Konichiwa minasan!
First week of the MTC down!
So cool story. On the drive down to the MTC I kept telling my family about how I wanted a native Japanese-speaking companion so I could be fully immersed in the language. Lo and behold when I arrived at the MTC, I was assigned to be companions with Sister Kobayashi from Tokyo! She speaks zero English, loves bananas and always wears cute clothes. Also, her name is Yukiko (bet you're happy to hear that mom!).
Our companionship is actually a trio, consisting of me, Sister Kobayashi and Google Translate. It's been an interesting process learning how to communicate with each other. It's difficult at times, but it's truly been the best experience for both of us. I'm teaching her English and she's teaching me Japanese. Extra bonus of having an international missionary companion is we always get front row seats during devotionals. It's great!
I thought I had a pretty good idea what I was getting myself into after hearing all the mission stories from my friends. Let me tell you, this experience is unlike anything I've ever been through in my life. You're constantly doing something, whether it's learning the language, teaching investigators, reading the scriptures, exercising, eating, etc.The day I entered the MTC (July 26th) was the day 7232 other missionaries came in, the highest record up to date. It is crowded! Meal time is quite the experience ;).
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| My district. Thank for the chips and salsa Mama Hansen! A lot of the Japanese missionaries never had a fiesta before so that was a good experience. |
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| "Doitashimashite" Translation: You're welcome, Pronunciation: Don't touch my mustache |
Apparently the language evaluators thought my Japanese was good enough to put me in the fast track, meaning I only have two more weeks here. I felt pretty confident about myself until I walked into my first day of class and was greeted by a room full of native Japanese speakers. I did not know what I was getting myself into. Not going to lie, the language is hard and there's so much I don't understand. I'll let you all know where I am in two weeks!
The most important thing I learned this week is when we feel like we can't accomplish a task, in reality we probably can't. But through Christ we can! That's who I had to rely on this past week as I've adjusted to the life of a full-time missionary.
So much love for you all,
Matsuura Shimai
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Sister Matsuura has seen quite a few familiar faces at the MTC:
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| Sister Lasson from Campus Plaza @ BYU |
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| Elder Hansen, Jordyn's Brother going to Italy |
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| Sister Walker, from my Japanese class at BYU |
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| Sister Guisinger, my friend Reed's sister |
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| Ashley Poelman teaching at the MTC, from BYU |
Perfect! Perfect!!
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures.
I love the messages from sister Matsuura!
I love the description of Megs companion!
Thank you,
Kristine