This is it! (Last week in the MTC)

 So here comes the big news, this is my last P-day in America! I can hardly believe it. And what an eventful week it's been.

It started on Monday when I was surprised by a rather interesting letter. A change in travel plans. I now leave from the MTC at 3:30 in the morning, catch the Front Runner, have a couple transfers here and there, and will probably be at the airport before 5:00 in the morning. And my flight leaves at 8:30 ish. So, I'm sure sleeping on the plane will come fairly easy with such an early departure. Mom and Dad, I apologize in advance if my phone call conversation is scatterbrained, it's going to be an early morning haha :) Still, I can't wait. This is going to be an adventure of a life-time I know. 

What else? Well this week was a day of lasts for me. It felt rather bitter sweet. Tuesday, my district and I had our last intense game of sand volleyball during gym time. We have such a riot together, I absolutely love the Shimaitachi and Chorotachi that I've had the opportunity to work with. 

Sometimes I forget what I have and haven't told you, and it seems I've left out some rather major details about my district! They all arrived to the MTC on the same day as me, they are all going to Japan. We're split half and half about: six of them are going to Tokyo South (new mission!) and then the other eight of us are going to Kobe. This picture is of A. Sensei and my entire district.

As you know, S. Shimai is my companion. They're all great, we've all had our rough days and times and not always got along perfectly, but we always work things out together. I'm glad to have met all of them and feel like I've learned something from each. 

     

I'm fairly sure I won't see and oven in my apartment for the next 16 months. Actually, I'll probably be cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a rice cooker or on a wok. The word for breakfast in Japanese is "Asagohan" (Morning Rice,) and the word for Dinner is "Bongohan" (Evening Rice) And I forget how to say lunch... But yeah, rice all day every day!! I'm actually ridiculously excited for that believe it or not. 

 Oh, Yeah, the time has definitely flown. I'm super excited to go, the people of Japan are soooo genki! (like just nice, happy, awesome people.) I'm sure I'll have many stories to tell... Especially if my companion tries to convince me to eat some Japanese Tacos... The word "taco" in Japan means "octopus." They won't fool me haha :D I've heard of many good old Japanese prank and teasing stories. I'm so ready for those, I can't wait. This is going to be so fun, can't wait. And I'm so excited to talk to you! 

Well, to close up, I also had my last lessons with my investigators. It was so touching and spiritual after nine weeks of being with them. S. Kyodai and I were literally teary the entire last lesson, looking back it was rather hilarious (especially since it was a role-play and all,) but we take them SO seriously here. It's amazing. I've seen miracles. I've felt the spirit so strong with them as they have earnestly prayed for their hearts to feel if this message is true. I've been so blessed as they've prayed for my family. There was a time when W. Kyodai prayed for Mitch for like a minute in Japanese, and I was practically in tears because it was so nice what he was saying. Seriously, I love my investigators already. I can't wait. I feel so blessed- the MTC has been the best experience in the world, and my life has been so changed by it.

Anyway, I love you all as always and wish you the best. Family, I'm really excited to talk to you next Tuesday, and friends (I think this letter only gets sent to friends on Missions.) I hope that you continue to have great experiences in the field! Hang in there, and never forget the happiness behind the message that you're sharing. Share it with all your heart, might, mind, and strength :) 

Minasan, Itsumo o ashitemasu!
~"Wakinzu Shimai"

P.S. Like my name tag? I do!

 

One last picture with Mitch

MTC: Week 8

Ohiogozaimasu Kazoku to tomodachi!

Oh, what a week it has been! As many of you know, I got my travel plans yesterday... And you wouldn't believe where I'm going!! To Japan of course, haha. Anyway, I will leave the MTC bright and early at 4:30 in the morning, fly from Salt Lake to Seattle, and then fly from Seattle to Osaka airport! It's going to be a long and exciting trip. I can hardly wait! My experience in the MTC has been great, but I'm so excited to teach people that really need to hear God's message.

So, what has been going on this week? Lots of things. As you've heard from Mitch, we had an Apostle, Elder Scott, come and speak to us. It was wonderful- he spoke about prayer mostly, and it changed my life.  In Relief Society, we were privileged to hear from Sister Rosemary Wixom (who is the Primary President of the Church.) She taught about having confidence in the Lord, and what it means to truly love people even when we're riding bikes in skirts all day! I've been so motivated this week, and I know that I will truly love  my brothers and sisters in Japan. I do already. Although I'm one of our family's missionaries, I want to stress what has been said by Prophet's past- EVERY member is a missionary. The influence of divinity shines through your smiles because you belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is such an absolute honor to share a name with Jesus Christ for these next 16 months, I can't even begin to describe how happy it makes me to be able to remind people where they really come from.

Other than that, this week has been great. Lots of laughter and stories shared between our district and senseis. Seriously, A. and T. Sensei are the best. A. Sensei has the craziest stories about his experiences and companions in Nihon... I will have to share some of them when I get back haha. T. Sensei is one of the most spiritual people I have ever met in my life. He always keeps us really focused and really helps us when we're concerned. Oh, also, A. Sensei is a ridiculously talented artist! The chorotachi (elders) in my district are basically in love with how awesome he is! He's married already though, so tough luck for them haha. 

Speaking of art... Grandma sent me an absolutely awesome story about Liz Lemon Swindle, the LDS artist. If you haven't heard it from her, go ask; there isn't time to share it at the moment, but I've been telling everyone about it because I thought it was so neat. So thanks again, Grandma for sending me that picture and the story. You're the best! I'm glad that you had fun at camp! I haven't had time to read all of the family e-mails this week- I had a lot. But I will try to write if I can. 

I'm also really excited for today! I haven't been to the temple since June- I kept forgetting to mention this, but the temple has been closed for 6 our of my 9 weeks here. To be honest, I was really sad about that. But I can assure you that I am a million times more grateful to be able to go now that I have ever been (due to how much I've really missed it.) You'll have to tell me what you  think about your temple trip, Mom and Dad! I'm also really excited to hear about the Trek from Aunt Becki, she is a great story teller! (Really though!)

Well Kazoku and Tomodachi, as always, I love you all. This gospel is truly the greatest. I'm thankful for Joseph Smith for having the courage to restore it despite all of the opposition he faced. I know that Heavenly Father is a real, leaving being who is very literally our Father. Whenever we pray to him, he hears us. How amazing is it to know that! Prayer can change the night to day. I challenge all of you to get down on your knees every single day at least twice a day and pour out your soul. It will change your life, of that I promise.

Kokoro Kara (sincerely. or literally translated "Heart from!")

~Watkins Shimai

 

We have fun playing Volleyball every Tuesday! Seriously, we've gotten pretty good at it if I do say so myself :)

U of U friday! (Shelton Shimai is a HUGE U fan) And we got our travel plans yesterday! We were so excited!

MTC: Week 7

Kon'nichiwa Kazoku to Tomodachi!

How are you all doing?

What a crazy week it has been! I can now officially say that I am 100% better from that massive cold that I had. I've got some totally great stories that were caused by the cold though, let me tell you! On Sunday night, my nose was so stuffed up and my throat was so tight (the funny thing is that I didn't even notice how bad it was, I truly didn't feel that bad.) that apparently, I started humming super high pitched and as consistently as a metronome almost the second I fell asleep. No sooner than 10 minutes after I had fallen asleep, I woke up to the three other shimaitachi that I room with laughing hysterically. Let me tell you, their immitations were so hilarious. Seriously, I felt stupid because I was laughing so hard at how crazy my apparent humming had been that I started crying. My companion is hilarious, I don't think I've ever been so close to having a six-pack in my life. Anyway, luckily the excitement from my crazy attempts to breathe when I'm asleep are over with officially. Honestly, I feel so great right now!

What else? So there is some pretty big news today! I get my travel plans this next Friday! I will know what time I leave the MTC, what time my flight is, probably about what time I can make the family call, and then I will probably know about what day and time that I'll land in (probably Osaka!!!) I'm one step shy of ecstatic, it's the moment I've truly been waiting for!

I don't remember if I told you this, but I have another investigator for role play- bringing the grand total up to 5 different investigators- they are the best! Yesterday as S. and I taught T. Sensei (who was role playing for one of his past investigators,) he said, "Wow, you two are always together!!" In Japanese. For some reason it was just hilarious coming from a returned missionary. We had a good laugh and I simply told him that we were really good friends. T. Sensei does a really good job of portaying an investigator, sometimes it's hard to remember that he's our teacher when we role play because he does such a good job. A. Sensei is the same way too. I'm not quite sure how I was so lucky to have the MTC's best Sensei, but I feel really blessed. They've taught me so much, and I hope I can be as good of a missionary as they both were.

Apparently I haven't told you all very much about my companion! There is a lot that happens here, and I always forget what I have and haven't told you. For that I apologize sincerely! So, once again, my companion is S.  Shimai. As you've probably been able to tell by the few pictures I've sent, we're about the same height, she has blonde hair, blue eyes, and is one of the funniest people I've ever met. Some of you might appreciate this description because I know a lot of you have read Harry Potter. But truly, she is like one of the Weasley twins- she pulls the best pranks. The other day, our other roommates were coming down the hall and didn't realize that we had beat them back to the room. So, S. Shimai took it upon herself to turn the light off (it is pitch black in our apartment when the light is off,) and sprawl herself on the ground in front of the door with the intention of shocking them when they entered. Let me tell you, that was pretty funny. She always keeps us on our toes. As much as S. Shimai likes to joke in her spare time, she truly is a great and hard-working Shimai! She always puts her heart into everything, and I've learned a lot from her. Also, she is super skilled at sports. She played on her high-school's basketball team, and also did some kind of speed-talking debate thing. She can talk about 300 words per minute with minimal effort. It is pretty insane.

So I know some of you are all probably wondering what I do with my spare time. Well, we have an allocated gym time every single day except for Sunday- so my district has a lot of fun together. Volleyball is becoming one of my best sports! Although I have to admit, my ability to spike things is pretty bad with my height- but it's still fun.

Thank you all for taking time to write, e-mail, and send me packages! I enjoy hearing from each and every one of you so much! I'm not sure if you all know about this, but for now, I'm only allowed to write on Saturdays. If I don't get to respond to your letters or e-mails, don't fret. You are all the best, and I want to respond to you as much and as often as I can.

Ja Mata! (See you later!)

~Watkins Shimai

MTC: Week 6

Kon'nichiwa again watashi no kazoku to tomodachitachi!

 

What a week it has been this week! It started off on Monday with me coming down with the craziest cold/sore throat thing; don't worry, I'm truly feeling a lot better. There are so many missionaries here in such a confined space, and so when one person gets sick it spreads like a fire in a paper factory. Luckily I've had a few days of rest and relaxation, so I'm feeling a lot better!

 

I'm sorry, I can already tell that this is going to be a rather short e-mail, because not much has happened. This week, I've just been reading my scriptures a ton. Before I left for my mission, I had a strong testimony that this gospel has the truths that God wants all of his children to know. But I have gained such a strong appreciation for them, I love the scriptures with all my heart and want to share them with everyone I meet.

 

This past week, I've been reading about the Sons of Mosiah and Alma- they inspire me so much! They went to such dangerous places on their missions, knowing that they might be killed, or thrown into jail, or any matter of crazy things. But they prayed, and they were able to bring miracles to pass. It gave me confidence that anybody can change from their old life and become a better person- and I know that this misison is also helping to make me a better person.

 

A mission isn't necessarily the easiest experience, but I've learned so much through it. This past Sunday we were reminded about this world's best and only perfect missionary and some of his experiences. He was spit on, he was whipped, he was rejected, and he was eventually killed by the people that he was trying to love, teach, and forgive. Jesus Christ was a perfect missionary- and even so, he had some really difficult times on his mission. Remembering what the Savior has done for all of us gives me so much hope and confidence. There is a life after this. Christ atoned for us so that we can return to the presence of His Father and be happy. In this life there are trials; good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. It is chaotic and confusing sometimes. This life isn't easy, but that's okay! This life is a test of our faith, and I know that if we turn to Christ and try to understand him and become more like him that we will have happy endings. I have such a strong testimony of this gospel. Jesus Christ is our Savior. God is truly and literally our Heavenly Father. The Holy Ghost can help us know the truth. If we just seek to know Christ, we will feel more peace and happiness than we've ever felt in our lives! I'm so grateful to be on a mission, I know there is no better place to be.

 

I love you all friends and family, and I hope that everything is going well.

 

Watashi wa minasan o aishitte imasu (I love everyone!)

 

    ~Watkins Shimai

MTC: Week 5

Kon'nichiwa watashi no kazoku ta tomotachitashi! (Good day my family and friends,)

 

Wow, what a week it has been! So much happens in the space of a week that it's slightly hard to know where to begin.

 

First off- thank you so much for the package, Dad! Thanks for the m&m bars and the thermal gear; I know they will both come in really handy! I've been hearing a lot about how cold it gets in Japan lately, so it was just great to get some warm gear things (even in the middle of July.)

 

So this week, T. Sensei took a family vacation. Considering that he is also one of our investigators, that made for an interesting turn of events. Every day, our class had different investigators that we had never taught before. S. Shimai and I ate some pretty sour humble pie yesterday. We did a mogi (Japanese word for role-play) with a Sensei who was one step shy of legitimately Japanese. His parents were both Japanese even though he was raised in Utah- so we were slightly intimidated.

 

We knocked on his door, introduced ourselves, and apparently surprised him by asking very bluntly if we could come into his home... Yep, lesson in Japanese culture right there haha. We sat down, ready to find everything out about our investigator:

   "Have you heard about Jesus Christ before?"

    "Um... Not really, I know that Christmas is about him and some of my classmates celebrate it."

    "Do you believe in God?"

    "No?"

    "Are you religiously affilated?"

    "No, I never have been."

Oh boy! Well that was somewhat surprising, but we got to know him better as a person for a bit and then testified to him that God wants to help him with all of his personal struggles. He was only slightly weirded out by how forward we were! So it was an interesting (success?) but wow I never realized how fast people can actually speak Japanese. Hopefully you will all be able to hear me talking like a crazy fast native! It sounded so amazingly awesome!

 

And lastly, I want to recount a short story from A. Sensei (my second teacher.) He has the most hilariously awesome and strange stories about Japan. If I could give this one a title, it would be something like, "The way Japanese people Fight."

 

So, one day A. Sensei and his companion were waiting for the train to come by in the morning so they could go to the next town over. As they sat on a bench, they noticed a rather interesting circumstance. An angry and impatient man was having a rather crazy road rage moment on the side of the road. He was fit in too snuggly behind a car to be able to pull out, so he started honking like crazy at the man in the car in front of him. In the words of A. Sensei, "In all honesty, he was kind of being a jerk..."

 

Well, fed up of the impatient driver behind him, the man in the front car stepped out and started to stomp towards the angry driver. The angry driver was so surprised by this, that he frantically started cranking his window closed in fright. However, the front driver was still perturbed by how annoying and impatient the other driver was. So he started pounding on the window and yelling, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

 

The angry driver's patience wore thin rather quickly, and he started to get out of the car. Well, the driver who had been in front of him was so surprised by this that he ran back to his car in fright, hardly believing that the angry driver was going to confront him!! But, the front driver seemed to realize what a chicken he was being as he was cowering back to his car. So he went back to confront the angry driver. They exchanged some rather heated and loud words, the angry driver got too close to him, and so the front driver put his hands up in front of him and nudged the face of the other man away from himself, accidentally knocking his glasses off.

 

The originally angry man flung himself on the ground after his glasses like the other man had punched him in the face!! Anyway, the rather anti-climatic ending of this story was that some police showed up, the angry driver whimpered and pointed and the man who had, "hit me!" and so the police turned to A. Sensei to question him. But the train had just arrived, so he jumped on with his companion to avoid any troubles or missing his train. It was such a funny story, I wish I could tell it like A. Sensei did, but yeah! Japanese people are generally so respectful of each other! They don't even know how to confront each other- I can't wait to have such funny stories of my own!!

 

I love you all friends and family and I hope that you have a great week!

 

Kokoro kara (from the heart,)

~Watkins Shimai

Light Sabers

Sometimes Sister S. and I just have too much fun during our personal time at night. This picture is an example of that... Like our "light sabers?" Pretty cool, huh?

~Watkins Shimai