Welcome Party

The coordinators of the Japanese exchange program decided to host a welcome party for all the students and the host families. It was at a park here in town. Here are some of the students.And the food, which was a potluck.Then there were some fun games for everyone. Justin and Chiyomi were partners for the balloon toss, and they did really well.We had a good time, and it was fun to see all the Japanese and American kids interact together. We again had the opportunity to share more about the Gospel with Chiyomi. We went into a lot more detail because she has continued to ask more and more questions. It is all stemming from her loving our family and how nice and kind she thinks we are. She keeps telling us we are such good people and are raising our kids so well, and wonders how and why we do things the way we do. So, we get to tell her that we are who we are because of our religion. It's been so great! Tonight's conversation was really amazing! The Spirit was so strong. She brought up that back in Japan, she sees boys wearing white shirts and ties riding on bikes and they are usually foreigners. She wondered if they were associated, and we of course told her yes, and then explained who missionaries are and what they do. She then proceeded to say, "Oh, maybe I should talk to them." Justin and I looked at eachother with big smiles, and at the same time responded, "Yes. Yes, you should!" :-) Then, Justin was explaining to her about the Prophet and how he receives revelation for the whole world, and continued by telling her every single person can also receive personal revelation for ourselves. He told her that we can pray and then receive inspiration and guidance in our own lives. She once again said, "Maybe I should try that." I bet you can't guess what mine and Justin's reaction was to that. :-) We, once again, grinned from ear to ear and in unison said, "Yes, you definitely should." I mean seriously!!! If only missionary work were always this easy! She pretty much ended the conversation by telling us she really liked everything we told her and agreed with it all. Justin asked her how it made her feel, hoping to have the opportunity to get her to understand and recognize the Spirit. When she responded with, "I feel good and calm and peaceful and relaxed", Justin had the opportunity he had hoped for. Then when she woke up the next morning and I asked her how she slept she said, "I woke up at 5am." I said, "Oh, so you didn't get enough sleep?" She responded with, "No, I did. Because of the things you guys told me about last night I slept really deep. I felt relaxed and comforted." Wow! How awesome is that?! Hopefully these conversations will continue on a regular basis, and she will have a desire to have the Gospel in her life. That would be so exciting!