June 26, 2016

Hello loved ones! 

I don't want to write much this week, I instead just want to share a quote from conference. It was from this past conference by Gerrit w Gong entitled 'Always remember Him.' It reads, 'Sometimes that strength is not within us, but it can be found in remembering the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.'  We taught the relief society lesson yesterday on this talk and afterward a sister pulled me aside and pointed out this sentence and we talked about it. Im so thankful for that brief moment we had together to be reminded of the reach of the Savior's atonement. We are so weak as humans. In every way. It truly is only through the Savior's atonement that we can receive the strength we need.

I won't go too much farther into the quote, because I want everyone to take it as they may. I do encourage everyone to read the talk though. It's incredible. 

The Savior lives and He loves us, and I'm thankful for this time to get to serve Him. I'm thankful he works through us and through our weaknesses. This is the one true church. 

All my love, Sundell Shimai 

Finally encountering the infamous Japanese spiders I've heard about. After this experience I felt so much sympathy for Ron Weasley and his traumatic giant spider attacks. In an attempt to get the spider away from the door we rolled a rock at it but instead of running away it ATTACKED the rock. Yeah we didn't end up ringing those peoples doorbell. Their salvation will have to come a different day. 

Latest and greatest of grandmas yanking stuff out of their garden and giving it to us

Kana San and Haruna San, our new investigators!! MIRACLES

Looking for new investigators in all types of places 

June 20, 2016

WHITE SHIRTS AND CHURCH

I'm pretty confident that yesterday I experienced the happiest moment of my life. A less active that we have been working with came to church. We've been talking about it for a long while now and have been praying and praying and praying for him. Church started and we were bummed he wasn't there, then a few minutes later the back door opens, and he waltzes in in his brand new white dress shirt. I turned around and saw him, audibly gasped, slapped my hand over my mouth, and just started crying. He kind of laughed a bit, and smiled. It was the purest joy, seeing him come back after a while away. I never want to forget that moment and am still just overwhelmed with joy! 

Then last night we got invited over to a couples house for dinner. We found them housing recently and were able to have a good discussion last night. The husband told his life religion story, from being Catholic to turning Christian, and everything he said just hi- lighted and supported so many truths of the gospel. It's experiences like that that confirm to me over and over again the truthfulness of the gospel. We are so excited to start teaching them because they are so incredibly prepared And kind. 

Naoko came to a bbq a ward member was throwing this weekend and it was incredible! She was able to hear so many of the members testimonies and heR faith was strengthened so so much. It was funny, in one of the conversations she was asking someone how long after they met the missionaries that they were baptized, and they said a couple years. She then went off a little about how fast we were trying to have her be baptized, but it was funny and all in good fun. We don't dilly dally with baptism dates! I then got to talk with her about my testimony, and talk to her about hers. I love her! Funny story: we visited her and her daughter this week, and as we were leaving I gave her daughter a hug and said 'I love you!' In Japanese, and Naoko goes, 'that's creepy! We don't say that! You Americans say that but we don't say that in Japan! It's scary!' And so I turned to her and went to give her a hug and kept saying 'I love you!' In Japanese to her and she little ran to the other side of the room and shielded herself from my hug and I love yous but I hugged her anyway, it was hilarious. Maybe a 'had to be there' moment, and definitely a 'have to understand Japanese culture' moment. But then as we were walking out of the house she said I love you so it was all good again. We joke about it with her all the time now. 

The miracles of these past few days are a testimony to me of Heavenly Fathers love and care. He has blessed me with moments of hope and success when I was really in need, and time and time again shows little signs of growth from the many seeds we plant as missionaries. I'm so thankful for the recent fruits of our efforts that we are seeing. 

Working with Hilke Shimai is going well. Her patience never ceases to amaze me and I don't know how she does it sometimes. We have some very patience trying times, but she just breezes through it all. She's so loving to everyone around her, and I'm so thankful to get to serve with her. 

Onto yet another week of crazy miracles! 

All my love, Sundell Shimai

Our stinkin cute eikaiwa students!!

From the rooftops of Japan

June 13, 2016

Running out of catchy topic lines

Another week gone! I want to start this weeks email off with a couple questions from my dads latest email to me, "Did you even imagine how great it would be serving a mission? Did you have any idea that you would be having so many wonderful experiences?"

No. I could never have imagined how great it is to serve a mission. And nope, I couldn't have comprehended the magnitude of these experiences I've had. The amount of love that I feel for the people I've gotten to meet and have relationships with is indescribable. I was talking to my companion this week about strengths and weaknesses as a missionary. I said I felt that I couldn't offer any profound wisdom, or perfectly taught doctrine to our investigator and people we meet, but that I felt I love them with all my heart. That is what I know how to do, and that is what I try and focus on when I get discouraged with my teaching skills that I wish were smoother, and my Japanese that I wish was better. And really any other things that are sometimes discouraging as a missionary. I think as missionaries we're blessed to feel a portion of Christ's love for the people we teach. In turn we are expected to testify to our investigators, with all our hearts, of Christ's love for them. To help bring them to a knowledge of and faith in that love. 

This week we had a few really great lessons with Holly and Shomin chan. Holly even came to church yesterday, and during gospel principles she was even taking notes and really participating in the lesson! It was such a miracle. Shomin chan couldn't come to church because she was buying a hamster who she is naming bacon, but we will hope for better luck with her church attendance next week. She's continuing to pray and receive answers to those prayers, yet another miracle. 

Today we went to lunch with a couple eikaiwa students and it was exactly what I needed. It was so light hearted and fun and we just got to talk and become friends. They are so funny and we had the best conversations! We are already planning future pday activities with them! 

This week we were reading in Mosiah 26 and I loved verse 13. I love Alma's example. When he was lost and troubled and needed direction, the first person he turned to was the Lord. I know the Lord is our perfect guide, friend, and comforter. 

Let us all press on to another week!

All my love, Sundell Shimai 

Our zone at zone conference 

We had dinner and a message with the Hoffs and Colton! Notice the tied together socks... An indicator of how reverent our spiritual thought was. I love them!

Sushi lunch with aya San and Rei San 

Rice fields and mountains

JUNE 5, 2016
Transfers and yet another great comp

Transfers week was crazy! I have a new companion, Hilke Shimai, who is absolutely incredible. Im learning so much from her example already and we have so many things planned for this transfer! Saying goodby to Luczak Shimai wasn't a blast. Seeing her ride away on the train was a) very stressful because my companion who I had constantly been five feet from the past month and a half was suddenly jetting far away on a train and b) sad because I loved her so much! But all is well and I have yet another incredible companion. 

This week we had a lesson with Holly on the plan of salvation. The spirit in that room as we talked about the spirit world and heaven was indescribable. Holly and Luczak Shimai have also lost loved ones, and for all of us to be in that room together learning about Gods plan of happiness and eternal families was indescribable. Holly is very sensitive to the spirit and open to truth and has since been praying to receive an answer for herself. 

We also had a lesson this week with Naoko, the lady who lived in America for ten years and went to the LDS church with her friends. We taught her the restoration and focused on baptism. As we talked about baptism, and how you can be forgiven of all your mistakes and have a fresh start, Naoko was so excited. She said she wanted to have that and feel that. Later in the lesson when we actually invited her to be baptized she was not jazzed on the idea of making that commitment in a month, but she absolutely wants to keep learning. Please pray for her to receive and answer to her prayers and desire to be baptized! In the lesson we sang her "I Am A Child of God" in Japanese and she said as she listened to it she felt pure and clean. She knows Christ lived and that Joseph Smith saw God and Christ. She has such an incredibly strong natural faith, she just has to realize it! She's just so incredible and sees Gods love for her manifested in us finding her, in her LDS friends in America, and in the answers to her desires. We love her! 

Shomin chan is doing swell as ever. We started teaching her parents and grandma too! It's a little tricky because they don't really speak Japanese or English so Shomin chan had to translate into Chinese for them, but we are finding a joint for this weeks lesson who speaks Chinese so please pray that that works out! She is still praying and reading the Book of Mormon and receiving answers to her prayers. Ah she's such a tender mercy! 

This week my testimony of the gift of the Holy Ghost was strengthened tremendously. As we taught Naoko about baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost the spirit quietly testified of truth. On Sunday the second hour lesson was on the Holy Ghost (pros of being in an American ward with English lessons that I can completely understand) and the more I learn about it, experience it, and see the Holy Ghost teach our investigators, the more I am certain of Gods perfect love for us. Because He loves us and wants us to be happy, he gives us, as we are worthy, the Holy Ghost as a constant companion, comforter, friend, and guardian. I cannot wait for the day (this transfer!!!) when one of our investigators receives baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost! Helping people progress to that point has brought me more joy than I can express! 

I love missionary work with all my heart. 

I love you all, but more importantly God loves you! Be happy! 

All my love, Sundell Shimai 

Endo kyoudai! He bought Luczak Shimai and I lunch before she transferred. He's a hoot! 

Couldn't decide which picture flattered my thumbs more, so there's two for this week 

Hilke Shimai snapped a behind the scenes shot of my weekly Book of Mormon flower picture

The hydrangeas here are out of control! I fall more in love with Japan and its endless flowers more every day.

We will have a proper companion picture next week...

May 31st.2016

Gender reveal and bird crap

Where to even start with this week. Well this week started out pretty crappy, literally. Luczak Shimai and I were riding  bikes down he street and I feel something fall onto my head with incredible force. I looked around to hopefully find some kids playing with a ball that veered and hit my helmet, but nope, my initial fear was confirmed, a bird had taken a massive dump on my head. Have I mentioned before that missions are not glamorous? See attached photos. 

But besides that little incident this week was incredible! We FINALLY found out that our mystery investigator is..... A guy! We asked a member to joint for us in the lesson and warned him ahead of time that we didn't know whether or not we were teaching a guy or girl and that we needed help. He took one look at the investigator and said 'guy. Absolutely.' Well that solves that! May I just say that I was right all along even though Luczak Shimai and Healey Shimai thought it was a girl. I hope we don't have to go through that big gender ordeal again anytime soon. 

THIS WEEKS MIRACLE: SHOMIN CHAN. where do I even start with this girl. She's fifteen and reminds me so much of hinata chan. We found her housing Tuesday and have already had two lessons with her! She is Chinese and lives with her parents and grandma who all warmly welcome us into the house when we come over. We've taught her about God, Christ prayer and the restoration. In the first lesson we taught her how to pray and committed her to pray the rest of the week. We asked her if she would like to pray to close the lesson and she did. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, hearing people pray for the first time is my absolute favorite thing about being a missionary. I love it. It's indescribable. Shomin chans prayer was so sweet. She thanked Heavenly Father for us coming to teach her, and for  Christ's kindness. She said she was so excited to learn more about him and for us to come back and teach her more. Then she closed in Christ's name. It was so pure. We set up another appointment with her and when we came back she invited us into her house again, her room, and we had a great lesson. The first thing she told us was that she had taught her family how to pray this week and they all thought it was so cool! Look at her already sharing the gospel with them! Then she told us about an experience she had with prayer. She said she had been praying like we asked her to and one night she was laying in bed for twenty minutes and couldn't fall asleep. She said she said a prayer and then fell asleep really fast! She was so excited about prayer and how she knew God answered her prayer. WOW! She really reminds me so much of sweet hinata chan. They are both so humble and teachable and so receptive to the spirit. Luczak Shimai and I are so blessed to be able to teach her! 

We had a lesson with Holly this week on the restoration and she basically taught the lesson. She just kept saying 'that just makes so much sense! Why wouldn't God answer our prayers asking if something was true or not?' We committed her to pray about whether this message is true or not and receive an answer for herself. We have another lesson with her tonight! Oh but the best part was in the middle of the lesson out of nowhere she goes, 'and just so you know, if I did join your church, I firmly believe in paying tithing and giving a portion of what we have back to the lord and those in need.' WHAT ?! She just volunteered to pay tithing before we even brought it up. I was sure we were being filmed and Ashton kutcher was going to jump out of her closet at any point. But alas, Holly is just really that incredible and prepared. We are so excited for our lesson with her tonight. 

This week ended meeting with a less active we have been working with. Some of the most incredible experiences I've had on my mission have been with less actives. The one we met with last night is amazing. We always leave our lesson with him on such spiritual highs. He really opened up to us and thanked us for the influence we have had on him. He says being with us brings back so many memories from his mission and reminds him of how much he loved his mission and how much he loves the gospel. I don't really know how to summarize everything he said, it just wouldn't do it justice. But we love him so much and are so so blessed to meet with him and both strengthen one another. He's amazing!

Time is flying no I have no clue where the last month and a half went! We have transfer calls today so we might be having a change. I love this work and time more and more and am ever more convinced how important and life changing missions are. 

Oh! And Davis Shimai and I got to go to the temple! Too many good things all in one week! 

Have a great week! 

All my love, Sundell Shimai 

Look at that splatterage!

This weeks Japan flower, toe thumb, Book of Mormon picture 

We walked up this hill to a little house..

And found this creepy little cave 

We proudly present, Japanese politician version Elder Holland! Twins.