06/28/2015 E-mail: In Fukuoka now!

Hello! 

So first of all, I got transferred to Fukuoka, right by the mission home! It is so crazy and busy here and there are SO many people, I love it! We are in Fukuoka Ward, and about 200 plus come each week! It's a big change from my previous two branches with about 50 members. I love it though, because there is never a dull momemt here! My new companion is Stevenson Shimai! She is half Japanese and was born and raised in Tokyo. She went to high school in America though, so that's where she learned English. We mainly speak Japanese, so it is way nice! And she helps me a lot because her English is really good! She is so fun to be with! I am STL with Kawamura Shimai, who is in a different area. We are in charge of two zones of shimai, so we will be going on splits a lot! 

My second day here were were dendoing around this big park, Ohori Koen. We met Remi chan, a young college student. We were able to sit down with her right then and teach a 20 minute lesson about Jesus Christ and baptism. She said yes to the baptism invite, but sadly, she is just here traveling and returns to the Tokyo area this week. We will refer her to the other missionaries! It was so cool that we got to meet her though! haha The lesson we had was literally on a rock and we we hitting away mosquitos the whole time.

That's all for this week! I'm just getting used to big Fukuoka! Kaicho and Shimai leave tomorrow and the new President and his wife arrive on Wednesday. Mixed feelings for sure. Can't wait to meet them! 

Love you all!

Klein Shimai

06/28/2015 Pics

Saying goodbye to Mami, Kou & Ryou was so hard!

Saying goodbye to loved ones in Nagasaki

We went to a penguin aquarium - I was in heaven!  I love them!

Penguins!

Beach time with penguins

06/22/2015 E-Mail: 2 baptismal dates in 2 days!

Early on this week we had a two day mega miracle. On Monday, we had our second lesson with Yuki san. She is 18 and is studying to be a kindergarten teacher. Her hometown is Yamaguchi, but she is going to Nagasaki University right now. She is such a sweetheart and has such a strong desire to follow her Savior. We were able to make a baptismal date with her right then in the 2nd lesson for July 25th. She is so excited and has already talked to her parents about meeting with us.  She is beginning to recognize the Spirit as she reads the Book of Mormon and prays. We had another lesson with her yesterday, and our recent convert, Mari Shimai, was an amazing joint for her!

Then the next day, we had our first lesson with another kinjin that we found and we able to make a baptismal date with her, too! Her date is August 8th. Mirai is 19, has blue hair, and is the perfect example of someone who needs this gospel. Her parents are divorced and she has so much desire to change. And when she was in her hometown last summer she met the sister missionaries in Miyazaki and received a Book of Mormon from them. She said she thinks it is a miracle that we missionaries found her again. She is so excited for baptism. This week was so awesome, I've never been able to make 2 baptismal dates 2 days in a row. The Lord truly is hastening the work here in Nagasaki! I really don't want to transfer!!!

We went to Sasebo to junkai with the other STL Herrmann Shimai and her companion, Thompson Shimai. I went with Thompson Shimai.  We set some big goals and were actually able to meet all of them. The first person we talked to became a new investigator. It's so awesome to see the miracles that junkais bring! I learned a lot from her, especially the power of a smile and a heartfelt testimony!

So Yamamoto Shimai's son, Kou kun, will be baptized this Saturday! We are trying our best to finish all the lessons before then! I want to see him get baptized but I might transfer... He is so cute and is really smart; he answers all of our questions perfectly! 

Mari Shimai gave her first talk in Sacrament Meeting yesterday and it was really good!

My front tire got a puncture but the elders were able to fix it! They are always so willing to help!

From the scriptures this week, I was studying the Christlike attribute of charity. I read the definition in the Bible Dictionary and loved when it said `Charity is the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love.` That is such a powerful definition of the pure love of Christ. I've been working lately on showing more charity toward every single person that we talk to on the street and also showing more charity toward my Savior, Jesus Christ. I've noticed how much praying sincerely for charity every single day really does help you recognize the opportunites where you can serve and love others. 

I love my mission so much! This is the true Church and I know it! I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and the Spirit I am able to feel as I read it. 

Love you!

Klein Shimai

06/22/2015 Pics

Yuki San; we found her last week & her baptismal date is July 25th!  She is so cute!

This pizza place makes their deliveries in these super cute scooters!

We went to sushi roll with a member & they literally pulled every plate off the conveyor belt!  

China Town!

06/14/2015 E-mail: Sharing Scotcheroos & New Investigators to Teach!

Konnichiwa!

What a great week!

Well,  I guess it started kind of rough last Monday- it was pouring and my bike tire slipped on a metal grate on the ground and I totally ate it! Just a headache and a bunch of bruises, but I am okay now! Haha! My bike basket literally got crushed into a ball, but one of the elders fixed it for me! I guess two bike wrecks in 11 months isn't too bad, right?

So our investigator Koga san; we lost contact with her. We think she blocked our number and we just dropped by to visit, but she wasn't home. We left a note with our testimonies, so hopefully she will call us soon. We were bummed about that, but we made up for it by finding four super solid new investigators this week.  We decided to do college surveys by the streets around Nagasaki Daigaku. It was super effective and we were able to testify to so many people! We asked one girl if she could ask God any question what would it be and she answered how i can be happier in life. It was so perfect! We testified that this gospel has made us SO happy and that through baptism she too can become more happy and find purpose to her life. We asked her right then if we could teach her a`totsuzen lesson` and she said yes! We went to a nearby bench and taught about Jesus Christ and baptism. She said yes to the baptismal invite, and we are planning on using a calendar to set a date with her in our lesson today. It was such a huge kiseki! It really strengthened my testimony of not being afraid to ask people if they have time right then to have a lesson. I am so thankful that we had a really effective and spiritual personal and comp study that day, or else we wouldn't have had the Spirit to help us in that totsuzen lesson. We hadn't planned anything before the lesson, 'cause we obviously didn't know it was gonna happen, but the Spirit worked though us and Lowe Shimai and I knew exactly what to say. 

The next day, we returned to an apartment that we really felt strongly about. On the 3rd floor we found a new investigator, Mirai, who is studying Jesus Christ in school and basically set up her own appointment. Then on the 2nd floor, we found another new investigator, Hikari, who said he wants to get rid of all his guilt through baptism. He, as well, set up his own appointment. I am recognizing who the elect truly are!

Then last night, we had 10 min left. We were starving and could've returned home early, but decided to keep streeting past our apartment. We met Nozomi chan, who was happy to accept the Book of Mormon and who also chose her next appointment. It was such a testimony builder to me. ALWAYS WORK TILL 9. The Lord always blesses us for being diligent in our service to Him.  

So we had a super funny awkward moment in a lesson with Jenny, a Chinese investigator that we found last week. The lesson was really good, then at the end we explained prayer, said she could pray for anything, and then asked her to pray. In her prayer all she asked for was to find a boyfriend. Haha it was sooo hard not to laugh!!! Somehow we pulled it off though.. I guess we shouldn't have thought that was funny- she showed a lot of faith that God really would answer her prayer!

Oh, Mom and Dad, I took some of the scotcheroos to our English class and everybody loved them. Haha!  It was so funny to see a bunch of Japanese people eating scotcheroos! Thank you so much!

I read this scripture in personal study this week and I love it so much! We use it a lot when we teach investigators about prayer.  Alma 37:37.  ^aCounsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for ^bgood; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the ^cmorning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. 

Prayer is so important! It really is one of the daily vitamins that our Spirits need! I love how it says to counsel with the Lord in ALL our doings. He cares about everything. And how it says He will direct us for good. No matter what we are going through- trials, stress, anything, it is all for our good, whether or not we can see that right now. He is always directing us towards the Promised Land! I know that God knows us all individually and that He always has a greater plan in mind, a greater blessing in store. I know the Church is true! Love you all!

Klein Shimai

06/14/2015 Pics

we swept a park for a service project - the broom was literally a bunch of twigs!

We made bread!

06/08/2015 E-mail - Blessings continue!

Hello!

Well, this week was my last time seeing President and Sister Gustaffson. So sad! We had interviews and it was good to hear their testimonies one last time before they go home. They will still be here till next month, but we won't get a chance to see them again in person before that. They have truly helped our mission so much! In the interview, Kaicho told me the next time he will see me will be at my wedding reception.... haha what is that?! He has quite the sense of humor and we will miss him so much!

We had a great first lesson with Koga Yoko san, who is like our only strong investigator right now. She is the young mom with two kids. We taught them about God, Jesus Christ and baptism. When we prayed at the end of the lesson, she just started bawling and said she felt so much peace and comfort. Her father is in the hospital right now. We are so excited for our next lesson- we want to talk about the Plan of Salvation and how baptism is a step that gets us to the temple! Please pray for Koga san!

We passed Htun Htun Oo over to the elders; they said he is doing pretty well!

We got to go to Kurume for junkais again (splits).  I worked with Healey Shimai, a second transfer. She is so awesome and we saw lots of miracles as we focused on the temple when we would invite people to be baptized on the street. We've been trying as a mission to start with the end in mind!

We set a goal a few weeks back with Kinoshita Aiko Shimai, a less active/ recent convert to come to all 3 hours of church. She usually comes just to take the sacrament and then leaves. But she came to all 3 hours of church yesterday, and it was great to see her mingle with the members!

Yesterday, the 2nd counselor in our Branch Presidency got released and Mari's dad got called to be the new counselor! Their family is SO amazing!! Can't wait for their sealing in October! That is what it's all about- going to the temple to be sealed together as a family forever. What an amazing blessing the Lord has given us. This church is true and I absolutely love every day!

Thats about it for this week. Love you all! 

Love,

Klein Shimai