It has been one entire month since I have been a full-time missionary.
Coming home is just like being a brand new missionary all over again- there is major culture shock, a new language (made up of pop culture references you are unaware of), new faces, and so much UNKNOWN. All this WITHOUT the safety of the mission rules or White Handbook.
In the time I have been home, I have caught up on the movies and music I've missed, seen friends, I am working, going to Singles Ward, trying to figure out school, going to the temple at least once a week... My life is pretty "normal" again.
On my mission, my RM friends would email me about the identity crisis you go through when you get home. I am not the same person I was before the mission, and I am also not a a full-time missionary, so... who am I now? The fun/ terrifying thing is I get to be the RM me- the one who has a solid testimony, who does hard things, and is goal-oriented. For some reason, with all the pep-talks I got when I returned home, I thought it would be easy and I would gracefully step into this new phase of my life. Well, (anyone who knows me could tell you I am NOT graceful) I kind of fell flat on my face!
Who would have thought it would be hard to do a morning schedule when you got home? I never thought I would let my priorities change or nosedive straight into Babylon the second I don't have the "White Handbook consequences" to keep me from slacking off. But that is exactly what I let happen, because I didn't have plans and goals in place before life went "back to normal". Not that I have done anything bad... but my motivation to do good things (ie wake up at a reasonable hour, pray, exercise, read my scriptures, etc.) went out the windows the second I didn't have that positive peer pressure from companions/roomates. The thing is I did the opposite of PROGRESS. I went BACKwards.
I spent some time being frustrated with myself, but I finally decided to APPLY what I learned on my mission- something I wish all the investigators and less-actives I worked with would do- I decided to use the enabling power of the Atonement to CHANGE.
How thankful I am for a Savior who loves me enough to help me out of a hole I dug for myself. I have seen countless times how He is always reaching out to me.
I got a little smarter- I made some goals and I am making changes because I want to be the best I can be. I have learned that it is okay to make mistakes- just learn from them and for heaven's sake, don't do it again!
Being an RM can be hard if you make it that way for yourself, but as long as you remember to do the basics WITHOUT fail, you can gracefully step into this new phase of life!
Your Savior loves you. He will never give up on you. He is ready to help you when you ask for it.
Don't give up!
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Monday, March 7, 2016
More pics
At Hamazushi with a smoker friend
Visited Nishino fam with the Sasaki's
Me and Teru chan
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Pictures
Pretty flowers
Junkai with this cute girl! Fritchen Shimai!
Delicious dinner by Watakabe Shimai
サンダーズ姉妹より
Transfer 12 Week 6
Transfer 12 Last Week! Transfer Week!
Woah, this is my last email from the mission field! This is so weird.
I can't believe it. I apologize for my letter last week. I had to
email pictures home :)
We had snow again this week! That was a surprise! We were riding home
on Monday and it had been raining, but then everything turned white
and I looked like a snowman by the time we made it home. But then a
few days later it was hot and I didn't even need a coat! Japan's
weather is bipolar sometimes.
Today we get our transfer calls. Fujikawa Shimai is taking us to
Akiyoshidou which has a famous cave, and then she is taking us
shopping and then we will eat shabu shabu :) the PERFECT last pday!
I wanted to say more about the concert we did last week! It was so
fun! The Elders from Yamaguchi came and helped us out. We sang about
11 songs, and then Kumiko, who is a YSA who is incredibly talented,
played a song on the piano that she has been working on. It was time
for the concert to start and no one had come! I was so sad! I felt
awful because the elders had to take a train and it was expensive. We
waited a few more minutes and finally one person came, so we started.
As we went through the night, a few more people came. We found out
that next Sunday that everyone had gotten sick. Our ward mission
leader Matsumoto Kyoudai invited one of his friends from work-
moriyama san, a middle aged woman and her daughter. They have come to
several activities before. Her husband passed away last year from
cancer, and she is really looking for answers and peace. When the
concert was over, she came up to me and I asked if I could give her a
hug. She broke into sobs and I stood there holding her for a few
minutes. After she calmed down, she said thank you. She couldn't
really speak. I promised her that God loved her and wants to help her.
She looked around at the basically empty room and said "I understand
that now. If he did all of this for me, then he probably does love
me". This work is so much more than knocking on doors. It is about the
people you serve and helping them to feel God's love!
Lots of members invited us over for dinner and such. So much for
trying to come home skinny ;) It was so fun! I even learned how to
make Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (which is my favorite!!!) from the
Sasaki family. I cried so hard after I said goodbye to them! I really
really love my Ube family. They have all been so kind and supportive.
I have met so many amazing members who are great examples to me. I am
so lucky to have served in this area!
Sunday morning we had a surprise. My companion woke up and her face
was swollen and she wasn't feeling well. Then her nose started
bleeding, so we decided to take her to the hospital. They told her she
could have the flu, or it could just be a cold. She just got some
medicine, and we went to church. She was feeling awful, and I told her
we should go home to let her rest, but she wouldn't go and got really
mad at me. I didn't really care though, so I asked a few brothers in
the ward to give her a blessing and she refused a few times, but we
convinced her to receive a blessing. After the blessing, she said she
immediately felt better. Her eyes looked better and the swelling went
down almost immediately. It was the first time she received a blessing
for healing, and all day she said "Wow, the priesthood is cool!" Even
though she felt better, she wasn't doing too great. I did make her go
home and rest after church though. Cool miracle!
Other than that, We have been visiting tons of people. I have a
feeling this area is going to explode!! So exciting! The less active
we have been working with gave us a referral, so Komatsu Shimai will
visit them with her new companion.
I realized I haven't said much about my ai suru doryo! My companion,
Komatsu Shimai is awesome! She is from Kyoto. She is fluent in
English, and is always asking me to teach her new things. She speaks
to me in English, and I usually speak to her in Japanese... It is
really fun. She studied nursing before her mission, and wants to be a
midwife. She is the same age as me:) She also LOVES American music!
She knows Coldplay and all my favorites. We have a shared love for One
Direction! We are very different, but I finally feel like we have
learned how to work with each other. She is very strict and harsh and
such a powerful, bold missionary! She says my personality is "soft",
whatever that means. I love her though. We laugh all the time :) She
is an amazing missionary. She works so hard. She never rests! Even
when we had to go to the hospital she asked me to give her her iPad so
she could update the area book. I said NO and made her rest :)
お疲れちゃん。I am grateful for her example and I am confident in handing
this area over to her. She will do a great job! It has been so fun to
learn from her.
Funny quotes from this week:
On P-day, running up the stairs so we could email, my companion says
"Sanders Shimai, I have never seen you run before!"
At District Meeting, an elder looks at me and says "You're a
dinosaur!!" I just said "Thanks."
During dinner, my companion randomly asks "Where can I go in order to
sing with a black person?"
Yasuko san's lesson was amazing. We finished teaching her the
commandments, including the law of chastity. Easily one of the most
entertaining lessons of my life. We ask her if she had any concerns
with keeping that commandment, and all she does is say "I am 91 years
old. No, I have no concerns." And then SHE busted up laughing! How is
she so genki?! We finished the lesson, and I told her that I was
leaving this week. She gave me the biggest hug and said "Thank you for
teaching me... In a few weeks, I will be baptized and I can be with my
family forever. Thank you!" Yep. We both cried. She is one of my
eternal friends. We both had tears in our eyes, and she said "I want
to see you and your family in Hi no Sakae (Celestial Kingdom)!!" and
she made me promise to find her there. I had been doing so well with
not crying until then... Oh well! She has blessed my life in many
ways. It is really hard to say goodbye to people you might not ever
get to see again. Saying goodbye to my family was hard, but I knew I'd
be coming home to them. This is so much harder.
I love my mission! I am so Soooooooooooo sad I have to leave! What an
amazing experience this has been. My faith has grown so much! I feel
like my capacity to love has expanded. My testimony is stronger. I
have different priorities. I have learned that serving others makes
you happy. All those good things :)
I just want to end by saying I know that God lives! This Church is
true, and so is the Book of Mormon! Jesus Christ is our Savior.
Missions are THE BEST!
See you in a few days! 愛しています！
サンダーズ姉妹より
Sanders Shimai
Woah, this is my last email from the mission field! This is so weird.
I can't believe it. I apologize for my letter last week. I had to
email pictures home :)
We had snow again this week! That was a surprise! We were riding home
on Monday and it had been raining, but then everything turned white
and I looked like a snowman by the time we made it home. But then a
few days later it was hot and I didn't even need a coat! Japan's
weather is bipolar sometimes.
Today we get our transfer calls. Fujikawa Shimai is taking us to
Akiyoshidou which has a famous cave, and then she is taking us
shopping and then we will eat shabu shabu :) the PERFECT last pday!
I wanted to say more about the concert we did last week! It was so
fun! The Elders from Yamaguchi came and helped us out. We sang about
11 songs, and then Kumiko, who is a YSA who is incredibly talented,
played a song on the piano that she has been working on. It was time
for the concert to start and no one had come! I was so sad! I felt
awful because the elders had to take a train and it was expensive. We
waited a few more minutes and finally one person came, so we started.
As we went through the night, a few more people came. We found out
that next Sunday that everyone had gotten sick. Our ward mission
leader Matsumoto Kyoudai invited one of his friends from work-
moriyama san, a middle aged woman and her daughter. They have come to
several activities before. Her husband passed away last year from
cancer, and she is really looking for answers and peace. When the
concert was over, she came up to me and I asked if I could give her a
hug. She broke into sobs and I stood there holding her for a few
minutes. After she calmed down, she said thank you. She couldn't
really speak. I promised her that God loved her and wants to help her.
She looked around at the basically empty room and said "I understand
that now. If he did all of this for me, then he probably does love
me". This work is so much more than knocking on doors. It is about the
people you serve and helping them to feel God's love!
Lots of members invited us over for dinner and such. So much for
trying to come home skinny ;) It was so fun! I even learned how to
make Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (which is my favorite!!!) from the
Sasaki family. I cried so hard after I said goodbye to them! I really
really love my Ube family. They have all been so kind and supportive.
I have met so many amazing members who are great examples to me. I am
so lucky to have served in this area!
Sunday morning we had a surprise. My companion woke up and her face
was swollen and she wasn't feeling well. Then her nose started
bleeding, so we decided to take her to the hospital. They told her she
could have the flu, or it could just be a cold. She just got some
medicine, and we went to church. She was feeling awful, and I told her
we should go home to let her rest, but she wouldn't go and got really
mad at me. I didn't really care though, so I asked a few brothers in
the ward to give her a blessing and she refused a few times, but we
convinced her to receive a blessing. After the blessing, she said she
immediately felt better. Her eyes looked better and the swelling went
down almost immediately. It was the first time she received a blessing
for healing, and all day she said "Wow, the priesthood is cool!" Even
though she felt better, she wasn't doing too great. I did make her go
home and rest after church though. Cool miracle!
Other than that, We have been visiting tons of people. I have a
feeling this area is going to explode!! So exciting! The less active
we have been working with gave us a referral, so Komatsu Shimai will
visit them with her new companion.
I realized I haven't said much about my ai suru doryo! My companion,
Komatsu Shimai is awesome! She is from Kyoto. She is fluent in
English, and is always asking me to teach her new things. She speaks
to me in English, and I usually speak to her in Japanese... It is
really fun. She studied nursing before her mission, and wants to be a
midwife. She is the same age as me:) She also LOVES American music!
She knows Coldplay and all my favorites. We have a shared love for One
Direction! We are very different, but I finally feel like we have
learned how to work with each other. She is very strict and harsh and
such a powerful, bold missionary! She says my personality is "soft",
whatever that means. I love her though. We laugh all the time :) She
is an amazing missionary. She works so hard. She never rests! Even
when we had to go to the hospital she asked me to give her her iPad so
she could update the area book. I said NO and made her rest :)
お疲れちゃん。I am grateful for her example and I am confident in handing
this area over to her. She will do a great job! It has been so fun to
learn from her.
Funny quotes from this week:
On P-day, running up the stairs so we could email, my companion says
"Sanders Shimai, I have never seen you run before!"
At District Meeting, an elder looks at me and says "You're a
dinosaur!!" I just said "Thanks."
During dinner, my companion randomly asks "Where can I go in order to
sing with a black person?"
Yasuko san's lesson was amazing. We finished teaching her the
commandments, including the law of chastity. Easily one of the most
entertaining lessons of my life. We ask her if she had any concerns
with keeping that commandment, and all she does is say "I am 91 years
old. No, I have no concerns." And then SHE busted up laughing! How is
she so genki?! We finished the lesson, and I told her that I was
leaving this week. She gave me the biggest hug and said "Thank you for
teaching me... In a few weeks, I will be baptized and I can be with my
family forever. Thank you!" Yep. We both cried. She is one of my
eternal friends. We both had tears in our eyes, and she said "I want
to see you and your family in Hi no Sakae (Celestial Kingdom)!!" and
she made me promise to find her there. I had been doing so well with
not crying until then... Oh well! She has blessed my life in many
ways. It is really hard to say goodbye to people you might not ever
get to see again. Saying goodbye to my family was hard, but I knew I'd
be coming home to them. This is so much harder.
I love my mission! I am so Soooooooooooo sad I have to leave! What an
amazing experience this has been. My faith has grown so much! I feel
like my capacity to love has expanded. My testimony is stronger. I
have different priorities. I have learned that serving others makes
you happy. All those good things :)
I just want to end by saying I know that God lives! This Church is
true, and so is the Book of Mormon! Jesus Christ is our Savior.
Missions are THE BEST!
See you in a few days! 愛しています！
サンダーズ姉妹より
Sanders Shimai
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Transfer 12 Week 4
This week was so insanely busy! It was awesome! We saw so many
miracles and I will try and fit them all into this email!
I have been in this area for 6 months... And this week we FINALLY
found 4 people who seem like they can be solid investigators. Not only
that, but a few of the less active we have been working with are super
close to being reactivated. Such a blessing.
On P-day we went to the zoo, but it was closed... But we could still
see some of the monkeys! We ended up going to Indo Curry and I got
cheese nan :) Then we dendo'd and met a cool lady from Taiwan.
Tuesday was absolutely crazy. District meeting changed last minute, so
we had to catch a train to Hofu. Unfortunately, I read the train times
wrong, and we missed our train. Then we proceeded to miss all of our
trains for the rest of the day, even coming home. It was hilarious.
Even though my companion is Japanese, we still managed to mess up! We
made an adventure out of it and we finally made it back just in time
for junkai with the Yahata sisters! I went with my bestie Sister
Jespersen. She has red hair and she is so wonderful. We housed into
someone who was a former investigator. He said he would come to
church!
Wednesday we had Eikaiwa! The kids learned how to write their names.
They are so smart!
Thursday was Junkai #2, the sisters from Iwakuni came! I went with
Sister Luczak, who is my dendo granddaughter! (Ogawa Shimai was her
trainer!) we had a blast. Found one of our new investigators. Came
home tired. We may or may not have had a dance party.
Friday we rehearsed for the concert, and then we did area book dendo.
Saturday was Yasuko's lesson! She is 91 years old and was worried
about telling her friends that she would not drink tea anymore. But
now she is ready to bear her testimony! She is so awesome! Then we had
our concert and it went really well. Not very many people came, but
one member invited his friend and she brought her daughter. At the
end, they came to us and asked if we could teach them more about Jesus
Christ. The husband had passed away last yesr, and they asked if they
would be able to see him again. We were able to say YES and make an
appointment for this week.
Sunday the branch found out that I am leaving and it was so sad. But I
still have one more week! We had a really good night of dendo and then
we were able to talk to one of our investigators and pray with her
before bed... She had a rough day.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission. I feel so
lucky to serve in Japan. These people are so prepared!
I know I have made so many eternal friends. I know that God loves us!
Sorry that is all for this week!
サンダーズ姉妹より
Sanders Shimai
Junkais and such
Sister Campbell, the baby is still in the wall in Iwakuni! Gross!
With Tashiro Kaicho! Fukuoka Temple President
サンダーズ姉妹より
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Transfer 12 End of Week 3
It has been raining all this week. I realized that I lost my rain
jacket when we moved apartments... Haha it has been fun! I am going to
miss the rain, so I am just enjoying it :)
If faith in God can move mountains, then faith in God can help
Yasuko's ears hear the gospel! These lessons have been amazing faith
builders for me! Her family was so concerned that she would have
reservations about the Law of Tithing... But we taught the lesson,
asked her if she would keep it, and she said Yes! We asked why, and
she said "When I am a member of the church, I will have to pay in
order to receive blessings." Wow, so cool! She gets it! She is on
track to be baptized next month. I have such a strong testimony of
faith bringing miracles! Heavenly Father wants to bless us, and we
just need faith!
On Friday, we had Elder Yamashita from the Asia North Area Presidency
come for Mission Tour. We woke up early and took a Shinkansen to
Fukuoka, then a subway to Fujisaki. I got to see a lot of my friends,
and of course the training was amazing. I came with 5 specific
questions, and I know that God answers prayers, because they all were
answered in the first part of the day! It was exactly what I needed.
We talked about our testimonies, being focused on our missionary
purpose, and teaching effectively. All of the training was wonderful,
and the Spirit was so strong. I am so thankful for the priesthood
leaders who receive revelation to direct the work.
Elder Yamashita told us "You don't study hard enough!" Then he gave us
an invitation to be more dedicated to studying our mission language. I
am repenting and upping my goals for language study! There is a lot I
can learn in three weeks!
I can't remember who shared this scripture, but I wrote this reference
in my notes.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And [ the Lord ] said unto me, My grace is
sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most
gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power
of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for
Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
If my weaknesses or trials are supposed to help me come closer to
Christ, then I will gladly accept them. Everyone's mission (and life)
is hard... Mine is no different! I have been blessed with
soul-stretching and testimony building experiences that honestly
seemed like distresses at the time. As I look back, I can see the hand
of the Lord helping me, guiding me. Now, I can honestly say that I
love my mission! I couldn't honestly say that a few months ago. I am
thankful for the hard times because that is when I grew the most.
Trials = blessings!
Remember how a few weeks ago I said that the fact that I am going home
hasn't hit me yet? Well, this week it hit me. Hard. It started on
Wednesday when I received my DEATH LETTER... The letter that tells you
NOT to stress/slack off/lose focus. It was a huge wake up call and it
threw me off. Then we had the Taikai and so many people made a special
effort to say goodbye. It was... sad. This time next month I won't be
able to wear my name tag. I don't want this to end! But I know there
are good things ahead! So many mixed emotions. It is so hard to
describe. I still want to be here though. I am refocusing. I feel more
driven work even harder now that the end is in sight. I am determined
to see more miracles! 最後まで頑張ります！There are more people I need to find!
This week, I found a scripture that I really liked! Nephi is writing
about the things that make him happy. 2 Nephi 11: 5 "And also my soul
delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our
fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and
power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from
death."
The phrase "my soul delighteth" has stuck with me all week. Nephi says
it a lot throughout his writings. I thought, "What does my soul
delight in?"
My soul delights in the happy message of the gospel: True love never
ends, we can be with our families forever, we can be free of guilt, we
can start over, we don't have to worry when trials come because we
understand there is more than just this short life... THAT is the
happy message that my soul delights in sharing!
We have a crazy week coming up... Two Junkai's and I put together a
concert that some of the Elders are going to help with. I am so
excited! We are going to ask someone to record it, so hopefully we can
put it on facebook :)
Have an awesome week! Love ya! Read your scriptures!
サンダーズ姉妹より
Sanders Shimai
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