Meekness and lowliness of heart…

Sunday 6th, 2014


Konnichiwa!

I am grateful that the Lord is able to bless all of us because of missionary service!!  I am SOO happy here in Okinawa, the ward is HUGE and they are all super nice. :) I love them so much.  Since I have become companions with Capener Shimai we haven't had a single argument or disagreement…we just get along.  And it rocks!!  But I am ALSO soooo grateful for all the hardships that I had with Heaton.  If there is one companionship that prepared me for marriage the most I would say it was that one haha and IM SO GRATEFUL FOR IT!   I love her!

This morning I was getting ready and listening to last conference (for the 100th time) haha I love conference just in case you didn't know…AND Ulisses Soares was speaking.  His talk is called 'Be meek and lowly of heart' ITS AMAZING!! Here is one line from it:
"Because the Natural man dwells within each of us, and because we live in a world full of pressure, controlling our temper may become one of the challenges in our lives.  Think for a few seconds how you react when someone does not comply with your desires the MOMENT you want them too.  When people disagree with your ideas, even though you are absolutely sure that they represent the proper solution to a problem.  What is your response when someone offends you, critiques your efforts, or is simply unkind because he or she is in a bad mood?  AT THESE MOMENTS and in other difficult situations, we MUST LEARN to CONTROL OUR TEMPER and convey our feelings with patience and gentle persuasion.  This is our most important within our HOMES and with our ETERNAL COMPANIONS"
I love, love, love that.  One of the greatest attributes of Christ is meekness and lowliness of heart  If there is one thing that I have learned on my mission is the importance of being humble when others offend you or when you feel like you are right.  PRIDE is such a TERRIBLE thing and I want to rid myself of it forever!

I just thought of this scripture in Alma 5: 27-Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before god? Could ye say if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been made sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?
28: Behold, are ye STRIPPED OF PRIDE? I  say unto you, if ye are not, ye are not prepared to meet God.  Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.

BAM! If we are not humble or stripped of pride, we are not prepared to meet God!!! Simple as that! I LOVE ALMA!!  Read the rest of ALMA five because it rocks!!! It changed my life :)

MIRACLES:
THIS LAST WEEK WE SAW SO MANY MIRACLES!!!  We flew back to Fukuoka because we had to go to the Leadership training meeting with all the other STLs and Zone leaders in the mission.  So yeah…I think I flew on a plane 5 times in the last week and a half!  I was so exhausted but it was SO FUN!  We got to Fukuoka on Monday around 3 and the AP's were like…so you actually aren't leaving until Wednesday!  All the other missionaries had to leave a day early, but just Capener and I were able to have some extra time there which was a huge miracle!  We stayed in the mission home under the temple and it was SUCH AN AMAZING experience!  I may or may not be presidents favorite missionary in the mission :) haha just kidding…but really, he let us watch the general relief society broadcast n his office, we went and walked around the grounds saw all the cherry blossoms around the temple!  President and his wife took Capener Shimai and I out to dinner to a way good Ramen shop and then made us dinner the next night!  IT ROCKED!!  It was just the four of us and we had so much fun!

We came back to our area and found four new investigators and like 5 others with lots of potential!!  We met with one of our investigators last week, she doesn't have tons of interest (the one I told you about that speaks English) but she was really kind and sweet.  We ran into her AGAIN that night as we were walking home which was a huge blessing form the lord.  I am so excited to see where all of them go.  A new family, a young 15 yr old, a Filipino woman, a woman who overcame cancer and the list goes on!

I am running out of time but I love you all so much!  The work is moving forward here and I am so grateful! Thank you for all the updates I love hearing about them! I love you all so much, thank you for the prayers!!!

Love Sharp Shimai