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