Moroccan Miracle!

October 14, 2013

Hello Hello. 

I know that this is all a week late for you, but I just got to watch General Conference. 

Ah. Sooo GOOD! 

Of course, being a missionary, I loved every minute of the Saturday Sessions. I felt like all of it was about missionary work. And even though my mission is coming to an end, it helped me realize that I never have to stop being a missionary. :) 

Sunday was also so good. I felt like an overarching theme was enduring to the end and being in the world but not of it.

Nobody sugar coated anything, but they were real and talked about the challenges in life that we face. Then I felt like they all just testified how through the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we can be strengthened to bear our burdens and change our circumstances. 

Even though I totally don`t understand how it works, I am so grateful for my Savior and His sacrifice in my behalf. 

Yesterday I went back a year in my journal to see what I was doing. Wow. I`ve really changed...a lot. I hope it is for the better. 

I know that those changes could not have happened if not for the cleansing and enabling power of the Atonement. 

This week we met the greatest new investigator!  Wow, he is amazing. His name is Hassan. He is from Morocco. We called him from the area book and asked if he wanted to meet with the missionaries again. He agreed and we set up an appointment. 

Well we met him and he is just the most humble, sweetest man you could ever meet. We gave him a tour of the church and he was so excited about all of the different rooms. He talked about how important it is for us as humans to always continue learning. 

Then we sat down in the chapel to have our first lesson. We sat down, and the Spirit was so strong. I was a little shocked when I realized I wasn`t in the celestial room of the temple. It felt like I was. Truly, the chapel is a sacred place. 

Well as we were sitting in the chapel he just got really quiet and put one hand over his mouth and one over his heart. He was just taking it all in. He would occasionally choke out, `yes, yes. I feel the calm`. I felt like we needed to just sit there and let him soak it all up. We didn`t say anything for 5 minutes. (I think the member was a little confused why we were waiting so long to start, but I think she also started to feel the Spirit.) 

Well as we started the lesson I became even more impressed with this man. His only desire is to serve God. He wants to do all he can to learn about God and to make his life more in line with what God wants. 

In the part of our message where we said that meeting with us is free he stopped us. He said, `But I want to pay money to my God. I want to take the money He has given me and give it to other people. I just don`t know who to give it to. I want to give it to safe hands. I don`t want people taking the money I give them to go do bad things like buy alcohol. But I feel like you are ‘safe hands.` 

Wow! He is so ready even to hear the commandments!!! 

After our lesson with him, Crofts Shimai and I were just elated. This man is so prepared for the gospel and he ate up every word we told him. I can`t wait to meet with him again! He`s GOLDEN!!! 

Sunday I also was so happy. Matsuzaki Kyodai came to General Conference with some members. He had bought a new suit and looked super spiffy. Talking with him in between the sessions just made me elated. He was so filled with light and hope. You could see it in his eyes. The gospel really does change people. He is evidence of that. 

I think the only news other than that is that we have a new ward mission leader. Yes, the Beloved K**** Kyodai was released. I will miss that man. 

 But we have another cute old man as our ward mission leader. After our first real meeting with him on Friday, him and his wife wanted to take us out for dinner. At first there was no objections...Especially when we found out it was going to be a yakuniku. The korean meat bbq. 

But they ordered SOOO MUCH FOOD!  I have honestly never eaten that much food in one sitting in my ENTIRE LIFE!! Oh my goodness. And they just kept ordering more. Bless their hearts they spent AT LEAST 250 dollars on meat. AT LEAST probably more like 300 dollars. 

They wouldn`t eat like hardly any of it, and it`s SUPER rude not to eat the food so we just kept eating and eating. Afterward when all four of us got home we were so full we all were just laying on the ground, we couldn`t move. It hurt to breathe there was so much food in our stomach. 

Haha. Well, that`s it. 

I love you all lots and lots! 

Love, Dobson Shimai

The Sky Was So Beautiful

The Sky Was So Beautiful