Fwd: 1st Transfer Week 3

From: Lindsay Sanders <lindsay.sanders@myldsmail.net>

Date: November 9, 2014 10:06:07 PM MST

Subject: 1st Transfer Week 3

Wow. This week has been a blur. I`m glad I brought my journal with me right now or else I wouldn`t have a lot to talk about, haha! We have been so busy! We are always busy and genki!

This week I overcame a lot of my fears. Sister Nelson has been giving me a lot more responsibility, and I don`t feel qualified for a lot of it, but she makes me do it nayways and then it@s fine. FOr example, calling people, making appointments, doing hokoku`s (reports to my district leader), leading the way to certain places, picking areas to do housing, stopping people on the streets, and teaching lessons. It is so scary!!!!!!! My language is so simple, but I am able to do these things now. Sometimes I psych myself out and tell myself that I can`t do it, but then I think Sister Sanders, WHERE IS YOUR FAITH? If God needs you to stop that woman and give her a Book of Mormon, then He`s going to help you do it! I am learning a lot about having faith. My focus of personal study has been surrendering my will to the Lord`s, and also Change. If anyone has any thoughts, please send them to me! It`s been really cool to study.

We have seen a lot of miracles this week. Yamaguchi san (we asked if we can call him Yamaguchi Kyodai and he said yes!) has been without cigarettes and alcohol for 36 hours. That is the longest he`s been without it in 57 years is what he told us. We gave him the Word of Wisdom lesson on Saturday night, and he said Yes, I know that I need to keep this commandment in order to be baptized. He is such a kiinjin! Golden person! It has been hard for him. At church, he came up to Sister Nelson and said I know that I need to repent and keep the commandments... but it is HARD. Gah, it broke my heart. We are all praying for him though. I have never helped anyone overcome an addiction. We are relying completely on the Lord to know what to do. The Elders are helping a lot too. We taught him the Plan of Salvation, and showed him the 3 kingdoms of glory, and asked, which one do you want to go to? He said I want to go to the Celestial Kingdom, but I will probably never be good enough, so I`ll probably just go to this one *points to Terr. kingdom*. I almost started crying. We taught him about the Atonement. We taught him that he CAN live with Heavenly Father again, that, through Jesus Christ`s sacrifice, our sins can be washed away and we can become perfect. HIS FACE COMEPLETELY CHANGED. He asked Can such things really happen? Sister Nelson asked Do you think God loves you? He said Yes, I know He loves me. She said Then why wouldn`t He want you to come home to Him? It was amazing.

Our other investogators are doing great! Yukari san is thinking about baptism. She has a lot of struggles... but during a lesson she said I feel it. I feel God`s love for me. That was the first time I saw her smile! We are also teaching a mother and daughter. They are really interesting to teach. The mom drinks a lot, and the daughter is a little excited... like all the time, so we keep our lessons really simple. But they came to church and the lesson was about temples, and the mom leaned over and told me, what do i have to do in order to go inside God`s house? I said, well,t he first step is to stop drinking. She laughed and said Oh, well... I don`t have to go right now. It was funny, but we also know that she doesn`t want to change right now, which is fine. When she wants to change, the church will still be here! We also teach a Nepaljin named Aashrit. He speaks English, thank goodness. He has a lot of questions. This week, we brought his friend Nick, also Nepaljiin, and I taught the Restoration. They weren`t sure about it at first, but I told them the First Vision, and they could feel it. They are both coming to church this week. We have other investigators, but I don`t have time to talk about them. They each have their own trials and successes and I love all of them! I am so lucky to know them!

There is an Irish Sister and her son who come to our ward and they are the best. The son reminds me of the kid from How to Train Your Dragon. Sister Davidson HATES America, so she always tells us how bad it is... and we just have to sit there and listen and smile and say, Thank you. They are funny though.

I am learning Shuwa! Japanese Sign Language! It is so cool! Tsuchida Shimai is teaching us and it is the best. I will show you when I Skype you on Christmas! What`s crazy is we were at her house on Friday night, and ,learned it, then Saturday morning we were at the train station and saw two women doing it, so we were able to *talk* to them! 

On Saturday we also helped at the Mission Prep hosted in Fukuoka for Southern Japan. I took a Nihonjiin companion around (all by myself) and contacted people on a busy street. In the rain. I was so scared because I am still struggling witht eh language. but I prayed (a lot) and it was fine! My comp, Fujita Shimai is so sweet and she made me a paper crane.

Christmas is coming up, so all the stores are playing Christmas pop music. That`s about the extent of Christmas that they go to here. I am so excited for my first Christmas in Japan though!

I love you all! I am thankful for your prayers and love! I hope that you can understand just a fraction of how happy I am so be a missionary! I see miracles everyday. I get to help people everyday. Riding my bike through the rain and over hills isn`t as bad anymore, because I decided that I know why I am here. It`s not about me, it`s about doing the Lord`s work and I am so blessed! 

I know that this Church is true! I know that God loves YOU. Jesus Christ atoned for YOUR sins because He loves you too. If you ever wonder if you are loved, I challenge you to PRAY and you will know. I promise that you will feel peace and confirmation that God knows you. He loves you.

Minasan, ai shite imasu! Iesu Kirisuto wa watashitachi no Sukuinushi da to shitte imasu.

-Sanders Shimai

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Sanders Shimai