Monday, October 21, 2013

Pictures!

                           Fun PDAYS from the last 2 or 3 weeks!


                      This is what the bowling shoes look like in Japan :)

Try not to laugh...this is what Japanese Business women use to wear in the olden days!


           An OLD samurai's house. Sister Nelson, Smotherman, Southworth

                                           Samurai house

This place was SO BEAUTIFUL! Ancient Japanese Gardens...that is a shallow pond behind me

                      HAHA. My zone leader on the left, and district leader on the right


                     I LOVE THESE JAPANESE KIDS!!!!!

Christ is..LOVE

WOW! What a miraculous email!!!

Today in my personal study I read in 1st Peter 2:21-25....

"Christ left us an example that we should follow his steps..he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who when was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.  (my favorite part)...*FOR HE THAT WILL LOVE LIFE, AND SEE GOOD DAYS, let him REFRAIN his TONGUE from EVIL, and his lips that they speak NO GUILE: let him eschew evil and DO GOOD; let him seek PEACE,  and ENSUE it."

This scriptures spoke so powerfully to me today.  For he that will love life, and SEE good days, let him refrain his tongue from EVIL, and his lips that they speak NO GUILE, let him SEEK PEACE and ENSUE it.

In order to become like Christ, we need to acquire his attributes.  From these short verses we learn SO MUCH about the person Christ is...

1.He did no sin.  2. Guile was not found in his mouth. 3. When he was hated, he turned the other cheek. (he reviled not) how do we act when we are offended or feel like someone has wronged us? 4. When he suffered, he threatened not...(do we sometimes threaten God, or Curse God for our unfortunate circumstances? Do we hate those that wrong us, and seek to make others lives miserable?) 5. He judged righteously.  We must all make choices and decisions in life, but we have been given the spirit of God to judge RIGHTEOUSLY.  Do not judge that which is of evil to be of God, or that which is of God to be evil.  How do we see others? Are we judging them through foggy windows because we don't have all the facts?

FOR he that WILL (emphasis on *WILL*..loving life is an option) love life...AND SEE (seeing with optimistic eyes is an option) GOOD DAYS, let his refrain his TONGUE from evil.

What does this mean to you?

I learned that the number one attribute of Christ is..LOVE. The amount of love we have in our Heart for God and for those around us will be manifest in our speech, thoughts, mannerisms, and deeds.  IT starts in your heart.  Whatever is in your heart is what you will say. Whatever you say is what you will do. Whatever you do is WHO you will BECOME.

Our goal in life is to BECOME like WHO? Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  It's simple. Apply the doctrine of Jesus Christ, and we can achieve all that God sent us here to do and become.

What is the doctrine??  1. Faith in Jesus Christ. 2. Repentance. 3. Baptism. 4. Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. 5. Enduring to the end.

I encourage each of you to study these sections in PREACH MY GOSPEL for further light on how they all connect and how we can apply them.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is the 3rd lesson in preach my gospel, PLEASE PLEASE read it. After, you can turn to the 'Christlike attributes Chapter' and study that and understand more fully what role the Atonement of Jesus Christ plays in all of this.  Seek  understanding, and the Lord will bless you.

Miracles:

The lord blessed us with a new investigator this week.  Its an older couple and they were a referral from a member. WE have an appointment with them this week! My companion is slowly opening up.  She is struggling with mission life, and I think she would rather be back home 90 percent of the time, but I feel like she will adjust shortly. She is willing, and that is all I care about.  She is going to become a wonderful missionary!!

The lord blesses us and guides us every single day to people who have been prepared.  They are not accepting our message, but so many people are listening.  There is nothing I can do after I have bare my testimony, the rest is in the lords hands.

We are teaching a boy named Nimo San, he is from China, and there is a huge language barrier because he doesn't really speak Japanese or Chinese, but we are meeting with him every week and he came to church for the 3rd time now so i will update you with any miracles we see with him.

We are teaching another woman named kanye Yasu, and she is AMAZING!!! I love her so much! We read the introduction of the Book of Mormon together in our last lesson, and the spirit bore a powerful testimony. We are meeting with her tomorrow, i'll let you know how it goes!

Last Pday we went sight seeing with members, I will attach a few fun pictures! I love you all so very much!!! Thank you for you light, love, and support.

Sharp Shimai