Still hot and humid and wet but so happy

This week was wonderful! Still hot and humid and wet but so happy! 

We went and proselyted with a YSA this week and today my companion and I are going to see Byodoin temple. It's the temple on the back of the ten yen coin here. And it's in our area. So stoked.

The highlight of my week was this:

 We have an investigator who is a less active. And she has wanted so badly to return to church and take the sacrament but hasn't known how. So she called us. She has a great fear of returning due to an incident with some of the members in our ward. And she's got just a billion other issues. Issues that me and my companion as 20 and 21 year old girls have a very hard time understanding. Haha especially in Japanese. But we've been helping her focus on the future, not the past. Helping her see and understand that Christ's Atonement took care of her fears and worries and that if she simply trusts that then she can return to full-activity. Helping her understand that Christ lives to make an intercession for us every day. And after much struggle she came to church yesterday for the first time in 15 years!!!!!!! She loved it and is excited to come every week. Seeing how Jesus Christ has not only changed my life, but how it is changing the lives of these beautiful people that I love so much is the greatest thing in this world. I wouldn't trade it for real beds, a dish washer, drier, or car or anything else in the world. There is no way I would give up a year and a half of my life to anything less than the only true church in the world. 

I love you all and hope that you all remember how much your Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ love you. Christ is there for us, if we let him, every step of the way. 

Happy a super duper week!

Love your Japanese friend,

Aulick Shimai

アウリック姉妹

We are the Lord's Greatest Masterpiece

こんにちわ皆さん！

Hello friends and family everywhere! It has been another beautiful, hot, wet week here in good old Joyo. But happy all the same. :)

Last preparation day we went sight seeing in this beautiful place called Fushimi Inari. Look it up on Google or something. It's way awesome. We went there with the Sister Training Leaders and we had a ball. :)

Also this last week was a Japanese holiday called Bon. Everyone has work off and legend has it that the dead come and visit their graves. So in celebration of Bon we went to a less-actives house for dinner and I got to watch FIREWORKS. ひさしぶりい I love fireworks. And I especially love them in Japan. 

This week was one full of trial, and of course the eminent error. But in the process I have learned to love my investigators and the people of Japan even more. Working so hard to help these beautiful people come unto Christ makes me love them even more. And because I love these people so much sharing the true gospel of Jesus Christ is a joy, pleasure, and a privilege. Even though I do get rejected on the regular, it sure doesn't deter my spirit. Because I know this church is true! And Heavenly Father wants these people to accept just as much as the people in America and Brazil. There is no reason to be discouraged. We have the Spirit and the Lord on our side. What is there to fear?

Our investigators that are progressing are progressing INCREDIBLY WELL. But we have been struggling to find new investigators. But something I am learning is sometimes the Lord uses us to build others, and sometimes he just gives us time to build ourselves. To test us to try us and see how much we truly do love Him. Along with learning to love these people so much this week I have learned to love my Heavenly Father. To thank Him in every trial, and every step of the way. Because I know He is with me and I know He loves me because He is allowing me this time to grow. I thank Him every day.

Let our motives be love. Let's all grow a love for the gospel, for our friends, family, and neighbors. And most importantly a love for our Heavenly Father who loves us so much. Because when love becomes the motive sharing the gospel isn't scary anymore. It becomes a joy. :)

Love you all and thank you for your support!

Love your Japanese Friend,

Aulick Shimai 

アウリック姉妹

TYPHOON

Experienced my first typhoon this week! Crazy winds and rain, it was super exciting! It got so bad that they even cancelled church yesterday. Which kind of stunk. I don't get to take the sacrament for another week..... :( But we are both safe and sound and there wasn't really that bad of damage at all. 

 

This week was a lot of self-reflection. A lot of humbling myself and realigning my will with the Lord's. So recently we haven't been finding new investigators or getting people to church. So I was counseled by one of my Zone Leaders to pray about why that wasn't happening. So I did and the answer was that we weren't talking to enough people. So we, as a companionship, decided that as we were going to visit less-actives and such we would stop anybody and everybody we saw, tell them who we are and what we do, and ask if they are interested in learning about God and/or Jesus Christ. Honestly most of them no. But this did not deter our spirits. We knew that people would listen to us as we followed the Holy Ghost. So we continued on in this manner. And it was my day to lead on the bikes and I saw this girl who looked about 15 or 16 and decided to stop her. So I did, started talking to her in Japanese, and she responded in beautiful perfect English. Both Kerr Shimai and I got super excited and after asking her if she's interested in learning about God or Jesus Christ she said that she already goes to church. When we asked her where she said, "The Latter-Day Saint church." We about dropped dead. Haha we then pointed to our badges and told her that we were missionaries. We had never seen this girl in our lives. Anyways after getting to know her a bit we find out that she's been living in Japan for about 3 years but hasn't been to church in awhile. Can we say LESS-ACTIVE?!?!?!?! Any who, after we got home we looked at the ward directory and didn't see her name anywhere. We then called the Young Women's President and asked if she knew her. She said she did and that she has been visiting a couple times but never been able to get a hold of her. But that she had been praying for her a lot lately. We then set up an appointment with her to go visit her this next week. Heavenly Father, through the Holy Ghost, guided us to this girl who we had no record of and who our Young Women's President had been earnestly praying for. 

 

As we humble ourselves and constantly strive to follow the Holy Ghost He will lead us to the lost. And He will answer prayers. Our Heavenly Father is very aware of each of our situations. I am so grateful He is aware of mine. :)

 

Love you and hope everyone has a good first day back at school!

 

Love your Japanese Friend,

Aulick Shimai

アウリック姉妹