Everything Beautiful

Dear Mama, Chelsea, Janessa, Bellamy, Micail, and Katie....my Soul Sisters!

I love you all so so much! I just like writing out your names cause it makes it feel more real like I:m talking to you! 

Ecclesiastes 3

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

...He hath made every thing beautiful in His time." 

That is how I feel about coming back to Izumi this week! He hath made every thing beautiful in His time. Here I am sitting in the same exact seat where I sat one year ago, when I was so so homesick, emailing Mama telling her how much I was hurting and having such a hard time. And now I am sitting here, with 12 weeks left to go, and a heart full of gratitude for where I:ve been. Bishop Mann once told me "Some things take a long time." 

Its been so wonderful and weird all at the same time to come back to my bean area. Going back to the same apartment, the same smell, same little bathroom where I said some of the most heartfelt prayers of my life, walking and biking along the same crazy streets has been so eye opening. It was so wonderful to go back to church yesterday and see the Izumi members and feel their love! A year ago when I was here we were teaching a woman named Kotake san. Yesterday, she came to church for her very first time! 

During transfers I got to see a bunch of my sisters that I love like George Shimai and Butler Shimai!!  

Here is some other stuff from this week:

- Sleeping on a heavenly bed at the Honbu (Mission Home) this week! 

- We got to teach Obara san a couple times this week. First we taught her about prophets, especially Thomas. S. Monson. And at the next lesson about Jesus Christ. 

- We are teaching a FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A mom and her two cute kids. We want to start teaching the dad too if we can. We finished teaching them the Plan of Salvation a few nights ago and tonight we are teaching them about baptism and the Holy Ghost and are planning on inviting them to be baptized!! Whoohoo! 

- I got to bear my testimony in church yesterday and also go to Young Womens and translate for one of the Young Women who her and her family are from Utah but live here now! 

- I:m so excited to get to work here again! I like my new companion Kanno Shimai and we:ve been learning lots this week from Valentine Shimai who goes home in a couple of days! 

I love you my family! I am praying for you and loving you always!

Ai shite imasu! 

Love Kingu Shimai

Ohayo Gozaimasu Mamanoff! 

Thanks for telling me about my money! That is actually one of my goals I made for after my mission - learn about how to be good at money. I want to listen to those Dave Ramsey cds! Uncle Darin told me how wonderful they are and so I want to listen to those! :)

I:m so happy you are happy in Kansas Mama! I:m glad you get to be in a castle and make cookies and walk around your gardens and have lots of lovely moments! Hallelujah for miracles! 

I am still hoping and praying for you to come back home soon! But if not, I will trust my Heavenly Father completely. Do you remember that talk we listened to by Elder Bednar a couple of years ago on TV for one of the CES devotionals? I remember he was talking about faith, and how a young couple came to him asking him for a blessing of healing for the young husband who was sick and perhaps would die. Elder Bednar felt impressed to ask the couple, "Do you have the faith not to be healed?" Instead of asking them "do you have the faith to be healed?" 

 At this very moment in time, Courtney received an email from her "Mamanoff" telling her that we have received 2 offers on our home in Kansas! Woo-hoo!  Nothing final, but a very good sign that things are headed in a positive direction.

....Oh MAMA! I just got your email right as I:m typing about having the faith to accept whatever it is that Heavenly Father wants. Oh I am crying! I am sSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!