Date
May 16, 2016
Area
Sakai
Companion
Erina Nakayama
Sticky, Serving, Squinty Shimai
Heads up! This might be the most pictures I ever send in an email!
It's heating up over here! This planet...has a fever, Dennis. Even today, it wasn't necessarily sunny, but I was constantly sticky and sweaty. So what do you do on a pday like that? You lie down on your futon, cover yourself in 7 ice packs and fall asleep. And that's where I am right now...
So from the futon... Shout out to Aunt Rachel and Max for the birthdays! Also, congrats to Pink and Dani who are getting married on Thursday!
Nakayama (Inside Mountain) Shimai and I were spent this week because last pday, we traveled up the Kyoto area to visit my MTC companion, Allison Shimai and her Nihonjin comp, Kawamura (River Village) Shimai who is also our doki (same transfer). Obering Choro from the MTC is also in their area of Joyo too so it was 5 fourths transfer missionary pday party! Good Ol' Allison Shimai... Love to love you.
Right after leaving their area, we traveled down to Kawachinagano with Steere Shimai and Wagstaff Shimai. Steere Shimai is from Australia. So along with her incredible missionary skills, I get to listen to her accent 🇦🇺GO AUSSIE! I am really trying to figure out how to help the members participate more in missionary work so we visited with a ton of members.
We recently had a lesson in Fujou Kyokai (Relief Society) about breaking down our personal dendo walls. "Why is missionary work hard for me as a member?"
For example, how about the “comfort wall” that seems to prevent many couples and singles from going on a mission? How about the “financial wall” of debt that interferes with some members’ ability to go, or the “grandchildren wall,” or the “health wall,” or the “lack of self-confidence wall,” or the “self-satisfied wall,” or the “transgression wall,” or the walls of fear, doubt, or complacency? Does anyone really doubt for a minute that with the help of the Lord he or she could bring those walls crashing down?
We have been privileged to be born in these last days (as opposed to some earlier dispensation) to help take the gospel to all the earth. There is no greater calling in this life. If we are content to hide behind self-made walls, we willingly forgo the blessings that are otherwise ours. The Lord in modern-day revelation explains the great need:
“For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul.” (D&C 4:4).
The last chapter of PMG (Preach My Gospel) talks about ward mission plans, but these are all things we can do as "personal mission plans" such as:
Invite people to family home evenings.
Ask the Lord to help you assist the missionaries who are laboring in your own area (Parker Ballard is a great example of this.)
Be aware of opportunities to reach out to others. Be neighborly and reach out in love to all people.
Or
Work with part-member families.
(PMG CH 13 Ward Mission Plan p 220)
Those are just a few. There are many ways we can reach out to the people around us to spread the gospel without throwing a Book of Mormon in their face or pressuring them to come to church. But there is a key factor, "there is one thing which is of more importance than they all-" (Alma 7:7). In the words of the Beatles, "ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE."
"A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race” [Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 330–31]. …
THIS WEEK WE COMMITED GLOW CHILD TO A BAPTISMAL DATE! She is kinjin (golden) and her desire to follow Jesus Christ radiates from her. She truly glows! One of the recent converts from this area, Edison, who gave us the referral will probably be the one baptising her. This is such a great opportunity for us, her and him as well!
Finding service opportunities in Japan is hard; here's my cousin in NY saying every week how they served so much more this week than the last (even though he says that every week 🏽Love you, Hunt!).... And then there's my mission. Japanese people are very hard workers, always ganbatte 頑張って, always otsukaresama お疲れ様 and never really wanting help from anyone else. No one wants to be an ojama お邪魔, in other words (that I'm currently teaching to Nakayama Shimai 中山姉妹, a "pain in the butt"). We did find an opportunity to go water that hatake/garden that we helped dig a few months ago! But... We forgot to change clothes.. Then going to pancake Dendo that night, my skirt got stuck in my chain. I FINALLY HAVE ONE OF THESE PICTURES! I think I'm a sister missionary now!!
Things are going well! I'm happy, I'm sad, I'm tired, I'm stoked, I'm starving, I'm stuffed. Everyone always says this, but it is so frequently repeated because it is true: This is the hardest, but most rewarding thing I've ever done up to this point in my life.
This church is true. The Book of Mormon is true. *Jehovah is my strength. **His hand is stretched out still ***God is with us. *God is my Salvation. .
*2 Nephi 22:2
**2 Nephi 20:4, 15:25
***2 Nephi 18:10
Take care, summer is coming. I think I'm getting more freckles. And my eyes won't stay opened.
ミラー姉妹
苗藹明
Sister Miller