Sunday, May 25, 2014

Baptism is a "Go!"


Hello everyone!

   So this week we finished teaching all the lessons to the Endo family! They will be having their interview on Friday, then the Baptism on Saturday night. And then they will be confirmed in Church on Sunday morning. They are such a wonderful family and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to meet them and teach them! It's been just the most wonderful thing watching their faith grow!
   One story for the week: Yesterday, I got to go to Young Womens with Ayane (13, the oldest daughter). We were talking about the importance of the scriptures in our life. Talking about how they are like a map for our life and can help guide us. So the teacher asked all of us to share our favorite scripture. I asked Ayane chan if she had a favorite scripture (she is so great because she has already read the whole Book of Mormon once through and is currently reading it for the second time. This doesn't happen very often, but she was so prepared and ready). She said that 3 Nephi 30:2 is her favorite scripture. I was a little confused at first but then she explained why she likes it. She said that before she met the missionaries she didn't always do the best things, but next Saturday she will be getting baptized and she talked about how she knows that she can be forgiven for all the bad things she has done and be completely clean! It was so great and it just made me so happy!!
   K out of time, but please pray for Endo family! Love you all! Have a graet week!!
Morrison Shimai

3 Nephi 30:2
Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel.

The Endo Family


Primary Activity

Jazmyne and Rion 

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Decorating Cookies


Hello everyone!

   This week was a super crazy week! I feel like I haven't said anything about the weather in a little while so I guess it's time for an update. So remember how we thought it was finally spring? Well, we were wrong. From Friday to Sunday it rained constantly! Didn't stop once. And the wind was blowing so hard. It was a 3 day Typhoon! They said it was 7 degrees C, but with the wind it felt like 5 degrees C. But this morning it was clear skys and it's looking a little more like Spring! Yeah!

   So update on the Endo family: They are SOOO wonderful!! I love them so much!!! We met them on Wednesday and taught the Plan of Salvation. And then at the end of the lesson Hibiki chan (age 10) gave the most beautiful prayer I have ever heard. So it's been hard trying to get the kids to pray with us so we decided to tell them that they could try writing out their prayers so that they would know what to say. So during the whole lesson she was writting something, but we weren't sure what it was. And then at the end of the lesson we told her it was her turn to give the closing prayer. And we realized that the paper she had been working on during the lesson was her prayer! It was so awesome! It was really one of the sweetest most heartfelt prayers I have ever heard. In the prayer she asked God to help her family so that they would all be able to go to the Celstial Kingdom. It was SOOO cute! I almost started crying, it was so sweet!

   Then on Saturday I got to have some fun with Rion (age 9) at the Primary Activity. We planted tomatoes and Lettuce, in little pots. And then we decorated cookies. Of which I couldn't eat any sadly, but they looked really good and it was fun to decorate them. Then Saturday night us, the Endo family and the Elders went to a memebers' house for dinner. We had a really fun time and we were able to share a message about how we have a living prophet today. And then we told them about how Elder Christofferson is coming to Hokkaido next week. They seemed excited, but the mom will probably have to work overtime since it's on a Wednesday night. But we are stil hoping that the girls will be able to come with us to Sapporo to meet him! 

   The Endo famliy is so wonderful and I love them so much. Sorry I say that so much, but I just feel so lucky and I'm so grateful to have this opportunity to help them, and watch their faith grow everyday. I love this gospel and it is so wonderful being able to see the change that happens when we meet people like that Endo famliy. They have so much faith and love and they will be so blessed as they continue to learn! I love this gospel and the knowledge that it has given me. I know that everything in life happens in order to help us grow. The teachings of Jesus Christ are truly the only way to reach our full potential and feel the most happy. I know this is what it has done for me and I know this is what it can do for anyone who is willing learn and change. 

Hope you all have a great week and I love you all!
Morrison Shimai

Primary Activity - Decorating cookies



Sunday, May 11, 2014

Happy Mother's Day


 Hi everyone!

   So this week has been great! First of all, Spring has finally come!! Yesterday was probably the first day that I didn't have to wear tights and a big pea coat outside!! Isn't that great? We were especially excited! haha. :)

   So Endo family. Sorry, but I'm basically just going to keep repeating myself for the next few weeks probably by saying, THEY ARE SO AWESOME! and I LOVE THEM SOOO MUCH!! :) This week we were feeling just a little bit stressed becuase there is so much that we have to teach them before their baptism and we weren't really sure how they would react to everything, especially things like the Word of Wisdom and Tithing. We had scheduled to meet them on Wednesday, but the mom ended up working over time so we couldn't meet. We set up another appointment for Thursday, and we were just hoping and praying, litterally all day, that we would be able to meet with them and teach them more. We were able to meet them on Thursday are we had a good lesson and talked more about what Baptism is and we made a calender with them - outlining when we wanted to meet with them and what we needed to teach them. We could both tell that the mom was feeling a little bit overwhlmed and we knew she had a lot of questions.

   So we agreed to meet again on Friday night and this time we brought a member with us - Kikuchi Shimai. We were so grateful to have her there to help us!! Quick Side note: members are so great to have at lessons with investigators becuase 1. they speak the language (this is very important) and 2. they have had similar experiences that sometimes us as foreigners can't really relate with. So thanks to all the graet members out there that help us missionaries our so much!!

   Ok so at the lesson on Friday we talked about the Spirit and then we just planned to ask the mom what her concerns and questions were. She asked us about Tithing and the Word of Wisdom - she had been donig a little research :). The lesson was so wonderful!! The spirit was so strong and I could just watch her face and see that she was at ease now. 

   They also came to church on Sunday and we are still planning for their baptism on May 31st!! So exciting! I love the Endo family and I love this work. It is just so rewarding being able to see how these people we teach are so willing to change their entire lives in order to have greater happiness through the gospel!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Happy Mothers' Day!!
Morrison Shimai

 Cherry Blossoms (Sakura)
 (Tulip Tree)
 Still in their heavy coats 

With a member

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Golden Family


Hello all!
   So this week was so great! I don't have a ton of time but I'll just tell you about our wonderful Endo family!
   Sorry I don't really remember how much I have told you about them. I really have a terrible memory. Before we opened the area, the Elders had found this family. It's a mom and 3 daughters so they can't go inside their house to teach them. So they were nice and passed the family to us to start teaching. The Elders had already made a Baptismal date with them for June 1st. And we have been teaching them for about 2 weeks now. They are seriously a GOLDEN family!! I love them so much!!
   This week we met with them. We had planned to teach the last half of the 1st lesson - Apostacy, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  They have been reading the BOM so they alerady knew a little bit about it. So we didn't get very far into the lesson beofre the 9 year old daughter brings up the topic of Baptism. And the mom is like 'oh yea, that's on June 1st right? Yea we should be able to make it to church every week and I'm pretty sure we can get baptized on the 1st.'  It was a great moment for me and my companion!!  I was so excited to hear that not only did she remember about what baptism is, but she also remembered the date and was still planning on getting baptized!!! They are a wonderful family and I'm so excited to be able to see them get baptized here in a few weeks! We still have a lot to do to help them prepare, but I just know they will be so blessed becuase of this decision they are making! Please keep them in your prayers!
   Much love! Have a wonderful week!
Morrison Shimai