4am, IT'S RAINING! - Wk 10

Monday June 15, 2015

 

This has been another great week in Nagasaki!

Some fun things, happened this week.  Klein Shimai and I made banana muffins, which were super delicious. They don't have applesauce here so we used....baby food Apple stuff!! It worked out really well! You do what you can do here in Japan ;)

Also Wednesday night through Thursday morning, it was POURING Rain all night. And all of a sudden at around 4 am, I hear this jingle from a truck going by, like an ice cream truck, it's quite soothing and as I begin to fall asleep to the lulling of the jingle, this man starts shouting Japanese into a Megaphone !! It was so loud!!! I have no idea what was happening....I was half asleep and I don't speak Japanese...it was a bizarre experience. 

This week has been so incredible! We had an awesome District Meeting with Needs Choro. He based it off of The Fourth Missionary and it was so inspiring! [The Fourth Missionary is a lesson regarding building character - you can find it here http://www.scribd.com/doc/34660140/The-Fourth-Missionary#scribd]  

 

This Friday we had a lot of Finding time which was so good. We tried a different approach to street contacting by introducing ourselves and then asking them one question. From there we were able to testify to most of the people we talked to and even if they weren't interested in meeting again, we gave them one of the lesson pamphlets based on what we talked about and invited them to read it and come to church. While we were out we stopped a girl named Yuki and after the totsuzen, we asked if she had some time right then that we could teach her and she did! So we went and sat down in the Daigaku and had an awesome lesson. We are meeting her again tonight! And we are going to set up a baptismal date with her!

And then on Saturday we found two more new investigators, Hikari and Mirai, who are both studying Christianity in college right now! And are both really interested about baptism and becoming happier through following Jesus Christ. We are meeting with Mirai tomorrow and Hikari on Saturday! And then yesterday, right before we went home for the night, we found Nozomi Chan and gave her a Book of Mormon, she is super interested in learning more too! We are meeting her at the church this next Sunday! 

I am so grateful for Klein Shimai and her example of diligence. I know that the Lord is helping us see these miracles as we are doing our best to be obedient and diligent. 

I Love Japan. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love being a Missionary!!!

Lowe Shimai <3

 

This is me in my rain suit, which is called a Kappa. Looking pretty great huh? With my white helmet I represent America: Red white and blue! One time I was riding by and an old man saluted me...it was hilarious!

Nagasaki is truly wonderful! Week 9

Monday June 8, 2015,

Konnichiwa!

Sometimes I still can't believe I am learning Japanese...and that I am in Japan! I am of course reminded everytime I am invited into a home and we kneel at a short squat table and I begin to not feel my legs anymore...then I really do feel like I am in Japan! 

We were able to have an awesome lesson with the Lady who invited us over to dinner, Koga San. She is a really cool lady. She made us Takoyaki, and just kept making us takoyaki! She made a ton! And she made cheese fondue to dip veggies and bread in! It was delicious! We taught her about who Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are. She shared with us some trials she is experiencing right now. The Spirit was so strong as we testified that she could truly feel peace through the Savior's love for her. And I was just reminded about how wonderful of an opportunity I have to be able to be here, in Japan teaching people about their Savior Jesus Christ and how He died for each and every person's pain, suffering, sickness and weakness. And because He felt that personally, He truly felt that pain and sorrow, He knows exactly how we feel. And because of that, He is able to comfort us in ways that no other thing on Earth can. His Healing is pure and everlasting and irreplaceable. I have felt this in my life and I know that everyone can feel it in theirs. One of my favorite scriptures from study this week was Mosiah 7:33. All the Lord asks of us is to turn to Him with our whole heart, and do our best to follow Him and Keep his commandments, and if we do, he is always ready and willing to bless, support, heal, and love us. 

Mosiah 7:33: But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

Thank you for all the love and support! 

Lowe Shimai

Shokuji at the Ohira's house!

We ate out last Pday, it was a nice place :)

We made our own sushi rolls at a members house,! Delicious! And Klein Shimai and I were craving American spaghetti and meatballs so we made them!

Miracles in Nagasaki! - Wk 8

June 1, 2015

So first up; we are teaching a man that just moved to Japan from Myanmar with his family, he is really nice! He is really interested in learning about Jesus Christ and how he can learn good things from Christ:s life and teachings! He speaks Barmish and English, so we are teaching him in English ;)

We saw an awesome miracle this week. We met a family and made an appointment to come back and teach them, but they were not there for the appointment. So we decided to visit someone else we met in the same apartment building. We ended up having a great talk with her! She had read the pamphlet we left with her the first time we met, which talked about where we came from, why we are here and where we go after this life, and she really liked it! She said that even though she's Buddhist, after reading the pamphlet, she's not so scared of death anymore! We set up an appointment to teach her next week and after we left her apartment, she called us and invited us to have dinner with her too! That never happens in Japan! People very rarely invite others into their home unless they are close friends or family! Klein Shimai and I are really excited!

I have been reading in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon this week and one of my favorites that really struck me was Mosiah Chapter 2:20-24 Which basically says `All that he requires of you is to keep His commandments and he has promised that if you keep His commandments he will bless and prosper you` How incredible is that! Our Heavenly Father, the creator of this magnificent Universe, simply asks us to Follow Him, to put our trust in Him and show our love for Him by doing what he says! It's like our parents on Earth!  I really loved this. Also another Chapter in the Book of Mormon that is AWESOME is Alma Chapter 26.  

Thank you for all the Love and prayers and Support!

Lowe Shimai

 

  Above: all the girls in the Nagasaki Zone. Below: all the missionaries in the Nagasaki Zone