Come Follow Me: Watashi wa Izumo o ai shite imasu!!

November 9, 2015

Hello Hello People of America!
Well how is everyone?! I hope well, from what I have heard in emails everyone is doing great and life is busy as ever! Grandma Bonnie, way to go on writing an email from an iPad, I've got a cool Grandma I would say. Love you Grandma! But all sounds good, fun medical trips, and just everyday life. Keep it up and be safe! Well I'm sure you're all curious on the new area and companion etc. But first I have to tell you about my last two days in Takamatsu. So Tuesday we had a Primary Day Camp up in the mountains and some cabin like camp area. It was so cute and fun. We just helped with the stations for the kids to do in all our district. It was fun, our while zone was there and stuff. We played games like, dodgeball, tug of war, and jump rope. It was oh too fun! Except they had the missionaries vs. the priesthood holders in tug of war.. There were like 20 of them and 10 of us... We won once and so did they so we ended it like that..Haha it was a great day, and we got to wear pants all day, YAY! And Wednesday before we left to go to transfer point, we visited Ueta Shimai my favorite Less Active and it was SO great! She was so sad I was leaving and so was I... But the cool part was as we taught her, the spirit was SO strong. We taught of forgiving others through the atonement and as we did she just started crying and bore her about how she knows what she needs to do to change and come back. Itwas a great way to end visiting her! The spirit is so real. No greater joy then hearing someone you have come to love tell you that. Okay now to the new stuff! Well, My title is I LOVE IZUMO! Haha So there is the start of my new area. It is so great! It is very inaka or country.. Haha like small town and so beautiful. It's been really rainy since I've gotten here but oh well, it's not cold so I guess I'll take it. But my first day here we went and visited lots of members and had a lesson with our investigator! We got right into things... But everyone we visited was so loving and excited to have a new sister and just showed me so much love like I was family! They are all so sweet, AH! Our branch president is actually American, he married a Japanese women and they now live here and he is great. He's very American haha they have two daughters and they are so cute! Our branch is actually pretty young unlike my last area so that's fun. So our investigator is actually from Mongolia and she speaks Russian, Mongolian, and broken Japanese and English so we teach her in simple Japanglish.. Haha its quite the experience. But she is solid! She has such a strong desire to know if what we says is true. She is gorgeous too, like wow! I'll send a pic soon of her. We taught her abut faith and loving Jesus Christ cause she loves God but she isn't sure about Christ yet. But I'm super excited for her. So fun story, we has like NO food the last few days cause of transfer etc. so we had bread milk eggs and cinnamon basically so we made French toast... Then we realize, no syrup.. So we compromised and put yogurt on it hahaha it was so good actually.. So yup makes it healthier too right? haha JOKES. Sunday was great here in Izumo... I got to bear my testimony and introduce myself in sacrament. It went better then the one in Takamatsu so that's good haha then us sisters teach gospel principles class so we taught about eternal families, it went well. I shared my experience about how my family always read scriptures together and how my parents may not think sometimes that it helped but it did! So thank you mom and dad. Everyone thought it was awesome we did that together. Then Sunday evening we had dinner with the Bragas, the cutest Brazilian family in our branch. They wanted us to try Brazilian food.. So we got it ha, beans, rice, and sausage with this spice on top ha it was good! But they love us and treats us like family. The mom said to call her our "black momma" hahahaha yeah, they are awesome. They have two kids, a 16 year old daughter and a 18 year old son. They are amazing:) and are great missionaries here. But this area is great and I'm so excited for thus opportunity to serve here. I am blessed to be around these people for awhile and hope I can help them. My thought and challenge of the week is from a poem that President Monson shared in a talk awhile back:
"I know not by what methods rare,
But this I know, God answers prayer.
I know that He has given His Word,
Which tells me prayer is always heard,
And will be answered, soon or late.
And so I pray and calmly wait.
I know not if the blessing sought
Will come in just the way I thought;
But leave my prayers with Him alone,
Whose will is wiser than my own,
Assured that He will grant my quest,
Or send some answer far more blest" -President Monson Never Walk Alone
I just want to testify prayer us real, he listens and answers our prayers. Maybe not when or how we want but he does. I challenge you all to see how your prayers are and if they are sincere and you listen after you pray. If not will make a world of a difference in your life I promise. I love prayer so much! I've never prayed more in my life and I'm so glad I have it. It's true and real. So please do that this week. I love you and miss you all!! The work is moving and it is great. I pray for you everyday and hope you're all safe, and coming closer unto Christ everyday. #RELY スミス姉妹 Smith Shimai

Shimai Weber and I

Everyone!

Primary Day Camp. It was SO COLD!

These are so famous in Japan. They are outdoor like hot tubs, this was a mini one cause normally they are a big tub and you sit in them but us missionaries aren't allowed in those so we did a mini one haha