Lowe Shimai (Sister Lowe) Mission

Friday, February 5, 2016

It's Christmas! Naha week 7 (wk 37)

Friday December 25, 2015

I can't believe it's Friday, much less Christmas already!!

This Transfer me and my last companion Packard Shimai were assigned by our Mission President as Sister Training Leaders or STLs. This means that we will go on splits - or companion exchanges - with each of the sisters that are in Okinawa right now. It also means that we get to go to extra training to learn how to train others! So Monday afternoon we flew to Fukuoka together, and stayed overnight with the Fukuoka Sisters who are now Maglebee Shimai (who was in my apartment in Maebaru)　and Carey Shimai (who was another new missionary my trainer trained) it was fun to see them again! Then we had training from 10am to 4pm on Tuesday from the Mission President and his assistants. One of my previous companions, Clements Shimai, was there. She's still in Nagasaki! I am kind of jealous!

It was a great training. We talked a lot about how we can become more like Christ. I shared a short talk on Charity and how when we push out negative thoughts about others and ourselves, we are more able to love those around us, even complete strangers. After the training we flew home and I got back to Naha around 8 pm. Then on Wednesday we planned for the training we'd give to the Okinawa Zone on Thursday. We went up to Okinawa on Thursday and came home and planned the training for the Naha Zone training on Saturday. Needless to say, it's been a little crazy. But I am so glad I don't have to do this alone. I have an awesome companion who helps me always think positively and also my Savior who helps me when I am weak.

I am so grateful for all the love I got in the Christmas Packages from the Wheaton Ward and family members! Thank you! Thank you!

Love,

Lowe Shimai

Our Christmas Lunch came from KFC. KFC is what they eat in Japan, it's super busy!

We sang with Colonel Sanders!

*disclaimer - that's sparkling apple cider, in case anyone was wondering

The best gift of all was getting to Skype with my family and

to hear Emily read me a book for the first time!

A really nice lady ran back out after going inside and gave us butterfingers!

On the right, a return missionary who is awesome and has been helping out a lot!

Her name is Kanako

At shuri castle a couple weeks ago

High school boys photo bombed my picture (:

I came to Japan with these guys! We were in the MTC together!

I taught Bearman Shimai how to make okonomiyaki! She made it herself!

This is what a skirt jammed in disc brakes looks like...

This is what me trying to fix it looks like...

Random people from Nagasaki offered to take our picture

A healthy apartment is a happy apartment!

Our investigator Kanako

Hot cocoa

Friends, Food & Fun! Naha week 6 (wk 36)

Tuesday December 15, 2015

This last week Bearman Shimai got a weird virus. The rest of her was fine but she just felt super nauseous and couldn't eat very much, if anything at all. It went on for a couple of days, I made applesauce and eggs and spinach tortillas to try to get some nutrients into her body but after just a little bit of food, her stomach just didn't feel good. It's been getting better the past couple of days and she's been eating more so that's been good.

We've been focusing on strengthening the members in our ward by visiting them and sharing messages with them. It's so awesome the power that missionaries have to brighten people's days and strengthen their faith just by the small acts of service that we do. I love it. I think of it like I am a way to bring sunshine into other people's lives. This is just such a neat, unique opportunity that I have to spend this time where I can literally walk up to anyone and everyone and just become their friend, and share with them a message of hope and happiness through Jesus Christ.

We got transfer calls, we are both staying here and I will be a Sister Training Leader next transfer with Packard Shimai. I am excited! It will be a neat opportunity to get to know all the sisters because I will be going on splits with them, but it's also kind of scary because I'll be training during zone conferences!

Shuri castle from when China owned Okinawa

They have you take your shoes off at the castle! I didn't mind!

Where the king sat


Okinawa shirts

Cool cake shape that's delicious

We met a really skilled sculptor, he let us chat for a few minutes. He
just does this all day! So cool!

The Naha building was the first church in Okinawa!

Kinjiou Shimai she was baptized in 1964!

Shimoji's first FHE! [Family Home Evening]

Our district. Minus two elders that weren't there, oops.

At a members house, snack equals plain sweet potato, pinneapple jello and hot chocolate. Exactly three things I would put together! Haha!

We sang at the ward Christmas party

Food at the ward Christmas party

Awesome Teruya family

At a Relief Society activity we had a contest for who could make their sushi the prettiest! (Top left: me & my sushi; Top right: Awesome Murayama Shimai & her sushi; Bottom left Bearman Shimai's sushi; Bottom right: #8 is the one that won)

Thursday, February 4, 2016

My 20th Birthday! Naha week 5; week 35

Monday December 7, 2015

This was a good week! We met some cool people. For my birthday, the Ward Mission Leader threw a little party with us and the other missionaries and apparently in his mission it was a tradition to smash a pie in the birthday persons face. He asked if I was ok with it and I said yes so...here's a video of it! A member also made a pie and gave it to me at church on Sunday! So sweet! Today we are going to see a castle, so thats cool!

We had a cool miracle this weekend and I had a really cool experience last night. A person who used to meet with the missionaries called us Saturday night and said she wanted to come to church and continue taking the lessons. It was awesome! We had a lesson and she brought her mom too who is super supportive and pretty interested in the Church. I called her last night after planning to set up an appointment for this week and she expressed that she was feeling really guilty after going to church. She came home and had read some scriptures that the previous missionaries had given her to read. She couldn't remember one of the scriptures exactly, but I felt like I should share a scripture that I had read in personal study that morning. And as i read the scripture, she said "That's the one I was trying to remember!" I could feel the Spirit so strongly as I testified that Jesus Christ loves her and wants to help her overcome her weaknesses. It was exactly what she needed.

This meant a lot to me because during her lesson in the morning, as she was telling us her experiences, I couldn't understand a lot of what she was saying and so I wasn't able to respond like I wanted to. I was feeling kind of incompetent. I want to help these people so much, but sometimes I can't understand what they are trying to express from their hearts. But then when I was on the phone with her last night and able to share the exact scripture she needed and reassure her with my testimony of the Savior, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. I know that the Savior is with us in our work. I know that we can become His hands even if we aren't perfect in the Language. He knows His children and He knows that He can trust us to do His work.

It was an awesome experience and reminds me a of a scripture I read last week, Genesis 18:14 " Is anything too hard for the Lord?" No! Is sending 20 year olds to Japan to teach one of the most important messages in Japanese too hard for the Lord? No! The only way I am able to teach people and impact their lives is through the Strength of Jesus Christ and the gifts He has blessed me with.

PS. Everyone should watch the new christmas video A Savior is Born https://www.mormon.org/christmas

Host of my birthday party, Nakahara Kyoudai

he's awesome and helps us a lot