4 days of Gochi

Emailing through pictures

D&C 8:10

" Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not".

 

This is Kobayashi San. We found her on Tuesday while walking around. Walked to the church together did a church tour and gave her a Book of Mormon! She's golden! So golden. After she left Oka Shimai and I both died on the floor. It was one of the coolest lessons of my life! 

This is arena San. She looooooves gaijin. And she's so good at English! She lived in Germany for 4 years! 

Found this on Christmas Eve. We sat in it and said Merry Christmas while people walked by and accidentally scared this old man. It was super fun! So many people asked if we made it. I love Sapporo!!! And my Killer Compy! 

It's been snowing like crazy lately! But the Windows look really cool! We've had four blizzards in the past 3 weeks :) was outside in every one of them!

This is Kazu San. We found her last week! We had an appointment at her house this week and we ended up talking to her about baptism! It was soooo cool! We invited her to church. She looked so happy when she saw us and ran up and gave us big hugs! She said she's coming next week too. She's sooooo nice! Seriously love her! Yay Christmas! 

We sang Christmas carols at Tsuchiya shimais work. My friends are both 100 years old. So cute! We had the same conversation 15 times :) but seriously so nice! 

We had a pancake party after DTM!

This week is New Years so we aren't allowed to dendo which means four days of solid member visits where you sit and eat. For hours, I mean days.

Yesterday for Christmas we went to Odori with the elders and say carols while members handed out Mormon.org cards! It was so cool! The spirit was so strong. So many people sang along and took pictures and videos and clapped. One guy that was working close by when no one was around he came and watched! One lady cried and accepted a Book of Mormon. I froze my noodle off but it was one of the coolest experiences so far!

I love Christmas so much!
 
I also love you!

Sister Zollinger

Five Transfer in Heaven

Good Morning!
 
Merry Christmas everyone! Wearing my Christmas sweater from last year compliments of Caitlin the master of ugly Christmas sweater finding :)
 
This week has been insane. Completely insane. Don't even remember everything that happened. But it went like this: 

• played a cello for the first time, killed it
• sang at ZTM with my beloved Kuta Shimai (first time in 12 transfers I wasn't nervous to preform) thanks for the challenge mom I've successful preformed at least once every transfer!
• froze our butts off in the armpit of the area successfully finding a delicious bread shop that also sells pretty cakes for ¥100 ($1)
• Found an NA (non-active) we didn't know existed
• Dendoed with kubo Shimai for about 4 hours. She meet us at the church and then drove us around to NAs, investigators, and even stopped on the side of the road so we could ping a house with Christmas lights.  It was so fun!
• Ran so we weren't late to almost every appointment this week. Feeling really fit 💪
• Got the largest box in my life full of presents from the ward. Yes, socks and chocolate. What more could a girl want?
• Annnd I went to my last Ward Council in Kotoni!

Which made me think of my five transfers here. I'm been working with the members here longer than any missionary I've worked with. Realized that yesterday. I love them all soooo much though!
 

• Transfer 1: Barton Shimai-Temple Open House, getting lost in the "Amazon". Getting filmed for a church video, using ice packs to cool ourselves off during MS because it's so hot, and miracles everyday
• Transfer 2 & 3: Hackett Shimai-my bean! Seriously laughed so hard I peed almost everyday, got lice, she got lost, and hit by a car, and we saw miracles everyday.
• Transfer 4 & now: Oka Shimai-running everyday, slipping on ice, sing Christmas songs to everyone, and still seeing miracles everyday.

I love DENDO! Something I realized a while ago. If you let it, life gets better everyday. Because your older, wiser, and better than you were the day before. You know more about your Savior. You've studied deeper than you ever have before. Drew closer to your Father through prayer. Life will keep getting better forever. Come what may and love it!
 
I love you all!
 
D&C 117:13
"When he falls he shall rise again, for his sacrifice shall be more sacred unto me than his increase, saith the Lord".
 
When you fall, remember who's child you are. That no matter what you do, if it's for him you will be blessed.
 
I love you!
Sister Zollinger

Presents from the Kotoni ward

our humble tree :) compliments of Takeya Shimai

Kuta Shimai and Zollinger Shimai

Snow piles at the church.

And cello...

Six more weeks of Winter... IN KOTONI!!!

Christmas lights

I'M STAYIN IN KOTONI 'TILL THE END!!!!
 
Also, poor Oka Shimai has to put up with me for a little bit longer.  At least she gets to kill me in the end. ;)  (this means to send her home)
 
This week was CRAZY. I haven't been that nervous for a transfer call since my very first one. But it was all okay in the end because nothing's changing. Yesterday at church the members were so excited to see me. So many of them ran up and said, "Zollinger Shimai, you didn't transfer! I'm so happy to see you!" And things like that. It was so nice. I cried all day long. I feel like a normal member now. I guess that's what happens when you've been somewhere for almost 6 months.
 
Love them, love them all so much!
Yesterday one of the Elders who just ended his mission came to church. I got to translate for his mom in Relief Society it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I said everything right but my English was just really weird. She's not used to Japanese speaking missionary English so we just giggled through the whole thing while I struggled to sound normal. After she gave me a big hug and said, "don't worry my little friend it will all come back to you when you go home". She's an angel!
 
On Monday we went to see the Christmas lights downtown with Tsuchiya Shimai and Kisaka San. It was so special! After we talked about the true meaning of Christmas and Tsuchiya  Shimai bore her testimony. Then yesterday she just showed up at church! It was the best! She's my favorite.

It was beautiful!!

We've been doing so much finding recently and haven't had any success.  Yesterday we were out and we played in the snow for a little bit but then just got really tired and cold. So we said okay let's ping for 30 more minutes and then go home. Let me tell you how it went. First house, a lady who went to Weber State in Ogden, Ut for two years, is fluent in English. Her host family is members and she's meeting them in Tokyo next year. Next four houses nothing. Pinged lady who's been to Canada, fluent in English told us to come back on Wednesday. Walked downstairs, pinged watch the Christmas video she cried. Going back on Wednesday. Decided not to go home. Next house, wants to talk about why there are so many different religions and where we go after this life.
 
Seriously the coolest night of my life. We ran home and ended up talking to an NA we've been trying to meet with for months. Every Time I'm about to give up Heavenly Father reaches down and picks me up.  Then shows me the world.
I'm so thankful for my Heavenly Father and all he does for me. He's my best friend.
Lastly here's a little funny for your week. On Saturday at mission leader conference Nakatsuka Kaicho was asking all the dying missionaries (the ones going home at the end of this transfer) to bear their testimony then after he said everyone's name but mine he started to walk away them everyone was like, "Kaicho, Zollinger shimai" he stopped in his tracks, turned around looked at me and then his jaw hit the floor. He forgot I'm going home this transfer. Don't worry I got to bear my testimony in the end :)
 
D&C112:11-> All you need is love
 
Sister Zollinger

We can't use the side door of our apartment anymore.

We ran to the church... in the snow.

Seven Ways to Get to Heaven

1. Be a Missionary
2. Take the Missionaries Lessons
3. Tell the Missionaries You Want to be Baptized
4. Work with the Missionaries
5. Listen to the Missionaries
6. Tell Your Friends about the Missionaries
7. Feed the Missionaries
This week I get my last official transfer call. Not going to lie I'm a little nervous. I'm been in Kotoni for almost 6 months now so my possibilities of leaving are very large. I will be so sad to leave Kotoni but I know wherever I am next transfer is exactly where I'll need to be. Bring on the dendo!
Because of that I want to start my last transfer off with a bang so here's this super cool scripture!
 
3 Nephi 5:13
"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life".
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I have been called to declare His word, and that's just what I'm going to do!
This week has been really great! I was able to go on splits with Kuta Shimai. It's crazy to see how much we've changed since the MTC! We were babies then. It was so fun working with her. We were so unified and we actually know how to speak Japanese now. She's a super missionary! It was like a jumpstart to sprint till the end! :)
Then Oka Shimai and I got to go to a members Ekaiwa party. It was so cute. All the kids were so shy and treated us like famous people. Shaking our hands and staring. Taking pictures with us. It was super funny.
Other than that we found for days! We're working of finding new people to declare the word too and it's been really fun. Yesterday I was having a hard time and didn't really want to find. So I said a prayer and then grabbed my Book of Mormon. The power and spirit got so strong. Oka Shimai and I just looked at each other smiled and then started sprinting from house to house. It was so fun! The Book of Mormon is true and has real power! I know it!  
I love you all!

Merry Christmas!
 
Sister Zollinger
PS everyone go to Mormon.org and watch the video! You won't regret it! :)

We ordered a pizza for our last P-day this transfer.

I love Satou family.  They are so funny.

We went bowling last P-day.

Our thankful wall.  One thing for everyday last month we were thankful for.  Thanks for the idea Bucket. 

We ate Thanksgiving Dinner!

Yay pajamas from nana!! Best ones yet!

Good Morning everyone! 

How are you? I'm good too! How was Thanksgiving? I'm glad to know no one died on Black Friday! We actually ended up going shopping with Moeka Cham on Black Friday. I didn't buy anything though. But it felt weird being there on Black Friday. #salesfordays
 
We planned out this crazy thanksgiving dinner but then our investigator took us out to lunch and we were so full so this it what it ending up being.

 Apple marshmallow toast with mashed potatoes and gravy! It was pretty good!

We got a Japanese manners lesson from Sayuru Shimai this week. Turns out I'm super impolite! So glad she helped me. Then we saw yamagishi Shimai in the hospital. She's been battling cancer for years. But her testimony of faith was incredible. She's been through so much and saw us with the biggest smile on her face and welcomed us with simple Christmas presents. I love Kotoni Ward too much!

This week's scripture is Mormon 9:21
Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.
I'll never be able to fully understand truly the power of prayer. But I will say it's something I've come to learn more in my almost 1 1/2 year of dendo. Pray is real. I have seen answers to my earnest prayers. When I prayed doubting nothing. He heard and answered. And no only is this promise to me to but everyone! Americans, Nihongin, the people living on the island in the middle of the ocean, even the researchers in Antarctica! All words spoken to the ends of the earth are heard by our Eternal Father in Heaven.

Pray to him and he will listen.

I love you all!

Sister Zollinger

Merry Christmas everyone!

Went on splits with Rigby Shimai and we froze our booties off during morning schedule.

I made this fish. Isn't it pretty! Learned how to cook on my mission :)

morning runs looks like this!

Christmas jammies from Nana!

Bought matching Christmas socks.