. It's weird though. I still feel like I know nothing. We had a few good lessons this week with our kyudosha. We taught Toshi san a couple days ago about the Atonement and God's love a little bit. We had him read John 3:16, but we crossed out the "world" and put "Toshi san" next to it. Let me remind you that our scriptures are in Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. That was quite a little bit of work that went into that. Anyways, we had him read that during the lesson. He started to read it, and then he looked up and smiled and asked, "Toshi san?" We just smiled at him and told him yes. He finished reading it, and just sat there for a minute. You could tell that he could feel it. He said wow and that it was a great scripture, but he had a hard time believing it. When we asked him why he told us it's because he's a bad person, and that he had done bad things, so why would God love him? It was one of the saddest things I've ever heard. I told him that wasn't true at all. That he was a good person, and that we all make mistakes, but it's ok because God will forgive us. He struggles with prayer though, and feeling God's love. He works on Sunday's though, so we try every lesson, but he can never come to church. Our lesson yesterday was only a short one, so we did a follow-up, and invited him to come on a church tour with us. He said he would. We also got him a picture of the Savior (O My Father by Simon Dewey) and put 2 sticky notes on it. One said "Don't forget to pray" (literally translated to something closer to: please will you not forget to pray) and the other one said "God loves Toshi san. John 3:16". All in Hiragana and Katakana of course because none of the kyudoshatachi (Teacher/pretend investigators) read Eigo (English) or romanji (The English spelling & letters of Japanese words). So we gave that to him, and he loved it! It was so cute. Anyways so those went pretty well.

Oh so neat experience. It really seems silly, demo (but) it was definitely a tender mercy of the Lord. I was having a really bad day on Wednesday. I started taking the medicine Tuesday, [She's been sick for over a week...had to go to the doctor at the BYU Health Center...a sinus infection...] but I felt worse on Wednesday. I just was having a hard time with all kinds of stuff. So I have the same meal schedule as Tyler W. [a good friend from her ward at BYU]. I see him quite a bit. So I was like ok, I just have to make it to lunch, and then I can see Tyler. So I get to lunch, and I'm looking for him, and he's not there, sasuga (of course). So I'm eating, and I just said a little prayer. I just asked that I could just please see Tyler. So I'm done with lunch, and no Tyler, so now I'm feeling even worse. I got up and starting taking my tray to the place where you put it away, and I hear behind me, "Hermana Babcock!". I almost cried right there. I turned around and it was Tyler. He was a host that day, so his meal schedule was a little different. I hadn't seen him come in because it was behind me. So I went back and we stood there and just talked for a few minutes. It seems like nothing, but I know in that moment the Lord answered my seemingly unimportant prayer. He was aware of me and my needs; and after the trial of my faith, I received the blessing I needed. I know that Heavenly Father knows and loves me. If he will answer something as small and seemingly insignificant as that, He is so aware of all of us. So talking to Tyler helped, and then later that day, on my way to gym, I hear someone else call my name. And it was HAMMY!!! [another good friend from her ward at BYU]Tyler was Hammy's host (awesome right?!) and they were just coming out of his residence hall as I was walking past. So I took a picture of them, and then Wells Shimai took a picture of all three of us. It was so awesome to see him. Hammy has the same meal schedule too, so that's fun. I see him at meals, and sometimes I see him around.

So overall, things are going really subarashii (wonderful!). Learning lots, and growing lots.

Almost Halfway through the MTC

Well, I'm slow getting Lacee's blog updated this week because we have been travelling in California with Brandon this last week!  It is so fun to have him home!  But here's a story Lacee shared this week about learning the language...it touched my heart and you will be able to see that it also touched her heart!

From Lacee's email:

So Wood Kyodai is in our branch presidency. I love him. He's great. He was doing interviews probably the first or second Sunday, and when it was my turn he asked how I was and how Nihongo was. I told him I loved the MTC demo (but) I was so frustrated that I can't learn Nihongo. So he talked to me for awhile, demo he told me something that was totemo sugoi. Daisuki desu. (Very great. My favorite) So he told me that if a farmer planted a bamboo seed and a fern seed, the fern seed in not too long will have a little sprout...in a couple months or something. But the bamboo has nothing. Then as the months go on, the fern keeps getting bigger. Still nothing from the bamboo. Then after a year, the fern is big and beautiful, but the bamboo still hasn't sprouted. The same with the second year. And then the third year. And then the fourth year. And the fern is still just doin' it's thing...growing and being all leafy and pretty and stuff. So then the fifth year rolls around and finally the bamboo has this little tiny sprout. And within that day it can grow like 6 inches! He said it grows so fast you could almost see it growing. Within that year the bamboo can grow 100 feet!! 100 feet! That's incredible. He said what happens is that the bamboo is growing and building this incredible root system. You can't tell it's doing anything demo it's doing crazy things. So then when it does sprout, it can grow so fast. He said that some of us are ferns and some of us are bamboo. We're both growing, just in different ways. It's just easier to see the ferns grow. I just LOVE that!! Isn't that like the best thing you ever heard? As long as I'm growing, I can be ok with being a bamboo.

Oh Happy Day!

I SO love getting Lacee's emails...she writes like she talks!  (a hundred miles an hour and so expressive!)  It makes me SO happy!

From her email:

"Seeing Brand was SO good. Let me give you the play-by-play. So you said like 2:30, so it was 3 and I still hadn't heard anything, so I was afraid maybe they couldn't like get a hold of me or something. So proceeded to take things into my own hands. So, I called the front desk...haha... and they thought Brand was going to be a new missionary checking in, so I explained to them what was going on. They made sure it was approved and everything, and then they said they would tell me when he got there. But he checked in while I was on the phone, so they told me to just go right then. I literally started tearing up right then. I power-walked to the front as fast as I could while still trying to look "professional". I was fighting tears the whole time. Then when I was walking up the hall, I saw Brand and made this weird noise that I can't explain. It was like a squeak and trying to not cry and a little scream all at the same time. Then I was really moving and I just started bawling and gave him a huge hug. I seriously lost it. I'm sure by my red, puffy eyes in the pictures you can tell that. I was just crying and hugging him. It was so great, but not long enough."



Our two full-time missionaries

 

"I'm doing really great. Things are going really well. I can actually understand some of what the sensei are saying to me!! Ha.. no it really is starting to come along a little bit. I still know nothing, but I've relaxed a little about not knowing everything. "

 

"The coolest thing that happened this week was when we were teaching Toshi-san (Our teacher/investigator).  He doesn't really pay attention, and he's hard to get engaged in the lessons.  We had prepared a lesson Iesu Kirisuto to Iesu Kirisuto no Aganai ni suite (about Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ's Atonement). Then not too long before our lesson we switched to the Kaifuku (Restoration).  Tokidoki (Sometimes) the Mitama (Spirit) tells you that your kyudosha (investigator)needs something else. I can actually talk about the Kaifuku in Nihongo a little bit. So I was explaining a little about Josefu Sumisu, and the First Vision. Toshi actually seemed interested for a change. So then we had him read JS History 1:16-17. It was AMAZING. He read it and then after he just sat there. The Mitama (Spirit) was so strong. We just let him think about it. We just sat there for probably a minute or two. Then he said that's amazing. What a great experience. Then he just kept saying wow. He could feel the Mitama (Spirit) too. He asked who the two people were. Although I had already explained it was Kamisama to Iesu Kirisuto (God and Jesus Christ). He was confused because his parent are Catholic, and they think God and Jesus Christ are one person. So we explained that they are two people, but are one in purpose. For me that was the first moment that my mission felt really real.  I can't explain the love for Toshi that I had at that moment. It was the most amazing experience. So then we asked how he felt. And he said it was hard to explain, but he felt really good. We told him that what he was feeling was the Holy Ghost. He said he liked it and wanted to know if that's what he would feel if he came to kyokai (Church). We told him he would. He asked how he could know if it was true, and how we knew it was true. We told him it was from reading the Morumon Sho (Book of Mormon) and lots of prayers. Then he asked why we were senkyoshi (missionaries). This is the embarrassing part. I cried. I cried in a fake lesson with a fake kyudosha (investigator), but I'm telling you it was one of the most spiritual moments in my life. I just testified to him, and I teared up. I told him I was a missionary because I knew the church was true. I knew it. I told him the Book of Mormon was the word of God, and that God would answer prayers. Wells Shimai said a few things too, and Toshi-san said wow ii senkyoshi. (Good missionaries). I know it sounds choto hen, demo sugoi deshita. (I know it sounds a little strange, but it was amazing) So that was pretty neat."

Missionary Girl is doing great!  As you can see from her email, the language is coming and she is definitely getting the missionary spirit!

First Full Week at the MTC

Well, after her first full week at the MTC, Lacee is still happy and loving both the MTC and the people she is getting to know!  The language is HARD!!!  She says she is struggling (but those of us who know her know that anything less than an "A" means she thinks she's struggling!:) ).  Her Sunday meetings are all in Nihongo, and she is learning Hiragana because that's the language the hymns are written in.  She says that Kanji is by far the most difficult to learn but some of the Book of Mormon is in Kanji so she needs to learn it!  From her email:

 "The language is incredibly difficult. I can read Hiragana now, but it's still kinda slow. We do sing in Nihongo though, so my Hiragana is improving quickly. All the hymns are dake in Hiragana. All of sacrament is also in Nihongo, the prayer, the talks, everything. Our branch president speaks Nihongo too, so even all the introductions are too. I'm starting to be able to understand more of what the sensei says, but it's still hit and miss. If I can learn Katakana and Hiragana I will be able to read most of the Morumon Sho (Book of Mormon). The Kanji absolutely terrify me, so who knows if or when I'll ever learn them. The only problem is some of the books in the BoM are written in Kanji, so I don't know what book I'm in... haha."
 
Even though she has been frustrated with the language, she adds this little tidbit:

"Cook Kyodai told me something cool. I've been so frustrated with the language, and I'm just bad at it. He showed me this section in PMG on page 10, I think. It talks about your success as a missionary. It's not based on ability or the language, but by your commitment. He said that I'm very committed, so then I'm a good missionary. I was called by a prophet, and I'm where I'm supposed to be."

She finished with her testimony in Nihongo:

"Watashi wa kono kyokai ga shinjitsu o da to shitte imasu. Iesu Kirisuto ga Sukuinushi o da to shitte. Fukuin ga taisetsu o da to shitte imasu. Kazoku to Aganai to kono kyokai o kansha shitte imasu. [The bunpo (grammar) might be a little off. Gomenasai. It means: I know this church is true. I know Jesus is the Savior. I know the gospel is important. I am thankful for my family, the Atonement, and this church.]

She has run into so many friends from home and from BYU.  Every time she sees them, it makes her day!  She has already received letters from family and friends...and they make her day also!  If you want to send her a letter but don't want to go to the post office, you can use dearelder.com.  You type your letter online and they will print it up and deliver it to the MTC same day (except weekends).  (And if any of her BYU friends are reading this, she wants me to deliver a message to Sister Poret, but I don't have her email address!  Can any of you help?)

Into the MTC

Konnichiwa!

Lacee entered the MTC on Wednesday and we got our first email on Saturday...her MTC P-day!  (Which means I will be trying to update her blog sometime after that each week... :) ) She says that she started her classes the very first day with her "sensei" speaking only Nihongo to them.  It was a little overwhelming for her but she LOVES the MTC. Here are a couple of excerpts from her first email:

I absolutely love my district. Seriously they're the best!  We have 14 people. 8 chorotachi and 6 shimaitachi. (8 Elders, 6 Sisters). We're all going to Fukuoka. We're pretty tight already. We all eat together and stuff. We only have 4 shimaitachi in a room which is super nice. In my room, it's me, Wells Shimai, Nagamine Shimai, and Kucher Shimai. I love them so much!

I have already learned so much! We taught our first kyudosha, (investigator) kino (yesterday) in Nihongo. That was insane. It didn't go very well at all. His namae is Yuki, and we teach him mata kyo (again today). Hopefully it will be better. I love language class though! It can be kind of frustrating to have to struggle so much to even understand what people are saying to you, but I love my sensei. He's so good. Very patient and helpful. It's humbling to have to rely so much on the Lord to learn things.

Just know that I'm doing subarashii! I'm learning lots, and I love it here! The days are long, but so good. The mitama (spirit) is so strong here. Love you lots!!