Sunday, December 14, 2014

The Last Blog Post - Coming Home Week!

Konnichiwa Minnasan!

   Sorry this will be a short letter, but I just have a few last thoughts that I would like to share with all of you. As I've been contemplating these last 18 months, I've had a lot of different emotions and thoughts. This last 18 months has probably been the hardest, biggest struggle of my whole life. I have cried so many times over things going the way I didn't want, feelings of inadequacy, and long days of feeling like I'm not making a difference in anyone's life. 

   But at the same time I have also experienced the greatest happiness and joy of my whole life. I have had the opportunity to meet amazing people who have so much faith and who are so strong in the gospel. I have had wonderful companions who have helped me to grow so much. We have had lots of fun times laughing and learning together. I have met wonderful members here who have such a strong desire to follow in the Savior's footsteps and share the gospel with everyone. I have been able to learn how to truly rely on my Savior and his help through the atonement. I have learned of the importance of daily scripture study. Heavenly Father truly speaks us through his written words and his living prophet. I know that through the power of prayer we can receive Heaven's help and strength for the daily struggles we all face. 

   I am not the perfect daughter. I am not the perfect student. I am not the perfect member. I am not the perfect ice skater (I still fall on the ice everyday. :)) And I'm not the perfect missionary. But no matter who we are, as long as we are trying our very best Heavenly Father will always be proud of us! As long as we follow the Savior and truly love everyone, we will be so happy in our lives, and I know that is true!

   Thank you so much for all you love and support! I truly love you all and hope you have a wonderful week! See you soon! :)

Morrison Shimai

 Endou Family

 Coming Home

 Merry Christmas from Yagawa Shimai and Jazmyne

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Unexpected Miracles

Hello Everyone!!

   We had a pretty good week. A lot of our appointments fell through again. :( Oota San is still doing great! We are still helping her to be able to recognize the spirit. Whenever we ask her how she feels when she reads the Book of Mormon, prays, and goes to church she always says that she feels normal, not necessarily bad or good, just normal. I know that she feels the spirit when we meet with her, but I thought maybe it was because she just didn't recognize that it was the spirit. So me and Yugawa Shimai were talking about it, and she suggested that maybe Oota San feels the spirit pretty much all the time. Maybe she always has those sorts of good feelings and that is why it is normal to her. I thought that was a really interesting thought. I think she does feel the spirit a lot of the time and to her that is just a normal feeling.

   One really good thing that did happen this week was when we went to meet an old investigator. She wasn't home, but when we were leaving her neighbor called out to us and asked if we needed any help. He's probably in his 50s and he lives alone. He was really nice and when we told him that we couldn't go into his house, he stayed outside and talked to us for about 30 minutes. We talked about missionary work and a little about the church. He seemed to have some interest so we are going to give his address to the chorotachi (the Elders). 

   It's hard sometimes when we feel like we are working really hard, but don't necessarily see the kinds of miracles that we want to. We've been searching, and searching for new investigators all transfer and haven't found any yet, but we've been able to find some Potential Investigators for the chorotachi. I guess we have our miracles and sometimes they aren't what we expect, but they are still miracles and blessings from Heavenly Father. 

   Hope you all have a wonderful week!!
   Morrison Shimai

Teaching Christmas Music @ Eikaiwa (English Class)

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Sharing a Message of Happiness

Hello everyone!!

   So this week was alright. Sometimes there are good weeks, sometimes there are bad weeks. And you know, that's just how things go in life right? But we are not letting this bad week get us down! :) We don't have a ton of investigators in this area right now, and the ones that we do have are very hard to meet with. They are always busy and always cancelling at the last minute with us. But we did have a little miracle this week and her name is Wakana chan. 

   Wakana chan is a 7 year old girl. Her mom, Hoshino San, used to take lessons from the missionaries about 4 years ago. So about 2 weeks ago, I called her to say hi and see if she remembers the missionaries. It sounds like she hadn't been in contact with the missionaries for a few years. I talked with her on the phone for a good 30 minutes. She was telling me all about her life and her family. She is a pretty amazing woman, who loves her daughter so much, that she was willing to sacrifice her own dreams in order to give her daughter the best life she could. I asked her if it would be alright if we stop by her house. She said that she usually doesn't get home from work until about 7 or 7:30 but said it was alright if we stopped by. So at the end of that week, we decided to stop by her apartment around 7 at night. We could see that all the lights were on inside the apartment. So we knew that they were home. I rang the door bell twice, but no one came out. Then I knocked on the door about 3 times. Maybe I was being a little annoying, but I really wanted to talk to them! :) So I felt like that was a pretty good excuse. Then finally the door opened and there was a little girl standing on a chair in the doorway. It was Wakana chan. The daughter that I had heard so much about over the phone. She was home alone and so that's why she hadn't opened the door. So I quickly apologized and asked her when her mom would be home. She said she would probably be home in 10 minutes. So we waited and just talked with this cute little girl for about 15 min. Her mom didn't come home, but it was getting late. As we were leaving I remembered that I had some candy in my bag, so I gave her the candy and asked her to tell her mom that we would be coming back the next week.

   So this week we went back one more time. But this time we decided to try to go at 7:30 at night. Hoping that would be late enough for us to meet her. This time I only had to ring the doorbell once and Wakana chan came running and opened the door for us. I didn't have to say anything, and she just said 'wait here, I'll call my mom'. Her mom said she would be home in 10 minutes so once again we waited and just talked and played with Wakana chan. Then her mom finally came home and we were about to talk with her for a little while. Wakana chan really wanted us to come inside , but by that time it was almost 8 and I could tell that Hoshino San was tired and probably had other things to do. So I asked Hoshino San if we could come another day and she said that was fine. I asked her what day would be good, and she looked at me hesitantly as if she didn't want to make a specific time. But Wakana chan says, 'can you come back next Thursday at 7:30?' And how could I refuse this sweet, little girl's offer? Exactly of course I couldn't so we made an appointment with the daughter to come back. This little girl stays home all by herself until her mom comes home so of course she must be lonely. And Hoshino San works all day and then comes home to talk care of her daughter, so she much not really have a ton of adult interaction besides work. They are both lonely and I really think Hoshino San is looking for more in her life. She truly wants what is best for her daughter. I just know they could benefit and find so much joy in the gospel. We share with everyone a message of happiness and I can't think of any other message with this kind of worth!
  
    Love you all so so so much!
   Thanks for all your love and support!
   Have a lovely week!
   Morrison Shimai




Monday, November 24, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone!

   Happy Thanksgiving!! So this week was good! We were able to meet quite a few people this week! We met with Oota San and taught her about the importance of Relief Society and the Priesthood. She is so wonderful and she is basically like a member. She comes to church every week. She reads the Book of Mormon everyday and prays everyday. Plus she has a subscription to the Liahona and reads it every month! We are so grateful for her and her wonderful example. This week we had our lesson with a member. Noto Shimai. And being the sweet lady that she is, she was talking to Oota San about baptism. She currently has a baptismal date for January 31st, but us, as well as all the members, feel that she is ready for baptism! So Noto Shimai tried to convince Oota San that she should move up the date, so that I would be able to see it before I go home. But Oota San is kind of stubborn and set in her ways so she just politely says, 'No that's ok, I think January will be a good time to have a baptism.' It was super cute and sweet! :)

   Then we were also able to meet Yoshida San this week! We haven't been able to meet her recently because her health hasn't been very good, so she has been going to the hospital a lot. The last time we met her we were able to give her a Book of Mormon. And since then she has read the whole beginning part and some of 1 Nephi!! We were so happy and excited to hear that. She says that it's really hard to understand because there is so many different names and she doesn't know who all the people are.  But she said that she really wanted to keep reading. In our lesson we talked more about Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith. She was really interested in Joseph Smith and the whole time she just kept saying how it all makes sense. And she kept saying that his story sounded familiar to her before. At first I was thinking, has she met the missionaries before and heard this lesson? But she has never heard of our church before, and she's told us that she has never met any missionaries before. In PMG (Preach My Gospel), there is a section that says that when people hear our message it will sound familiar to them. I've only had that happen one other time on my mission, but I think it is so true. Everyone has heard the gospel before. They just don't remember. But when they hear it, if their heart is open then it will make sense to them. So it's up to us to help them find the truth that they have just forgotten.

   In church yesterday, one of the counselors in the Bishopric gave a talk on the Conference talk by President Uchtdorf from Priesthood session. If you haven't read it please do!! It's called 'Lord, Is It I?' I started reading through it as the counselor was giving his talk and just could not stop the tears as I read the words. I'll let you read it for yourselves, but I really learned a lot from it. There are no perfect people in this world. We know that, but often we forget that we too are imperfect. Let us not point fingers at other, but rather look inside ourselves and try to fix ourselves, before we try to fix other people. I know it's hard, but I know that through the Savior we can all receive healing for the parts that need fixing. 

   I love you all! Thanks for everything!
  Morrison Shimai

********************


Last Zone Conference....










Monday, November 17, 2014

Snow in Sapporo!

 Hello!

   We had our first big snow fall in Sapporo! It's the beginning of winter and we are getting prepared by pulling out the scarves and gloves and snow boots and down jackets! This is going to be a fun last winter here! :)

   This week I got to go on splits with one of the STLs (Sister Training Leader). Me and Yoneda Shimai were able to see so many miracles that day! I was able to get a lot of good advice from her and I gained a lot more hope through her positive attitude and love. We met one women named Suzuki San. We met her on the street and were able to have a great conversation. She really loves learning about history and so we told her about the Book of Mormon and how it's a recorded history from the people in Ancient America. She got really interested and we were able to give her the Book of Mormon right there on the street. It was such a great testimony for me! Whenever we talk to people and get to know them, something they say will always relate to the gospel - which makes it easier to bring up the gospel in almost any conversation that we have. We were able to get her phone number and we will call her next week and try to make an appointment for next week!

   We also were able to meet with Oota San this week. She is still on track for being baptized in January. We had a Team-up on Wednesday and we tried to talk about moving her baptism. We feel like she is ready for baptism and so does the ward. She is basically a member, just hasn't been baptized yet. :) But she is still very set on getting baptized in January. So we will continue to teach her and continue preparing her for her baptism.

   Thank you for all your love and prayers! They are greatly appreciated!

   Have a wonderful week!
   Morrison Shimai

Snow!



 Jazmyne with Yoneda Shimai

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Saigo Made Taeshinobu! - - Endure to the End!

Hello everyone!

   Hope you are all enjoying your Fall weather, because we have finally hit Winter here. Last Monday was the first time it snowed and it is getting so cold here. Even though there isn't really a lot of snow on the ground I've wearing my snow boots the past few days because it gets so cold at night that I like to keep my feet warm. :)

   This week was transfers! And I stayed in Shinkotoni with Yugawa Shimai! So happy about that! Me and Yugawa Shimai get along so well so I was really hoping that we would get to stay together for my last transfer. I can't believe I'm almost at the end! I feel like it was still only last week that I was getting ready to leave the MTC and finally head out to Japan! Man how fast time flies! But as we say in Japan: saigo made taeshinobu! Endure to the End. And that is exactly what I'm going to do! I'm so ready to work and I'm ready to work hard! We are going to have a great last transfer!

   Right now we're kind of in a rough situation because we really don't have any investigators in this area right now, well except for Oota San (and yes she is still doing great). So me and Yugawa Shimai are just going to hit the pavement and really get to work. We are already seeing so many miracles for our efforts. This past weekend, we met 2 really nice people. One of them we met while housing and she wasn't interested in the gospel she did show a lot of interest in our Free English Class, so we were able to get her phone number and she said that she would try to come next week. Then while we were out contacting people on the street yesterday, the first girl we stopped was super nice and we talked with her for about 10 minutes. Not sure how much interest she has in the gospel right now but we were able to get her phone number and made an appointment to call her again.

   The best part of the week was meeting with Ooshima Kyoudai (kyoudai=brother). He is a recent convert from about 2 months ago. But sadly right after he got baptized the missionaries who taught him got transferred and then he just stopped coming to church. So me, Hojo shimai, and Yugawa Shimai went to go and see him on Monday and we were able to meet him and we found out that he had thrown away his Book of Mormon. So we gave him a new copy and had a good conversation with him. He's been having a rough time recently because he's been looking for a job for a few years now and he found one about a month ago, but then it fell through just last week. 

   He hadn't met either of the new Elders, so we decided that all 4 of us would go and introduce the Elders to him. So we all went to his apartment last night. We knew he was home, but he wouldn't answer the door. So Goddard Choro (being the bold but loving missionary that he is) just starts yelling his name from outside the apartment and saying he wants to talk to him. And it works! He comes outside and Goddard Choro asks him if we can come in and he lets us in! Ooshima Kyoudai is really just a sweet, innocent man who has been having a rough time. Before we went to his house I asked Goddard Choro what the plan was and he simply told me that the plan is that we are going to show him love. And that's exactly what we did. He's so lonely and he really just needs friends, and he needs to be shown love. We were able to talk to him and help him to realize that he has friends at church who miss him and want to talk to him. We were able to commit him to come to church this next Sunday.
   
Everyone needs love!! That is the one thing that I have really come to understand this last transfer. No matter who you are or what your situation is, everyone needs help sometimes and everyone needs love. Heavenly Father is able to show his love best through other people. So I want to make sure this last transfer that I never miss an opportunity to show someone love and kindness.
   
Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love you lots!!
Morrison Shmai

 Our District

KFC Santa - Getting in the Christmas spirit

 Good-bye to Holt Shimai - Homeward Bound

 Bastow Shimai at Transfers

 Nacho Party

Endure to the End!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

I Love to see the Temple, even if under construction!

Hello everyone!

   This week was good! This week with Oota San we focused on talking about the temple. So we had a really good lesson about the temple and why the temple was so important on Saturday. Then on Sunday a member took us all to the temple site! It was such a cool experience for us and for Oota San. I think it's hard for her to imagine what the temple will look like or what it will be like to go inside, but I think she really enjoyed going. There is just a different kind of spirit there, and I think she could feel it. :) 

   This week we also had a Halloween party at our Free English Class. It was so fun! In Japan people don't actually celebrate Halloween, so we were explaining to everyone how you dress up and go door to door asking for candy. They just thought that was so weird and dangerous! Pretty funny! We played some fun games and we even had a pinata! But did you know that they don't have pinatas in Japan? Well they don't... So me and Yugawa Shimai put our brains together and we made one! It was really not fancy at all, but I think it turned out ok. The only problem was that I think we put too much tape on it, so it was really hard to break! It was my first time making a pinata people! Give me a break! haha :) We had quite a few young people show up, so there ended up being about 25 people there! So fun!

   Also this week we really were focusing on showing the members more love and how grateful we are for them. We went and visited about half of the members during the week, and it really payed off, because we ended up getting 3 referrals! We were so excited about that! I know that we can't do this work without the help of the members, and I'm so grateful for the help that they have given us! I know that the missionaries are always grateful for everything the members do. Whether it's a referral, an opportunity to serve, or just a nice conversation. Please never pass up an opportunity to let the missionaries help you either. We love to help, and we want to! No matter what it is. When we are truly united as missionaries and member missionaries, I know that this Work of Salvation will go forward with greater speed than it ever has before!

Have a lovely week!
Love you all!
Morrison Shimai

 Homemade Piñata

 English Class Halloween Party

 Sapporo Temple Construction site

Monday, October 27, 2014

Disappointments and Blessings

Hi everyone!

   Well things here are going good, except for the fact that we had so many appointments for the week and day by day all of them fell through. I was so mad and frustrated. At the beginning of the week, I felt like we did everything we could to make sure that we would be able to use our time most effectively so that we could get lots of lessons and lots of contacts. But then I felt like Satan was really working hard on us and on our appointments and everything got cancelled. I just kept asking myself, why? I know that sometimes we have really really good weeks, but at the same time sometimes we have really really bad weeks. And I know that as long as we tried our best, and then if things didn't work out perfectly and people use their agency and chose not to listen to us, then we can't say that it was our fault. Everyone has the opportunity to choose, but it is up to us to do all we can to help them make the correct choice.

   But we did have a really good lesson with Oota San on Wednesday! She said in the past that she has never felt the spirit, and every single time we ask her what she feels when she prays, or reads scriptures how she feels. She always says that she doesn't feel anything. But we watched the Finding Faith in Christ movie, and we had a really good discussion about how we should always be improving and striving to be more Christ-like in our lives. At the end of the lesson she said that she had a really good feeling inside and so we pointed out that that is the Spirit telling her that everything she is learning is true. It was a really amazing experience. 

   One other highlight of the week. This week we had stake conference, and Shinoro is in the same stake as Shinkotoni! Yep that's right! I got to see Endo family! Before this transfer I had been praying so hard to Heavenly Father that I would be able to see them one last time before I went home. I was hoping the answer to that prayer would mean me getting to back to Shinoro, but God truly does work in mysterious ways. I didn't get to go to Shinoro, but I got to go to a place that was in the same stake so that I would be able to meet them one more time. I know Heavenly Father listens to our prayers. We may not get the answer in the way we expect or want, but he truly knows what is best for us and that is how he answers us!

Love you all! Have a wonderful week! Don't catch a cold! :)

Morrison Shimai


The Endo Family

Bowling with Call Shimai and Dialogue Choro



Zone Activity - with Malmrose Shimai

Sunday, October 19, 2014

It is great having Investigators!

Hello everyone!

   This week has been good! We found 2 new investigators! The first one is Yoshida San. I think I mentioned her in my last email. We first met her on the street about 1 1/2 weeks ago. We talked with her a little bit about Jesus Christ and when we asked her if we could meet again, she gave us her phone number and her address and we were able to make an appointment for Tuesday. So we went to the appointment and she remembered us! Yes that's a good sign! :)  We were there for a long time and she just told us about her whole life basically. She really loves to talk, but she is so smart and so knowledgeable about the world. She lives by herself, oh she does have the cutest little dog I have ever seen! She used to be part of a religion called Sokagakai - which is a very strict Buddhist religion. She told us about how she never really believed it, but always thought that there was a God. We told her more about God and Jesus Christ and we ended up giving her a Book of Mormon. She took it and said that she was excited to read it! She really loves learning about other religions and so she says that she really wants to understand what we believe.

   The other new investigator is Shintani San. We met her while we were out housing on Monday night. She's about 30 years old, she's married and has 2 young sons (age 0 and 7) - super cute!! So when we first met her, she was standing outside of her house and she was smoking. I was a little hesitant to talk to her at first, but I just went right up to her and starting telling her what we believe. She didn't tell us to go away so I just kept talking. Basically she has never even thought about religion before, but when I asked her if we could come back, she said yes! So we went back again on Friday and talked with her for about 30 minutes about the Plan of Salvation and about Jesus Christ. Most people don't really understand what we are talking about, so I'm not sure that she really understood it, but she was willing to take a pamphlet and she said we could come back again! 

   One of our themes for the transfer is to 'Find the Elect'. And I know there there are people for us to find here. They may not know that they are looking for something more in their life, but once they hear it, they will realize that we have something good, and we want to share it with them!

Have a wonderful week!

Love you all!
Morrison Shimai
President and Sister Nakastuka


 Waiting for the subway

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Conference Weekend

Hello Everyone!
  So this past weekend we had the opportunity to watch general conference!  During the conference the prophet, all of the apostles as well as other leaders speak to us. This conference was so uplifting and hopeful. Some of the main topics that were spoken about was listening to and heeding the prophet's council. As well as finding out truth for ourselves through personal revelation from God.  As I listened to Thomas S. Monson I could just feel the Holy Ghost so strong, confirming to me that he truly is a prophet of God. I know that when he gives us council and direction, it is coming directly from the Lord.  However we also have a responsibility to find truth out for ourselves. I really liked a talk given about how it's ok for us to have questions about the truth and to have the desire to find truth for ourselves, but we need to look to God and truly study his word in order to receive that confirmation of whether or not it is true.  I know this church is God's church here on the earth today, and while we may not understand or know everything, we do know that we have a loving God who is our Father. He is always watching over and helping us, during our times of question and times of success. His love for us will never change.
   This week we also met with a few investigators. Oota San is an investigator who has a baptismal date for January 31st. She prays everyday, reads the scriptures and she even comes to church every week. This week we talked about Service and Enduring to the End. She was able to relate the good feelings we get when doing service to the Spirit. She really has a great desire to continue studying so that she can understand the church doctrine more fully. We also met a great lady named Yoshida San. We met her on the street on Friday. We had a great conversation about religion and apparently she has met with missionaries from many different churches before. She is definitely searching for the truth and it was such a miracle to have met her! We have another appointment to meet her next week so hopefully that will go well! I just know there are lots of people for us to find this transfer and I'm so excited for the opportunity to be able to work in the Heart of Sapporo for the last little while of my mission! 

Thanks for everything!   Have a wonderful week!
   
 Morrison Shimai

In Sapporo
With new companions


Dinner at Tony Roma's

Hello Kitty!

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Transferred!

Hello everyone! 

   So I finally made it to the city of Sapporo for the last few months of my mission! i never thought it would happen. but here I am livin' big in the big city! I was so shocked! But I know this transfer is going to be so much fun!!

   It was so hard to leave Hakodate! It was especially sad because me and Holt Shimai both got transferred out! ;( We cried a lot. We had to pass all of our investigators to the other shimai. But I know that they are all in good hands and Oonishi san still has a baptismal date so that is still super exciting! Please keep praying for her!

   So now I'm in Shinkotoni with Hojo Shimai and Yugawa Shimai. Yay a trio companionship! It's going to be so fun and I'm really excited. Yugawa Shimai is full Japanese, but she has lived in Hawaii all her life, but her Japanese is actually really good. Hojo Shimai is from Nagoya and she got to Japan the transfer after I got here, she doesn't speak any English but she is so funny! Sorry this is such a short letter, but I will be sure to tell you more about the area and the investigators and the members next week!!

   Love you all!!  Thanks for everything!   Have a wonderful week!!!
   
   Morrison Shimai

Last Week in Hakodate



 With Onishi San

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Three Great Investigators!

Hello Mina San!! (everyone)

   This week was great! Like always! But we have finally hit fall, and I'm back to wearing tights everyday!! Only a little bit longer until we see some snow... probably.....

   We finally were able to meet with Mika chan again this week! We had met her at the end of last transfer, but she got busy and wasn't able to meet with us for over a month! But we met her this week and we followed up with her about the Book of Mormon and what she remembers and she said that she has been reading it and she just started 2 Nephi! We talked about Joseph Smith and his experience. We asked her what she thought and she said that if it really did happen, he was pretty amazing. It is so incredible to me how much she understands. She keeps telling us about how she feels like her faith and understanding about God is growing more and more every time she reads from the Book of Mormon and when she meets with us! She has such a great desire to know about God and who is. We have another appointment with her this week and we are planning of watching the restoration video with her.

   We also met with Chise san this week. She is still having a hard time with reading and understanding the Book of Mormon on her own. We are trying to help her realize that she doesn't need to be with us every time she reads to be able to understand it. She's been having a little bit of a rough time at work lately and she just feels like it is so hard to be kind to people sometimes. And we all feel that way. We talked with her about Christ's example and she kept talking about how she can become better through Him. I know that she can feel the spirit when we meet with her and when she comes to the church. Now we just need to help her recognize that and help her see how this gospel can apply to her personally.

   And we also met with Oonishi san a few times this week!! She is really progressing so fast! We've been able to teach her most of the commandments and she is following them and really wants to follow them. She is also reading her Book of Mormon and she is praying every night. I can just see her changing so much as she learns more about our Heavenly Father and this gospel. Although yesterday was a little difficult. We had a team-up after church and the member was a little too bold with her and so she felt a lot of pressure about baptism. Then we got a call from a member telling us that when she went to drop off Oonishi san at her house after church, her mom came outside and started yelling at the both of them. We knew that her mom had some disapproving feelings about the church, but obviously there is more than Oonishi san was actually telling us. I don't want her to feel pressure and  stress about her baptism. We really need to help her to work out some things with her mom. We want to keep helping her work toward baptism, but we've also started to understand that it's important for Oonishi san to feel that she is ready for baptism as well. So please pray for Oonishi san and her mom as well!

   Thanks for all your support and prayers!

   Love you all
   Have a great week!
   Morrison Shimai

Getting an Aerial view of Hakodate





Yep Ice Cream

Getting ready for a musical fireside

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Life is Great - Baptism Prep!

Hello everyone!

   This week was really great! We are still continuing to prep for Oonishi San's baptism!! This week we taught all of lesson 3 plus a couple of the commandments. When we met her on Wednesday, we first followed-up on whether she had talked to her parents about her baptism. She said that she did, but they weren't very happy about it. We had such a wonderful Team-up that day, and the member just encouraged her saying that her parent's opinion is really important, but she is also an adult and she is the one who will make the ultimate decision, not her parents. I haven't met her mom yet, but I'm hoping that we can meet her before the baptism and introduce ourselves, so then maybe her heart will be softened a little. :) That day we talked a lot about faith and we told her about how faith is like a seed. At first it might start out small, but then eventually as you learn more it will grow more and more. She told us in that lesson that if she had to put her faith on a scale from 0 to 100, she said that her faith is probably close to 0. Although I believe she has so much more faith than that! 

   Then we met again on Friday and taught more about baptism and confirmation. She is starting to get really excited about baptism. For every lesson we have been able to have a Team-up so she is always asking everyone why they got baptized. I think she is trying to figure out how her conversion relates to others and how she will know when she is ready. At the end of the lesson she gave the prayer. And in the prayer she thanked Heavenly Father because she told him that she thinks her seed of faith is starting to grow and sprout! It was so cute!! And we were so happy to hear that!

   So we have planned to meet her 3 times a week before her baptism. This next week we will be teaching Word of Wisdom and Tithing. I'm so excited to continue to teach Oonishi San. I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I have to watch her learn and grow and she is really coming out of her shell, little by little, so that's a good thing! It's all so great here in Hakodate and I just never want to leave! I know that this gospel is the only true way to happiness. We see and watch these investigators as they learn and change their entire lives for the church. They all have so much faith and I hope that one day my faith can be as strong as their's.

   Love you all! Have a wonderful week!

   Morrison Shimai


 A new friend - Kanon San

Morrison and Holt Shimai

The Hakodate Shimai

Sunday, September 14, 2014

We can see miracles every day!

Konnichiwa Minasan!

   I know that I say that every week is good, but really this week was just SOOOOOO wonderful!!! We were able to meet so many people, teach lots of lessons, and we truly saw some wonderful miracles!

   On Thursday we were able to meet with Chise san. She has had such a hard time understanding the Book of Mormon, and hasn't been able to read it on her own. So we decided to just take some time and read through the 1st chapter with her to help her understand it. We would read verse by verse and simply explain the story of Lehi and his family. As we were reading she could understand the meaning of the verses, once she understood the background and she committed to reading the 2nd chapter this week on her own! It's so easy to forget how important the Book of Mormon is and that people who read it for the first time don't always understand the meaning behind every verse. When I read it, I can find almost anything to highlight, because different things will stand out to me each time I read it. But for these first time readers, it's so important to help them understand 1st what is going on in the story, so then they will be able to see the spiritual meaning behind it.

   Then on Friday we met with Oonishi san! We had a great lesson about the Plan of Salvation. She thinks that the idea of resurrection is really great. But when we asked her which kingdom of glory she wanted to go to, she said that she wouldn't want to go the celestial kingdom if that meant living with her mom forever. I think she really loves her mom, but it's been tough recently because she has to take care of her mom all the time. So we tried to emphasize that in the celestial kingdom we can also live with our future family forever. She really liked that and said that's where she wanted to go. :) At the end of the lesson we were able to make a baptismal date for October 11th! It's coming up soon, but I know she can be ready by then! She's also having a hard time understanding the Book of Mormon and prayer is still a hard thing for her, so please keep her in your prayers!

   I love this mission and the opportunity to see people change their lives and come closer to Christ. I know that Heavenly Father is watching over all His missionaries and he is mindful of all of His children. We can see miracles every day, if we just have faith and work our hardest! :)

   Love you all!!  Have a fantastic week!

   Morrison Shimai

Nighttime hike up Hakodate Mountain
 Beautiful view!
 Jazmyne and Holt Shimai

Sushi!!