Come Follow Me: God is Good! April 3rd

March 14, 2016

Hello Everyone!
I'm sure you're all curious what happened with transfers this past week, well I'll tell you in a minute. Well it sounds like all is well. I need to wish my cute very first nephew CARTER aka CARL a happy birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CUTE BOY OF MINE you're getting so old, it's freaking me out... Haha お誕生日おめでとうございます! Love you lots bud and enjoy getting the presithood, WOW. Well okay, transfers... I stayed!! I LOVE IZUMO!! BUT... MILLER SHIMAI LEFT ME!! We were both shocked and so crushed... now with transfers if they call you Tuesday or Wednesday then you transfer. When they call they tell you where you are going and new companion etc. so we didn't get a call and it was 8:15 pm and so we were both thinking YAY one more together. Well then at 8:30 the phone rang and we didn't want to answer but then we found out, Miller Shimai is leaving... We both just cried all night after... But it was so great to serve with her. She changed me forever and I learned so much from her. So Wednesday morning our last morning, I have been needing a trim and Miller Shimai offered to cut it so since she was leaving, Wednesday morning she cut my hair HA! So I cut off about an inch, feels SO short but it is healthier so yeah that was a thing. But yeah I'll miss my amazing Miller Shimai, forever a best friend. Well okay, my new companion is half Japanese and half German haha random right? She's from Orem Utah and it's just so sweet and funny. She is a fourth transfer, so one younger than me. Her name is Miyazawa Shimai and I am excited to work with her. She has a very loving fun personality and we will see good things too. This Saturday we were able to attend the filipina moms daughters graduation we will call her Aladdin okay? Haha well let me tell you. WOW! Japanese take middle school graduation very seriously, and no one claps, it's like you're at the military base or something. Weird but boy was Aladdin so happy to have us there. She just kept smiling and saying ah this is so good in her cute decent English. But we went to lunch after to celebrate and after Aladdin said she wanted to learn more about the gospel like her mom because she sees how much happier she is from being baptized. So let me tell you about this amazing lesson. We talked about God being our loving Heavenly Father and we can pray to him anytime. I asked her why she thought we should pray and she said for help. Awesome! So I asked the mom to tell her how prayer has blessed her and her testimony was AMAZING! So we are getting ready to end then Aladdin said Smith Shimai why do you love God? And boy did I LOVE that question. It gave me another opportunity to testify and share why I love my father in heaven. I told her lately I've been thinking a lot how I have my amazing family because of God. Wow, that's a blessing. And as I testified, the spirit filled the room and we both teared up and she said that is true, I love my family. Ah, she is ready just like her mom! It was amazing. So this Sunday the Filipina mom received the Gift of the Holy Ghost and boy was that awesome. She is officially a member! After I leaned over and asked her how it was and she said, "I feel Gods hand on my head." Wow, she loves her Father so much. She will do amazing things. Also fun Sunday, I had to speak.. Again ha and my subject was the role of the relief society, like what? Haha I've been in their for a year or so.. But it ended up good no worries. Glad it's over though.. Speaking in Japanese is overwhelming haha THE BEST NEWS AND MIRACLE OF THE WEEK! The nurse student has a date finally!! Hence my subject, APRIL 3rd! So we met with her Saturday and she finally opened up to us how she has been praying for the past year or so about whether or not she should be baptized and what is right but she said no answer. So we talked a lot about God is wanting to teach us patience or something so we grow. And I felt like I should give her Moroni 7 to read and we can discuss it next time. So we get a text from her Sunday and she says can we meet, I really want to talk about what I read so we said of course and went over there. So we sit down and she tells us what she likes about this chapter etc. but then she goes but before I accidently thought ch 6 vs 1 was ch 7 vs 1 so I read all Moroni 6 too and sisters, I got my answer. That whole chapter is about baptism. She says "I got my answer and I want to be baptized. When can I?" PEOPLE WHAT?! We have been trying to help her for months.. But she got it. April 3rd she has the opportunity to grow closer to her Heavenly Father! Yay, I gave her a chapter but she messed up and God directed her there so she found it herself which is what she has been wanting, yay! God is good good! Lastly, I want to share a quote and ask you to work on something this week. "We choose how long and to what extent we allow the darkness of doubt to influence us." I've learned that all the negative bad things in our life are our choice. Just like us having faith so is having the negative our choice. Like President Monson said, we can't have faith and fear in our mind at the same time so we choose to get Satan out of our life. And I know that is true. Sometimes that can be hard because we aren't perfect and Satan knows our weaknesses but through the atonement, all is possible. The atonement is for anything. So one thing I've been doing is praying to know the atonement can help me overcome Satans negative darkness. Through sincere prayer and having the spirit closer to me through my purification challenge, I've overcome that little by little. I want you all to do the same, please pray with all your heart that the negative darkness can be taken away by your choice and that is by acting. I know he will help you, he has helped me more than k ever thought possible. I love my Savior and His atonement. Without him, I would be in a dark hole. He loves us so He died for us. I know the atoning power is real. I use it everyday so I can come closer to Christ. I know it's true and will help. I love you all and miss you like crazy. #RELY #ACT スミス姉妹