An American investigator-Like, how do I even answer her questions in English?

Companions Messer & Jeffrery Shimais

February 8, 2015

Hey hey hey! 

It has been a great week! We are so spoiled in Okinawa! I can not tell you all of the American food I have eaten this last week! Is that a good thing? I don't know, but it is weird having that food again. 

We have seen a lot of miracles lately! We do this thing where when we plan for the next day at nights, we plan the specific person we want to meet. We be VERY specific, down to the hair style, color, the color of clothes, age, number of kids and everything. Then we pray that we will meet this person. All we want to do is meet this person, and make their image about the church a little bit better than before we met them. It has been way cool. We have met almost every specific person! For example on on Tuesday we met a young mom with two kids, a long sleeve shirt, wearing maroon and had a pony tail. It was SPOT ON! It was crazy! Then on Thursday we met a grandma with a cane, bent over with a hat with some lighter eyes. met her! We met a woman with curly, shoulder length hair with bangs, wearing red, and sweater and no glasses. met her! It is so weird! Those are just some of the examples, we meet prepared people everyday! It is super cool to see the Lords hand in our work! He wants us to see success! 

We had a cool lesson with a new investigator who guess what? Was American! So that was cool. It is so different teaching in English, with somebody who has a Christian background. Li

With Jefferey Shimai in front of the Shurijo Castle in Okinawa

ke how do I even answer her questions? But it is a lot of fun seeing the difference of my teaching style in English and Japanese. But we went on the base a LOT this week getting to know members and having them help us with Recent Converts and what not. It is fun seeing this different kind of missionary work. There have been SO MANY planes flying around! It is so stinking cool! There are these super fast little jet things and I love watching them fly around. Jeffery Shimai thinks I am weird. But they just fly around and keep me entertained.

We have also been teaching Minami. She is awesome, she has been meeting with missionaries for a little over a year and has been taught all of the lessons. She is waiting to receive an answer that this is the only true church. She has been praying to get her answer, and reading the Book of Mormon but has not received her answer yet, or so she thinks. But she is a lot of fun and she came to two of our sacrament meetings yesterday since her English is good enough to come to the Military branches as well. 

But we are having a lot of fun, it is COLD here compared to what the Okinawan's are used to! So they always think i am weird when I dont have a jacket on, but I am becoming accustomed to the "cold" and wear jackets sometimes. Welp I hope you have a fabulous week, I love and miss you all!!! 

愛しています！！

Messer Shimai 

Through Christ's atonement we can change in just one day!

February 15, 2015

Cox Shimai & Messer Shimai infront of Sakura Blossoms

What a crazy week in Okinawa. We did so much, yet so little at the same time. On Monday we went to the second largest aquarium in the world. It was SUPER cool! and SUPER big! We spent all day looking at all of the little fishies and we could have looked for even longer. It was right on the ocean, and when you watched the dolphin show outside it was on the edge of the ocean, and you could see a cute little island in the background. It was super cool. But guess whose camera died? Messer Shimai's! So that stinks, but we plan on going back sometime! We loaded up the big van the senior couple had, and all went as a district! We had to set up some folding chairs in the back of this van, and two elders just hung on. It was quite the sight. 

On Friday Elder Whiting of the 70, and his wife came and spoke to us. It was SO GOOD! He spoke a lot on desires, and how through Christ's atonement we can change in just one day! If we have that desire to change and become better, we can! It was amazing, he is definitely a man called of God! I love being spiritually uplifted!  We were exhausted by the end of it. But I was able to go home with some of the sisters in my zone for a companion exchange!  I went to Naha and worked with Sister Cox. And guess who her companion is? SISTER HIRATA, my old companion! So it was super fun being able to catch up with her and talk about old investigators and what not! My STL companion is Sister Kimura, and so our poor little companions had to go on exchanges as well. So pretty much the whole zone was on exchanges! But it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot from Sister Cox! She is a 5 transfer and was originally called to Ukraine until her mission was closed because of the war going on there or something crazy. I loved Naha, it reminded me a lot of my old areas so it was kind of like going home! That was on Valentines day, so I didn't even get to spend the day with my own beloved companion. But that night we were able to go out with Minimai and eat at an Indian restaurant. Happy Love Day! 

These things are all over Japan to keep evil spirits away!

Yesterday we had church for 10 hours because some of the wards were moved around due to a marathon on the island. I am almost at church as long as dad! But we are completely clean taking the sacrament three times! It's nice because if I forget to pray about anything, I have 2 other chances. 

I got the most glorious phone call on Valentines night. My old investigator, Fukuda san in Fujisaki was baptized!!!!!! The background story with him goes like this: when I was a new missionary in Fukuoka the STL's were in Fujisaki. They came on exchanges with me and told me about one of their investigators they were struggling with because he was an alcoholic. Fast forward one year when i transfer to Fujisaki one of these sisters is going home. We meet at the train station and she asks me to follow up with him. I tell her of course! I go to Fujisaki and the ward members, and my roommates all told me to avoid him because he was crazy. His record even said "best to stay away from this one" his phone number said "DO NOT ANSWER" when I looked up his number. We were riding bikes, and I felt like we needed to go to an apartment. The next week we decide to go visit Fukuda san, because I trusted this sister who had started teaching him, well he so happened to live at those apartments I felt like we should go to! Anyways, he says he doesn't want to study, until we run into him the next week on the street and he asks to meet with us. From then on he came to church and now he is baptized!! It is so fun being able to see the people you teach learn, grow and find the truth! I haven't been able to SEE a baptism on my mission, but I still love hearing about past people I have taught come unto Christ! 

The church is true, God loves you and is mindful of us all! Have a great week!
Messer Shimai 

I haven't seen anything with that much sugar in it since I left the MTC!

Hello everyone!

Well it was a good week in Okinawa. It is weird adjusting to to life with Americans, and warm weather. But it is a good life. We have a box of poptarts in our apartment, and 1. I havent seen anything with that much sugar in it since I left the MTC 2. there was a picture of some Justin Beiber look-alike on the box that I had never seen before. Austin Maloone, Malone, Maloon? How long have I been gone for? Why don't I know this pretty boy on my poptart box? Oh, and we got Cheerios and I read the back of my cereal box. That was a miracle for the day. 

But the work here is good. I am not going to lie, it is kind of slow but we have a lot of fun! We have been trying to find 1 Japanese and 1 American investigator in order to learn how to teach in both languages. Well guess what? We found an American investigator! We got a referral from the senior couple who heard there was a girl on base looking for a church to go to! She has been to a lot of other churches in the past, and wants to check out our church! So one of our fabulous ward members gave her a ride, she came to church and we have an appointment with her this Saturday! We are excited (and scared) to teach in English! 

Yesterday was stake conference for the WHOLE island of Okinawa for the Japaneses members, so we got to see all the missionaries on the whole island, even President and Sister Gustafson came! Scary! Long story short, with all three wards there, we were at the church for 10 hours. I think i am turning into dad! But it was good and a lot of fun but we were starving when we came home, we could barely bike the 10 minutes home! We love fast Sunday's, don't you feel like you are just getting so many more blessings? I love it. 

We had a super awkward lesson this week when we taught our cute investigator about honoring and obeying the law, and she revealed to us all of the criminal things she did as a teenager, we couldn't help but laugh because it was so funny. Oh teenagers are dumb. But it kind of ruined the whole 'Spiritual' aspect to the lesson! hahahahah But we love her and we are going to see a castle with her today.

YES I spoke to Nick Green! (A cousin from Vegas who is ward clerk in Pres. Finlayson’s branch) he is so cool!! he went in to give me a hug and I didnt know what to do! He hugged me, and I just stood there hahahahahah awkward missionary probs...But I met him and his wife and his three kids and he said he will invite us over for dinner some night, and I can send stuff from his address, or you can send stuff to him! He was way cool, we were trying to remember all of the Swapp family history stuff...rough stuff. We will have to brush up on that. We both know wandering home, and going on a lion hunt! hahaha 

Hope you have a fantastic week! love you!!

Messer Shimai