It's in the MIDDLE of SEPTEMBER

(Shoutout to Ellie for the subject line)

Things we did this week:

- We got a call on Thursday night that a member's brother had passed away and the funeral was on Friday and they desperately needed an organist! So we spent Friday morning at the church playing for the funeral of a man who wasn't a member of the church, but who had come sometimes before and whose sister is very active. I played the normal hymns, background music for scripture readings, and the usual. But when I got there, they said "hey, can you sing without piano accompaniment?" I usually get out of singing at meetings because I just play...but I was able to sing I Am a Child of God for the people attending the funeral. And it was a message I really wanted everyone to hear anyway - we are all children of God and He has sent us here to learn and grow and eventually return to Him. I'm grateful for the knowledge I have of the plan of salvation and the opportunity to share that with those who do not yet know.

- Sunday night, we visited the wife and daughter of the man who passed away. They immediately invited us in, gave us refreshments, and invited us to pay our respects to Egashira-san. It was fun to see how those of the Buddhist faith honor their ancestors in their homes. Incense, offerings, a butsudan (household altar), lots of dignity and respect.

- after church on Sunday, we ate all together and made friends with the branch!

- Saturday we went to an okonomiyaki place - favorite food. Will be making it regularly for the rest of my life.

- I cut Sis. Olsen's hair with craft scissors.

- We got ice cream at 31 and talked to a couple for half an hour about the gospel - they don't live here but were so cool! He will be a great ward mission leader one day.

- Sunday night was FHE with a member family and their friend. For the game, we did suikawari, which is where you hit a watermelon blindfolded like a piñata until it breaks! Woohoo summer! I guess it's almost the end but anyway...great week! Here's to the next one! Love love love!

Sister Janette Jorgensen

Japan Fukuoka Mission
9-16 Hiraozyosuimachi, Chuo-ku
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Japan 810-0029

Legacy

I've been thinking about the legacy we create and add to as we progress through and ultimately out of life. I'm grateful to have been born into a family with a legacy of faithful followers of Christ, and to see that continue in my parents and siblings. I'm grateful to add to the legacy of people graduating from Sanderson High School, attending Vanderbilt University, growing up in North Carolina, all of it. We as individuals are in large part defined by who we become, and we become who we are through contributing to our own communities. Those communities then become defined in part by who we are.

My English is bad. But hopefully I sort of conveyed the idea. My dad likes to call it the "Ja-network." Truly by living in Japan for a little over a year now, the Japanese people, individually and collectively, have become part of the "Ja-network." That being said, I was especially moved this week as I realized that I am part of a much bigger work, that is the work of the Lord in Japan. We had the privilege of visiting a member family's home for dinner Saturday night. As we were eating the huge dinner they had prepared for us, we watched a three-minute picture slideshow of the growth of the church in Sasebo over the past fifty years. As you might expect, the branch started from a few faithful members, one of whom is still around, and, with a lot of faith and prayers grew steadily into the still small but strong branch we have today. I noticed the presence of missionaries in most if not all of the pictures - they were sent here to strengthen the church in Japan and members continue to love us for it. I just feel honored to serve among the saints of Japan, a people whom I love so much, who love the Lord and want to be faithful and reach out to others. For them, I will happily bike up every mountain in this area and knock on every door and smile at every person who tells me no. Because the members know it's true, I know it's true, and even if each week does not result in the baptizing of hundreds (not that it can't), I can feel pure joy knowing I am working towards bringing others unto Christ. I am part of the legacy of the church in Japan. That is worth more to me than any amount of money, any degree, any world travel opportunities I could possibly obtain.

This week, we dropped all of our investigators and are starting out fresh. I'm so excited for zone training meeting, in which we will train on consecration and the doctrine/importance of baptism. I love my companion and the other missionaries SO much. The members are amazing. The people we talk to every day, like the dad who will let us come back and visit if we don't talk about religion but just be friends with/good examples to his daughters...I love them all! There will be no counting down to come home, but just continuing to love each and every day, and the blessings I see in my life from faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's true and I love it.

Have a great week! Enjoy Labor Day, hopefully tropical storms aren't too bad. We had a typhoon pass through this weekend - nothing bad, just a lot of trash on the road around here. 

Love you all!

The Sasebo Burger. There is a little burger icon on the map in our apartment at every place that sells these. :)

Sister Janette Jorgensen

Japan Fukuoka Mission
9-16 Hiraozyosuimachi, Chuo-ku
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Japan 810-0029

Welcome Aboard!

Hello from Sasebo! It is a beautiful area full of hills and nature and nice people! It was so so sad to leave Fujisaki and Sister Cox and investigators, etc., but I am happy to be here! I got to speak in the military branch and Japanese branch yesterday. I feel like now that I know the members here, I understand more who I'm working for/with. 

We had a lesson with Naomi, a single mother of an adorable six year old. She is sweet and I think will be able to progress really well! Thankfully, a member took us to the lesson in her car - the rains were coming down and the floods coming up yesterday! It was really funny to watch the Japanese ward council react to the loud thunder and lightning - normally composed, professional people, shrieking and clinging to their chairs at every crack. Hilarious. 

Sister Shibayama is amazing! Her English is really good, but she is teaching me Kansai-ben (the dialect they use on radio/tv/in Osaka). It's so fun! We also bonded over her first pop tart on a couch one of the US Navy members brought us. I'm really excited to work with her and the rest of the Nagasaki zone this transfer!

I might be worried about coming home fat with all the American food in our apartment, but I'm not because going any place in this area is a long bike ride and hills for days. 

Love you all! Have a great week!

Sister Janette Jorgensen

Japan Fukuoka Mission
9-16 Hiraozyosuimachi, Chuo-ku
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Japan 810-0029

My desk was decorated :)

Just - it's so beautiful! And you probably look at it and go "that's nice, very pretty" but if you think about getting to this point one pedal at a time in the hot August sun, you appreciate the view a lot more. And so it is with life :)

久しぶり

Hi everyone, hope you've had a great couple of weeks! I haven't
written in a few weeks - sorry about that. You're probably caught up
enough in your own fun summer activities (which I'd love to hear
about) that you didn't even notice. :) Today is, once again, the
long-anticipated "tenkin happyou" (transfer call) day! Heavenly Father
must really love me and have something special for me in this area
because He is allowing me to stay in Fujisaki for another six weeks!
That will be in total about six months here. My current companion will
move to another area, close to where I used to serve, so I have been
giving her the low-down on the church members and conditions there,
which is a lot of fun. My new companion is Sister Cox! We've been
living together for six weeks now, but our apartment is condensing to
two sisters instead of four as it has been. Her companion is heading
down to Okinawa where you get off the plane and proceed to melt until
November or so. We're excited for the upcoming transfer!

Hi everyone, hope you've had a great couple of weeks! I haven't written in a few weeks - sorry about that. You're probably caught up enough in your own fun summer activities (which I'd love to hear about) that you didn't even notice. :) Today is, once again, the long-anticipated "tenkin happyou" (transfer call) day! Heavenly Father must really love me and have something special for me in this area because He is allowing me to stay in Fujisaki for another six weeks! That will be in total about six months here. I really truly LOVE this area and am so grateful to be able to stay here. My current companion, Sis. Henderson, will move to another area, close to where I used to serve, so I have been giving her the low-down on the church members and conditions there, which is a lot of fun. My new companion is Sister Cox! We've been living together for six weeks now, but our apartment is condensing to two sisters instead of four as it has been. Her companion is heading down to Okinawa where you get off the plane and proceed to melt until November or so. We're excited for the upcoming transfer!

Since I've been the worst at emailing, I thought I'd just share a few big highlights via pictures:

We had zone p-day on the Fourth of July! Unfortunately, there were no fireworks, but we turned all shades of red as we competed in a playground obstacle course! More intense than any game you ever played in the third grade. A much needed, albeit very tiring break from the every-day activities. The mission has brought many opportunities, but one I was not expecting was that of developing strong friendships with other missionaries from all over the world as we work together towards our goals. Happily representing North Carolina on the 4th :)

No, it's not the lighting, I really was that red. This is Shogo, our friend who makes yakitori (grilled meat on a stick). It's ¥80 a stick, so we go every Wednesday for dinner before Eikaiwa (English class). We've become BFFs and hope to get him learning about the gospel soon!

10:15: time to scarf down some ramen/cereal before 10:30 lights out. Missionaries are still typical 20-year-olds, turns out. 

Seiji got baptized! I may not have ever even written about him before because it all happened so fast. Sis. Henderson and I found him knocking on doors one Monday evening. We made an appointment for the upcoming Saturday at the church (a 15-minute bike ride away). Totally didn't expect him to come, but he did! We taught that lesson and set the baptismal date. Taught another lesson after a couple days and passed him to the elders to teach (easier for them to teach men than for us). Within three weeks, he's developed a testimony of Jesus Christ and understands the overall "why" of the gospel (love). In his testimony at the baptismal service, he said he's grateful especially for prayer and enduring because as he's been coming to church, his friends have given him a hard time for the Christianity thing. But he prays and feels good :) not the most expressive guy, but I know he knows the gospel is true and it will bless his life! We are so happy for him!

Another miracle I probably never wrote about: Yurina. We found her after a lesson appointment fell through. She let us in her house (never happens) and we taught her about God and baptism and prayer. We taught her for the fourth time this week and she's learning to love Jesus Christ! She's kind of a sass, but the kind where we can laugh/have fun and also feel the Spirit. She said "I think everyone who lived during Jesus Christ's time would have been the happiest ever. He just went around teaching good things and healing people...I wish He were here today." For a girl who never knew anything about Christ, hearing that was a miracle! She's hilarious and her cat is cute, too. I want her to go on a mission one day :)

Would this be an email from Japan without a picture of sushi? A friend of ours made this sushi for us. There's octopus (1:00ish), beef (3:00), salmon (5:00), something else, eel (7:00), something, tuna (11:00). I usually like octopus, but served this way, it was a little too chewy and hard to eat. Still pretty good though!

We went to all-you-can eat American pizza today. Like pepperoni, hamburger, apple pie, DOUBLE CHEESE PIZZA. And of course the classic corn/mayonnaise and tuna/onion varieties were also available. We then visited the Disney store and saw a water show to Michael Jackson. One of my favorite p-days. 

The gospel is true! I love you all! Have a great week!

Sister Janette Jorgensen

Japan Fukuoka Mission
9-16 Hiraozyosuimachi, Chuo-ku
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Japan 810-0029

So Excited!

It's been a great week, hope yours has been too!

Most exciting news: I received a call from President Egan this morning as I was making pancakes and he asked "Are you living worthily of a temple recommend?" and "Are you being strictly obedient?" finally "Are you willing to serve wherever the Lord asks?" Of course I eagerly responded yes to each of those and then he extended the assignment to serve as a Sister Training Leader in the Fukuoka Zone, companions with...drumroll...Sister Cox, my MTC companion! I will continue being companions with Sister Henderson (thankfully), but I will have an STL companion as well, now, which means we will plan and present trainings each transfer and go on companion exchanges every week with sister missionaries in the area. I love companion exchanges - there are always so many miracles and funny stories, and learning opportunities! I absolutely CANNOT WAIT for this upcoming transfer in Fujisaki (same area)!

Other than that, we found some fun new people this week! As we were dendo-ing with a member, we found Miyu, a girl who goes to the Southern Baptist college (what?? I know. I don't get it either) because lots of foreigners go there and speak English. She's super good at English and super sweet! We got ramen together :)

Also, Sister Henderson and I made sushi with some members and found the best takoyaki (fried octopus dumplings) in the whole world for way cheap! Miracles come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors, my friends. 

One lady we found 6 weeks ago on the street who is Buddhist but whose daughter lives in Colorado and is sealed in the temple randomly called us this week and invited us over. We went and talked with her all about how the gospel has changed her daughter's life and their relationship and what a blessing it's been to her. She is so sweet. May or may not be ready to accept the gospel, but I know that it's by those little interactions we have that others are able to see and benefit from the light of Christ in us. 

If you want some good reading material, check out the October 2011 General Conference talk by Ted R. Callister on the Book of Mormon - loved it!

Love y'all!

Long Week

So very long, slightly hard, all totally worth it. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass! (Alma 37:6). First of all, I'm so excited for my cousin Patricia, who got her mission call to Cape Verde, leaving in September! She is such a great example to me, and I know she'll be a wonderful missionary :)

I got to skype home last week! SO GOOD - I can't get over how big my sisters are and how our relationship can still be great even on the other side of the world. I love them :)

I've started laughing a lot more with people when we talk to them on the street. It's helped break the ice a little bit and have more fun, which can only mean good things! Whether it be a compliment, a joke, a high-five, it's the best. I'm learning that loosening up enough to laugh now and then helps everything be better :)

Japan is beautiful, the people are DARLING, the food is delicious, my companion is an angel, we had someone come to church this week, we stopped teaching someone I love very much, all the ups and downs. But it's all worth it because I know this gospel is true and has blessed the lives of all who follow it. Have a wonderful week, I love you!

Sister Janette Jorgensen

Japan Fukuoka Mission
9-16 Hiraozyosuimachi, Chuo-ku
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Japan 810-0029