WOAH! First week of the field is here!

September 28, 2015

Hello from Takamtsu Japan!! こにちわ‼︎  Well before I get into my life, it sounds like everyone is doing just wonderful and all is well! I totally forgot about Swiss Days being right now, oh how I miss that's! But so glad everyone had fun going together, running the 5K (WAY TO GO MY CUTE ANDELYN), and watching the fun parade. Gotta love Swiss days! But it sounds like life is busy as ever for everyone and like everyone is just keeping busy and out of trouble. Keep it up family.  Okay, I know you are all dying to know all the details about the greatest place ever, JAPAN! Well the traveling here was so long and insane like wow! Our Korean flight was SO long and the airplane food was even nastier than American airplane food because Korean food mixedwith airplane food was just EEWW. But it was an experience that's for sure. And we almost missed our last flight cause our Korean flight was late so we were sprinting down the Korean airport hahaha it was so hilarious. But sad cause I wanted to experience the Korean airport but oh well, I can now say I've been to Korea right! And we got picked up by our AP's at like 10:00 pm Japan time so needless to say we were exhausted and ready to get to the mission home. We finally got there at like 11:15 ish, met President and Sister Welch for a few seconds ha THEY ARE THE SWEETEST PEOPLE EVER. I am so blessed to have them as my mission presidents. But then we got to bed and then the next day was training all day with them and the AP's. But we started off our morning with a jog with the AP's around Kobe and it literally was the greatest. During training we learned how to use our iPads, which they are SO helpful in missionary work and just trained ALL DAY. We had a 5 minute interview with President Welch so he could receive revelation where we should go and who should be our trainer. Isn't that insane he gets it that fast? As I walked out of the interview he is like, "you two in this area will do great!" Like ah I wanted to know so bad but we had to wait till the next day. And we all ate with President and Sister Welch every meal and boy do I LOVE Japanese food so far.  Yummmm! But yeah just a long day of training. Then the next morning we ran up to the top of the mountain and played rugby together up in the mountains and it was the prettiest. Ill attach a picture, it was pouring rain as well. What's better than that?!  We had a blast together. Oh funny side story, at the park where we were playing rugby, there were like 10 old people listening to weird Japanese like character music while doing weird yoga/stretching. We were all busting up laughing. Love those Japanese people!  Well after that, it was time to meet our trainers and find out our area. Boy, was that nerve racking or what?! So we go into a meeting room, no one knows who is with who (not even the trainers) and he calls each of us up, tells us our area and who our trainer is and from there on out you are with them. So... I got Weber Shimai from Virginia and she has been out 10 months and is actually half Chinese notJapanese haha but she is SO great and SO cute. I love her to death.  We got our stuff that I needed to go and took about a 5 hour bus/train ride to our area which is Takamtsu. It's an island right below Kobe and it is a big area. It's us two and then a companionship of Elders in our area.  And we also have the smallest district and zone in the mission but I haven't met any of them until Friday so I'll let you know about that. The area is mostly city but also a little country with rice fields as well.  The rice fields are the worst because they have A MILLION mosquitos and I got bit 10+ times the other night ping ponging or door knocking as others say. I'll send a pic, they are HUGE bites I think they are infected haha anyway... The food is so yummy here! Sadly I haven't been out to eat so I don't know what restaurants are like but everything my companion has made and little things I have tried is so so good. It's rice or noodles a lot with veggies and some meat. Hahaha but I love it. I think my area isn't way into the like authentic Japanese food so maybe in another area I'll experience more of that. The nastiest thing I've eaten though is NATO. It is basically fermented soy beans and it's way healthy for you and they eat it for breakfast but uh ew no thanks. I tried it and about died haha so.. But they have THE best ice cream bar here that everyone eats. It's called black thunder.. Oh my so yummy it has like crushed Oreo in it and dark chocolate around it. Wow, I love it. Everyone asked about the language, well I feel like I am starting back at square one again ha I don't know what anyone says ha they speak SO fast and like mumble so yeah I'm working on it. The worst day was Sunday cause it was all just fast Japanese and everyone wanted to meet me but half the time I was just smiling because I was SO confused haha Bry, Aus, Jen, Chad.. I'm sure you know what I mean. Haha but our apartment is nice ha it get so hot in there but it'd nice and I am grateful for it to be a nicer one.  Um... It's so humid here all the time and you just sweat like a beast!  But besides that the weather is so nice.  Um.. I'll just tell you two little moments of these past few days cause this is getting long but we sadly only have 1 investigator right now and that is Kana. She is like 22 ish and is so cute. So we have game night every week here with the ward and she came this weekend and she had a blast ha so that was great. Also one of the elders investigator came, his name is Tai. He is fluent in English as well so that was nice haha but we enjoyed our game night. But lastly, we went ping ponging or house contacting and boy was that hard and did that hurt. No one wanted to listen. Here you ring the door bell, and you talk to them through the intercoms and they can see through the camera as well so no one opens the door like ever.. They always just say "I'm busy or I have a religion." If they do that, you just leave a card in their mail and hope for the best. And it just hurts cause you knowthey need it. But it was hard cause my trainer made me do a few and woah ha the language struggle.. But I have grown a lot these past 5 days haha I have truly learned to rely on my Savior. I was reading in 1 Nephi 17 and its when Nephi builds a ship.. Nephi is an amazing man and such an example. Boy do I love him and his faith. In verse 9 he asks the Lord how? He never asked why or complained, he just said okay I'll do it just help me to know how. And that's what we need to do through our hard times. I needed to hear that. Tu do him, be obedient and he will help you through building that ship. I know that to be true. I've seen it here already in 5 days. This gospel is so true and brings people so much joy. Share it to those who need it and news joy! It will bring you even more joy I promise you. I love you all and miss you everyday. But I love doing this work, I love serving others and my savior always. I pray for you everyday and hope you are all safe, healthy, and being like Christ. He is our Savior, I know that for a fact and I love him. Until next week! #trust あいしています！
-Smith Shimai

Weber Shimai and I traveling to our Area

My side of the room.  The thing on

the left is my bed

Weird shower room haha

Bathroom and laundry ha 

Our fav ice cream

They have All Bran!

The best Granola ever!

My leg is so swollen from all the bites

That's our church!  It's quite big for our little branch

Sister Smith is safe in Japan!

September 26, 2015

Dear Brother and Sister Smith, 

 We are happy to have your wonderful missionary here to serve with us in the Japan Kobe Mission.

                                             Love, President and Sister Welch

Sister Smith’s trainer/companion is Sister Weber and they are serving in the Takamatsu  Area.

President and Sister Welch

Sister Smith and Sister Weber

LAST P-DAY IN THE MTC...

September 17, 2015

Hello Family and Friends, 

Wow, I can not believe the time is here.. I am writing my last e-mail here at the MTC. I am so excited but yet so nervous haha I can't believe I am now going to live in Japan and have to speak that language and teach real people! Like, it never seemed like that was ever going to be reality but I am only 4 days away.. AAHHH!!:) But before I get into my week and such. Everyone sounds so good and like life is just going and going. Busy as ever.. Brookie I LOVED seeing the video of the kids and the great athletes they are, way to represent kiddos:) Austin I am sure you are all busy as ever, mom sent a pic of Drey and Demi, oh how cute are your kids:) Lanny, cute kids you got and wow I can't believe all of them are growing up.. But keep getting that house together. Merc I hope the prego belly is going well and you are getting excited to meet that little girl.. Bry needs to send some more pics of it!  T-dawg, oh thanks for the cute pic;) haha I am glad school is well and studying for four hours isn't killing you.  I do it ALL day so come on, you can do four hours;) haha jodan! (jokes) But I am glad everyone is well and safe. 

Well where to begin, it is always just kind of a normal week... first we will start with the fun/crazy story of the week.  So there is this tradition here at the MTC called the cereal challenge.  Here the cereals are in these HUGE tall towers and you just like pull a lever and some comes out.. Hope that makes sense and you can picture it but anyway, you get your whole district and you have to eat the WHOLE tower.. yup you heard me haha so us 11 missionaries ate the tower of stinking frosted flakes (cause that's what the Elder's wanted) and I had to eat 5 bowls of it.. we all felt so sick and some of us even puked haha I didn't but wow was that an experience.. Never again will I eat frosted flakes haha but hey we did it and it feels good now:) 

Now to our investigators, Aoyagi San is doing great! We are finishing up his lessons this week because he gets "baptized" on Saturday!! YAY! :) He has made so much progress and is such an amazing person.  Yonaha San has been struggling with understanding all we teach and with tithing but we are helping her. I don't think she will follow through with her date this week but we will keep trying to teach her as much as we can!  It has been so great teaching them. 

We also had our last Skype TRC yesterday and it was so amazing! I felt the spirit so strong in this lesson.  We struggled to decided what to teach that night and through out the day I felt that we should teach about overcoming trials and having patience through them and we taught this lady about mom's age and she was so sweet and the spirit was there as we shared scritpures and our thoughts.  She told our teacher after we were done that the lesson was EXACTLY what she needed and she felt the spirit so strong in our testiomonies.  What a blessing the promptings of the spirit are in our life:) If we do our part and follow, he will provide the things we need to say at that moment and I know that to be true. 

Now some spiritual thoughts of the week.. First we will start with Sunday with our branch presidents wifes talk.  She talked how we are like her flower garden.. we look at it from a far and it looks perfect and like there is nothing wrong but when she goes out and looks close she sees all the little weeds that need to be taken out.  We are the same, we think we are doing good in life but there are always those little weeds that we can fix.  She challenged us everynight to ponder for a few mintues those little weeds that we need to repent of and change.  And wow, that hit me.  I know I am far from perfect but I don't think I realize how many little little things that can be changed that will make a huge difference in my life.  I challenge you all this week to just take a few minutes every night before you say your nightly prayers, to think of those little weeds in your life that you want to change and pray to your father in heaven and he will help you change those. I know that to be true, she gave the perfect message for me and I am trying to use her challenge daily now.  So please do that and see the change in your life i promise it will come! 

My last Tuesday devotional was AMAZING:)  we had Sister Wixom the Primary President and she is just the sweetest thing on this earth and I felt the spirit so much through out the whole thing. And there is one thing I want to share with you all.  She said "Do you realize how powerful God really is?" and wow that question hit me.. I sometimes think I take for granted how much God can really do for us.  Do we know that for ourselves? If not, I challenge you to find that out.  Our Father in Heaven can do ANYTHING! Espeically with our faith and trust in him.  Along with my last challenge, I want you all to pray this week to know how amazing your father in heaven is and how much he can do for you if you just ask and have faith in him.  He is there and wants to listen and wants you to trust in him in all you do.  I know that for a fact he will help you, it may take time because he wants you to grow but he will help and it will turn out okay.  And lastly we sang Armies of Helaman for the closing song and wow was that a tear jerker... And when we sing it as missionaries, we sing "And we are NOW the Lord's missionaries.." and that little phrase brings so much joy and happiness to me.  I was just crying like a baby.  Being a missionary is the greatest calling I could ever recieve.  I love being a missionary and the joy that I feel EVERYDAY from this work.  And now I get to experience the real stuff and the even better joy.  How exciting is that? 

I love this work and I can not wait to write you next from Japan!! AAAHH, I am so pumped but oh wow I am not even close to ready haha but it will be such an experience for me and I am so excited to eat Sushi and rice everyday all day;) and ride that bike in 90% humidity and get doors slammed in my face but also having those moments of testifying and feeling people change because of the spirit they feel. How great is that?  I know this church is true.  I KNOW that fasting is real and it works.  I have seen it so many times these past two months here. Prayer is real as well.  I have recieved so  many answers and help from my prayers.  He listens to ANY problem you have and he cares about every problem you have. I know that to be true.  I can not wait to serve the people of Japan here in a few days and I can't wait to write you and tell you about my amazing companion and all the great people I will meet.  I am so excited:) Thank you for your prayers and for your love and support. I feel it everyday and I am so blessed to have people like all of you who I love and help me through this.  I am grateful for the letters and packages. They are so sweet and I am grateful for all of you. I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!!  Time is so crazy.. Bye bye MTC:) haha how great is that?  I love this work and I am so excited for what lies ahead.  #TRUST

-Smith Shimai

We bleached our mustaches!

Flight Planes:)

We matched and flight planes

We were opposite so she wanted a picture

THANKS FOR THE CUTEST SHIRT EVER!

Random Sunday picture

Allyson's package....HUGE

Only one more week?! Woah...

September 10, 2015

Hello Everyone!!

Wow, P-day already?  The time here is just flying by now! I only have one more p-day left here at the MTC! Can you believe that? I've been gone 2 months already... Time is way way to short.  But oh do I have so many amazing things that I can not wait to share this week:) But first off, sounds like everyone is doing well.  Thank you for the e-mails/dear elders always. They really just make my day so much better.  Sounds like Demi's blessing went great and Austin did an amazing job! Way to go:) Thank you so much for being a worthy preisthood holder and being intuned with the spirit to give your sweet little girl a blessing.  She is SO GORGEOUS:) I can't believe how big she is already. Loved the pictures of her and Brooke your kids as well. Everyone already looks bigger and different.. Not good. STOP GROWING UP;) haha jodan! (jokes) But I am glad everyone is doing well. Shout out to Chad, way to be a missionary. That story is so awesome, shows the Lord knows his children and knows exactly what they need. So thank you for that example:) Glad all is well. I hope everyone is well for those I didn't get to hear from. 

Okay well let's start off with the investigators.  Yonaha and Aoyagi San.  Well we didn't get to teach Aoyagi for about a week because he had been out of town but we FINALLY got to teach him this week and wow it was such an amazing lesson.  We had planned to teach him about tithing and how it can bless him and you know the basics but we got there and we were asking him about Word of Wisdom and all these things that we have committed him to do and he said he had been struggling and that his health had been bad lately... He was discouraged because he said when he started talking to us he was happy at first and his health improved A TON but lately it has been bad again and he just wasn't sure if God loved him.  Well the spirit prompted me to share a scripture in Alma about patience through afflictions and as I shared that with him I could just see in his face that he knew what he needed to do. So we taught that whole lesson on patience and trusting in God because he gives us hard times so we can become stronger.  And the spirit was just so strong and I was so thankful for the spirit bringing to me the scripture which was PERFECT for his situation.  Oh how I love the spirit:) So at the end of the lesson he understood and just was so much happier again:) Then with Yonaha San we had been struggling with the Word of Wisdom, she smokes at least 4 times a day and said she can't stop because it makes her have panic attacks.  Well my comp and I were so stumped and didn't know what to do after that lesson.  Well we decided to just talk more about the word of wisdom and wanted to show her that we were there for her and we love her and will help her.  That lesson was THE most amazing lesson thus far.  The spirit was so strong and I just knew what we were saying was helping her.  After that lesson, our teacher (Yonaha San aka) haha pulled us out of class and just said she was so impressed with our lesson and the way we didn't give up on her and truly made her feel loved. She said it was one of the best lessons she has heard since teaching here.  I was SO happy and just knew the spirit directed us the right way:) So they are both improving so much!! Love helping others SO much:) 

Well during class this week our teacher Maynze Shimai was sharing her spiritual thought of the day and this one was just AMAZING! So we were reading in the BOM about the Lamanites who buried their weapons and over came their weakness and sacraficed their lives for being like Christ.  And she related it to us and challenged us to bury our weakness and whatever was holding us back.  And it was just what I needed, we need to forgot those weakness and let the Lord help us overcome them and they will become strong.  I challenge you all to pick just ONE thing you want to change this week, one thing you need to be better at and pray to your Father in Heaven that you are willing to bury that and change it if he will help you.  I promise you that he will help you. It will be hard and will take time but you will see the change. I know it to be true because I have seen it since I have been trying to do that this week.  He helps us in ALL we do. 

Well devotional this were both great! We had the provo temple president and his wife and they both gave amazing talks. His wife said something that hit me.  "It doesn't matter how many time you have read the BOM, prayed, attended church or temple, watched conference etc., YOU MUST KEEP DOING THOSE THINGS TO COME CONVERTED!" I just loved that.. People think if you have read the BOM 100x and someone else has only ready it once that they know more or are better etc. but no, as long as you are becoming converted and doing what you need too then who cares. Just do your part and what you need to do to continue to be converted unto the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this Tuesday devotional was Bishop Causse and he was amazing. He said, "Why am I doing all this? Why am I leaving my family, friends, school, careers etc. to serve? Well yes it's hard saying bye to all those things cause you love them but you love your Savior more and that is why you are here and why you are making that sacrafice." How great is that?  I LOVE YOU ALL TO PIECES and I hope you know that, but I left you all for 18 months because I LOVE MY SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! He died for each of us and because of him I am happy and can overcome anything. So I am here because of him:) Just a thought, if you ever wonder why all these things, just remember, "Because of Him." 

This week we had the opportunity to Host. Which means we were the missionaries who grab the new missionaries from their families and take their luggage and help them get to where they needed to be.  Wow, is that so sad to watch haha I just feel so sad watching them cry and leave but also it's so great making them feel loved and cared for right after:) It was so much fun to meet so many people and just help those Sisters out. Met so many great people serving in so many great places around the world:) I'll send some pics of my Host sticker;) pretty official haha it was so much fun! 

Random not so much fun story, we had to move this week!! It was the worst.. haha we lived on the 4th floor but they want to re-do the roof so they had to move us down a floor so today we have been moving all our stuff down and trying to re organize so that was a joy to experience today;) haha but yeah fun random fact! Sorry no funny Elder stories this week.. FINALLY;) haha

We also got to Skype TRC again this week and it was yet another great time:) We skyped an 18 year old girl who lived in Tokyo and she is preparing for a mission. She was so sweet and happy and wanted to serve in Japan haha we shared with her a message about service and loving others and the spirit was great and it is such a great experience to talk to real people from Japan and helps improve the language a lot:) It is coming a long slowly but better than it used to be:) 

Last thing of the week, all the Shimaitachi in our Branch sang "Savior, Reedeemer" in church and the spirit was SO strong during it.  That song has such amazing words.. Please please go look it up and just focus on what is being said please:) It is just a heart touching song and I am so glad we had that opportunity:) 

Well.. That was my week haha I don't know what else to say.. But oh GUESS WHAT?! We get our flight plans to Japan tomorrow so next/my last p-day here, I will let you know all about our travel plans:) HOW EXCITING IS THAT PEOPLE?!  I can't believe the time is finally coming haha no more MTC food;) haha jokes.. but it is kind of bad;) But I am so excited to just do the real work:) I want to touch the lives of the people of Japan! It is so great being a missionary. I LOVE IT:) Jesus Christ is our Savior. He LOVES ALL OF US:) And he knows our needs, wants, and desires.  If you pray to him and truly turn to him, he will help you. I know that for a fact, he has helped me more than I deserve here in the mission.  I know the BOM can answer any questions we need no matter where we are reading.  It is the truest book on the earth and I LOVE IT:) Always read it, keep reading it, and truly study it and get to know it:) I know it will bless your life.  I love this gospel and being a missionary for my Savior. I can't believe the time has come to go to Japan but oh I am so excited:) Have a great week and serve others and love EVERYONE no matter what:) Love you all and I miss you!  I pray for you everyday atleast twice a day.. So be safe, CTR, and have a wonderful week:) 

-Smith Shimai #TRUST

She picked out my outfit for that day haha. Sister Cox our training leader.

New Sisters

Hosting

Sister Smith and Sister Pickrell with Elder Evans - 5th ward reunion

Down to only two and a half weeks in AMERICA?!

September 3, 2015

Hello Family and Friends,

O-Genki desu ka? Or how are you? From what the e-mails sound like, it sounds like everyone is good and having a normal schedule and stuff is nice for once haha I am glad everyone is busy and all the kiddos are doing well in school and their sports and such. It is so fun to hear and so great to see pictures of everyone:) So thank you all so much for writing me and for sending cute pictures.  It really is one of the greatest things a missionary can receive. I am very blessed to have people back at home supporting me and loving me through my time to serve the Lord.  I love you:) 

Well okay yet another week to talk about haha we will start with the greatest thing of the week... ready?????  ELDER DALLIN H OAKS came to the MTC for our Tuesday devotional. How amazing is that?! That man is so amazing.  He is always so stern and straight forward with his talks and for sure doesn't beat around the bush.  First I will share one thing his wife said that has just stuck with me since that night. So she said, "10 out of every 100 people know our church is true just by walking by a member of our church." HOW CRAZY IS THAT?! PEOPLE, we can change someones life and their family for eternity just by how we present ourselves everyday. So just smile, be happy, and show people that life is great no matter how hard times can get and they will see the light in you and know that what we have is true and will change their life. So one cahllenge this week is to smile and represent Jesus Christ at all times and you never know whose life will be changed for the better.  My favorite thing I want to share with you that he said was well sorry two things, first "Every member should know the sacrament prayers by heart because that is the most important thing a member can do every week. Partake of the sacrament because that is how we will have the spirit with us at all times." I always knew the sacrament was amazing and I always loved Sundaybecause I had that opportunity but I never realized how much it really affects our daily life.  So please get to know those prayers and better understand them and it will help you have the spirit with you at all times! How great is that blessing just by partaking of the sacrament the right way with real intent?! Second was more for missionaries but he said, "Doing missionary things is fine and will be good but BEING a missionary is where the work will be successful." And wow is that true... there are so many missionaries here that you can tell are just going through motions and not trying to be that missionary that the Lord wants them to be and it can be hard to always be focused and having the spirit but I know what he said is true. As a missionary, you need to be full in the work or else there isn't much of a point for being here.  I am taking this to heart and this week really working on BEING a missionary not just doing the things missionaries do.  Dallin H. Oaks is truly an apostle of God and I just felt the spirit so strong as he walked in the room and spoke to us.  We are led by amazing men like him and I am so grateful  for them and their dedication to our gospel and the love they have for our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Oh so just a random fun fact.. I had to speak in church on Sunday!! Boy was that scary, and yes it is in Japanese.. I never thought I would get called on. How they do it here at the MTC is you don't know you are talking till right before you talk when they announce the outline of the program... so yeah that was scary hahahah but it went well I guess. Everyone said they got my message and understood all my sentences and such. So glad that's over ha never have to talk again:) But yeah it was quite the experience:) 

Okay update on the investigators.. They are both doing well. Aoyagi San is keeping the word of wisdom and is getting baptized on Sept 13 so that is exciting:) We didn't get to teach him yet this week because of our new class schedule so not much on him so sorry but Yonaha San is progressing a lot! We taught her about praying often and with her family and stuff and our next lesson we started out by asking her how prayer has been going and she told us how her and her fiance broke up and how it has been hard because they had been fighting a lot and such but after they broke up she prayed to our father in heaven and she said she felt the spirit so strong and it was like someone was hugging her.. Oh my heavens! No better feeling than your investigator telling you that.  She felt the love of her Father in Heaven that day and I know she knows that is true:) Wow, I love this gospel and I love the amazing power of prayer! Prayer is real, I know that with all my being.  I know he answers our prayers if we are praying with real intent and also LISTENING after we do so.  We must listen and have faith that he will answer us.  But they both are doing well and our lessons are improving and I can feel the spirit in them. 

Okay funny story of the week yet again.... and yes it has to do with more Elders.. Oh heavens! 

So we were walking back from breakfast and our cute Sister Training Leaders, Sister Watson (from Dixie high) and Sister Cox (convert) were talking about the elders in their district and they kept laughing cause they said they had a big crush on a sister in our district but wouldn't say but we finally got it out of them and yes... it is me. Oh my gosh! Elder's lock your hearts dang it! ha they said they were looking through Sister Watson's camera in class and were like zooming in on my face and asking if they had any more pictures of me and stuff.. and apparently I said someone had a cool tie in their district and now all the Elders are fighting over who get's the tie.. Like wow haha Elder's got a lot of growing up to do.. :) 

Okay also this week I think I have told you about TRC before, it's basically like having FHE with members.. Anyway, normally just volunteers came and we would teach them once a week well now that we are past 6 weeks we get to skype people in JAPAN!! How cool is that?! So yesterday was our first day and it went so good:) I was so scared but the Japanese people are so patient and kind about our speaking and just loved us.  It was the greatest thing:) They talk so fast though, like wow that's gonna be hard stuff! But it made me so happy and that much more excited to get to Japan and serve those amazing people:) 

Alright, last thought for the week... "Conversion never stops! It's a continuing process through out your life." Brother Liddiard a counselor in our Branch Presidency said that to our district the other day and it just hit me.  We will be working on becoming truly converted unto Christ everyday until we finally get to return to him and live in his presence.  Everyone, please please always work to become more unto Christ our Savior and become like him.  The process never stops, so please please don't think you know enough or you are converted.  You never ever are 100% converted but you can work and strive to be your whole life.  So work on being converted all the time and become better everyday:) It will bless your life. I know it for a fact. This gospel brings so much joy and happiness to us.  Our Savior died for US individually and loves and knows us by name. Never forget who you are and whose you are as well.  Because he wants you to love you and wants you to love others around you. So that is my challenge. Work on being converted everyday and just love everyone around you. Represent Jesus Christ our Savior 24/7:) No matter where you are or what you are doing. You will be blessed I promise you. 

I love you all and I am so grateful for you and your example to me:) I am so happy being a missioanry, it is so so hard but also the greatest thing I have ever done.  Only two more e-mails form the MTC and then I'll be doing the real deal haha crazy! But know I am praying for you and love you so very very much! I miss you but love hearing and seeing pictures every week. So much appreciated for your support and love:) Have a great week and make the world better! #RELY

-Smith Shiami:) 

Temple time with my companion

All the shimatachi

Enjoying the outdoors at the temple

Thanks for helping the POTTY

Smith Shimai with her friend from Snow Canyon High School, Elder Howard