Maryandra got to experience some refreshing rain on the evening of doing splits with another sister from Tama.  They also went to the entrance of Hello Kitty Land.  Yes, it really does exist!!!

In the meantime, she is getting along pretty well with her companion of 2 weeks, Sister Tachibana.

Apparently the missionaries have a goal to make at least 13 contacts per day of proselyting. Here are a few excerpts from Maryandra's e-mail. 

Friday:

YES! YES YES YESSSSSSSS!!!!!! WE FINALLY DID IT!!!! 13 people! And almost all of them were amazing! Yes! I'm so proud of tachibana Shimai for gambarruing (hanging in there)! She's been working really hard since she got better, and we have done a good job today! It's been great! It was really hot though, unlike yesterday, which made it difficult and unpleasant, but we still did it! It was soooo great! I'm so proud of her! Yay!

However, I do have a concern/question. Seeing as I still haven't received the package from Curtis, there are two possibilities. One, they are holding it for some reason at the honbu. Two, the package never reached Japan because it didn't meet certain requirements and they threw it away. So, I have a few questions. Was the package in an envelope, or a box? Did it have a return address written clearly on it?

Anyway, we have a zone blitz tomorrow! I'm so excited! I'll explain more about that later. Bye!....

Saturday:

Okay, forget my worries of yesterday, because...... IT CAME IT CAME IT CAME IT CAME IT CAME!!!!!!!!!!!! IT FINALLY CAME!!!!!! I haven't opened it yet, but I will after I tell you a little bit about my day. First off, the zone blitz as a whole was amazing! We got 20 contacts per companionship! But before hat, on the train ride to Tama, I talked to a lady and I started the conversation by complementing her fan, and then saying that because my Fuji fan from Daiso is a little old and about to rip, I'm always complementing people on their fans, and before I knew it, she thrust it into my hands. It was just about the most awkward moment ever. But I didn't know how to refuse it, so I still have it. Whoops. I vowed that when ever that happens, I'm going to trade it for something else if they won't take it back, because it was soooo awkward. Yikes! Anyway, so yeah, lesson learned there. But at the zone blitz, we got split into pre-assigned groups to do a certain part of dendo ( housing, streeting, or kubari) with our family history papers and packets. I first got to go and house with my dear oldie companion, Funakura Shimai! It was great catching up on old times! She said that my Japanese has gotten so much better, and she said I have a lot of confidence! It was so great to hear that from her, because she was always getting after me for it in Hachioji:)

Then Maryandra told us about how much she loved the gifts from her brother Curtis!

Sunday:

We got to go to a member family's home, and we had a great time, as expected. For our short message, We shared 1 nephi 3:7. I talked about how at first when I was thinking of a mission, I was really really scared, but through reading the scriptures and finding verses like this, I was able to gain the courage I needed to come here to Japan, and how it's a good thing I did, because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have met them, etc. and how even though we don't know everything, Heavenly Father does, and He knows what's best for us. It was a great time! They are just a great family! Love them to death! But the return bike ride was a little scary at first, because we legitimately got lost, and it was dark, and we had to ride on this highway-like road for a while. Thank goodness there weren't many cars, but it was scaaaaaryyyy! And I was sweating so hard when we finally got home that my hair felt like it had just come out of a thunderstorm. Naaaaaaastyyyyyyyy!!!! So I took a good long shower as soon as we finished daily planning. But yeah, that's pretty much all that happened. Well, see ya tomorrow y'all!... 

Tuesday:

Well, okay. I've been wondering since yesterday if I have a sinus infection coming on, and now my stomach has become rather upset. And there's all these itchy bumps on my legs from I don't know what. I hope I'm not getting one of those random sicknesses again, like with the hives or hat throat thing I had one time. Great. But I'm still going to go to the temple! Nothing can keep me away! Im probably not feeling well because of stress or something. But it's not been an easy time lately, dendo (proselyting) wise. In most other aspects of life, everything is fine. Just the most important part is struggling like none other. It's the weirdest thing ever. But I hope we make it on time to the ten o'clock session! I always hate when we just make it. I've never yet missed one, and I never intend to. . . But I hope you guys have been enjoying your week! I can't wait to see all of your emails! Love you all! See you next week!

Miller Shimai