Monday, July 29, 2013

A week of transitions....









Konnichiwa!


Updates,

This last week was a huge transition for our companionship.  Getting in the groove of things with a new missionary was challenging,  but its also been really great.

I LOVE our new apartment! Its so nice! I will send pics next week!!

Our investigator that lived 40 mins away can't get baptized anymore, she is too old and forgets everything. She wouldn't be able to pass a baptismal interview which is crappy.  The Lord knows her heart. I am positive that she will accept baptism when she dies!

We found a new investigator last night, and I am excited to go back to her.  We will meet with her next Sunday.  She has two young kids and is married.  She seemed drawn to eternal families, so that's probably what we will talk to her about when we go back. We had her read the last two paragraphs of the Book of Mormon right there on her doorstep and committed her to read the rest of it for when we come back.

Yesterday we also Housed into one of our less actives that we didn't even knew existed.  He got baptized 15 years ago!  He moved a while ago and so missionaries stopped visiting him I guess, and since he had been forgotten.  When he answered the door and saw us he was like OH I'M A MEMBER!  and we were like whhhaaat?  Who are you?!  Gosh we were super happy!  When we asked him if he remembered who Joseph Smith was or the Book of Mormon he was like...no??  I pulled out a Book of Mormon and he was like I have never seen this book before??? OH MY.  SO CRAZY.  So basically we are starting from the beginning with him.  We also found another less active last week his name is Funakotsu and he is allowing us to come back!  He wants to know why there are so many Churches...and he doesn't know which one is true.

Its so sad to see how many people got baptized and had NO idea what the church even was.  I'll let you know how all those people are doing next week!

Nakamoto Shimai is doing great!  She got confirmed yesterday and she is loving life!  She is a little missionary already, she is trying to get her brother to join and his four young kids!  keep ya updated.

We got a new branch president last week, and he is AMERICAN! YAY! We have dinner with his family every other Tuesday.  They live on the outskirts of UBE its like 90 minutes away so we take the train, or they come pick us up.  There is only 1 branch in UBE!  We HOPE that it will become a ward one day... and then a stake.  I would be the happiest person alive!

The language is really coming along!  I am getting better every week.  I don't say much about it because I have my ups and downs, and its not something I want to stress to much about ya know?!

Yesterday I taught the Gospel Principles class in Sunday school and i really felt the power of the gift of tongues it was amazing! Loved it!!

Buhler Shimai leaves today for Hiroshima to do a training with the sisters there so I am in charge of Smotherman Shimai and I for the next 3 days!

I will send some fun pics!! I LOVE YOU ALL!

Please don't worry about me, I am on the Lords errand I am watched over more than you could ever imagine. Truly. I am his servant.

Love you.

Sharp Shimai

Sunday, July 28, 2013

1st Baptism!!!

July 22, 2013

Konnichiwa,

Updates,

Sister Buhler and I got a NEW BEAN!!! Her name is sister SMOTHERMAN. She is just as interesting as her name is haha...she is 20 and from california! I'll send a pic!

WE had Nakamotos Baptism yesterday! AHHH it was SOOO good! Sister Smotherman and I sang  Be still my soul in english, and we had the whole ward there.  Nakamoto was sooo happy afterwards.  We love her and are so grateful for her amazing spirit and love that she has for God.  I have a pic that i'll send.

We will be moving into our apartment TOMORROW.  FINALLY!!

We have been working SO hard this last week, it was crazy.  We were going from place to place so we didn't have alot of time to go finding, but its okay, this week is going to be filled with so many miracles.  We have a lot of potential investigators that we will have time to visit with, and hopefully we will make them progress into progressing investigators.

We have two new reactivations in our ward! YAY!
One of their names is Nakamura San.  We had a dinner appointment with him last night, and it was amazing.  We talked to him and another member that was there about the importance of being involved in member missionary work and the spirit was SO STRONG. He called us afterwards and was in tears because he was so grateful for us and for everything that we had told him to start doing. It was just great.  I love that man!

I love you all. Jesus Christ is our Savior, look to him in every thought and actions.  Strive to feel his presence in your lives daily!

Love, Sharp Shimai