Sanders ShimaiFrom: Lindsay Sanders <lindsay.sanders@myldsmail.net>Date: November 29, 2015 6:34:08 PM MSTSubject: Transfer 10 Week 4Transfer 10 Week 4Hey! I just emailed a few days ago, so there is nothing huge to report. We are just working hard. We keep seeing lots of miracles, and we are seeing so much progress! We are working to gain the trust of the members. It was really tough at first, but let me tell you the fruits of our efforts so far: I was asked to speak in church last week, we have received 2 referrals in one week (referrals aren't really a thing here, so this is a record! At least for my mission), we were invited to several families homes, AND a less active we are working with came back to church for the first time this week. We walked down the hall and people were asking if they could joint at our lessons this week. It is amazing! Such a huge change from since I first got here! See, there is no such thing as a hard area!Anderson Shimai is an angel. I love her so much, we have so much fun! She loves to work hard and make people happy. We are a good team :)Christmas is everywhere! People are decorating and there is Christmas music everywhere! Christmas is just so happy! We started doing caroling dendo. It gives us great opportunities to talk to people about Christ. Also, everyone should check out the new Christmas video on Mormon.org!I have been thinking a lot about consecration and how important it is to serve the Lord with ALL our heart, might, mind, and strength. On Sunday, our combined lesson was on the Law of Tithing, and it taught me a lot of cool stuff! They shared Mark 12: 41-4441 ¶And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.I love this short story. The Savior teaches that the amount is not important. I am not sure how much a mite or a farthing is worth, but I am assuming it is not much. To Heavenly Father, It is where our hearts are. I loved all of the footnotes for these scriptures, so please look them up! I had the thought: we can go where God wants us to go, but maybe our feet take us there when our heart wants to be elsewhere. We can say what God wants us to say, but like it says in 2 Ne 27:25, are we "people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me". In order to be who God wants us to be, our hearts have to be in it. We should want to do the Lord's will. When we are truly converted and consecrated, we will want to give all we have. A sincere heart is needed.Sister Anderson shared some quotes with me that I liked:"If you don't make a convert, make a friend"And"consecration is the only surrender that is also a victory"I really just want to do what my Heavenly Father wants me to do. The biggest sacrifice I have made on my mission isn't my cellphone, or school, or opportunities to get married... It is myself. And when you give up yourself to the Lord, you get a better "you" in return. I know that this is true.I know that God loves us. As we were housing this week, an older woman came to the door. Her husband was behind her smoking and yelling awful things at her. Her eyes looked so sad. I had the impression to tell her that God loves her. Her eyes welled up with tears and she closed the door in our faces. I knew she needed to hear that. It hurts my heart that I can't do more to help. Everyone needs the gospel so bad! People can have so much more peace in their lives if they just listen! That is why missionaries have to work so hard to find those who are ready. God loves His children so much!Well friends, I fell off the ponderize wagon for a little bit, but I am repenting! This week:Alma 37: 36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.Have an awesome week and enjoy the Christmas season! Love ya!
サンダーズ姉妹より
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Transfer 10 Week 4
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Fwd: Transfer 10 Week 3
Sanders ShimaiFrom: Lindsay Sanders <lindsay.sanders@myldsmail.net>Date: November 25, 2015 7:18:40 PM MSTSubject: Transfer 10 Week 3Transfer 10 Week 3
Happy Thanksgiving!
This was a week of miracles! We have been focusing a lot on faith. Our
mission President came around and told us each companionship needed
two baptismal dates by Thanksgiving, and a baptism by Christmas. It
was a shock to me at first, but having this big goal has changed the
way I think about goals and having faith. We didn't have any
investigators (we had to drop all of our current investigators) and we
started from scratch. We decided every prayer we said would include
asking for Heavenly Father's help to meet this goal. In literally a
week, Ono San agreed to be baptized on December 19th. Miracle! But he
was our only investigator, and we needed another baptismal date. We
asked EVERYONE... We invited people in the first contact on the
street. We felt so strongly that since we had faith and were working
so hard, we would be blessed to see this happen. On Sunday, we find
our next miracle. Or, I guess I should say, miracles! We walked around
a building to a busier street and saw two young girls walking towards
us. We stopped and talked to them, and taught them how to pray. They
were still interested, so we extended a baptismal invite. They
immediately said yes! Then we asked if they could meet with us, and
they said they could meet the next day! We waited and waited... And it
was starting to look like they weren't coming, but we had faith and
prayed one more time! In the middle of our prayer, the phone rang and
it was them! They had just gotten lost! We run and find them, and
teach them a lesson. The spirit was so strong. They accepted to be
baptized on March 12th! That is so soon! They are our miracles! You
just gotta have faith!
I heard a quote this week that I just loved. A lot of things in my
life right now look like they are falling apart... But I have been
trying really hard to remain positive and rely on God. I wanted to
share this:
"Sometimes when things look like they are falling apart, they are
actually falling together."
God really does love us and He is in the details of our lives. When we
put our trust in God and do what He knows is best for us, we will have
so much more peace and happiness. If things aren't working out, don't
worry! It is just an opportunity to come closer to God and let things
fall exactly into the right place!
I also read Hold on Thy Way by Elder Aoyagi. I loved his talk. Not
just because he is Japanese, but because his message really applied to
my life right now.
I used to think I just had to endure to the end of my mission. But God
created us to have joy! I have been making an effort to enjoy my
mission and it has made all the difference. I cannot tell you how much
I have changed by changing my thinking. We need to have a positive
mental attitude. We will reach whatever expectations we have for
ourselves. If we expect to have a hard life and not have much success,
you probably won't. That is how I felt coming to Japan. Everyone told
me I would be lucky to see one baptism, IF that happened. I honestly
believed that. But I repented and changed my thinking. You can be
successful in any mission. There are no such things as hard areas or
no baptisms. You have to ask yourself "Where is my faith?" In the past
three weeks, Anderson Shimai and I have seen amazing miracles. We are
on fire! Ube has completely changed. And it is really nothing we did
differently. We just changed how we thought, went to work, and let the
Lord do what He does. The work is moving forward. In one week, we went
from having no investigators to having THREEwith baptismal dates. And
we are just going to keep working! Missions can be so fun! I really
really love being a missionary and participating in the work of
Salvation.
President Henry B. Eyring stated: "The test a loving God has set
before us is not to see if we can endure difficulty. It is to see if
we can endure it well. We pass the test by showing that we remembered
Him and the commandments He gave us."
Let go and let God. He is the one giving us these magnificent
blessings. Aren't we so blessed?
Because I hit my 15 month mark this week and today is Thanksgiving in
America, here is a list of the 15 things I am thankful for:
1. Peanut butter
2. My companion, Sister Anderson
3. Hot soup on a cold day
4. My health
5. The man who offered to buy us juice last night
6. Of course, my awesome family!
7. Beautiful sunsets
8. Receiving letters
9. Cute kids who say "Herro!" to me
10. Hugs
11. Finding a scripture that touches your heart
12. Naps
13. Making strangers smile
14. My Savior, knowing I can change through the Atonement
15. My Heavenly Father, knowing He loves me
I love you all! Hope you are getting excited for Christmas! Have a
happy day and eat some pie for me!
サンダーズ姉妹より
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Transfer 10 Week 2
Sanders ShimaiFrom: Lindsay Sanders <lindsay.sanders@myldsmail.net>Date: November 15, 2015 7:15:02 PM MSTSubject: Transfer 10 Week 2Transfer 10 Week 2
This week I will hit my 15 month mark. I don't have anything to say
about that other than woah! Where did the time go? I have so much work
left to do! I am super genki this week and just feeling so blessed!
Sister Anderson is awesome at having fun while we are working hard!
Everyday is so fun because of her! I literally have not been this
happy my entire mission. Even though this is a hard area, we are
seeing so much success and lots of little miracles because we are
focusing on having faith and serving others. I love being a
missionary!
This week I finally finished my language pass-offs for all of the
lessons. I just kept putting it off... I could have had it done six
months ago... But I finally decided to finish! I get to wear a fancy
pin saying I finished, so that is exciting. It also just feels good to
accomplish a big thing! We had a party that night with popcorn!
One of the big miracles we saw this week was with Ono San, who totally
came out of nowhere. We housed into his apartment, and then he invited
us back, but wasn't there, so we felt like we needed to leave a
pamphlet with our number on it. He called us and asked when we could
meet and how he can learn more about "baptism". We were freaking out!
He came to a lesson at the church building with members and we
answered a lot of his questions. He just really wants to change his
life. We committed him to pray and read the Book of Mormon! He texted
us the next day and said "I felt like I received an answer to my
prayer!" More freaking out by sister Anderson and me. He came to
church and loved it! We set a baptismal date with him for December
19th. He says this is going to be the best Chrostmas he has ever had.
Yeah, miracles like this HAPPEN! So cool right? He is our miracle. The
prepared people just show up, and we don't do that much for them, but
they just come ready and we are so excited to teach him! Yayyyyyy!
Please pray for Ono San! There hasn't been a baptism in this area in
forever!
I have learned a lot about faith. It really is just trusting in God.
If we trust God, we will keep the commandments. Obedience brings
happiness. It really is as simple as that!
A quote I heard this week: god is not the worker at the roller coaster
saying we have to be "this tall" to enter... He is like a parent
anxiously marking our growth on the wall.
Sorry for the rough translation, it sounds better in Japanese! But I
know that God loves us. All he cares about is if we get up when we
fall. He is always wanting to help us. That is why he has sent His
Son, Jesus Christ. He has sent prophets, and scriptures, and the
missionaries to your door to tell you that He loves you!
Have an awesome week! Eat lots of pie for thanksgiving for me :) I love ya!
サンダーズ姉妹より
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Transfer 10 Week 1
From: Lindsay Sanders <lindsay.sanders@myldsmail.net>Date: November 8, 2015 7:24:44 PM MSTSubject: Transfer 10 Week 1Transfer 10 Week 1
I turned double digits! Woohoo! Transfer ten! I thought I was still a
bean chan?? Oh well, I am way excited for this transfer! I just have a
feeling it's gonna rock.
Akuta Shimai died (she just went home) and We had an awesome last
week. We met with a family in our ward and talked about member
missionary work. Our discussion ended up leading to how the gospel
should be enjoyed, not just endured.
My new companion is Sister Caroline Anderson. She is an angel. Like
seriously, she sings, and is beautiful, and so sweet. I think she
could secretly be a Disney princess. We also have a shared love of One
Direction!! I like her a lot! She has a lot of faith and energy, which
I think will be good for me :) We decided we are going to change Ube
and make it a place where all the missionaries want to serve! It's
still just us two... No elders came this transfer, but we are
determined to find people who are willing to accept the gospel.
I got asked to speak in church next week. I am really scared, but I
figure it's just like teaching a lesson without asking questions. I
can do it, right? My topic is faith.
I love you all so much! I am so thankful for all the love and support I get.
I can't believe so many people are getting MARRIED! Lots of my friends
are coming home from their missions. It freaks me out, but, oh well!
Sorry I didn't leave much time to write my big email this week, but I
just want to share a little Thing I learned this week. Faith is so
important. When we have faith, and act, we are able to see so many
miracles. For example, we made a goal to find a new investigator this
week, and that night, we were called by someone who we had given a
pamphlet to, and he wants to know about how he can be baptized. Like,
WHAT? Miracles happen when you have enough faith to be obedient.
My ponderize scripture is Ether 12:4!
I love you! Have a great week!
サンダーズ姉妹より
Monday, November 2, 2015
Fwd: Transfer Nine Week Six
rom: Lindsay Sanders <lindsay.sanders@myldsmail.net>Date: November 2, 2015 7:06:18 PM MSTSubject: Transfer Nine Week SixTransfer 9 Week 6
Hey family and friends! Hope you had a good week :)
this week is transfers, so it has been stressful. My companion is
definitely ready to go home... It has been hard to get out the door
and work, but we are doing our best. One of the hard things about
being with a native companion is the power struggle. It shouldn't
happen, but what ends up happening is the question turns into "Whose
culture is more correct?" Most of the time, I don't push to have
things my way, however we have to be obedient. That part is
non-negotiable. We had a situation this week where we had a lesson
with our male investigator, but our joints cancelled at the last
second. However because we are teaching a male, we have to have two
other brothers there with us. She felt like it would be okay if we
still taught him. I did not. I made her give me the phone, and I
called people and found two men who were able to come. It is really
difficult to have your companion be mad at you, but I will not break
mission rules just to keep the peace. I know it is really hard to go
home, and it is easy to feel like the rules don't have to be followed,
and I am not perfect either... But that is one of the struggles we've
had... All transfer. みんげん 関係 は 難しいですね。Working with many different
kinds of people has taught me a lot. I am thankful for the opportunity
I have had to have so many different kinds of companions as well. Next
transfer I will be with my 10th companion.
I have loved this transfer and I am thankful for all that I have learned!
Yay for hard things! They help us grow!
We had a lesson with Shimamoto San about baptism. The spirit was so
strong. We invited her to be baptized again, and she said... No.
Again. Now is just not the time. She is still doing awesome wth
praying and reading her scriptures. I know that someday her time will
come. We just have to be patient with the Lord's timing.
I want to tell you a real story from my life. You will probably laugh
at how pathetic I am... So it was raining on Sunday night, we had been
fasting all day because our meetings went long and there was no time
to get a snack before leaving. Then we had to bike really far to a
member's house for Akuta Shimai's bye bye party, and then they fed us
soooo much food. It was delicious, but they just kept piling food on
our plates... This is when it gets good. We are rushing home for
another lesson, it is pouring rain, my hands are cold and cracking and
bleeding, I am sopping wet, I need to go to the bathroom, And we get
to his hill and I just have to stop about half way up, and then I GET
SICK on the side of the road. I finish throwing up and you know what
happens?! A car drives by and splashes MUD all over me!!! It was
literally like a movie when the main character is having the worst day
of her life.
Needless to say, I murmured. Hard core.
So here I am, it is pouring rain, I am covered with mud, I feel sick,
and I want to cry. But my companion didn't know that I had stopped, so
I had to get on my bike and catch up. I was a little more than upset
and was telling God that I was done and wanted to give up. I didn't
want to be outside in the rain. I wanted to be done.
I finished complaining and finally I looked up and asked "What the
heck am I supposed to do right now?" I received an impression: "count
your blessings". Then, a scripture: D&C 121:10 "Thou art not yet as
Job."
I was immediately humbled. Sure, I was having a bad day, but that
didn't make it okay to grumble OR give up. I think of my friends
serving in third world countries who don't even get a real shower or a
nice apartment. Japan has its challenges, but I have it pretty good. I
have so many blessings. The rest of the bike ride I tried to name all
of the good things God has blessed me with. It helped so much. Things
like "I have a good bike, it has held up pretty well" or "I am
thankful for my kappa (rain suit) because even though I look funny, it
keeps me kind of dry". I was really trying to see the good even though
I really. didn't. want. to.
It was funny though, when we finally arrived, my companion looked at
my face and said (in English) "what happened to you?" Another blessing
we received was getting back ten minutes early, which was just enough
time to get cleaned up a little before we taught our lesson.
We can choose how to react to the situations we are put in. We can
choose to give into misery, or we can fight to have joy. It's hard.
But if Sister Sanders can do it, you can too! Never give up! Never
surrender!
More miracles: Our Halloween party was a huge success! So many members
brought their friends! And then we had a family come because they
found the flyer in their mailbox. They are really cool. They are a
host family for a girl named Liese from Denmark! They had lots of
questions about what we believed. They had never heard of Mormons
before! A student from our English class, Ayaka San, came with her
husband and two daughters. They were SO cute! The girls were dressed
up as Snow White, costumes hand made by their mom. I was so proud of
the branch members, they went and introduced themselves to everyone. I
didn't have to worry about someone being left out. Ube is the best!
Lately, I have been thinking about what kind of person I want to be by
the end of my mission. I have grown a lot, but I have a looooooong way
to go. I decided I want to have charity. To really love the people.
Not just an appreciation of the culture, or liking the same foods or
fashion... But to love these people as my dear friends. I found this
quote and wanted to share it today:
President David O. McKay said "To my knowledge, there is no such
teaching by the Savior that says "become one who is loved by others".
The Savior taught "Love others. Love one to another". Being loved by
others is wonderful, but for those who truly understand the gospel,
their only desire is to love...
To missionaries, the most important thing is not to be loved, but
rather the desire to love others... The most important thing you can
tell your investigators is "I love you". Doctrine can become a great
help, but it can never replace it.
The most important thing for a missionary is not knowledge or to be
great of speech, but rather it is to love the people...
To love someone, it is not to change them so that you can love them,
but rather it is to accept them just the way they are."
Isn't this the way God loves us? I want to be this kind of missionary.
I want to be this kind of person! Charity, the pure love of Christ, is
the most important trait you could have! I know my time in Japan is
coming to a close, but I am a forever missionary! My badge is etched
into my heart! I sincerely hope to have more charity and be able to
show every person I meet the love the Savior would show if He were in
the same situation.
Have an awesome week! Can you believe it is November? Stay warm and
stay happy :)
This week my ponderize scripture is Alma 5:26 And now behold, I say
unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and
if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can
ye feel so now?
Love you all!!
サンダーズ姉妹より
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