Come Follow Me: Gift of tongues and Love

May 2, 2016

Hello Family and Friends,
How are you all? It seems like life has been busy but good as well. I can't believe school is coming to an end, it blows my mind. I feel like I just finished my high school life but now it's been two years. Wow! But I'm glad all is well, praying for all of you. TWO EXCITING NEWS! 1: Elder Stevenson of the 12 is coming to our mission on May 22!! AH! So excited. Two: My investigator from Izumo, Aladdin, (Filipinos daughter) recieved baptism yesterday! Ah! Happiest day ever! Sad I missed it but I'm just glad she is now a member of this perfect gospel. She emailed me and said it was a wonderful experience and she said "smith Shimai I promise to follow God and pray everyday." AH! Love her. Alright, well here we go for the week. This opening an area stuff is not easy but we are seeing miracles and Gods hand everyday. The more we talk to everyone, uplift members, and build up the LA the more the investigators we find and see success. It's been hard, lots of people aren't home or just do not care here but we are doing all we can. So one of the miracles this week was we were having a bad day, it was pouring rain, no one was home who we visited, and we just weren't sure what to do anymore.. So we decided to go find this referrals given to us by the elders, well his house was no there or wrong address.. And we both just were pretty discouraged with what to do next. Right after we decided to go somewhere else this lady walks out and she just started talk to us about our church and we were able to teach her and she was awesome and is coming to Ekaiwa. It both helped us so much and we had the motivation and desire to keep going and find those people. It was a miracle from God. Let me also tell you of an awesome gift of tongues story I had this week. So Sunday's we go to YW because there is only one girl in young women's. So we all were assigned certain scripture to look up and study to share what we learned. Well I was given the one with the most scriptures haha I obviously studied it on English, well I share what I learned but then she asked me to read it. Uh... 3 big long verses in Japanese will take me the whole class haha well I apologize for slow reading in advance and start to read. I had never read these in Japanese before so I was nervous. And I was able to read them so smooth and just fine. It was a miracle from God showing me the gift of tongues. I know that the gift of tongues is real. Lesson and investigator wise I'm sorry but at the moment I don't have much to share. But I do have two little thoughts I learned this week that I want to share. First is from district meeting this week. So we were talking about love and how if we show more love to everyone then we will see more success. Well one of the missionaries said just like the saying, love makes us do crazy things. And actually that morning before I had read 1 John 4:11 and 18 and it talks about how through love we can overcome the fears we have. And I just automatically related those two because sharing the gospel is scary so it's a crazy thing we missionaries do or all of us members. But it doesn't have to be scary sharing it if we just love those people while we do that crazy thing, then that fear goes away. Last thought, so I've been feeling inadequate and have been recognizing my weakness a lot since opening the area and trying to find people to teach here. Well during study this week I read D&C 1:23 and it changed my way of thinking when I see my weaknesses. And it says "That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.." And the thought came to me, Smith Shimai, everyone has weaknesses and God sent you across the world to Japan speaking Japanese with those weaknesses to help those whom are prepared come unto Christ. It may be simple Japanese, but that's what who he calls. The simple and weak. I know God sees our weaknesses but he doesn't care, he uses our strengths and we use Christ atonement to overcome those weaknesses to do His work. I know, not only us full-time missionaries but you all members of this perfect gospel can help anyone come unto Christ whether you feel weak or not. Please never feel like you're too weak or your knowledge/testimony of the gospel is too simple. That who
Heavenly Father calls. I know this is true. I love you all and miss you like crazy! Keep being amazing, you're all such wonderful examples. #RELY #LOVEスミス姉妹