Kamisugi Music Concert & Transfer Day!

(Picture of our Kamisugi Music Concert: We collaborated with the Kamisugi missionaries and ward members. My next companion, Morikoshi Shimai, is sitting next to me with the black shirt. The four sister missionaries wore "piano" ties...) This picture is after the Kamisugi Music Concert: From left to right, back: Fukunaga Mitsu san (our 83 year old investigator), me, Suzuki Akiko san (LA), Kikkuchi Shimai (ward member and angel--she helps the ward and missionaries so much!) front: Tomoe Shimai (recent convert), Yoneda Shimai

Dear Family,

I’m sorry, but this letter will be super short because tomorrow is transfer day and I had to pack/say goodbyes...

Tomorrow I transfer to Nagamachi, which is very close to Izumi. It’s the area where the Honbu (Mission office and home) is. My new companion will be Morikoshi Shimai. It will be her last transfer before she goes home. She served in Kamisugi for the past few transfers, so we’ll both be new to the area. She’s from Miyazaki, Japan, but her English is very good because she went to BYU Hawaii, where she was a piano and vocal major. We will have a great time playing together!

I’m sad to leave Izumi, my first area, where I’ve been for 5 ½ months. I’ve learned and experienced so much here and there are so many people I love! But I know it will be in good hands. Yoneda Shimai will stay here, and Kado Shimai will come.

P-day is in the next few days, so I’ll write you more on Monday. I love all of you!

Love,
Swain Shimai

P.S. Mom, I heard there’s no email in Nagamachi too...

P.P.S. This picture of me (with my new bangs-all Japanese people have them!) was taken inside Numakura san's house (our investigator who can't see. She wouldn't let us take a picture with her.

Ume Blossoms!

Dear family,

It’s been another great week. Mitsu san has a baptism date set for next month! She’s still a little nervous about it because she doesn’t think she knows enough, but she does! Her faith in God and Jesus Christ is strong, and that’s the #1 thing that matters! We had two wonderful lessons with her this past week, both joint with members-one in particular was full of the Spirit, where we reviewed the Plan of Salvation and testified of Jesus Christ. Truly Christ is the only way to return back to Heavenly Father. He’s the key person—our Friend, and Redeemer!

This past week we also went with a less active member, Sister Suzuki and some other ward members to see “ume”-a beautiful blossoming tree. It’s not quite time for Sakura (cherry blossoms), but it was neat to see the ume-the first of the Spring season!

This coming Saturday we’ll have a music concert put together by the missionaries in Kamisugi. I’m playing my violin and Yoneda Shimai and I are singing. It will be fun, and a good chance for people to come and feel the Spirit.

I love all of you so much! Take care!

Love,
Swain Shimai

(Yoneda Shimai with me in front of a blooming ume tree.)

Earthquakes & Janice Kapp Perry Concert in Sendai

Dear family,

It was pretty cold this past week, but some afternoons are starting to get warmer. I heard that at least by the start of April it stops snowing usually-good news! Saturday night and Sunday late afternoon we had two minor earthquakes. Don’t worry, they weren’t big enough to do any damage or even move anything out of place. They were just big enough to scare Yoneda Shimai and I a bit. We’re so grateful they weren’t any bigger and hope it means we won’t have any more for a while.

Last Friday, Yoneda Shimai and I went with 83 year old Mitsu san to the Janice Kapp Perry Concert in Sendai. The Perry couple both spoke and shared some experiences from their mission on the importance of music. Brother Irie, who is a Japanese singer and member of the church that Janice K. Perry collaborated with (he came to the MTC while I was there, sang for us, and shared his conversion story), sang some of the songs Sister Perry had written, and even Sister Perry sang some herself! It was a wonderful concert—Mitsu san felt the Spirit and was touched. That’s the power of good, uplifting music-the Spirit brings its message to the hearts of those who listen!

Mitsu san is doing well, and working toward baptism! It’s so wonderful to be a part of this work—especially to see the changes it brings to people’s lives, and realize that it was not us, but God that did it!

(Sister Missionaries-2 District P-day at the Park! Sendai Zone)I’m out of time today. We had a two district P-day today with investigators, recent converts and the other missionaries-ultimate Frisbee, freeze-tag, etc... I love all of you and pray for you each day!

Love,
Swain Shimai

Still Snowing!!!

Dear family,

In my last letter I wrote about how it was starting to warm up. This past week reminded us that it’s still winter! It snowed, then rained, then snowed again. The past two days we’ve gotten quite a bit of snow! I guess it’s not quite spring yet, but hopefully it will come soon!

It’s been another busy, but wonderful week. Yesterday we had Zone Conference. The focus was on our purpose as a missionary—to bring others unto Christ! It was wonderful, especially during testimony meeting when other missionaries talked about their experiences in fulfilling their purpose as a missionary, including seeing miracles. Truly this is the Lord’s work!

Mitsu san, our 83 year old investigator, is doing so well! She came to church for the 3rd time last Sunday, and she’s coming to the Janice Kapp Perry Concert with us this coming Friday (Janice Kapp Perry, the church musician, is coming to Sendai!). Mitsu san is friends with many of the ward members now—she’s practically like a member! We’re teaching her the missionary lessons. She believes in God and Jesus Christ and has so much faith!

Sorry the letter is short this week—but I’m doing well and love all of you so much! Take care!

Love,
Swain Shimai

(Picture of our Young Single Adult's Family Home Evening at Kanazawa Family's House)

Elder Choi Conference and Visits to Recent Converts

Dear family and friends,

I can’t believe it’s March already! Where does the time go? It rained (instead of snowed!) this past week, and we had a few warm days. It’s been so wonderful, compared to the freezing cold we had before!

It’s been a busy week with the Elder Choi Conference, President interviews, Mogi appointments with members, and visits to the recent converts.(pictures of Sister Tomoe & Brother Saito, recent converts & the Miura Family)

The Elder Choi conference was wonderful! He is Korean and in the Quorum of the Seventies. He gave the talk last conference in the Priesthood session about “I Love Loud Boys.” I was able to play an arrangement of “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer”, on my violin as a special musical number.

I learned so much from Elder Choi and his wife, Sister Koo! They taught us and counseled us to do so many things. Elder Choi talked about the power of music and told us to use it as a companionship—sing hymns before lessons, etc.! He also taught us about the importance of obedience, even when we don’t know the reason for it. We will realize it down the road when we see the blessings that have come from it! --“Today obey, tomorrow understand.”

Sister Koo talked about how the Lord gives us trials because He loves us and wants us to grow! She talked about how Joseph Smith was so young, 14 years old, when he experienced so much persecution and sorrow! Yet this was necessary, and part of God’s plan for Joseph. I felt this so strongly during her talk—that God loves us so much-always! I too, have had trials and sorrows, even since I begun my mission to Japan. But through it all, I have felt the love of God as He has helped me to overcome them. I testify that God loves us always—and that there’s nothing we can’t overcome if we trust in God!

I’m so grateful for the experiences of my mission—both the hard and good times. I love telling people about Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. Truly He is our Savior!

Love,
Swain Shimai

P.S. Mitsu san, our 83 year old investigator, came to church again this past Sunday and loved it! She’s doing well!

Still in Izumi!

Dear family,

Today I was able to use e-mail because I came to Kamisugi to practice a musical number for Zone Conference this Thursday--Elder Choi of the Quorum of the 70s is coming to speak to us!

Transfers were last Thursday, but I ended up staying in Izumi! I was so happy to stay here and be with Yoneda Shimai for another transfer.

We had a great Sunday yesterday-one of our investigators came with us to church, Mitsu san. She is an 83 yr. old obaachan-grandmother-but she looks and acts much younger! We think it's because she does volunteer work all day long-she tells stories to kids at schools. She loved church yesterday-the sacrament meeting theme was perfect for her-on service! She felt the Spirit strongly and cried during one of the talks! Mitsu san thought it was wonderful that all the members were friends, and were voluteers in their callings. We are excited to teach Mitsu san and soon invite her to be baptized!

Yesterday we went housing and found another grandmother, who told us, before we could say anything, that she had interest and wanted to learn about our church! I felt that the Lord had prepared her for us to come and teach her-we will visit her again this week and teach about this wonderful gospel!

I am doing well. It is starting to warm up a little! Thanks for all your love and prayers!

Love,
Swain Shimai

P.S. This picture is fried rice with a thin omelet on top that Yoneda Shimai made for me!

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