Indonesia - Week 8

Hey, so I'm 15 hours ahead of you, NOT 13. So yeah, 7 am on the 25th for me sounds good! That would be 4pm on the 24th for you. Everything's good here, haven't felt any pain. I have to remind myself every day to drink more water, but I'm good. I got a few Christmas cards this week:
Thank you to Jason, Sara, and my little Pacaran's! :) I loved the picture. Thank you also to The Norris', Sister Davis, and the Mia Maids--I love the cards and appreciate the kind words! It's so nice to hear from people back home! THANK YOU so much!!!
Things here are still moving, investigators are good. Still trying to find more and get referrals. Man, now I understand how missionaries feel when they ask for referrals! We WANT to help and bring lost sheep back into the fold! So...TO ALL OF YOU WHO READ THIS, here's a challenge: PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER SOMEONE IN YOUR LIFE TO SHARE THE GOSPEL WITH, and refer them to your local missionaries by the end of the 1st week of this new year. That gives you TWO whole weeks to think of someone...and I'm sure some of you already have that person in the back of your minds, that person that you've always wanted to share the gospel with. Don't you want to share with others the one constant thing in your life that has brought you so many blessings, so much joy and peace? One way to show you truly care about someone is to teach them about the gospel and what it has done for you. Missionary work is one of the greatest things, it's a win-win situation: YOU are blessed for sharing what you believe and teaching your brothers and sisters about the gospel. YOU get to feel the joy of watching and being a part of the conversion process, seeing someone you love gain their own testimony. THEY are blessed for receiving the restored gospel through faith, repentance, and baptism. THEY will continue to be blessed as long as they endure to the end. In the end, EVERYONE's happy! WIN-WIN!
Anyway, I LOVE my comp, Sister Mongan! She has been through a lot of trials in her life, many family problems, but has remained true and steadfast in this gospel. There was a time when she was the only active member when she was probably still a younger teenager. She told me that it was so hard for her to go to church and see these families sitting together as she sat by herself on a pew. But what kept her going was her faith. Her faith and testimony of the gospel are rock solid. She is such an inspiration to me! I love teaching with her because whenever she bears her testimony it's always so powerful. I love it! I admire her so much, and we get along so well!
I'm getting more used to Indonesia every day. The language is coming, I'm starting to speak it a lot more and understand Sis Mongan when she's talking to other natives (which is when she talks super fast!).
On the 24th, we're going caroling to less-actives. That'll be fun! On the 25th we're going bowling in the morning and then to Senopati for the day. We're even doing a White Elephant there! Time is starting to fly, I have no idea where this past month went. I feel like it's still October or something, like Halloween hasn't even passed yet. I guess that's what happens when you enjoy what you do! And I am doing just that, enjoying every minute--good or bad!
I hope this email finds everyone in good health, good spirits, and enjoying life. One thing I was thinking about earlier today is that you can't change what's past...you can only move on, and hopefully learn from experience. Don't make the same mistakes that have already been made by you or others.
My love goes out to you all, may the Lord be with you, especially during this Christmas season! I hope you all have a wonderful, safe holiday!

Selamat Natal,
Sister Okamoto

Indonesia - Week 7: Exciting News!

Wow, Christmas came and went so fast for me. I can't believe a new year is almost upon us...how exciting! My companion and I have been setting plenty of goals for the Tahun Baru (new year). Man, I LOVE being on a mission! Sister Mongan and I just got back from teaching Mutiara lesson 2...and we set a batismal date!!! January 17th! We were not even half way through the lesson and baptism came up when we talked about what we must do in this life: have faith in Christ, repent, be baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. She said she'd already done the first two, have faith and repent, but she'd been waiting to be baptized til she found the right church. Two and a half years, she said she'd been waiting. When we told her maybe she could be baptized next month or the month after, she said "lebih cepat, lebih baik!" (pretty much translates as "the sooner the better"). AMAZING! Heavenly Father truly prepares His children, sometimes long before they are introduced to the church. After that she started talking about how her grandmother had past away (who was Muslim) but she kept having dreams about her. Her grandma would say, "please help me...baptize...baptize..." Mutiara turned to us and asked if we knew what that meant. Sister Mongan and I looked at eachother and just smiled. We then explained about the temple and baptisms for the dead. She was just amazed at that. When we told her that we'd already been through the temple, she thought that was so cool and has the greatest desire to go. We taught the rest of the lesson and it went so well. I think we're going to be meeting with her like 3 times a week to teach her before she gets baptized. I am so excited!!! Jacklin also called me this week (she's been busy with work and the holidays and hasn't been able to meet). She's going out of town and won't be back til the 15th. But she kept telling me to call her when she gets back, she still wants to learn. :)
This is just such an amazing experience for me...I hope everybody can feel the joy of helping to "bring one soul" to the knowledge of the gospel at least once in their life...it is the GREATEST feeling! And so humbling too, knowing that you are only the instrument in God's hands, testifying of truth, but the Spirit does the real work...the CONVERSION.
Today has been awesome. This morning we all went to an elder's investigator's neighborhood to play futsol (pretty much soccer) and it was so fun. I haven't played in so long, it felt great. After that we went to the investigator's house and had a wonderful lunch. He even gave me a bottle of the mosquito repellent he sells because he saw how badly bitten my legs were. Lol. So yeah, today has been great, to say the least.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, I want to wish you a Happy New Year too! I love you all, I truly do. I am so grateful for ALL the love and support I receive from back home...you all have helped me become a better person. Thank you!

Sampai waktu berikutnya--
Degan banyak kasih,

Sister Okamoto

Indonesia - Week 6

> Hello all!!!
> It feels like I haven't written in a month...but I'm still alive! So I’m sure as many of you all know, last Monday I woke up with a very sharp pain in the left side of my lower back. At first I thought it was from sleeping wrong, so I tossed and turned a bit, but to no avail. I decided to get up to get some Ibuprofen, but I couldn't even make it out of the doorway of our room because of the pain. I came back in and fell on the bed, the pain was unbelievably strong. I'd say that it was easily the most pain I'd ever felt in my life. So anyway we go to the hospital, they do some x-rays and CT scans and determine that I have a kidney stone! WHAT?!? How does that even happen?? Kidney stones are typically found in MALES ages 30 to 50...so OF COURSE it happens to me! Haha. The doctors aren't sure of the cause of kidney stones, some say it's genetic, some say it's not drinking enough water. The next morning I was treated using a shock therapy thing called Lithotripsy (high-energy shock waves are used to disintegrate the stone). They gave me some drugs so I wasn’t in too much pain. I stayed at the hospital til Wednesday morning, then I came to the mission home at Senopati where I’ve been staying for the past week. I think I’m getting better, for the past couple nights I haven’t woken up with any sharp pains, so that’s good. I still don’t know if I’ve passed the pieces of stone yet, the doctor said it would be like tiny pieces of sand, barely visible. I’m hoping that since I haven’t felt any sharp pains recently that that means it passed…or at least the bigger pieces anyway.
> It has been so nice staying here at “Hotel Senopati”, the other missionaries call it. President and Sister Marchant have taken very good care of me, I am so grateful for their hospitality! They’ve made me feel very at home here. Sister Marchant even let Sister Mongan and I help her decorate their Christmas tree. That was really nice and it definitely made it feel a little more like Christmas here, since the weather is no help.
> Oh, last Thursday Sister Hewlett taught the English class alone (since I was out of commission) and apparently she decided to teach them hospital vocabulary and words to use when you’re sick, so the children all made me ‘get well’ cards! I about cried as I read each one. It was SO cute!
> Yesterday we had Zone Conference (my first one in the mission field)! It was neat, even though I understood less than half of it. Presdient and Sister Marchant spoke, along with all the missionaries who are leaving before next conference. Each of the Sisters got matching batik skirts, and the elders matching batik ties just as a fun gift from President and Sister Marchant. I love the skirt! Batik is a very popular fabric made in Indonesia. The good batik is hand made with this big metal stamp thing, and I guess it takes a really long time. It’s so beautiful! I’ll have to send pics next email. All of the sisters here sang “The Olive Tree” for conference. It turned out really well! Sister Millecam took pics so I’ll try to get a copy of those. Mom, I thought you’d like to know that!
> Anyway, I’m so grateful for this Christmas season. Being in bed this past week has allowed me plenty of time to ponder about our Savior and what He did for us. I want to share a little message with you that came to me one night as I was trying to sleep:
>
> During this time of gift-giving in celebration of Christ’s birth, I hope we remember that the value of a gift is not measured with dollars and cents, but rather with love.
> In John 15:13 it says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
> I testify that Christ’s love for us is so great that He suffered for every pain, sickness, temptation, grief, sorrow, and sin that every human has and would ever face. He paid the ultimate price and laid down His own life, providing a way for us to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven. This Atonement is the greatest gift the Savior could give to us. It was purchased with His precious blood, and proffered in perfect love; a gift with a value that no price could match.
> Let us learn from the Savior’s example that the gifts we give need not cost a worldly treasure, but perhaps require instead a sacrifice of self: our time, effort, or care. The greatest gifts we can give are ones from the heart, presented with love…gifts without a price tag.
>
> I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas this year, always remember the Reason for the Season!
> I love you all!
>
> Dengan Kasih,
> Sister Okamoto

Indonesia - Week 4

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Sorry about the short email last week, I don't know what happened but when I tried sending it, it just deleted the whole thing. Last week my companion (Sister Christensen) was transferred to Solo. :( It was sad saying goodbye, I really miss her. My new companion is Sister Mongan (from Manado) and she's way cool too. I can tell my language is getting better 'cause I have a native comp so that's good. This week has been great. A few weeks ago Sister Hewlett and I contacted a girl named Nofi on busway and this past week we were all able to teach her (all meaning Sister Mongan and I and SIster Hewlett and her comp, Sistert Lei)! The lesson went really well and at the end we gave her a Book of Mormon. The cool thing is that she told us that recently she had a dream that she met Christ. He had his arms outstretched to her and then he gave her a book and told her to read it, that the book was important. She didn't know what the book was though. She said she remembered that dream when we gave her the Book of Mormon. At the end of the lesson, she said that while we were teaching she felt something different, like goosebumps. Sister Mongan told her that that was the spirit witnessing to her that what we taught was true. It was such an amazing experience! Tears welled up in my eyes as I sat there thinking how grateful I was to be a part of this...we learn the principles and the doctrines and just teach, and the spirit will do His job and carry the words to their hearts. It's THEIR job to decide whether or not they want to accept it.
> Even here in a country where almost the whole population is Muslim, we can still find people to teach. And that's because the Lord is helping US, and preparing THEM.
> Thanksgiving was great, we went to Senopati and had a huge, delicious Thanksgiving feast. President had us go around and say something that were thankful for since we've been on our missions. I said that I was grateful for the wonderful people I've met here--my companion, the other missionaries, the members, our leaders, the Indonesian people...everyone is so great and I know I've made life-long friends. After Thansgiving I continued to think about what I'm grateful for. Since I've been here, I've learned to appreciate even the small things...toilet paper, a laundry washer that actually washes clothes, American chocolate, cockaroach and rat-free houses...but it's all a part of the experience. And I love it.
> After this, we're going to visit a Musjid (Mosque). I'm excited!
> So I just remembered some of the things I wrote in the last email: we had one of the Presiding Bishops come speak to us last Saturday (Bishop Keith B. McMullin). He is awesome and immediately when he started speaking I knew that he carried the mantle of a servant of God. We had an investigator come (Jacklin) whom we met on busway I think the week prior (the one we gave a Book of Mormon to). She seemed to really enjoy it, took notes and everything, and even asked for a picture with Bishop McMullin afterwards! She's really busy with work, so we're still trying to set up an appointment to teach her. She is still reading the Book of Mormon though!
> Also, Sister Christensen had been working with these two kids (brother and sister ages 13 and 11, I think) Sifa and Riri. Their mom is a member, dad isn't. He's the only reason why they haven't been baptized yet. We set a date for their baptism though (Dec 13th) and we're going to fast and continue praying for their father to have a change of heart. He said he wanted to talk to Pres Marchant about giving permission so President's meeting him in 2 weeks. Please pray for our investigators!
> Well, I hope you all are happy and healthy. I love you and you're in my thoughts and prayers!
>
> -Sister Okamoto