Minami san became Minami Shimai!!

Well it happened!!

Sister Salmon, Minami!, Sister Messer

Easter Sunrise service at Okinawa Beach

Cool Coral Reef

Messer Shimai at the beach

Seventeen months, and five days later I got my first baptism!!! Minami san became Minami Shimai!! It was a great service! We were able to do a joint baptismal service with one of the Elders investigators as well! The ward members were really excited, and it went amazing!! I gave the "introduction" of Minami and while I was speaking a less active we have been meeting with showed up!! He used to be part of the Mafia, and has a lot of guilt, so he hates coming to church, but he showed up to the baptism and we were so excited!!! We love Brother Ota! But minami was so cute, she was so scared to be baptized, that she forgot to clothes her eyes when she went underwater!! She came up with this awful look on her face, and I was like, "OH NO! What happened?" as I wrapped a towel around her and she just said, "I forgot to close my eyes" hahah but she said it was really cool to be able to watch everything happened! Then she was SO excited to be confirmed on Sunday! She kept saying in English, "I am excited to receive the baptism of fire" So we love Minami Shimai, and it was amazing to see her be baptized! And guess what? i still feel like the same missionary! One thing I have learned on my mission is that we are all just on one big team. We are all trying to carry on the Lord's work. I have found people who were baptized right after I left, I have taught and found former investigators that were baptized. And here is Minami, who was found 2 years ago by one of my all time favorite missionaries, Sister Hawkins, who I lived with for 6 months, and yet I got to see her baptism! This is all the Lord's work and he prepares people in His own time!

Rea chan (the 7 year old) is doing great. We committed her to live the law of chastity. She's doing good so far..

Emiri is still progressing, but still has that desire to be baptized in October in Hawaii. Who knows? i might have to make a trip down there in a couple months. 

We also started teaching an AMAZING girl named Kelyn. She is a referral from a a member. She has hit rock bottom in her life and is prepared out of the wazoo. She lives here with her son, but her husband is stationed somewhere else. She was deployed to Korea for just a week, and we have another lesson with her when she comes back. We are super excited to continue teaching her, and hope that her husband (Southern Baptist) will allow her to progress. 

This Easter we were able to go to a Easter Sunrise Service on the beach!! It was really cool. It was all faiths coming together to sings, and read scripture together. It was really cool!!! It was right on the ocean! Then people got baptized, right there, they just lined up and said "THIS IS NOT FOR YOUR SALVATION!" we kind of whispered "but if you want it for your salvation, we have some elders here.." haha just kidding, it was a really cool experience. Then The Finlayson's fed us dinner, and it was the most delicious dinner! It was amazing!

We went to the beach today, and the tide went out, and we were able to walk, and go explore caves. and guess who got sunburned? MESSER SHIMAI!! yay! I love Okinawa!! It is SO GORGEOUS! You all need to come see it! I would explain all of the cool things I saw today, but it wouldn't even compare to what I saw! I even saw an octopus! 

Oh, and I am staying in Okinawa with Sister Salmon for my last transfer!!!! :) yay! Have a miracle filled week!! Love you!!

Messer Shimai