Dec. 25th, 2015

Merry Christmas tomodachi!

So I'm a giant in this country. I tower over everyone and when I shake people's hands I feel like I'm going to shatter their bones. I'll send a picture next week of my companion and I and you'll see what I mean! It still feels so unreal that I'm in Japan. The first few days here were incredibly hard and overwhelming- no one tells you how hard it's going to be! That or I just couldn't comprehend how hard it would be to learn a new language in a new country with people who speak a different language in a city that you don't know with a companion that you don't know. However, I love it here! I have an incredible companion that is Japanese, but speaks English too! She's an amazing example of obedience to me and I'm learning so much from her. I am currently serving in Maebaru which is in the Fukuoka prefecture. The ward we are in has about 30 people and they are all incredible. The members in japan are definitely few in number, but strong in testimony! Since most of them are converts themselves, they are very helpful and involved in missionary work.
Our typical day consists of 4-5 hours of studying in the morning, contacting people of the street, knocking on home and apartment doors, trying to contact less actives, and sometimes teaching small lessons to investigators. The thing we do the most is definitely contacting people on the street and in their homes. I normally say a couple sentences, then that's about all the Japanese I know so I turn it over to komatsu Shimai!
Earlier this week a member invited us to her daughter's school Christmas play. Her daughter goes to a Christian school and they put together the cutest play. Let me tell you, Japanese kids are so stinkin cute. So I was in heaven watching them all sing me act out Christmas for an hour. At the end, they even brought in Santa to give all the kids presents! They somehow found a white guy to come and dress up like Santa, I thought it was so funny. But he didn't speak Japanese so that had to have someone come up and translate what he was saying into Japanese. It was hilarious.

Leaving the Mtc was so bitter and so sweet. I miss everyone in my district so much, especially Mckenzie Shimai. It was so strange going from a 100% mormon environment, to a non-christian country where people are kind, but for the most part aren't interested in what we have to say. My faith in the work I've been called to do was definitely put to the test. However, I want everyone to know that though this has been incredibly difficult, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I am learning every day to rely on Christ through prayer and scripture study. I LOVE reading and studying the Book of Mormon, and I love talking with my Heavenly Father through prayer. When we feel alone, incapable, sad, or lost, we can express those feelings to our Heavenly Father and receive peace. He is always there and wants to help us! I've felt his help, comfort and guidance so many times this past week.

Yesterday for Christmas Eve dinner, imashita choro invited us to his home! Elder Imashita is a member of the 70 and is from Maebaru! How incredible is that that we got to have dinner with him! He and his wife are so kind and made us a delicious beautiful dinner. The best part of the night, was the nonmember that came with us. Her name is Meisen San and she is from China. Her native language is of course Chinese, but she's also fluent in Japanese and is very good at English! Komatsu Shimai found her a couple weeks ago on the street. Last night was the first time she's really met with the missionaries though. She is so incredibly sweet and kind, and has such a beautiful spirit. Dinner was great because there was a lot of English spoken because imashita choro is fluent in English as well! So I actually knew what was going on. After dinner, imashita choro shared this year's Christmas video, and another Mormon message. I then shared Alma 5:12 and talked about how this gospel is the perfect foundation for our lives. Sister imashita then shared Helaman 10:3-5. Meisen read them all aloud in Chinese from the Chinese Book of Mormon we brought and gave her. The spirit there was absolutely incredible. The spirit was strongly testifying of all the things we were saying and it was beautiful. We then all knelt down and asked Meisen San to pray. We showed her the how to pray section in one of the pamphlets, and she said a beautiful, simple prayer in Chinese. After the prayer was over, I asked her how she felt, and she said she didn't know how to describe it, but that it felt like something was touching her heart. She felt the spirit!!! And we got to share that experience with her! How beautiful! I know amazing things lay in her future and that she is ready for the gospel in her life. And how many people can say their first lesson with Mormons was in the home of a member of the seventy?! I'm pretty sure she's the only one. She's so special.
Today, Christmas Day, I got to Skype my beautiful wonderful family! It was so nice to see all of them and hear all the kids adorable voices. I'm SO grateful for the eternity that I have to spend with them. When I get homesick and miss my family, I use that to motivate me to tell the Japan people about how they can be with their families forever! This gospel's message is so incredible.
Well, Merry Christmas! I love you all so much! I love this gospel with all my heart and am so thankful for this opportunity to share it with others.

I'm sorry there aren't any pictures this week, I can't get them off my camera and onto my iPad! But when I get the right connector, I'll send loads of pictures! For now here's a picture of my favorite painting in the Mtc. I've got a real soft spot for babies and little kids, and I love the tender faces of Christ and the baby in this picture. It shows Christ's love and nurturing nature. Ah I just love everything about our Savior and his gospel!

Aishiteimasu, Sundell Shimai

Dec. 18, 2015 
 Abby is finally in Japan safe and sound and so excited to learn the language and share the gospel.  Her short email to us on the 15th read -

 Hi parents! We made it safely to Japan and we are in the mission home. We are having interviews today and proselyting a little bit, then will find out who our companions are and where we are serving. I'm so excited to get to work and actually learn Japanese.
My p-day will be next friday, which is Christmas. I'll be able to email a little Monday to coordinate the phone call or skype session on Christmas day. It'll be limited to 30 minutes, so if you can figure out how to have all the family ready at the same time that would be great! I love you both and will talk to you soon!
Love, Sundell Shimai  

We just received this email from the mission president's wife.( For your information the mission home is right next to the Fukuoka temple).
 
Dear Sister Sundell's Parents,

We wanted you to have this picture so you could see you wonderful daughter had
arrived safely!  We are so thankful for the blessing of serving with her. We love her!
Thank you for raising such an amazing young woman and missionary!

She will be contacting you soon to make Christmas call arrangements.

If you ever have a question, you now have my e-mail address.

We wish you and your family and very Merry Christmas! We pray the
peace and love of our Savior will be with you at this Christmas time and
throughout the coming new year!

Sincerely,
Sister Egan

Dec. 10, 2015
 Last pday in the mtc! We fly out on Monday morning and leave the MTC
at around 4 am. It's really unreal that we are all finally breaking
out of the mtc bubble and will be teaching and finding real people.

I am practically fluent in Japanese now- here is my reasoning. You
know when people say that once you dream in your mission language,
you've made it and are fluent? Well I one upped that. Apparently I
sleep talk a lot at night and my roommates hear me. A few nights ago I
sat up in my bed, started slapping the wall like I was looking for
something, abruptly stopped, then said "ちょろうたち、たすけてください" which
translates to 'elders, please help!' So instead of dreaming in
Japanese, I sleep talk in Japanese!

One night this week, Mckenzie was sick so we went to the residence
early so that she could sleep. I was able to just sit in the hallway
and read scriptures for a few hours. The two main things that stuck
out to me were missionary work and Angels. There are so many amazing
examples of missionaries in the scriptures, they are really our
examples to follow! (Alma 26:27 is my favorite missionary scripture
right now) ((don't just read that verse though, read Ammon's entire
story)) Angles aid missionary work and I know that heaven is behind us
in this work. I'm especially lucky because I have an angel on my side
that likes Japan quite a bit, and I'm sure he will take good care of
me!

The devotional speaker this week was Bonnie L Oscarson, the general
young women's president of the church. She shared a lot of inspiring
life experiences from when her and her husband lived in Sweden as he
was a mission president. During the devotional I received a lot of
comfort and peace. I've been pretty nervous about going to Japan.
Sister Oscarson shared how much she loved her time in Sweden and the
people and missionaries she got to know there. I all the sudden
realized that I don't need to be worrying about going to Japan! In
three days I get to go to a country that will always hold a special
and sacred place in my heart. I'll have so many amazing experiences
there and I get to share this perfect gospel with the amazing people
of Japan. Also, I get to escape the mtc food and eat Japan's delicious
food instead- that's what's getting me through these last few days!
I'm convinced the mtc shortened Asian language's mtc stay from 12 to 9
weeks because the food was killing people off.

Well, the next email I send will be from Japan! I'm so excited to
serve the people there and I can't wait! This gospel is perfect!

All my love,
Sundell Shimai

My four favorite people! We all have so much fun together and have
grown so close over the past nine weeks. The two elders on the right
are serving in Nagoya so we will have to say bye to them on Monday.
You bet there will be tears. Besides that the rest of my district is
serving in Fukuoka!

Mckenzie and I reenacting the nativity on our Sunday temple walk

Dec. 3, 2015
I love having Mckenzie shimai as a companion. For so many reasons. She
has never seen snow before. So last week After it snowed we were
walking to the temple and most of the snow had already melted by that
point. However, there was a huge chunk of snow on the grass field that
was most likely a snowman that hadn't fully melted yet. As we were
walking she pointed out the big chunk of snow and I decided to have
some fun with her. I said "yeah sometimes when it snows huge (4 ft
diameter) chunks of snow just fall from the sky" she looked at me with
this really confused look and I proceeded to tell her how dangerous it
is because sometimes the chunks land on cars or houses and do a lot of
damage! She was so cute and gullible and it was just so funny. I had
to keep a straight face the whole time because I just pictured her
thinking about a massive snow Boulder falling from the sky. Since then
the choro tachi in the district have been sliding in little stories of
how a snow Boulder fell on their car, etc. She still has no clue. Its
so fun.
Thanksgiving was a really nice day. For thanksgiving lunch we had REAL
mashed potatoes which was so exciting (the mashed potatoes here are
normally stuff
that closely resembles cement) and stuffing, turkey, green beans,
rolls, and cranberry.
Dallin H Oaks was the speaker, but he only spoke for about ten
minutes and it was more of a thanksgiving history lesson. Not too
exciting. The best part of the devotional was the musical numbers. His
daughter is an incredible violinist (Jenny Oaks Baker) and all her
children are musical protégées. They all performed a few numbers that
were gorgeous.
But the best part of the day was definitely the service project. We
packaged meals for "Feeding Children Everywhere" and it was such a
blast. Since Mckenzie and I are stl's we helped extra with the project
(setting up, taking down, leading and teachers everyone at our table,
etc.) Look up the organization. The ceo is amazing. He's a pastor I
think but not LDS but when he spoke at the devotional today the spirit
was there. It felt a little different, but I felt of God's love and
appreciation for this man's faith and service.

Last night we had a Skype trc lesson. Trc is like an fhe lesson that
we teach to a volunteer for about half an hour. Normally it is byu
Japan rm's that come to the mtc and we sit in a little room and teach
them. Now, we are doing skype trc and skyping real Japanese people in
Japan! Last night we Skyped with Megumi San and HER SEVEN MONTH OLD
BABY GIRL. I was in heaven. I'm sure you all know how much I love
little kids and babies so it was a dream come true! I'll attach a
picture at the end of the email. It was so fun to get to teach her and
talk with her. She was so kind and it made me really excited to get to
Japan and meet all the amazing people there!
This week's tender mercy was when I got to host Reagen Alexander! It
was a crazy sequence of events that led up to it but it was so nice
seeing a friend! We leave the same day so hopefully we will be able to
travel to the airport together! I also saw Priscilla last night! She's
doing really well and is beautiful and happy as ever!
This week we taught a lesson to a sister on the law of chastity and it
was incredible. I was a little worried going into the lesson having to
teach about something so sensitive and widely unacceptable. When we
explained what the law of chastity was, she got really quiet and said
she had something to share that she was ashamed of. Before she was
married, she got pregnant. She married her now husband because she got
pregnant, and she has felt guilty about it ever since. We told her
that through repentance she can be forgiven of this thing that has
troubled her the past five years. Her face lit up. It was incredible
that we were able to share one of the gospel's glorious truths with
her. She felt the cleansing power of repentance and Christ's atonement
and it was amazing to watch.
Going along with that experience, and while we are on the topic of
repentance, there were some beautiful lyrics in the choir song this
week. The song was "Behold the wounds in Jesus' hands" and my favorite
lyrics were these: 'Empty is the heart of man when it is Filled with
sin.' I love the contrast of empty and full in these lyrics. I know
that when our hearts are full of sin, that we can repent and become
clean again and let Christ's love fill our hearts instead!
Thank you for all your love and support! I'm so excited to get to
Japan. Say a special pray that somehow the people of Japan will
understand my Japanese please! I need it.
I love you all!
Love, Sundell Shimai
Ether 12:27

Nov. 26, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving to all on this email list that I love! There is
lots going on today, so this will be short.
I'm still loving my time here, and I'm honestly a little terrified to
go to Japan. I know I'll be so lost with the language. I feel like my
mission will feel real at that point and not like I'm just at a two
month long EFY an hour away from people I know. I'll be in Japan in a
little over two weeks and that is crazy!

This week during my scripture study, the story of Abinidi really made
an impact on me. This is what stuck out to me. Have faith like abinidi
in that we do everything in our power to defend Gods name and do his
will. Then, if we do these things, we will be able to say to God
"receive my soul". Had Abinidi not declared Gods word to wicked King
Lamoni, alma would not have heard it and been converted, and in turn
many of Gods other children would not have heard the gospel. This
gospel is a chain reaction! Our actions and decisions do not just
affect us, they affect our posterity for generations to come!
We will not always be delivered from danger, but We will always
receive Gods perfect will. I am so thankful for Abinidi's example of
defending this gospel!

This week in choir we sang "precious savior, dear redeemer" and it was
amazing! At the point when it says "curb the winds and calm the
billows, bid the angry tempest cease" there was so much power and the
spirit was so calming. I encourage you to read and ponder the lyrics
of the song.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day full of thanks and love. Family- I
miss you all and I'm thankful for the eternity we have together. You
are all my greatest blessing and I love you more and more each day!

All my love, Sundell Shimai

Here's a lot of people from my zone this morning doing laundry (notice
pashy in the back flirting)

Morgan and pashy let me fill in their eyebrows.

Nov. 19, 2015
Time is flying by here, my companion is still wonderful, Japanese is
still hard, the food is still wretched (pb and honey sandwiches are my
best friend) and the gospel is still miraculous!
The food here has no fiber, so last week I asked mom to send me some
fiber supplement and she sent me a little bag of fiber. Then, on
Monday I got a package from dad. If you have been in our home more
than about two times, theres a good chance my dad has talked to you
about his love of fiber. He's slightly obsessed with it, and the whole
family likes to give him a hard time about how much he loves his
fiber. So, when he heard I asked for fiber, he went to work. On Monday
I got a package of fiber, cups, spoons, electric hand mixers, and "the
fiber challenge." He challenged the whole district to start drinking
fiber after each meal. He was sure to mention that fiber is not for
old people and is not a laxative. My district was a little wary but
all agreed to do it and we've been having fiber parties two times a
day since! There's an elder in the district, who shall remain
nameless, that has horrible gas all the time so we are all praying the
fiber helps him. This is a weird topic to put in the email I guess but
there it is!
Thanksgiving is Thursday, aka pday, so next week we don't get a pday
which is a bummer. I think we will have a little time to email and do
laundry on different days next week, so I'm not sure when the next
group email will come. Also, on the thanksgiving day schedule it says
we will be eating "sack dinners in your classroom." Your prayers are
much appreciated. I've heard that thanksgiving here is amazing, so the
spirit must be pretty incredible to make up for the fact that all our
meals are in a brown paper bag that day. I'm a little skeptic, but
I'll keep an open mind about it.
The mtc is difficult sometimes. And I'm sure the field is going to be
more difficult. However, the love that I feel so often here completely
overshadows the difficulties. This gospel is so incredible! Its so
rich and abundant, yet so simple. There have been many times where I'm
overwhelmed by all that I want to improve about myself, but these
times are always followed by beautiful spiritual experiences that
remind me of my potential and of God's help and love.
On Tuesday we had a devotional by Kim Clark, and he told a few
miraculous mission stories from around the world about being guided by
the spirit. The more mission experiences I hear, the more my testimony
of God's guidance is strengthened. This is His work, and we are truly
being led by His hand. We are all brothers and sisters, and we are all
God's children. It's so amazing to have the opportunity to serve my
spirit brothers and sisters in Japan! I'm so excited to get there! And
also terrified to leave the mtc because I don't know Japanese. So that
should be interesting.
Mckenzie shimai and I went to the temple this morning and did
initiatories and a session and it was so wonderful! I love the temple
with all my heart. If you're reading this right now and haven't been
to the temple in the last two weeks, GO! And if you don't have a
recommend, do whatever you need to do to get one. The blessings of the
temple are limitless and the love and peace there is incredible. It
really is the place where we can be the closest to God.
The mtc is really so amazing. It's hard sometimes being so
disconnected from the world, but it's also a blessing. We're not
distracted by any technology, news, current events, etc. so it really
makes an environment that is perfect to learn in. There are no
distractions- just us and the Lord. And Japanese.
My teachers (3) are so wonderful. Every day we have 3-6 hours of
instruction time by them, and it's so helpful. They care so much and
are really inspired in how to help us improve.
I love this gospel with all my soul and I know it is true! Our Savior
loves us, and is always there for us. Christ's way truly is "the path
that leads to happiness in this life, and eternal life in the world to
come."

Love, Sundell Shimai

Also, read The Living Christ!

Turns out the mtc walls are the perfect width to balance between! (We've got a lot of time on our hands)

I still struggle staying awake (I'm waking up in this one, I don't sleep with my eyes half open) (mom dad, I"m working hard when I'm awake, promise)

First fiber party.

Nov. 12, 2015
The spirit here in the mtc is incredible! We had the most wonderful
devotional on Tuesday and the spirit was so powerful. The mtc choir
director here is one of the biggest blessings in this experience. He
shares inspiring stories that relate to the songs we are singing, and
it always brings such a strong spirit. This week we sang nearer my god
to thee, which is already my favorite church song, so I knew it would
be good. He shared the story of Jacob fleeing into the wilderness that
the song was based off of. The song climaxed with "so by my woes to
be, nearer my God to thee" and the power that was there was unearthly
(I'm convinced Angels were singing with us) and I just started crying!
I was so overwhelmed by the power of the spirit testifying of the
truth and majesty of this gospel. I hope to always remember that
moment.
I also love those lyrics! It really is through our woes, sorrows, and
distress that we become nearer to God. If we turn to Him in those
times, our relationship with Him is developed and strengthened.

The days and weeks here all kind of just mesh together, so I'm not
really sure what all happened since the last email. Our district had a
limbo competition one night that ended rather badly. The comp was down
to me and Rodrigues choro (he's oddly flexible, kind of creepy
actually) and we were all getting into it. Keep in mind we are doing
this in our tiny little classroom. Rodriguez went again and lost his
balance once he was under the board, fell to his knees, fell forward,
and banged his mouth on the edge of one of the desks and it
immediately started bleeding. He ended up with a swollen, split lip,
bit into his lip a little, had a swollen gum, and left teeth marks in
the desk. Yeah the competition ended after that. He's all good now
though and has even agreed to a rematch in a larger room! I'll keep
you all posted as to who wins.

It snowed here this weekend and it was gorgeous! We were all in the
classroom talking about the snow then somehow started talking about
the pioneers. Sherrill choro (the recent convert) then started talking
about "snowflake corner" and we all just gave him a really confused
look, then realized he was referring to "winter quarters." We all had
a good laugh.
I have a new nickname thanks to Morgan choro, Sunny-D.
Everything is going well and I'm happy! I'm being pushed and stretched
and pulled and twisted in many ways but I know it's all helping me to
grow!

D&C 16:6

Subete watashi no ai, Sundell Shimai

Look who joined me at the MTC!

Mckensie Shimai giving herself a hair cut.

NOVEMBER 12, 1015

The spirit here in the mtc is incredible! We had the most wonderful
devotional on Tuesday and the spirit was so powerful. The mtc choir
director here is one of the biggest blessings in this experience. He
shares inspiring stories that relate to the songs we are singing, and
it always brings such a strong spirit. This week we sang nearer my god
to thee, which is already my favorite church song, so I knew it would
be good. He shared the story of Jacob fleeing into the wilderness that
the song was based off of. The song climaxed with "so by my woes to
be, nearer my God to thee" and the power that was there was unearthly
(I'm convinced Angels were singing with us) and I just started crying!
I was so overwhelmed by the power of the spirit testifying of the
truth and majesty of this gospel. I hope to always remember that
moment.
I also love those lyrics! It really is through our woes, sorrows, and
distress that we become nearer to God. If we turn to Him in those
times, our relationship with Him is developed and strengthened.

The days and weeks here all kind of just mesh together, so I'm not
really sure what all happened since the last email. Our district had a
limbo competition one night that ended rather badly. The comp was down
to me and Rodrigues choro (he's oddly flexible, kind of creepy
actually) and we were all getting into it. Keep in mind we are doing
this in our tiny little classroom. Rodriguez went again and lost his
balance once he was under the board, fell to his knees, fell forward,
and banged his mouth on the edge of one of the desks and it
immediately started bleeding. He ended up with a swollen, split lip,
bit into his lip a little, had a swollen gum, and left teeth marks in
the desk. Yeah the competition ended after that. He's all good now
though and has even agreed to a rematch in a larger room! I'll keep
you all posted as to who wins.

It snowed here this weekend and it was gorgeous! We were all in the
classroom talking about the snow then somehow started talking about
the pioneers. Sherrill choro (the recent convert) then started talking
about "snowflake corner" and we all just gave him a really confused
look, then realized he was referring to "winter quarters." We all had
a good laugh.
I have a new nickname thanks to Morgan choro, Sunny-D.
Everything is going well and I'm happy! I'm being pushed and stretched
and pulled and twisted in many ways but I know it's all helping me to
grow!

D&C 16:6

Subete watashi no ai, Sundell Shimai

Last time seeing Elder Jorgensen, he's in the field now!

Pics for week of Nov 5, 2015

Isn't McKenzie shimai the cutest? We loooove temple walk Sundays. This is her first time experiencing fall!

The district got super festive for Halloween (Thank you Sister Jorgensen for the mustaches!)

There are Christmas lights up already and it makes nights so beautiful!

Nov 5, 2015
The time is going by so quickly! We got new Japanese missionaries this
week so we aren't the youngest anymore, which is exciting. Monday was
pretty eventful (well as eventful as the mtc gets) The chorotachi and
my companion and I went on a nature walk (walk around mtc campus) in
the afternoon and Morgan choro decided to do a handstand on this big
upturned u shape air vent. He got upright then kept ongoing, fell off
the pipe, and landed in a crumpled ball on his head in the bushes. We
all collapsed to the floor laughing. It was definitely the highlight
of the week. He's the life of our district and always keeps us
laughing. THEN, a few hours later we were cleaning the classroom and
Morgan choro vacuumed up an iPad charging cord and ripped it to
shreds. It made the most awful noise and I swear it started smoking.
Monday just wasn't his day, but he sure kept us entertained!

On Sunday, Mckenzie Shimai and I were made sister training leaders! We
already love serving the women in our zone and have had many
opportunities to serve them. A lot of the sisters have been sick this
week, so it's our job to bring them meals and check up on them. We are
excited to get to know all the sisters better and help them with
anything they need. The calling really helps us not focus on ourselves
and make others the top priority, which is amazing!

The thing I've learned this week is the importance of living in such a
way that the spirit can constantly be with us. In the mtc we teach
"investigators" every day or every other day. The lessons are
completely in Japanese and we can't just read out of preach my gospel
or a teaching manual we have. Our investigators are actually our
Japanese teachers, and they are acting like real investigators they
taught while they served In Japan. We find out the investigators
backstory and in the lessons they respond as the actual person did
when they taught them.  Written out like that, it sounds pretty weird
that we are teaching our teachers while they are acting like a
different person, but that's how it is. This week Mckenzie shimai and
I had an AMAZING lesson. It was on God's love and prayer. We were able
to communicate with our "investigator" and she completely opened up to
us. The spirit was so strong and it testified of the things we were
teaching. The lesson was not successful because we spoke Japanese
wonderfully and knew all the words we needed to say, rather it was
successful because the spirit was there. We said a sincere prayers
before going into the lesson that the spirit would be there and help
Nozomi understand the principles we taught.

*moral of the story, the spirit is the most important thing in my life
right now and with it, I can transcend the MASSIVE japanese language barrier. I believe
that these lessons we are teaching are not to teach us how to preach
in Japanese, but to learn how to teach by the spirit. The Japanese
people won't be converted by our Japanese abilities, they will be
converted by the spirit. And that is the most comforting truth! The
Lord is on our side, and with Him, we cannot fail.

I love this gospel and Know it is true!

My sweet mom is keeping all my emails and pictures on a mission blog,
so if you would like to see my first few emails, check it out!
sistersundell.blogspot.com

Love, Sundell Shimai

 Oct. 29, 2015

My district

Thanks Jenny for the oils.

On our Sunday temple walk (have I mentioned how blessed I am to have Mckenzie Shimai as my companion?)

Lai Shimai and her precious figs

In case you were wondering what I look like at this exact moment.

Oct. 29, 2015
This week I experienced the best and worst days of my entire (two
week) mission. Monday was rough. I was super overwhelmed by the
language and was feeling defeated. Then our Japanese teachers
chastised us for not working as hard lately and for not focusing on
our purpose. It was out of love but was a little much to add onto my
already overwhelmed and emotional state, so I had a little breakdown
(what's new)
On the way back to the residence, my doryo (companion) and I were
talking and she was feeling very overwhelmed too. We stayed outside
for a while and talked about what we were struggling with. It's so
nice being able to have a companion that is also my best friend. I
couldn't be more blessed and I am so thankful for her! We get closer
every day and it's the best. It helps when I'm missing Kakela and
Cosette a lot ;)
I got off track... So after we talked we decided to do a few things to
study more effectively and keep the spirit. We said a prayer together
and it was very comforting. The day was super rough and I was just
glad to crawl into my bed.

Tuesday the heavens were opened.
Tender mercy of the Lord #1
There are six girls in our room and we all somehow forgot to set our
alarms which NEVER happens, so instead of waking up at 6:30, we all
woke up at 8. It was the greatest sleep of my life. Let me tell you,
it was bliss. It may sound contradictory that the lord would bless us
by letting us sleep In and break mission rules, but I know it was a
tender mercy from Him!
Tender mercy #2
Lunch. The food here is awful. But lunch today was not. It was
miraculous. There was a chicken cranberry croissant sandwich, Navajo
taco, and SWEET POTATO FRIES. My companion and I were just so
thankful. I know it doesn't sound like much but it was.
Tender mercy #3
The devotional. We have devotionals every Sunday and Tuesday night
with really great speakers, but Tuesday we got to hear from Neil L
Andersen. I can't really summarize it because it was so amazing, but I
can say that I know he is an apostle of the Lord. Everything we go
through in this life is strengthening us, enriching us, and forming us
into the person our Heavenly Father wants us to become! Elder Anderson
was a mission president in France and one night someone came in and
was saying how much they were struggling and how difficult a mission
is. He said that he prayed asking how he could help the missionary
through the difficult time. He said that he heard The lord say "you
did not call them to this experience, I did. If they need help, they
must come to me." Learning to turn to The Lord isn't easy and it
requires a whole lot more effort and faith, but I know he helps us
with anything we need! He is on our side!

I'm just very thankful for this opportunity to learn and grow closer
to my savior! His love is real.

Last night I had my first Japanese lightbulb. We were learning how to
form sentences and it just clicked! Most amazing feeling ever. They
were very elementary sentences but I was able to have a conversation
with my teacher!

This morning Mckenzie shimai and I went to the temple and did an
endowment session. It was so peaceful and a perfect way to start the
day. After we ate breakfast in the temple cafeteria and had outside
world food for the first time in two weeks! It was sooooo delicious
and we savored every bite. So basically temple is a huge blessing in
the mtc!
I'm loving it here and am very grateful for everyone's love and
support. I love you all!

Here is the story behind the figs I got in a different email from Abby- I don't remember buying the figs but they were the only thing I could find in the pantry at that moment to send in her package.
 Mom, thank you for the package you sent me! Earlier in the week the
Taiwanese sister in our district was talking about how she can't eat
any of the food here and how she misses her culture and food. She was
talking about how she misses figs and how delicious they are. You must
have been inspired to randomly put those figs in! I went back to the
classroom and said Lai Shimai guess what my mom sent me, and she
gasped super loud and exclaimed "My Heavenly Father loves me!!!" In
the cutest Chinese accent. So your package was a little miracle for
her.
 

Here is Abby's farewell talk.
You do not need to download drop box to listen, just click on download and you can open in.  I am also including the written text.
//www.dropbox.com/s/81ak81el21ehy5n/abby%20farewell%20talk.m4a?dl=0

Abbigail Sundell’s Farewell Talk

Oct 11, 2015

         Good afternoon brothers and sisters.  I am thankful for the words that have been shared by the other speakers, and I am thankful for Sister Baird for playing the musical number today, she was my piano teacher for a long time and was grateful that she could do that.  I have been in this ward since I was born so I think most of you know me but I am Abby Sundell and on Wednesday I go into the MTC to serve a mission and I got called to Japan. My journey to serving a mission started about 2 and a half years ago. It was the summer before my junior year or junior or senior year and I went on a Church history tour, and we went to the sacred grove and Sister Ewell, the lady who runs the tour, encouraged all of us to go into the sacred grove with a prayer in our hearts and a question that we wanted answered.  So as I went in my question was, “was if I supposed to serve a mission or not?” I had never really thought of serving a mission a lot very seriously before so I said, “ok that seems like a good enough question to ask”. So I went in and said a prayer and I decided to read my patriarchal blessing and there were multiple times throughout it that I felt like it was encouraging me to serve a mission, it didn’t come right out and say it but I knew that was what I was supposed to do.  Since then I have been kind of back and forth on serving a mission.  There would be times I would be really nervous and didn’t think I could do it, other times when I was just really excited to do it, but I stuck with it and here I am today both overjoyed and slightly terrified.  I am sure I will encounter some interesting things in Japan including some very weird food but when that happens I hope to just drown it in soy sauce and hope that makes it go down a little easier.  

I am extra excited to serve in Japan because my older brother served a mission there about 10 years ago but just in a different part of Japan.  He passed away 6 years ago and I have felt his spirit and influence especially strong since receiving my call.  Yesterday I was talking with my Aunt Roxie and I could tell that she knew I was pretty nervous to give my talk and what she said to me was “it doesn’t really matter what you say what matters is the spirit that is there”, so I pray that the spirit will be here and it will testify of the things that I say.

My topic today comes from lesson two in Preach My Gospel and is on the plan of salvation and the atonement.  At the end of the lessons it has scripture references and I want to base what I say today around Alma 7:11-13. This is Alma talking of Christ and he says…“and he shall go forth suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind, and this that the word might be filled which sayeth he will take upon him the pains and sicknesses of his people, and he will take upon him death that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people. And he will take upon him their infirmities that his bowels may be filled with mercy according to the flesh that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.  Now the spirit knoweth all things never the less the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance and now behold this is the testimony which is in me.”

What stuck out to me most in these verses is when Alma talks of Christ atoning for our sins that he took upon himself both the sicknesses and our infirmities so that he can know how to succor us.  Succor is defined as something that you do or give to help someone who is suffering or in a difficult situation. It is also defined as something that furnishes relief.  

Christ performed the atonement to provide a way for us to return to the presence of God, AND he performed it to be able to perfectly succor and guide us through this life. After completing the atonement God did not just say “here is the way, now figure out what I did and you can do it”.  No instead he lovingly takes us by the hand and helps us through this life.  I would like to make and analogy between this concept and experiences I have had in my life.

I have been going to Lake Powell every summer since I was a baby and it is a time when I can appreciate Gods perfect creations and a time when we can become closer to friends and family and just have really good quality time together.  During the week my family likes to go on some hikes.  Now these hikes present lots of different terrains.  They can go from a sandy little stream bed to boulders you have to climb up and around or tiny little slot canyons that you wedge your way up to climb up to something that looks interesting.  The hikes normally start out with a nice casual walk and then progress to more difficult obstacles. Each adult normally has a kid or two that they help along the hike. When we encounter a tough spot to hike across, the adult will either hold the child by the hand, secure their foothold or even carry them across the obstacle. Without the help of the adult, the kids wouldn’t be able to make it through. 

As I thought about how to convey the concept of Christ always being with us to help us through any trial or temptation, I thought of hiking with my nieces and nephews at Lake Powell. I really love my nieces and nephews so if we compare Christ to the adults in this story and ourselves to the children being helped it seems so clear.  As we hike the adults don’t simply quickly climb up the rocks and boulders and turn around say “okay your turn!” Instead they help the kids through every tricky spot that comes in their path. So as in life as we encounter a trial Christ is by our side to guide us.  He is our helping hand an unshakeable foothold to help us make it though.

The atonement is not limited to Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sins in the garden of Gethsemane.  It extends into every detail of our lives as we allow Christ to guide us through joys and trials.  In an article in BYU magazine Sister Sheri Dew said, “The savior’s divine empathy is perfect, so he knows how to help us.  He rarely moves the mountains that stand in front of us, but he always helps us climb them”.  I have felt my savior’s perfect empathy many times in my life.  Though He has not taken my trials away from me or moved my mountains, I know that it is by His grace and love, that I have been able to endure heartache and loss.  We know that the Savior is always, without fail, there to help us and strengthen us but we have to let him.

Many times at Lake Powell as we encounter a scary cliff to climb up and I am holding my niece or nephew’s hand trying to help them, they cry out, “I can’t” or “I‘m scared”.  I try to tell them where to put their feet or how to place their hands, but I can’t fully help them climb up until they trust me and listen to my instructions and move. There has to be effort on both sides.  In a talk by Bruce and Marie Hafen, Marie said, “To be successful the rescue effort hast to be reciprocal.  They both have to give it their all.”  Christ is always willing to give us His all, it is us that has to have faith and put our trust in Him to guide us safely.

In Brad Wilcox’s book “The Continuous Conversion” he talks of how we can apply the atonement in our lives.  He says “The atonement guarantees all will survive mortality, but growth is optional. Christ is not forcing progress on us, nor can He change us against our wills.  We have the right to accept or reject His offering.  We can acknowledge and appreciate it or ridicule and despise it, but we can’t fault Christ for giving us the opportunity to reach our potential.  The atonement is the most selfless and personal gift that has ever come from the giver of all good gifts”.  As we have faith in Christ and allow Him to guide us, we will have experiences that not only enrich and strengthen us, but He will use us as His hands to help our fellow men.

On one of our favorite hikes at Lake Powell there is a little rock wall at the end of the hike that we like to climb up.  It’s a pretty steep climb on slick rock that has only tiny divots for hand and foot holds.  At the top, about 25 feet up, there is a slight indent in the rock where you can sit before you climb down.  As a little girl I remember climbing up this and it is pretty easy to get up, but as it came time to climb down I would have a slight panic attack and be paralyzed with fear. But my Dad would always quickly climb up and help me down.  He would guide my foot to the divots and secure me so I felt safer.  Over the past years I have climbed the wall so many times, that I turned from the kid being helped down the wall into the person that helps the kids down the wall.

During our lives when we are presented with a “scary wall” to climb down, as we put our faith in Christ to help us, we are strengthened and prepared to help others through similar situations. Just as I was able to go from the child being guided to being the guide, we can all be instruments in God’s hands to bear up those around us going through trials.

When Robi passed away we were comforted by those who had experienced similar loss, and as we went through that trial my family and I were all able to gain empathy, and can now comfort others who have lost a loved one.  Another quote from Marie Hafen reads, “We heard one LDS woman express the absolute wonder she felt when she realized - I live in a world where the Master of the Universe, the most powerful being in existence just happens to know me and to care about my eternal happiness.  What ever did I do to deserve this?” God loves us and is there for us despite our shortcomings and imperfections. Even when we feel undeserving of His love and His grace He is there for us.

As a missionary I hope to share this liberating knowledge that there is a God who perfectly loves and cares for us with those who are seeking guidance and answers. I’m humbled that Heavenly Father is eager to put His trust in me and all other missionaries to be a representative of Him and spread His gospel.  

One of my friends Elder Larsen shared this quote at his farewell and it has stuck with me since. He quoted someone in saying “We go on a mission to find the people we promised in the pre-existence that we would find and remind them of the truths they once knew.” I cannot wait to find my people in Japan and I am thankful for a loving all-knowing Heavenly Father that will guide me while I am there.  I hope to be a humble and teachable servant in His hands.

I’d like to bear my testimony that I do know that this church is true, and that I have a testimony that God is there for us.  That if we put our faith in Him, He will get us through anything, that He will strengthen us and will enrich our lives and He will be able to use us as an influence on others to help them.  I am thankful for my family and for the plan of salvation.  I am thankful for the eternity that I have with them. I am thankful for prophets and apostles that lead and guide us and for their modern day revelation. I have a testimony that Joseph Smith restored the gospel and that he did see God the Father and his Son in the sacred grove.  I have a testimony that no matter what we go through if we put our faith in Christ that He will get us through. And I am so thankful for the gospel in my life and I can’t wait to serve the people in Japan. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

In case anyone is interested I found the talk that Abby mentioned in her email by Elder Bednar.  Here is the url for it-
http://scottwoodward.org/Talks/html/Bednar,%20David%20A/BednarDA_CharacterOfChrist.html

Abby's first letter and pics- Oct. 22,2015.  If you would email Abby then she will have your email addresses to include in her emails. It is-   abbigail.sundell@myldsmail.net


Hello family and friends that I love so much!
I've survived my first week at the mtc, and the food hasn't killed me... yet... so that's good.
I seriously lucked out in the companion department. My companion is Mckenzie Shimai and she is from Australia. We are nearly the same person and get along so well. We are always on the same page and its SO nice getting along with her. Our district is amazing and so diverse. Elder in japanese is choro, which sounds remarkably similar to both cholo and churro, so that was interesting the first couple days. Another sister in our district is 28 and from Taiwan! English is her second language so she is having to learn japanese through english- slightly difficult. I'm dying just learning it through my first language. Also, there is an elder in our district that converted just over a year ago! Basically I love my district and we are all very close already.
Our days consist of four to five hours of personal study, three ish hours of classroom instruction, two ish hours to eat, workout time, etc. Two rm's teach japanese class and they are both amazing. Brother Norawong always brings the spirit to the lessons and is so kind. I'm not sure who gets more frustrated in the lessons, us or the teachers. Us because the teachers do not speak ANY english and we have no clue what is going on, or the teachers because we are clueless and don't know what they are talking about. Either way, we are all overwhelmed by the end of the three hour lessons. Japanese is coming very slowly. So far I have learned how to pray, which is so exciting!  We learned how to say "Please bless us with the gift of tongues," and I'm sure to include that in every prayer.
I see elder Jorgensen all the time here!!! usually at meals. Its so nice to see a familiar face and talk with someone I know for a minute or two. Don't worry though, we keep it professional and appropriate.
Our second full day in the MTC we had to teach an investigator in JAPANESE. That wasn't overwhelming or stressful at all. I've really just earned to rely on the spirit and gauge how our lessons went by the spirit we felt. Even though I don't know what is being said in japanese, I know the spirit is there and that testifies of the truth!
Sunday was amazing. We listened to a talk called "Character of Christ" by David a Bednar. Most amazing talk I've heard. I don't know if its an MTC exclusive talk or if you anyone can look it up, but try and find it! It'll change your outlook on hardships. It was exactly what i needed to hear this week and really got me going again! He talks about how when we face trials and disappointments, the natural man turns inward and focuses on themselves, but when Christ faced trials, he turned outward and served those around him. 
The spirit here is so strong and I feel my Savior's love often. Everyone has something to contribute here, and I'm trying to learn as much as I can.
I'll see if I can send some pictures I took this week.
I love you all and miss you!

Love, Sundell Shimai

ALSO- have you heard of this thing called dear elder? Its amazing. go to dear elder.com and send me a note for free! My unit number is 163 and we get the dear elders throughout the week. It's so nice to hear from family and it really gets you through hard days. I want to hear how everyone is doing! 

Freaking out before our first lesson in japanese.

For all those wondering how I was doing without naps.

Our district on a Sunday temple walk.

McKenzie Shimai and I freezing in the classroom.  Somehow the elders are always hot and we are always freezing, so that's convenient.

Current address

Abby's address at the MTC is-

Sister Abbigail Jean Sundell
DEC 15 JPN-FKU
2005 N 900 E Unit 163
Provo, UT 84602

This is her address until Dec 15.  You can also send her letters/stuff through dearelder.com

Abby's info.

 In case not everyone got one of these-

SHE'S   OFF!!

All went well dropping Abby off at the MTC.  We had a nice lunch with Abby and her sisters. Drove to Provo, walked her up to the MTC and watched her walk away.  Not too many tears shed although there was some.  She was very excited and that made the separation easier.  She is ready to serve. 
I will be trying to post her farewell talk as well as her emails.  I am just learning this blog stuff so it may be a mess for awhile.  I will also post the recipes for the waffles, buttermilk syrup and sweet potato casserole we had at her farewell brunch.  We appreciated everyone that came to say goodbye.
Thank you for being our friends.