Week 17: Full of gratitude for the opportunity that I have to be a missionary.

What an amazing week it has been. Heavenly Father has definitely been blessing us. He is in the work here in Tsuyama, and I am so grateful to be able to see and feel all of the changes that are happening here. This week I have had so many experiences that helped me to know that Heavenly Father is proud of me, and that I am doing the right things. It really is amazing. I love being a missionary. I love feeling like my will is alligned with His. There have been so many moments where I have been frustrated that I can't do everything that I want, especially when we can't ride our bikes as often as I want, or when we have to go in for the day sooner than I want. Or when a lot of our investigators tell us that they are really busy right now, and to call them in October. But then I remember that this is not my work. This is the Lord's work, and I am simply an instrument in his hands. When I get frustrated that I can't do everything right now, I remember that I still have my whole mission ahead of me, and right now I need to help serve those around me, and be full of charity and compassion. I really love serving with McLaughlin Shimai, even when her knees hurt, and we have to take it easy. I am grateful for the patience that I have been able to work on developing. I am grateful that I am able to help serve her. The Lord has really blessed us since her knees started to really hurt. We have been able to help strengthen the branch members. We have been able to focus more on the quality of our lessons rather than on the quantity. Sometimes Heavenly Father takes away one thing so that he can give us something else. Something much better than we could ever imagine. I am grateful for His love and guidance. I know that there is no way I could do any of this without Him.

Tsuyama is so beautiful. This is a river that we bike next to every day.

This past week, we were told by the Young Womens president of a way that we could help one of the youth in our branch. S (one of the triplets - one of the ones we studied PMG with last week) had her undo taikai (kind of like field day), and her family wasn't going to be able to make it. We thought about it, and felt like it was something that we should go to. We knew that two of the youth would be there, as well as two of our potential investigators. After asking Akagi Choro, the district leader, if it would be okay to go, we went and were able to help support them. We knew that it would mean a lot to S for us to be there, for someone to show that they cared and that she was important. We weren't able to stay the whole time, because we had an appointment, but we stayed for what we could, and then stoped by when it ended to say hi. I have never seen someone more grateful and appreciative that I did at the moment. Her smile was filled with so much love and joy, and I was so grateful that we were able to make a difference in her life. We were so happy to see her at church yesterday! She doesn't always come, and when she does she always looks like it was a fight to get her there. This time though, she looked happy and looked like she wanted to be there. It was so amazing to see how just showing her charity over these last couple of weeks has really made a difference.

 Undo taikai (it might just be undo kai... I don't actually remember)

 S is the one that is almost horizontal.

 One of the games/events at the undo taikai where they throw these tennis balls into the basket.

The branch has also changed. As I was sitting in Sacrament Meeting yesterday, I was thinking about all the things that have changed since I first got here 9 weeks ago. I remember when I first got here, everyone was just so overwhelmed, and they just looked so tired. Slowly, over the last coulple of weeks more and more people have started smiling. They have started teaching more by the spirit. They have been more willing to serve. They have more of a desire to share the gospel. It is amazing, and I can't help but feel so much gratitude to Heavenly Father for helping us to make a difference in their lives. The members were all so happy yesterday, and they all taught by the spirit, something that doesn't always happen. It is amazing to see! Last night as I was praying and then as I was going to bed, I was filled with so much gratitude for the opportunity that I have to be a missionary, to serve a mission and change the lives of those I meet and teach.

Sunrise on the way to the Mission Conference in Okayama.

We had another really amazing thing happen this week. While were were on the way home from the Mission Conferenceon Tuesday (Elder Ringwood came for a mission conference), we were coming home much later than normal. Usually we would be teaching Eikaiwa at the time that we got back to Tsuyama. While on the way home from the train station, we came to a stoplight. There was a young man at the stoplight and we said hi, like we always do. This time though, something was different. He took out his headphones, and started talking to us. He asked what we had done that day, and McLaughlin Shimai was able to tell them about the conference and about why we were here in Japan. At one point, he asked us if people ever reject us. We told him of course, but the message that we share means so much to us that we keep sharing it anyway. After teaching him a little bit about how the gospel can help him, we asked if he wanted to learn more. He told us yes, and he said that he even wanted to come to church on Sunday. That night though, he told us that he couldn't go because his parents said that they were Budhist. He said that he still wanted to learn more though and meet with us. We were able to meet with him after church yesterday. We brought one of the young women with us, one that really wants to serve a mission. As we were teaching him, he willingly accepted everything. He has so much faith, and wants to know how he can become a better person and how he can know that he is doing what is right. He is filled with so much of the light of Christ. We taught him about Heavenly Father, and about Prayer. When he prayed, he said that he was grateful for the opportunity that he had to learn about Heavenly Father. He has such a strong desire to learn the truth. It is amazing to see in such a young man, he is only 16. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father helped our paths to cross.

Beautiful Island Sunset

Things are changing here in Tsuyama. It's an amazing thing to be a part of. The time keeps flying! I can't believe that I have already been here for 9 weeks! And that I have been on my mission for 4 months. At this rate my mission is going to be over before I know it! I am trying my best to hold on to every moment, and not let it pass me by. I have never been happier in my life. Being a missionary and helping to change people's lives is the best thing. I am so grateful. It is amazing how many things we have to be grateful to, if we just take the time to look and to really have an attitude of gratitude. When I think about all the things that there are to be grateful, it helps to outweigh the things that are hard and cause frustration. So this week, remember to always seek for an attitude of gratitude. Not only will you find a lot of things to be grateful for, you will also feel happier and more positive. I know that this church is true. I have never been happier in my life than I am when I am doing my best to follow Jesus Christ, and become more like Him. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve a mission, and for all of your love and your support.

I love you all, and pray for you every day. You are truly amazing.

Robertson Shimai 

 Kappa - weird little turtle demon scary things (but sometimes they are cute)?

Week 16: Because he/she is a son/daughter of a loving Heavenly Father

Hello. :)

 It's been another great week. We still aren't able to get out and do as much as I would like,(with McLaughlin Shimai's knees we have had to take it a little bit easy, but we are still working hard) but I feel like we are following the spirit, and trying to align what we do with Heavenly Father's will, and plan for Tsuyama. This week we had a lot of experiences with the members. For the last couple of weeks we have been feeling like we really needed to do something for a couple of the members in our branch. For whatever reason things just weren't working, and we weren't able to do anything with them. This past week though, we were finally able to visit with four different members. 

One of the members we felt prompted to visit was I Shimai. We were able to make plans, and another member even offered to drive us, because she lives on the far end of our area. On our way H Shimai asked why we wanted to visit her. She thought maybe it was because of her non member husband. When we told her that we just wanted to visit her because we felt like we needed to, she seemed so surprised. I just kept thinking, because she is a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father. Why not visit her? Once we got there, she was so excited to meet with us. As we were visiting, she told us that no one had ever visited her before. We were so happy that we could help be instruments in Heavenly Father's hands in helping her to feel loved and important. She has been a member since she was in her twenties, and she is now in her seventies. We also learned that she is married, and that her husband isn't a member. He also has a bad view of the church because people would always schedule an appointment to visit them, but they never came. She drives about an hour to church all by herself every Sunday. And in the Winter she can't come because her Husband is afraid of her driving in the snow. She is such a strong member, and since she was baptized, she has been active. She is amazing. I love her, and through spending time with her, I was able to feel so much charity for her. She was so grateful and happy for the time that we took out of our day to go and visit her. When we saw her at church yesterday, she looked even happier. I love seeing smiles on the members faces.

McLaughlin Shimai making some of the cheesecake

There are triplets in our branch (I'm pretty sure I have mentioned them before). Oh my goodness. I love these girls so much, and I love spending time with them, whether it be service at their house, ice cream, seminary, a young women's activity. I love every minute of it. 

The Triplets and their sister at a YW activity where they made cheesecake. 

 (Amanda looks quite tall, next to these Japanese YW, even though several of them, including the triplets are all seniors in high school)

The youth here are so wonderful, and we know that as they can be a great strength to the Tsuyama branch. M, M, and S are 17, and they are all thinking about serving missions. We felt like maybe they would enjoy studying a little bit from Preach My Gospel with us, and getting the chance to ask us some questions about missionary work, and being a missionary. We only expected M to come, but S came as well. As we were talking and studying with them, we asked if they had any questions for us. S asked some really great questions, like how do you find people to teach? How do you talk to them? How do you talk to your friends about the gospel? And then M asked how she could start preparing now to serve a mission. They are such wonderful girls, and I know that they are going to help so many people. They have such a desire to serve, and to help those around them, they just need a lot of love and direction. We were so grateful to be able to help them at least a little. 

S, Miku Shimai (McLaughlin Shimai), M, and Roboto Shimai (me) 

(I, MOM, think that this is M and S, two of the triplets, and that apparently they call McLaughlin Shimai, Miku Shimai - I am guessing McLaughlin is sort of a mouthful in Japanese) :)

I love working with the members. Sometimes, I think we forget just how much they need to be loved and uplifted as well. Since being in Tsuyama, I have had so many opportunities to strengthen and uplift the members. Even if it was just with a smile and a simple heartfelt testimony. We have already seen this branch grow so much, and the members are starting to smile more and more. It really helped me to feel like we are making a difference here. 

I am so grateful to be in Tsuyama. I have learned so much, and I grown more than I could ever imagine (and I know there is still so much more growing to do). Japanese is still hard, in fact it's really hard sometimes. Yesterday the zone leaders called for follow-up, and I knew the they were going to want to talk to me in Japanese. As I was on the phone with Mizuguchi Choro, I barely understood what he was saying, and I couldn't even turn to my companion to ask for help. I had to have him repeat everything he said so many times. When he asked how inviting people to church was going, I tried to explain that we always invite, but no one ever comes. He told me that we needed to talk to and invite everyone. Then I asked how you could get them to actually come, and he said that we needed to talk to and invite anyone. It was so frustrating because my Japanese is not that great, and his English isn't that great. We were just both saying the same thing over and over again. Right as we were hanging up he said, I am trying to learn English. Please learn Japanese. (He said that part all in broken English). I knew he was just trying to say let's learn together, but I was already so frustrated that I as soon as I said bye, they tears started falling. Japanese is still really hard, and really frustrating, but when I don't think about it, and I just think about all the people here, and how much Heavenly Father loves them, it makes it easier. And sometimes I just let myself get frustrated for a couple a minutes, and then I pull myself back together and get back to work. There are people here for me to help, and focusing on myself isn't going to help anyone. 

If I have learned anything, it is that when you focus on yourself, that is when things get really hard. That is when you start to feel the most inadequate. But, when you turn out, and focus on serving those around you, that is when things get easier. That is when I love being a missionary the most, when I start to look at people the way that Heavenly Father sees them. So when things get really hard, turn out. Take a couple minutes to be frustrated, and then get out and serve others. Think about their worth, and how Heavenly Father sees them. I promise that it will help make things more manageable. It may not fix it, but it will help your attitude and the way you look at the situation change. As someone really wise once told me, you chose to be happy. So chose to be happy. Chose to turn out and not let yourself get in the way.

I love you all so much, and I pray for you everyday. Look up, and smile, because you are a son/daughter of God. And he loves you more than you can know. 

Robertson Shimai
 Sometimes we have appointments with investigators, and they decide to instead take us to Salon de the la Provence. Who knew you needed so many the's in a title.

Week 15: My Precious Darling Tsuyama

(All of us before Miyagi Choro headed to Abeno, and Bate Choro came to Tsuyama )


 Sometimes when you are in the Inaka, you get to have Family Home Evening with investigators, Eikaiwai Students, and members. And sometimes you even get to experience a little bit of the culture here in Japan. We always have family home evening on Monday night, but it is usually just K Kyodai, the Elders, us, and sometimes one recent convert. This past week, our city had a Kabuki, which is like a Japanese performance thing, with singing and dancing. It was really cool seeing all of the different performances. I'll make sure to attach pictures. One of the performances was a singer and his guitar player. During one of the songs, the guitar player started to sing "my precious darling Tsuyama." We asked Miyagi Choro about it afterwards to see if he understood the English, and he was like "That was English?" It was pretty funny. 

The Castle that the Kabuki was at.

The Harvest Moon - the reason for the Kabuki

Anyways, this week has been pretty amazing. I have learned a lot, and had to rely on Heavenly Father even more than I have before. Sister McLaughlin's knees (don't worry, they are fine, just aggravated from biking) have been hurting her recently, and as a result we have been "grounded" from riding bikes, which is nearly impossible out here in Tsuyama. Yama means mountains, and boy are there a lot of them. Our area is also giant, so it takes a really long time to get anywhere when you are walking. Well, we weren't able to go out as much as I would have liked. One day, we ended up walking everywhere because we needed to visit people, and biking wasn't possible that day. Even though we weren't able to do that much, we were able to drop off flowers for the wife of a less active member that we are teaching. She is less active as well, but we haven't been able to meet with her. We felt like we needed to do something to help her feel loved, and we felt like flowers would be great.              That night S Kyodai texted us and told us how much they had appreciated the flowers. Something so simple, that meant so much to them. I was grateful to have been able to help them feel Heavenly Father's love. Then the next day, we had two appointments scheduled, and although we needed to ride bikes and knew it would be hard on McLaughlin Shimai, we prayed that Heavenly Father would bless us for our efforts, and he did. We were able to teach both lessons, and help bring them closer to Christ as well. Something that we realized this week, that we are hoping will help us in teaching more lessons, is that we aren't really sure what a lot of our less actives initial interests in the church/ desires were in the first place. Once we learned about and focused on the desire of S Kyodai, he has really started to progress, and we are hoping to set goals with him that will help him to be sealed with his family. He desires more than anything to be with his family forever, and since we have been trying to focus on that desire more, he has really grown.  This week we were also able to contact a potential investigator that we met a week or two ago. When we met, she only wanted to speak to us in English. We learned a little bit about her family and she told us her husband had recently died. We talked a little about Eternal Families, but she didn't seem very interested. She told us she was also Christian, and when we invited her to church, she kindly said no. Well, as we were talking, she mentioned that she knew a family in our branch. On Thursday after an appointment with S Kyodai (the member in our branch - not the same person as S Kyodai mentioned above), we asked about O San and he showed us where her house was, and told us that we should go talk to her and tell her about Eternal Families. Well, we went over, and she wasn't home. As we were heading back to our apartment, I remembered that she had told us she goes on walks every night. Well, Heavenly Father placed her in our path, and we were able to talk to her.  This time, we spoke to her in Japanese, and when we told her about Eternal Families, and how she could be with her husband again, she told us she wanted to learn more. We have an appointment with her today.  We definitely saw Heavenly Father's hand in our day. Everything we did, he was right there helping us. So, even though it was a little bit of a slower week, I was able to learn and grow so much more, and I was able to rely more on my Heavenly Father.   

On Saturday, we spent most of our day with the H Kazoku. They are the sweetest family! We were able to help them harvest their rice fields. :) It was awesome to be able to spend time doing service for such a wonderful family. They help us so much, and we were glad to be able to give back in some way. 

I absolutely love Tsuyama, and I love the members here. We are blessed with the opportunity to work with such amazing people. I am grateful for all that I have been able to learn from them, and I am so glad that I get to spend another transfer working with them. 

I love you all, and I hope you have a wonderful week. I hope that you take the time to look for the little miracles, especially when things don't go according to plan. Heavenly Father is there, and he is working right along side of you. :)

Robertson Shimai

Week 14: Be grateful for the "Small Force" that you have received.

こにちわかぞくとともだし！げんきですか？せんしゅはすばらしです。

This week has been wonderful. I feel like I grow so much with every passing week. I can't believe that I have been in Japan for a whole transfer. Time has truly flown! It's been hard, but it has also been so worth it. This past week, so many things happened. I was able to go on a kokan with one of the sister training leaders. I went to Okayama for a couple of days (Wednesday night - Friday morning) and Komai Shimai (the other sister training leader) went to Tsuyama. I was able to learn so much, both about myself and about missionary work. After I got home though, I realized just how grateful I was for my companion, and for Tsuyama. We also had Zone Training meeting in Okayama on Friday morning. Welch Kaicho and Welch Shimai (Mission President and his wife) came. It was so nice having them there, and helped bring a special spirit into our meeting.                                                            1. My first kokan. :)

After both my kokan, and Zone Training Meeting, I have really been working on becoming both the missionary that I would like to be, and the person I want to be by the time I go home. I have a whole mission in front of me, and time is already going so fast, that I don't want to waste a minute. I have also been focusing on goals that will help me to achieve my vision. One of those goals is truly trusting in God. Today as I was studying in Preach My Gospel, I came across the section about Hope (6 Christlike Attributes). "Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you." Before, I had never really connected hope and trust like that. I have been struggling with my confidence recently, especially when it comes to Japanese. There was one day where I felt like a whole transfer had gone by and I had nothing to show for it. I felt like my Japanese was the exact same as when I first got to Japan. After reflecting back on the last 6 weeks though, I know that I have improved. My Japanese is a lot better than what it was when I first got here. I can even talk to some people with out really thinking about it. When I pray, I can say more of what I want to say, and I don't struggle finding the right words. So, even though I may not be where I want to be, I know I have improved, and Heavenly Father has really been helping me. Something that Akagi Choro (my district leader) mentioned yesterday during follow up, was making sure that my expectations for myself don't exceed God's expectations for me. That is something that I definitely need to work on. Especially not being so hard on myself. In Alma 58:10-12, the first part of verse 12 says, "And we did take courage with our small force which we have received." I have been working on being grateful for the "small force" that I have received. I know so much more Japanese than I did when I first entered the MTC. I can actually talk with people, sure I struggle, but that is part of life. And I know that through Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I can truly become the person that I want to be, and more importantly, that Heavenly Father knows I can become. I just need to be patient with myself, and rely on Him.

Work in Tsuyama is starting to pick up. We have been trying really hard to find while we are on our way to less active's houses. We still have plenty of room for improvement, but I can already see the effect it has had. Our branch members have also been much more supportive, and have gone to more of our less active appointments. It is amazing how much of a difference having a member there can make. We taught a lesson to one of the less actives that the sisters have been working with for about three months. Before, not a whole lot of progress was made. We felt like we needed to help remind him why he first was interested in meeting with the missionaries (before he was baptized). The thing that really drew him to the church, was Eternal Families. He wanted to be with his family forever. After he was baptized, life got difficult, and he slowly stopped coming to church. He forgot why he ever went. We decided to focus on an article in the April Liahona called "The Gate and The Path" which has a map of the ordinances we need to receive, and the things we need to do in order to receive Eternal Life, and be with our Families forever.  As we began teaching, H Kyoudai, our doseki (member), was able to talk with him and help him remember and desire to receive Eternal Life and be with his family forever. The spirit was so strong as H Kyoudai testified, and helped S Kyoudai to understand what we were teaching him. He was also able to help clearly explain how we could help him. We were so grateful to have had H Kyoudai there. S Kyoudai was able to understand why we are here, and how we can help him. He was able to remember that desire, and even had the desire to do something about it. Members are so powerful, and I hope that after my mission, I will remember that, and do my best to continue being a member missionary. Sometimes, members are able to do so much more than we can ever do as missionaries. 

This week, as you find things that you are struggling with, or feel like you aren't good enough at something, think about what you can do. What you are good at. I promise that as you do, you will feel so much peace and love. We really can do so much more than we give ourselves credit for sometimes. You are amazing sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. You have so much potential. Don't let the hard days, or weeks, or sometimes even months get you down. Remember who you are and what you can do, and then get back up. "The only failure is not trying." So, "never give up, never surrender." You are doing a lot better than you think. And you are worth more than you will ever know. 

I love you all so very much, and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Robertson Shimai

2. Sometimes we see weird things. Like a squash growing from a tree.

The squash was actually growing from a vine that had climbed up the tree, but I was a little bit confused when we first passed. I even made McLaughlin turn around and come back so she could see it.

The Inaka is so beautiful.  I Love Tsuyama.

3-4. 

Week 13: "Sincere prayer is the heart of a happy and productive life."

Konichiwa Kazoku to Tomodachi!

Genki desu ka?

This week has been pretty great! So many things have happened, so hopefully I'll have enough time to tell you everything (or at least all the really exciting things).

This past week has been pretty amazing. McLaughlin Shimai and I were able to find lots of potential investigators, and we are excited to see where things go with them. We also had the opportunity to work with some of the members, which was great. It is amazing to see the changes here in Tsuyama that have happened in the short time that I have been here. The members have really started to understand missionary work, and how as missionaries we are here to help them. On Saturday we had the opportunity to serve a family in the ward. I love the K Kazoku, and I love doing what we can to help lighten their load a little bit. Every time we see K Shimai and ask how she is doing, she always says that she is okay with a very defeated kind of tone. We have been trying our best to help her feel loved. We asked if there was anything that we could help with, and the next time she saw us, she told us that she needed help with her house. Her house has been a construction zone for at least the last year. For the longest time, they didn't even have a back wall. We were able to go over and help her put her kitchen back together. All of her daughters even helped us! (She has 17 year old triplets, a 14 year old daughter, and then a little boy about Liam's age). I really love their family. They remind me so much of home and all of my sisters. It's the best!

When we got to her house, she told us that she had invited her friend over for dinner as well. We were able to talk with her friend, and get to know her a little bit. I think it was really helpful for the K kazoku to see how normal missionary work is. Before we left, we shared a message about Jesus Christ, and how he is our comforter. I shared my testimony, and although I still say things slowly, I knew exactly what I wanted to say, and was able to testify with power because I knew what I was saying. Sometimes I feel like when I speak Japanese, I just say the same phrases over and over, but when I am able to testify of what I know is true I can really feel the spirit testify through me. It is amazing. At church the next day, K Shimai told us that her friend loved us, and wants to meet us again. Missionary work really is so much easier with the members. It was also really nice to see K Shimai so happy. 

We were also able to go out and visit some less actives with the Relief Society president on Sunday. We weren't so sure how it would go, but even though the less actives we had planned on visiting ended up not having time to talk, we could tell that H Shimai was so excited to be out with us. The first less active that we visited was a sister that she hadn't seen in years! The smile that came across both of their faces when they first saw each other, was priceless. They were so happy! That smile really helped me to realize just how important members are in this work. We are hoping that the members will continue to realize how important they are, and will be more open to missionary work. 

Something else that I really loved this week, was Trainer Trainee Training (a training meeting in Kobe at the Honbu where all of the missionaries being trained and all the missionaries training meet with the Mission President, his wife, and the Assistants to the President). It was so nice to see everyone, and to feel like we are all in this together. That we aren't alone. Because all of the missionaries being trained are all first and second transfer missionaries, we are experiencing the same kinds of things. I also enjoyed everything that was shared. I learned so much! One of the things that I learned, was how to make my prayers more effective. I have really been trying to follow what S Choro taught us, and I have already started to feel the difference that it has made. I still have a really long way to go before I am able to pray perfectly (something that I know will never happen in this life), but I hope to continue to strengthen my ability to pray and to counsel with Heavenly Father. There were times growing up, that when I prayed I wasn't even sure there was anyone there that really heard me. Now that I know Heavenly Father is there, and that he really does hear my prayers, I want to be able to strengthen my relationship with Him. S Choro had us read an article with him about prayer. He told us that someone had showed it to him while he was on his mission, and that it changed his life. 

"Sincere prayer is the heart of a happy and productive life. Prayer strengthens faith. Prayer is the preparation for miracles. Prayer opens the door to eternal happiness. The Father of us all is personal, ever waiting to hear from us, as any loving father would his children. To learn to communicate with him, to learn to pray effectively, requires diligence and dedication and desire on our part. I wonder sometimes if we are willing to pay the price for an answer from the Lord.

As we learn to develop this two-way communication, the standard of our life will improve. We will see things more clearly, we will try harder to do better, we will see the real joy that can come through trials and testing. Although problems will still be with us, peace, contentment, and true happiness will be ours in abundance.

As you feel the need to confide in the Lord or to improve the quality of your visits with him—to pray, if you please—may I suggest a process to follow: go where you can be alone, go where you can think, go where you can kneel, go where you can speak out loud to him. The bedroom, the bathroom, or the closet will do. Now, picture him in your mind’s eye. Think to whom you are speaking, control your thoughts—don’t let them wander, address him as your Father and your friend. Now tell him things you really feel to tell him—not trite phrases that have little meaning, but have a sincere, heartfelt conversation with him. Confide in him, ask him for forgiveness, plead with him, enjoy him, thank him, express your love to him, and then listen for his answers. Listening is an essential part of praying. Answers from the Lord come quietly—ever so quietly. In fact, few hear his answers audibly with their ears. We must be listening so carefully or we will never recognize them. Most answers from the Lord are felt in our heart as a warm comfortable expression, or they may come as thoughts to our mind. They come to those who are prepared and who are patient."

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1974/01/adversity-and-prayer?lang=eng 

It is amazing just how much prayer can change your life. When we really sincerely pray, I know that Heavenly Father will answer us. He loves us, and he wants to hear from us. So, this week I'd like to invite you all to make your prayers more meaningful. Really talk with your Father in Heaven. Counsel with him. Tell Him what you are going through. Ask him questions, and then listen for answers. Take your time, and be patient.

I am so grateful to be a missionary, and to serve in this branch. We had the opportunity to teach seminary early this morning. It was really early, but I loved every minute of it. I love spending time with the youth. They are so special!

I love you all! Sorry I'm out of time! I hope you all have an amazing week! 

Robertson Shimai

Pictures:

1. One of the little bridges that we pass almost every day. It was a really beautiful day, so I decided I had to take a picture to show you where I live.
2. Some of the youth and I after church yesterday. We didn't get the chance to take a picture at seminary this morning.