April 23, 2016

Wow what a week! I transferred out of Maebaru my bean (first) area and it was heartbreaking. Saying goodbye to the members and friends I had made there was harder than I had imagined. When I got set apart as a missionary I was crying (big surprise) out of nervousness and already missing my family and my stake president said something to the effect of "you are crying now because you are going to miss your family, but you will cry when you leave Japan and the new family you have made there." I've already found that to be true. Missions just form such special bonds and friendships that couldn't have been formed otherwise. 

Saying goodbye to Hinata chan was one of the hardest goodbyes. Anderson Shimai had to tell her because I was already in tears and couldn't get out the words. We got to take some last pictures together and I got to hear her pray one last time. Hearing her prayers have been the most sacred experiences on my mission. Seeing her feel of Gods love, learn of Christ, and develop a love for prayer and the gospel is something I will always hold close to my heart. I'm just so thankful that we can be eternal friends and Anderson Shimai and I felt so humbled that we were blessed to be led to her and learn from her. 

Saying goodbye to Shinobu San was also difficult. She truly radiates the light of Christ and loves and cares so purely. She had been really busy lately and we hadn't met with her for a while but when I told her I was transferring she said she wanted to come and say bye. She had brought a bunch of little gifts, but the best part of her coming by was her hug. Japanese people really don't hug and are very reserved about showing emotions, but when we said goodbye she gave me the biggest tightest hug. I went to let go after a few seconds but she kept holdin on! I think she knew how nervous and sad I was about leaving and she did everything she could to calm my fears and show her love. Everything about her story, finding her and then months later getting to teach her and become her friends, was miraculous and I'm thankful for the eternal friendship I have with her. 

Leaving Anderson Shimai was no walk in the park either. We had grown so close over the past three months and she had done so much for me. I love her so much and and thankful for the time we got to spend together. She's one of the most patient, loving, warm people I know! 

So my new companion is Luczak Shimai and she's from Centerville Utah! She has a twin sister who is also serving a mission in Japan. Her Japanese is amazing and she works so hard, is so organized, and is so kind. We have seen many miracles together already and I know it will be an incredible transfer. I live in a four person apartment now and the other two Shimai are Davis Shimai from Woods Cross Utah and Healey Shimai from American fork Utah. 

Getting to Iwakuni the first couple days I was so homesick, but homesick for Maebaru. Change has never been my strong suit, but I'm already settling in well and am not feeling as sad or overwhelmed. But let me tell ya, walking into a church building full of Americans was a real shock. Reverse culture shock is real my friends! It was ironically overwhelming knowing exactly what was going on the whole time and exactly what people were saying to me. But after I got over that I really enjoyed sacrament and the Sunday school lesson. I'm looking forward to getting to serve with these incredible military families and learn from their examples. So we go to church in English, but dendo in Japanese. Most of our investigators speak English but there are some that speak Japanese. I was really worried about not progressing in my Japanese here, but we still have many opportunities to be surrounded by the language, and Healey and Luczak Shimai are great and help with the language! There is a Japanese ward in our boundaries about a half an hour away by train and we were able to go to there for he last hour of church. I felt so comfortable in the Japanese ward and was reminded of how much I have grown to love this culture and these people. From my first week in Japan, I have come a long way in loving the culture, but I can now say that I truly love and cherish it. 

Things are good, the gospel is still true, and God hears and answers our prayers. And he loves us each perfectly and individually. Onto new adventures!

all my love, Sundell Shimai 

Luczak Shimai 

Iwakuni is beautiful! The water in the river is beautiful emerald turquoise-y and there are huge forested mountains all around us. 

Shinobu San

The famous Chris Kyoudai and Yasuko Shimai! They came to say goodbye Thursday morning before we left for the train station 

My sweet Hinata chan and Anderson Shimai 

April 18, 2016

What a week! Thank you for all your love and concern About the earthquakes that happened here this week. We are all safe! The first one hit during daily planning around 9:30 Thursday and it was pretty terrifying. Having never experienced any form of natural disaster before, Anderson Shimai and I were a little freaked out. It's was so interesting being in that situation where you have absolutely no control, and all you can do is pray and just wait for it to pass. After the first earthquake there were a few aftershocks throughout the night, and after one of them Anderson Shimai and I needed a little peace and comfort so we watched my favorite Mormon message, 'The Hope of Gods Light.' The peace and hope that this gospel brings is unparalleled. The spirit filled the room so strongly and we both just felt so protected and loved, even though we were so far from our families.   

This weekend after the second large earthquake two of the Shimai from Kumamoto were evacuated from the area and came to stay with us. They told us about how bad it was there and everything they experienced, and after hearing about how bad it was for them Anderson Shimai and I realized what we felt was nothing compared to them! They are both so strong and held up so well in the middle of all that chaos. 

So this week is transfers and our poor mission president has been having to juggle that and the earthquakes and evacuation and repairs. He and the Ap's have been working like crazy reworking the transfer calls. We got the call last night and I'm going to be transferring to Iwakuni next to the military base! I've heard that most of the time the Shimai are on base teaching marines, and we will go to church on base too (in English!). I'm dreading leaving my Maebaru that I've grown to love so much, but I know that change is necessary and through change we are stretched and grow. I've learned so much from the members here and am forever thankful I got to know them and learn from their examples. Leaving Anderson Shimai is not going to be easy either. She has become my best friend and we have grown and experienced so much together. She has been such a blessing in my life and is truly one of the most patient, loving people. She is getting a new missionary and will be training again. Her new missionary is SO lucky to get her as a trainer and to have Maebaru as her bean area! 

This week I've been thinking even more about the friendships that are made on a mission and I am more and more grateful for those relationships every day. This week Anderson Shimai and I went to dinner with a mom and daughter from Iran who are living in Japan for a little while. The daughter is working at the university here and her mom came to live with her for a little while. They are two of the most kind, tender women I've ever met and the more I talked with them the more I was amazed by them. So far I've gotten to become friends with a Nepali man, three Chinese people, two Iranian women, and an Egyptian woman, and loads of Japanese! This whole mission thing is pretty neat. 

Thank you again for all your love and support. Please keep those affected by the earthquakes in your thoughts and prayers.

All my love, Sundell Shimai 

Elnaz and Susan, our gorgeous Iranian friends 

April 18, 2016

Many of you have asked about the earthquakes in Japan and if Abby is ok.  Yes they were rather close around 90 to 100 miles away. We received two emails from the mission president after each big earthquake letting us know that all the missionaries were accounted for and safe.  We are anxious to hear from Abby later today about here experiences.  Her preparation day is on Tuesday this week because it is transfers.  I will post her email as soon as possible.  Sorry last weeks was late as I was out of town.  
    
                                                                            Nancy

April 11, 2016

How incredible was conference?!

We watched it this weekend instead of last because the members have to wait a little while for translations. They all come to the church building and watch it together, it's the sweetest thing. We watched in a different room on our iPads, because though Anderson Shimai and I are nearly fluent in Japanese by now, we figured we could probably understand a little better in English :) It was so special getting to listen to the Lords prophet and apostles bear testimony of Christ, all while wearing a badge that distinguishes me as a representative of Christ. That's some serious pressure! It was such a beautiful and sacred time getting to listen to their counsel and advice. My favorite part of conference was Saturday morning's closing song 'Come Thou Fount.' I've always loved the song, but what got me was watching the choir.  There are two guys that the camera focused on during the song and they were both teary and crying. It was beautiful. Anderson Shimai and I just lost it and both started bawling (I feel like I talk about us crying a lot) because the spirit Was so strong. I can only imagine the spirit in the conference center as they sang that song. Then came the closing prayer. I don't remember who prayed, but his prayer included Christ, the prophet, the church, and the missionaries. It was humbling being included in that prayer, and reminded me how loved, watched over, and prayed for the missionaries are. The song and prayer were the most beautiful sequence of events, and Anderson Shimai and I loved it so much, that we rewinded and watched it again. And bawled even more. If you didn't have a chance to watch the song and see those two men's faces, I ask that you go back and watch it. It was one of the most spiritually powerful experiences I've had, and I will never forget that spirit that we felt. 

On Saturday we had a lesson with hinata chan and we had planned to invite her to baptism and had even made a beautiful baptismal calendar for her. When we brought it up her grandma said that if she was baptized it would separate her from the family and create a commitment of going to church every Sunday that she didn't want. She said how much Hinata chan loves us though and that it is okay for her to keep learning from us and going to church if she wants too, but no Baptism right now. Anderson Shimai and I were a little bummed, but mostly were just overcome with a feeling of peace that our sweet Hinata chan will be able to be baptized in the future and continue onto a life of faithful membership. She has such a humble and believing heart, and knows of the truth of what we are teaching. After the lesson we asked her if she was still praying every night, and she said yes, and that at first she did it because she was interested, but now she does it because it's her own thought and desire. 

This week we were able to visit a few less actives. We just stopped by their houses and surprise visited them but were able to have really great conversations with both of them! I think many people are just a little lonely and those small visits brighten their days. So this week my commitment for everyone is to visit a friend that you haven't talked to in a while and remind them of how much you care for them. We can never show our love too much! Anderson Shimai and I will continue contacting less actives this week and I'll report next week how it goes. I would love to hear how some of your experiences go also! 

Another experience randomly contacting people: Does anyone remember Meisen San from my first week here? We had dinner with her and the Yamashita family. She's from China and was studying here. Well after that initial dinner lesson with her we weren't able to meet with her again. She got busy with school and then went home for a while to visit. This week I decided to call her and see if she would be able to meet now. Turns out she moved to Sapporo. Bummer! But I was be blessed to have the sweetest conversation with her. She moved to Sapporo about a week ago for work and she has been really lonely because she doesn't know anyone there. She was so thankful for the call and said it was such good timing hearing from us at a time she was feeling alone. She kept thanking me for Komatsu Shimai and my friendship and said she hopes to see us again. I was just so overwhelmed with gratitude for the friendships that the Lord is blessing me with on my mission! We only met with Meisen San once, but I feel such a deep friendship and relationship with her that I know will continue on through eternity. That was one of the biggest things I got out of conference- the importance of our relationship with others. Our relationships are such tender blessings and we should cherish and nurture them. I'm thankful for the small whisperings of the Holy Ghost that show us how to love and reach out to others in a world that is so focused on the self. Once again I invite everyone reading this to go out of your way and reach out to someone this week and show your love for them. Nurture the relationships that our Heavenly Father has blessed us with! I love you all and am thankful for the relationships that we have. 

All my love, Sundell Shimai 

April 3, 2016

Congratulations to my incredible parents on their mission call to West Virginia! I don't know much about senior missions, but if they're anything like regular ones, you guys have a lot of incredible experiences in store. 

This week we had a lot of activities and events that didn't leave much time for dendo, so it was a slower week in that sense, but we did have a lot of fun experiences. We had junkai (splits) this week and I got to junkai with Horio Shimai! It was so strange being with a nigonjin again after being away from komatsu Shimai for so long. Dendoing with a Japanese companion is so different than an American. I feel like people more quickly reject Japanese missionaries. I was able to learn a few really good examples from her that I can use in teaching and I'm really excited to practice them. 

Though there weren't a lot of big events that happened this week, there were a few small moments that left me thinking about the Lord's timing. I feel like I have spiritual promptings very often, and I try my best to always act on them, but they rarely turn out the way I expected or hoped for. Anderson Shimai and I have felt prompted multiple times to go to a former investigators (10 ish years ago) and try and contact him again. We had ridden out to his house, pretty far and definitely out of the way, three times and each time no one was home. We decided to try again this week and when we got there his wife and kids were playing outside, though he wasn't home. We talked with her for a little bit, but she quickly rejected our invitation to hear our message again. We were able to build a small relationship with her though. As we biked away, I felt a little disappointed that nothing resulted from the visit that we had been having promptings about the past couple months. But I realized that we had done what the Lord had asked us to do, and that was all that mattered. That brief contact was what the lord had planned and somehow that fits into His grand plan for this family. Missionary work is filled with a lot of those little moments. It's difficult not seeing huge grand miracles every day, but we get to see the little seeds and events that eventually lead up to people's miraculous conversion. I'm so thankful for the Lords precious, perfect timing. 

Yesterday after church Anderson Shimai and I were talking about all the incredible members here. The bishop and his wife hold an especially special place in our hearts. They live an hour drive away from the church building, yet they never miss a Sunday, an activity, or a chance to serve others. We are so blessed to be able to learn from these members, and I know I will never forget their example, or the things I have learned from simply watching them. My favorite quote from Anderson Shimai yesterday as we were talking about the bishops family is "the celestial kingdom is going to be full of Japanese people." I couldn't agree more. 

Lots of love, Sundell Shimai

Here's Horio Shimai! She taught me an incredibly useful word during junkai- 'shirome' white eye or eye roll. Apparently I roll my eyes a lot (mom I think I get it from you). So we took a picture to commemorate it.

We had zone pday and a picture contest. Anderson Shimai and I decided to try a sick headstand picture which failed multiple times. And resulted in me landing on her and slight wounding her jaw for a couple days. The best part was that there were a bunch of people on the hill to the right watching us the whole time. We gave them some good entertainment and their commentary was hilarious. 

Anderson Shimai was struggling 

Then I clobbered her 

Anderson shimai's mom sent her an Easter package with the stuff for an Easter egg hunt so we did it at moms eikaiwa and it was a blast! 

I remember watching videos of Robi with little Japanese kids on his mission (see his Facebook video of him riding his bike down a slide), and now I'm getting to experience the same thing. I feel him so closely sometimes and feel so lucky to be blessed with these experiences.