Thank you for your prayers for us

My Family! I love you so much! How are you all doing? Thank you for all of your emails and letters. They are so wonderful. I love hearing about all the big events, but especially all the little details about life, like Chels describing Grandpa telling her that Grandma loves to swim! How wonderful :)

How was the Kerr reunion? I loved the pictures you send Mom and Chels! Belle is SO cute and is looking so good and chubby!

Janni pants, how is your thumb sis? Mom said you cut it pretty bad. 

I'm sorry to hear about Sister Suisse. She is a pure and valiant woman. We were so blessed to know her!

We finally got to go to the Provo Temple today! It has been closed for the last couple of weeks, but opened again yesterday, so we got to go today for our P-day! It is beautiful and it was so neat to go back to the Celestial room and see the sparkling chandelier that we assembled.

I got the sweetest package from Grandma Mann this week! It was a wonderful surprise! I got homemade waffle cookies, a beautiful white handkerchief with the Provo Temple on it, and the sweetest letter ever!

Could you send me a picture of Dad? It doesn't have to be just of him, it can be of our whole family.

I am sad to hear about my dear Hedith. She is a spectacular creature. Maybe she will pull a "Luke Mann gekko trick" and disappear for a week or so and then show up on the carpet right outside your bedroom door, ready to come back home!

Here is the update about Japanese: I love it. I have really felt like Heavenly Father has helped me this week to be able to learn and understand as we've been learning about conjugation and things called "Yodan and Ichidan verbs"! haha!

Bellamy Lyn, happy 2 months of life today! I love you so much! I pray for you every day!

Could you send me a couple addresses possibly? Jamie Neidrich and Conna Ripplinger?

I want to tell you about a sweet experience I had with one of my teachers, but I will write home about it.

This week has been a complete turn around for my companion. For the most part, she has been happy and lively. We are in the process of seeing if she can change her mission call to a French speaking mission, but if not, she thinks she will stay with Japan. Thank you for your prayers for us.

Tonight we are super excited because we have Tuesday night devotional. When we went to choir on Sunday they told us that this Tues. night devo will be broadcast to all the MTC's in the world! We are DEFINITELY getting our hopes up for a special speaker :)

I love you all so so much! I am so grateful that we are a family, that we are happy, that we are sealed for eternity! I love you!!

Love King Shimai

I love the Book of Mormon

Konnichiwa Family! 

(Hirigana symbols) Remember how I kinda thought I wouldn’t really need to learn this?  Yep. I was wrong.

I can’t remember if I said this in my first email home or not, but I want you to know that I love the Book of Mormon!  I decided to start at the beginning and have a purpose as I read it this time.  I chose my purpose to be to learn/understand about having faith in Jesus Christ and through His Atonement.  I have been amazed that as I begin and end my study with prayer and as I read with this purpse, the Holy Ghost helps me to learn about faith, even when its not directly talking about faith in the verses.  I think personal study time is one of my favorite times of my day!  Here are some things I’ve learned from the first 10 chapters from 1 Nephi:

• ·         Sometimes the Lord will have us leave our homes in Jerusalem (our comfort zones) and have us journey through a wilderness (a trial of our faith) in order to lead us to a promised land (to help us become who He wants us to become).

• ·         This is just something I was thinking about during my study earlier today: I’ve been thinking about my Heavenly Father and Brother Jesus Christ.  About how they are real.  When I pray I want to feel genuinely that I am talking with my actual Father in Heaven.  Not like a prayer that feels distant and half-hearted, but real.  I really want and need to be close to Them.  

  I wonder what They look like.  I keep remembering Bishop Mann’s eyes when he told me goodbye in the hall at the stake center after I was set apart.  I remember his eyes looking just like a father’s eyes should.  Loving,  proud, hopeful.  He looked me straight in the eye and told me to “be brave.”  His eyes have wrinkles too, which shows wisdom and worry about those He loves.  I like to try to picture Heavenly Father’s eyes when I pray as Bishop Mann’s eyes.  Heavenly Father is an actual being who works to help His children.  When my prayers are answered, He literally hears my prayer.  He’s not just sitting around in Heaven.  I like to picture Him walking around, busy, as He brings to pass His work and His glory.

I pray for you every day and I hope that you’re happy and making lots of good summer mems!

So far we have 3 teachers here at the MTC.  Our first teacher Kosaka Sensei is Japanese and we all love him and we sisters might kinda have a lil’ missionary crush on him.  But he’s left to visit family in Japan for a couple weeks, so we have Oshima  Sensie who is also Japanese. 

 Willard Sensei is another one of our teachers who is super good.  Oshima Sensei and Willard Sensei are also our “investigators” that we teach lessons to in Japanese.  Willard Sensei has taught us a lot of good stuff in class, but he’s taught me a lot from his example, he is genuinely kind and he smiles a lot.

…So the news is that my companion is probably going home.  She misses her family and doesn’t want to be here.  Let’s just say that these first few weeks of my mission have been special.

I love love love your letters and to hear what is going on in our family.  I love you all so much!  Send me a THOUSAND pictures of little Bellamy!  I LOVE YOU!! 

 Love King Shimai

Roller Coaster

Hello my dear family!!!
Oh my goodness thank you so much for all of the letters and for sending pictures! I love them! I can't believe how different little Bella looks! She looks EXACTLY like Chels! (Sorry Spence :) )

I love hearing about all the memorable wonderful things you are experiencing! Congrats on owning your very own home Chels and Spence! Janni, that is so sweet that your nephew was born on your birthday! Feel free to put whatever letters on the blog you want. Just edit whatever you think shouldn't be public knowledge :) And if you go to the fair this year, please eat a caramel apple for me!

Well this week in five words: The white roller coaster at Lagoon.
Its like its supposed to be fun, cause its a roller coaster, right? And it kinda is, but you have to hang on real tight and you get jostled around and when you get off, your body kinda hurts.

I don't know if you've gotten my letter in the mail yet, but if not, the news is that my companion is thinking about going home. She really misses her family and her heart is not really here. Not to mention how difficult this MTC experience must be for her not being able to speak fluent English. Her decision has been so back and forth that as of this moment, I'm really not sure what will happen. She talked to her mom on the phone on Monday and her family committed her to stay one more week and then decide. So we've been fasting and praying for her to have the Spirit to guide her. Our relationship needs all the faith and prayers you can give, please. I need all of Heaven's help I can get to help me love my sister who is different than me.

If you haven't sent the package yet, I really only need my check register (or you can just write me the amount in a letter, either way is fine). And I love Charleston Chews :)

So one of the best things ever happened on Sunday Night. Me, my companion, and a couple sisters in our district all went to the "Joseph Smith - Prophet of the Restoration" film in French here at the MTC. Even though I couldn't understand it, it still brought tears to my eyes because you can just feel the power and spirit of the movie. As we were walking out, we met some sister missionaries who had also watched it in French, because they have been called to Tahiti! I started telling them, "If you ever meet a Soeur Mann..." and they were like, "Micail Mann?!" And I'm like, "What!? How do you know her?" Turns out, they all came across her blog as they researched Tahiti before coming on their missions! I told them she is my soul sister and that they will be very privileged if they meet her! They were saying how she seems like a really down to earth person and one of the sisters said that she hoped Micail is her trainer! It was a wonderful moment! Oh Tel!

So my companion and I share a room with just two other sisters. There are just us 4 sisters in our district. Two of them, are island girls. My companion from Tahiti, and one sister from Hawaii. Then there are two country girls, me from Utah and one sister from Idaho! So us country girls have been "learning" how to hula!

There is a clock on the BYU campus that we can hear from the MTC and it chimes "Come, come ye saints" and I love it!

I got a lovely package from the Jermans this week! It had Muddy Buddies in it! What a fabulous package! Thank you Jerman Crew!

How was the family reunion? Did that happen yet? Or is that this weekend?

Mamanoff! Have you been released then? Did that happen this Sunday? How are you faring? I love your letters. They are the best thing in this world to me.

Today we were all excited, because at 3:00 pm our district got together to have a "class party" as in we went to our classroom to eat treats and watch Mormon Messages together! Our district plays volleyball together on Monday mornings out on the sand volley ball courts! I love it so much!

In one of our Sunday meetings, one of the speakers was talking about our own personal conversions, and how it is a sacred experience. We are becoming new creatures. Sanctified. Consecrated. I'd never thought of it like that before. But I love that. Also on Sunday, we got to listen to a recording of Pres. Wilford Woodruff's voice. It was really hard to understand, but it was so neat to literally hear the voice of a man who knew the Prophet Joseph.

Cade and Katie: I love you! Thank you for your letters! Cade, I LOVE THE JOURNAL THING. I am so happy about my journal these days! Katie, I love you. I am currently wearing the "turquoise" earrings you made me. I love them so much!

Tomorrow, new missionaries who are going to Japan are coming! Which means, we move up from being "kohai" (like junior) to "sempai" (like senior)! We are so excited!

Spencer, congratulations on receiving your Masters degree! That is amazing! Chels, thanks for sharing Dad's advice with me. That meant so so much to me.

I think one of the big things I've learned so far on my mission is my need for humility. I thought before coming on my mission that learning a language wouldn't be that hard, and that I would just always be pumped up and a mission wouldn't be very hard. Wrong. The last couple of weeks I have seen that I need others so much. I've needed support from my Branch Pres, and my other sisters in my room, and from my Sister Training leaders. And from that, I've learned that its just the same in life. We think we can do this on our own, but we can't. We need our Savior so so much. I need Him now.

The picture is of our French, Japanese, and English Preach My Gospel manuals!

I love you I love you so much! Thank you for everything!

Love King Shimai

1000 pounds of books!

Our French, Japanese and English Preach My Gospel Manuals

Practicing Nihongo.  I love it!

This is my district

Crystal by crystal

Hello Dear Family!

The most important thing I have to say is that I love you! I love you all so much! Thank you, THANK YOU, for your letters. You have no idea how wonderful it is to have a letter from you. Every letter is a tender mercy! They strengthen me to know that you are praying for me.

The pictures are of my companion and I on our first day at the MTC; my district on our Temple walk last Sunday; our French, Japanese, and English "Preach My Gospel" manuals; us practicing writing "We are missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" in Romaji and Hiragana in our classroom.

(This is the only photo that arrived)

Mom thanks for sending me pictures! I loved loved loved seeing little Bella. She looks even more beautiful! I love hearing about your trip to Jenny Lake and your missionary experience!

Chels and Spence and Bella, have you moved yet? How is that coming along? Are you packing boxes yet?

Good news is that my slip is staying up pretty good, I haven't had to pick it up from around my ankles yet...so that's

good. So you don't have to send my other one if you don't want.

Well, these days we are praying and singing and testifying and teaching in Japanese! I had no idea how difficult it was going to be to learn a new language :) But the other night our district practiced teaching the first lesson about the Restoration in English to each other. I taught one of the Elders in my district and it felt so good to teach and bear my testimony from my heart. It was so good, because it made me realize that I want to be able to do that in Japanese.

I got my first package this last week! From the Jerman Crew! Homemade sugar cookies! It was so wonderful to have some good home baked cookies!

Janni pants! How was your birthday? Nate I hope you are still being safe up on the mountain!

Today my district had the coolest opportunity of a lifetime! Normally on P-days we will get to go to the Provo Temple and do a session. But right now its closed. So today we got to go and help clean it. While the Elders scrubbed baseboards and cleaned lockers, guess what me and the other sisters in my district got to do?! Oh, we just got to put together/clean crystal chandeliers in the Celestial room :) It was so beautiful and we were coming up with a thousand analogies. We literally put together one of the chandeliers crystal by crystal and it was so special! We loved it. It was so nice and peaceful there.

I have seen miracles happening these last couple of weeks with my companion and I. Heavenly Father really answers prayers.

My computer time is just about up, so I will try and write a hand written letter soon.

I love you!!!

King Shimai

This mission is NOT about me

Hello dear family!!!

How are you all? I knew I loved you all before I left on my mission, but now I REALLY KNOW IT. Oh I just love you all and pray for you!  This week has been so  so eye opening. Wow. Talk about an interesting, difficult,  beautiful week. Moments after saying goodbye I had a name tag on, I was shown my room, received about 50  pounds of books, and was seated with my district in a cozy little classroom with my Nihonjin (Japanese) instructor! It didn't seem real.  Within my first hour of being at the MTC I saw Uncle Levi which was so great! 

I sent you a letter on my first day about my companion, but I will tell you again...She is from Tahiti!!  I will just say that the first few days of life here at the MTC were pretty rough. I didn't really love it. But I told myself that I didn't have to love it, because  I remember Micail saying that she didn't like the first few days here at the MTC either. It was hard because my companion speaks French. I speak English. We are trying to learn Japanese together and plan lessons to teach our "investigator." The language barrier, the cultural difference, the personality difference was very hard.

But then I learned something...

Sunday came. During Relief Society we listened to Music and the Spoken word. The choir sang "Come, come ye saints, no toil nor labor fear. But with joy, wend your way. Though hard to you, this journey may appear, grace shall be as your day. Tis better far for us to strive our useless cares from us to drive. Do this and  joy, your hearts will swell. All is well, all is well."

Later during the Sunday Night devotional, the speaker was talking about perseverance. And I remembered about the Moab trip when we were almost done, but there was one more huge hill to get up. It wasn't too steep, but it was long, and it was up. I didn't know if I would be able to ride my bike up all the switchbacks, but I decided to just start and see how far I could go. I kept picking one small rock a little ways in front of me and I would tell myself "I can at least go to that little rock." And when I reached it, I would pick another rock a little ways ahead of where I was then and say "I  can at least go to that next little rock." And you know what? I rode my bike all the way up the hill. Christ helped me keep going. Christ helped me to persevere.

After Sunday Night devotional we listened to a talk by Elder Bednar called "The Character of Christ." I think I remember Tel writing home about this talk and now I know why. It was the most beautiful, profound truth. He taught about how without Christ's character there would have been no Atonement. And then he taught us about what character is: moral qualities strongly developed, strikingly displayed,  and consistently lived. He taught about how the natural man is like the cookie monster "I want cookie now!" He taught about our Savior, and how whenever He was tempted or tried or betrayed and even in the midst of performing the Atonement, He ALWAYS turns out in love and compassion to others. In the midst of bearing the weight of our sins, He cared enough to heal the ear of the man who was there with Judas Iscariot.

He taught us that this mission is NOT about me. It not about what I want. Its about turning out in compassion and love to others when the natural man would want to turn in.  Only through the Atonement can we do that. Its about faith.

It may not sound too profound how I put it. But I am so thankful for what I learned Sunday night.  

Monday was a miracle. Heavenly Father helped my companion and I to communicate better. We were able to plan a better lesson for our investigator. We've been laughing more as we are trying to talk to each other and its just not quite working out. We just keep pluggin' along and I'm learning that Heavenly  Father didn't send me here to the MTC to learn Nihongo (Japanese). I think He sent me here, with one of my Tahitian sisters to learn about love and to learn about faith and trust and the  enabling power of the Atonement.

Hopefully you can understand what I am trying to say. I have already learned so much. I am happier now and learning to love this change! 

The MTC is great because I can have root beer and coke mixed together at any meal I want! I love it! My companion LOVES to eat ice, just like me :)

I played 4-square at gym with bunch of elders and a few sisters! It was fun, but I'm no good at it :) Maybe after 8 weeks though...

Sorry no pictures this time. I tried, but the bookstore was out of the thing I needed.

I love you so much

love King  Shimai

Hello from the MTC! Whoa

July 17, 2013

Dear Family,

Hello from the MTC!  Whoa.  Talk about an overwhelming day!  It's been exciting & good though.  It's about 10:00 pm on my 1st day at the MTC.  We've just been getting settled in, unpacked and ready for bed.

Here is the most amazing news of all...my companion, Mataoa Shimai, is from TAHITI!!! Isn't that amazing!?  Definitely not a coincidence.  She is lovely.  She speaks some Korean, Japanese, a little Tahitian, her native language is French, and she speaks broken English.  She gave us lovely shell necklaces from Tahiti!  I've go to go get ready for bed now, so goodnight and I love you all so much.

Love, King Shimai

Pre Mission Photos

Earning $$: Early morning newspaper route, cashier at Lee's Market place; house cleaning & companion for older woman; donating plasma.

Last Day of paper route!  Items being organized for mission in background

Studying Preach My Gospel at Manti Inn

Kerr cousins at mission farewell.

King relatives at mission farewell.

Katie, Jamie, Courtney

Court's farewell gathering included a nice lunch ...thanks to everyone! Later, those gathered shared The First Vision in the language of their mission.  We heard Norwegian, French, Spanish, Italian, a little Fijian, Korean, and German.   Court gave us one sentence in Japanese.  We also played "reverse charades" and "what if."  The day was topped off with several friends and family taking a turn on the piano or singing. 

This lovely quartet did a couple of impromptu vocal renditions:  Sisters and The Three Bears

Zachary and Bellamy

 7/16/13: Courtney noting the blessing given to her by Pres. Durrant, as well as everyone's last minute advice. On the drive home she yelled,  "I am a MISSIONARY!"

Date of Departure 7/17/13: Saying good-bye to her pet salamander, Hedith.

Katie made this beautiful dress for Court's mission.  Thanks Kate!

Courtney and Bellamy

Last meal...Cafe Zuppas.

Sisters: Janessa, Courtney, Chelsea

The drop-off team: Cade, Katie, Janessa, Chelsea, Courtney, Bellamy, Cami

Good-bye for now sweet Courtney!