Area 3

Hello from Fujisaki! We are here close to Fukuoka, the center of the mission. I went to my fifth ever full day of church in Japanese yesterday, so that was a blast. I love my new companion Sister Bready, she is adorable and works so hard! We're going off desserts this transfer, so that'll be an adventure. Who needs ice cream anyway? (Cries)

No time, but here's a quick quote from a former apostle, Elder Maxwell: 

"When we are unduly impatient with an omniscient God’s timing, we really are suggesting that we know what is best. Strange, isn’t it--we who wear wristwatches seek to counsel Him who oversees cosmic clocks and calendars." Remember who's in charge. I love you all!

Sister Janette Jorgensen

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

janette.jorgensen@myldsmail.net

"It's Your Reaction to Adversity...

not the adversity itself that determines how your life's story will develop.' - Dieter F. Uchtdorf" - Jim Jorgensen

Truly, though. This week, our hope absolutely plummeted. No one ever wants to talk to us, no one keeps appointments, we don't know where to go or what to say, transfers are this week and what's going to happen (still haven't gotten the call!), you name it. We watched a training video in which one of the missionaries said that Heavenly Father tends to wait until you've done absolutely everything you can and then some and are truly at the end of your rope and then He pours out the miracles. We didn't enjoy watching that one, let me tell you. That evening (yesterday - Monday), we biked 45 minutes away and had only an hour in the area before we had to bike home. We decided to go anyway, and had only talked to a few people before we met the Nakano family. THEY ARE PERFECT. SO  MUCH LOVE. They are so sweet and nice and have adorable children with interest in our English classes and even though they're not Christian (like most Japanese people everywhere), they invited us to come back Friday to teach them a lesson! We're bringing a member of the Japanese church and are SO EXCITED. We left the house, turned a corner so they couldn't see us, and just started running down the street, we couldn't contain it! I know finding that family last night was a tender mercy of the Lord because we really have been trying our best and giving it our all.

In other news, the weather has been gorgeous! Today is the first day warm enough for us to go out without tights on and we're so excited! Don't even need a coat! A couple highlights of the week: I went on a companion exchange with Sister Komatsu from Kyouto, Japan - she is a doll and we learned a lot! We also made origami mouths with a Japanese family (D&C 33:8-10) to encourage them to "open your mouth" and share the gospel!

It's a great day to be a missionary! The gospel is true, I know it! I love Japan, I love my companion, this weather, the food, sights, sounds, smells (most of them), you name it! And I love all of you!! Have a great week!

Love,

Janette

Sister Janette Jorgensen

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

janette.jorgensen@myldsmail.net

Sing, Sing, Sing

February 14

Hi friends! Love and miss you all! This week was a little rough - so rough that on a few of the days, we had to eat ice cream. Twice. 

It's very frustrating when people don't fit your little pre-conceived mold of what you think they should do/be. Or even what you think God thinks they should do/be. Here's what God thinks we should do: make our own choices and learn from them. I'm so grateful for agency and all the lessons (even the really hard ones) I've learned as a result of making my own decisions. But man is it hard to sit back and watch people use their agency in ways you know will not be optimal in the long-run. But here I am eating ice cream twice a day, which some nutritionists might say is a bad use of agency. 

We've been doing a lot of singing this week - we memorized "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission" and "We'll Bring the World His Truth" (two children's songs about missionary work) in Japanese! Non-stop - biking, walking, getting ready in the morning, even when we go running, we're singing! Definitely helps keep our spirits up. And everything's so much cuter in Japanese. 

I love my companion! She is the cutest and best ever! I'll never be as good of a dancer as her, but we have so much fun together. 

Faith Brings Miracles

February 7

Well, we found her! Unfortunately, she was 100% not interested. This begs the question: why did Heavenly Father want us to go find this lady so bad? I feel like this is a little "microcosm of life" (to quote from a wise, father of mine). Sometimes we are asked to show faith; to do things that are uncomfortable; to prove our discipleship. Not for the end result, but for the affect the process will have on us. 1 Nephi 3:7: when we are commanded to do something, the way is provided. The way was provided, we succeeded, and we saw miracles this week because of this trial of faith! It just happened that the miracle wasn't directly related. 

Our big miracle this week is that Carl, our investigator, decided he wants an eternal family and help from God, so he's going to be baptized in just a few weeks! We've been working and praying so hard for this to happen, and he felt the Spirit enough where he knew it was the right thing! We're so excited for him!

Fun thing this week: we took a giant sheet of paper to the train station and drew out the plan of salvation. We drew a lot of people to talk to us, but it didn't exactly help that some Buddhist men also decided that would be an excellent area to stand and chant loudly. To each their own. We had a great week and are excited for at least six more here in Iwakuni! Love to you all!

Back to the Fold

January 17

Well, I've got another hymn for you! Feeling very musical lately (let's be honest, more like the past 20 years). This is one of my mom's favorites and one my sisters and I like to sing in only slightly-ridiculous tones of voice. My companion and I are also memorizing it in Japanese this week!

1. Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
   Dear are the sheep of his fold;
   Dear is the love that he gives them,
   Dearer than silver or gold.
   Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
   Dear are his "other" lost sheep;
   Over the mountains he follows,
   Over the waters so deep.
   
   
   Out in the desert they wander,

   Hungry and helpless and cold;

   Off to the rescue he hastens,

   Bringing them back to the fold.

All of us are beloved children of our Heavenly Father. This week, we received a referral from a woman who lives about an hour away. We received her friend's name and address and were asked to contact her as soon as possible. We figured out where she lives on the map and decided to go find her after English class on Saturday night. So at 8pm Saturday, we biked out to where we thought she lived and weaved up and down all the streets but could not come anywhere close to where she lived. Five minutes before we had to head in to be home on time, we found a block we knew was close. Excited, we pedaled up the mountain all the way to #69 (she lives in block #75) and couldn't go any further. Utterly dejected (and cold), we booked it back home, only for Sister Fritchen to experience her first bike wipe out and end up with a pretty gross-looking bruise on her face. So that was Saturday. We maintained hope though and decided Sunday we would go find her. So Sunday came around, we had about an hour, and it was raining (and possibly hailing a little, or maybe it was ice). Anyway, it was cold AND wet. We threw on our coats and rain gear and prayed to know if going to find this woman was the best use of the time we had left. We both felt strongly we needed to go find her, so we headed out. 30 minutes in, we weren't even in the area of Saturday night, and had no idea what to do. This song ran through my head over and over again, and even after we prayed again, we knew we had to go find this lady. So we continued on and found where we'd been before, realizing we just had to go kind of around and up the mountain more. We got to 73 with 5 minutes to go. Pedaling furiously, we sprinted up the mountain and found 74! Then...76. Where in the world was 75??? We couldn't give up now, we were right there! We looked frantically for it, if just to find the right block, and couldn't find it. We've spent two hours trying to find this one house which, to me, sounds like an awful lot of time for one person, especially in the dark and rain. But to the Lord, I know it's nothing. I know this woman is one of His beloved daughters who needs the gospel right now. Tonight, we will find her and whatever happens from that contact, we know it will be guided by the Spirit. We are doing all we can and more to bring others back to the fold of the good shepherd. He loves us more than we comprehend, and when we feel a portion of that love for another, we spare no expense in helping them return. 

Other highlights from the week:

 1. Gave an 82-year-old woman her first hug. In life. Everyone get up and go hug someone right now!

2. Our investigator said "I don't need confidence in myself, I have confidence in my Savior!" I may or may not have cried when he said that. 

3. We've received probably 100 Japanese oranges in the past 3 weeks. It's insane and I love it!

4. Friday, I went on companion exchanges with sister Sanders. We were knocking on doors and after awhile saw a cat in the middle of the street. Normally, I think cats are gross… But this one was pretty cute! We decided to call him Beethoven. We went up to a house, talked to the person, and came back down to the street, and Beethoven was there! Then, we went to another house and talk to the person for probably five minutes. Again, Beethoven was waiting for us. We finished where we had planned to proselyte and decided to pray. We went over by a cement wall that is probably dad's heart. We prayed, and all of a sudden, we hear the tinkling of a collar. We ended the prayer really fast and saw Beethoven on top of the wall, staring at us. It meowed, so we meowed back . He followed us for the rest of the night until we started biking home… guess he can't run as fast as a bike. It was hilarious!

The gospel is true! I love you all and am grateful for you! Have the best week!

Sunshine in My Soul

(January 10)

We've had a good number of long, cold, dark nights this week. The sun goes down around 6 or so, and the temperature drops. If I'm not sporting at least 2 pairs of tights, a thermal, 2 sweaters, a scarf, coat, gloves, and a hat, it's not night-time proselyting. And it's the best! We sing songs, practice Japanese, make up funny cheers, and try our best to smile when the 47th person in a row says they're not interested in the level of politeness only the Japanese language allows. Because we're all here on the Lord's time, doing His work. And if it takes what seems like eternity of ringing doorbells in the freezing, dark night (to be fair, the rest of Japan is probably colder), to show our faith in and love for Him, that's what we'll do!

There is sunshine in my soul when an investigator asks when we can meet again. There is sunshine in my soul when I finally apply a grammar concept properly. There is sunshine in my soul when the cute old lady picking up trash on the side of the road lets us help her. There is sunshine in my soul every time I pray, pick up the scriptures, and go to church. But most of all, there is sunshine in my soul when I bike home as fast as I can, run up the stairs, collapse in prayer to begin daily planning and thank my Heavenly Father for the many miracles we witnessed that day. Giving 100% to the Lord is exhausting, let me tell you. But it is the sweetest, most satisfying and wonderful experience I could ever have. I know I, like Joseph Smith and all of us, have experienced the feeling of a rough stone rolling down a mountain with the edges getting smoothed out along the way. It's not always a glamorous process, but following the plan our Heavenly Father has set for us is the one true way to happiness in any phase of life. 

This week, we had the opportunity to show someone of their infinite potential. We showed them that they can overcome their past and all the temptations and negativity of the adversary through the Atonement of Christ. It's a long, hard road, but brings an even longer and more blessed future. 

I love you all! LDS hymns 227

Sister Janette Jorgensen

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

It's 2016!

(December 31)

If it's not 2016 where you are right now, let me tell you: it's a great year. Happy new year, everyone! I hope you've all enjoyed the holidays as much as we have here in Japan! It's truly been so much fun, although separated from family, to be here. 

New Years is the Christmas of the Buddhist faith, and therefore a really big deal here! That being said, most people haven't been too interested in talking about Jesus Christ this week. There's been some long, cold nights of proselyting - who knew two pairs of tights and boots wouldn't quite keep out the cold? But that's such a small price to pay compared to the joy we're able to share and feel as we see people progress towards a stronger relationship with Him. 

One grandma invited us in the other night and gave us cake and warm milk because we looked freezing. Her house was very Japanese - she showed us her butsudan (shrine to ancestors to which they pray) and told us all about her family and New Years plans. This place is full of sweet little old people who love to talk :) my companion and I had just had a pretty lengthy conversation about warm milk and couldn't understand why anyone thinks it's good...so the Lord saw fit to teach us to be careful what we say. I wouldn't ask to drink it again, but it wasn't bad, to be fair. 

We're continuing to teach young Marines on base. They seem to multiply - everyone has a friend they bring to activities, pretty soon that friend starts inviting their friends, and eventually we have a lot of people to potentially teach! Still looking and praying hard for a Japanese family to teach, and we have had some miraculous contacts this week that could be them! One man opened his door last night and, once we introduced ourselves, asked if we could come back today. We'll stop by even though it's Pday - he could be golden! We taught all about eternal families to another lady for 10-15 minutes at her door and will be back to see her next week as well! I'm so excited to see how the work continues to progress here in Japan! We're working on developing faith to baptize this month, and it's going to be awesome.

Sister Fritchen went to her first Japanese McDonald's yesterday! I meant to order a cheeseburger with no ketchup and mustard, but I mixed up the grammar pattern and accidentally ordered a cheeseburger with only ketchup and mustard. Lesson learned. 

I love you all! Happy New Year! I dare you to keep your resolutions into next month :)

Love,

Sister Janette Jorgensen

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