The Lost Sheep

Konnichiwa to one and all!

Would you believe it, this week marked THREE MONTHS since I left on my mission. Don't believe...well, guess what? Neither do I! It's really amazing how fast the time flies by when you are committed completely to something. When it is all you focus on everyday, all day. You would think it would be the opposite, that time would go slower. But nope. God's work is going forward QUICKLY in this part of His vineyard. 

We had this special Trainer/Training Meeting (a meeting for newer missionaries and the missionaries who are training them) this week which was in Okayama. This probably means very little to you, since you most likely don't know the geography of Japan. Don't worry, neither do I. Haha. Basically, it's about three hours away by train. So we had to wake up really early to be able to get there at 9:30am. It was actually pretty refreshing to have a change in schedule. Anyways, at the meeting, the President of our Mission (the man who is in charge of all the missionaries in the Kobe area) talked to us, and boy, what a talk it was! It was so enriching and enlightening. Afterwards, I felt like I could go out and share the gospel with ALL of the people of Japan! The meeting really helped me to remember why I am out here, and also think harder about how I can improve from day to day. 

President and Sister Zinkes

We had to pack a lunch for this meeting, so we made Onigiri. For those of you who don't know what this is, it is basically rice, in the shape of a ball. Yes, that's it. I've gone completely Nihongin. That is to say, Japanese. But really, it was such a great lunch! 

This week I decided I needed more study time, so my companion and I have started to get up at 5:30am instead of 6:30am. This extra hour of study time is actually so glorious! Who needs sleep when I have a WHOLE language to learn! You would think that it would make me more tired, since I am getting less sleep. BUT NOT SO. I have more energy and am more happy, I would say. It makes me feel like I am trying harder and harder to fulfill my purpose as a missionary, and I love it! 

Besides waking up earlier, we also started to go RUNNING in the morning! Usually we just work out in our small apartment, but that really limits the amount of exercise that we can do. My companion doesn't particularly like running, but she said she would give it a try. The first day, we did two little laps around the Elementary School which is near our apartment, and then I asked her if she thought we could do a third. Her reply? "Muri." Or, being interpreted, "impossible." Hahaha. Gotta love early morning runs.

Fall has officially started here in Akashi, and let me tell you, Japanese autumns are WONDERFUL. It's nice not having to be a baked Sister Missionary everyday! The air is cool, but not cold. And the wind is just enough to keep you feeling refreshed, even when you are sweating on your bike. I am excited, because that means that soon the leaves will be changing colors! It will be even MORE beautiful than it already is! 

So, we've been trying to get in touch with a particular investigator named I-san for the entire time I've been in Akashi, so about five weeks now. She was really interested in our message, but then she just sort of fell off the planet. We couldn't contact her. She didn't answer our messages or phone calls. We even left a little card in her mailbox, but even that got no response. We were afraid that we had lost her. We decided to try to visit her one last time. We prayed that she would be there, and that we would be able to know what to say to her. We biked the one hour it takes to get to her house, went up seven flights of stairs...by elevator...and then knocked on her door. We were afraid. What would we say? What could we possibly say that could help her remember and more fully understand how important this message is?

Well, we didn't have to say much. The moment she opened her door, her face LIT UP. She was so excited to see us! She gave us both tight hugs (which is rare, since the Japanese are pretty unused to hugging...it's always awkward when I try to hug an investigator...one time, this one girl somehow turned it into a really strange handshake...I'm still not sure how she managed that, but she did. Ah, Japanese culture, gotta love it. But anyways, I digress). We talked for a bit, but then she had to go take one of her younger sons someplace. Right before we said goodbye, she said something along these lines, "Ah, I remember this feeling. It feels so warm and happy." We smiled, because we both knew she was feeling God's love. She was feeling the Spirit. 

Just being able to see I-san again and talk to her made both my companion and I more happy than I can express. It sort of felt like when you get lost as a kid, and can't find your mom. But then, you see her through the crowd of people, and you just want to run and hug her forever. That feeling of losing someone, and then finding them again...I'm sure that is what Jesus was talking about when He shared the parable about the lost sheep. He leaves His 99 sheep, and goes out to find the One lost. 

He loves us all that much. That love is why He has sent me here. And that is why I want to be here, too. To help find those "lost sheep" who don't know God; who are wandering lost in this world. Who would accept Jesus Christ and His warm embrace if they simply knew where to find it. 

I am grateful that I am able to feel even the smallest portion of the love Christ has for all of us. He loves us in our imperfections. He loves us in our weaknesses. He loves every part of us, the good and the bad. And He wants us to follow Him. To become part of His fold.

This is the duty of a missionary.

This is the message I share.

This is my work.

From,

Sister Weigl