Last Transfer...

So this is my last transfer here in Japan...
I am staying put, but Sister Gates (sadly) is leaving.
We have had a great transfer together. She is just amazing.
My new companion will be Sister Smith. I don't know her yet, but I am sure she is great.
I don't like thinking about this being my last transfer. Time has gone too fast. I want it to slow down.
One of the sisters who lives in our apartment (Sister Nash) had appendicitis and had to have surgery. Scary. Poor President and Sister Budge stayed with her at the hospital all night and had lots of meetings the following day.
Thankfully, Sister Nash is well now and things are as busy as ever!
We have had many wonderful conferences and temple days already this year. That really rejuvenates my spirit and gives me strength to go on.
It is really miraculous to see how the Lord puts people in our path. We will just hear a bit of English as we are walking down the street and as often as not, the people speaking English are wanting to talk with us, or have previously talked to missionaries and have more questions for us to answer.
It is so great to be a part of this life changing work.

The Good Ol' Days

It is so fun seeing old friends. The other day a dear friend showed me this old photo. Every year while my family lived in Japan we would have an 'Easter Party' for friends with little kids. I was the oldest, so I would take the plastic Easter Eggs to the local park and hide them for everyone to come hunt. Those were the days! Now all the kids in the photo are 16-18 years old!

Isaac, Joey, Lisa, Miki, Chloe

Missionary work is hard and I have to work hard to not get discouraged, but the rewards are so worth it. It is so wonderful to see the gospel bring peace and joy into the lives of those we care about.

I know that God cares and answers prayer and that the Book of Mormon specifically answers the questions of the soul.

We are so blessed!

Happy New Year!

2015 Year of the Sheep

This is going to be a great year. It is off to a great start with hard work in a great part of the world!

It is a whole new experience for me to be searching out foreigners in the city. 

We also get to attend the Japanese ward to help with the language, but are assigned to find and teach English speakers.

We have found some wonderful people and the members here are just terrific!

Skyping home for Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Tokyo!

So, I was transferred to Tokyo!
I am serving in the Tokyo 2nd (English speaking) Ward.
Crazy!
This is where I grew up (it was called Tokyo 3rd ward then).
I was baptized here when I was 8 years old!

I didn't dream I would be assigned to this area and was a little concerned about switching over to English, but when I walked in this building and realized that this is where my testimony began, I realized that this is where God wants me at this time.
It has been so wonderful seeing so many dear friends of my family from many years ago.
The members here are having a hard time calling me Sister Orton because they still remember me as a 13 year old girl named Emily.
I spoke in Sacrament meeting and there happened to be a man visiting from Saipan (where my little brother is serving his mission). I won't see my brother for 3 years because of our missions overlapping, but it was great to see someone he knows and get news of him.
My new companion, Sister Gates, is great! We are already hard at work with some really wonderful people.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is such a blessing! It is such a beautiful thing to see how it can change lives for the better. And it is an even better thing to be able to play a small part in helping others find and learn the gospel!
I couldn't ask for anything more!
Merry Christmas!

A Miracle to be Thankful for!

I had the most wonderful experience of witnessing a miracle-

Kamimura kyodai is a member of the ward here. A couple of weeks after I was transferred here, he had a sudden heart attack. He was in a comma for about 3 days.

The doctors and family watched him closely and the wife was even asked if she wanted to pull the plug.

We didn't know any of this until about 5 days after when She asked the missionaries to come to the hospital. 

We went and we were prepared to give her a special gift. 

We sisters had been making 1000 cranes. 

We hurried and finished the 1000 cranes in the 3 hours before we had to go to the hospital. 

It was a symbol of our love and prayers for him and for the whole Kamimura family. 

1,000 cranes on a train

Sister Kamimura cried when she saw them.

When we got there she asked the Elders to give him a blessing of healing. 

Elder Meza blessed him and pronounced that he would get better and better with time! 

Over these 2 months or so the blessing has come to pass. Every week I talk with Sister Kamimura and she cries as she tells me all the details. She also said that this turned into a good experience for

the rest of the family because they have all been able to feel God's love through this. 

Today we went to visit him in the hospital. This is his last day there.

We TALKED with him! 

It was a very special experience for me to be able to see this miracle with my own eyes and

to shake hands with Kamimura kyodai. God had truly healed him. Of course, the doctors were very surprised.

Alma 26:37 

God is mindful of us all. He had healed him, had blessed each of his family members, and have given me the opportunity to see Him work His miracles. His mercy is upon all people!

Tsukuba

I am loving serving here in Tsukuba with Reyes shimai. She is great!

We get to stay here and serve together for another transfer so it is going to be awesome!

On recent p-days we have been able to see some beautiful parts of Tsukuba with some wonderful people.

A peaceful waterfall on a mountain we hiked up with a friend

Tsukuba Botanical Gardents

I found Chocolate!

Besides loving nature and plants, I also really love the Savior and the Book of Mormon.

Today I love Mormon 7. 

I love that he talks about Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the world. 

Then invites us to do our part. 

He invites to be baptized and promises us blessings of Eternal Life. 

It is short sweet and beautiful!

If you know me, you know I LOVE nature and plants!

Halloween and P-day!

So Halloween is always a fun time for missionaries to bring some childhood fun to Japan!

We put on a big event with food, games, costumes and friends!

Orton shimai and Reyes shimai

a cute little Totoro

We had a Zone P-day today. It was transfer calls so we got together to have pancakes and hear our transfer calls together. 

Reyes shimai and I are staying where we are. I am so happy!! We work really well together and get along great and we are happy to stay here together for another 6 weeks!

The Nato (fermented soybeans) challenge at Zone P-day
Reyes shimai is only smiling because she hasn't tasted the Nato yet!

Here is a thought: If you haven't ever put Moroni's challenge to the test (or it has been a while), try it!

In the Book of Mormon read Moroni 10:3-5 (page 529) and put it to the test!

Good things are to come!

Love,

Orton shimai

オートン姉妹