Comics Jan. 31-Feb 9, 2013

March 4, 2013

Hi family!

 

Congratulations on Tyler making volleyball, Lacey having successful school events, and Bridgette and Benjamin doing awesome in their shows! You all look like you're having a blast in your photos.

 

Happy Anniversary, Mum and Dad! Is it 24 years now? I hope you have lots of fun getting exhausted by your six awesome children. I thought about you a lot recently, actually, because on Sunday our Gospel Principles class (for new members/investigators) was about eternal marriage. In an interesting turn of events, every person in the class was single, so the teacher asked us missionaries (the only non-converts with temple-sealed parents) to share what blessings we felt in our lives because of our parents' temple marriage. I talked a little about how you two helped make the temple a focus in our home growing up. Every month you would leave for a mysterious Session at the temple and return with delicious cinnamon rolls. You also always had beautiful pictures of the temple in our house, so growing up I had such a positive image of the temple and wanted to go there. When I finally could at twelve, and again at twenty-one, I got to share in how much you valued the temple and our family sealing there. So thank you for making eternal values a part of my life for the last twenty-two years!

 

We've continued to have some amazing miracles in Kichijoji this week. Grosland Shimai and I work together very well, and I feel like I'm doing everything as a missionary I'm supposed to. My study and language skills have improved a lot, so I'm focusing on how to be a better teacher and how to teach by the Spirit. The Lord is helping me every step of the way, and I feel Him really making up for my weaknesses. We have many people that we're working with and their faith is increasing steadily. It's such a blessing to see them learn how to communicate with their Creator and Father. I love being part of this work.

 

One thing that's helped my teaching skills a lot is consistently reading the Book of Mormon in Japanese for half an hour every day. It's been harder the last week or so because I've been in the quoted Isaiah chapters, but tackling such difficult scripture in such a difficult language is actually helping me learn new insights too. I have to spend more time figuring out what they mean, and it's been rewarding. For just one example, I was reading the famous scripture which in the English version says "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder." In Japanese, the reading is more like, "For us a child is born, for us a son is given, and the authority to be king/ right to lordship shall be upon his shoulder." Jesus Christ was given to the world for our sakes; He loves us and knows how to guide us. We worship Him as our Saviour and King. I'm so grateful for that knowledge. It helps me make decisions every day that lead to my happiness and peace of mind.

 

The most exciting part of the week was that Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to Tokyo! He chose only one mission in Japan to visit with his wife, so the 180 or so of us got to have a private conference with an Apostle on Friday at the temple! We also heard from Elder Ringwood (Area Seventy in Asia) and his wife, who's actually one of Elder Nelson's daughters. Elder Nelson said he was very impressed with our level of preparation and worthiness as a mission, so instead of a prepared message he opened it up to a 90-minute question-and-answer session. It was such a choice experience. He helped our entire mission by teaching ways we can be more effective, touch more people, and be powerful ambassadors of the Lord. At the end he left his Apostalic blessing on each of us to return home in safety and continue missionary work the rest of our lives. I won't share all the details of what he said because it pertains mostly to missionaries, but he talked a lot about our responsibility as children of Ephraim to gather Israel in preparation for the second coming of Christ. He said many, many times "The Lord is hastening His work." All the new missionaries are just one manifestation of that, and he promised there will be many more.

 

My companion and I got to hear not just from two general authorities this week but FOUR! Elders Callister and Aoyagi (First Quorum of the Seventy) and their wives also spoke at a special conference in Kichijoji for all the stakes in our mission (nine). One interesting thing that happened was he asked each stake president and their wife to introduce themselves and how they joined the church. Eight out of nine mission presidents and their wives all joined the church between ages 15 and 22! They said they'd been traveling all the missions in Japan and the same results came up at every conference. The leadership of the church comes from those who are brought to the gospel when they're young and hold onto it their whole lives. That's true of anyone raised in the church who develops a solid testimony in their youth. We've been asked as missionaries to target young people because of their tendency to search for and accept truth.

 

Last, I want to share a story from Elder Callister's address to us on Saturday. He said there were two men who wanted to have a contest to see who could cut down the most trees. They entered a forest, and the first man worked non-stop from dawn until dusk, taking a break only to eat lunch, and he cut down 100 trees. The second man took a 10 minute break every hour during the whole day during which he entered a small cabin and came back out to resume work. At the end of the day, he had cut down 125 trees. The first man was baffled. He had worked much harder and much longer than the second man, so why did he cut down less trees? The second man replied, "I spent ten minutes every hour sharpening my axe."

 

Elder Callister talked about how vital it is to take time to prepare for the trials of the day, specifically by praying and reading our scriptures in the morning. He said morning prayer sets the tone for the day; we can talk to Heavenly Father about our goals and our needs, and we can begin the day with gratitude in our hearts. Regardless of the work we need to get done, if we make time for the Lord, He will help us use the rest of our time more effectively than we could on our own. I know that's true. As a missionary I have the blessed privilege of spending an hour every morning praying and studying the scriptures, and it helps me so much to focus and prepare. I hope everyone makes time in their lives for the things of eternal worth.

 

Thank you for all your emails this week! I love you and am working hard for you! Enjoy your warmer weather!

Love,

Long Shimai

February 25th

Hi family,

Thank you for the emails this week! Mum sent some especially sweet mushy emails about how awesome I'm doing at missionary work. That's probably not true but thanks all the same :D

 

You probably all heard the news by now, but yes, there will be 58 new missions in the world by July, and one of them is right here in Tokyo! Our mission president just announced it to us this week. Nobody really knows the details yet, but our mission is splitting into Japan Tokyo and Japan Tokyo South, with six stakes in each one. We're getting tons of new missionaries this summer, mostly sisters, so it's going to be a really exciting time for missionaries! I'm not sure which mission I'll end up in; the only thing I'm worried about is my best friends---the other sisters!---getting separated in the last few months of our missions. The new mission president is Japanese, and he's actually the bishop of our current president's ward! So Tokyo will be in good hands! I'll let you more as I know more.

 

This week Kichijoji saw tons of miracles AGAIN! Our investigators are doing really well. The biggest problem we're encountering is hard-hearted husbands and fathers who won't let their wives get baptized, but our biggest asset has been prayer. Prayer is so fundamental to feeling peace, earning blessings, and receiving answers from God, all of which strengthen faith in God and in the restored gospel. I love love love listening to our investigators pray during lessons and hear about their experiences praying on their own. It's the best!

 

One investigator we've been working with, Oikawa Shimai, is progressing well right now after a rough spell since Christmas. She's been really thinking about joining the church, so she asked us to teach her about baptism and the Holy Ghost again. She's struggling to understand why baptism is necessary---shouldn't faith and repentance be enough? Although we talked to her about why we need to be baptized, what we focused on was the BLESSINGS that come from baptism, the number one of which is the gift of the Holy Ghost. It took some explaining, but eventually she understood what the difference is between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Anyone can feel the Holy Ghost during special spiritual times---while they're praying, or sitting in church, or listening to uplifting music---but when we stop those activities our feelings return to normal. However, after baptism when we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost via authorized Priesthood holders, we're entitled to feel that peace and spiritual nourishment at any time: doing the dishes, playing with children, sitting at work, etc. As long as we're living worthy, we can feel the Holy Ghost always.

 

Oikawa Shimai understood the concept, but she expressed doubt in this way: "This is a rude question, but if all the members of your church have the gift of the Holy Ghost, why don't theyact like it?" That was an embarassing question to have to answer. We told her again that it depends on how much effort we put into seeking the Holy Ghost---that is, living in harmony with God's will. I returned her question with another question: "Of the church members you know, who do you think feels the Holy Ghost the most?" She then described a newlywed who teaches the Gospel Principles class. Oikawa Shimai said this member teaches her class with sincerity and love, and that she was always trying to be a good person. I was grateful for the example of that good sister who was living the gospel to help prove our point.

 

The experience made me think about all of us. From the outside perspective of someone not in our church, do we look like we have something special they don't have? Do we act like we're trying to invite the Spirit into our lives daily? Or are we making choices that make us seem just like everyone else? People are watching us a lot more than we think. So family: be good examples! Not only for the sakes of those nonmembers watching, but for yourselves. The more you seek the Holy Ghost's companionship---which has been promised to you, by the way, by the Creator of the universe---the more you will feel it in your lives and the more you'll be blessed. There's nothing sweeter.

 

I'm about out of time, but I hope you enjoy the comics for this week! I haven't taken any photos in forever, sorry :/ but I guess I just tell stories in a different way. Maybe next week?

 

Thank you so much for your support, love, emails, letters, and especially prayers! Please send your faith up to heaven for these special people in Japan! I'm praying for all of you too.

 

Love you lots! 

Long Shimai

comic journal feb 17

Doing great with a new comp

Hi family!

The first week of this transfer was GREAT. We've been seeing so many miracles with our investigators, and proselyting has been fun (but very cold still). This week has reaffirmed my theory that two friends are much more effective than two missionaries. Our mission president is all about that too---he calls it "synergy," the extra energy that comes from companions being united. For related theories, see 1+1=3 and Mum's two horses=10 horse power. But yeah, Grosland Shimai is on transfer 5 and her previous companion was a little slack too, so she's willing to work hard and loves the people. Plus she has a TON of faith. My job is to teach her a ton of Japanese (I didn't realize how good I'd gotten until I had someone to compare myself to) and help her learn the area fast because it's likely she'll be training next month when 13 new sisters come into the mission (our current total is 20). And we're helping each other learn how to do effective missionary work. Being the older of two missionaries for the first time is a little scary because there's pressure for me to do everything right, but I learn a ton from mistakes too. And I'm doing all the cooking again, which is much more comfortable for me (see this week's comics).

 

Follow-up from last week: did you take a look at that church magazine article about media standards in the home? What else are you learning in your study recently? Any cool service projects? How are your prayers being answered lately? It's fun hearing about chickens and bagpipes and tv shows, but one of my favourite things is hearing about your spiritual experiences and insights. It gi es me an extra boost for the week! Dad, I remember you talking about that Japanese woman at the temple even before I left for the MTC. That's so awesome that she's still coming every week! I look forward to meeting her. Thank you for spending that time at the temple every week! And thanks Mum for taking care of everyone at home!

 

This week we didn't plan it, but we spent a lot of time with investigators focusing on answers to prayer and recognizing the Holy Ghost. We talked about it in Relief Society yesterday too. Being a missionary and having to rely on the Spirit has taught me a lot about what the Spirit feels like and what I can learn. More often than not, answers come quietly and unexpectedly---not when I'm looking for them, just when I'm waiting and going about doing good.

 

Today I wasn't doing anything special---just hanging up my laundry and listening to one of my companion's EFY cds. There was a song about having a spiritual conversation with a stranger on a plane. A man admitted he might be an aethist, except that there were so many gorgeous things about earth that it couldn't have been an accident. The hearer told the man what she believed about Heavenly Father, our Creator, and how He designed everything from the rings on Saturn to a newborn baby's ear. While I was listening to the song, suddenly my eyes filled up with tears and I felt a gripping in my chest. In an instant I knew that the quaint song lyrics were true, that God lives and that all things are in His care. I didn't hear a voice or anything, but the feeling was an intense warmth that filled my whole being for just a few seconds. The moment passed, and as suddenly as it came the feeling was gone and I went back to hanging up my laundry with a quiet prayer in my heart of gratitude for feeling a manifestation of truth I'd needed recently.

 

The Holy Ghost acts as a teacher, but one of the Spirit's roles is to help us remember truths we've already learned. Jesus taught His disciples, "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26). The Holy Ghost brings to our mind and heart things we've learned at times we need them. After baptism, when we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, we're promised we can have that comforting teacher's presence at all times, not just every now and then, as long as we are worthy. I'm so grateful for the gift of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, because I couldn't get through my days without Him. I know that the only way we can get that special gift is through the Priesthood of God held by faithful members of this church and none other. This is Heavenly Father's living church and He knows what He's doing.

 

I love you family and hope you have a great week! You're in my prayers and I appreciate yours!

愛しているよ

Long Shimai

Comics January 3-13, 2013

Feb. 5th 2013- Larry's Birthday

Hi family,

First of all, there had BETTER be a good reason why Bridgette and Lacey haven't emailed me at all this year! Tyler emails every single week. Kick it up a notch, ladies! I want to hear about your liiiiiiiiiives!

 

Thank you for all the updates, family! It sounds like there's crazy stuff going on in the world right now. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about it yet. Life is so much simpler when all you have to think about is the closest four trains stations to your apartment and whether Matsunaga-San will actually pray on her own this week and we'd better drop a thank-you card off at the Bishop's house and should I wear two pairs of socks today or three? When I'm tempted to complain about things not going right I have to remember how blessed I am to work in one of the best countries in the world in a fabulous area with great people. It's been another slow week for missionary work in Kichijoji, but I've learned a lot. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real, family, and Heavenly Father wants you to be happy but He wants you to work for it.

 

Thank you for the banana bread recipe! Something we also have a lot of is frosted flakes. The members keep giving them to us because they're always on sale at Seiyu (Wal-Mart) and they must figure missionaries want them. We were thinking of making rice krispy treats with them to give out, but marshmallows are kind of expensive here. Any ideas? All the elder make fun of "shimai dendo" (sister missionary-style work), but people really are happy when you deliver handmade goodies, not just show up and demand if they're reading the Book of Mormon or not. Principle for life, folks, sugar helps medicine go down.

 

Hmm...I don't have much to say so I'll give a plug for mormon.org. Has everyone checked out that website? The church is doing a great job creating and publishing videos of cool people who belong to the church. They're really well done and worth a +like on Facebook or whatever.

 

Have a great week, family! I love you and am glad we get to be together forever!

Stay strong Longs,

ロング姉妹