My dear wonderful family!!
How are you? How was your week? Are you enjoying school and the
fall weather? Anything new and exciting? Thanks for all your extra prayers this
week! I have felt them! I feel really blessed. :)
This week has been really busy!! My week was so busy I
haven't written in my journal since Tuesday so my brain is having to work a lot
to remember what to write you. :) Of course what you're probably wondering most
about is how my new companion is. :D Her name is Sister Carr. She is from LA.
She is 19. She joined the church 4 or 5 years ago. She has an older half sister
and two younger sisters. Her Mom and two younger sisters are also converts, but
Sister Carr is the only active one. Her Mom is Japanese and her Dad is
American. She actually lived in Japan until she was five but then her family moved
to America and only spoke English so she and her siblings all forgot Japanese.
But she went to BYU and studied Japanese for a year and her pronunciation
sounds like a native speaker. Her goal is to become a translator and
she picks up Japanese so fast. She so full of energy and genki [peppiness] and
faith. It's funny because she was in the MTC [Missionary Training Center] for
September and October and I was in the MTC for October and November. So she
basically went to the MTC a little less than a year after me. Crazy!
Thanksgiving in the MTC (remember how they took our picture and put it on
Deseret News or something?) Fun times! I'm already learning so much as a
trainer. I'm glad I thought about what I would like to be as a trainer when I
was a new missionary so I had a little bit of mental preparation. Learning so
much! Really fun. I feel kind of like a mom; I forgot how many basic things I
had to be taught when I was a new missionary, like how to throw garbage away or
do daily planning or bike (she ran into a wall on her first time biking to the
church) or how to report to our ward leaders. Those things are so natural to me
now! Crazy to remember that I had to learn them back when I was a new
missionary. :D
So, about how I got my new missionary. :)
Tuesday I went on splits with 2 different missionaries and
traveled to Kamisugi to pick up the other missionary who was becoming a
trainer. Then we went up to the mission home together to drop off our bags
(since [we] slept at the mission home that night) and then went housing nearby
until the New Trainers' meeting. 3 Elders, us 2 sisters, sitting around the
mission home kitchen table. :D Highlights:
·
President Smith talked
about being a Christ-like person. He explained: Your companion is your most
important investigator (remember that in your rush to share the gospel). It's
more important what you do than what you say. Show them that you love being a
missionary. There will come times when they need correction so correct clearly
in a timely fashion (privately, constructively, lovingly). Then the
·
Assistants [to the
mission president] said: Explain what you are doing. Ask for their revelation.
Help them learn the language.
·
President Smith said:
You have been called so that you can communicate with your companion.
·
Sister Smith talked
about the Adjusting to Missionary Life pamphlet and then read the scripture in
the New Testament that says "Wilt thou leave also? Where else would we go?
There is no place better than this?" And then said; we don't always feel
great. That's okay. That's life. There are many ways to fix it. Joyful service.
Then all the trainers and all the office missionaries and
President and Sister Smith and us all drove to the airport and picked up our
missionaries!!! Came back and ate dinner and then went to bed. :)
Woke up Wednesday and had the new missionary orientation
meeting. President Smith talked about spiritual power. The Assistants talked [about]
working together as companions, talking with everyone, faith to find,
introduced the details of our mission, and showed a music video about the Savior.
Then Sister Smith talked about the Spirit. Then the office missionaries helped
the new missionaries withdraw money from their missionary accounts and then we
came back to the mission home and learned about bike safety. After that we got
a ride back to our apartment with the Taylors (including all of Carr shimai's
[Sister Carr’s] bags) and went to an Eikaiwa [English class] meeting and had
Eikaiwa. Busy day!!
Thursday we got flu shots (apparently they gave it to us in the
tendon in our elbow--itchy!) and had 2 lessons with members and then a dendo [missionary
work] fireside meeting and then ate dinner and went to seminary.
Friday we had a mogi [roleplay] with 2 members and lunch with a
member and went housing and when to YSA FHE [young single adult family home
evening].
Saturday we went to lunch with a less active family and then did
weekly.
Yesterday we had church and weekly planning.
Busy!!
You were studying the adjusting to missionary life pamphlet?
That's awesome! I love that pamphlet. I think it's such a good resource.
Wow, Zach got to watch 7 cataract surgeries! That's crazy!
Who is our family is participating in Lamb of God?
I'd love to hear from the Williams how picking up Logan goes!
We'll have a Zone Conference in December.
I got your package today! I haven't opened it yet.
Congrats to Zach and Lauren on their report cards!
We exercise 30 minutes every morning after we wake up except for
Sundays. Sit ups, lunges, etc.
Dad asked me about landscaping... it's been a while since I've
seen our yard so I'm sure the people who have seen it more than me will have
better advice than I. :D
Congrats on master gardener graduation!
That's cool that Dad will be able to visit Tyler and Kelsea in 6
months when he travels for work! Do they have a plan for where they're going to
live yet?
Yeah, Christmas phone chat! Be thinking about what you want to
talk about. :)
Sister Carr's Japanese is really good. Her faith is really
really strong. She wants to proselyte all the time--not plan, haha. She doesn't
seem to have jet lag. She doesn't know how to ride a bike so we can't go very
far places yet. It's a good thing the sister's apartment is only a 3 minute
bike ride from the church! When I told her about the people we were teaching
she said "Okay. We're going to up those numbers." Her life has been
really hard so she is super determined. She's definitely going to see miracles.
Really obedient. Knows the gospel really well. We actually had the same mission
prep teacher at BYU so it's really funny to hear her use his terminology for
missionary work because I learned the same things from him!
We taught a ton of mogi lessons with members this week. Sister
Carr told me when she got here that she has the first vision memorized in
Japanese so I had her recite it in one of our mogis. It really impressed the
member. And me too! So cool!
We have an appointment to teach a referral on Wednesday before
Eikaiwa with a member. Praying so much that it will go well! The referral is
such a kind person and would love the gospel so much if she gives it a chance!!
Learning so much! Sister Carr and I are both healthy and happy.
:) I'm so grateful for her--I'm already learning so much from her!!
Well, family, I just want you to know I am so grateful for this
gospel. I am so grateful to know who God is and to know so much about Jesus
Christ. I was thinking about the lyrics to "I know that my Redeemer
Lives" this week;
He lives to grant me rich supply.
He lives to guide me with his eye.
He lives to comfort me when faint.
He lives to hear my soul's complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to calm my troubled heart.
He lives all blessings to impart.
I used to think: How is that true? The Savoir [Savior] has much more important things to be doing. That can't be His life's purpose. But I realized this week that the reason he came to Earth was to perform the Atonement so that he could help us with everything we need to be able to return to live with God again. He lives to help us. He lives to do those things for us. I can't fathom the love that motivates that. It is incredible to me how much love Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father have for us. It makes me so happy! I want everyone to feel the joy of our message. I hope you feel that joy as you pray, as you read your scriptures, and as you go to church. This is a gospel of joy. I love it!
I love you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Your missionary,
Bellows Shimai :)
And I found a ukelele in the apartment here so I am wondering if
you can send me some c[h]ords for songs you think it might be good for me to
learn how to play. :) Songs people here might know, that I could use to start
conversations, etc. Whatever you think!
Thank you so much!! I love you!!
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