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 ojīsan 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. 😹

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) 💃🏾 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

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 place😝) 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......🤔😱

Tuesday was great!  Got to be with the Kono couple and they are seriously like my grandparents :) 💜💜💜   After English class, (which seriously, such a tough crowd that night nobody smiled....😅) 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....😭😫  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! オズワルド姉妹です

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!!! 

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 - THERE IS A SPIDER ON THE WALL RIGHT NOW...

Alright another week has flown by and left and right miracles happen!  This is so cliche but I have never felt more alive! So many miracles!  😇 They are always there you just have to look for them!

Tuesday! Man oh man.  There was a hurricane!  No joke it was crazy and we had to travel to Kobe for TTTM (trainer, trainee, training, meeting) which was really great! Learned a lot, also had Costco pizza! Yum! It was cool to meet and see the other trainers and friends! While the meeting was taking place the windows were shaking and the wind was crazy!  We all got alerts on our phones but it was all in kanji so no
reading that!  But by the time the meeting was over the storm passed so all was good :)

There have been so many meetings this transfer that we have barely any time in our area! So sad but it all works out. Wednesday was a really good day, got lots of dendo in, but the best part was when we went to Sister Mizutanis house.  She looks 26 but is like 43. Anywho, we biked to her house and inside she had a bunch of pictures of Christ and things that the missionaries gave her over the years.  Inside the members homes here, they have so much to remind them of Christ.  

So we sat down at her kitchen table and we listened and cracked jokes about speaking English, and then I asked her to tell her conversion story.  As I sat there I saw this woman and I was actually understanding her words.  Her heart poured out onto the table as she shared with us her pleasure to be baptized.  My heart hurt and I was so happy I couldn't contain my tears.  I don't think I've ever been more full of joy to hear the conversion of such an amazing member, sister and friend.   I then took my turn and told her that she was a daughter of God and testified of the living Christ.  We cried together.  I have never before felt a stronger spirit in a member lesson.  She and I both knew that Christ is our Savior. So good. So good.

Later that day we helped a woman down the street from the church, asked if she wanted to see the inside and said yes, we taught her, sang a hymn, boom new investigator.  Her name is Fujita San!

Friday I went to Abeno for a companion exchange and Dayley Shimai and Zhou Shimai stayed in Higashi.  Wagstaff Shimai and I taught a bunch of people, and this old grandpa who runs a fruit stand his name is Kyoshi San.  We talked to him about baptism and asked him to be baptized and on a dime he was like, "Sure! Wait...hold up..are baptismal services held on Sunday? Yeah, we are way busy I have to work at my fruit stand."  We were so surprised that he wants to get baptized!  It was real cool but also frustrating.  We didn't give him another day because we want him to come to church first.  Man...well besides the guy turning around to say, "Yo, you Mormon?" And that was surprising! He was so straight with us and was like,  "ya tell me, I want to know."  So cool.  Well, while I was eating free Chinese food from a member, my
companion was being way too cool and taught 21 lessons in one day and got a new investigator for us! Heck yeah!  I got like the best trainee! She's training me more than I'm training her! So awesome!

Sunday was amazing.  I love these people so much.  During the sacrament I was listing all the reasons why love them.  Everyone is my family!  As I took the sacrament the thought from the Spirit came to me, "Do you understand why I love them?"  My heart was full of spirit, love, and happy stuff!  It was a tender experience! 

Later that night when we left to go out I turned to my companion and said, " I think we need to visit Fisher Shimai today," and she was like, "What?  I literally was just
thinking what if we go talk to Fisher right now?" It was a really cool spirit brain bow! We were able to visit her and uplift her in the way she needed. The spirit is so cool!

We also got another investigator, Aki! We are going to meet her tomorrow and it's so happy!

Monday again and also I really enjoyed going to Nara to go pet some deer again, that was fun!

I want to say Happy Birthday to the best Nonnie in the world! (That's my brown grandmother). I love her so much!!!  She is an amazing woman and example to me for serving a mission a few years back! I love her a bushel and a peck, and hug around the neck!!!

Remember that over in rice land there is a girl who loves you so much!!! That's me!

Ozu chan (Sister Oswald :3)

SEPT EMBER 18, 2016 - DEAR MOMMA, I PROMISE TO DO THE DISHES WHEN I GET HOME!

Well we really did have a busy week. Taking trains everywhere, awkward encounters, singing, and dancing, late nights and food.  So much food.

This week we were able to go get lunch with the closest to a young women member, and talk to her about going on a mission, together we got udon and she talked about how she really wanted to go!  It was really exciting! I got to share with her why it is so amazing! She is so funny, her name is Nanami Yata.  She loves to make jokes and is
super sarcastic.  She likes making fun of English words, like the word 'hot' she keeps telling me, "no no no...hato," she's a cutie.  We got her to come with us to Zone conference (which is a meeting about every 4 months or so (I actually don't know how far apart, things just happen and I go where they tell me to go) there is a meeting). There we heard from our mission president, about how to be better missionaries. So happy that she came!

At zone conference we heard from Welch Kaicho (president), and the APs (assistants to the president) and our Zone leaders and Sister training leaders.  There was such a sweet spirit there, but it was so long!

Something that I over all really enjoyed was what the zone leaders shared with us. They talked about charity.  Recently, like this whole week, the theme has been charity. In Japanese its 'jiai,' and the kanji is 慈愛, now I know what your thinking, wow that's great...but why are you showing me this?  Well the first kanji is mercy and the second is love.  Just think about that for a moment.... Okay moment up!  In the Book of Mormon and in the Bible is says tIhat the pure love of Christ is charity.  Christ's ultimate love for us is charity.  He is constantly showering mercy on us and more than we can comprehend is his love for us! To have charity is to be like Christ, to have charity is to be merciful, to have charity is to love unconditionally.  

I read this quote like hours before we had talked about this and found it really
interesting. "Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet."  Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings;having patience with someone who has let us down;or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle
something the way we might have hoped.  Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.

Charity is so important, there is a scripture in D&C 88:125 where it talks about a mantle of charity and how we will be made perfect as our Father (or given the opportunity to become just a little more like him) if we just wear it.   A mantle in scripture language is also a cloak.  Cloaks cover us from head to toe, they protect us and not only that, they keep us in a bond of "perfectness" or completeness and peace.

Before I had ordered us some new futons for our apartment and the Welchs brought them to the conference but we had no way to get them home so we had to wait till they could take us home to drop them off for us.  Welch Kaicho had to do a last interview for Elder Weakley because it's his last transfer. (P.s. So sad, love Elder Weakley, he's a
good friend of mine!  Also he and my companion make jokes about their names, Elder Weakley and Sister Dayley, lol).

While we waited we, Elder Brailsford and Elder Vui and I, on Monday had come up with a version of I'm a child of God.  Elder Vui brought his ukulele and we all sang in a different language.  Brailsford was Japanese, I was English and Vui sang in Samoan. I'll send the video.  Yeah. Then afterwards we rode with president Welch and the APs and it was like riding with your parents home from some church event or something. It was nice, but we were late to eikaiwa...woops!

 At eikaiwa, a student gave me these papers of Japanese slang and wrote on them saying, "copied by Terry, from Osaka Japan, please study Japanese kansai Ben (slang) so you can blend into society."  It was super sweet of him!  Also I have discovered that our English class is filled with a bunch of creepy but lovable old men....like all really sweet but all just a little off.

We got to finally meet with Shannon, but she is now going to China for a month so I don't know if I'll see her again so we taught her and talked about the Book of Mormon and I bore my testimony and the spirit was so strong! I told her that this Book of Mormon was true. That's about all I did well, also that Christ was our Savior but it was very simple and then we prayed together. We all kneeled together and afterwards when I finished praying Shannon just said "wow," I know she feels the spirit when she is with us.

Over the course of this week we have eaten so much food! Curry, nan, rice, so much food I don't have time to list it all!  We were able to help Irie Kyodai with his English presentation for his new job which was really good! We had lots of laughs and more food.

Friday we had sushi and then we went to a family's house for Yokoo brothers birthday and there was many food there. Yes, me English is slowly dying.

Also we met with my favorite Fisher Shimai.  She is so sweet, I felt a need to call her and when I did I asked if we could come over and when we did it's exactly what she needed. She's right now housing a couple that recently got married...3 weeks ago. It's their honeymoon....oh, so awkward. Monday we met them at her house as well and it was just an awkward feeling in the air.  I won't say much more except that Fisher Shimai turned to me and asked, "Oswald Shimai, how do you treat just married couple?" And I laughed and said "I don't know," and she'slike ,"yaro!?" (Translates to "like right?") she said it so straight faced.  She also feels awkward about it..,yay! Note to self:  not coming back to my mission for my honeymoon!

Well I have one last thing to write about.  Earlier today, while I was typing this lovely email I got a phone call.  Do you remember Aki? This woman that I talked to on the train and she just freaked out and decided that we are best friends! I'm not complaining! She so sweet.  Well I got a call from her today and said, "I want to meet you! Oh, also you're a missionary right?  I want you to teach me about Jesus Christ. I really have interest!" Say what?!?! OHMYGOSH! She's so cute!  She always calls me ozu chan! It's so cute :)

So yeah, miracles happen literally everyday of every moment.

I love you all,  I hope that this week is amazing and if you don't think it will be remember happiness is a choice, but so is peace, and joy, and life.

I love you! I also love Jesus. Moments from this week:

Turning to Dayley Shimai randomly during study, "I love Jesus," I think I was almost crying when I said this too!

English student said this to describe a fruit, "banana is a type of mango," Elder Nakamura thought this was the funniest thing ever.

When guy at the drug store hits on you and your like, "I'm Jesus Christ's representative." 😇😅

Okay bye!

Oswald Shimai

SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 - I DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME, BUT HERE TAKE THIS FLIER!

Alright yALL, 

Monday! Played some fotsal,  smaller version of soccer, way fun but I like destroyed my leg while playing.  Gotta love mission joints.

Anywho!  Then that night we went to Fishers and it rained again! So much rain.

Tuesday it poured, more rain.  We got to out to eat with Fukuda San so good!  She's so cute! She wants to learn English because her grandson doesn't speak Japanese...she's so cool! Also taught English! Yusss so much fun!

Wednesday we had a kokan (exchange) and I got to hang with my Chinese bestie Zhou Shimai!  She is so much fun to hang with.  We did so much biking and met with super awesome member who said she loved us back which in Japanese its weird to say I love you...ya weird.  But she said it back instead of just saying thank you! Yay! The small things!

Thursday we planned and ate out with the Elder's investigator, and that was good.  Not much there.

Friday! Such a good day! First we went to zone training meeting, and my cousin Elder Westhoff and my favorite Zoneleader Elder Weakley were in charge :3   Anyway it was really good and spiritual!  There was laughter and tears and we are so pumped to go out and dendo!

Afterwards I took our district to go visit Yo, our investigator who runs a burger shop. We all had like the best burgers in the world and then we all taught him from the Book of Mormon no big.  Just feeling the spirit, testifying with my brothers and sister and getting him to pinky promise to read and pray.   So awesome!!! That night we had FHE with Brother and Sister Kimura and they drove us home it was so nice of them because other wise we would have had to take train and had been late home! I got to hear their conversion story. It's my favorite thing to ask members.

Sunday was also great! I love our members so freaking much! They are the best! So much love when I see them!  It's going to be heart wrenching when I go.  We had an interesting sacrament meeting. I had to translate Japanese into English and type it into Google to translate it to Chinese for these people from Taiwan. They patted me on the back because that was exhausting...they were so sweet! 

Then we shared a message in Primary and that was cool because they were so intently listening. I love those kids!  Later that night we went to Brother Iries house and he fed us chocolate cake! Woah! He told us secrets to missionary work and then turns out we were running late home so in order for to qualify for the 9:30 we need to get a lesson. My comp lost her shoe so I saw my chance and ran up to this kid (already in baptism white) and told him "You are a child of God, and he loves you.  I don't have much time but here take this flier. I want you to come to church!"  He looked at me so intensely and nodded.  Afterwards my comp came up and we biked away! Wo! Missionary life!

I don't have much time to type all the miracles out!  There are so many!  

Remember that God is our Heavenly Father and that that is one of the most important truths in the world!

I love you!

Sister Oswald !

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016 - YO, THE WEEK!

Hello,

Okay, sometimes I wish my brain could just type out what I want to say because the weekly email always takes too long!!! So, I'll try my best to get it all in but no promises....

Monday it rained!!!! Oh it rained. So much rain all day long! We went to Fisher Shimai's house and we talked about Heavenly Father and how much he loves us.  I talk about this all the time but it was in relation to loving those who have agency and how Heavenly Father feels so much love for us even when his children are noobs.  We also had fried bananas....oh so good.

 Tuesday was the last day I will ever visit Faiza. It's frustrating to have someone manipulate you into teaching you English.....so awkward all the time.   I love her but as a missionary it wastes so much time so we unfortunately had to tell her that we can only come once a month...it was sad and really frustrating but it all worked out. Afterwards we went and found more people to teach and again taught some more English.  It was Dayley Shimai's first time and it was so much fun....also a little awkward but it worked out!  We talked to an old lady who told us to "always follow our hearts to the stars"..it was kinda funny but made me happy.:)

Wednesday we did some finding! It was soooo good! We saw so many miracles.  Having a trainee and being a trainer, God puts in your path the people who are ready!  We have met so many people and they all seem to enjoy the gospel or what we have given them so far.

Also, great news!!! After like 6 months I have finally bought new brakes on my bike! Yay me!!   It's taken forever but finally I have both front and back working so I no longer have to hold my back brakes for a minute before I stop....don't you love brakes? I do :) [ FYI!!!!!!!!!!  I offered to buy her a whole new bike back in February!!!]

Thursday was planning day and I very much dislike planning day because I'm like a sloth with the mind of a gold fish....it is not fun. But we made it through! 🙌

Friday we had district meeting!! Woo! It was fun, talked about things only really missionaries talk about and if you heard our meetings you would think I'm insane especially because it's a combination of enlightenment (I meant to type English but that works too) and Japanese. We also played a game where we have one person draw on a double sided white board and the audience has to describe in Japanese to our only Japanese Elder what it is.  We got some pretty funny pictures.  Elder Ray drew a polar lion.  Looked like a polar bear lion.  

Afterwards we went to Indo curry and had delicious nan! It's so huge! Then later we went down to one of my favorite people's burger shop, Yo. (That's his name).   He was so cool we talked some more about life, incorporating the gospel where we can.  He always smiles when I call him my brother.  He ended up giving me a pin with his logo on it.  He seriously makes the best burgers in the world.  They are so good!  My mouth waters as I talk about it....sigh.  Well, before we went to his shop we did some housing and we climbed these stairs that go round and around in a circle and we did that for ten stories. We got to the top and had some vertigo..we only knocked one house because of time but that one door, we found Taisho!  He is so cool! When we talked and taught about the gospel he genuinely seemed interested and when we asked if we could come back he was like sure! And not a hesitant sure but like, 'y'all are cool and I want to learn more,' kinda sure. Such a miracle and a blessing! We got his number and now we have his address! Woah! So happy.

Saturday we went to a birthday party for the Tani's daughter Yuka, who turned one! So sweet! We helped prepare food and watched baby tv.  We all turned into idiots in front of her because she is so dang cute! The party was a blast and the Filipino food was absolutely amazing!!! So so good!  Then after that we biked to go visit Brother Hirano.  

He had a stroke a few years ago that kept him from speaking (he spoke perfect English before) and moving.  But he has gotten so much better since I've met him.  Before we couldn't have any form of a conversation but this time I could ask him things and he could respond. I was so happy.  There is such a light that you feel when you are with him. We all took him (with his wife) to go get ice cream down the road. He started to cry, not sure exactly why but he was so happy:)  Nakamura Choro whipped out a cool magic trick with cards that explains the atonement.  It was way cool and made Brother Hirano so happy.  That night we went to the first session of stake conference and it was way good!

Sun daddy because auto correct is a thing... Sunday!  We went back to Abeno for the Sunday session of conference, and got to listen to many members.  It was nice but we were in the very back so it was hard to hear and very hard to translate.  I could do only one brother's talk and that was because I knew part of the story and I know him and his Japanese.  He spoke about how he and his family were recently sealed in the temple, he got a little choked up and the Spirit was so strong oh loved it! 

We heard from our mission president and his wife as well.  That was so nice to see them, after the meeting I saw Welch Shimai and she was like, Oswald Shimai!!  How are you?  I love you so!!  Are you dying?  She always asks me if I'm okay physically, ever since last February.  We talked and it was so good to see her. That night we did some awesome finding, taught this nice old man. And called Mike.  He encourages us do do missionary work but isn't entirely ready to join or listen just yet, he talks a lot.  But he's cool!

Today, Monday, we went to Nara, and played soccer with some missionaries and it was so much fun!  We are so sticky and gross though. Well life is good! 

Just tsunami weather warnings and other such things :)  I love you all!  Everyone needs to remember that they are a child of God, a child of light and that God loves you more than anything in this world, this is a simple but life changing truth. We told a man the other day this and his whole demeanor changed. Such a beautiful thing.

I love you!

KTWK (kill them with kindness)