Greetings from Kurayoshi Japan, I'm your hostess Ozu Shimai and I'm coming to you, live (or as live as I can get) to report to you the incident that took place on Friday.
It all starts with district meeting, as does every Friday morning. Again we stayed in our area and skyped the meeting because no member could sit in. At the end we receive a call from our shigansha (person with baptismal date), Franco. He said he was outside of the church. We went to him and he began to tell us how he wouldn't be able to make it to Stake Conference this weekend because he would be spending the weekend with Jheff, and going to church there. Say what?! Yup that's right! Jheff strikes again at being the best recent convert ever! So good!
After that we decided to take lunch at Indo curry. Yum. So good! After lunch we made our way over to an older part of our area. It was around 1:30 or 2 p.m.
I was standing next to the door in the genkan of less active member, Iwagaki Shimai, Sister Blomquist sat on the hard wood floor of the entrance. We had finished talking about the Plan of Salvation when came the first jolt. We all got quiet and looked at each other. It sounded like something had fallen or as if a giant hammer hit the ground. It was silent for half a second when the next wave came. The house we were in is older and the frame moved side to side. Sister Iwagaki, old, no teeth, screamed. My companion reached for her and I was up against the door. Things fell from off shelves and the ground shook in a loud rumble. It was surreal, to feel your world move without your permission. It sounded as if bombs were going off or something falling to the earth. It went on for about five minutes. We were pinned in our spots, and we didn't move. Then it stopped, but the grounded continued to purr. A second time the house shook. We all laughed our of terror. Our phone went off saying,"jishin desu" (earthquake). Blu, snorted in frustration,"Little late there, don't you think?" We decided to pray and leave.
We walked out not really sure how to feel about the experience, not ever knowing what to do in this kind of situation we both just kinda walked down the hill that her house was set on and back to our bikes. As we walked down, two women ran out of their house shouting with terrified voices and Blu and I were just calm, partly because we didn't know and partly because we knew we were okay. We kinda just walked for a moment with our bikes. All the traffic lights were out and everyone was outside. We looked at our phone and realized we had no service and a lot of missed calls from the mission office and Sister Welch. We decided the best things for us to do was head to the church. On our way there we saw side walks had sunken in or shot straight up. Shingles off roofs had fallen and some parts of houses had huge cracks on the sides.
We were biking and then a third wave hit. The store next to us started to shake and another boom hit the ground. My bike shifted to the side and I was like nooope not today, and hopped right off and started walking it. Finally made it to the church and looked at our phone and it showed 10 missed calls and 7 new texts. We first called Welch Shimai and told her what happened. From there we waited in our church parking lot for about 2 and a half hours with others from a near by store, and just felt the earth growl. We were told that we were about 10km from the epicenter. That was exciting.
We ended up near the end of the day in the Ikeguchi home, helping clean up the messed that resulted from the quake. The aftershocks were frequent and loud and went throughout the night and the next day. At night they just showed up but we didn't feel anything this morning which is nice. Later we saw that houses had shingles missing or giant cracks in the side. There wasn't much we could do as service besides the one member who let us help. Saturday continued but not as intense and we went around to less actives and members to see if they were okay. There wasn't much for us to do to help because Japanese people won't let you help them. Bahh! We did see this one building where the glass completely shattered. Tanimoto san, our neighborhood uncle came and checked if we were okay and everyone did have a sense of love and charity towards each other.
Earthquakes don't happen in Kurayoshi, so everyone was freaking out! To be honest the news makes it sound worse than it is. People are okay, not many people got hurt that I know of. Our members are okay, we are okay! Only one cup broke in our apartment, and our jar of honey.
Sunday we continued to feel aftershocks but we drove two hours with a member to Nimi where our stake conference was held. We are so out in the boonies that the whole stake meets in an actual conference center. While we were there, I was talking with some missionaries and members, and I look over to the side and see a girl and I thought, "Man she looks so familiar." I just kept thinking about her and looking at her and so I decided to walk over and I said,"I'm sorry but you look so familiar, a year ago when I was in the mtc..."and as soon as I said that she said, "I remember you!!" It turns out that we had met each other in the MTC. Then she and I had just entered and were struggling to communicate. The only things we could say then was, "I love you and your cute"...Now we could speak and talk and as we talked she put her hand on my check and told me that she loved me and man we just hugged. She had to return home because of health reasons and so she was very thin when I saw her but we had such a happy moment together. Her name is Emika Sakamoto. She told me thank you for serving a mission and that she was proud of me! It made my whole day! I never thought I would see her again.
Thank you for all your prayers, please pray that we can find opportunities to serve others or that this event will soften the hearts of others to hear and listen to our message! Please pray for all those missionaries who, what ever the reason may be, had to return home early. Pray that they may recover, stay close to Christ and feel love. I love you all. Please take care!
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul
who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and
obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and
know that I am;
2 And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh
into the world;
D&C 93
Love,
Sister Oswald
Tuck-N-Roll (yes did lots of that this week)
Monday, October 24, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
OCTOBER 17, 2016 - TO QUOTE MY COMPANION, "WE HAD A BOSS WEEK!"
Wow this week....such a good week in Shimaiville!
Monday we went to a 400 year old house and that was cool, but I got way car sick....I can do bike and trains but old Japanese woman driving over sized van, oh...I looked like a ghost and not the holy kind. (Yeah, I know bad pun....) and then the rest of the night wasn't that exciting because I stayed in because I was about to keel over....sigh. It sucks to feel guilty about being sick. You can be in the hospital because you've been hit by a car and still feel bad about not going outside to dendo. (Reviews mistakes from past..) Anyway Monday night was very bummy but Tuesday and the rest of the week was fantastic!
So Tuesday we went to Yonago to have interviews with President, that was good. Later that night we talked to Franco our shigansha or person with baptismal date (I don't know how English missionaries say certain things when Japanese has a perfect explanation of five words in one word....) He is a Filipino, and he loves the gospel. His English is pretty good and Japanese so so. We aren't sure if he is actually understanding what we are teaching him or if he's just nodding along. That has been our worry for a bit but we taught about the priesthood and how he would be able to bless his daughters. The spirit was really strong in that lesson.
Wednesday and Thursday, again not really exiting...which doesn't really relate to our title now does it? We went to a rojin (old person's home) and played cards. Oh, I love old Japanese people because they are so cute and like to cheat or speak in old people speak (specific to Japanese peeps). There was this one old lady who called an old man O-chan. ( So ojΔ«san is grandpa or old and chan is tied on the end of names of children or people you are close too) and all the workers were way confused and laughed it was kinda funny. πΉ
These days were good, we taught lots of people (whether they are actually interested in our message or not is a different story) but a lot of what makes it fun is that my lovely doryo has like a billion universes in her head and because of this and her love of talking. I have been entertained by fantasy, adventure and sci-fi stories. She is also an amazing artist and draws her characters and so its like tv! Because we are so unified, we teach many people, and occasionally dress similar....like this morning. She had showered and gotten dressed then I showered and got dressed. It turns out that we are both wearing purple stripped shirts and black skirts....the unity is real.
Friday we had district meeting but it was a little special because there are only two Elders and two Sisters so we can't have a meeting together unless we get a member to tag along but everyone was busy so we had district meeting via Skype. We are so far out in the boonies that we have to skype meetings. Really though, we are in the middle of nowhere but man is it beautiful! I don't have a lot of photos but I'll send some of my new misty mountains and fields of gold :)
After DM we went out housing, teaching more lessons and we saved a catapillar from being run over by a car....we also experienced some extremely annoyed obachans then later that night we had another lesson with Franco but we had a special guest :3 JHEFF!! I gave him a call and asked if he could help translate a bit and so I got to see him and he is as happy as ever! I love him so much since being baptized he has gone out every day with the Elders and now Marugame has since seen like five baptisms! Two of which are Jheff's friends that he helped teach! I love Jheff.
So he skyped in and he is already a pro at teaching and asking inspired questions and it brought the spirit and you could see Franco open up and he knows that this is the true church. Later that night Jheff texted us, "I'm planing on coming to his baptism, when is it?" We tell him it's on the 30th of October and he replies, "Cool! I'm praying and fasting for him!" They had swapped FB accounts and phone numbers.
Can I just tell y'all how much Joy I feel for the gospel when I see it through my Brother Jheff's Eyes? He loves the gospel! When I heard him testify of the Book of Mormon (even though it was Tagalog) my heart was filled with this electrifying feeling! I smiled for the next few days after that! The gospel changes people! It is a switch to a light that allows us to truly know who we are, that we are children of the Most High! Oh!!! (Does happy dance) ππΎ My heart cannot be anymore full of joy!
Saturday was a festival day. So there were these people who essentially carry a shrine around and shout and they're all happy and they wear all white with black coat things. They take it to people's homes and the kinda pronounce a blessing on people's homes and such...it's a little strange. Obviously not our people but fun to watch. I got hit with a bamboo reed by this guy in a red demon mask and because I was on the side I got blessed haha. They were fun! We went to another area and there was another group and we were on a higher road and they looked up and saw us and started shouting and smiling and telling us to come join...my adventure side was heck yeah! We didn't though but still fun to make them smile :3
We taught like 8 lessons before 3 pm and it was insane! We later went to Omae Kyodai to teach him (less active) and we started talking about these treats (taiyaki) that have delicious fillings and look like pancakes in the mold of a fish. He's like ya there is a good shop down the way do you want to go? And we looked at each other and had this mental conversation, "Do we go? Do we say yes?" He answered for us and grabbed his helmet and said lets go! We followed him on his scooter for like ten minutes to this shop and we just got taiyaki. It was an adventure! I love Omae Kyodai. He kinda reminds me of the Beatles and he owns a garage for fixing up cars. It was really a good day. Like we got home that night feeling so accomplished!
Sunday was also amazing! I finally met the ward and I already love everyone! Our ward is really young! Ward...actually more like Branch, but our Branch president is like 26? And he has dyed hair, works with small children at a school, he's a sweet heart. His counselors are also young. Our recent convert Hayase is this 15 yr old kid and for the first time passed the sacrament and it was so awesome! The members like to give hugs!! Yay!!!
We had a feeling to go out to this one area to house and visit a potential gator and when we knocked on her door she let us in!! Her name is Sonia and she is Filipina:3 (Dad they are everywhere!!) We taught her the whole Restoration and because we didn't have an English BOM with us we gave her the English pamphlet to read about the restoration. It was so cool! Such a miracle! Everyone pray for Sonia and Franco! They so amazing and need the gospel!!
To end the week we went to a devotional broadcast. The speakers were the Asian area presidency and Elder David A. Bednar! Wow it was so good. We went over time talking about the spirit and joy of the gospel. It sounds simple but he talked about how we only receive spiritual gifts to bless other people. It will never be for our gain but to serve. Now this doesn't mean we don't ever feel the spirit for comfort, that is different, That is the spirit acting on the atonement to comfort our 'troubled hearts.' We can't receive these gifts just to have them, we need to serve others, to turn outward, like Christ and serve. It was mind blowing! So so so good! He talked about how feeling the spirit is so that we can feel and recognize joy, happiness, and love! We do things like pray, read and go to church, not to check it off the list but to become closer to the third member of the God head and to feel, Joy! This is how I ended my week, also busting into laughter at night with my companion. Man my joy is full! I am so happy!
I love you all! I really do! And more importantly He loves you, so does Heavenly Father and the Spirit! They love you!
Love Oswald Sister
Monday we went to a 400 year old house and that was cool, but I got way car sick....I can do bike and trains but old Japanese woman driving over sized van, oh...I looked like a ghost and not the holy kind. (Yeah, I know bad pun....) and then the rest of the night wasn't that exciting because I stayed in because I was about to keel over....sigh. It sucks to feel guilty about being sick. You can be in the hospital because you've been hit by a car and still feel bad about not going outside to dendo. (Reviews mistakes from past..) Anyway Monday night was very bummy but Tuesday and the rest of the week was fantastic!
So Tuesday we went to Yonago to have interviews with President, that was good. Later that night we talked to Franco our shigansha or person with baptismal date (I don't know how English missionaries say certain things when Japanese has a perfect explanation of five words in one word....) He is a Filipino, and he loves the gospel. His English is pretty good and Japanese so so. We aren't sure if he is actually understanding what we are teaching him or if he's just nodding along. That has been our worry for a bit but we taught about the priesthood and how he would be able to bless his daughters. The spirit was really strong in that lesson.
Wednesday and Thursday, again not really exiting...which doesn't really relate to our title now does it? We went to a rojin (old person's home) and played cards. Oh, I love old Japanese people because they are so cute and like to cheat or speak in old people speak (specific to Japanese peeps). There was this one old lady who called an old man O-chan. ( So ojΔ«san is grandpa or old and chan is tied on the end of names of children or people you are close too) and all the workers were way confused and laughed it was kinda funny. πΉ
These days were good, we taught lots of people (whether they are actually interested in our message or not is a different story) but a lot of what makes it fun is that my lovely doryo has like a billion universes in her head and because of this and her love of talking. I have been entertained by fantasy, adventure and sci-fi stories. She is also an amazing artist and draws her characters and so its like tv! Because we are so unified, we teach many people, and occasionally dress similar....like this morning. She had showered and gotten dressed then I showered and got dressed. It turns out that we are both wearing purple stripped shirts and black skirts....the unity is real.
Friday we had district meeting but it was a little special because there are only two Elders and two Sisters so we can't have a meeting together unless we get a member to tag along but everyone was busy so we had district meeting via Skype. We are so far out in the boonies that we have to skype meetings. Really though, we are in the middle of nowhere but man is it beautiful! I don't have a lot of photos but I'll send some of my new misty mountains and fields of gold :)
After DM we went out housing, teaching more lessons and we saved a catapillar from being run over by a car....we also experienced some extremely annoyed obachans then later that night we had another lesson with Franco but we had a special guest :3 JHEFF!! I gave him a call and asked if he could help translate a bit and so I got to see him and he is as happy as ever! I love him so much since being baptized he has gone out every day with the Elders and now Marugame has since seen like five baptisms! Two of which are Jheff's friends that he helped teach! I love Jheff.
So he skyped in and he is already a pro at teaching and asking inspired questions and it brought the spirit and you could see Franco open up and he knows that this is the true church. Later that night Jheff texted us, "I'm planing on coming to his baptism, when is it?" We tell him it's on the 30th of October and he replies, "Cool! I'm praying and fasting for him!" They had swapped FB accounts and phone numbers.
Can I just tell y'all how much Joy I feel for the gospel when I see it through my Brother Jheff's Eyes? He loves the gospel! When I heard him testify of the Book of Mormon (even though it was Tagalog) my heart was filled with this electrifying feeling! I smiled for the next few days after that! The gospel changes people! It is a switch to a light that allows us to truly know who we are, that we are children of the Most High! Oh!!! (Does happy dance) ππΎ My heart cannot be anymore full of joy!
Saturday was a festival day. So there were these people who essentially carry a shrine around and shout and they're all happy and they wear all white with black coat things. They take it to people's homes and the kinda pronounce a blessing on people's homes and such...it's a little strange. Obviously not our people but fun to watch. I got hit with a bamboo reed by this guy in a red demon mask and because I was on the side I got blessed haha. They were fun! We went to another area and there was another group and we were on a higher road and they looked up and saw us and started shouting and smiling and telling us to come join...my adventure side was heck yeah! We didn't though but still fun to make them smile :3
We taught like 8 lessons before 3 pm and it was insane! We later went to Omae Kyodai to teach him (less active) and we started talking about these treats (taiyaki) that have delicious fillings and look like pancakes in the mold of a fish. He's like ya there is a good shop down the way do you want to go? And we looked at each other and had this mental conversation, "Do we go? Do we say yes?" He answered for us and grabbed his helmet and said lets go! We followed him on his scooter for like ten minutes to this shop and we just got taiyaki. It was an adventure! I love Omae Kyodai. He kinda reminds me of the Beatles and he owns a garage for fixing up cars. It was really a good day. Like we got home that night feeling so accomplished!
Sunday was also amazing! I finally met the ward and I already love everyone! Our ward is really young! Ward...actually more like Branch, but our Branch president is like 26? And he has dyed hair, works with small children at a school, he's a sweet heart. His counselors are also young. Our recent convert Hayase is this 15 yr old kid and for the first time passed the sacrament and it was so awesome! The members like to give hugs!! Yay!!!
We had a feeling to go out to this one area to house and visit a potential gator and when we knocked on her door she let us in!! Her name is Sonia and she is Filipina:3 (Dad they are everywhere!!) We taught her the whole Restoration and because we didn't have an English BOM with us we gave her the English pamphlet to read about the restoration. It was so cool! Such a miracle! Everyone pray for Sonia and Franco! They so amazing and need the gospel!!
To end the week we went to a devotional broadcast. The speakers were the Asian area presidency and Elder David A. Bednar! Wow it was so good. We went over time talking about the spirit and joy of the gospel. It sounds simple but he talked about how we only receive spiritual gifts to bless other people. It will never be for our gain but to serve. Now this doesn't mean we don't ever feel the spirit for comfort, that is different, That is the spirit acting on the atonement to comfort our 'troubled hearts.' We can't receive these gifts just to have them, we need to serve others, to turn outward, like Christ and serve. It was mind blowing! So so so good! He talked about how feeling the spirit is so that we can feel and recognize joy, happiness, and love! We do things like pray, read and go to church, not to check it off the list but to become closer to the third member of the God head and to feel, Joy! This is how I ended my week, also busting into laughter at night with my companion. Man my joy is full! I am so happy!
I love you all! I really do! And more importantly He loves you, so does Heavenly Father and the Spirit! They love you!
Love Oswald Sister
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
OCTOBER 10, 2016 - CAR SICKNESS IS NOT FUN...
Transfer 10.
Wow I've been here a while...all of my friends are dead (have left the mission) and there are a ton of missionaries that I don't know! I'm considered an old Shimai and its icky. Well, to start last Monday was crazy and then from then on got even crazier.
P-day wasn't exactly p-day like. At this rehabilitation center, Emi, the woman who runs it, asked us to sing some Japanese songs for some old people and because I don't know any but one, I sang it about 10 times. All the oldies sang along. It was cute. It was also one obachan's (translation: grandma, because you just straight out call people obachan in Japan) birthday so we dressed her up in a wedding dress....still not sure why but she was happy :) When I told Emi and her family that I might be transferring, her mom started crying and she hugged me for like 5 minutes. They are such a sweet family...that flipping needs the gospel but won't take the lessons. I first met Emi like 6 months ago when she helped us when we got lost.
We also went to Yakiniku (all you can eat meat placeπ) with Fisher Shimai. Japanese women can eat so much food......it's not fair. Later that night we took the train to Nara to visit my friend and member, Maki. Gosh I love her! We went with the Elders and taught her and her boyfriend. It was great and all but we were super late home....I got on the train and looked at my watch (I probably just looked like a silly gaijin) I flipped open our phone ('cause it's a flip phone) dialed our district leader, "Moshi, moshi, Ray Choro desu," "Ray were gonna be late." Yeah I don't know why but it felt cooler saying it and living it..... He responded,"oh...okay...us too..." I love Ray Choro. He was a great district leader......π€π±
Tuesday was great! Got to be with the Kono couple and they are seriously like my grandparents :) πππ After English class, (which seriously, such a tough crowd that night nobody smiled....π ) I got a call telling me that I was....transferring!
Noooooooooo.......oh man it was heart breaking! I knew it was coming...6 months in an area....Higashi Osaka is my home! It's the ghetto but it's my home! I was also really sad that I won't be training Dayley Shimai anymore. That was probably the worst part. I love training, it's so much fun. I felt a little like I got demoted from captain to cabin boy....ππ« Mah, it's all good because I know that the Lord has got my back!
Thursday is the day! All packed and ready to go to.....Kurayoshi! It's a tiny town in the middle of the mountains and my new companion is Blomquist Shimai. Her family right now is in Utah but before lived in George Town, Texas :3 yup, she knows. She understands the Bluebell ice cream famine. She also is a fantastic artist and loves....I mean loves anime. Woah. She also likes to talk so I have learned about maybe 10 new anime that I need to watch when I get home, along with all of her own stories, which are incredibly detailed and interesting that I just sit and listen like its a bed time story. We have really hit it off from the start. I like her brain. I'm pretty sure she has about 12 universes that simultaneously coincide within her. (I just read her this paragraph and she said, "True, that's about accurate.") This is her last transfer in the mission and I get kill her (another strange missionary term). So far we are having a blast and literally last night we laughed our heads off for good hour and a half. Also we are super unified. Super unified, in teaching, in random events of goofiness.
This area has recently had a few baptisms and we have a shigansha (person with baptismal date) and his name is Franco. He is from the Philippines, he is such a sweet guy, please pray for him. With a few language barriers, it's hard to make sure he knows things we tell him. We also had General Conference. All international countries get it a week later. It was so good. Loved it!
Not much else to report on other than I feel like I have lived 30 years in three days, we've just done so much and at the same time nothing at all haha. This transfer looks bright....but also cold....
I love you all! Have a good week...
P.S. This is my knew theme:
2 The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he
is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and
I will exalt him. (Exodus 15)!
Oswald Shimai desu! γͺγΊγ―γ«γε§ε¦Ήγ§γ
Wow I've been here a while...all of my friends are dead (have left the mission) and there are a ton of missionaries that I don't know! I'm considered an old Shimai and its icky. Well, to start last Monday was crazy and then from then on got even crazier.
P-day wasn't exactly p-day like. At this rehabilitation center, Emi, the woman who runs it, asked us to sing some Japanese songs for some old people and because I don't know any but one, I sang it about 10 times. All the oldies sang along. It was cute. It was also one obachan's (translation: grandma, because you just straight out call people obachan in Japan) birthday so we dressed her up in a wedding dress....still not sure why but she was happy :) When I told Emi and her family that I might be transferring, her mom started crying and she hugged me for like 5 minutes. They are such a sweet family...that flipping needs the gospel but won't take the lessons. I first met Emi like 6 months ago when she helped us when we got lost.
We also went to Yakiniku (all you can eat meat placeπ) with Fisher Shimai. Japanese women can eat so much food......it's not fair. Later that night we took the train to Nara to visit my friend and member, Maki. Gosh I love her! We went with the Elders and taught her and her boyfriend. It was great and all but we were super late home....I got on the train and looked at my watch (I probably just looked like a silly gaijin) I flipped open our phone ('cause it's a flip phone) dialed our district leader, "Moshi, moshi, Ray Choro desu," "Ray were gonna be late." Yeah I don't know why but it felt cooler saying it and living it..... He responded,"oh...okay...us too..." I love Ray Choro. He was a great district leader......π€π±
Tuesday was great! Got to be with the Kono couple and they are seriously like my grandparents :) πππ After English class, (which seriously, such a tough crowd that night nobody smiled....π ) I got a call telling me that I was....transferring!
Noooooooooo.......oh man it was heart breaking! I knew it was coming...6 months in an area....Higashi Osaka is my home! It's the ghetto but it's my home! I was also really sad that I won't be training Dayley Shimai anymore. That was probably the worst part. I love training, it's so much fun. I felt a little like I got demoted from captain to cabin boy....ππ« Mah, it's all good because I know that the Lord has got my back!
Thursday is the day! All packed and ready to go to.....Kurayoshi! It's a tiny town in the middle of the mountains and my new companion is Blomquist Shimai. Her family right now is in Utah but before lived in George Town, Texas :3 yup, she knows. She understands the Bluebell ice cream famine. She also is a fantastic artist and loves....I mean loves anime. Woah. She also likes to talk so I have learned about maybe 10 new anime that I need to watch when I get home, along with all of her own stories, which are incredibly detailed and interesting that I just sit and listen like its a bed time story. We have really hit it off from the start. I like her brain. I'm pretty sure she has about 12 universes that simultaneously coincide within her. (I just read her this paragraph and she said, "True, that's about accurate.") This is her last transfer in the mission and I get kill her (another strange missionary term). So far we are having a blast and literally last night we laughed our heads off for good hour and a half. Also we are super unified. Super unified, in teaching, in random events of goofiness.
This area has recently had a few baptisms and we have a shigansha (person with baptismal date) and his name is Franco. He is from the Philippines, he is such a sweet guy, please pray for him. With a few language barriers, it's hard to make sure he knows things we tell him. We also had General Conference. All international countries get it a week later. It was so good. Loved it!
Not much else to report on other than I feel like I have lived 30 years in three days, we've just done so much and at the same time nothing at all haha. This transfer looks bright....but also cold....
I love you all! Have a good week...
P.S. This is my knew theme:
2 The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he
is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and
I will exalt him. (Exodus 15)!
Oswald Shimai desu! γͺγΊγ―γ«γε§ε¦Ήγ§γ
Monday, October 3, 2016
OCTOBER 3, 2016 - I HAVE NEVER LIVED SO MUCH IN MY WHOLE LIFE
Man this week....my mission....I love it so much! I'm transfer 10 now...I have 18 more Sundays....I'm so not ready to come home,. I do miss you but seriously I have never lived so much in my whole life! My life before feels like a dream. Miracles happen everyday as you know, to see the hand of the Lord is such a blessing.
Like yesterday we were lost trying to find a member's house and lost for like 45 minutes or so and this nice guy putting flyers in mail boxes helps us out and turns out he is Christian and reads the Bible everyday....SAY WHAT? That doesn't happen my dear parents and when it does your just like, OH THANK YOU JESUS! But you keep that in your head and refrain from dancing. SO we talked about the Book of Mormon and gave it to him, and HE ACCEPTED IT! YOSHIMAMA! Yeah, that was super happy! Also my trainee is the bomb! She just goes up to people and starts talking. She doesn't let anything stop her. We see miracles because of her desire and courage.
As a missionary though, you find that the world isn't full of light and happy miracles. There are a lot of sad and hurting people. I recently read a talk where Elder Holland went to a prison to visit the inmates there taking a class about religion that the church offers them, and man it hit me that Jesus didn't sit with the rich and the wealthy. He was with those who were broken, who hoped for better, those who sinned and those who betrayed him, but he still loved them he still taught.
I think many people think that missionaries are just pure and perfect and that everything around them is that way too. I can testify that life is still just as upsetting and hard and dirty as it has ever been. The difference that missionaries have is that despite the filth, we will still lend our hand. We will still cry with those who need us, we will listen to complaints and we will do anything for our Lord Christ, and anything to bring others unto Him, so they too can understand.
Missionaries are no where near perfect....we have fears and doubts. And we see a lot of the filth. In Japan specifically there are a lot of mentally ill people. It is so hard to see because there isn't much we can do for them. There is a member, her name is Mary (I have changed her name). I met her a few weeks back at Stake conference and she is member in another area. She and I became close, I was able to help her the best that I could. Mary has multiple personality disorder. She has about 10 faces and 2 that are most prominent. She hurts her self and she tells me. She is such a wonderful, beautiful girl but man....it hurts. To love others with your whole self is a gift but it still hurts. Tonight we are going to visit her :).
Why am I telling you this? Well, for one, 'cause I want you to know that its hard. I am sad about it. But I also to testify to you my testimony of the Atonement. Man, I am nothing with out it. But not only does it give me strength, it gives me comfort that it is also for others. It is not just for me, the Atonement is gifted to all. "And I will be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you...and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led." 1 Nephi 17:13 he is our light. In this dark world he is our light. This is said so much and not enough. The vastness of that statement it so profound and we need to pay more attention to the light. I love Mary.
I want you to know my dear parents, that you have raised me right, to love and put others before my self, that your example has shown me that we must love with no reservations and trust in God with nothing but our whole being.
That is all I have for today. I don't have any time. I'm sorry, but I know you are protected and when I get home we are going to be the best member missionaries Highlands Ranch has ever seen!!
I love you! to the Moon and back!
yours truly,
Oswald Shimei
I cannot get over Nonnie's mispronunciation. I love my family!!!
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