Come Follow Me: イエスキリストの贖いにたよて下さい！

February 15, 2016

Hello Again! Wasn't I just writing like yesterday?! Geez haha.. Well it sounds like all is well and I hope all of you had a great valentines! I totally forgot it was Valentine's Day until we got to church and we had a funny experience that I'll share later on. To start off the week I'll share the funny Valentine's experience. So I literally forgot completely it was Valentines Day (missionary life) haha but we get to church and one of our recent converts who is like 80 and just holding on, uh yeah I mean that in the nicest way possible, well he comes up to me and says スミス姉妹 it's Valentine's Day so I brought chocolate fondue for us to dip food in after church together ok? Can't pass that up so I tell him thanks and so after church we go into the kitchen and there he is melting this chocolate for me ha but the trick is, he is also skining this pitch black thing that is apparently food so I ask him what it was, tells me, don't know the word so I just move on and say okay do we eat it? He says of course, dip it in the chocolate please! So I did and ate it, NASTIEST thing ever. So I ask Mami Shimai the one who speaks English what it is and she bust up laughing and says, that's ginger Smith Shimai! I ate a whole cooked garlic clove dipped in chocolate... (time out, we are not sure if she ate a whole garlic clove or ginger, I think she might be in a hurry and writing a little fast) Yup I know... Now for the amazing blessings from our loving Heavenly Father this week to us missionaries. Well Tuesday was AMAZING! We were able to teach 6 lessons today that went amazing! Do you remember the new Filipina mom that we met at ekiawa like 2 weeks ago. Well she came again and we asked her if she read the intro to the Book of Mormon and she said yeah and the testimony parts too. Wow awesome! We asked her what she thought? And she said, well I prayed before and after and I always felt peace, good, and warm. She said she loves the atonement of Christ and wants to learn from us more about the gospel. We had Zone Conference this weekend and it was AMAZING! We talked a lot about the atonement and how when everyone thinks of it they think negative and about sin. But it does so many other things. I'm so grateful I have the mission president that I do. He is always so close to the spirit and teaches us exactly what I need at that time. I hope one day I can have a relationship like those two do. They are amazing people whom I will love and be grateful for forever! Saturday we had a concert in our zone leaders area which is Yonago. I totally forgot the mans name who was the singer sorry ha but it was such a neat experience. He tells of his conversion story and relates songs to the situation and he has an amazing voice. It was so cool to listen to and just feel the spirit touch me through word and music. I think sometimes music is over looked with how strongly it can bring the spirit in a room. While he was singing a song about the atonement I just had a thought that wow it is SO amazing and you just can't comprehend how much he really did. Then sunday we were able to teach about the atonement as well and I just had such an amazing love for the atonement these past few days. We went around the class and asked one small pain they have felt lately like a paper cut or things like that and after we just talked about how The Savior felt that pain. Isn't that amazing? He felt the pain of stubbing your toe, the negative thoughts of not being good enough, feeling sad or missing someone. HE FELT THAT! Our Savior and Redeemer is amazing. He loves us and of course his Father in Heaven so much that he died for us and now helps us when we feel the pains he felt for us. WOW! Please this week, ponder the atonement more, every time you feel a pain no matter how small, think "Hey, He felt that." And it opens your eyes let me tell you. Sunday we had a lesson with the nurse student. This week her grandfather passed away and she was pretty down. BUT guess what we taught her? The plan of salvation of course and the lesson was so great! She started off by asking why do bad things happen? I don't like them. We asked her why she thought we had bad things and she said I guess so we can learn. And we said of course, if we didn't have bad we would not recognize the bad and we testified that through hard things she can come closer to God and we taught about how we can live with God again and her grandpa is watching over her. We told her that he is being taught this right now and we know that he wants her to accept it here on earth because he wasn't able too. And she said she knew this was true. Wow, did that make my heart SO happy. I LOVE THE PLAN OF SALVATION! I get to live with you all forever, that is one amazing blessing if you ask me. It's amazing how the Lord makes our work just flow. I don't want her to have to deal with hard times but this is what she needed to open her heart fully to what we will teach her. My challenge of the week, I will attach the picture but I saw this from my friend serving in Tokyo South and I just felt it needed to be sent this week. So do it! It's the Love One Another 14 day challenge. It is amazing. Not easy always because we are human but if we do this I know that your love for others will grow. You can develop the Christ-like charity and will see others through the eyes of our Heavenly Father. Isn't that such a great thing that we all need? I think so. So please this week remember to LOVE and also the atonement of Christ. You're life will be happier and better I promise you. I love my Savior, without him I wouldn't be here doing what I'm doing. I know he suffered and died for everyone and he knows how we feel in every situation. Don't ever think, "no one understands" because that is false and that's Satan. Christ understands and knows the exact feeling. I know that. I love you all and miss you daily but I know you're all doing great and I feel your prayers. Thank you so much! Keep being you and be safe. LOVE YOU! #RELY #HEFELTIT
スミス姉妹