FUNBUN to FUKUOKA

August 22, 2016

Transfersssss! And I get to stay in Iwakuni!!! Can I just say how much I love iwakuni. This week I had a little freak out that I would be white washed out and I just started crying. But I get to stay, so all is well :)

This week had a nice assortment of lows and highs. Lows being so exhausted and defeated halfway through the day that we just sat down and took a moment to watch a Mormon message and convince ourselves that we can actually make it through another day and do this missionary thing. Highs being a lesson we had yesterday with a beautiful young family. We have had a few lessons with them, and the spirit is always tangible in their lessons, it's so incredible. It was interesting, we had a lesson with a lady early in the day and it just felt like a flop. We didn't know how to teach to her needs and we didn't really understand the situation. Then later in the day we had a plan of salvation lesson with the young family and wow was it a world of a difference. The just absorb everything we teach them and are both so sensitive to the spirit. Being around them is just so personal and special, and I feel so privileges to be able to learn together with them. We closed the lesson with a kneeling prayer and it was perfect. I'm so excited for their future in the church.

Also this week we got a solid new investigator for the first time in like three months!! It was so miraculous. It's a mom and her seven year old daughter and we love them so much already.

This week was elder Agnew, sister butikofer, and sister healeys last week of their missions so we got to do a lot of fun stuff together. Eikaiwa this week was the best ever and we are so blessed with incredible students. Eikaiwa is such a stress relieving time to just get to sit and talk and laugh with our students. It was such a blast. I don't know how I got so lucky to be called to Japan.

Sunday was the Sapporo Japan temple dedication and we got to watch the broadcast of it. Nearly needless to say, I thought of Robi a lot of the time. It was a tender mercy to be able to witness the dedication of a temple in his mission that I know he is so excited about. Japanese saints are so dedicated and devout and it's incredible seeing the work progress here with the dedication of the third temple in Japan. Big things are happening here!

Writing out this email and being reminded of all the miracles we saw this week makes me feel lame about complaining that it was a hard week at points. This is no easy work, but the Lord blessed our efforts more than we comprehend.

I get another new companion this week and she's younger than me! Which means I don't have to kill another missionary! It's been incredible seeing so many missionaries their last transfers and learning from so many of their experiences. But I am excited to be a little more disconnected from the end of mission thoughts. I'm so excited for this next transfer!

All my love, Sundell Shimai

Our devout relief society president and his stalwart companion Yes they made the cake.

Mourning our three dying missionaries.

Making friends wherever we go...aka justifying our ice cream breaks. But really I firmly believe you can make ice cream breaks missionary opportunities by just talking to those around you.