And next thing I knew.... I couldn't breathe

Konnichiwaaaa!

Lol because my caption for this week is so dramatic and makes it seem like I almost died. 20 bucks says you all opened this email just to see if I am even still living. I am. Thanks for wondering;) Bahahah! I'll explain my caption in a second, but speaking of death... I experienced my first earthquake this week and WE SURVIVED. Also, it like barely did anything and just felt like someone was working out reallllllyyyy hard upstairs, but still.... I thought it was pretty cool;)

Now to explain the real reason why I couldn't breathe. Kimonos. Oh baby. Let me explain. Sooooo... this week was our ward talent show! We have been looking forward to it for forever. Everyone was super super excited. Well, one of the ladies in our ward is a beautician. She also is a pro at kimono dressing (and yes, it is a legit talent). We ended up being her "talent!" She did our hair all fancy and Japanesey, and dressed us in these crazy cool kimonos! When I say crazy, I mean like CRAZY. There were probably 20 different layers of fabric, knots, padding, towels (yes, I know, I was confused too), strings, and all sorts of other things on me. She wrapped me in that sucker so tight that I couldn't even move. I now understand the shuffle that I saw when I saw traditional Japanese people in movies. It's a real thing people. You can't breathe, move, or even be a human. But it was SO COOL! The Japanese culture is honestly so fascinating and it was so amazing to be able to be a part of it! They had us legit do a fashion show for the whole ward. It was kind of hilarious, but everyone freakeddddd out when they saw us. We were celebrities. Lol! I stayed in that kimono for probably 3 hours and let's just say air never tasted so good;) It was so so fun though.

How amazing are these kimonos? They're beautiful!

On a completely different note, one of our investigators came to church this week! WOOOOHOOOOOO! She loved it and I was so so so happy. Her story is actually super cool. Sister Wootan and I were going to visit some less actives one day. When we stopped by this woman's house, she told us that her mom had been a member, but had passed away. Her daughter (the woman who we were talking to) is not a member of our church, but immediately invited us in and has been loving learning ever since! She gets so excited every time we meet and discuss the gospel. In Japan, we call her a "kinjin," which directly translates to golden person. She truly is golden! It is so cool to see how the gospel makes her as well as others so happy. AHHH! I JUST LOVE THE CHURCH YOU GUYS. It makes me so happy and I have already seen how the knowledge of it can change lives.

I love being a missionary. I try to think about my life without the experiences I am having here, and it just does not feel complete. Missions are hard, but they are worth it because the gospel is a gospel of joy. I feel very lucky to be spreading that joy with the people of Japan, even if I still can't quite speak their language;)

Thank you for all the emails and prayers! I miss you all so much! Sending love from 日本 :)

xoxox

Modersitzki 姉妹

Fun facts:

- I am surprised that I didn't include this in one of my first emails... but uh ya, we don't have beds here. They're legit not a thing! Everyone sleeps on futons on the floor. It's awesome! Mine is way comfy though, so #blessed

- So many grandmas here have purple hair. Like bright purple. And not just anyone. Only grandmas. It's truly incredible. I have a tally on my tablet because it makes me so happy everytime I see one. So far we're at 16. I know, right!? I think I am gonna bring the trend back to America. Purple hair makes life more fun... right!?

This is their kitchen in their apartment.

These are the kind of things that you find at the grocery store.

Sister Boden and Sister Mod on exchanges.

This is their church. It is HUGE!

This is the talented sister who dressed the girls in the kimonos.