Desire to Teach

Hello everyone!

   This week on Monday we got the chance to climb Hakodate Mountain and supposedly it's one of the prettiest views in all of Hokkaido.  You can even see the main island of Japan from the top. But sadly it was so cloudy that we couldn't see a thing. A little disappointing, but still really fun! :)

   This week most of our appointments with investigators fell through or got cancelled. I was feeling really discouraged, and so I really prayed hard all week that we would be able to just teach someone. Recently I have just had the strongest desire to teach people. In the areas that I've been in for the past 6 months, mostly all we've done is finding. Constantly going house to house, stopping people on the street. Sometimes for 6 or 7 hours a day. And I have really come to enjoy finding. But recently my desire to teach is so much stronger than my desire to just find all day. I have been praying that we would be able to teach lessons as we try to find new investigators.  And this week I think my prayers were answered because we were able to teach a couple really strong Potential Investigators! We were able to teach them and we made appointments for next week to meet them again!

   Sorry there's not much to write about this week, but I know that because we are working hard and always putting forth out best effort so Heavenly Father is blessing us so much! I know that this is the most important work that I can be doing right now! I'm grateful for the opportunity to be serving the Lord for a year and a half! I love this gospel and I love being a missionary!!

Much love!

Morrison Shimai

P-Day Hike to Hakodate Mtn.

Sometimes I receive random things from 12 year old girls. This is a balloon animal. It's a dog and her name is Mori chan. :)

Finding Lost Sheep

Hey all!

   So this week we saw so many miracles! We were able to meet so many people and teach so many lessons! I truly know that the Lord was guiding us as to where to go! I'll just tell you about one miracle we saw this week!

   On Monday we were housing in a little bit of a scetchy, kind of scary part of the city. So I was super doubtful that we would not have any success, but we continued to knock on doors and got rejected every time. But then we went to a house (that looks like it was built 40 years ago because it's super small, and starting to fall apart) and a young mom comes to the door. And before we can say anything 4 young kids (ages 2 to 6) come running out. They start to talk to us and they wanted to play with us. So we were just standing at the front of the door talking and playing with the kids for a good 30 minutes. And then we finally were able to tell the mom about who we are and she says, 'oh well you know, my husband is a Mormon.' So he comes to the door (with a cigarette in his hand) and tells us that he was baptized in Tokyo over 30 years ago, but then moved to Hokkaido and hasn't been to church since. Then he left again and went back into the back room. We were so surprised and we realized later that he isn't in any of our records.

   So we found a 'lost sheep', plus his super cute, young family! I don't think the husband was too interested in us, but we were able to talk to the mom for another 20 minutes. She said that we could come back and we were able to get her phone number. Their name is Ootani family. So we are hoping that we can start teaching them next week and maybe the husband will open up to us!

   I know this is the Lord's work and he is always guiding us to exactly where we need to go, even if the road to get there seems a little scary or scketchy, it will be worth it in the end!

   Thanks so much for everything! Love you all!

   Morrison Shimai

Transfer Week - still in Hakodate

Konnichiwa Minasan!

   Well we had transfers this last week and yep I am still in Hakodate. But my beloved companion Yabutani Shimai returned home to Osaka. It was so sad to say goodbye to her, she was a great companion, and I will really miss her a lot! But I'm excited for this next transfer with my new companion, Holt Shimai. She is from Herriman, Utah. Her and I had the same trainer and our first area was Obihiro, so it's been fun reminiscing about all the members and investigators there. :)

   This week we found the most wonderful PI (potential investigator). Her name is Watanabe San. She is a young mom with the most adorable twin girls! They are only 2 years old. So we found her when we were housing on Friday. At first she told us that she wasn't interested, and usually when people do that we always tell them about the free English Classes that we teach every week. So we told her about it and she got so excited and said that she wanted to come. So right now she says that she doesn't have interest in the gospel, but hopefully once she come to our English class she will become interested. There are so many people here in Japan who were first introduced to the church through English class, It's a really great way to meet people and get to be their friend! So I will let you know if she comes to English class next week!

   This week we also had a ward BBQ (and no, not because it was the 4th of July :)). There was a really good turn out from the ward! We don't always have a ton of opportunities to interact with all the ward members outside of church because they all live so far away. But when we do have ward activities they are always so fun and welcoming.

   I'm excited for the opportunity to continue to be working in Hakodate!! I know we are going to have a wonderful transfer full of miracles and new investigators! Thanks for all your support and love! This is the Lord's work and he is guiding it. He will not let us fail.

   Love you all! Thanks so much!! Have a great week!

   Morrison Shimai

Chickens... What?

Squid What??   This girl has changed!

With Chise San

"Taiso" and Obedience

Hello everyone!!

   So this week I realized there is truly power in being a foreigner in another country. I mean, I've noticed it before. People staring at me. Asking if they can touch my hair. The usual. But last Monday we decided to get up early and go and exercise at one of the famous parks here in Hakodate. It's a huge park with a lake and trees and flowers. Absolutely beautiful. Well at 6:30 every morning there is a group of grandmas and grandpas that get together and do "taiso". It's like an organized stretching routine that everyone knows in Japan. So we decided to join them. And one by one they all started coming up to me and Yabutani Shimai. They asked her where I was from and then I answered and said that I was from America, they were so shocked that I could speak Japanese. So they were just talking and talking with us and it was really so cute! And we even got chocolate from one of the grandmas because she said I was so happy and deserved a treat! haha. :) It makes missionary work so much more interesting when people come up to you and ask, "so why are you here"? And then I just think, "well let me tell you a little bit about our church...". Definitely the easiest way to find people to teach! :)

   On Wednesday we went to Muroran again!! The 2nd week in a row. YAY!! We got a new Mission President this week so he wanted to take a little tour of Hokkaido and visit all the different zones. So we got up early on Wednesday in order to catch the 6 am train. Got to Muroran at 8:30 and had a training meeting by the Mission President and his wife from 10-12. Sister Nakatsuka first talked about the importance of loving other people and relying on the Lord. She told us about when they were being interviewed by President Uchtodorf she expressed her fears and concerns about their new calling. And she said this is what President Uchtodorf told her: "It is good to have fears and worries, because when we do, that is the time that we rely more on the Lord." So it's okay if we are fearful and stressed and worried because that is the time when we can put our full trust in the Lord and in His plan.

   Then President Nakatsuka talked about Obedience. It was so good! The topic of obedience is something that I have really been thinking and studying about recently. I have been studying about what it means to truly be 100% obedient or to always be exactly obedient. He talked about how there was one major difference between the Law of Moses and Jesus Christ's higher law. The people who followed the Law of Moses, did it mainly because they had to. But it was the people who followed Christ who were willing to obey the law. So we can be following the rules and commandment because we feel that we have to OR we can follow them because we are willing to do so. If we willingly follow rules and commandment then we will be blessed and have more joy. It was really great and I really learned about the true meaning of obedience. I know that Heavenly Father loves all of His children and gave us rules in order to help us and protect us. I know that if we willingly follow Him, he will guide us and lead us along the path so that we will not stray!

   I love you all! Thanks so much for all your love and support! Have a wonderful week!

   Morrison Shimai

 Fun at the beach in Hakodate

with Yabutani Shimai

Burial of Yabutani Shimai - She goes home this week!

Squid are famous in Hakodate