Did I mention that I love missionary work???

Hey Cuties!

 

We don't even have time to read mail this week!  We have been trying to get to computers that work all day... Whew! Things are going great though, and they are looking up. We had a few miracles this week, including an investigator coming to Church who we haven't been able to contact for a long time!! I love missionary work, my companion, our investigators, President and Sister Zinke, Japan, our whole mission, my bike, teaching and proclaiming the gospel, the Book of Mormon...I love my Savior, and did I mention that I love missionary work?? I can't believe the time is winding down. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

 

Note: I'm supposed to be checking my flight itinerary with you, but I keep forgetting!! Next week?

 

No pics today, sketchy internet cafe, and I don't want my SD card to get erased!

 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! the work we are involved in is true! Funny moment of the day--on the way to our first email spot, I was singing some Nashville Tribute and came around a corner and this man was so close to me and i was singing practically in his face! He just started laughing because it was so funny, so i did, too!  Life is good here in Japan!

 

I LOVE YOU!

 

Sister Anderson

333

PS  I'll bet you never thought you would get a letter this short from me! haha!

Note from the folks: Since Sister Jen did not have time to send any pics this week, we thought you would enjoy some of her at the Provo MTC where she started her mission 

nearly eighteen months ago! 

She will be returning home from Japan 

Wednesday, June 5th!

She will be speaking in Sacrament meeting on June 30th at 9 am.  

The ward building address is 14400 South Redwood Road, Bluffdale.

The work goes on and the gospel is true!!!

Dearest Family:

 

Another short email day because we unexpectedly are heading out.  I just want to tell you how much I love you. This week we contacted a man and spoke to him for a long time.  We explained the gospel, testified with the Spirit, and he said that he didn't want to listen and had no questions. Oh, well. Maybe another time.  Its the nature of missionary work, right? However, we then met a lady the next door who said we could come back!  Wahoo! I am so aware of the love that Heavenly Father has for His children. The other night while studying, I realized at the truths found in the Book of Mormon, and realized just how FUN it is to share this message, and to teach people what Heavenly Father's children are here to do.  It is the best, and it is true. We have the truth! How I love to share it!

This week Higashi Shimai moved, but also said that she wants to be baptized as soon as possible. It's so awesome! I love baptisms. I love the Gospel. I love you! Time is so short and so precious. Hug the ones you love today, and hug yourself for how loved you are by me - and let us rejoice forever in the Gospel!! It is true.

 

Love you forever!

Sister Anderson

Sister Jen's cousin (who has been serving in the same mission) returned home last Wednesday!  Here are some pics of the amazing, hard-working successful missionary Elder Lythgoe and his welcome crew at the airport in SLC!

From Sister Zinke:

Last week we welcomed twenty new energetic missionaries from the Missionary Training Center.  What a crazy week it was...but what fun!  Fourteen of them come to us from right here in Japan, three are from Australia and three Americans.  We are thrilled with our new missionaries!

On to something good...

Dear Family,

LOVES!!! I love you all so much. So glad to be your friend and servant in this work. Thanks so much for your letters and love! This week has been sweet! One of our investigators set a goal date for May 12 for her baptismal date! Her name is Melody, and she was raised Roman Catholic and really wants a confirmation of the truth of the Restoration. She will definitely feel your prayers if you pray for her!

I love my companion and I love training! She is so fun. It's been so funny this week, because we feel like satan knows we are on to something because with every lesson we had with an investigator working toward baptism the environment just goes crazy and it seems like all heck breaks loose! The devil knows Niihama is on to something good - but we are getting so much help. :) One of those moments was at the park (it is cherry blossom season here!), when our investigator talked to us for 10 minutes about what she was learning from The Book of Mormon.  during that time no one else talked to us. The minute we close our eyes to pray, this drunk man comes and talks to us because we know English, and insists we meet his family. It was just so funny, because as my eyes are closing, I see him, and i wonder what was going to happen. We met his family and invited them all to Church. This was the third time something funny like this happened during a lesson. I had to laugh inside. It was so neat though, because Hino Shimai pulled out her Book of Mormon and started testifying of Heavenly Father to his family! Heavenly Father definitely put roses on thorns and it was such a great moment as she was testifying and explaining who we were and inviting them to Church before we even could. The work will not be stopped!!

Our other investigators are coming along. It's all so great! I love the work. I have felt more ups and downs than any other time in my life, but it is such a privilege - and to be expected because when preaching the truth there will always be opposition. I love it! I have been drinking deeply from Book of Mormon study this week and LOVING it. I know I forget sometimes what a tool this is. I feel the armor on, protecting us as we prepare through study. Did you know I LOVE IT?! I had the chance to read the end of the Book of Mormon again - I LOVE IT. I know the Book of Mormon is written for our day and is a Book of power, a book of God. I am 100% confident that the 100% confirmation our investigators seek will come. I love the additional witness Moroni adds to Moroni 10:3-5 in Moroni 10:29, 
that I 全く didn't remember...　"And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true.” That promise is real and affirmed. Those who ask, seek, and knock, WILL come to know it is true. It is not a question. If they truly want to know, and read from this great book, they will know for 100% it is from God.

I love you too, and feel so many blessings I'VE had from God through you! We also had trainer/trainee training this week and sang in Church, some fun things like that. The bus from Niihama to Kobe took 5 hours!! I also got a plethera (I still remember that word) of cute things for Easter to spice up my "finishing the mission" wardrobe from my cute diva Mama. Thanks Mom! I love you so much.

The work is opposed. The work is true. It will not fail. It will go forth. I feel blessed to be a part of it. I want to add my testimony to my new favorite scripture, Moroni 10:32--"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." I love my Savior and I know that our commission is to love Him, serve Him, and be perfected in Him. Our perfection is even reliant and intertwined with our Redeemer. We are safe in Him.

I love you too, and pray for you!
Love,
Sister Anderson

My bus lunch

A list I found under my desk--it's true!!

Also, I got to see Elder Lythgoe at Trainer/Trainee training, and he is tearing it up! President asked his trainee when their next baptism was. He said Sunday. He asked when his last baptism was. He said last Sunday. Their next one will be in a few Sundays. Awesome right? Awesome missionary cousin! Everyone asks is we are really cousins. I'm glad we are!! 


Love you all! THE WORK IS TRUE!!

Also, this man we called from the area book stopped in the middle of our conversation and said he could tell I was a devoted missionary. Isn't that amazing? I love representing my Savior. He is our strength, song and salvation. (2 Nephi 22:2.) I've had so many great comments from funny grandpas in Japan. :)

Choudai!!!

My sweet Family,

I am so sorry the last two weeks have been so short! Today, I will try to make it a little longer. So! We did stay in Niihama, and my new companion straight from the MTC is named Owens Shimai. She is really great and excited to be in the field. 

We are teaching a lot of investigators, and really want to actively seek to invite them to come unto Christ. It is such a privilege. This week I really felt like this must be like motherhood. Yesterday, riding my bike, I thought of how you think it will get easier, how you are so excited to have another child coming, you do more prep, and probably some smarter prep from having the experience, but in the end--you find out you are still human, and kind of close to the same person you were --you are still mortal ha ha. It was such a realization for me as I knew I would probably feel like that with every child I have. Ha ha! Who knew what prep I would get in Japan! It is so wonderful though. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love my Savior and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So this week, Hino Shimai read the monogatari (The Book of Mormon picture book) we gave her.  She read it 6 times, and moved forward on her own to begin reading the Book of Mormon, which she told the other sisters that she couldn't do! It's so neat because it wasn't something we really did, the spirit is just working with her. She has a very depth of knowledge about the story of the Book of Mormon, probably more than most any investigator.

Jedley and Melody, our Phillipino investigators, came to church this week. It was so special. I got to speak in Sacrament meeting, and felt Heavenly Father's love for them so strongly. I felt how happy He was that everyone was there. I shared an experience about the Sacrament, and the power I felt it had in my life when I was such a new missionary, with my first Japanese companion in Akashi. I love the Sacrament. Our other investigators we haven't met a lot, except for Yuushi, who we taught about the Spirit--I had him do a pop quiz and listed feelings of the Spirit to see if he's felt them. He had. It was so neat to see his mom just testify to him and try to teach him.

We love the work. It is interesting to me to be on this last stretch of my mission, but I am feeling the excitement and the drive to go and find the elect. They are waiting here. It is such a privilege to work in the vineyard! I wish I had hours to tell you about all of those we are teaching. They are all just so special.

We were asked to do a family home evening last night at the Branch President's, to which Yuushi kun and his family and another guy and family came. We acted out Lehi's dream, and put Liahona's in their little backpacks when they stepped on the stuff that wasn't the path. They had to find their path on their own, with both forces (the great and spacious building people used the party hats and kazoos Mom sent for my birthday!), with some Japanese treats that were white at the end, where the other team was eating and cheering. It was so cute - the girl heard the voices, even though she was blindfolded, and walked almost straight to them. The other boy struggled for maybe 10 minutes, and kept getting magazines and eventually fruit in his back pack. When he finally came to the rod, we took off his backpack at Baptism... it is empty when we are baptized (we had the path as the Gospel of Christ). It was so fun. You wouldn't believe that our Branch President knows the Abraham dance that Yoshiko Shimai taught us in Akashi. One day I will show you that video. I haven't laughed that hard on my whole mission!!!

The work is rich, and we are rich because we have it. I love to share the wealth!
Whether a person is new to the gospel or filled with the Gospel light - no matter where each of us is on that Gospel path, His help is real, and  we are not too far from His reach. "Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

That is the Savior's invitation to each of us. He loves us all so much. 

Sending my love from this blessed land,
Sister Anderson

PS

 have to tell you about one of the most tender moments of my mission. We were going to district meeting, maybe an hour and a half away. These cute elementary kids got on the train. I always bring stickers to give out to kids on the street and start talking to families,  and I had just re-stocked. I gave one away, and for the next twenty minutes there were all of these little faces with their matching yellow hats sneaking over, all peering. They are so cute. We became friends. I gave one boy two, and there were thirty little hands saying "Choudai!" They were so precious.

You wouldn't believe it, but when we came home at one pm, they came on the same train. This time, we were on the receiving end. These cute little children, under eight, came grasping seashells and leftover candy from their lunches, a few of the precious caramels that each of them had received, a pine cone or two from a boy who liked them. Tears sprung my eyes as they told us they liked karate, asked us to speak English, asked if we'd tasted this kind of candy. They were so anxious to give from what they had. They are so Christ-like. We were even sitting by a lady who they became friends with, and they gave her candy, because we said she was our friend. I want to be like them when I grow up. It impressed me so much. I have a precious bag of seashells covered in seaweed, a beautiful little shell that a little girl gathered, and they are all so precious. Do you think I could get them through customs? :)

  

 The party hats came in handy at eikaiwa 

(English conversation school)! haha!

 An English Group we volunteer for --they took us on a tour of the mine for our last Preparation Day! They are so sweet. 

In the mine,,,

Nothing is impossible!!!! 

  I found Japanese Aunt Laura in Japan! ha ha 

(beautiful, sweet ward-member)

Funny story:  Mom sent two packages for my birthday in December and I only got one.  Sometime in February the other one was returned to Bluffdale.  Mom immediately re-mailed it and now I have the rest of the presents and the party hats mentioned in this letter!  haha!  Thanks Mom! 333

Japanese phrases that come in handy!

Beautiful Akashi!

To my Incredible Fam,

I love you so much!! Thank you for all you've done for me and the
wonderful help you are to everyone. I love you!

This week: at basketball I knocked down a Japanese man using only my
head, we tried to make cake for a dinner appointment only to find out
the sugar I bought was salt (yes, I do know Japanese...)

and our follow up cake also failed--ending up with half solidified 
jello (oh it was so funny)! I titled our weekly report "Akashi Food!" 
Oh, well... so many adventures! And...that's the short list of what 
happened to your missionary in the last few days. Ha ha!

So, I knew I wasn't any good at basketball, but we were doing a drill
and I don't think I moved fast enough, and all of a sudden something
hit my head... and I turn and see one of the nicest Japanese guys flat
on the ground, and his head is bleeding! It was so bad... I have a
goose egg, but he got it worse... I really quickly learned an extremely 
polite phrase for "please forgive me" (moshi wake gozaimasen)... he was
really nice about it though. He is fine (I think...).

Apart from that essential update, I love you tons fam. Whatever life 
throws at you, the gospel is true. Never be too stressed to count your 
blessings. There are ALWAYS miracles in every phase of our lives, 
we just have to slow down enough, listen to the Spirit enough, 
think about eternal things enough to see them. The Gospel is the 
most important thing. I know that the Savior's love is real for our 
investigators. I don't have time to tell you every specific thing about them, 
but I feel this love that I know is not my own for them, that is so big, that 
just wants the best for them. 

I love Jesus Christ. I love my Savior. There is nothing I would not give 
to follow Him. I love that the Lord loves us enough to try us. I love that 
He takes the time to chastise us, teach us, guide us. How Heavenly Father 
loves His children!

Sister Belnap had to go home due to her illness. I will truly miss her, but we were able to accomplish so much! My prayers are with her in her recovery.  

Note from Sister Jen's mom:
This is what the mission president said about Sister Belnap in his blog:

This wonderful sister missionary arrived... [having] “survived” the MTC...She arrived exhausted and dizzy.  We thought jet lag hit her particularly hard until we discovered that she had a problem with her ears on the airplane, and she developed a case of vertigo that lasted for several weeks.  From there her health continued to deteriorate...

Her heart was completely in the work, but her emotional, physical and mental condition would not let her do what she so much wanted to do.  Frustrated, she prayed harder and put more faith in the Lord.  A bicycle crash may have been the last straw.  Her energy was sapped.  Mentally, physically, and emotionally she had given all she had to give.  She needed to return and get some attention that is not possible in such a foreign place as this is. She wanted to continue her mission more than she wanted to breathe.  

Forever Friends!

永遠の友達 (Eien no tomodachi)

This is my new companion - Sister Dobson.

She is from American Fork Utah and likes smiling, missionary work,
taking pictures of Akashi and long walks on the beach ha ha. And...she plays
the flute and studies Special Ed at USU. So great - ANOTHER
COMPANION TO LOVE! Yay. Already, she is so brave and fearless with
stopping others. I am so grateful that the Lord lets us do missionary work 
with companions. It really is His appointed plan.

I LOVE THE GOSPEL, and I love you! Our investigator that has a
baptismal date has been studying SO WELL. She will come to lessons
with her shukudai (homework) all done, parts of scriptures or
pamphlets marked... it is so amazing, even though she doesn't
understand everything she is working so hard. (ishokenmei!)
Understanding is really hard for her, but her heart wants to work. I
am so grateful for the gifts that Heavenly Father gives us. There is
nothing like this Gospel. Sometimes I just want to think about myself
even less, I want to just go and take them the word, I want to become
a teacher that teaches so simply a child can understand perfectly my
teachings about Him, most of all I just want to share my love for Him.
We were in a lesson this week and our investigator wasn't
understanding, and suddenly tears were just pouring down my face as I
taught this beautiful woman how much Heavenly Father loves her. I want
to do everything I can to become a good teacher, witness, missionary,
saint, for Him. How I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I delight in
telling others about Him. I delight in the message of the
Gospel. I delight in sacrifice. I try every day to devote another
piece of my stubborn part to Him, to give Him a little more. I know
that He has the power to heal us, and helps us endure. I have faced
things I know that I couldn't face alone. How I love my Savior Jesus
Christ.

I love you Fam! You are so wonderful. あなたはとても素晴らしいです
Anata wa totemo subarashiidesu!!!

I know eternal families are a part of Heavenly Father's eternal plan, and I
know that I was meant to be one of the Anderson 7 siblings (the last and 
most spoiled one!) I am so grateful to have such beautiful nieces and 
nephews, and I am in awe at how you parents teach your kids so diligently
about Jesus Christ and His love. He really is the reason. I love Jesus Christ 
and want to put my heart, needs, desires in His hands.

This Gospel is true. Let us not rest, but carry it to every soul that
is prepared to hear the advent of His coming, His love, His life and
this: HE LIVES.

I love you all!
Love,
Sister Anderson

8 months, but who's counting???

To My Sweet Eternal Family,

Life is so glorious and such a gift. It truly is incredible being a missionary.
Things have been really crazy, but I know how close the Lord is. I cannot
believe the love He has for each of us!!!

We had Zone Taikai this week in Kobe, and President gave us the new
training plan. It was such a day of light and love for me, you know
how I love to meet with other people! :)
We were the only sisters and he pulled me up to recite the Young Women
theme, to emphasize that principle： We are daughters of our Heavenly
Father, who loves us and we love Him...There are so many times I think
I know that, and then it comes in just a little deeper. His plan is perfect,
His plan is amazing. There are so many times I have been carried here in
Japan. There are times so sacred to me, so many times I know that I have
not been alone. This is His work, my beloved family and friends. His work is
for every, individual one of us to return to His presence. This is
not just about numbers, this is not about just a mass of people, just
as the Savior's Atonement wasn't. Numbers matter because every one of
those beautiful, sacred people are children of God. What do we fear, if we
truly know that this is true?
Add to that the Atonement, that makes up for our past mistakes... The
Savior has provided a way for each of us to be forgiven, for things to be
all right, a way for us to continue, to experience the joy of a new white page.
Suddenly the future is bright! Then take the knowledge of the Plan of
Salvation, and suddenly we know where we came from, who we are, and
where we are going. Add again the Atonement, add it again and again and
suddenly we are growing and progressing and one by one we gain Christ-like
attributes. Send a prophet with the authority and keys for us to fulfill the Plan
of Salvation, to return to our loving Heavenly Father with our families. What is
more incredible than this? Add sacred promises we can make with Heavenly
Father to receive blessings, and commandments He gives us so we can be safe
and progress in life, a living book to receive revelation on our journey and to
know the truth of the restoration - what is more important than this message?
It pains my heart how much I love it. My frame is small sometimes for the
emotions that fill it. I am amazed at the gifts of the Spirit!!!

I love my comp, and she is such a great missionary. I'm attaching a pic of her
preparing for Eikaiwa this week.

I love you, sweet, sweet family. Thank you so much for your prayers,
they help so much! I love you and I am grateful for your examples.

Cool miracle: one of our investigators Yoshiko Shimai called this week
after we asked her to start reading the Book of Mormon, and asked,
"What is a vision?" She is so great and so willing to study and learn,
and does what she says she will. She truly is great. I am so grateful
that we have the chance to share this message. We want to find even
more people to share this message with, in the Lord's time. What a
privilege it is.

Jesus Christ lives. I love him so much. He suffered in Gethsemane for you
and me...something so personal and real that He knows our every heartbeat. I
love you sweet family and friends. I know that we access His goodness
completely through His restored Church, and I rejoice in the opportunity to tell
others that the truth is on the earth once more. This is His living Church.
President Monson is His prophet on the earth today. This is the best, most
incredible message in the world. I love it and I love you!!

Love Always,
Andason Shimai
(I have been on a mission 8 months!! Doesn't it seem like just yesterday??)

**Jen's mom added this pic from the MTC just for fun!!!

The Plan of Salvation in action! ...and a purple cow!

To the Sweetest Family in the world!!!

How I love you! I just count my blessings to have been sent
to such "goodly parents" and wonderful brothers and sisters. I love the pics, everyone is beautiful and growing up so fast! It is like seeing the Plan of Salvation in action. I love you so much and I am constantly grateful for your love, prayers, and examples. There is nothing like having an active, wonderful, enduring family--I love you all so much! Tyler and Ashley's wedding looks so fun!! And I loved seeing pics of Nora's. Congrats everyone! Lizzie is so cute, I haven't seen pictures of her since she was tiny. Claire is so darling and grown-up! What a fun time you all had with the Souliers and having beautiful Brenna's baby blessing in Utah.  Cousin country! That is so exciting that Spen and Rach and the kids got to come. Maybe Ella will get a horse someday and name him Skip. haha. Did Lolly and Rob find a house? I love reading all of your letters!

Well...I never saw a purple cow and hoped to never see one. But this I do know anyway, I'd rather see than be one! haha. But I did see one - in Japan!

This week...what a whirlwind! Emotions are so deep on the mission, it
is crazy. Sometimes I just have to stop and think about it all for a moment. Things are so busy, working to serve the Lord. We have wonderful investigators who are all progressing right now. One of them has a baptismal date! It is such a miraculous work and I love it - I love missionary work!!! I am realizing that everything could be difficult, or it could be an adventure.  I choose to have it be an adventure! I love this mission. There are so many miracles, and not all of them we
understand. We are living in the middle of miracles even in our trials, and that amazes me. That brings me so much comfort. Today in language study I read in Mosiah 23 and thought so much about being nourished and being tried. This is truly the Lord's church, and He will bless all who put their trust in Him. I have seen that in my missionary life more than ever!

Kana Chan is not getting baptized yet, but is doing great! 

mai chan, and a doseki (ward member who teaches with us)

It's a little short this week... I just want you to know how much I
love you. I love you sweet fam! There are times when I feel you so
close. There are ministrations of the Spirit beyond what I can
describe here, and probably even ministrations I can't see. I love the
Lord. I love His help. I love His time table.

YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL! The Gospel is true. Thank you for your prayers,
updates, support, and love. This is a work of miracles. I LOVE YOU! 
You are in my thoughts and prayers.

I love Jesus Christ. I know His help is real. I know His love is real,
so personal, for EACH OF US! This work is His work.

I love you!
Love, Anderson Shimai

kirei (beautiful) Japan!

Postscript by Sister Jen's mom:

Who knows?  She didn't give a description.

rice hot dog? stuffed baked roll?

Note: Sister Jen's cousin was married in the 

Salt Lake Temple last Friday!

 Tyler and Ashley Davies

Grandma Jan with her great grand-daughter Lizzie 

(daughter of Taylor and Kara Stone...Taylor is Cherelle's son)

 Jen's friend Nora Skoubye Gleed

Baby Brenna (child number five for Lolly and Rob Soulier) wearing the same dress in which her mom was blessed...and in the quilt made by Grandma Jan

 Cousin Country at Gma and Gpa Jello's!

FHE Olympics

Riding horses at Aunt Relle's and Uncle Bryan's