Feb. 28, 2016

Today's email is going to be all about our new investigator! She's absolutely incredible. We met her housing on Thursday, talked for a while in her genkan (she invited us in! So rare) gave her a Book of Mormon, and set up a return appointment for Saturday at 3. We showed up and she invited us into her living room (NEVER happens) and she had a table perfectly cleared off with her Book of Mormon, highlighter, notes, etc, all placed perfectly on the table. We asked her if she read the two scriptures we gave her on Thursday and she did! We asked if it was hard to understand and she said, "the first time was a little confusing, but the second and third time I read it it made more sense. Verse 37 was still a little tricky though." Oh and did I mention yet that this girl is 9 YEARS OLD. Yeah. Nearly all adults we have read from the Book of Mormon say it's too confusing, or difficult and this little girl is nine and read the scriptures multiple times to understand it. Now I know you're probably all thinking what're Sundell and Anderson Shimai doing meeting with a nine year old alone? Her grandma is also at the lessons too! We taught them together the first time we met and it was beautiful. Her grandma was mainly who we were talking to at first but then it kind of switched over to Hinata chan. At the end of the genkan meeting we asked if she would want to hear more, she looked at her grandma for approval. Her grandma said it was completely her choice, so she looked back at us and said yes! That's how her grandma is all the time, completely neutral, just letting Hinata chan decide for herself. Parents or grandparents are normally very controlling over their kids listening to us, but her grandma is completely open! It's a miracle! So when we set up a return appointment she ran into the other room and grabbed her planner to pencil us is for Saturday! It was the sweetest thing and after we left the house I just started bawling! Being rejected by so many people just made me appreciate our sweet Hinata chan so much more! But back to the lesson on Saturday. We taught her about Christ, God and prayer. We give her another scripture to read, and a small picture of Christ and a baby. We asked her to pray every night when she looks at the picture and she said she would! Her grandma sat in on the whole lesson and helped a little with explanations when our Japanese was a little rough. She even brought us out strawberries and ice cream halfway through (see picture)! We asked her if she wanted to hear more again and she said yes again! So our next appointment is Tuesday. She once again wrote us into her planner and wrote down the commitments we gave her so she wouldn't forget! 

Then yesterday we were dendoing at an apartment next to her house, and out of nowhere she and her friend show up at a little park outside the apartment and start playing! We called down from the third story and when she saw us, she and her friend ran up the stairs to say hi to us! Then about four more friends showed up and she introduced us to all of them! As we were walking back to finish at the apartment complex, we heard her explaining to all her friends how we are volunteers, and she explained prayer to all of them! She is an absolute kinjin (golden person-golden investigator) and already sharing the gospel with all her friends! When we left we asked her if she had been praying and she said "yes! It's fun!" It's just miracle after miracle with her, and we are so blessed to have housed into her! I think I love her even more because she reminds me of my sweet nieces, Ellyse and Livvy. She's so smart, kind, reliable and sweet!

I love this work more and more every day and couldn't be more blessed. These people are incredible and the time I have here is so sacred. 

Anderson Shimai shared Alma 17:11 yesterday in church and I loved it. We can all be instruments in the Lords hands in bringing others to the gospel. Even through hard times, I've felt so much safety and peace in being in the Lord's hands. 

I love you all! 

Love, Sundell Shimai 

We housed into a lady and her daughter and talked to them for a little while. They were really interested in eikaiwa and just so sweet! They were the last house we dendoed at, so when we finished with them, we went and got on our bikes to bike home. When we were almost out of the cul-de-sac, this lady runs up to us with two juice boxes, hands them to me and says "bread, honey, sugar, hold on...' And runs into her house. We were so confused because we didn't recognize her at first but it was the lady we had just talked to! Her and her daughter rushed back out of the house with hot honey bread they made for us! She had run out of the house trying to find us while her daughter made the bread! THESE PEOPLE ARE INCREDIBLE.