Dear Fam-
My head hurts. We went to the temple today and just barely got back. This will be short.
I just want to tell you one thing. I may have told you before about this. It was when I was in my first area with Sister Asai -- One day, we didn't have time to go outside and talk to people because we had a lot of other things going on. I feel pretty bad on days like that. I'm a missionary! I should need to talk to at least a few people every day. Anyway, we had to go drop something off at a member's house and before we left I said a prayer in my heart. I told Heavenly Father we didn't have time to talk to everyone we saw, but that if there was someone who was ready to hear the gospel, I would try to follow the Spirit and talk to them. We left the apartment and my companion was ahead. As we went along, I kept thinking: I can't talk to everyone, but I also can't talk to no one, I just need to talk to who the Spirit tells me to talk to.
As we rode I was watching all the people who were walking down the sidewalk. I saw a lady and thought to myself, "She looks kind of like my mom." She just looked really nice. I caught up to my companion and told her I wanted to go back and talk to the lady in the black shirt.
We turned around and went, and when we called out to her she said, "I have seen you two around here and I always want to talk to you but you always look so busy talking to everyone else!" We told her who we were and what we do, and she gave us her name, address, phone number, and e-mail address on the spot. She said she was busy for a few weeks because her dad had been operated on, but might be able to come to our English class.
We kept in contact with her after that and met a couple times but pretty soon I was transferred. Every once in a while I heard from other missionaries that she was taking the lessons and doing good. Today at the temple I found out she's getting baptized in two weeks. Even if she weren't getting baptized, meeting her was a miracle.
Yep. That's all. I sure to love you all.
-Waite Shimai
PS- Tell all the ward members thanks so much for all their cards and prayers.
PPS - I almost forgot: Mom, you asked me last week to tell a little about how I chose to go on a mission. Here goes: You called me on a Wednesday night and asked me to pray about it. I said no. You kept asking so I mentioned it in my prayer that night. The next day I couldn't stop thinking about it. I debated a LOT, and talked to you and Dad for a looong time. I didn't want to go, but didn't have a reason not to, and felt really strongly that even though the Lord was leaving it up to me, He also thought it might be a good idea. I kept thinking. Friday or Saturday morning I got up early and read my scriptures and read 1 Cor 2:9. When I read that, I knew that if I went on a mission the Lord would make it worth my time. So here I am. The end
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
January 9, 2012
Fam! Great to hear from you! Mom - I got your package this week: THANK YOU!!! Grandma's book is beautiful. I can't believe all the work that went in to that. Also- I love the calendar; the people sitting next to me in church will sing your praises for sending deodorant, and tell Aunt Chelsea thanks for the Christmas cards and money. It was neat to see the picture of all her kids - they have changed a lot. And thanks so much for the maple flavoring - we had french toast the next morning! I sure love Japanese food, and I used to not want to eat American food at all because I'm in JAPAN! But a couple weeks ago we went to a member's house and we had pizza, and wow, when I ate that I started remembering all sorts of my favorite foods that I hadn't had for almost a year. Ever since then, a couple times a week I just have to eat something that tastes like food I grew up with. It’s a good balance.
Oh wow Mom - this week's e-mail was great! I have just read it about three times and wish I could read it 3 more times! Tell Janes 'hi' for me. She seems like a pretty hilarious person. I'm excited to be able to have a conversation with her someday. And hearing about all of you doing the Feel great in 8 was perfect. I'm going to be smiling about that all week.
Yesterday after we left church we got a call and the guy who randomly showed up in sacrament meeting had showed up again. We hurried and went back to the church and had a lesson. We watched the Joseph Smith DVD and bore testimonies afterwards. As I bore my testimony I thought about a letter Cam wrote a long time ago about a lesson when he bore his testimony and really felt the Spirit because as he spoke he thought of all the ways that our family has been blessed by the gospel. Just thinking about that as I spoke made my words so much more meaningful.
This week we have had a lot more lessons that perhaps any other week of my mission. It was good but I have decided I really need to know how to better invite the Spirit. I guess I just realized that I would rather have one really powerful lesson than a dozen where we just fall into a routine and don't really think about what we are saying. I have learned from Cam's experience that he shared. I have realized that one of the best ways for me to really bear a powerful testimony is to think about specific things that have helped me gain a testimony about that thing while I speak. So if I'm testifying about tithing, I think about some specific times when I can remember paying tithing, and try to remember the feeling I felt at that time. It's something that helps a lot. I need to do it more and stop thinking so much about what might be going through people's minds as I talk. I always try to adapt things to people's needs and focus on things that I think will apply to them, but really, if I just make sure that my words invite the spirit, then no matter what I say it will apply to them.
A blessing of being a missionary is learning the power of testimony - and actually learning what a testimony is in the first place. The purest testimonies are the most honest ones. Something I want to focus on is making my testimony more pure.
Mom, I think a lot about you being in Young Women’s and teaching lessons all the time. Emma Jean Rider wrote me a letter and told all sorts of things about our family and all the things that she sees everyone involved in. I loved it. She said you are sure working hard in the Young Women’s. I love hearing about what you are thinking about as you prepare lessons. I will try to think of something you can tell the Young Women next week. (Also know – Emma Jean isn't the only one who reports to me about all of you - others from the ward also write. Our ward is great.)
Ok, gotta go. Attached are some pictures from various things we've done lately. (A lady dressed us up in Kimonos for church on New Years).
Love you! - Waite Shimai
Oh wow Mom - this week's e-mail was great! I have just read it about three times and wish I could read it 3 more times! Tell Janes 'hi' for me. She seems like a pretty hilarious person. I'm excited to be able to have a conversation with her someday. And hearing about all of you doing the Feel great in 8 was perfect. I'm going to be smiling about that all week.
Yesterday after we left church we got a call and the guy who randomly showed up in sacrament meeting had showed up again. We hurried and went back to the church and had a lesson. We watched the Joseph Smith DVD and bore testimonies afterwards. As I bore my testimony I thought about a letter Cam wrote a long time ago about a lesson when he bore his testimony and really felt the Spirit because as he spoke he thought of all the ways that our family has been blessed by the gospel. Just thinking about that as I spoke made my words so much more meaningful.
This week we have had a lot more lessons that perhaps any other week of my mission. It was good but I have decided I really need to know how to better invite the Spirit. I guess I just realized that I would rather have one really powerful lesson than a dozen where we just fall into a routine and don't really think about what we are saying. I have learned from Cam's experience that he shared. I have realized that one of the best ways for me to really bear a powerful testimony is to think about specific things that have helped me gain a testimony about that thing while I speak. So if I'm testifying about tithing, I think about some specific times when I can remember paying tithing, and try to remember the feeling I felt at that time. It's something that helps a lot. I need to do it more and stop thinking so much about what might be going through people's minds as I talk. I always try to adapt things to people's needs and focus on things that I think will apply to them, but really, if I just make sure that my words invite the spirit, then no matter what I say it will apply to them.
A blessing of being a missionary is learning the power of testimony - and actually learning what a testimony is in the first place. The purest testimonies are the most honest ones. Something I want to focus on is making my testimony more pure.
Mom, I think a lot about you being in Young Women’s and teaching lessons all the time. Emma Jean Rider wrote me a letter and told all sorts of things about our family and all the things that she sees everyone involved in. I loved it. She said you are sure working hard in the Young Women’s. I love hearing about what you are thinking about as you prepare lessons. I will try to think of something you can tell the Young Women next week. (Also know – Emma Jean isn't the only one who reports to me about all of you - others from the ward also write. Our ward is great.)
Ok, gotta go. Attached are some pictures from various things we've done lately. (A lady dressed us up in Kimonos for church on New Years).
Love you! - Waite Shimai
January 4, 2012
FAM!
I just got done reading 3 e-mails from you!!! Thanks Mom for forwarding those 2 from a while ago. It was so good to read them. And thanks for keeping me posted on everything going on at home. I don't know why, but it means a lot to know what people on the West Side are doing.
This week a guy showed up at church who no one knew. He had read a book by a Japanese member of our church and decided to at least come to our church once to see what we are all about. I don't think the book is a very doctrinally based thing, but I've heard of other people popping in to church meetings every once in a while because of it, so I guess the Lord can work with just about anything. Kind of fun. We had a lesson with the guy yesterday and have another one tomorrow.
Akutsu is almost done with lessons and it's time for us to start planning the actual baptism. We are teaching him the law of chastity tonight. Wahoo! Anyone else want to come? If you can, pray that he will be able to keep the word of wisdom, and gain a testimony of Joseph Smith.
Sase - the lady we met on the street - is also progressing. She isn't really the type to think deeply about things and mostly just likes having fun, but lately we have been reading the Book of Mormon every night with her and she understands a lot more than I thought she would.
There was a wedding reception yesterday at the church, but it was more like a wedding party/show almost. It's fun to see the differences between how members in Japan and America celebrate big events like that. It seems like in Japan the couple relies less on their extended family and more on their home ward for the reception.
My camera card is full of pictures so I'm sending it home next week. If it's too crazy to empty it out and send back, I can just buy another one here. Just let me know.
I'm so excited to hear that Jordan might be going to BYU-I nest year. If you can, send me her address and I will try and write to her. She's a neat girl - it would be fun to get to know her better.
One more thing - I've been praying this week that the Lord would help me by correcting my desires. I've seen answers to those prayers. Just know that the Lord gives abundantly when we ask righteously. Lesson learned.
I love you all so MUCH! Have a great week getting back into the swing of school and work! Oh and Dad, thanks for the play-by-play of the BYU Bowl game.
-Sister Waite
I just got done reading 3 e-mails from you!!! Thanks Mom for forwarding those 2 from a while ago. It was so good to read them. And thanks for keeping me posted on everything going on at home. I don't know why, but it means a lot to know what people on the West Side are doing.
This week a guy showed up at church who no one knew. He had read a book by a Japanese member of our church and decided to at least come to our church once to see what we are all about. I don't think the book is a very doctrinally based thing, but I've heard of other people popping in to church meetings every once in a while because of it, so I guess the Lord can work with just about anything. Kind of fun. We had a lesson with the guy yesterday and have another one tomorrow.
Akutsu is almost done with lessons and it's time for us to start planning the actual baptism. We are teaching him the law of chastity tonight. Wahoo! Anyone else want to come? If you can, pray that he will be able to keep the word of wisdom, and gain a testimony of Joseph Smith.
Sase - the lady we met on the street - is also progressing. She isn't really the type to think deeply about things and mostly just likes having fun, but lately we have been reading the Book of Mormon every night with her and she understands a lot more than I thought she would.
There was a wedding reception yesterday at the church, but it was more like a wedding party/show almost. It's fun to see the differences between how members in Japan and America celebrate big events like that. It seems like in Japan the couple relies less on their extended family and more on their home ward for the reception.
My camera card is full of pictures so I'm sending it home next week. If it's too crazy to empty it out and send back, I can just buy another one here. Just let me know.
I'm so excited to hear that Jordan might be going to BYU-I nest year. If you can, send me her address and I will try and write to her. She's a neat girl - it would be fun to get to know her better.
One more thing - I've been praying this week that the Lord would help me by correcting my desires. I've seen answers to those prayers. Just know that the Lord gives abundantly when we ask righteously. Lesson learned.
I love you all so MUCH! Have a great week getting back into the swing of school and work! Oh and Dad, thanks for the play-by-play of the BYU Bowl game.
-Sister Waite
December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas still to you because it's still Christmas there! It's probably about 10pm I'm guessing.Wow, it sure was great to talk to you this morning. I sure do love each and every one of you. The picture attached is one Kai Shimai took during our phone call. There's also one of us and a lady we met on the street and she invited us to her house (not a very Japanese thing to do...). And now I'm just putting on a bunch of other pictures that are from Kai Shimai's camera.
I got way too many Christmas cards to write everyone back, so please tell everyone you see, "Thank you"!
I got way too many Christmas cards to write everyone back, so please tell everyone you see, "Thank you"!
Well, have a great week. It was great to see you all. I love you.
-Waite Shimai
December 20, 2011
FAM!
Hooray! This week is it: Christmas! I'm pretty excited. We have a full week and have planned all sorts of Christmas lessons and things with investigators and members, and then to top it all off, I get to talk to you! I think it would be best if you called me on Christmas Day (your time) in the afternoon/evening. Any time between 3 pm - 6 pm. It will be Dec. 26th, 8 am - 11 am where I am (I think...) and we will just be studying. That actually works out great because we have a lot planned for Christmas Day, so doing it the day after will be perfect. And yes, we have a camera, so if you want to use that too we can. If my math concerning the time zones is off, the only way I'll know is if you e-mail Sister Hobbs in the Mission Office and have her call me.
Everyone - thank you for the Christmas tree! When I pulled it out of the envelope, Kai Shimai was absolutely astounded that you went to the trouble to make such a thing and send it. She sure is surprised at how much you have sent for Chrismas. I'm pretty sure the Christmas we are enjoying this year is bigger than any other Christmas she has had. That sounds like she's an orphan or something... but really Japanese people, even church members don't do Christmas very big. It's about the same as how we celebrate Easter. New Years is what they are excited about right now.
Last week Kai Shimai was asking me how we celebrate Christmas and I mentioned something about acting out the nativity scene and she hasn't let that drop since. She's never done it before and quizzed me all about exactly how it should be done. She's determined to do it this Christmas with a member family, and on Sunday we arranged it all. Christmas Eve we are going to a member-family's house and having dinner and doing the Christmas story with them.
And Mom, you should know that we have used the CD and Nativity you sent for various lessons the past 2 weeks. They have been enjoyed by many many people.
In the picture of the tree I'm holding a present (boots) that a member gave each of us last week. Pretty nice of her.
----
Later: Ok, we just went and did all our P-day stuff, had a lesson at a members' house and I took the nativity that Mom sent me. During the lesson the family's daughter's 2 friends (a brother and a sister) came in and started listening... they had never heard of why we have Christmas and were really interested in the story we were sharing. Then their mom came to get them and sat down and started listening. It was one of the neatest things to see a family share the gospel with their friends, and testifying of the Book of Mormon. Then the member mom brought out all this food and we had a little dinner party right there. It was so fun. The little kids had really been admiring the nativity, so I gave it to them.
Good day. Ok, gotta go. See you all Christmas afternoon!
-Waite Shimai
PS- Mom, I think what Duke said is true. All the time things happen like that. We work, and work, and don't seem to get anywhere, and then somehow we are able to teach someone we never could have found ourselves. (I want to write more but, I have to go...)
Hooray! This week is it: Christmas! I'm pretty excited. We have a full week and have planned all sorts of Christmas lessons and things with investigators and members, and then to top it all off, I get to talk to you! I think it would be best if you called me on Christmas Day (your time) in the afternoon/evening. Any time between 3 pm - 6 pm. It will be Dec. 26th, 8 am - 11 am where I am (I think...) and we will just be studying. That actually works out great because we have a lot planned for Christmas Day, so doing it the day after will be perfect. And yes, we have a camera, so if you want to use that too we can. If my math concerning the time zones is off, the only way I'll know is if you e-mail Sister Hobbs in the Mission Office and have her call me.
Everyone - thank you for the Christmas tree! When I pulled it out of the envelope, Kai Shimai was absolutely astounded that you went to the trouble to make such a thing and send it. She sure is surprised at how much you have sent for Chrismas. I'm pretty sure the Christmas we are enjoying this year is bigger than any other Christmas she has had. That sounds like she's an orphan or something... but really Japanese people, even church members don't do Christmas very big. It's about the same as how we celebrate Easter. New Years is what they are excited about right now.
Last week Kai Shimai was asking me how we celebrate Christmas and I mentioned something about acting out the nativity scene and she hasn't let that drop since. She's never done it before and quizzed me all about exactly how it should be done. She's determined to do it this Christmas with a member family, and on Sunday we arranged it all. Christmas Eve we are going to a member-family's house and having dinner and doing the Christmas story with them.
And Mom, you should know that we have used the CD and Nativity you sent for various lessons the past 2 weeks. They have been enjoyed by many many people.
In the picture of the tree I'm holding a present (boots) that a member gave each of us last week. Pretty nice of her.
----
Later: Ok, we just went and did all our P-day stuff, had a lesson at a members' house and I took the nativity that Mom sent me. During the lesson the family's daughter's 2 friends (a brother and a sister) came in and started listening... they had never heard of why we have Christmas and were really interested in the story we were sharing. Then their mom came to get them and sat down and started listening. It was one of the neatest things to see a family share the gospel with their friends, and testifying of the Book of Mormon. Then the member mom brought out all this food and we had a little dinner party right there. It was so fun. The little kids had really been admiring the nativity, so I gave it to them.
Good day. Ok, gotta go. See you all Christmas afternoon!
-Waite Shimai
PS- Mom, I think what Duke said is true. All the time things happen like that. We work, and work, and don't seem to get anywhere, and then somehow we are able to teach someone we never could have found ourselves. (I want to write more but, I have to go...)
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