Saturday, March 16, 1991--Day 438

I don't feel like writing in here.

I forgot my nice watch at volleyball [last night]; came back today and it was gone.

Saieki-san, Price's 30 year-old investigator (female), has the hots for him big time. We told him about it (we found out from Kawamura Shimai, who referred her), and he was surprised but handled it well.

It rained all day, making dendo miserable. [We] had an activity at the church with members and all; it was a talent show.

Top Ten Movies of 2008


1. Religulous
2. Milk
3. W.
4. Doubt
5. Body of Lies
6. Slumdog Millionaire
7. Burn After Reading
8. Role Models
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
10. Step Brothers

Tuesday, June 18, 1991--Day 532

Of all surprises, the [mission] president called this morning--I'm transferring. I was only here as long as I was in my first area. Short. Dang, and things were really looking up, too. Joe (Kitano) told the shimais [that] he wanted to get baptized, Miyoshi in the hospital said O.K. to [hearing] the discussions, Aoki was feeling the Spirit, Kawakami was rockin' and rollin', and Mitamura was meeting. I'm going to hate to leave. I could be in my next area for six months, 'cause that's basically all I have left. I'm going to Meito-Kita, Kitajima Shimai's area. I wanted to go there, too! That was Frehner's first area; he loved the ward there. When he was pulled out, so was another guy, so since then the apartment has had only two [missionaries] in it. [My companion's and my arrival would bump the number back up to four.]

My companion will be Elder Seegmiller. Harris was his trainer; he's been here [for] three months. I've talked to him a few times; he seems pretty cool. Anyhow, we're both going in at the same time and opening our companionship from ground zero. Thus, anyone we find will be totally ours.

Even though it didn't rain, Kawakami-san called and wanted to meet, bless her heart. She called us! Love that woman. We showed the Joseph Smith video and finished Lesson One. [It's] interesting; Depeel can't really understand what's being said, but he can feel the Spirit there regardless. Miles Choro is taking my place here as a new senior ([in other words,] he's barely going senior). [Elder Miles had also taken my place back when I transferred out of Okazaki.] So I hit hard on listening to the message regardless of who's teaching [it].

I'd gotten my new address off Frehner [although we were no longer companions, we were still in the same district], so I went home right after and started packing. At 6:00 [p.m.] it was all sent off. I'm sure it'll beat me there.

[We] had a little party at Institute for Koyanagi. Therefore, I got to see most of the active kaiins before I left.

Friday, August 31, 1990--Day 241

Without the true church, people come up with weird ideas. We ran into a college professor who's good at English who we know, and he took us into a small restaurant. [He had a British accent, which sounded extremely strange coming from a Japanse person.] We met a guy who was a Sokka Gakkai church member. Our [own] guy ripped him up and down, and I guess you don't talk back to your elders here, 'cause he sat there and took it. Our dude thinks that since everyone has their own way of thinking, that everyone is God. Weird, indeed. Funny, but I don't seem to remember creating the earth.

Our pick-up lesson went well. The guy's cool; he doesn't freak out when you mention the word "Christ" like 99% of the Japanese do.

[url=http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=70050677&blogID=112762187&Mytoken=34028271-2C07-4665-8B7DC85222A414239973717]April 28, 2006[/url]

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Steve says my blogs are too long.... so I am attempting to write a shorter one (plus my lengthy first version was lost).

I believe that intolerance comes from many sources one big one is religon. Do I blame religon? That is to say, do I blame God? NO.

Do I blame people? YES.

People are not perfect and the most passionate people have a belief system one way or the other. I do - even when I was agnostic I had a belief system, granted it didn't revolve my world around God - it revolved around human decency something I believed all religious people seriously lacked. (Is Maggie Mormon mad???? Oh my....) Not to mention I felt women were seriously oppressed but that, alas, is for another blog. Maybe tomorrow.

Yes, LACKED They all lacked it ever single "belief system" person I had ever met. From my own conservative family (whom I love dearly and to this day disagree with their views on some issues) to my own husband. Yep - not a single belief based person I had ever met had ever changed my opinion: organized religon was the root of all evil.

But think about it - it's not God's fault, it is mens' faults because we are prone to the promptings of Satan - who can be quite convincing. He can mingle scripture with his own agendas. And since religon was upon the Earth his agenda is to divide from within and conquer. And I gotta say, he does a great job.

(It's not short is it? Sorry....)

I dated a born again who couldn't believe I refused to ban gay marriage, three of the best friends in my entire life were Scientologists and amazing people - wouldn't trade knowing them for anything, my best friend from highschool is gay and currently engaged (shout out to Cris!) and I love him for being him and being happy. I am pro-choice (don't get me wrong, I hate abortion but it's not my free will in question is it?).

Intolerance is evil. Regardless if you believe in God and Satan - it's plain evil. It doesn't help anything. My own husband was against organized religon because he was aethist and saw no good from it.

I have a testimony of the joy my churh and faith has brought me - but it's my life. Now, Jane, she thinks her faith and her lifestyle is the only way to heaven.... And that's her right as an individual. Although I hate her intolerance - it is her right and I can't be intolerant towards her for praticing it. I can only love her.

I have tried to look as God would look, and although I may be way outside the box (that's ok, that's who I am) I see my own babies times infinity. I feel love times eternity. And who am I to say that's wrong?

Love-

Amanda