Embedded with miracles!

My Sweet, Sweet, Eternal Family--

Wow! Every week there are so many things I want to write you. I think
of witty things to say occassionally during the week, my life embedded
with miracles, the times that are so hard that all I can do is pray,
the funny times where it might be just me, laughing in the kitchen or
by my bike--and I want to just chatter or show you videos but mostly
just to tell you spiritually how great it is. I love you my fam!

So this week, my ma-ma (so-so) witty parable is about cooking. :) This
week my companion had a birthday. I decorated just a little and then for district
meeting I decided to make a cake. We've been working on time, so I was doing
it in different sittings. I made the cake, it was in the fridge. The night before,
I realized the whip cream was bad. The next morning, I realized the cream cheese
was also bad. I then realized I'd put in the powdered sugar too soon for this
other frosting recipe, and there I was in the kitchen looking at it all...
What gets even funnier is then on Sunday I got up early to make treats
for so many people that have helped us this week. They all looked about like this:

the cake had way too much baking soda, the cookies were flatter than pancakes,
ha ha ha ha.

Somehow the cake turned out ma-ma (so so...all right) and everyone ate a piece,
(it ended up with peaches and a jelly like sauce)... though no one had
seconds... ha ha ha.

So anyway! That was how it went. I just want to tell you how great
the work is. I wish I could laugh with you about all of the funny
things that happen in life. The point is, that really it is the Lord
who makes up the difference for our efforts. I love those moments
where you just have to laugh, like the time I was at Angie's in Texas
and made that huge casserole and it fell flat on the ground when I was
supposed to be feeding her beautiful hungry kids. I love moments like
that for how muich they teach me! I am reminded again and again that
it is His hand, His power by which we work. (and no, I don't typically
cook quite that much - you can see why!)

I love you! The work is going forward. Kana Chan's baptism is
scheduled for this week. Yes!!!!!! She highlighted her favorite parts in the
scriptures and one chapter was almost all highlighted. I feel so
grateful to be a missionary. There are so many people with problems,
and we have the answers. They are so simple! I used to feel stressed
about not knowing everything. I know so much how much I don't know! I
am just so grateful for the power of God in this great work. We really
do have a loving Heavenly Father who is always so there to help minister to
me in a way that will help me grow. Sometimes it is a reprimand,
sometimes it is just that feeling of love, always that feeling of
love. I love my Savior so much. I want so much to minister like He does. I
know that He lives. I know the power of the Atonement is real, even as
we may remember things we have done, His promise is forgiveness and
peace. His promise is that He will remember them no more. How much I
love my Savior Jesus Christ.

I love you sweet Fam. Thank you for your prayers and dedication. 
A cool story:
We set a goal to give out a Book of Mormon as a
companionship, and when we went out in the evening (that day), we
stopped a lady who said we had said Hi to her before, and she thought
we had made a mistake and was super surprised! The Spirit was there
and we got to testify of the Restoration, and when I turned around my
comp was ready holding that Book of Mormon. We passed it to her and
she accepted it.

We are growing line upon line! My comp got in a bike accident this
week (so did my last companion - what is up with this?), but she is ok.
Things have been really crazy but good. There are times when the peace 
is so thick that it just fills up the reservoir inside.

I know that this is the work of God, of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is
such a privilege to invite others to Him! I love this work. I love
this work! I am amazed, since I started writing a miracle every day how
my capacity to notice them has increased. Every day we have miracles. 
There is never a day that is not chock-full of blessings
from Heavenly Father! He is just waiting for us to look and see.
It is so amazing that He blesses us so much. I really notice His love
when I notice our miracles. This is His work!!

I love you Fam. Onward and upward in the work of the Lord. The work is
full of miracles in the Land of Japan, and we have a mission goal for
every area to see a baptism in the next two transfers. I really,
really, know we can, and will as we excercise our faith.

THIS IS THE WORK OF OUR SAVIOR. What a privilege to be involved in it!

I love you Fam. Never be afraid to reach out and tell those you love
of the truth of the Gospel--this is their Salvation and what a
privilege we have to help. In the scriptures the laborer's reward is
always... joy! Doesn't He bless us too much?

I LOVE YOU! Thanks for being mine eternally, for all of the sweet
letters and packages family and friends! I love you!

Love,
Sister A

My sweet comp's sweet mom made these crochet slippers for us!  Love them!!!

Eating with a member and her friend...great times!

Flowers in my rice, Akashi Ads, and good news!

Konichiwa minasan! Watashi wa Andason Shimai desu! ha ha. 
Welcome to a short filler on... Akashi Advertisements! (wait... I think that's the
wrong headline...wrong button!)
So! I live in Akashi, in Japan. I talk to people who speak Japanese. A

lady we stopped the other day said I was the first Gaijin Onesan (foreigner...) 
her son had met . It is so great. This week when we were housing a lady 
stopped US and asked us to visit her friend! It's so great that she recognized 
us as people who could help. The work is good. Our investigators are a little 
up and down, but coming. Kana Chan is actually a little sick, so her baptism is really important. We got to talk to her Mom (I got to meet her mom) last night, and I think
she will support her in keeping the Word of Wisdom. We have our last
real lesson with her tonight (PMG lesson). 


Kana Chan (age 11)

We have 2 other investigators working towards baptism. One we met with 
this week we had a maze lesson... that I actually did in Oakrest and stole the
idea! (a rope and the "Holy Ghost" helping, at the beginning after you
raise your hand the helper comes... the end is a room with a picture
of the Savior... so iu kanji) More "experience" lessons will help our
investigators "feel" more we think. 


Shimaitaikai (women's conference) was great. (we did our ansho! It was a little stumbly but we made it! Yeah D&C 4! I definitely was up early still trying to memorize. 
I know that the Lord really helps His servants!) At the conference all of the sisters made a lamb, that was the theme...and talked about the virtue of sisters! I guess I don't like things where I have to do the same thing over and over again, like I was supposed to do to make this sheep, so my companion finished him for me... she is so nice! My sheep is George on the left sitting on his ball of yarn. . ha ha. President asked us to rise up to the virtues we know we have, they had a great list. 

Yesterday we had Stake Conference, but it was broadcast to the saints from the
states... and President Uchtdorf and Elder Oaks spoke! It was so
great. Whenever I hear talk about the youth, I get so excited. I've
probably written that in my journal like 6 times recently, how much I
love the youth and want to work with them! The rising generation
really is the future of the Church in Japan. So great! It was cool
because President Uchtdorf held up a temple recommend and the new
FTSOY (For the  Strength of Youth) book, and commented that they are about the same size. He promised that the standards in there would help the youth get to the temple. I wanted to write our youth (my buddies!!!) and tell them the value of following these standards... and to get a FTSOY book and remember to follow these standards. A lot about commandments also, and the rescue of less-actives. So great.


We ate with a member this week, and she prepared such a yummy meal with all sorts of dishes! I'll send a pic. So sweet. We had sakura rice... which actually has
flowers in it...and a lot of other great things. Who knew???

All of the spiritual feeding must occasionally have some really good physical food... (which happens a lot in Japan). Afterwards, my comp told me we can't visit her often because she goes all out and she doesn't have very much money. So sweet.


And! At Shimaitakikai I found out that our sweet investigator got permission from her mom to be baptized!!! Yes! I was so excited. 
This gospel is miraculous. I feel so often that I am just a simple teacher, but He 
is the master teacher. I feel privileged to get to bear His message. He is miraculous 
and the work is true!


Love until next time, 
Andason Shimai 


And, I love you you sweet fam!!!
You are so great, every one! Press on and rejoice in the work... how
he wants us to be happy! :)


Getting crafty in the kitchen to take some treats around!

We saw this truck with a truck. So funny.

Wow, can I just say... Dad looks great in a captain's suit! And

his beautiful ship wife! (ha ha. what do you call a captain's wife...)
So fun! How fun to spread the joy of the gospel. What lucky young adults 
to have you as leaders!


Note from Sister Jen's mom:
Here is the picture of which she writes, and an explanation...

Scott is the second counselor in the Riverton, Utah Young Single Adult Stake, and has many opportunities for fun service in this calling.  He was asked to pull together a "Summit" (conference/activity) for the stake and one other stake.  It did come together due to much diligence and a lot of help...and it happened this week-end. Approximately 1500 young adults gathered at the Jordan Institute of Religion and the adjacent Salt Lake Community College South Campus for a "Cruise" complete with "EFY" young adults leading group games, amazing entertainment (including Jessie Clark Funk, Susan Gray, Josephine Scere, Polynesian Dancers, and the Nate Anderson Trio), spiritual nourishment (including Sherrie Dew and John Bytheway), an incredible luau, and a dance.  Scott dressed the part of the "ship captain" and did his thing. Thanks for the hat, Laura! The Summit ended with a Sunday night fireside at the tabernacle in SLC featuring a YSA choir, a speaker (Dan Clark), and his daughter, McCall who sang some solos and a duet with David Osmond (who also did a solo), and a choir. Such a great event!  Thanks to all who helped!!!


From the mission president's blog (address is on the side bar)

We attended a baptism Sunday.   This one was for a young married couple from China.  They are here doing post-graduate work at one of the universities in Kobe, Japan.


They were introduced to the church by one of their professors who is from Venezuela.


They were taught the gospel by a New Zealander from Australia and an American.  


At the baptismal service the opening prayer was given by a young man who was just baptized last week.  He, too, is from China.  There was a talk given by an elder from Brazil.  The chorister was Japanese.  The pianist was American,  and the congregation included saints from England, The Philippines, USA, Brazil, China, Australia and Japan.  Quite a little meeting of the United Nations!


Heavenly Father truly does love all his children.  The prophecies of the gospel reaching every nation on earth are rapidly being fulfilled.  I know of almost no other place in the world, other than in this church, where a simple, modest baptismal service like this one could take place with participants from such a vast array of countries and appear relatively normal.  The Church of Jesus Christ takes the Savior's admonition to, "Go ye into all the world..." seriously.  The fruits are sweet, aren't they?