Portions of a handwritten letter from Courtney to her mom

Here are a couple of really good moments from my week:

Singing the closing hymn “God Be with You Till We Meet Again” with everyone at the end of Pres and Sis. Rasmussen’s last talk/meeting here in Morioka.  They go home in just a few days.  That was such a good mission-y moment.  Just looking up at this President and Sister Rasmussen who have loved me so much and who I love so much and singing the hymn.  Then later, standing outside and waving goodbye as they left.  Pres. Rasmussen rolled his window down and said, “Hoorah for Israel!”

On Saturday I walked into the chapel before the Saturday sessions of the Morioka District Conference.  Sister Rasmussen was standing in there and next to her was a lady I’d never seen before.  They were talking but as soon as I walked in I went over and greeted them.  The lady standing next to Rasmussen Shimai is a member in a different area, but was there for the District Conference.  She is from Indonesia!  

I didn’t know any of that though, ‘cause I’d never met or seen here before.  But it was so funny and amazing meeting her though.  She was a complete stranger, but the second we met…literally the second we met, she made me feel like we were dear friends being reunited after a long time!  It’s hard to explain it!  But she was so excited and loved me so much right from the get-go!  It was so sweet to feel that much love from my Indonesian sister, who I’d never met before!  

We took a picture together, so I’ll send that to you!  The cool thing is it wasn’t even weird.  It didn’t matter to her that I was a stranger, that I was a lot younger than her, that I am from a different country…none of that mattered!  It’s always good to love people, no matter what.  

Something that I like thinking about and that I want to do is this:  Treat everyone like it’s their birthday!  Make ‘em feel like a million bucks and tell them how much they are loved!

I want to be really kinder to everyone!  I want to be able to show love more freely.  Being kind and real love is the most powerful thing in the world- and it’s the only thing that really matters.  Everyone needs to be loved and feel more mercy.  

This morning I read in Moroni 7 about charity.  In verse 45 it talks about how charity is being kind, not envying, not being prideful- which I love that description and when I think of charity that’s usually the kind of things I associate with charity.  But later in the verse, something new stood out to me- “Charity…believeth all things…”  I’ve never really thought of being believing as having charity!  But isn’t that cool? It makes sense though.  

When we really, really believe in Christ,

·         believe we are loved,

·         believe in goodness,

·         believe that life is beautiful,

·         believe we can love others- even if we are different ages, from different countries, speaking different languages.

when we cultivate believing,

·         we can love Christ because we believe Him,

·         we can receive being loved because we believe we’re worth it,

·         we can love the goodness in the world and in people because we believe in it,

·         we can love this beautiful life, and we can love others! 

   

When we believe all things, we can have charity!

I love you Mama!  I will try and be kind and love!  Thank you for always loving me!

You are Loved.

Love Courtney Elise

Shepherds Pie!

Dear Mama, Chels, and Jan! I love you. Oh I LOVE you. I don:t know if I can ever tell you enough, or ever thank my Heavenly Father enough for sending me to our family! Really, really. I am so grateful right now to be loved. I have been reminded this week, that not everyone gets to come to a safe, loving family, and so this week I have really been so grateful. Oh Hallelujah! I love you and I know 100% that I can trust in your love! What an absolutely glorious thing. 

Yesterday I was sitting at my desk and the thought suddenly hit me, it was like an "oh ya" moment, where I remembered that Jesus Christ LOVES me. He actually, truly, right now, loves me. It was so sweet and good to remember that. Cause sometimes I think we forget. Christ loves our family. He literally loves us. 

This week I made SHEPHERDS PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES! It was the best! I want to make it every single day now! 

This week I got my new companion! She has been out 6 months, and this was her first time to transfer. She really likes Morioka so far I think. Her name is Isogai Shimai and she is very nice! She is basically like a famous runner! Well, I don:t really know if she is famous, but probably! She was on a running team, and 4 of her teammates went to the Olympics! So ya...she:s really good! She ran 2 miles in 9 minutes and 45 seconds (I think) and 3 miles in 16 minutes! So cool! We mostly speak Japanese together, but she knows some English which helps. 

We taught a few lessons this week to 2 of our investigators, Miyuki san and Serika san. And also started teaching our recent converts Mai and Rio Shimai about the Temple, because they will go in August to do baptisms for the dead! We also went finding out in the country, with lots of rice paddys. We knocked on a few doors and were able to talk to a few people! 

Sorry this is a little short today, but I will send a picture! 

I love you so much family! 

Love Kingu Shimai

Teaching a new concept - The Plan of Salvation

My Lovely Family, 

Right now I am feeling a little sad, because I found out that Micail:s Grandpa Mann passed away. I cried when I found out, which I guess shows just how much our family and the Mann family are just one big family really. I truly love Grandma and Grandpa Mann, because they love me so much and treat me like I am there own flesh and blood. 

Here is a bit about my week:

-Yesterday our investigator Mai chan got baptized and confirmed! Hatcher choro who goes home this week got to baptize her, but had to baptize her 3 times, because her dress kept coming up out of the water. On Saturday, she still hadn:t received permission from her mom to get baptized, but we had the baptismal service planned for the next day on Sunday. On Saturday morning Mai chan and her mom came to the church, so that her mom could meet us and be able to see what the church looks like and find out a little bit about it. Her mom has seen lots of bad things about Mormons on the internet, which is really sad. So I just tried to smile and help her feel that we are good. She told us that she was still thinking that she wanted Mai chan to wait another year or two until Mai chan turns 20 before she can get baptized. We tried to respect her wishes, and sent them on their way to go boating at the lake across the street. Me and Morita Shimai went back to the apartment and had a special prayer that if it was Heavenly Father:s will, that Mai chan:s mom would give her permission to get baptized...and guess what? Mai chan asked her mom again while they were boating, and her mom gave her permission! I know that Heavenly Father made that miracle happen for Mai chan! 

Mia chan's baptism!

- This week we met President and Sister Smith! They are wonderful! They are full of energy and love and I:m excited to get to be a missionary with them. I got to have a little 5 minute interview with Pres. Smith. It was so good! He spoke to me so powerfully and I love what he told me: "Leave your heart on the doorstep!" 

- Then last night he called our apartment with the transfer call- I will be staying in Morioka and will be getting a new companion, Isogai Shimai! I:ve only been in Morioka 5 weeks, but now I:ll be the one leading us around, which I:m both nervous and excited about! 

This last week I started reading through the ancestor stories I brought with me on my mission. I only have a few, but I loved reading them! I read something way sweet - that John Taylor (who is Micail:s 3rd great grandpa) taught the gospel to our grandma Esther Wainwright (? I think thats her last name). Isn:t that so amazing?! That means that for a long time, Micail:s family and our family have been friends, and helping each other do the earth thing!

Esther Wainwright Bennion

 

I was thinking this week how I would love to be able to read some of Dad:s journal entries from his mission that correspond with the same dates I am here, if that makes sense...like so I could read for example what he did on "July 7th" on his mission. If my sisters have time and go home, could you maybe send me a few journal entries from Dads mission journal? 

Mama, do you know if Dad had a favorite scripture, or a mission scripture? Or I would love to read his testimony if we have that too. 

Mama I am so happy you are reading Preach My Gospel! This week I read the conference talk by M. Russell Ballard "Follow Up". This is the part that I loved:

Brothers and sisters, can you imagine the impact if family and friends included things they are learning from their personal study of Preach My Gospel in their letters and emails to their full-time missionaries? Can you picture the blessings that will come to families when they know and understand better what their sons and daughters will be studying and teaching on their missions? Can you even begin to fathom the extraordinary outpouring of atoning grace that will be ours, individually and collectively, according to the Savior’s promise to all who bear testimony in the process of inviting souls to come unto Him—and then following up on those invitations?

So thank you Mama for sharing with me about studying your Preach My Gospel! I want to keep hearing what you are learning! 

Jan and Chels! I got a wonderful little Box of Sunshine this week! It was SO fabulous to get that! I love you so much! I also got Mama:s letter on the same day! I always love seeing the little sunshine sticker in the mail box cause I know its from my Mama! It was so funny in your letter when you said, "His nick name is Poo-ee. So that is what we call him." Also I:m glad the open house was fun and you could get to know your neighbors; and that there is hope of the house selling! I:m glad you feel like a princess living in a castle in the middle of a park! I:m sure you are doing very good at building relationships with Daves kids, and I love how your motto is "service and GOOD FOOD!" Yeah! GO MAMA! I also love hearing about how much you are helping the missionaries, feeding them, practicing with them, driving them to their apartment. We love members like you!! I also loved reading about Bellas first steps and kicking the soccer ball! Go BELLA! Our future soccer star! 

This week me and Morita Shimai went to the park by the church/lake and did "nomu dendo" which is where we went to the veranda at the park, bought ourselves a drink from the vending machine, and then sat down and talked with some men who were also sitting in the veranda eating their lunch during their break from their construction work. They were rough tough looking fellows, but it was so funny talking to them! We started telling them how we are volunteers, and as our conversation went on just explained a lot about things as a missionary and how we don:t watch tv or have personal cell phones, or read newspapers and stuff. It was so funny to watch their expressions and see their reactions to everything, because it all just seemed so crazy and amazing to them! Yes, I guess we are a pretty peculiar people! But I think we were able to make a good impression on them. 

We had a really good lesson with our investigator Haruka chan. We were planning on teaching her the whole Plan of Salvation. But then I was thinking, that for someone who knows nothing about the Gospel and doesn:t have a Christian background, its a lot of knew information and probably way overwhelming. So we decided to way simplify it and just did the basic overview of how we lived in the pre-earth life as spirits, then now we are on earth, and when we die we can go back to God. I was so glad we decided to simplify it because even the truth we taught her about how we have always been us, the same spirit before we were born, now, and we will still be us after we die, was a brand new concept to her. Its was really neat to teach that to her and see her think about that for the first time. 

 

I recently finished reading the Book of Mormon, and I just want you to know, I LOVE THAT BOOK!! I love it with my whole heart! 

I love YOU with my whole heart! And I love Heavenly Father for giving us this Earth experience. I love it. I love all of it. The hills and the valleys! 

Love Kingu Shimai