She's Off!

Olivia leaves for Japan today! Here's the link to a little video of what goes on inside the MTC in case you were curious...

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=296&sid=14959815

One Day and Counting!

Hello! I decided to forgo the traditional konichiwa because I won't be able to say hello for the next 16 months.

What? I've already been out here two months? This is insane. I think I'm going to cry. Not gonna lie- we had our last teaching lesson with Iwamoto san and I literally bawled and he cried too which just made it worse. Who knew huh?

This week has been really hard to focus because I am so excited! I keep waking up at like five and not being able to sleep because I can't wait to go!!! The last hour of the day is so important though, which is when we have our hour of language study so I promise tonight I''ll buckle down.

 Also I was really happy to hear from Bro. Yergensen, Steven, Steph, Suzz, Mitch, and Tara, and Sis. Gauthier. Thanks everyone- I love getting your letters! They are always so inspirational and filled with love. I will try to reply individually when I can!!!

YAY TO RACE FOR PUTTING IN YOUR PAPERS!!!!! IM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!! Call me up when you find out! Haha just kidding I would get fired. 

Good luck to all the Millikin Students who are starting school! DLAM

I know that for those in Eureka, this has been a really difficult past few weeks. I struggled to know what I should say because I couldn't be there to comfort anybody. But I was reminded by my teacher and by several other missionaries that if we trust in the Lord and look at the big picture, We can know that we will all see each other again and find peace to know that even though I can't be there, he is.  I found an excellent perfect verse in Moroni 9:25. Don't dwell on what you can't fix. Look to the savior and count on the power of the atonement. This is a great time to be a missionary and to help others find comfort in the knowledge that our Heavenly Father loves all of his children. I know that so many of you are already doing that- thank you so much. You are answers to prayers and angels to those whom you comfort. 

To onstage: We are a family forever and we will all be together again. Trust in the Lord and trust that he loves you. Don't be afraid to be happy, because we were not meant to be sad. Think about the positive things- Heavenly father has a great work for all his children to do, and right now, he needed 3 of his children to help him a litter closer to home. I love you all. 

 So after tomorrow I leaving the MTC! mixed feelings. although most of my body is screaming HALLELUJAH!  (the other, more spiritual part, says wow this has been such a great experience and I should be greatful for every second of it.) And it really has been such a good preparation, I almost feel bad for the English speakers. Almost... 

But for real the MTC is great.

This week we had a really long in-field orientation which was actually kind of cool. We talked alot about how to be useful in the wards and how to be a blessing to the bishop instead of a burden. It was all in English which was also wierd because I'm not really used to that. 

We went to the temple last week and get to go again today! I am so excited. It is such a blessing to have that opportunity. 

Good news- I didn't say anything terrrable in my lessons this week! Which probably means that I am going to make tons next week. But thats okay! Tonight we have our last class. Which is a bit depressing. We made our teachers a huge box of snacks and wrote them all letters. It was fun to stuff as many snacks as we could into this box. Sometimes they only eat donuts for dinner so we thought we'd improve their diet a bit with some chips! haha there is some healthy stuff in there probably. We were limited to what the bookstore had. I have been so blessed to have an amazing set of teachers and a wonderful branch presidency as well. Brother Willes, the 1st councelor, was the president of General Mills. Casual. 

Love to you all, 

Sister Nelson

The Last Mellon

Konichiwa from Provo for the 2nd to last time! (I have one more pday here, but only one more week)

 

One week left people, one week left!

 

This week was awesome as usuall. Tuesday was a pleasant supprise as we heard from RICHARD G. SCOTT IN THE FLESH. He came for our tuesday night devotional and gave a really wonderful talk on prayer and the importance of conversing with our heavanly father. It doesnt matter if our words are jumbled or we arent good at talking - he still wants to hear from us!!! He wants us to repent so we can be happy. My goal is to repent every single day. As I have done this I have felt that it is easier to talk to the lord and it makes me more accoutable for everything I do.

 

This week was a little difficult because when you are crammed in a room for nine + hours a day with 15 other people, it gets a little...intense. But no fear, We have a lovely grassy knoll we recently discovered where we find solace and refuge from the confinments of a 12x15 room. Its really fun. We read the book of mormon there every thursday as a district. It has become my favorite class of the week. So long live the Shire! ( we may have changed the name to the sacred grove to be a little more mission- appropriate.)

 

This week our goal was to bear our testimony in Japanese every day. Though doing this I now feel so much more comfortable with speaking Japanese because when I speak with the spirit, I don't have to worry about what to say. Also we never bear our testimony to people who speak japanese...that way they don't know if we mess up! I have leared though that we don't have to say a bunch of stuff for people to know that we are trying to follow Christ. Just simple declarations get the point across so much more than fancy monolagues.

 

This week when I was teaching an investigator about why we need to be baptized, we showed him a picture of the temple. He literally just LIT UP so huge and got so excted to go there becasue it was "gods castle". I am going to have a really rough time leaving these investigators at the MTC. Yes, I did bawl like a baby after we left his lesson. I am so proud of Iwamoto san! I love him! I am determined to find the real Iwamoto san in Fukuoka and baptize him!

 

I just wanted to bear my testimony about how important it is to be exactly obedient. The people in my district that have tried to be as obedient as possible are the ones who not only teach with the spirit- they know the language. I don't want to boast when I say that me and my companion are in the top of our class in terms of Japanese. We have seen so many miracles together. Bush Shimai has the dilligence of a giant. (what does that even mean?) By being obedient and striving to have the spirit with us, and to contend without contention, we have been so blessed. Through praying for her in mighty prayer, I have been able to see heavenly father helping her so much. It is so cool!

 

Yesterday everybody got their travel plans except for me. I now have to stay in the MTC for another month until my visa comes in. It is okay becasue then I can have an opportunity to learn more of the language........JUST KIDDING! We all got our travel plans and are leaving Monday morning at six am sharp! Our 3 flights will take about 22 hours total. I am so excited!!

 

Okay, so now the coolest thing: In Jacob 5 (you know the one you always skip over) yeah, that one. We were told during our mission conference that the "other servant" the lord gets is Thomas S. Monson and the others he is admonished to gather is the missionaries when he made the Age change announcement! How cool? IM IN THE BOOK OF MORMON! (sorry, that is not me boasting, the inflection was one of humility and sobriety..)  :)

 

I am ready to go to Japan and be humbled severely when I don't actually know how to say anything! Wahoo! Seriously though, I can't wait!

 

OH MY GOSH.  okay this dosen't apply to anyone except michale van oyen. Sorry. So if he isn't reading this, I would love for somebody to tell him this news! So you know the Ekins that you always ask me about? There is this teacher in my building who I worked with a few times whose name is Ekins (i dont know if I am spelling that right). anyway- Because you literally don't let a day go by without asking me if I knew any Ekins that moved to utah that are Mormon, I had to ask him. gUESS WHAT! iTS HIM! I finally met the Ekins! He went to ridge meadows and lived in crown point estates! Small world. Hope you are doing well!!!

 

Oh yeah, saw my BFF Janice Kapp Perry again. She recognzed me. NBD.

 

Okay I've gotta go- we are going to the Temple in a few! yay!!!

 

Love you all!

 

Nelson Shimai

Sixteen Weeks and Counting!

Hello!! Another great week and only two to go!

 

Thanks to everybody who has emailed or writeen to me this past week- I will try to answer everybody when I can!

 

So I know that school is coming up soon/ this week? Good luck to everybody! You are smarter than you think!

 

I am so happy to hear about all of the new missionaries from the Rockwood 2 ward. I am so proud of everybody! If you have any doubt about weather this is the right thing to do or not... Read the book of Esther. Even the boys. Okay?

 

SO this week I had my first TRC skype!...ALL THE WAY FROM JAPAN! it was so cool. they really speak Japanese there! I am learning the right language haha. So the man we taught was a cutest sixty year old man who loves to play baseball and is on his wards team...and they have uniforms. And his number is number one! haha he was so cute. We taught him a lesson about how we can strengthen our families through the book of Mormon. Together, we searched for scriptures that explained gospel pricniples or life questions and then had a challenge to explain them in three sentances using the information from the scriptures. It was such a good testimony to me about how important it is to explain the gospel simply, and how poingiant (what? how do you spell that?) and peircing simple truths are. It was such a great experience to actually teach somebody in Japan. So I was feeling pretty great about myself and my Japanese abililties. So here is the kicker.. after we were done teaching him, the TRC skype man came up to us and was like " Oh yeah, hes an area seventy."

 

yes. I was sufficently humbled.

 

Anyways, its okay because maybe he did learn something from our lesson. But I am so greatful for his service and willingness to skype with new missionaires when he has like a billion other things to do.

 

Yesterday we were having a bit of a rough day with some new grammar principles. Our teacher took us up to the fifftybillionth floor of this one tall building and had us look at the mountians and the landscape. He said that each mountian is made differently and in a different size. God made our mountians that way for a reason. We shouldn't try to make all mountians the same and we shold love having different mountians to climb. But what really got me was how much closer up the mountian we were than from looking at them from the ground. God doesnt always move mountians, sometimes we just have to move ourselves. I have learned so much Japanese already- I can do this! And the Lord is with me wherever I go.

 

Our district has garnered the nick name of "The City of Enoch" becuse we are apparently all really Jozu (skilled) and focused or something. So I am really thankfull to be in a district with such hardworking and dedicated missionaries. I know that through being exactly obedient we can see miracles- or perhaps become the City of Enoch. So if you stop getting these emails...its probly cause I got translated.

I have such a strong testimony of how it is easier to follow the commandments 100 percent of the time than 98 percent of the time.

 

I know that this next school year is probably scary for some people. You might be anxious or just plain tired of school.  So I encourage everybody to ask for a fathers blessing or a priesthood blessing of some sort if you can because the Lord wants to bless YOU! All we have to do is ask. Also, take advantage of seminary- Seriously it helps you so much if you know your scripture mastery scriptures on your mission. Ganbatte kudesai! (do your best please!)

 

Also, always remember to be thankful. Sometimes I just say prayers of thanks. It really helps me to put things into perspective and realize how blessed I am.

 

Thanks for reading- Have a great week! I am thankful for you!

 

Love,

 

Nelson Shimai

I may not make it to heaven after all...

Konichiwa!

 

What a week!

 

So. First and most important I wanted to share something with the youth that was given to me when Sherri Dew came and talked to us for Relief society. Casual.

Anyway, she gives a list of four things to learn on a mission. I figured if I gave this to you before your mission you would rock the mission field. (This can apply to not youth peopple too!)

 

1. Who I am. Read D&C 138, Abraham 3. Look for verses that talk about Noble and Great ones. Pray and ask our Heavenly Father how he feels about you personally.

2. Deep understanding of who the Savior is. Look up scriptures about what Christ did and will do. This one has to be personal- use your resources for this one! I would tell you what I've found so far, but that wouldn't make it personal!

3. Learn to recieve revelation. Ask the lord what it sounds/feels/etc. like to us personally when the spirit speaks to us. Study how the spirit communicates with us in the scriptures. Try to find references/ verses that teach about the Language of God.

4. Learn about God's power. 1 Nephi 13:37. The doctrine of the priesthood is only known through revelation. Sherri Dew suggests we study different keys. (This week I had a reall personal experience with this one.)

 I got a Priesthood blessing from an elder in my district. I can testify that I know that the Lord wants to help us even when we don't feel like we deserve it. He knows us each PERSONALLY and knows what we need. I am so thankful to have had the priesthood in my life and for the direct direction it has given me.

 

Okay, so for some funny stuff. and by funny I mean I may not be able to show my face anywhere again. So we were teaching a lesson about the word of wisdom. Our investigator is addicted to gambling and we were talking about other things we could do instead of going to a casinio. So I was all "I love spending time with my home ward and doing fun activities together." But what I really said was "I love excommunicating church members!"..........

 

OH MY GOSH.

 

I think I hear the lightening coming.

 

Anyway, my investigator LITERALLY laughed for five minutes while I just tried to figure out what blasphemy I had said. Wonderful.

 

Later that day my companion told him that we weren't girls...

 

So. yes the Japanese is going swimmingly. (did you like that joke--I can't swim! haha)

 

This week during lunch one day we sat with some single senior sister missionaries! There are so many of them its awesome. They were so funny and cute. If I never get married I think I will just be a sister missionary for the rest of my life. the old ones get to do so much cool stuff like reccord restoration! I would also love to work in a visitors center.

 

I think the best part of the week was when me and Sister Bush got reccomended to be a part of "the first teaching expereience" for the new missionaries on Wednesday night. So basically what happens is we have a room set up to look like an investigators home. The missionaries come in and begin teaching a lessons/ doing "how to begin teaching" stuff (check pmg for more about that one) while about fifty new missionaries are watching. As the example missionaries, we just go in there like we are doing a real meeting with an investigator and pretend like the new missionaries arent there. It was so so cool and we just had to completley rely on the spirit. I realized that I am only the vessel, not the teacher at all as the spirit relayed to me and my companion what we needed to say. It was such a testimony builder and I was converted all over again. It was a rare opportunity and only like ten companionships are chosen each week out of three thousand ish missionaires. What? How did I get picked?

 

This week I found a new favorite scripture. Luke 21: 19 "In your Patience posess ye your souls." I love this scripture because it reminds me to turn away from myself and to seek to serve others.

 

Also, Alma ch. 7 v. 19- the end is such a great scripture and has some wonderful promises, blessings, and truth. This little gem popped into my mind to give to an investigator and it was EXACTLY what he needed. Good thing God knows exactly what people need, because I sure don't. I love being humbled! it makes me realize how not alone I really am and how much god loves me!

 

THis week we studied a lot of grammar. We are teaching a new investigator. plus we have begun teaching each other (we role play different investigators) so we have a really full teaching schedule. It is awesome to practice my Japanese in a "real" situation and makes me really utilize what I have been learing. It is really hard to be an investigator becuase they ask us to be people that we know.

ALso, the new Zone Leaders and Sister Training leaders are from our district! yay district 71 B!! (Seriously both companionships are divine. ....a little celestial humor there.)

 

I am getting SO excited to actually go to Japan! Three weeks! Ahhhhhh! I love hearing from Mitch and Tara through their emails- thanks for sending them!

 

ALSO GOOD NEWS! the provo temple is reopeing so we will get to go for the last two weeks here at the MTC! Blessings!

 

Hope everybody has a good last few weeks of summer! Love to all!

 

 

Nelson Shimai

 

PS. DLAM.