First off, CONGRATS MARISSA. Your wedding looks like it was awesome! Love you and have fun on the honeymoon!

Also on the 30th of this week will mark my 1/2 way mark on the mission. I hear it's just downhill from here and it only goes faster. It's crazy how fast it's all gone thus far. I'm stoked for the next 9 months!

In other news, both Kerr Shimai and I are staying in Joyo! I will have been here for 4 transfers and will see summer through in one of the hottest parts in the mission. Drink lots of water everyone. 

Also a member of the bishopric calls me Sunday morning and asked me to speak in sacrament meeting that day. I said sure and was grateful I learned the importance of keeping and recycling talks from my dad. Thanks dad for being a high councilor for who knows how many years. I used a talk I gave in my first area and it went great. 

This week was awesome! We found 2 new investigators and taught 4 lessons this week! I love the way the work continues to progress and hasten here in Joyo! We went and visited one of our less-actives last night and were just planning to check up on her. See how she was doing. But what we thought was going to only be like a 20 minute meeting or so turned into an hour and a half talk about what she was struggling with. I was able to hold her hands, look into her tear stained eyes and testify about how God is her Heavenly Father and how she is His daughter. It was awesome and I don't know if I've ever felt the Holy Ghost work through more powerfully than last night. 

I know if we open our mouths and testify of the simple things we do know Heavenly Father will give us the words through the Holy Ghost that our brothers and sisters need to hear. 

Keep loving and living life everyone. Never forget who you are! Beloved sons and daughters of a king!

Love your Japanese friend,

Aulick Shimai 

アウリック姉妹

That's right everyone it's ocean day!

That's right everyone it's ocean day! So go put on your swimsuit and hug your nearest ocean!

This week we met an 87 year old man who was still as genki as ever and still riding his bike to get places. I wasn't kidding when I said that everyone and anyone can get around here by using their bike. I love the old kooks here. 

Also the Gion Matsuri was so much fun! I will send pictures.

I feel like I don't talk about my investigators very much, sorry. We have an investigator with a baptismal date in a couple of weeks but with the amount of effort she's putting in we're not sure if she'll make it or not. And another less-active investigator who is supposed to be fully active by the end of August. And if we don't start meeting with her she probably won't make it either. BUT we are praying like crazy and riding our bikes like crazy and doing everything we can to help these people. But a pleasant surprise was that one of our investigators that hasn't really been progressing that well because of some panic issues and mental health problems and such is all of a sudden progressing incredibly well this past week! And all because of the Book of Mormon. I'm telling you, that book is magic. I love it so much.  

So we got to teach 2 lessons this week! Yay for improvement! My learning tid bit for the week is that attitude is everything. Honestly our numbers haven't really changed that much. And nothing has changed a whole lot but I learned this week to not ask Heavenly Father to change my circumstances but instead to change me in my circumstances. AND I AM SO HAPPY. The amount of patience and love that Heavenly Father has given me this week is unreal and so undeserved. But I have been making sure to thank Him every step of the way. 

If there is something about your life right now that you don't like, then change it. And if you can't change it, then change your attitude. 

Love you all and hope your week is full of happy smiles and rainbows!

Love your Japanese Friend,

Aulick Shimai 

アウリック姉妹

Where It All Began

I totally forgot but a couple weeks ago marked the year mark when I received my call. So crazy how time flies. I remember when I got it and always thinking that something bad would happen to where I wouldn't be able to come to Japan. It was all too good to be true. And now I'm here, spreading and sharing the happiest news the world has ever heard. And today I've been in Japan for 6 months and on the mission for 8 months. Nuts.

Speaking of anniversaries happy 32nd wedding anniversary to the most wonderful parents and examples a sister missionary could ask for. Love you mom and pop! 

And welcome to the world Brielle Vivan Aulick! My sweet little niece was born on the 27th weighing in at 2 lbs and 2 oz. Man was she excited to get to earth. I can't wait to meet you!

So this week I have truly understood and felt the joy of the work. It wasn't exactly one event that made me realize this but rather just looking at my week as a whole. So right now I am area senpai (area senior companion) because my companion came here. So she didn't know anything about the area. But because of that I've really had to rely and take responsibility for receiving revelation for my investigators and such these past couple of weeks because she doesn't really know them that well. So all of my thoughts, and literally every second of these past couple of weeks have been doing something for our investigators. And you know what? I've never been happier. It is amazing what the Lord will do to lift your spirit when you learn not to focus on yourself. I am grateful for this gospel. I am grateful for my health. I am grateful for every day that I have to serve my Lord and my Shepherd. It is His praise that I long to hear at the Second Coming. I love all of you and am grateful for your support, prayers, and love. 

May the good Lord bless and keep you.

Love your Japanese Friend,

Aulick Shimai

アウリック姉妹

Didn't anyone tell you not to listen to rumors?‏

Haha my dear, beautiful Kansans. Just to clear up the apparent rumor that went around, I have not been in a bike accident. I have been 100% healthy since being in Japan. Please, don't fret, life is good in this part of the world. :)

Well we got transfer calls and I am staying in Joyo but, sadly my companion leaving. But we'll be in the same zone still so that's super exciting! My new companion's name is Sister Kerr. I know nothing about her but I am excited to work in this part of the Lord's vineyard with another one of Heavenly Father's daughters. :)

This week was great! We had 2 nonmembers, 3 less-actives and a lot of visitors at church yesterday. And I got to see a baptism! The elder's investigator got baptized and it was awesome. I love seeing people in white! 

This last week we, as a zone had our last meeting with our mission president. He's awesome. I cried. I am really going to miss him. For all of you missionaries, you know Zone Training Meeting? My mission president invented that. Rad right? But I am still excited for our new mission president. He'll be great too!

We're just working hard over here. Nothing really new is happening really. Just loving life as a missionary!

Keep being awesome in America. Eat a hamburger for me or something. And remember that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of you and is there for you every step. Remember Him and I promise your life will be filled with a joy that you've never experienced.

Love you and thank you for all of your love and support!

Love your Japanese friend,

Aulick Shimai

アウリック姉妹

Shaking an Apostle's Hand‏

Yeah, you read that heading right. This week Elder D. Todd Chritofferson came to Japan just to talk to our mission and the members in this area. It was awesome. The church is true. I am reminded of that ever week. The missionaries met with him in the morning and then the members later that night. I got to go to both meetings because we brought a less-active member to the members meeting. Both were amazing and I learned some extremely valuable things that I will probably remember for the rest of my life. 

We were finally able to contact some less-active members that we've been trying to find/contact for a few weeks. But honestly not much else happened this week. Just doing my best to gather and find the elect. Doing my best to become more like Christ each week. Doing my best to work as hard as I can to see the success to help this work hasten. It's not easy. But the reward is worth it. 

Keep your heads high, your sights set on the prize, and your heart open. 

Love your Japanese Friend,

Aulick Shimai

アウリック姉妹

Puppy Heaven

This email is dedicated to my sweet puppy Curly who just passed away to puppy heaven this week. You were a great dog these past 16 years. You always had stinky breath but always knew how to make anyone feel better. We'll hug it out again in heaven. 

I wish I had more exciting things to write about this week. Not much happened. It's so crazy how much hard work you feel like you put in the work every day. And then when you look back at the week your numbers are so low it's not even funny. Kind of had that kind of week. But all is well, this is still the Lord's work, and my faith is in Jesus Christ, not the results. 

This week on the 30th I hit my 6 months. What is time? So 1/3 of my mission has come and gone and I didn't even know it. Is it going as fast for you guys as it is for me? Don't worry mom, even though I don't want to, I'll be home before you know it.

I literally am at a loss for what to write about this week. Nothing much happened. I guess I can tell a semi-cool story that happened. Yesterday (Sunday) we were done with lunch and deciding what to do because we had previous plans fall through (#MissionaryLife #WhatsNew). And so we just decided to go housing. As we were biking to the place, and housing, nothing felt right. We just knew that there was something better the Lord had in store for us but we couldn't figure out what. So after the 2nd or 3rd "kekko" we got (that's what the Japanese say when they're not interested) we got an email from the ward clerk saying he had yasumi kaiin (less-active member) forms ready for us.

Side note: with this new sisters policy we are required to have these certain forms filled out with the yasumi kaiin's information written on it before we can go visit these people. And the person in charge of that is the ward clerk. 

So we went to the church and got those and now we can really start to fulfill our new responsibility. And that is what the Lord had in mind for us that day. 

After the Lord sees you work, then the blessings will come. 

Love you all. Your support and love is more than I deserve. 

With love from Japan,

Aulick Shimai 

アウリック 姉妹

Happy belated Easter loved ones! Easter here isn't really celebrated. Even among the church members. Haha 1 member told me and my companion happy Easter. So that was good. :)

So most of this letter is about our investigator named Fujita. He is stellar. He is a 67 year old man with no family and no friends but wants to meet God more than anything. Senmin (elect) for sure. 

So we taught him Friday and after we taught him he gave us a letter. After finally figuring out what the letter said (kanji, can't read a thing) we realized how sweet and awesome this man truly is. He apologized for not celebrating my birthday and how he didn't want to come to church the first time. And he actually wasn't even going to come to church that first Sunday but because we visited him the Saturday before he came. And now he's going to be baptized. 

So that is actually a pretty cool story. That Saturday that we visited him we weren't even going to visit him because we were at a dinner with all of our most recent converts. And it was getting late and raining and we needed to do our weekly planning session. But we both felt like we should just visit him and remind him about church. The Spirit didn't scream at us to go visit him or anything, but we both felt the small, still prompting and urge from the Spirit. So we visited him. Because of that he came to church, and is going to get baptized in June. 

He really struggled to pray for the first time. He didn't address Heavenly Father and didn't close in the name of Jesus Christ. So it wasn't a huge surprise when he said in his letter that he prayed to me the first time he prayed in his house. Hahaha he apologized for that too. 

I love this people and their simple understanding of God's plan. It is truly a struggle for these people to start on their journey back to God, but helping them brings me the greatest joy I've ever felt in my life. 

I pray that we may all listen and heed to the small promptings of the Spirit. You never know where it may lead but we are promised that we will not be led astray. 

With Love from your Japanese friend, 

Aulick Shimai

アウリック姉妹