Week 4: Filled with taksan ai (Filled with so much love)

Ignore the fact that taksan ai literally translates to  many love... Haha. Oh well, you get the point. :) 

Konichiwa!

Genki desu ka? I'm doing subarashii! The MTC is still great, and I love it so much. The only thing I am getting tired of it the food, but that's alright. :)

Last week Wilson Shimai had her birthday. She got about two packages every day for a week. She was so nice and shared all of her cake, brownies, cookies, pastries, cupcakes, and cinnamon rolls with us. It was all so good, and it was so awesome to celebrate her birthday with her. Thursday night before we went to bed, we had her close her eyes for 10 minutes while we decorated the room. And then we made her keep her eyes closed until she woke up the next morning. :) We didn't want to ruin the surprise, and with the schedule of a missionary, there isn't much (actually there is no) alone time, so we had to make it work while she was there. Eyring Shimai had to help her get to her bed. (She sleeps on the top bunk, so it was a little bit of a struggle). It was so funny though, and we all had a good laugh. The next morning it was like Christmas, we all waited patiently to see her face. It was a wonderful day. :) And I loved being a part of it and helping to make it special for her. 

One of the other zones has two new kohai (new missionaries) that are shimatachi. They are so sweet, and I love seeing them around. I can't wait until we have kohai of our own. We still have 2 more weeks though before that happens (At least I think...). There might only be one more week. Time is chotto okashi (a little strange) sometimes here at the MTC. The days go by slowly, but the weeks fly by. And so do the months!

I love our teachers! They are the best. We see them everyday except Sunday, and we miss them when they are gone. When we haven't seen them for a day, it feels like it has been forever! Well, Gauthier Kyodai left for a camping trip the end of last week. We had a substitute, and although she was great, she wasn't Gauthier Kyodai. We get so used to the teaching styles of our teachers, and when they aren't there it is harder for us to understand. And some of the ways the other teachers teach aren't as effective for us (well, they aren't as effective for me). Ellsworth Kyodai (our other teacher) was subbing for a different class at the same time that we had a sub. He told us that the whole time he was there he was wondering what we were being taught, and why we were in separate classes, where we were going, and what we were doing. He felt so protective of us, and wanted to make sure we were being taken care of. He even came and checked on us through the peep hole in the classroom door just to make sure we were doing alright. He is so sweet! We survived without Gauthier Kyodai though, and he was there on Monday to teach us again. While we had substitutes, we practiced street contacting and door approaches. With street contacting, you only talk to the person for about 1 - 2 minutes, and you have to teach about a simple principle that you think will apply to their lives, and interest them in knowing more. Then you schedule a return appointment. With door approaches, you have about 5 minutes to teach an entire message. It can be a little bit stressful, and you always feel rushed, but I loved it, and it was good practice for when we get to Japan. 

I am getting much better at Nihongo, and can say a lot more without having to think to hard about it. During one of our lessons though, I wanted so badly to say something, but I honestly couldn't remember how. I think I struggled thinking about it for 5-10 minutes, and ended up not being able to understand anything that was happening. I quickly learned, that it is so much more important to listen to the kyudosha, than it is to spend 10 minutes trying to say one thing. 

On Sunday, the New Mission Presidents Seminar began (Well, actually it started on Saturday...) Anyways, Sunday it was going on, and as a result, one of the main buildings on campus was closed (all week long). The First Presidency and the 12 Apostles were all in attendance on Sunday, and I think Monday as well. As we were going back to our class (and me to a meeting) we were able to see the First Presidency as they walked to their cars. It was pretty cool. They were parked just outside of our classroom building, and we were able to sit and watch them from a distance. 

For Sunday Devotional, Janice Kapp Perry was our speaker. She is a singer/song writer that has written many of the primary (children) songs for the church. Our devotional was kindof like a musical fireside, because there was a lot of singing. She had us all sing a medley of 6 of her primary songs (A Child's Prayer, I Love to See the Temple, We'll Bring the World His Truth, Love is Spoken Here, and two other songs - that I can't remember). It was so beautiful, and the spirit was able to testify to me of the simple truths in each of the songs. At the end, we sang the EFY Medley (As Sisters in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth). Instead of the regular verses, we sang 2 of the new verses she wrote for As Sisters in Zion, special for missionaries. (You should be able to find them online. They are amazing. We sing them every week in Relief Society). I loved being able to sing, with all of the missionaries. It was a wonderful devotional. 

I'm running out of time!!!

Okay. I'll type fast! There is still so much more to tell you!

This week I have been filled with so much love for every one around me. I didn't realize I could love so many people SO much! It is the best feeling!

One of the times that I have been filled with love, is when we have taught lessons to our kyudosha, teachers, and less active members. We taught a sweet 80 year old sister (teacher pretending to be a less active). She had stopped going to church because she felt like the other sisters in her ward were judging her because she couldn't read Kanji. We were able to share with her the love that her Heavenly Father has for her. It was so special, and I was truly able to see her through God's eyes. I was able to see a little glimpse of her divine potential. I love being a missionary!

On Tuesday for Devotional, Elder Christofferson spoke to us. He talked to us about the worth of souls, and about our divine potential. One of the many wonderful things he said, "Your soul is precious in the sight of God." It was so wonderful, and I wish I had time to tell you more! Maybe I'll write a letter and Rebekah can post it to my blog. :)

I was also able to meet my Mission President and his wife this week! They are wonderful and I am so excited to go to Kobe, and to serve with them. Also, a little bit of good news, my mission will be getting ipads, along with the rest of the missions in Japan! It will be amazing to be able to have more resources as we teach. I'm excited. 

One last thing, really quick! We have been learning about how to better teach people rather than lessons. As we taught each lesson this week, I could tell that the spirit was much more present when we taught to the needs of our investigators, and listened to what our investigators needed. I love teaching by the spirit, and everything about being a missionary. It is great!

I love you all! Sorry about the crazy sporadic email. I feel like I always have so much to say and so little time to say it all!

Robertson Shimai






As Amanda Mentioned: 
The Sisters of Zion

Words and Music by Janice Kapp Perry 

The sisters of Zion are called to God’s labor
We willingly serve Him with spirit and might
We go to the nations with truth everlasting
We teach of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ

We thank thee, O God, for a prophet to guide us
We trust in His words and our purpose is clear
The angels of heaven are walking beside us
We’ll share our glad message with all who will hear

We go forth enlisted with Helaman’s Army
In numbers much greater than ever before
With power and spirit we’ll faithfully witness
The heavens have spoken, and truth is restored