FUNBUN to FUKUOKA

November 15, 2016

Jorgensen Shimai and I are staying together for another transfer! Which means this will be the third missionary I've killed. But I couldn't ask for a better companion to be with and learn from for another (4 week) transfer. (There will be an eight week transfer after this then they will go back to six weeks.)

But this week made up for the past two weeks flying by. It was a longer one. But a week full of learning and growth, and maybe one or two tears.

As we contact people on the street, one of the things we say a lot is, 'our simple message is that through this gospel you can feel happiness in any situation in your life.' During one contact this week I said that line, then yelled in my head 'but I'm not happy right now! I'm grouchy, and soaked from the rain, and tired, and exhausted from being rejected so much, and I'm not happy right now! I'm not happy in this situation!' I felt so terrible and wished I would testify with more conviction, love my mission more, serve with more might, etc. The following day as we were reading from the Book of Mormon I just had a breakdown and expressed all my frustrations to Jorgensen Shimai and we talked about it for a while. She allowed me to say all the things that had been weighing on me. We then got on our bikes and started on a 45 minute ride to visit a less active sister in a nursing home. The bike ride there was a really special time of pondering and expressing my feelings to the lord. I was able to come to the realization that 'as we APPLY the teaching of this gospel, we can feel happiness in any situation.' I have been so stuck on myself and worried about all the imperfections of mission life that I have not taken the time to apply Christ's atonement into every aspect of my life. Applying the atonement into our lives is surely a life long endeavor, but I'm thankful for the realization and understanding i gained this week of the truthfulness of this gospel. I really do love this time, all of our daily experiences, and the tender mercies of the Lord that are always around us.

Miracles the lord blessed us with as we were down...

We finished the 45 min bike ride and got to sato shimai's nursing home. We walked into the door and she says 'nichiyoubi san!' 'Sunday san!' She can't reammber my name very well but knows is sounds a lot like Sunday so that's what she calls me. It was so sweet and I was thankful for that simple moment. We were able to talk with her for a while, or rather listen to her talk and understand nothing she said, for a while and then asked to sing with her and share a little message. She LOVES our iPads and thinks it's so cool that she can see the hymn lyrics so easily. She also LOVES the hymn love at home. When we asked if we could sing with her she said, wait I'm going to call the nurse and let's go out to the piano and play and sing together!' So she got wheeled out and we were able to all sing together for a little while. Have I mentioned that Jorgensen Shimai is a piano prodigy? She can play absolutely anything and everything and is the most talented pianist I've ever met. So we were able to listen to her for a while. She's such an amazing example of sharing talents to the blessing of others. After singing love at home three or four times, sato Shimai looked up at us with tears in her eyes and thanked us for the beautiful feeling we brought into her heart through visiting her and through singing with her. It was beautiful seeing the spirit touch her through the hymns. She felt blessed by us visiting her, but I know that visit was far more for us than her. I'm thankful for sweet sato Shimai reminding me of the care and love of our savior.

Hopefully that all made at least some sense. I'm just very thankful this week for the many tender mercies of the lord, and for how perfectly he teaches and instructs us through our lives. I've never felt more joy in my life than I have the past year. I know the hard times just make the sweet times even more meaningful.

All my love, Sundell Shimai

Sweet Sato Shimai. She LOVED my hair and kept touching it and saying "It feels so cool!" All while gleefully laughing. I hugged her goodbye and she grabbed it again and just kept rubbing it on her face hahaha.