Summer in Hokkaido

Hello All!

   This week was so fun and so warm! The past couple days it was 30 degrees Celsius plus humidity. It's finally summer! And it will be this warm for about the next 3 weeks and then supposedly it will start to cool down again once September hits. Yep it's true what they say about Hokkaido having short summers! :)

   This week we got to go on splits with the STLs! Which means that Lundstrom Shimai was here (me beloved trainer). It's so fun when you get to see old companions and be able to work with them again. So the 4 of us went to eat at Chise San's restaurant on Tuesday and it was so good. She's been busy so we haven't been able to do a lesson with her, but starting next week she should have Wednesdays and Thursdays off again. She is so nice and gave us a Korean dessert for free. It's like a snow cone, but with lots of different kinds of fruit and a special sauce that makes it super sweet. I definitely want to try to make it again because it was so simple and so good!

   Then we got to go to Muroran again this week for Zone Conference. And I got to have my very first interview with President Nakatsuka. The interview went really well. And although this is only the 2nd time that I've met him, I could just tell that he really cared about me and we were talking like good friends. I know that he has been called and set apart to be the Mission President, and I know there is a lot that I can learn from him. Since we were in Muroran I took the opportunity to visit some old investigators. So we went to go visit Wada San! She is basically my Japanese Grandma! So sweet! She automatically invited us in and her husband even went out and bought us ice cream! They know me so well! She's been making a lot of progress. At the end of our visit I asked if I could share a scripture with her before we left and in this surprised (but not really surprised) voice says, "What you want to talk about religion, what kind of a visit would this be without a lesson?" It was so funny! I really miss her a lot, but I know one day her and her husband will be ready to join the church.

   The Summer Festivals here in Japan are really big. And the biggest one of the summer is happening this weekend. So on Friday night we went to the Hanabi Taikai (Firework show). It was over and hour long. And Kumano Shimai was telling me that because fireworks are handmade here, each one costs over 100,000 dollars. Which means that for these big firework shows they spend billions of dollars! It was really cool and they had lots of cool fireworks! 

   Anyway it was a fun week! Hope you all have a good week! Much love!

Morrison Shimai

Love you mom! 

Have fun in Hawaii!