Music - The International language! Maebaru (wk 2) - Week 20

Monday August 24, 2015

Man. Starting from scratch in a new area is hard! But I am so grateful for Packard Shimai, because together we are so excited to work hard here in Maebaru! We have met some really cool people this week! On Friday we decided to bike out about an hour to a newer part of the city. We packed a dinner so we could stay out there all day. On our way there we randomly found a beach, so we came back and ate our picnic dinner there later! It was so beautiful!

We got to one neighborhood and heard really beautiful piano music. Packard Shimai is really musically talented and loves to play the piano, so we followed the sound of the music to a house and rang the doorbell. These two young moms came out and were immediately super friendly! We chatted about piano and where we are from, what we are doing as missionaries. One of the moms lived in Schaumburg when she was little! That's about an hour from where my family lives now! We asked to come in and listen to them play the piano and they let us right in! We talked some more and they said we could come back anytime! They were super nice! I sent a picture of them, Shoko and Yoshie.






So this morning we decided to tackle the rest of the junk that the Elders before us had just put out on the back porch. It was gross. There were moldy rags, milk cartons from last year and a lot of other random stuff. We bagged it all up and took it out to the garbage, and then scrubbed the mold off of the concrete! It is so clean now! We are so happy! The apartment finally is junk free and clean!

Packard Shimai and I are loving finding new things to cook together! It is so awesome to work with her! Sorry it's a little short but these were some of the highlights this week!

Love!
Lowe Shimai

 There are a lot of beautiful rice fields like this in Maebaru!

 Beautiful Japan!

 We did our best to make Pizza! We made our own crust, and didn't have
cheese, but it was still good!

 A member took us to a cute family restaurant! We ate raw stingray (below)!

 

I love making trail mix with the stuff mom sends me!

Maebaru Shimai before Stake Conference yesterday!

 Pineapple bones!

A members' cute grand daughter!

 Narata Shimai! She's hilarious!

こんいちわ! Konnichiwa! Maebaru - Week 19

Monday August 17, 2015

To everyone - みなさんへ

On Thursday I transferred to Maebaru district, but it's actually in Itoshima Shi. But this wasn't just an ordinary transfer, they call it white washing. White washing is when they take out both missionaries
and put in new ones from different areas. So before us, Maebaru had two Elders, but this transfer they took them both out and put in four new Sisters! All of us are from different areas and have never been to Maebaru before!

My new companion is Packard Shimai! She is super awesome, we are really similar which is a lot of fun, we both love to cook so we are looking forward to recipe swaps! We are getting along really well. She is a super hard worker and is always doing her best!

Our Zone Leaders had told us the Elders had worked hard to clean the apartment for us, but when we got there...that didn't seem to be the case! They probably just packed their stuff and left! They did leave some groceries in the fridge which was nice of them. So we spent the rest of the day cleaning the apartment (it wasn't disgusting but it was pretty gross), moving random stuff they left behind into one area of the apartment, and made a list of cooking utensils that they must not have needed! Like spatulas and frying pans... Silly Elders! We haven't even touched the balcony yet, it is full of old junk just sitting out there!

Then the next day, Friday, the Elders had set up a lesson for us but they only left us the address. And we don't have our bikes yet so we used theirs...I don't know how they got around on those things! The tires are super flat, the gears don't change, it's all rusted. But! We worked with what we had and 45 minutes later made it just in time for the lesson, except we couldn't find the right house! The house numbers weren't marked so we started knocking on doors and asking people what their address was and if they knew where this specific house is. No one knew! After an hour of searching almost every house in the neighborhood, we were walking back to our bikes to just go home when a guy we had asked earlier comes out and says, I found it! So we followed him to the only house we hadn't knocked on and sure enough! We found the house of  who we were supposed to teach but his wife answered and said he had waited for us but ended up leaving because we were too late. So yeah! That was an adventure!

We still don't have our bikes so the past couple of days we've been walking around to members houses, getting to know them and introducing ourselves. The members here are super nice! They are all really excited to have sisters here, they haven't had sister missionaries here for 13 years! It's a really small town, a lot different from Nagasaki. In Nagasaki there were always people to talk to on the street, but here there aren't very many, which means a lot of knocking on doors! But that's okay, because I know we will be able to see miracles here in Maebaru. I know that the Lord wouldn't send four missionaries to a new unfamiliar area if He wasn't preparing people for us to find. I know that the Lord is at the head of this work and that He is preparing His children to open their hearts to receive His teachings. I am so grateful and so blessed to be His missionary.

Love,
Lowe Shimai
ロウ姉妹

First Days in Maebaru!

 

 There are so many rice fields here, it's absolute gorgeous!

 

 Me and Airi chan, pronounced eye-dee. Her birthday is just one day
before Emily! She turns six September 27th!

 Delicious meal with the Kobe family!

 When we transferred to Maebaru we had to carry all of our
luggage with just four of us onto a train and then switch to a subway,
we made it!

Last days in Nagasaki! I love these people so much! I am going to miss them like crazy.

Keiko (left) & Matano (right)  Shimai, 

two of the most awesome people I've met!

 Jenni! We cooked Chinese food together!

God will support, and keep, and preserve us; Week 18

Monday August 10, 2015

This last week was really good!

We had two awesome lessons with Mari and Shiori. With Mari we talked about how we can receive strength from Jesus Christ. Her testimony is so strong! I am so grateful to be working with her, she has so much love for her family and does everything she can to help out.  Shiori is really awesome too; we made a baptismal date as a goal for her and promised that if she really wants to know if this is truly Christ's church, she can know by then. She said she would pray about it!

We also found out on Friday that Clements Shimai is going to be training a new missionary this next transfer, which means that I probably will be leaving Nagasaki. Today we will get a call from the mission headquarters letting us know who is staying and who is leaving and who our new companions are! It's exciting and nerve wracking! I love Nagasaki so much, and I have really come to love the people I get to serve with here!

So, something I've been doing lately is really making the scriptures personal. It's been so amazing! A lot of the time in the Book of Mormon, it will address someone by name, and even if it doesn't, I rewrite the scripture with my name in it, and put it on my desk, and it's amazing how much more powerful the scripture becomes! 

Also, in personal study this morning I found another awesome scripture! In the Book of Mormon, Alma 43:4 "God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto Him, and unto our faith, and our religion" I just love this! And I have definitely seen this truth in my life. When I am putting my faith in God and when I stand up for what I believe in, He always blesses me with strength and support. Even when life is difficult, I can feel His support and love and because of that, I can be happy even when it's hard. 

Love Always, 

Lowe Shimai

 Our District :) Clements Shimai and I are so short!

The elders in our branch, Elders Olsen and Clinger

 

 The closest we get to swimming as missionaries!

All the brooms in Japan look like this...so funny!

 Japanese snacks are the Cutest!

 Japanese English sometimes doesn't make sense, but it's so funny!

(this says: Time spend in garden the relief to you)

 Me and Clements Shimai

 Me and Shiori!

Me and Maiguma Shimai! 

She's so adorable! She always bought us chocolate!

 

 Takako San (green dress) always brings her grandkids to the children's
English class and she invited us over for lunch!

 Delicious Ramen

 Beautiful Japan!

 Rice Fields and the Big Hill we get to ride up everyday to our apartment! 

It doesn't look as bad as it really is!

Another great week in Nagasaki! Week 17

Monday August 3, 2015

 

Another great week in Nagasaki! It is pretty hot now, but I absolutely love summer, so I am soaking it up! I love being outside! This week was a little bit slower, but we had a lot of good time to find people to teach! We also went to Sasebo for Junkai and saw an awesome miracle! We were truly guided by the Spirit to talk to this specific lady, who at first seemed like a normal nice Japanese lady, and she said she had met the missionaries before but did not elaborate. But then when we tried to hand her a pamphlet, she hesitated and said she had been baptized when she was younger!!! We were so surprised! I am so thankful to have been able to meet her. I know that the Lord truly watches over every single one of us, and knows exactly what we need. 

We also had a really awesome lesson with our recent convert Mari. She has been feeling really stressed right now with her family responsibilities and work. We read with her the baptismal promises about bearing one anothers burdens and how part of that promise is that Christ will bear our burdens as we trust in Him. It seemed to be exactly what she needed. I am so grateful for the blessing it is to be able to know other peoples needs through the Spirit. 

 

Love!

Lowe Shimai

 

Today we went to what they call the Bio Park which is like a zoo but you get to go inside where the animals live! It was so cool, and a monkey jumped on my arm! (:

 

 

 

 Beautiful ocean!

  We met someone with a pet turtle!

 Meal with Ohira family! Curry and fried chicken (Tonkatsu) and rice

 

 

There's nowhere I'd rather be! Week 16 - Nagasaki

Monday July 27, 2015

This week was great! We met a lot of cool people on the street! Everyone is super busy though because of the end of school, lots of tests and such! 

We had an FHE (family home evening) activity with the Branch last Saturday. We played a bunch of silly games, like spot the difference between two pictures, and walk around chairs with a plastic egg in a spoon, and put a puzzle together as a group. It was so adorable!! And as I looked around at the maybe 12 members that were there, I just felt this warmth in my heart for them! I love them so much! and I know that Heavenly Father loves them so much! And I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to be able to share God's love with the people around me in Nagasaki. Every day, that is what I try to do, is help people feel that God is there and He loves them! I love being a missionary so much! One day this week, while we were out talking to people, I just had the thought, "there's no where I'd rather be than right here right now" And sure it's hard sometimes, but honestly this is exactly what I want to be doing with my life right now. I am learning so much about myself, about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, about their love for everyone. It's great. 

I've also been reading a lot of previous Conference Talks. It is amazing, the power of the testimonies of the leaders of this church! I know that they are called by our Savior Jesus Christ to testify to the world of His truths! I encourage everyone to review conference talks! 

Love you all!

Lowe Shimai

--"Conference" that Sarah references in her email occurs twice each year.  Jesus' Apostles, Prophet, and other church leaders spend several days giving talks, inspired by God, to guide us in our lives today.  You can find all previous conference talks at the following link and can search by topic.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng

Dinner with Mari and her family! They made pizza!

 Yummy dinner with Keiko (above and below)

Shiori (left) and Miagawa Shimai

Hawaii themed lunch last Pday

6$ for peanut butter

 Nagasaki is so beautiful!

 Spectacle Bridge

 Beautiful Sunflower

Rose shaped ice stuff that's apparently famous in Nagasaki

We literally had to push our way into the trolley; so many people!

Until next week!