My Faith and Testimony are Simple

 

Me and the world's two quietest dogs! We went and visited Ishikawa Shimai's grandma this week, because her grandma lives in Izumi, and she has these 2 cute dogs, but they were so mellow, and just walked up all quiet and never ever barked! What nice little souls! 

My Dear Family!

 This week me and Kanno Shimai did a split with the sisters in Ishinomaki. I worked with Ishikawa Shimai. As me and her were riding the bus back from Ishinomaki to Izumi to dendo for the day, I had a great experience! The bus ride is about one hour, and towards the end of the bus ride I decided to try talking to the woman sitting next to me. I pointed out the window and asked if the tsunami had come to this part of Sendai. 

That got our conversation started and we talked about the tsunami and she shared with me that both of her parents had been killed in it. I shared with her simply our belief that our families can be together forever, and I gave her a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and told her how much peace and hope its given me in my life. I was so grateful that I could share my testimony with her! 

We finally started teaching our investigator Obara san again, after about a month of her being gone during the holidays! She is wonderful! This week we had a great lesson with her talking about the power Christ has to heal our spirits. We sang her "I Stand All Amazed" and she really liked it. 

On Friday we went over to a members house and had a gyoza party. (Gyoza is kind of like wan-tans). We made like 200 gyoza! The member invited one of her friends over and so we got to talk with her. She has lots of different religions in her background, and has attended our church once. She has lots of questions, and opinions, and has been exposed to some anti-mormon stuff, which is too bad, but it was really interesting to talk to her. 

It makes me realize how simple my testimony is. I haven:t ever looked into any other churches, trying to find the true church. I:ve just always believed that THIS church is true. I:ve felt the Spirit confirm to me through so many experiences and feelings, a sweet and steady assurance that what I:ve been taught to believe is true, actually IS the truth. And so even though my faith and testimony are simple, I know that what I know, is real. 

All my love! 

Love King Shimai

Hi Mama, I just wanted to tell you something cool! I hit my 18 month mark about a week ago, and on that day I finished reading the entire October General Conference Liahona! It was a fun accomplishment! 

LOVE YOU SO MUCH MOM! 

How much I have to be grateful for in this life!

My Dear Family! 

- This week we had a Hula Night! It was actually a really big activity in one of the different areas, but we got to go and hula! There was a huge turnout and it was a lot of fun! 

- We got to teach a couple of our investigators this week! We invited one of them to be baptized. She has a desire to be baptized, but because of the strong Japanese traditions/culture in her husbands family, it makes it hard for her to commit to be baptized. 

- We went to a festival this week called Dontosai. There are so many festivals in Japan! So New Years is the biggest holiday in Japan, and everyone has these decorations that they hang on their doors during the New Years holidays. Then during Dontosai, everyone brings their decorations to a jinja and throws them into a giant bonfire. We went with our investigator and had a great time! 

- We had 2 splits this week! On Thursday I did a split with my dear Robertson Shimai! We entered the MTC together and we:ve been friends all throughout our mission. During our split we went out and went streeting and housing. It was so amazing to look at how far we:ve come! From entering the MTC not knowing a lick of Japanese, to walking the streets of Izumi, trying to share our message in the Japanese language. Of course our Japanese wasn:t perfect, and we had some funny moments trying to talk with people and get them to understand what we were saying. But I was so grateful to have that experience, to just remember how far Heavenly Father has brought us. 

- Then on Friday I was in a different area, in Tagajo doing splits with a sister there. We got to visit a couple of less actives. Visiting them just reminded me how much I have to be grateful for in this life. Truly, everything I have is a gift and blessing from Heavenly Father

On Saturday me and my companion rode out to a pretty far area to visit some less actives out there. We had success meeting with a couple of them! The weather also turned into a mini blizzard, so that was exciting! 

I:m grateful to be serving my mission! I:m grateful for my family praying for me! I love you each so very very much!

Love King Shimai

He understands us completely.

My Dear Family of Mine! 

- This week we had training at the Honbu. Its always fun to go and get the special treatment at the Honbu!

- We had our zone training meeting this week. Me and Kanno Shimai did a couple of trainings about the Gathering of Israel and one about obedience. We have one more zone training meeting in a couple of weeks. 

- This week we met with a few of our members and studied Preach My Gospel together with them. It went really good and it was a fun way to dendo! 

- We got to meet with our investigator Ito san this week! She is doing great! She lives pretty far away, so a dear member willingly drove us all the way out to her house and jointed with us. 

We talked about Jesus Christ and the Atonement. We tried to keep it simple and heartfelt. At our training at the Honbu we learned about the importance of sharing personal experiences with our investigators to help them understand difficult things. So I decided to share an experience with her to help her understand the Atonement a little bit better.

I shared about skyping my family last May, and how my whole family and Micail was there. I told her how at that time in my mission I was still really homesick and struggling. I explained how wonderful and sweet it was to me to have my best friend Micail there, because she too had served a mission and she knew exactly what I was feeling and going through. And then I explained how that is like Jesus Christ:s Atonement. He:s experienced and felt what we are going through, and so His help and his comfort are so sweet and wonderful to us, because we know that He understands us completely. 

After talking about the Atonement we read some scriptures of Christ:s invitation to "follow him" by being baptized. We invited her to be baptized! She actually said no, that she isn:t at that point of wanting to get baptized. That for right now she wants to keep learning and walking down this path slowly at her own pace. But she also said that so far, she feels that its a good path! We told her that we are there to invite her, and that we truly just want her to feel the same happiness that we feel too. 

The Gospel makes me HAPPY! Japanese people make me happy! My testimony and the Book of Mormon make me happy! Our FAMILY makes me soo happy! I Love You! 

Love King Shimai

Add caption

2015!

To my favorite souls on the planet!

Akemashite Omedetou gozaimasu! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! 

This week was New Years, so our schedule was a bit different this week. On New Years Eve we stayed in our comfy clothes all day and deep cleaned our apartment. We threw out about 5 bags of trash n` junk! 

Then on New Years Day we went to a couple of Shinto temples and soaked in all the wonderful Japanese culture! Then spent the rest of the day in the apartment reading scriptures and taking naps and making new year resolutions, cause we aren:t supposed to go out and dendo on that day. 

Some people tying their fortunes onto a rope at the Shinto temple we went to on New Years day.

Yesterday one of our investigators came to church for her very first time! She has been the elders investigator, but they just passed her to us, so we will start teaching her from here on out. Anyways, she came with a brother in our ward, who is in a wheel chair. She is his care giver, but also his girl friend too. I loved watching her take such good care of him and also to watch his patience and humility in having to be taken care of (he can:t use his arms or legs). I teared up just watching them and I felt so grateful for their goodness. 

Something really good in my life right now is that I:m eating tortillas over here! We had a daikon cooking party the other day at the Chapman family:s house with a bunch of non members and one of our investigators too. It was really fun. Then after everyone left, me and Kanno Shimai shared a short message with them about sharing the Light of Christ. Then afterwards, Sister Chapman said, "Why don:t you go upstairs to our food storage room and pick out something." It was awesome, cause they:re food storage room is chuck full of American foods like Mac n cheese, Rees Puff cereal, torillas and salsa, nutella.... So I picked out tortillas! Of course I love most Japanese food too, but it was still exciting getting to eat some food that I haven:t really been able to eat much here in Japan!

Chopping potatoes cause I was making mashed potatoes and steak for me for New Years Eve lunch...but my companion was fryin` up some ole pig intestines for her lunch, and it smelled. so. bad. ! :)

This week I got 4 letters in one day! One from Mama, one from my Grandma Mann, Milz and Josh:s wedding announcent, and the Kulikowski`s Family Christmas card. I love the fact that I live in such a good world that I get the Kulikowski Family Christmas card! Just think about that. Life is sweet! What a wonderful world. :)

Happy!

All my LOVE to you my FAMILY! 

Love King Shimai

 

My companion eating a whole fish on a stick...head, bones, everything

Mmmm!...want to buy some cow tongue on a stick?!