Happy October! 9-28-14

Konnichiwa, kazoku!

It's been quite a week, as always! There are too many things going on. But that's what makes it all fun and worth it, right?  Okay quick run down on the week:

Takeda san - she is doing so well! The reason we're waiting on her baptism for a few weeks is because mid october is the soonest she could get work off - and we have to go in to Hiroshima for the baptism. But she is doing great! We have been able to talk a lot about how happy these teachings are and see her apply them and want to learn more. I love her! I have seen this gospel change her life and am so excited for her to be baptized. She told us she is really excited but a little nervous and sometimes if she thinks about it too much she can't sleep but she is happy. I love her!

We had a few other lessons this week with some cute older Japanese ladies that are very Buddhist but that's my favorite - I love being able to teach this gospel to people that don't know much about it because it is kind of like a clean slate - they can come to know Christ as their Saviour and it is so wonderful to see that change in their lives!

Suliana! My favorite Fijiian! We taught a lady named Suliana from Fiji this past week and it was so good. I really love her and am grateful we were able to talk to her and give her a Book of Mormon. I learned a lot from her. Unfortunately she went back to Fiji this week to stay but we will send all of her  information to those missionaries :D

Lisa shimai  (RC) - Is incredible. Such an example of a true convert to this gospel. Her testimony is so strong and I love the chance we have to teach her after baptism lessons. She recently got the calling to be the chorister in sacrament meeting - which is great, but she has been pretty scared because she doesn't know anything about jmusic. I got to teach her a bit about it last week and it was so fun to sit down and teach aboiut notes, rhythms, and all sorts of things like that that I love. She was so excited and had a great time. More details on that later but just know I was on cloud 9.

We went to Miyajima for a district pday last week and it was BEAUTIFUL as always. I love miyajima. I will try to send some pictures. Tuesdaywas also a party - we had the annual BBQ (where the hiroshima ward and the sajio group meet up in a beautiful park here in Saijou and have a HUGE Japanese barbeque and play sports and go hiking. It was great! We all had a fair amount of investigators come, and it was fun to see the hiroshima ward members and missionaries. The hike was really fun - we went to the top of this mountain and were able to see all of Saijou. Yeah!

It was Sou shimai's birthday this past Saturday - we went to kaitenzushi (the conveyer belt sushi that is super fun) with our district and it was fun. Also, Eikiawa is still great as always.

Sou Shimai and I have been working a lot lately on improving our teaching people not lessons. Sometimes it is a little hard because we are pretty different people with different styles and ways of doing things, as well as culture differences, but we're working on it. Streeting/housing this week was a bit hard - not very2r manny people were interested but we are doing our best which is what matters! I will tell you all more specific stories and stuff in a few months because I am outta time for now. Sorry it's kind of a lame email haha but it was a good week! We have a special training from President and the APs tomorrow which we are pretty excited for - and afterwards we got permission to go with one of our investigators to the Hiroshima Carps baseball game. YEP we are pretty excited. More on that next week. Love you and have a great week!

Ai shite imasu! 

Flake Shimai

What a week! 9-21-14

Sister Lane, back in my zone with me.  Love her

Scariest Investigator yet.

Konnichiwa, kazoku!

We had quite a week! Sorry I am emailing so early today - we are going to Miyajima with our district and a few other districts in our zone so the schedule is a little different today :) How are you? Was your week a little bit more relaxed this time?

Well, most important news first - So Takedasan is doing really well and really looking forward to being baptized. Only thing is, her date was for 9/27 but because she used all of her days off for the month on Sunday (to be able to go to church) she couldn't get any more off for this month - the next day she could get off of work is October 18th - so that is when the baptism will be! We will have it that afternoon. We finished teaching her all the lessons (including lesson 5) last week and are just working on strengthening her faith, continuing to answer questions, and study the Book of Mormon together.  She is doing really well and is excited to be baptized - she is so good! I love Takedasan so much. She is doing great - thank you for all of your prayers!

Teena (one of our Chinese investigators that had a baptismal date) is still struggling with understanding a few things in the word of wisdom, so we are working that out right now but she currently doesn't have a date anymore because she wants some time to sort things out. But that is okay - I know God will answer her prayers!

We had a great lesson with Yotsujisan - she is the lady we found a few weeks ago on the street that is Buddhist but just looking for something more. She has been wondering for years what has happened with her father, who died 7 years ago. She doesn't believe iti's the end for him, but she just is searching for the truth. We were able to teach her the plan of Salvation and it was such a hopefilled lesson. I love teaching the plan of salvation. It bring me so much joy every time I talk about it. 

Fun story of the week - we were housing in a neighborhood way up in the mountains - a pretty rural area. We housed in to a wood carver's house. He is a super nice old Japanese man that sits in his little workshop and carves all day long. His woodshop was incredible. Filled with all sorts of sculptures and carvings that were all handmade and beautiful. It was so cool to see, and to talk to him about this - it is something that he loves to do and has done his whole life. 

We taught a lesson to Minaesan this week (a former investigator that we recently started teaching again) and it went really well - funniest things as this. When we stood up, about to leave, she said wait just a moment, I thought it would be fun if you want to try on this beautiful kimono! So she started dressing Sou shimai up in a beautiful kimono (and she looked stunning - my adorable little asian companion in a kimono) and she turned to me and said Flake Shimai I have the perfect thing for you to wear! And handed me the most hilarious thing I have ever seen. Just picture a formal dress from the 80s that is a bright, shiny satin top and huge bright yellow and white flowers for the skirt. Yep - when I put that on, we could definitely tell who was the asian and who was the American. You're going to love the pictures. Pretty good.

Gosh my time is almost out but lots of happy things this week - I guess the rest will just be saved for journal sharing time after my mission. OH we had zone training meeting this week and I got to see Lane shimai! We sat down and talked and talked and talked and it was SO happy to see her again. I absolutely love her. 

Also my package came yesterday - thank you so so so much! I absolutely loved it! Everything about it was WONDERFUL - thank you! So funny story with that, I loved the poster, but when I looked at it I sighed a bit and thought shoot I sure do wish I could see him perfom. One day I will.

then... one hour later...

There is a member from utah that just moved here named Heidi and she is working here for 6 months with her company. she invited us sisters over for dinner yesterday (mexican food - best thing of my life) and when we walked in I heard a hymn playing. I glanced at the counter where her laptop was and IMAGINE MY SURPRISE when it was Vocal point's nearer my god to thee music video! I shrieked a little and just enjoyed the beautiful music and the tender mercy from The Lord! It was incredible to see that after a long week - I am now content :D 

ANyway, that's all the time for this week - love you and have fun!!!!

Ai shite imasu!!

Flake Shimai

Fair week! 9-14-14

Konnichiwa, kazoku!

I am so sorry this is going to probably be a bit shorter than usual - crazy situation but I had to hokoku ( I think that is report in English) about the week to the district leader in the middle of email, so I'm kind of crunched for time. Ganbarimasu!

I don't even know how you survived last week! So many things going on - sounded like quite the adventure. :)I'm glad it went well, and you got through - gotta love fair week, football, and accompanying for Jenny Oaks Baker. Mom, that is so cool! Can I also just say I am so grateful to you all? I have been blessed with such a wonderful family, and I feel like I don't thank you enough for all you have done for me. I love you!

Transfers. This has been a crazy long week - we have had so many things going on. We went on a last district adventure hiking last week - I love the elders here. They are exactly like my little brothers. We were hiking through a really thick jungly type of place and they all had sticks (hiking sticks) and were swatting at spiders and such and it was a great time. Huzzah for district bonding. Yes, all four of us sisters stayed the same, but two of the elders, Bowler and Walton, transferred out. Walton had been here for a whole year (he is one transfer younger than me) and Bowler came in here as a bean the same transfer I got here, so it was a little sad to see them go. Two beans came in in their place, and they are way cool - one is from SLC, the other is Korean but grew up in Japan. They are a lot of fun.I really feel way lucky to be around so many awesome missionaries and learn from them. It is a little weird being an older missionary though. I sometimes still feel like I just got here! More crazy transfer news. Remember Lane shimai? One of my favorite companions and best person ever? She has been in Nagasaki for the past 6 transfers, but just last week transfered in to Hikari (middle of Hiroshima - our neighboring area, about 40 min by train). I will get to see her a lot this transfer for different zone meetings and things like that. I am so happy about that! As far as the couple here - they are incredible. They are here in Saijo for their whole 2 year mission - I think they have about a year left. Thank goodness.

Wow, where to start - the week was great! Most exciting news is Takedasan. It is incredible to see the growth in her that we have been seeing! She is coming closer to Christ every day! She is chanto keeping commandments,  and really just understands and has a desire to be better. We finished teaching commandments, and are almost done with lesson five (the first presidency sent out a letter a few months ago asking that everyone is taught lesson five before and after baptism now). She talked to us and said I have been thinking a lot about this, and how important baptism is, and I was wondering - is there any way I could do it on my birthday? (which is in about a month). We are still working on figuring out with her work schedule and stuff the exact day ( because she might be working on 9/27) and we might end up doing it on her birthday, but she will be baptized this transfer! I am so excited for her.  

Yesterday morning, I got a call about an hour before church from Ayako (she is the one that I have to just tell you about after the mission because she is impossible to describe. super funny, super stubborn, doesn't want us to know she is interested (doesn't want to admit it but she most defnintely is). She asked if church was in Saijo this week (we used to go to HIroshima) and declared that she was coming. WE were a-okay with that. She came, and was her stubborn self but I know she had a good time. I absolutely love that woman. She is a hoot.

Last cool miracle - a woman just walked into church yesterday that none of us missionaries knew. We talked to her after sacrament meeting and it turns out she has some friends in HIroshima that invited her and her husband to church last week, so she went, but she is from Saijo. She had a good experience last week, and was interested in learning more so she just came on her own. She is from Taiwan but has way good english. It was fun to talk to her. Miracles are happening every day here!

Last thing. I have been thinking a lot this past week about how much I have been humbled in the past 15 1/2 months. Granted, I'm not perfect, I have SO many things to work on still but I just know that the hard things I have gone through have been incredible learning experiences for me. I am so grateful for the things that I have learned, and how these have shaped me in to the person I am now. I really love everything we get to do here and experience as missionaries. I would not trade this experience for anything.   

That's all I've got for now - I hope things continue to go well for you and you have a great week! Love you!

AI shite imasu!

Flake Shimai

Happy September! 9-8-14

Konnichiwa, kazoku!

Well, first off - the reason I'm emailing late is because it is transfer week so pday is Tuesday. I can't believe how fast this transfer has gone. Sou shimai and I have been having a blast. There have been some hard things, but the good most definitely outweigh the bad to be sure :) What an absolutely INCREDIBLE week of miracles!!!!! Okay biggest news - between the 4 sets of missionaries in Saijo- we had.... 15 investigators at church on Sunday!!!!!!! Let me back up and explain a little. About a month and a half ago, President Gustafson set a goal for our mission to have 200 people at church on September 7th. The mission high was 91 for one sunday. In our interview training, he told us how he knew that if we tried our hardest and relied on The Lord that we would be able to see the miracles come from this. And the miracles truly did come! Honestly, the investigators that came were not all the "expected" ones to come- I know that because we all tried our hardest and invited everyone we could, as well as continued working as hard as we could we were all able to see the blessings from this. Across the mission there were 208 people there this past Sunday. It was one of the best fast and testimony meetings I have ever been in. What  a miracle that was to see!  

Takedasan came for the first time and had a wonderful experience. Her work has been pretty busy up until now on Sundays, but from now on she is planning on coming each week :) We taught her word of wisdom and law of chastity this week and they went really well. I know that The Lord has been preparing her to receive this gospel. She understood these commandments and feels that they make sense. Let me say one more time - she wants to keep these. It was so wonderful to be able to talk about these commandments and really how much they are for our protection - and because God loves us so much.  I love lessons. I guess I just love being a missionary - I feel so blessed every day to be here telling everyone I see that there is a God, who is their Heavenly Father who loves them. It sometimes makes me a little sad to remember that so many people don't know this, and so many people refuse to listen, but I know that everything happens for a reason and God's timing is always the most important. It is what really matters.     Sorry - slightly sidetracked - but Takedasan really is doing so well. She is looking right on track to still be baptized on September 27th - and she is excited for it as well!!!

We haven't been able to have a solid lesson with Teena (our Chinese investigator with a BD) for a little while because she has been travelling a lot lately with her work. We're going to try to reset her baptismal date when we meet with her tomorrow. But she is a sweetheart - I love her! I really just wish you could meet all of these people that I love so much.

Incredible streeting miracle - Mahliying (another Chinese potential investigator). We were going around visiting some potential investigators a few nights ago, and trying our best to talk to everyone on our way to each place. We were at a stoplight, and in order to get to the place we wanted to go, it would have been faster to go straight at the stoplight. However, we looked down that road and there was not a person in sight. But, if we turned right, there was a lady walking in the distance. We have been trying our hardest to talk to everyone, so we decided to go talk to her (even though it would take a little more time). I got off my bike and introduced myself to her, and as soon as we said we were missionaries and she saw Sou shimai she just lit up and started talking really fast in Chinese to Sou shimai. I could tell they knew each other, but honestly didn't fully understand what was going on for a couple of minutes (I speak Japanese, not chinese haha) when they finally started explaining what was going on to me. Sou shimai and williams shimai met this lady on the street about 5 months ago, right after Sou came to Saijo. She was really interested in the church and in Eikaiwa (our free english class) and in fact lives in the same building as our church!  (remember that our church consists of two rooms in an office/apartment building). She had been really busy as of late, and I think had a different phone number and couldn't remember what time church and eikaiwa were, so she hadn't come but had been wanting to meet with us again. The other sisters had tried getting a hold of her but were not able to. We were able to exchange contact information, and gave her a Book of Mormon and invited her to church and eikaiwa - - and she came to both!!! I am really excited to keep working with her. I know that this was such a true testimony to me that we really are just instruments in God's hands right now as his missionaries.

Tomikosan - has been having a bit of a hard time this transfer. She has been pretty busy and a little overwhelmed, so she just wants to take  a bit of a break from the lessons and such. I honestly feel so strongly that she will be baptized one day. I just know that it really is all in the Lord's timing and he definitely knows better than I do.

Lisa shimai - our RC that we got to go to the temple with a couple of weeks ago! She is incredible. I love her. First of all, I just feel so s/trongly that she is an incredible example of a true convert. When we meet to work on her AB lessons I just always go away feeling like I learned so much. It is so fun to me to be able to explain stories like the brother of Jared or other stories in the Book of Mormon that I have known my whole life to people that are hearing them for the first time, and learning so much from them. 

We had a relief society activity this week  that they came to and invited friends to that was great. Being in our little international group, we (the sister missionaries) decided that if any of our members came that spoke Japanese we would watch the testaments (in Japanese, with either chinese or english subtitles) and if they could all speak english we would watch 17 miracles. It ended up that everyone that came was more comfortable in English than Japanese (our sisters from Malaysia, Mongolia, the Phillipines, and us American missionaries) and the one Japanese girl that did come has perfect English so that is what we ended up doing! Once again, I love working with so many recent converts and learning from them. After the movie was over, Lisa shimai turned to me o(she'd been crying through the whole last part of the movie) and said "I am so so grateful that people make movies like this to help those of us that are new know these things. This is the first time I have really been able to understand about the pioneers. They became real to me. Thank you so much. " She proceeded to tell me more wonderful things but it really touched me. She brought her nonmember husband to church on Sunday (it is normally just her and her 2 kids) and seeing that family together in the church made my heart swell. It was so sweet. 

The fourth investigator our companionship had at church was a former investigator that we had invited last week but didn't fully expect to come. We were so happy to see her walk in the door.

I will never forget that Sunday. One of the happiest days of my life.

As far as transfer week goes - we get the call in a few hours. I really don't want to leave Saijo. I would love to spend the rest of my mission here but I do know that if I leave it is where I need to be. I love this place with my whole soul. I love being a missionary here in Japan, and the people that I have been able to meet. Day after day, we are able to see miracles from The Lord and it really has changed my life forever. I love you all so much - I hope you have a wonderful week!

Ai shite imasu!

Flake Shimai

PS My personality hasn't changed - but my spirituality sure has! It is hard to describe - I was doing good things before, but now my priorities are just a bit more in line. I have seen how much the gospel can change lives, and know it has cahnged mine.