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!

Week 15

Monday July 20, 2015

The weather has been pretty nice, its getting hot but it feels good to get outside and sweat. It feels like when we sweat a lot, we are working hard!  We went on Splits this week, I went to Sasebo and was with a Japanese missionary! It was so fun! We spoke Japanese pretty much the entire time, from Thursday night to Saturday afternoon.  Luckily she understands a lot of English so when I didn't know how to say something in Japanese, she could understand the jist of it in English :) 

This week in Relief Society we read Chapter 13 in the teachings of Ezra Taft Benson about the importance of the Temple.  The Temple is such an amazing place, how wonderful is it that we have a place on Earth where we can do work that lasts for eternity. It's hard to fully understand the entire scope of the Temple, but I do know that the work we do in the Temple and the promises we make there are eternally significant. 

Sorry it's so short this week!  
I love you all!
Lowe Shimai
ロウ姉妹

This is one of my favorite pictures of Christ, when he is in Gethsemane and an

angel comes to comfort him.

More Ramen! (above) More Okonomiyaki a member made for us! (right)
Me and Kawahara Shimai! (below) We went on splits together in Sasebo! She taught me how to make Okonomiyaki!

This is Tonkatsu it's delicious!

You grind up your own sesame seeds! So Fun!

I love being a missionary!

Monday July 13, 2015

Yesterday we went to Saga to meet our new Mission President, Egan Kaicho and his wife. They are such an awesome couple! They came in and greeted each missionary by name and already knew their hometown as well! They said they've been studying our pictures for 6 months now! We just met them but we could already feel the love they have for us! Egan Kaicho has worked for the Amusement Park industry for about 40 years now. He seems like a really cool person. I'm excited for them to be our new Mission Leaders!

We met with Yuki Chan a couple times this week, she was able to come to church again, which is awesome! We taught her last night about how important prayer is. She has such a strong desire to follow Christ. We also met with Shiori Chan who has been investigating the Church off and on. She loves the members and comes to church when she can, but she's just not sure if she really believes in it. Clements Shimai and I have been thinking and praying a lot about how to help her come to know that God is really there. And we realized that it really all comes down to praying and asking, believing that God will answer you, if He really is there. 

This is one of the reasons I love being a missionary is because everyday I get to reflect back on experiences that have helped me come to know that God and Jesus Christ truly exist. When we wanted to help Shiori have that same experience, we thought back to the very essential acts of faith. One of which is prayer. I haven't seen God or Jesus Christ. But I know they exist. I know because of the truly indescribable peace and strength I've been able to receive even in the most difficult trials of my life. I know because when I put my Faith in Him, and pray for help, guidance, and strength, He guides and strengthens me in a way that by no other means would I be able to receive. 

We went to a make your own type of place, so much fun!  This is Okonomiyaki, before we mix it up and cook it (above);  Okonomiyaki being cooked (below):

Okonomiyaki after we cook it:

Dessert at the Okonomiyaki place, not really sure what it is but...it

was good

Tried real Ramen for the first time! It was delicious! It's one of Clements Shimai's favorite foods 

More Ramen

 Our two friends that are visiting from China joined us for Ramen, they

are so much fun!

We found a super cute children's bathroom in a mall!