It's only been a week but it feels like a month!

It´s only been a week since I  talked to you? Wow! It's felt like a month!

Last Tuesday we had a devotional with a lot of the apostles! Because it was P-day my district all lined up super early so we would get good seats. We were 5 rows from the podium. It was awesome!! L. Tom Perry spoke but there was a lot of apostles there. There was Elders Nelson, Scott, Holland, Oaks, Ballard, Bednar, Cook, Christofferson, and Anderson. Basically the only people not there was Pres. Packer, Elder Hales and the First Presidency!

Elder Perry's talk was...unexpected. He showed us this new program that the church has just put out. They have been doing a lot of research about the benefits of being LDS. He gave a lot of statistics in the categories of health, happiness, family life, education, social engagement, serving a mission, volunteering, charitable donations and humanitarian relief. It was cool to see that the Lord truly does bless those who are living according to His commandments. He talked about how the doctrines of the church are the same, we just have technology to propel the work along.

At the end of the devotional, as all of the apostles were leaving Elder Scott looked out at the audience and gave 2 thumbs up. Then Elder Holland looked at all of us, blew a kiss, teared up and then left. It was very tender. It was so cool to look around and see so many people united in the same cause! It just gave me the chills!

The days seem to blend together over the last week. We did get to do something called the TRC. It is basically teaching a lesson to volunteers who are members. It was like teaching a lesson to a member in Japanese. It was actually really fun! It was casual and I felt like I could understand most of what they were saying. I'm really excited to get to know the members of Japan. They are the ones who will aid us in building up the church.

Speaking of members in Japan, all of the Nihonjin (or Japanese missionaries) got here. They are so fun to talk to! But...they speak SOOO fast! They are so nice, and slow down when talking to those of us with little experience. One day I will understand what they are saying. And I can't wait for that!

On Sunday, because it was fast Sunday we had a mission conference. Which was basically like stake conference. We heard from the Mission Presidency and their wives. They talked about a lot of good things. They all just spoke up the doctrines of the gospel, which have to do with our purpose as missionaries. It was simple and sweet. Just like the gospel should be.

Then Sunday night for the devotional we had an interesting...performance, I guess you could say. It was by Ted Gibbons. Who I guess does a lot of literary work of the church. He impersonated Willard Richards who is in the quorum of the 12 when Joseph Smith was the prophet. He was the fourth person in the room when Joseph and Hyrum were martyred. He told a bunch of stories about Joseph Smith, about how he could revelation, and just what an amazing person he truly was. It was cool to hear another perspective. It just reconfirmed my testimony of the restoration of this church, and that this really the only true church here on the earth. For the closing song we sang Praise to the Man. By the end of the first verse everyone was standing. It was very powerful.

Later Sunday night I watched an old devotional from Elder Bednar, about Becoming a Missionary. He said to become a missionary you can't just merely go on a mission. You can't just go through the motions. But I must be truly invested in being a missionary. So that I will serve with ALL  of my heart, might, mind, and strength. He said that you WANT to be weird when you get back from your mission. It shows that you were totally immersed in the work that you didn't have time to think about yourself.

So, as part of my personal study I've been re-reading The Book of Mormon. And as I've done so I've been coloring in yellow all the times they refer to the Savior. (Except for pronouns). As I've done so I have realized how much The Book of Mormon truly  is another Testament of Christ.  He is everywhere in it! In 1st Nephi alone I counted 415 times they said His name. And I'm sure I missed some. It's so cool to thumb through the pages and see yellow on every single page and almost every single verse.

I forgot to say one thing from the first week I was here. We have these things call ministering cards. We are legally able to share the gospel. The only sad part is, is that mine expires December 3, 2013. Which means I will no longer be a missionary then! I'm so sad! That seems so soon, even though I know it's not.

Well, the angry red time at the top of the screen says I have to be finished.

Ai shitte imasu! I love you!

-Dobson Shimai