Not Transferred!

Dear family and friends,

Today was transfer announcement day (tomorrow the new transfer begins)...and I’m staying in Izumi with my companion, Yoneda Shimai! It will be my fourth transfer here in my first area, Izumi-and my third transfer with Yoneda Shimai. I love both Izumi and Yoneda Shimai and am grateful to be able to stay here for another transfer!! I can hardly believe I’ve been in Japan for four months already!

It’s been a wonderful past week and a half. We’ve had two Izumi ward sports taikai’s (activity)-one soccer and one volleyball–and went with investigators to both. The soccer taikai was intense-besides one other girl, Yoneda Shimai and I were the only girls-and Japanese people are so good at soccer! Yoneda Shimai and I were both pretty sore afterwards!

Last Wednesday we mogi’d (a practice lesson) with one of the recent converts, Yukina Shimai. She’s in her 20’s and the only member of the church in her family-but is planning to go on a mission in the next year! We studied the first lesson together and practiced teaching it with each other, switching who taught together. When I was teaching without my companion, Yoneda Shimai-I had to teach more and couldn’t fall back on Yoneda Shimai to help me. As I tried, I was able to teach a big part of it by myself! It may seem like a little thing, but I’m grateful for this small success that built my confidence in teaching in Japanese.

On Sunday we had a neat experience. Saturday night we both felt like we should contact a member’s referral-their neighbor who they wanted us to visit the next day (Sunday). We hadn’t been able to yet because they live far away, about an hour trip by bicycle, and mostly uphill. Yoneda Shimai and I were both still sore from the sports activities and tired, but we decided we’d go.

Sunday after church one of the ward members asked where we were going for the rest of the day. We told her how we were planning to go to Akenodaira. She and her husband (both return missionaries) offered to drive us there (and our bikes-so we could come back, mostly downhill)! This was an answer to our prayer, and it strengthened our faith that the Lord prepares a way for us to do what He wants us to do! 1 Nephi 3:7: “...the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” The member’s neighbor ended up not answering, but we were able to leave a note as well as visit some members in the area we’d never visited before.

I know that this is the Lord’s work! I’m grateful to be able to continue to serve in Izumi. I know that God loves each one of us. We are His children! I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, and I’m so grateful for His sacrifice for us.

Love,
Swain Shimai

February Zone Conference

Dear Family and friends,

Last week was so cold, it snowed every day! One of the ward members said this is the coldest winter they’ve had in 10 years! It’s been exciting learning how to maneuver my bike through/over snow, ice, and slush. Thankfully, it’s begun to warm up this week—I’m hoping this will continue!

Despite the cold, it was a wonderful week. We had zone conference yesterday. Instead of having them once a transfer, we changed them to once a month. It’s a lot of work for our leaders, but it’s wonderful to have training once a month! Yesterday we learned about finding those who we can teach. We talked about having the faith to find those who are ready for the message, as well as different ways to find. We practiced with ward members who volunteered to let us practice on them. I learned a lot! I think since I’ve come here, it’s been hard for me to be confident during finding because of the language. But yesterday I realized through the practice (mogi) that I still can be confident and contribute even if it is just with my smile!

This week we taught a lesson to Hirose san, 21 years old, who we found streeting a few weeks ago. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation. She’d gone to a Christian high school and had lots of questions for us. Because the gospel is perfect, we were able to answer each one of her questions with a gospel principle/scripture. She believed everything we taught. We’re excited to teach her again next week.

I’m learning so much through all the experiences I’m having. Not only are my missionary finding/teaching skills starting to get a little better, but I’m realizing the importance of loving and serving my companion as well. I know that this comes first, before I can love and serve the people! Yoneda Shimai and I have learned a lot with and from each other. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to serve!

Love,
Swain Shimai

A snowy day in Izumi!

Gospel is for everyone!

Dear loved ones,

Another week has flown by. This week we had our Izumi district conference. (See photo). The transfer ends in two weeks. I think I’ll probably be transferred because I’ve been in my first area for three transfers now! Izumi is so wonderful. I’ll be sad when the time comes to leave it. I especially love the ward members here!

The 89 year old grandfather I wrote about last week ended up not being able to come to the church and be taught. His daughter (who we didn’t know he had) was very opposed when she heard he’d talked to us, so he felt like he couldn’t meet with us. We’ll pray he’ll get another chance to hear the gospel!

This week we met some Vietnamese people working here in Japan for a year and a half-with their limited Japanese we were able to let them know who we are, and about our message. Two of them are leaving to go back to Vietnam in a few days, but we were able to get their addresses to send a Vietnamese Book of Mormon to them. We will visit the one remaining Vietnamese person and give him the Vietnamese Book of Mormon we order. It’s so neat that the gospel is for everyone, and the Book of Mormon has been translated into so many languages so that everyone can hear the gospel in their own tongue and language!

Yesterday I spoke in Sacrament Meeting on eternal families. My talk was short and my Japanese was simple, but I’m so grateful for how far I’ve come with the language! I was able to express my thoughts without having to write them down in Japanese beforehand. I still have a long ways to go, but am grateful for how far I’ve come!

I love all of you so much! Thanks for your love and prayers!

Love,
Swain Shimai

P.S. It’s still cold, but some days are starting to get warmer! After "housing" (tracting) for thirty minutes, we came back to our bikes and found this ice and snow!

"Missionary Splits"

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s been a wonderful, and busy week in Izumi. Last Monday morning we got a call from our zone leaders, who said we were going to have a split with the Kamisugi sisters—where we trade companions for the day! The elders go on “splits” with the district leader every transfer, but the sisters don’t usually get to do them. The Kamisugi shimaitachi (sisters) came to Izumi Friday, and stayed until Saturday. It was a lot of work to prepare for but well worth it! I was able to teach a mogi lesson and go housing both with Kouzawa Shimai and Morikoshi Shimai (both from Japan). I learned a lot from their different approaches, as well as how I can improve my teaching and finding!

The split was just what Yoneda Shimai and I needed! In the 24 hours altogether we found 11 potential investigators, which is a lot! I think that most of all our faith was strengthened-that there are people here willing to hear the gospel.

This past week especially, I’ve had opportunities to open my mouth and share my testimony-with members, less actives, and non-members alike! I still can’t say a lot of things in Japanese, but I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to bear my testimony and to feel the Spirit confirm what I am saying. During the spiritual thought at the end of our Eikaiwa (English) class on Saturday we taught about prophets. I was able to talk about how we have a prophet today, like Moses of old. I felt the Spirit strongly as I bore witness of it. How wonderful it is that we have a prophet, and how important it is to follow His teachings!

Yesterday night Yoneda Shimai and I felt like we should change our plans and go to a different area to deliver a “Families Can Be Forever” video to one of our investigators. She wasn’t home, but at the nearby place we housed at, we met an 89 year old grandfather who looked and seemed like he was in his 70’s! He told us how he had seen gygiene (foreign) missionaries before but hadn’t had the chance to talk to them. He lives by himself- his wife and only child had passed away; he told us how lonely he is sometimes! We testified of the atonement, and how our knowledge of and faith in Jesus Christ has helped us through our hard times. Murakami san, before we could ask him if he wanted to learn more, asked us if we had a pamphlet about it, where the church was, and if he could learn more about it! We have an appointment with him tomorrow at the church, where we’ll teach him Lesson 2, the Plan of Salvation, with the Izumi elders. We’re excited to teach him about how he can be with his deceased family again and forever. This is God’s merciful plan to His children!

Thanks everyone for your love, support and prayers. I love all of you so much!

Love,
Swain Shimai

Birthday party for recent convert, Brother Onodera

Zone Conference!

Dear Family and Friends,

I was happy to get your letters and hear about the wonderful Christmas break you had! Sounds like it was very busy, but fun! I’m sad I missed out, but am grateful to be serving the Lord.

Another week has flown by. Zone Conference was wonderful, full of other missionary’s testimonies and inspired counsel from our mission president, zone leaders, and AP’s. Last year the Sendai mission saw 84 baptisms, and this year we will follow former President Hinckley’s counsel (and our mission president’s) to double them! Our goal as a mission is 180 baptisms this year. We’ll do all in our power to meet this goal.

At zone conference we had wonderful training to become more effective missionaries. The Sendai Mission is the best. (This picture is of me and Hansen Shimai--we are both missionaries serving from Las Vegas!)

I had a wonderful experience this week while teach Sato San for the last time before she goes to China for two months. Yoneda Shimai and I tried to encourage her to bring her Book of Mormon with her so she could read from it and continue to progress—but her mother is “hantai”-opposed to the church, so she can’t. Knowing that perhaps it was my last time teaching her, I said a prayer in my heart, so that I could feel God’s love for her and know what to say. At that moment, I felt God’s great love for her, and opened my mouth. The Spirit guided me to say what I otherwise wouldn’t have. I told her how God knew her situation and had seen her efforts to learn about the gospel—and would bless her for it, even if she can’t read the Book of Mormon for two months! How grateful I am for this experience. Perhaps the Lord sent me here to Izumi so that I could help her!! Her baptism is still a ways away, but I’m so glad I could be a part of the process!

The Lord has blessed me here! I’m learning more of the language and am becoming able to understand more. I still have a ways to go, but I’m grateful for the long way I’ve come already.

This is the Lord’s church! I love all of you so much!

Love,
Swain Shimai

Finding Investigators...

It’s just been a few days since I last wrote! Izumi is still the best area in Sendai. Since last Wednesday Yoneda Shimai and I had interviews with President Tateoka, who is so wonderful and reminds me of you dad. We also taught one of our investigators, Sato San, a few days in a row. She wants to be baptized, but has a smoking problem that’s keeping her from it. But, she is diligently studying the scriptures and exercising pure faith. She’s an example to us all!

Yoneda Shimai and I have really been trying to find more investigators. On Saturday we knocked on many doors—the last one became an investigator! She’s studying about Christianity in college and had so much interest in what we had to say. She eagerly accepted the Book of Mormon and said she would read it. The Lord is merciful to his missionaries! There are many among us who are looking for the truth, but know not where to find it.

Today the Izumi Ward had a New Year’s Party (it was a day off of school and work). I love this ward and the members who are so wonderful!

I’m sorry this letter is short! I’m out of time today! I love all of you so much! I also love being a missionary. The gospel is true and the Lord loves each of us soo much!

Love,

Swain Shimai

Happy New Year!

Dear Family,

Today was transfer announcement day and I wasn’t transferred! I’m happy to say that I will stay here in Izumi with Yoneda Shimai!

It has gotten super cold—sometimes it snows and sticks to the ground for a day or 2, but the worst is the wind! Yesterday it was hard to ride our bikes through the wind…

Besides the cold weather Izumi is wonderful. New Year’s Eve/day is a big deal in Japan! We had dinner on New Year’s day with our ward mission leader’s family, and a very traditional New Year’s meal the next day at another member’ s house. I don’t know the names of everything I tried- but among them were raw octopus, and ozoni (a soy bean based food that is hard to explain). I think I’m starting to turn Japanese—I don’t mind so much the raw things we eat anymore.

Recently I’ve especially been grateful for the kindness of the ward members, and of their examples! They invite us to their houses for dinner, while they still are living their own busy lives. When we went to our ward mission leader’s house and I watched him help take care of his children, I was reminded of what truly matters- love! While the rest of the world did not notice patience and act of love towards his rowdy kids, I was touched. It reminded me of our Father in Heaven’s perfect love for each of us, His children!

On Sunday, we accidentally walked in on a visiting teaching lesson with recent convert Miura Shimai (grandmother) and her visiting teachers. Miura Shimai was the one I wrote about before who really wanted to go to the temple to do her parent’s work, but didn’t have the means to go. We found out that she’d already been one time with her visiting teacher, and her visiting teacher will help her to get her parent’s names ready and go with her to the temple again! What wonderful examples…this is why we have visiting teaching!

Lately, we’ve had lots of opportunities to share the Joseph Smith experience with members while mogying (practicing teaching), and to investigators. It’s amazing how strongly the Spirit can be felt while testifying of Joseph Smith’s first vision! Each time I relate the vision and bear testimony, it strengthens my own testimony of it. How grateful I am that Joseph Smith had a question, decided to ask God which church was true, and after seeing God and Christ, restored God’s true church once again on the earth! How wonderful it is that the heavens are not closed-–we have a living prophet today, just like Abraham and Moses of old! How important it is to listen to and follow their teachings and guidance.

Since we began the new year, I’ve thought about what 2009 was for me. It was filled with many challenges, including trying to heal my hand injury and give a recital—to coming to Japan, a whole new culture, and trying to adapt to it and learn how to speak the language and communicate with these people! While there were many challenges (and still are as I try to learn the language and be a good missionary), I’m grateful for these experiences and what I’ve learned from them. I’ve learned to trust in the Lord because I could not do it on my own. I had no other choice but to trust in Him, and He pulled me through every time! I’m grateful for His love for me and the comfort I’ve felt as I’ve sought the Lord in prayer. There isn’t anything He can’t help us with! Matt. 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

How grateful I am for the Savior. He is the way, the truth, and the light! It’s my prayer that we will all draw nearer to Him in 2010.

I love all of you so much!

Love,
Swain Shimai

Sister Danielle Swain