Let the freezing of the noodle begin...

Hey, hey, hey!
 
How is everyone doing? It's getting cold here in Hokkaido. Getting ready to be the frozen noodle again here pretty soon! ❄️❄️❄️ I hope you all have fun festivities planned and don't eat too much candy.
 
This weeks scripture is one of my favorites! I found it along time ago and got super excited when I remembered it today. 

It's Alma 29:1  "O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!"
 
Later on in the chapter Alma asks why he would want to be an angel. It goes on to explain that angels speak to people in their tongue to their understanding. That's the wish of my heart. To speak to people as an angel would. So they understand and feel Gods love.
 
This week has been all over the place. Monday we went to the doctor and he told us we didn't have lice so we partied for two days and then found it again..  So we have to start the whole cleaning process over again. Yay! Also this week is transfers. We have no idea what's going to happen. We're thinking we'll either stay or they'll postpone our transfer until the 10 day treatment ends. Honestly have no idea. But then again I can never guess transfers. The only thing is this next transfer will probably determine my last area..  Not nervous at all :)

Let the freezing begin

We also had a surprise snow/rain/hail storm. Never experienced thunder and lightning with snow falling. It was super weird but playing in the snow was fun. Hackett Shimai got so excited!  Just you wait little bean, you don't know the meaning of snow yet ;) 
 
Yesterday was probably one of the busiest days of my mission. Osokawa San came to church! We haven't talked to her in a long time and she never comes when we invite her but she randomly showed up yesterday and basically said "teach me". It was crazy! We went to primary with her and her son. No matter where you are in the world primary always has that one little boy and his friend that won't do anything. :) so cute. Church ends at 1pm and we had an appointment at 2pm so before church we were thinking we had time to go home eat lunch really quick and then go. But then Osokawa San came and we had a meeting. But an angel made us sandwiches which we ate standing next to our bikes before our appointment. It was nuts. But I loved it so much. Busy days are my favorite! I feel like an American missionary with appointments and stuff.
 
Last night I called Ozawa San to see how she's been doing. She is reading the Book of Mormon on her own and asked all kinds of questions about Joseph smith! I almost cried. She's so ready for baptism. We are working on getting her to church right now but after yesterday I know she'll come! I keep thinking back to a year ago when Muratta Shimai and I found her. I was so tired and cold and just wanted to go back to the apartment and eat. But Muratta Shimai said we have 10 more minutes let's keep going so we did and the last person we talked to was her. You really can't give up. You have to keep going until the fourth floor last door. So you can find the Ozawa San's of life. Seriously love her so much. She's like my best friend.  We laughed like crazies yesterday :)   Miracles never cease.
 
I love you all so much! Thanks for all your love and support.
 
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
 
Sister Zollinger

View from our apartment

Floods and hurricanes and all kinds of shenanigans

The elders are angels and hear-attacked us and gave us three boxes of our favorite ice cream :)

Hi-hello!
 
How is everyone doing? I hope everyone's been staying safe. I don't really know what's going on but I hear there's been floods and hurricanes and all kinds of shenanigans happening in the world recently. I'm praying for you!
 
This week has been incredible. Honestly the miracles from God never stop.
First this Saturday was Ozawa San's birthday! So we heard she hasn't been told "happy birthday" in over 10 years, so we sent her a text message while she was at work and then when she got home we called her and sang happy birthday. She was sooo happy! The next day we made plans to go see her with Tsuchiya Shimai. We showed up in infamous party hats and sang to her. It was so fun. Then we started talking about Joseph smith. And that lead to baptism and Hackett Shimai gave a beautiful tatoe using the gate. After a lot of testifying and crying and miracles and guidance from the spirit she's accepted to be baptized on January 1 so that her family on both sides of the veil can be together forever. It was so special!
 
This lice and hardship has really caused me look past myself and see what other people need. It's so hard sometimes not to get caught up in what you want and you need. To not say "poor me I'm having a hard time" but to say "how can I lift some one else" "how can I make him/her smile and feel Gods love". The scriptures really are true, if you go looking for yourself you'll never find it. But if you lose yourself for someone else you'll discover how much of yourself there is to find.
Because of this everyone is progressing. Moeka Chan prayed, Oota San came to church, and Kisaka San read the Book of Mormon. The field is white and through prayer and heavenly help we are harvesting!
 
On Saturday Elder Bednar came to speak to us! It was so incredible. I learned so much and felt the spirit so strong. He really is called of God. God is listening to and answers our prayers. I've never felt that as strongly as I did on Saturday.
 
To sum up this week I chose John 3:16 for my ponderizing scripture.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever    believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life".
 
Believe in Him.
 
I love you!
Sister Zollinger

We got a fancy futon heater to help the cleaning process and I was a little cold the other night and decided to try it out.

Spent a little bit of last pday in the massage chairs. (Probably spelt that wrong..so sorry)

Mouth, gentlemen, bean, put together...

Ate at McDonald's, because yes.

John 16:22
"And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you".


Good morning. Isn't that an awesome ponderizing scripture!? Conference was soooo amazing! So many talks of Love, Christ, Joy, Repentance.. So many different things. If that doesn't show how much our Heavenly Father loves us, nothing will.  My favorite was about joy. For the past little bit everything I read joy in the scriptures I circle it. So this morning I looked up the kanji thinking it was going to be super cool but turns out it's just
mouth, gentlemen, and bean put together.... I got nothing. But! Rejoice means singing joy!

Combing for days - literally!!

So there's a cool one for you. :) This was super special when I read it this morning.  We are going to have sorrow.
We are going to have hard times.
BUT,
We will see our Savior again.
When we do our heart will rejoice.
This joy, nothing, can take away from us.


This week has been crazy! We have hardly left the apartment at all. We washed all the futons last week but turns out we did them wrong so we had to start all over again and then it rained delaying out cleaning. But we have the last two of the 13 futon hanging outside right now :).  Then in Wednesday we thought it was Ozawa San's birthday so we made cookies and got all ready, sent her a text at work saying happy birthday and then she texted us and said her birthday isn't until the 15...we ate the cookies. Then on Thursday we had interviews in the new honbu!  But we read the time wrong and showed up two hours early... So Nakatsuka Shimai stood above us and picked through our hair like a monkey and asked if it was getting better yelling every time she saw something. But then she drove us to the store so we could buy new pillows. She's an angel!

However, I. Have. Never. Seen. So. Many. Miracles.
Everyone, is progressing! Two of our investigators came to general conference! And they loved it!! Kisaka San came and after asked about the Book of Mormon and about prophets. Tsuchiya Shimai left work early to be there for her! The lesson was so powerful! Then Honami Chan came with the little amount of time before work to see it and after said "wow, I want happiness like that!" It was so amazing and special.

Hackett Shimai and I have grown so close too. Seriously can talk to her about anything. And we talk, about everything.  I know we needed to be companions right now because we couldn't have done this with anyone else. We are praying everyday to get rid of this quickly so we can go out and dendo.

Heavenly Father is there. And not only does he bless us after the trial but during as well. My testimony of that is being strengthened right now.

I love you all a lot!

Sister Zollinger

Odori Zone is the best! This was taken before the lice, back when we wore our hair down still :)

New Things

Good Morning in America. I hope you all enjoyed conference. Unless you're in Japan then who's excited for this weekend!? Sister Zollinger is too excited!! I love conference. Seriously my favorite two times of year.
 

Speaking of times the prophets speak to us, here read this scripture!
Mosiah 2:22 "And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land".
That's it. All we have to do. Keep the commandment=BLESSINGS Simple right? God loves us ね

We went to the Zoo!!

This week has been so fun, crazy, interesting..
I got to go to my first Mission Leader Training and Conference on Thursday and Friday. It was so cool! The spirit was so strong. When we sang the hymns and mission song the power was so strong! In the end one Elder stood and bore his testimony and said when missionaries sing the heavens open and you can hear the voices of angels. I definitely heard some angels singing. I'm giving my first workshop tomorrow I'm a little nervous but super excited! It should be really fun.  

 

Made this for my workshop. This is my brother Mark and his son Traydon.

A few weeks ago I sang at Brother Uchida's baptism and after a member of the bishopric came and asked me if I would sing again but in English. So Hackett Shimai and I practiced a little but not a lot because we didn't think we would perform for awhile. Then we saw him randomly on Friday and he said will you sing on Sunday. We were super surprised and threw something together super quick and it turned out pretty good! It was so fun. But after that bishopric member bore his testimony about a girl on his mission who said I want to bear my testimony in my native tongue so she did and he understood no words but was moved by the Spirit. So when I sang before it was in Japanese and for the same reason he asked me to sing in English. He said, "I didn't understand the words but I felt the spirit and was moved". It was super special.
 
Other than that Hackett Shimai and I found out we got lice from a girl in her MTC district. So we've been scrubbing and washing EVERYTHING in the apartment. It's been oh so much fun. I don't know what it is but Hackett Shimai and I have some great stories to tell from these two transfers together. Getting separated for 40 minutes, hit by a car, and now lice. All while in Japan :)

But we've also sang our hearts out, biked in the rain and shine, testified on the streets, in houses, on porches, in cars, on rooftops, and sidewalks. We've loved and felt loved. Nothing is better than this year and a half we have to serve God.
 
I love you all!

Sister Zollinger

Keiko San!!! Baptism day.

Saw Kita Shimai! She stayed the night for mission leader conference and we sat together all day! Love my MTC comps!

Miracles, miracles everywhere!!

Cake for Sayuru Shimai (see below)

Hey-yo! How's life? That wonderful, me too.


This week has been so amazing! One of the best weeks to date. I wish I could list everything but I can't. Not enough time. But if you want to know call me in four months ;)

Ponderize this my friends
Jeremiah 1:6-9 (Sorry it's long. Actually I'm not sorry...I lied.(free shimai))

"Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.  Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth."

I seriously love this. It's me. Sometimes it's so scary to talk to people. I'm only 21 years old. That's so young! I'm a child. I know nothing of life. I haven't been living my life very long and I'm here telling all these people how to live theirs. It's a little intimidating sometimes. But the Lord says, don't be afraid. I'll tell you what to say. I will deliver thee. We really are so loved.

Saturday Keiko San was baptized!!! Ahhhhhhh it's so exciting! I wanted to go to Hakodate so bad but I got to call her. It was so special. We cried like babies together. And one of the first things she said to me in her cute English, she said, "I feel like one million dollars!" And then asked if that's okay to say. She's perfect! She was so ready! Yay Keiko Shimai! :)

Then Ozawa San is progressing so much! We were able to teach her twice last week. Monday we saw her and she said she wants to talk to us because she found Jehovah Witness things and had questions. I was so scared thinking she was going to drop up so yesterday when we showed up she could tell I was nervous. But then she just started asking all these questions. Like "if it's the same Bible and the same Christ why are there so many churches?" So we taught her the Restoration. The Spirit was so strong. In the end. We told her that we can't prove what we say is true. All we have is our words but I testify that it's true.  When we finished she thought back to when Muratta Shimai and I found her a year ago and how that shouldn't of happened. Everything that happened that day was out of the ordinary. It was so cool!

There's so much more but I'm out of time. So here's a quick funny for your day. Yesterday we stopped at a convini to go to the bathroom. Seriously the nastiest place I've ever seen, mold growing in the corner and shenanigans. So I tried really hard not to touch anything and then right when I was going to flush my ring slipped off my finger and fell into the dark crevices of that porcelain seat... Cried. Seriously. Cried. Good news my ring is safe and disinfected.

I love you all so much!  Make someone smile this week and then tell me how it goes!


You're the best!


Sister Zollinger

Itou San and her member friend from childhood! They are they cutest! We are going to teach her with Chayama Shimai and she's going to be baptized and then they'll,go to the temple together! 

We eat this ice cream a little too much... #addicted 

Sayuru Shimai taught us how to make tamagoyaki! Soooo yummy!  
We made her a cake but it was raining and we didn't have any tin foil or saran wrap sooo I walked it to her house holding the umbrella under my armpit. Got more funny looks than usual :)   

Ice cream with Moeka Chan! She's the cutest!

Desserts, Death and Dendo

birthday dessert number two (thanks Ebisawa Shimai)

Thank you so much everyone for all the birthday wishes and packages and desserts and things. I seriously love you all a lot!
 
This has been such a crazy week. First we had transfers! I will be staying with Hackett Shimai!! This is the first time since my training. Hackett Shimai gets to be my 10th companion on my 10th transfer :)  Buuuut Kotoni Area went from 4 sisters to 2 and I became a Sister Training Leader. So that means we have two times the area, two times the people to focus on, and half the time. I'm so excited! Seriously it's been so fun! This last week we ran everywhere talking to everyone! Having appointments and people to see is the coolest part of dendo! And to make it cooler we still had time to find! Miracles everywhere!
 
This week Free Shimai died (term to mean that her mission is complete and she is going home), her mission came to a graceful close. Seriously love her so much. Living in the same apartment for two transfers was so fun. I learned so much! We ate maybe 3 deserts everyday to celebrate :) then her angel family showed up at our apartment with bags and bags of groceries. Best present you can get as a missionary. It probably didn't seem like much to them but it meant the world to us.
Lastly Keiko San gets baptized this week. I want to go down to Hakodate so bad to see her but I got permission from Nakatsuka Kaicho to call her! She's such an angel. I'm excited for her to have the blessings of the spirit. I know it's going to change her life!
 
Oh ponderizing this week!
Pslms 119:111 "Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart".
 
I really love this a lot. This week I've been thinking a lot about papa and when he passed away. His testimony is a heritage I have taken. And that is where my joy is. Our testimonies come from the spirit through the words of people around us. Prophets, grandparents, friends, teachers, everyone. That is our heritage. That is what our heart rejoices in.
 
I love you all so much! Have a good week!
Sister Zollinger
 
Oh funny story, last transfer we all wanted to be a little more fit so we did 50-75 push-ups everyday. Then one day we were walking and saw a park with a bar perfect for pull-ups. I've never been able to do one in my life so I decided to try. 75 push-ups right, I got this!  Epic fail,... Couldn't even do one. This transfer is burpies...I'll try again in a few weeks ;)

number three same day we love ice cream!

Baskin Robins for Wednesday dessert number two

Lunch with the Free

And of course we made green chili enchiladas for my birthday!

21 Where'd you come from???

Thanks for the dress parents!

Happy Birthday to Me! 

My age is my birthday backwards..  I am officially as legal as I can be in America and Japan.   Next stop -  Senior Citizen Reduced Prices!
 
Since it's such a jolly day here's my scripture!
Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine..."
 
Isn't that cute? Life is supposed to be fun! You're supposed to be able to laugh and play. To feel joy. Also the best cure for anything is a good laugh! Unless you just got your appendix removed then use caution. But really Gods plan is a happy one. That's all he wants for us is happiness.
This weeks has been crazy.
 
Spiritual stuff first:
Last week we stopped this lady on the street and talked to her about church and Christ and invited her to church gave her a Book of Mormon but could not make a return appointment. But we got her number so it was good. Called her on Wednesday and she said I wanted to come to church but I couldn't figure out where it was. So we made an appointment to meet her and walk to church together! Saturday we were at a sports day for Ozawa San's son and she came running up to us yelling "Zolly San!" And told us how excited she was for Sunday. She came yesterday and she was sitting talking to a member saying how she wanted to see us again. How she felt so much love and happiness and wanted to feel that again. She also read some of the Boo of Mormon it was amazing!
 
Yesterday the Elder's investigator got Baptized. They asked me to sing at the service. It was so amazing. I sang I know that My Redeemer Lives. Every time I looked out I saw so many people singing along and so many crying and so much happiness but Uchida San was beaming. He was glowing so bright. It was all for him. After his baptism he looked so good. So happy. Goodness the church is true! (PS mom I want to take voice lessons again. I'm sorry I quit them..)
 
Then in other news on Saturday we were riding our bikes home in the pouring rain and I almost got hit by a car it was so scary. We just kept riding and then not even 100ft later Hackett Shimai went down. Got hit pretty bad by a car... She laughed so I think that means she was okay. We went to the hospital later that night. It was some pretty scary stuff but she's got no broken bones and is up and walking. We'll be on the bikes again tomorrow! I feel so bad for her beanhood. In the first transfer of her mission she got lost for 4O minutes and then hit by a car. I am the best trainer there is. Good thing my bean is a stud!
 
Last night for Free Shimais last Sunday we made s'mores.  We put chocolate in a pan with marshmallows on top baked it turned the lights on low and all said why we went out on a mission and while we are still here. It was so special. Then today we put in the birthday party hats and had a picnic in the prettiest field. It's been a good birthday! Hackett Shimai make me an omelet and the Elders know I don't like snacks so they got me vegetables for a present. :) they're the best! Birthdays in the mission are the best! Thanks for all the emails.  It's P-Day and my birthday so I'm going to go play and eat green chili enchiladas!  Catch ya in the flip side!
 
I love you all!
You're the best!
Sister Zollinger

My breakfast this morning!  Sooo yummy!!

S'mores!

Party Hats!!

Gift from the Elders