More Abundantly

DEAREST FAMILY, I love you! I love this Gospel! And I love Japan!

On Saturday our investigator Eriko Shimai got baptized! It went really good, and I was so grateful for the members who came to support her. I don't think I ever explained how amazing the timing for her baptism is: My companion Carlson Shimai met Eriko san when she first started her mission a year and a half ago down in a different area. She taught Eriko san then, and felt and hoped that one day she would get baptized. Now, a year and a half later, in a different area, both Carlson Shimai and Eriko san are here, and Eriko Shimai got baptized, just weeks before my companion goes back home to America! My ward mission leader from Yamagata and his wife surprise came to the baptism and it was so great to see them! I got to talk to them about Tess Shimai and hear about how wonderful she is doing! 

We had a special conference this week with Elder Whitting from the Seventy, and he talked a lot about attitude. We talked about how Nephi and Laman/Lemuel went through the exact same experiences, but for Nephi he still had joy and gloried in God:s goodness and was able to do hard things with a willing heart and grew and changed for the better because of his attitude towards it all.

 Whereas on the otherhand, Laman/Lemuel had no joy, wanted nothing to do with God, and made hard things harder because their hearts were hard, and changed for the worse because they chose to be stubborn and have bad attitudes. 

So I was thinking this morning about how awesome it is that we have agency and that we get to take responsibility for our attitude! We get to grow it, create it, and cultivate it. With Christ and positive thinking, we can truly become whatever we want to be! Isn:t that fun and inspiring!? 

At the conference we also read the scripture 2 Nephi 25:26 - "We talk of Christ, we REJOICE in Christ, we preach of Christ..." and how that is our missionary calling. Talk of Him. Preach of Him. REJOICE IN CHRIST! and help others rejoice in Him too! 

I found a new favorite scripture in the Bible recently. John 10:10 It is Jesus Christ speaking: "...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Isn:t that wonderful!? Truly, because of Christ, we can have life, and not only live day to day and have half-hearted-hum-drum lives that pass by, ...no...because of Christ, we not only live, but we can have life more abundantly!  He makes this life AMAZING. He is Magnificent. I love Him, He gave me my life, so I will give my life to Him. I will always REJOICE in my Savior, Jesus Christ. 

This week we went and did service at an old folks home! It was super fun and it turned into me playing a little keyboard and all of us singing Japanese songs together, me and my companion singing Christmas songs, and my companion played the ukelele too! It was grand! 

Have a happy day! Remember we are all being taken care of. 

I love you!

Kingu Shimai