Hello my beautiful people. Here goes another week...

Biking in the cold and knocking on doors is truly the missionary dream! I love it so much and I love sharing the happiest message in the world!

So a highlight of this week is we committed one of our investigators to be baptized! She has crazy amounts of faith because she can't remember much of anything we teach her but she knows what she feels when shes with us and she wants to receive eternal life and so she's getting baptized! We have also begun to teach her husband which is awesome! He's funny and interesting. He likes to laugh at me and my Japanese but it's all good. Still love him as a brother of God. 

This week was pretty normal. Nothing too exciting happened. But here is actually a funny story. So we were tracting at this apartment complex. Now Japanese style tracting is different then normal. First you ring the door bell and then you speak to the person through an intercom system thingy. We pretty much never get invited in. So we knocked on this door and after we said who we were he immediately invited us in. And so we were really surprised because that's extremely uncommon. So we came in and he asked us if we were the help and we said no we were missionaries. And he clearly didn't hear us because he was very old. And we finally were able to communicate with him who we are and so then he yelled at us and asked us what we were doing in there. Hahahaha so we quickly left and afterwards just busted out laughing. I mean he invited us in! Haha I love old Japanese people. 

I love this gospel and I love being a missionary. I hope everyone is staying happy and healthy. Thank you for all of your love and support. I am truly blessed with many wonderful beautiful people in my life.

By the way this week marks my 3rd month on my mission. WHAAAAAA

With all of my love,

Aulick Shimai

P.S. Sorry I'm so bad at writing letters

P.P.S. Sorry I'm so bad at telling stories...

Helloooo every one! This week was full of miracles! It was so awesome. And then it snowed a little bit here yesterday but just some flurries. Nothing stuck. 

So miracles! Here we go...

Actually I don't have a ton of time so here's my favorite miracle that happened this week.

So we got a referral from the Mission Office a couple of weeks ago and have been trying to find this girl who had lived in America as a transfer student. The family she lived with was Mormon and they wanted us to give her a Book of Mormon. She is a 40 minute bike ride away and we had been looking for her for like almost every day with returning having not found her. So we were on our way to find her again and I was just praying to Heavenly Father, asking Him that if our faith and patience had been tested enough to please help us find her. So we took out the GPS once again and did something a little different to put in her address, AND WE FOUND HER. We didn't get to speak to her because she wasn't home but we found out where she lives! It was so wonderful! The Lord truly blesses those who have unwavering faith in Him!

I'm understanding a little bit more every day. It's hard but I'm continually trying. 

Something funny about Japan is there are stray cats EVERYWHERE. And almost everyone has a pet dog. And if they have a dog they always dress it up in doggy clothes. Hahahahaha super funny. 

The food here is amazing. I have had bamboo and sushi and fish eggs (ew) and I love the experience. 

The Lord knows everything. All He asks is to trust in Him. This week, let's all trust in the Lord a little more. Let's have the faith that no matter what we're going through it is for our good and He has something for us to learn. Your Heavenly Father loves you! And so do I!

Ai shiteimasu!

Aulick Shimai

On Mon, Jan 6, 2014 at 1:32 PM, Lauren Aulick <lauren.aulick@myldsmail.net> wrote:

I love being a missionary!!! Japan is beautiful! I am serving in Mikunigaoka (mee-koo-nee-gah-oh-kah) it is a pretty big city. It would be about the same as if I were serving in Olathe. But its better because Im in JAPAN. Ok Im going to do my best to answer questions and then I will tell you about my week.

1st off my trainer is Sister Griffin and she is WONDERFUL. She is seriously the best. She is the best companion I could have right now. I truly feel that after my last companion the Lord is saying, "thanks for being so patient with your last companion, here is an easy one." Ahh its such a relief. My mission president is not a native, he is from California. Its super cold here all of the time. I have on at least 4 layers at all times. Theres not really any central heating in any of the buildings here they just have heaters for each room and its SUPER expensive to use heat and electricity and water so you walk into a cold room every day. In our apartment the only time we turn on the heater is when we say our personal prayers at night. And then when those are done we turn them off. But Ive got super great blankets that always keep me warm. Oh! And we sleep on futons! Which are THE BEST. Its just a few thin mattresses on the ground. I sleep like a baby. They do use the metric system. 

I dont really understand anything anybody says to me. And I cant really read anything either because mostly everything is in kanji but its great! Im learning so many things every day. 

I seriously love Japan. Every body here rides their bikes but my trainer and I are the only people who wear helmets. Plus I am a gaijin (foreigner) so I get a lot of stares and double takes every day. I havent seen any other Americans here. So I look really strange to everybody. My trainers mom is half Japanese and she took 3 semesters worth of Japanese at BYU so she does really well as far as speaking goes and everything. She is super awesome. This is her 5th transfer and so shes already 1/3 of the way done with her mission. 

Thank you so much for the Christmas pictures! Every one looks so happy and it sounds like Christmas was a blast. MADIE YOUR HAIR IS SO LONG. Girl you crazy. 

The members of the Mikunigaoka ward are awesome! They are so happy and so willing to help with anything and everything! They love to give us food. Ive already had 2 dinner appointments with members (which apparently is super rare) and I LOVE JAPANESE FOOD. In fact, at my first dinner appointment they had bought a Costco turkey. Oh by the way, they have Costco here! I havent seen it yet but weve been given several items of food from there. Anyways back to the Costco turkey. So they had the turkey but they didnt know how to cut it because this was their first time eating turkey EVER and the instructions were in english so they asked me if I could cut it. AND SO I DID. Theres a picture. And I cut that turkey like it was my job. So much fun. Missionary work is so much fun! I love going street contacting because I get to practice my Japanese and talk to all of my brothers and sisters! We get turned down a lot but all is well! 

We have a baptism with one of our investigators M_chan (Im not supposed to give out names because its a huge problem here with people getting harassed who are investigating the church.) next Sunday. I cant wait! Shes super awesome and so are all of our investigators. I love them all so much.

I love the people of Japan and I love being a missionary! There are a lot of trials but the simple little joys far outweigh the trials. This work is true and the Lord loves each and every one of you! Open your mouth and let people know that there is a God. And He loves us!

Ai shiteimasu!

Aulick Shimai

On Mon, Jan 6, 2014 at 1:32 PM, Lauren Aulick <lauren.aulick@myldsmail.net> wrote:

I love being a missionary!!! Japan is beautiful! I am serving in Mikunigaoka (mee-koo-nee-gah-oh-kah) it is a pretty big city. It would be about the same as if I were serving in Olathe. But its better because Im in JAPAN. Ok Im going to do my best to answer questions and then I will tell you about my week.

1st off my trainer is Sister Griffin and she is WONDERFUL. She is seriously the best. She is the best companion I could have right now. I truly feel that after my last companion the Lord is saying, "thanks for being so patient with your last companion, here is an easy one." Ahh its such a relief. My mission president is not a native, he is from California. Its super cold here all of the time. I have on at least 4 layers at all times. Theres not really any central heating in any of the buildings here they just have heaters for each room and its SUPER expensive to use heat and electricity and water so you walk into a cold room every day. In our apartment the only time we turn on the heater is when we say our personal prayers at night. And then when those are done we turn them off. But Ive got super great blankets that always keep me warm. Oh! And we sleep on futons! Which are THE BEST. Its just a few thin mattresses on the ground. I sleep like a baby. They do use the metric system. 

I dont really understand anything anybody says to me. And I cant really read anything either because mostly everything is in kanji but its great! Im learning so many things every day. 

I seriously love Japan. Every body here rides their bikes but my trainer and I are the only people who wear helmets. Plus I am a gaijin (foreigner) so I get a lot of stares and double takes every day. I havent seen any other Americans here. So I look really strange to everybody. My trainers mom is half Japanese and she took 3 semesters worth of Japanese at BYU so she does really well as far as speaking goes and everything. She is super awesome. This is her 5th transfer and so shes already 1/3 of the way done with her mission. 

Thank you so much for the Christmas pictures! Every one looks so happy and it sounds like Christmas was a blast. MADIE YOUR HAIR IS SO LONG. Girl you crazy. 

The members of the Mikunigaoka ward are awesome! They are so happy and so willing to help with anything and everything! They love to give us food. Ive already had 2 dinner appointments with members (which apparently is super rare) and I LOVE JAPANESE FOOD. In fact, at my first dinner appointment they had bought a Costco turkey. Oh by the way, they have Costco here! I havent seen it yet but weve been given several items of food from there. Anyways back to the Costco turkey. So they had the turkey but they didnt know how to cut it because this was their first time eating turkey EVER and the instructions were in english so they asked me if I could cut it. AND SO I DID. Theres a picture. And I cut that turkey like it was my job. So much fun. Missionary work is so much fun! I love going street contacting because I get to practice my Japanese and talk to all of my brothers and sisters! We get turned down a lot but all is well! 

We have a baptism with one of our investigators M_chan (Im not supposed to give out names because its a huge problem here with people getting harassed who are investigating the church.) next Sunday. I cant wait! Shes super awesome and so are all of our investigators. I love them all so much.

I love the people of Japan and I love being a missionary! There are a lot of trials but the simple little joys far outweigh the trials. This work is true and the Lord loves each and every one of you! Open your mouth and let people know that there is a God. And He loves us!

Ai shiteimasu!

Aulick Shimai