This Week 5/5/2013

Hello my favorite family :)  

This week we had a Zone Training Meeting and that was really fun. The zone leaders and the APs gave a workshop. Yet again, lots and lots of role play. We also had music practice. Evans Shimai [Mission President's wife]is into music and the missionaries are having a musical fireside at the end of the month. All the beans introduced themselves and then got food from all the other missionaries! I am going to gain so much weight haha. We get so much chocolate, snacks, junk food, etc, from members, investigators, etc. After ZTM, we all went out to eat. That was also really fun. I love district and zone meetings!

 

This month is a very busy month for us. Since we have that musical fireside, part of our P-days [Preparation Days] are going towards music practice.　As well as a few other days. Then we have ward conference and a ward Family Home Evening. The missionaries are in charge of the game and the spiritual message, so we've been preparing for that. We also have transfers, mothers day phone calls (!!!), and the usual load of missionary work. I love being busy!

It's still cold here. I guess this year has been especially cold; we are still experiencing rain and wind almost every day. Lets just say I look ridiculous wearing a raincoat, helmet, and rainboots. The sakura [cherry blossoms]probably aren't going to bloom until next week or the week after sooo that's a bummer.

I love our ward mission leader. He's got the dendo [missionary] fire! He works really hard and he's really funny, too. Our bishop is hilarious. The ward keeps us well fed (a little too much sometimes) and the ward support is really great. Nanjo Shimai and I are getting closer. We are teaching more in unity and are having a lot of fun together. It's getting harder to go to bed right at 10:30 because we talk haha. But I'm grateful for her and her friendship.

This past week I have felt so much gratitude for the missionaries who served here 30, 25 years ago. I wish they could see all the seeds they planted. Our ward is the fruit of their labor and now there is a rising second generation. I think a lot of my gratitude stems from being a part of that second generation but I'm so grateful for those sister missionaries who knocked on Dad's door in the middle of winter 33 years ago.  We had lunch with a member the other day and she told us of how when she went to Utah to watch general conference, she was able to meet up with the two missionaries who baptized her 30 years ago. How happy they must have been to see her still active, plus the mother of 3 return missionaries! I can only imagine the joy they felt.

I keep learning more about relying on the Lord. I'm also learning how important that is and how basically we are powerless without His help. My Japanese is slowly getting better and whenever I feel a sense of pride, I have to remind myself that it's really not because how smart I think I am, but because of the divine help I'm given. Its really hard haha. But I'm learning and growing.

Im so excited to call home on Sunday! I have so many questions I want to ask. Love you all! Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers.

Love,

Sugihara Shimai

ps. Nanjo Shimai had a little extra time so of course we used it constructively by taking silly pictures.