Akemashite o medeto gozaimasu! (Happy New Year!)

Tashibu fufu, one of the incredibly faithful couples in our ward

To announce... we are staying! 

Dearest, Beloved Kazoku!!!

You are so great. I sure love you. I can't believe how fast and slow time is ticking, time is so weird on your mission. We have had an incredible week. 7 of our investigators came to church this week... and did I tell you, we are sinking on our roots for transfer #4 together as the Takamatsu Sisters! ha ha. No transfer!!!! I LOVE BEING SISTER DOBSON'S COMP!!! WE LOVE IT HERE!

Things are going so well though. Izumikawa San (our beautiful, golden contact who we love so much) is moving forward to her baptismal date on the 20th, and her cute 8 year old is doing so well. One of the boys hasn't been able to come to church yet, so he can't make that date, but we are rooting for them. They are so cute. We made quiet books for them and the other kids that come to church!

We taught a "walk through" plan of salvation and the Gospel of Christ, complete with backpacks and compasses (receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost). They loved it! We had another pretty amazing miracle. The first deaf family we met, the mother has had a hard time coming to Church and really progressing. We put her name on the mission fasting list this month - praying that she would come to Church. But Heavenly Father knew what we would be praying for even before the actual prayers, and guess what?! The faith of our mission helped--after Church started, Haruka Chan (her cute 9 year old) walked in, towing her sweet mom for her first time coming to our Church. It's a miracle!!  

We have miracles every day. I can't tell you how blessed I am to be in this area, and how much I love it. I LOVE BEAUTIFUL TAKAMATSU AND I LOVE YOU.

Sunrise from our apartment window...

Sunset from our apartment window...

We are all on our quest of discipleship. We show every day how we honor our Savior. What a privilege to live! Shogatsu was this week as well, it is like the Christmas of America as far as big-ness. Everything shut down from Tuesday-Thursday and people are with their families. They go to the shrines and pray. A few members had us over for traditional food, it was so much fun!

Miracles, miracles, miracles. We think there is a way this sweet lady in our ward who is really old and probably has a little dementia can be baptized. Her son is so happy. Haruka Chan bore her testimony in Church, even though I'm not quite sure how much she understood about testimonies... most of it was about her skiing trip. haha...oh, well. Watching our beautiful investigators, sitting in that chapel...what a privilege to be a missionary!

Did I tell you I love you? I hope you all have a happy and heavenly new year!

The work is true! Onward, upward, and outward--in showing our love for Him. It is His work, and I testify with all of my heart that it is true!

Sister Anderson

 Here is Yoshiko Shimai who we taught in Akashi.  She got baptized!!!!!

Yummy!

  

Through His life...life in abundance...

Merry Christmas! 

With love and gratitude 

from 

Scott and Angelle

Nate

and Sister Jen in Japan!  

My Dearest Family, 

I love this work, and I love you. I love to look at pictures of you all, and just count myself so blessed to be all wrangled in with you for eternity. You are so all so beautiful, every one of you!  So many accomplished children, who are sprouting up so quickly, it is just such a delight. I have received so many sweet birthday packages and Christmas packages and letters (thank you Grandpa and Grandpa Jan, The Georgia Anderson's, Soulier Fam, and Spen and Rach fam just this week!)  And so many others!! Thanks so much for your thoughtful love, support and prayers! Can I just say I love you all? And happy birthday to all of you who are celebrating in December! So glad to hear that Nate is on the mend after his surgery! :)

We have been reading Jesus the Christ frantically at mealtimes to try to finish by the end of the year, and I think the crowning hope the Savior has for us is just to love each other, to share the gifts He wants so much to give us to lead us back to our Father. Our Heavenly Father wants to bless us so much!

We had (are having) a pretty amazing spiritual experience with our investigator. We have been working for months on that faith bed, through prayer, scriptures, teaching for her--and we taught her the Word of Wisdom this week! I love studying principles again and again, if I am ready to learn, the Lord enlightens my mind with new ways to teach. We taught the Word of Wisdom a little bit to another investigator as well, and I had her put her hand out and close her eyes, I touched it lightly with a pen. She then put on one glove, two glove, three gloves, (blue fish?), and we tried again. She let me know when she could feel it. I touched it probably thirty times, and she said "hai" maybe three. One of the reasons we have these commandments is that we can feel the influence of Heavenly Father, through the Holy Ghost! We get to, throughout our lives and covenants, though we are not perfect, to take off those gloves--and receive that gift. No wonder it is a prerequisite to baptism! In Japan, breaking the Word of Wisdom is culturally.... approved, exalted, more than normal. We taught it to one of our investigators and she said, "But I love alcohol!" "Tea is my hobby!", and yet, she has been living it this week--because that is what Heavenly Father, Her Father has asked her to do. It is pretty incredible to watch these people change (this is Izumikawa San).

 She and two of her boys were able to come to Church for the first time this week, we had 4 investigators there and two others, it was pretty wonderful--just like the Christmas party, where you close your eyes, and just feel Heavenly Father's joy that His children are at His house. WOW. (not a pun for word of wisdom) (Even Ushiroda Shimai came, who we haven't met in a long time, and I sang in Church while Dobson Shimai played... we made a medley of "Away in a Manger" and "He Sent His Son," who knew they were in the same key right?)

So! That is an awesome story, we are teaching her tonight and she is moving right along--it is just such a testament that He knows who is ready. Our Rachel is also just progressing along, she is doing so wonderfully. She is so funny, and she is building such a wonderful relationship with the members. 

In this picture she is with her daughter. She is one of the funniest people I've met, and we are talking about some things from her "Rachel Kyo" (Rachel's Church) doctrine, but her problems go away so quickly. She was meant to come here and feel His love, and she feels it so well and so quickly. The lessons are just exploding out because we want to teach her so much, the Gospel has the answers to those questions. The work is moving right along, even though it is the last week of the transfer. So many other miracles, like an investigator the Elders had who wasn't doing well when we came, but came on Sunday and said he wants to know why we believe personally, and hear more about the Book of Mormon. We went caroling yesterday and it was so fun. Rachel San is also studying English as hard as she can even though she is in her 70s, I wish you could meet all of our investigators. Some other investigators dropped this week--we had two lessons in one day, one where someone testified that they knew that the Book of Mormon was true, and one where they could not accept it.  That is so hard - I know it is true! I love that book. You cannot get away from the witness of the Holy Ghost if you seek it. The fullness of the Gospel has been restored, which matters because of a babe born in a manger in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. Oh, to sing to our King at this Christmas time. I would like to add my testimony to that in the Doctrine and Covenants 76 "This is the last testimony, that He lives! For we saw Him, on the right hand of God..." I testify that He has prepared a place for us there if we will but exercise our agency and choose to follow Him. This is the biggest adventure in the history of the world--what you are living now--more than movies or video games, all shackles of the biggest truth and adventure: You. Your life. Your experience on earth. Let us use what we have been given and follow our Savior. "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39). My last testimony, too, is that He lives. Our lives we live can be gifts to Him, never to repay as King Benjamin reminds us, but as solemn, wonderful gifts of gratitude and devotion: let us live. As our Savior Jesus Christ has said: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

My wish for you, my sweet family and friends, is that first you feel that love from Him for you--and then, together, we go forth in sharing that gift so other may live in Him, that we may attain that abundant life together and eternally. (what a message!) I am your companion and servant in this great work, let us go together. I love you all, Merry Christmas--for it is about Him, it is worth celebrating. 

"God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son." -The First Presidency, "The Living Christ"

Love you forever, because of His love,
Sister Anderson

Santa came to the ward party! Isn't he cute?

 I am soooooooooooo spoiled!

 Thanks Dobson Momma!

 Thanks family!

 Christmas town!

 The Takamatsu Shimai, rocking the new looks!

 My gifts from Spencer and Rachel, Ella, Caden, and Claire!  They had my name for the sibling draw! :)

To my Colorado Family: Thanks for the Christmas!! You are so sweet, and your kids are getting so big!! Thank you so much for thinking of me this Christmas season! I LOVE YOU! Love, Sister Jen

 The new mini "hand size" PMG!  

In our humble apartment...

celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Christmas is coming!!!! The Gospel is true!!!!

Hey Fam!!

Merry Christmas to... me? You are so sweet!! Thank you!  Grandma and Cami - the divinity and caramels are soooooooooooooo yummy!!!!  You know how to cook it up!

Today needs to be kind of quick because we are limited on computers, but can I just say I love you! I know that anything that comes to us in life can make us stronger, so many of you have shown me that. That is all through the Lord. Because of Jesus Christ, we do not have to face life alone. Isn't that amazing?
Some of our investigators are doing really well, and others not so much, and others aren't listening any more. I love Heavenly Father so much. I can't imagine seeing your children feel your love and still want to leave, I can't imagine what that would be like as an earthly parent, nonetheless a Heavenly Parent. 

I cut my hair today, but only a little bit! (It will be long when I come home, don't worry Dad.) Christmas is such a special time of year. We are teaching an incredibly special investigator. I know that the Lord truly is preparing His children, that there are forces on the other side helping us. The sweet, funny grandmother we met we are now teaching, and she came to the Christmas party on Saturday.

 The ward did a beautiful play illustrating the effect Jesus Christ can have on our lives. She came the next day to Church from that play even wanting to hear MORE about God!! She likes to be called "Rachel" because that is the name she picked, and is a kindred spirit for those who catch it. She researched up on Mormons even though we just started teaching her and is a little hesitant about giving up her Frappacino, that is the only thing she can't decide if she should give up or not. She uses every English word she knows when she talks. She is so great. Special experience of the week: We were teaching her and I pulled out a little picture of the Savior, and she picked it up so carefully, and said: "I have this feeling that this is my older brother." Tears came to my eyes. She had had another experience that would make her feel like that too, but I am just amazed at the people He is preparing. They are valiant and they are waiting.

Other than that, we had a kokan this week, the Christmas Party was so fun, we tried to play hot and cold with the 60 people there, and I think that might be kind of an American game... not to mention one of the Bishopric members said (after I used a word I'd found from my dictionary that day), "The missionaries use hard words! What they meant is..." ha ha ha. Christmas is so soon, so excited to talk to you, I'll forward you info about the call, but your Christmas day, between 8 and 11 in the morning here, feel free to email the Dobson's maybe... 

I LOVE YOU! The Savior is THE reason we are. We are so incredible blessed. Keep our beloved investigators in your prayers and for us to find those He is preparing.  We also got a referral this week from a member who became on investigator! Starting the journey!

I love you. His work is true!
Sister Anderson

PS Nate, my prayers are with you!  I hope your knee surgery goes well and you recover quickly!

PPS I loved all the pics of the Christmas parties - so fun!  Happy birthday to all of you who celebrate in December!  I can't believe Seth is five!

PPPS  Thanks to all my sweet friends and family members who wrote to me this week!  I LOVE YOUR LETTERS!!!!!

Here are the answers to Marissa's questions:

.what is your companions whole name? Nicole Allyse Dobson
.where did  you get your bed where you sleep in Japan? It was in the apartment already!!
.are Japanese foods spicy? Some of them are! Like curry! Sometimes you can choose how spicy too. :)
.could you tell me some Japanese words? Love-ai tree- ki Marissa-Mah-rii-sah -Heavenly Father--Ten no Otosama. (Ten no Otosama wa Marissa chan o ai shite imasu!) means* Heavenly Father loves Marissa!

More food pics for anyone who loves food! Look at how cute they are in Japan... I know a lot of you foodies will really love these pics!

 Celebrating! Sister Missionary exchange...

A lady we are going to start teaching who is half Mongolian and grew up in Russia but speaks Japanese... and likes hats!