Monday June 13

Fam bam and the rest of you

Sorry this is quick highlights! We're going to Kyoto today, but more stuff later!

6/6
P day went to Nara and played soccer, then Indo curry and some shopping. Able to listen to Lena...sat at the park and she just talked. We were able to listen and she needs time to figure things out, but at least she knows we're here. Met Chinatsu Chan! Sweetest girl, just a nice little tender mercy to meet her at the end of the night.

6/7 MLC!
Doki!! Saw Rees Shimai, Hill Choro, Rowe Shimai- lots of fun to see everyone! Seeing talking to Rees Shimai
Felt the Spirit. Met a members friend on the train who started talking to us first.

6/8
Miyu came to mutual! Had a birthday party for her. Also a bird pooped on my head while we were housing a place member asked us to go...NOT COOL. On my head and skirt, needless to say next was... Kiwi ice cream...seriously it was so good it made the email. 7/11 is the place to go.

6/9
Yoshida San lesson with Yoshikawa Shimai (Restoration, good kanke, felt Spirit, really fun). WOWOWOWOWOW So about a month ago when we visited Yoshikawa's she told us this lady came to her house and she ended up a BOM and then of course we wanted to meet her and kept trying and just not working out, kept trying a little bit- Toshikawa got an appt! So perfect, able to explain the BOM by teaching the Restoration. That lesson is powerful. Moment when the a Spirit was strongest was telling the First Visioon, using Joseph Smith's words. It's true. It really happened. She wants to meet again, goes a different church right now, but recognized that she had a really good feeling here and wanted to meet again! Seriously Yoshikawa Shimai was amazing! She said she is always pray HG for opportunities to share the gospel, especially giving away a BOM- prayers are answered, so what are you praying for?
Lots of kids at Sayuri's Eikaiwa- we teach Eikaiwa at her house for a bunch of 2-5 ye olds. Crazy? Yes- mostly singing a bunch of English songs, lots of fun!  Dinner at Kyotani's- heard about receiving testimony especially BOM. Found new I by Kyotani's- housed around a bit and found a young mom who really wants to hear more about how her family can be strengthened.

6/10
ZTM - 
Spirit was strong, we felt go d about section we taught about sanctifying ourselves. 
Spirit was strong when Pinerio Choro took our name tags. Who's name is on my tag? We each carry the name of Jesus Christ. I never want to forget! 
Okonomiyaki lunch with sisters- Yum. 
Regular lesson Friday with investigator family- teenage daughter still doing pretty good, we have a good kanke with her! 
Successful finding, new approaches (Kaneko Chan!) We just went for it, and stayed close to a bigger eki and got ourselves pumped by setting some goals for Steere Shimai's last transfer- at first we said we just want to see people progress, but then scratched that and decided we'll see a baptism THIS TRANSFER. Then went out and found a really cute college girl who wants to meet again and we're still texting. 

1 YEAR MISSIONARY MARK! Went to the MTC a year ago.

6/11
Super amazing RS Pres (Shino Shimai)- really she's amazing, reviewed progress of less active's, sisters we've been working with. Found out one funny thing...turns out one of the LA's we were working with isn't LA, she's an old investigator! Haha, that'll change our lessons from here on...
Met Tatsuta Shimai (tried 3 times!). 
Met Uchino...busy but at least got to talk to her!
Finished SKK including iPad audit and comp inventory...hasn't happened in a while!
Got a letter from Sam, pretty happy about that! 

6/12
Met a less active sister! Seriously not a good lesson because we were just ping ponging out of habit...been trying to meet her since I first got her, like 5 months ago, and then today she answered her door! Really surprised. But cool!
Katayama fuufu's help! Went to LA, then drove us to next appt. Seriously they are the best couple! They were just so happy to help us.
Youko Shimai, so willing to doseki, but then person wasn't home and she understood was still very nice and helpful. That means a lot! Positive despite disappointments. 

RS lesson was on True Greatness this week, and we used a little bit of that in our training Friday at ZTM- in our lives it's the combination of all the little good things that make us great people. Successful missionaries are serving every day in little ways- striving to follow the example of Jesus Christ. And guess what? When we do we have the Spirit with us and it feels so good. This week I read Alma 19:6 and can't stop thinking about it- GO READ IT. The Atonement lifts the darkness and fills us with light and joy. I'm feeling it. I can testify the gospel is joyful. This is hands down the best way to live, no question. Do you believe it? 


Wagstaff Shimai

Sorry emails haven't been really full lately- last transfer for Steere Shimai so we're doing lots of fun stuff! It's nice being on the Osaka side of the mission because there's tons of cool stuff pretty close. Plus with Japan's amazing train system we can get anywhere. Serious trains, I'm a fan. Right now I'm on a train to Kyoto, pretty excited, I've never been there before! Steere Shimai spent a lot of her mission three, so we're going back today and one more time this transfer.

I'm tired, sore, exercise in the morning is hard...this last week has been more stretching and flexibility than cardio (then again everyday is cardio here!). Seriously biking took away a lot of the flexibility I kind of had, just using different muscles, so trying to improve before school. Don't worry, we really are exercising, part of our big
push lately to be exactly obedient.

At ZTM (Zone Training Meeting) our new Zone Leader, Piniero Choro took all of our name tags and put them in a bad, then handed them back out randomly. How could we dendo with that person's name and not our own?

As you can imagine, the point was that we dendo with the name of Jesus Christ everyday and it's our duty and privilege to honor His name daily by what we do, who we are, what we're trying to do. Really effective! Also it doesn't feel good to take that nametag off.

Back to MLC Tuesday- I love seeing Welch Kaicho and Welch Shimai. The Spirit was strong, I don't remember all the exacts of what they said, but the main thing is I feel like I get the spiritual boost I need to go for the next month, becoming a better more effective missionary. Overall Kobe's doing really great but there's a lot farther to go!
Still working towards a baptism per week and that's going to take a while. Side note, new AP- lately lots of new AP's because they're all dying, but now it's Takaku Choro and Griffiths Choro. Drew might be interested, he's a BYU QB- don't know details if he played before or just in on hold to play later (probs later?) Anyways, good AP too.

- funny story from last Monday, see the member in sunglasses? HILARIOUS! He's pretty good at English and thinks he's funny with this joke when he called ahead to get a reservation for lunch (Hello? Yes call back at 1-800-I Don't care; 1-800-Don't Call Me) but told this to a Japanese person who just had no idea what was going on, but HE though he was pretty funny!) okay and the rest of us were dying too.

Of course there's not a lot of space for soccer fields and stuff (except out in inaka-country), so this is on top of a mall!

Rice fields!! I love rice- I think I'm becoming a rice snob because I can tell if it's freshly cooked, and if it's regular or more expensive. Rice is good! And I don't think I've gotten rice cheeks! 

Big question for everyone?

-In your life right now, what are you doing to help God's work, to dendo? Big, small, how do you think you have been sharing the gospel?

Maybe what's something else you could try and do a little better (not overwhelming, just a little bit) ?

Love you all so much!