Harris Shimai and I at the beach.
The giant slide we got to go down with some of our investigators.
Hello My Family!!!!! I love you a lot and I am giving you all big hugs right now! So just hug the computer screen or something!
So THE WEEK! Well last Monday we went with the chorotachi and a member, Ochi Shimai to a GIANT slide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Need I say more? And then had FHE with one of the chorotachi`s investigators at Ochi Shimai`s house, as tradition continues. We played charades and their investigator had to be a ballerina. It was pretty good:)
So many sweet tender mercies and miracles and I could just feel the Lord working with us a lot this week and preparing the people and leading us and it was just the best, happiest feeling in the world! So Tuesday, we took an hour bus ride over to the farthest island in our area, Omishima, and met with an investigator and her little boy, Ryuki kun. He`s 2 and pretty much the most adorable little boy ever! So we played with him and attempted to teach some English (always makes me laugh when moms want us to teach their babies English….they are BABIES! they just do what they want! haha…particularly Ryuki kun. He`s a sassy one!), but I loved playing with him, I miss that! And so his mom is our investigator, she`s the one we ate the nasty octopus eggs with, she has some serious interest in the purpose of life and we had a really great discussion and SHE IS SO PREPARED!!!! That lesson just …made me happy! It was cool to be able to testify of Jesus Christ and why we need a Savior to be able to make it back to return to live with our Heavenly Father. I LOVE teaching about Jesus Christ SO much! That has probably been one of my favorite things on my mission!! To help people who know nothing about Him build that foundation in who Jesus Christ is and what makes Him so special and important!
After that lesson, we raced back home to make it to another appointment with the little obachan from last week….did I give her a name? Hmm….okay, I’ll name her Shirley, because if she was American, I think she`d be a Shirley. So Shirley is a rockstar and prays everyday to her butsudan (in English, ancestors` shrine, maybe?) but she can totally feel God`s hand in her life and helping her! And it was funny because when we taught her about Heavenly Father and having a body and creating the world and our bodies she was like YEAH!! He totally made my body and my body is so mysterious!! It has to be from God! Look how I can move my fingers! *proceeds to move fingers in front of our faces* `Why yes, yes Shirley, your body is mysterious, and a loving Heavenly Father made you! But like she totally believes everything…but then totally believes her ancestors are god…….but they can`t both be and that is probably one of the biggest challenges is helping people understand the difference between God and their ancestors. and accepting it. But little by little, I think her image will get there as we go!
Then after that, we raced over to the church to teach a lesson to THE COOLEST GIRL IN TOWN! I shall call her Soup Under the Floorboards Shimai because she`s the one we went to deliver soup to my first week here….but that`s a long name….so maybe just Soup Shimai. Only in I do mean that in the most respectful way possible. TrulyJ. We got to teach about Jesus Christ and how we can be cleansed from sin and it was such a happy lesson and she`s a rockstar (more details to follow about her) but basically she`s 24 doing so great and she`s so much fun! and has amazing potential!
On Wed we decided to go over and bring some goodies to a less active investigator, Yano Shimai, and she ended up telling us as we were leaving that she had wanted to call us and meet that day, but she felt bad because it was sudden and didn`t want to bother us so she put the phone down. But then we came!!! And we were like WHOA! Thank you Heavenly Father for leading us to her! It was pretty cool! Then we went back to that golden potential investigator from last week and she let us in and we sat down in her genkan and had a lesson and I`m not gonna lie, I was pretty nervous before this lesson because we just had know idea where to go, but we just said and prayer and led with talking about God and it was AMAZING! The Spirit was so sweet in the lesson and I`m so grateful that Heavenly Father had helped us and even more, that He had prepared her! She listened so sincerely and gave it so much thought before responding to our questions. I just love her so much already and she really seems like she needs God and His love in her life. I`m grateful for the opportunity we had to share just a bit and that she is willing to hear more! So excited to visit again this week! She is tender!
Also fun Friday doing lots of service for member Ochi Shimai, and then also for less active investigator, Ochi Shimai. We were already in our work clothes so we just rode over and told her we were going to pull her weeds (Japanese people NEVER let you serve them!) we just said `WE`RE DOING IT! YOU CAN`T STOP US!` and that was that and it was fun! and good relationship building goin` down!
We also had interviews with Welch Kaicho – always the best and Distric conference for. Way fun riding back and forth with the Watabe couple in their car though. THEY KILL ME! They are so hilarious! We get in the car with Watabe Choro and he goes, `So are you ready to wait for 2 more hours?` *referring to Watabe Shimai talking in the hall with people….sounds like my family! We were talking with her the whole way home and we get off the freeway and cute little Watabe Choro goes, `Whoo! That police car was following me the whole way! I was freaking out!” hahahaha if only you could hear him talk! He`s the cutest little old man! Love them to death!
We got to watch the General Women’s Broadcast by the way. it was so good! But one thing that has been on my mind a lot has been God`s will. Why we want to follow it and why sometimes we don`t follow it And I`ve had a lot of different things on my mind about this….but I guess mainly it’s just that, because I know and trust that God`s will will truly lead to the most happiness for me and everyone around me, I want to follow it. And God has given us agency because He wants us to CHOOSE to follow Him. And that is a learning process, but a necessary one. And pretty much the greatest joy we can feel comes from following God and seeking to do His will. I think about my mission. And all that I`ve learned. And I think about my life. Truly my life is gift from God. This is His and the Lords’ work. Not just my mission, but this life! My life! This work continues beyond these 18 months. it`s not about me…it`s about me relying on the Lord and following His will. Giving Him my life and using it to help further the work and build up His church. that`s why Zinke Kaicho always wanted us to be True Disciples, because true Disciples never die. They don`t just come home and go back to daily life, the way they did before the mission. They continue to LIVE THE GOSPEL JOYFULLY -just like in President Uchtdorf`s talk. I want to choose the Lord every day for the rest of my life. Every day, wake up and say YES! Today is YOUR day! (the Lord`s day)Something Harris Shimai and I made a goal to do this week is just to wake up, high five each other, double handed, and just shout YES! Today, we do it for Jesus! Because it really does make all the difference, each day, the little things. I love the Lord. I pray I can live up to His expectations and be the best for Him.
Have a rockin` week! and just …say YES!
Howard Shimai
Konichiwhat? 