December 31, 2012
Wow! I have already
finished another transfer! CRAZY! I am now on transfer 4. The last transfer
went by so fast. And I heard they just keep getting faster. That`s a
bummer.
So... you might ask
if I am transferring or not...That is a great question. I don`t know.
This week in Japan is
their biggest Holiday. From Tuesday-Thursday everything is shut down and people
are with their families and go to the shrines and pray. So because of this none
of the city halls where we register and check out of are open until Friday. So
we can`t transfer. Transfer calls are on Wednesday and then if we do transfer
we will transfer on Saturday. So who knows where you will be getting an email from
me next week! I`m pretty sure I`m going to be leaving Takamatsu...But I`ve been
wrong before.
Well brief update for
this week.
On Tuesday we had a
wonderful Christmas! We did the best thing anyone could do. Talked to people
about Jesus Christ! It was actually really fun. We put ribbon around a bunch of
Books of Mormon and Pamphlets. Then we went to the Shotengai and handed out
free Christmas presents. People were
actually way more receptive than they normally are, probably because it was
Christmas. But it was great. You can`t spend a better Christmas than helping
people who have no idea why we celebrate it, understand a little more. 
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| This was our Christmas Dinner |
It was great to talk
to the family on Wednesday! It was kind of weird hearing all of your voices! It
materialized you. It made you more real. Sometimes I forget that there is
someone on the other end of the emails and letters. You all sound like you are
doing well. I love you!!
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| This was our Christmas Lunch-Sorry if I gross the fam out with my slab of cold tofu |
Wednesday afternoon
we got to teach Izumikawa San. We sat down and it was amazing! I looked at her
and was almost blinded! There was SOO much light exuberating from her eyes! She
looked so different! She looked healthy and happy. Come to find out she is
keeping the word of wisdom and is still praying and reading every day.
It was such a testimony
builder to me of the power this gospel really does have. You take the woman we
met the first day on her porch. She wasn`t really interested and the only
reason she talked to us is because her boys swung the door open really fast.
She didn`t want to talk to us. You take that lady and then compare her to the
beautiful woman she is becoming, through the gospel, and it`s so cool! I love
it! The gospel really is only for the benefit of us. Yay! Aren`t we so
blessed?! I am so grateful I have gotten the chance to see her grow in truth
and light. What a privilege for me just to sit on the sides and watch
her. Even if I transfer, and I don`t get to see the full process all the way to
baptism, I am forever grateful for this wonderful woman I have met. I just love
her!
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| I love that I get to see my MTC doryo again at Zone Tai Kai |
Thursday was so
great! We went to Okayama for a Zone Tai Kai. We all played sports in the
morning which was fun. They had dodge ball (which was a little scary with the
elders), capture the flag, ping pong, and volley ball. It was just fun to enjoy
this wonderful time of year with all of these wonderful missionaries! Sister
Zinke is just adorable and wanted us to have a homemade Christmas meal. There
was ham, beans, fruit salad, and my FAVORITE! FUNERAL POTATOES! *sigh* I was so
happy! :)
Then we got to talk
about all of the wonderful things that are happening in regards to missionary
work. President Zinke was talking about the number of missionary applications
the church is receiving and it is crazy! Crazy awesome of course! Right now
this mission has about 140 missionaries. He was told by the Area Presidency to
get ready to support 250 missionaries! Whoa!! The work is going to be progressing at
a rapid pace soon. It is so cool to be a part of it!! I can`t wait to see what
this next year brings.
Speaking of all the
changes with the mission. So because they are shortening all of the time at the
MTC by 1/3 they have to do some weird things with transfers here as well. This
next transfer is normal but after these 6 weeks the next transfer will only be
a month! I guess in every mission it is a little bit different. But after the
month transfer everything should go back to normal. Some of the missionaries
figured out that this messes with every one`s departure date as well....Long
story short either I got home in November or January....November is so soon! I
don`t want to go! But January is hard. I have to be back at school in January
if I am to keep my scholarship....So we`ll have to figure that out.
Anyways... For the
rest of the week....
Honestly it was
pretty slow. Everyone is either going home for Shogatsu (The big Holiday) or
preparing for it. Nobody really wants to listen. So this next week is also
supposed to be pretty slow in regards to missionary work. Bummer.
On Sunday Izumikawa
San and all 3 of her boys came to church! They showed up an hour late because
they thought it started at 11 instead of 10. Bummer. But they came! The boys
had a great time in Primary. They are all SOO cute. We ended up teaching a
lesson to Izumikawa San. We taught the Law of Chastity and Sabbath Day. She
took them both very well. She really has so much faith and is willing and
wanting to be obedient. She`s GOLDEN!
In our lesson on
Wednesday she told us she was struggling with some things and didn`t know what
to do so she was praying and reading the Book of Mormon, to figure out what to
do. She didn`t share what her concern was but both Anderson Shimai and I felt
like she needed a priesthood blessing. At church we explained what it was and
asked her if she wanted one. She said she would and she got one.
Wow. I love the
Priesthood and I am so very grateful for the role it`s played in my life. And
it was way cool to see the role it played in our investigator`s life.
The work of the Lord
is progressing so fast! I love Takamatsu. I never want to leave. But I will go
where I need to be. This wonderful gospel is true!
I love you all! Have
a great week!
-
Dobson Shimai
Also! COOL THING I FORGOT TO
WRITE ABOUT! Yoshiko Shimai-our investigator from Akashi-got baptized yesterday!!!
YAYYYYYYYY!!!!
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