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