Trekking on in Takamatsu! Onward and upward...

Thanks for the package Spen, Rach and kids!

My Dearest Family!

Oh how fun and how envious, you get to be watching CONFERENCE!!! What privilege, how fun that is!!! YAY CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh we are so excited. My companion and I have anxiously been awaiting this next weekend, when we will get to watch it. We love Takamatsu!  We got transfer calls today and... we are staying here! Which is such a blessing. I love it here. I love my companion!!! The members are gems, they are working so hard to help the work and so efficiently, so Japanese! I love them so much.

This week our investigators dropped a little bit, one of our investigator's daughter had an operation and can't leave the house for 3 months or have any visitors. So sad.  The other one is probably a "no" right now... and we've been trekking around Takamatsu, trying to find potential investigators from the area book, trying to make out Kanji on signs, getting lost so much...haha... and not finding a ton, but doing the work of the Lord! It is pretty amazing. We were trekking yesterday, and felt like we should go to this area where the apartments didn't seem to be lived in.  We crossed the street trekked on and, as usual, didn't get let in very much.  But, we met this mother of three who has met the Elders before. The contact was guided to be just the right speed for her. At one point, I was talking, and the Spirit stopped me and just prompted me to ask her what she thought. I'd only testified in 2 or 3 sentences, hardly at all. She sat for probably one minute, occasionally saying things like... "well" or "what should I say" kind of things... and then she said that she thinks she wants to listen. We were like... what?... a little shocked and asked her if that would be now or another day. She told us a day this week she would like to meet us. Wow.  It was such a miracle! We went a ways off and just said a prayer of thanks to the Lord for preparing this beautiful woman to hear about families and Jesus Christ. I love Him. I love His work. I am so grateful that even as He is the amazing Creator of all, the maker of the universe and worlds without number, He is my personal Savior and Friend. I need Him so much. I am so grateful for the power of His redemption, for the power of His love. That is real. The only way we can know how deep is to draw on it from experience.  I know His love. I know how deep that goes. He is so wonderful! 

We've had so many miracles. The Lord led us to another woman. We had been searching for her house. She was a potential investigator listed in the area book from years ago, and we couldn't find her. The house wasn't even on the map. Even the man with a map who we asked for directions couldn't find it exactly. We were leaving and stopped at this yellow apartment complex, it was small and we said we would just house it before we left. As Dobson Shimai rang the doorbell, I recognized this woman's name on the door. Isn't that amazing? She is Phillipino and said we could bring back a book in Tagalog... :) I love the Book of Mormon!

The most recent guidance from President has been about honing our skills on how to begin teaching our first lessons... and we are so excited to be having some of those soon. :)

It is amazing how much the Lord numbers His Sheep, all of us and those we are searching for. It is such a wonderful opportunity to be in His service. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I am amazed at His love. I want so much to love a little more like Him. What an example He is to me in every way. I love His work. I love His help. I love Him! I know that MY Redeemer lives. My beautiful friends and family, that love is so personal. He loves us so dearly. Like Mosiah says, our full service is yet "unprofitable"... because we will never repay that love. But we can rejoice in it every day. And keep working!

Thank you so much for your love and prayers. You are so wonderful, all of you! I hope you feel His love so real for YOU, today. I hope you can close your eyes, for just a moment, and know that He lives, now, and loves you. I know He descended into our difficult times, our personal struggles, and came out on top so that we can too--as we trust Him. What a miracle it is to have Jesus Christ. The world is starving for the knowledge, and only the Savior can heal them. "God be thanked for the matchless gift of his divine Son." (The Living Christ) I love you, too, my sweet family! Thanks for standing as witnesses of Him. What a privilege it is. He really is the reason. I love Him. I love you!

Have a wonderful Conference time, hearing from these men called as spokesmen of God to help us return to Him. What a privilege! And how many more young men and women will get to go on missions with the age change, WOW! What a shock! That is wonderful! WOW. I was so surprised. It's great!　Missions are incredible. "Shall we not go on in so great a cause?"

Onward and upward...

I love you!
Love, Anderson Shimai 

Nato anyone?

Soy beans that are fermented.  It looks like beans in caramel and has the same consistency. It is definitely an acquired taste, but if i keep eating it I just may live to be 100!!!

 My district! 

It just switched, so if Elder Lythgoe didn't transfer, 

he should be my new ZL!!!

Over the hill and still going up!

...you are walking, and then... you see this guy above the drink machine

and everything gets easier...hahahaha!

Dear Family,


Thanks for all the updates!  How I love to hear about all the families and the 
goings-on. The performances, high school dances and parties (Mook is 16!!!),
track meets, triathlons, half marathons, gymnastics, theater group, the 
marriage retreat at Aspen Grove (my old stompin' grounds...and the family's
too!), harvesting and canning, Lolly and Rob's new house in CA, trips, school,
hikes in the beautiful mountains, etc. etc.
I love all the news...its like sitting around around our kitchen table for a 
moment or two, eating together and laughing, sipping apple juice...ahhhhhhh!
I love you so much! I'm so grateful that the Lord sent me to such a wonderful 
family. You are all such examples to me. I am so proud of all the good you are 
doing, and all the faith you have. i want to be like you! 

I've been thinking a lot about goal-setting - even long-term goal setting, 
and it is amazing. "Goals reflect the desires of our hearts and our vision 
of what we can accomplish." (PMG) And then... they "transform our hopes 
into action." If we really set a goal with Heavenly 
Father and let that influence our daily lives in bite-sized portions, we begin
living to fulfill the potential He has created us to fulfill. We will become
the tools and servants He needs us to become. Sometimes I turn around
and think, "I definitely would not have had that thought before my
mission," So there is my essay for today! :)

This week has been so incredible. We were asked to speak in Church on 
Sunday, and the Lord just poured down and helped me with what I wanted 
to say.  It was a day especially when I knew I couldn't do it alone, and the 
Spirit came in and picked up the rest. i am so grateful!

The members are on fire with the work. I love this little branch. You would 
not believe how incredible these few saints are in Takamatsu, I love them 
so much. We really are so blessed. The Spirit is pouring out not only upon 
the land of Japan, but it is so evident here in Takamatsu. The Lord is pouring 
out "His Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children
of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught 
among them at the time of his coming."  And we, His servants with His 
badge on, sometimes with wet hair from the rain, a wrinkle or two
from the bikes, but with the song of His redemption in our hearts, are the 
ones who have the privilege to introduce Him to them. I am so blessed. I am
privileged to be here. I just love it. I love it so much. I love missionary work!!!

We are working with a wonderful family that we hope will become investigators
this week. The father was a member and recently passed away. The Lord has 
really put us in situations (the two times we have met) to be able to strengthen 
our relationship with them. Also, after our talks on Sunday, a sweet less-active 
sister who had just been beaming during our talks, ran up with one of the 
wonderful "missionaries" (our members are missionaries), saying her daughter is
not a member and she wants us to put on a mini-concert for her to
hopefully begin taking the lessons! It is amazing, because the Spirit 
just bore witness so powerfully to me that this is a prepared place AS I was 
speaking. The members are prepared to not only see miracles, but facilitate them. 
There is one of the sweet members mothers who comes every week who is not a
member, who is SO SWEET and just loves Church. Her memory isn't super but we 
are going to try to do everything we can for her. "This beginning of miracles
did Jesus in [Takamatsu]." (Luke 2:11, paraphrase)

Oh my dear family, I wish you could meet this place. I wish you could
meet these people. I wish you could feel the love of the Lord for them. I wish 
sometimes we COULD stand on the corner with a trump (like Alma), just so 
everyone would have the chance to know, to feel His love. It is so real, so pure 
for them, for these children of His... so many who do not want to listen, but still He
wants so much to just tell them, to give them the chance to choose.
This is a place prepared for miracles.

We had another amazing experience one day when we had been out all day, 
and our investigator we had talked to could not meet with us, and couldn't
come to Church. We'd been housing and no one had really wanted to listen.
Then we knocked on a door, and a woman was there who began listening.
Some contacts are just guided. My companion started, and I just began praying
for the Spirit. It started pouring into my heart. It was such a powerful contact,
I don't even remember all of it, but the feelings there were so strong. We testified
of the Book of Mormon and about how she could truly know that God wasn't the 
strict, impersonal God that she seemed to think He was. Things changed, and 
where she hadn't wanted to take it and said she didn't have time to read it, she 
said she would read it, even if it was a little bit at a time each day. That moment
was transcendent. The Spirit definitely worked through us. i felt no fear in 
testifying what I know to be true! She can know of Jesus Christ through that
magnificent book, restored so that we know Heavenly Father's nature and His 
beloved Son, our Savior, our Exemplar, our Best Friend and Redeemer. He is 
the best missionary, and through the Spirit we can teach what He would have 
them know.

I love you fam! Time is short, and it's so fun to see Elder Lythgoe's
name all over the area book - he certainly left his mark here! Sister Zinke 
was saying what a great missionary he is as we drove down here together. :)
Its fun to let everyone know we are related. I hope that I can be a great 
missionary like my cousin here in Takamatsu. :) I love the work and my Savior,
I love you sweet fam, and you are so close to my heart. Thank you for your 
prayers and love! 

I LOVE YOU!
Love,
Sister Anderson

 Everyone takes such good care of us...

 The view from our apartment window.

 Thanks for the "hump day" package...especially the miniature candy bar poster and party stuff!  oh yea...and the "over the hill" items..haha!
Over the hill and still going up!!!

 My doryo with a very original borrowed helmet from the ward. They

are so cute to us, they loaned it to her while our bags were coming, she

is just looking a little bit like she is in the army...

 Thanks for all the letters to celebrate my hump day...or as Dad calls it, 

my "double dedication day!"

Random blue hats we found in our apartment in Akashi...just had to wear them to clean the apartment before we left...and just had to bring them to Takamatsu with us!

Transferred to Takamatsu!

Oh my sweetest of all families,

Time goes by so fast and so slow. It is amazing. Time has been really strange for my companion and me this week. We got a call on Wednesday from President telling us that there had been a change in the missionaries in the mission and he needed us sisters in... TAKAMATSU! (Shikoku!) He asked us to leave that weekend, we were out by Saturday and in Church on Sunday. One thing I've learned on my mission, is that even though things are not exactly as we might expect them, they are always so good. The Lord can use ANYTHING to our growth if we turn to Him and consecrate our lives to Him.

Traveling to... TAKAMATSU! I'm back on Shikoku! I have to say that I LOVE the island, it truly is such a wonderful place and it is one of my favorite places of Japanese saints. (It actually is right next to Tokushima, and was in my zone before... it is the place we ate so much ramen before! Looking forward to that ha ha.)Takamatsu is just SPECIAL. Let me tell you some of the happenings from the first day at Church. One reason I love Shikoku is because it has a different flavor, almost like the south in the U.S. On Sunday this cutest old man got up to bear his testimony and in the middle of his talk, out came these paper visuals with phrases written on them. He is so old and his voice is so droopy but so happy, and then... at the end, he said, "just two minutes," and runs to grab something from his chair.  He then  pulls down a rousing rendition of "Praise to the Man" on the harmonica!
I love Takamatsu. :)

The members have made it well-known that they have been praying to have sister missionaries here.  They are so sweet! This other elderly man was teaching nichiogakko (Sunday School) and was talking about praying in accordance with Heavenly Father's will, and used me as an example, if I hadn't wanted to come to Takamatsu. They are so funny. They treat us like queens, they are such wonderful saints in our little branch. They are so close to gold. I wish I had the time to introduce them all to you. They are so wonderful and all just wanting to take care of the new, lost sisters.

The branch has a lot of men, but the Relief Society, primary etc. aren't very strong. They are so devoted to the gospel. They WANT to do missionary work, versus it being an obligation or duty.  They are taking care of us so well. It is like I am home, and we have a wonderful new family. On top of that, on Sunday an investigator from 4 years ago came back to church and we were able to have a lesson with her... and she became a new investigator! She had wanted to come back to church, which I guess is exactly what the other investigator we are teaching had done. We have those two investigators right now and the Lord is just working with these people. I feel that this is a place of miracles. Who is to stop the Lord's hand when He has the field ready to harvest?! It is such a privilege to be a missionary. A  less-active showed up at church on Sunday and we were be able to befriend him a little bit. I love this work!!!


So! Everything is pretty new. Elders have been in Takamatsu for years, so it definitely is a change. We love Akashi and our sweet saints there. The members are so wonderful there. I love the Japanese saints.


We left Akashi on Saturday morning, and safely passed our investigators to the Elders. They will do great with them. 

My sweet family, we are so busy, the work will move forward. I thank you so much for your prayers and love, they are so felt. The Lord is marvelous and always has a plan.Thank you for your love and for your examples and closeness. You are so wonderful! I love you forever fam! The Church is true, the more we study it I think the simpler it gets. I love this message, and our message is about Jesus Christ. He died, lived, and lives again. His Church is on the earth again. We can have those blessings He wants to give us from His restored Gospel. 

I got asked to train in District Meeting before I left and I just got to talk about representing my Savior, our Savior. Our calls are from Him. We are to be His hands. I got a package from the Colorado Andersons and was able to use the quote Spen sent me in training. It was perfect! Thank you so much! I love you cuties. Choose the right--choose Jesus Christ. He will not fail you, and I know He lives.

Love,Andason Shimai, from Takamatsu

Sister Jen has been in Akashi which is near Kobe on this map, 

and is now in Takamatsu.

akamatsu (高松市 Takamatsu-shi) is a city located in central Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a core city by the Japanese Government. It is a port city located on the Seto Inland Sea, and is the closest port to Honshu from Shikoku island. For this reason it flourished under the Daimyo (feudal lords) as a castle town in the fiefdom of Takamatsu, during the Edo Period. Takamatsu is a city with a large concentration of nationwide companies' branch offices, which play a large role in its economy, and it contains most of the national government's branch offices for Shikoku. 

The Takamatsu metropolitan region has a population of 670,000, making it the largest in Shikoku. Takamatsu Airport is located in Takamatsu. 
Altitude is 56 ft.
The castle tower formerly used as the symbol of the city was destroyed during the Meiji Period. In 2004, construction of the Symbol Tower, the new symbol of Takamatsu, was completed. The Symbol Tower is located in the Sunport area of the city.

Dear Jeni,

It is me, Seth. I wish I lived with you and Uncle Nate Dawg, but I can't. I am not old enough. I am just a little kid. I am four years old. 

And you live far away. I don't know what your mission looks like, but I see the pictures.  You are very very happy in your pictures and you are always going like this (see pic). 

I know you got some packages.  I know you like Japanese people. I want to see you speak Japanese when you get home. I don't know what your are saying.  And I want to see what Japanese is. 

Mookie had a party and I danced at it when the music was loud.  We ate marshmallows, and caramel apples and I don['t know what the rest of the stuff is.

And Jeni, I go to pre-school and we ate caramel apples at there, too. 

I love you, Jeni and this is Seth.

Love, Seth (Spiderman)

Dear Spiderman,

You. Are. So. COOL! Thanks so much for your letter. I wish you could live with me too. You are one of my best friends. I love you so much. Mookie's party sounds cool. I definitely want to see your dancing! I will talk to you in Japanese when I come home. Love you buddy. You are so great! Wow, pre-school sounds like so much fun. I love eating caramel apples too!

I love you handsome boy.
Love,
Aunt Jeni

Pray lots. Work hard. See miracles. Eat Chocolate!

Greetings from your missionary in beautiful Akashi!

You asked what a typical day is like for me. SO BUSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We get up, exercise, shower, breakfast, study... seek revelation, prepare for teaching investigators, eat lunch, hit the streets on our bikes while trying to keep our skirts from flying up in the wind. haha. Teach a lesson (hopefully!) Seek revelation where to go next and go - knocking on door after door  to try to find those seeking truth...every working day. Pray lots. See miracles. Eat. Pray more. Go to bed. :) There you have it in a nutshell! And...I love it!

Wow, my sweet family. I love you so, so much. Happy birthday 誕生日おめでと to all of you who have one this month - I hope you have fun celebrating! Thank you for the letters, packages, and prayers. I could never be grateful enough for my wonderful family and friends! Thanks for the very fun package Child fam - loved it!!!

Thanks so much for everything you all do for me - I love you! I wish I could show you all of the wonderful parts of dendo (missionary work). Like the other day, walking out of the park from a lesson, seeing a PI (potential investigator) who we have been calling to come to Eikaiwa for like 2 months (who I've met once) who stopped us to talk, and was actually able to come to the baptism on Sunday!! The baptism was a man whose door we knocked on my first transfer in Akashi.  His body is partially paralyzed. We visited once more (with a different companion) just to ask if we could send the Elders to visit him. He didn't really want the Book of Mormon. We were able to pass him to the Elders, and they taught him. This week he was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was such a neat meeting. Even Kaicho (President) came!

Other things this week... there have been so many wonderful days. Sometimes we just fall into our beds at night we are so tired. It is so great. It is so fun to be thinking and studying and seeking ways to bring Heavenly Father's children to a knowledge of His Gospel. We got a challenge from our leaders to contact all of our potential investigators before a certain day, and we were doing that. We went to this random store where this lady worked, but she wasn't working. As we were leaving, (we bought some chocolate to check out and see if she was there and... to eat!).  Eating our chocolate, we went to grab a drink. This other lady was eating ice cream by the vending machine, and we started talking. She asked us to come visit her anytime! She is a housewife and not doing anything (in her words) and asked for a paper with a map of the church on it, and said she would come to Church with her husband this week or next... have we even told her about our church yet? awesome! the Lord is preparing His children. It is so amazing that they are out there, and though we spend a lot of time talking to people who aren't interested, we hang onto hope and faith that there are people who are ready to accept the truth here, in Akashi, and it keeps us going. And we go! We've been so busy, it is the best way to be in the service of the Lord.

I started reading Jesus the Christ again this week, and it felt like going home. I love that. I love those experiences. Heaven is so close, my sweet fam. We are on the verge of miracles. That is Heavenly Father's love, just pouring through the cracks of our separation. I love you!

We taught a lesson this week about the Restoration but employed more of what President Zinke had taught about teaching the Restoration to the beautiful people of Japan. We talked about how Heavenly Father called Joseph Smith by name. Our investigator seemed so surprised when we told her that He knows her name. We who have grown up with the truth sometimes forget how precious it is. Yes, he does know each of us! And he hears every prayer, anytime we pray, in our hearts or out loud. There's not a certain time of day or time where if we miss it, when He won't listen. Isn't that amazing? I love Heavenly Father so much. I got His beautiful guidance IN a lesson to help our investigator understand. It just left me in awe of His glory. Oh, our Heavenly Father and our Savior! Oh, how this work is amazing. My sweet family. I do nothing of myself. We all cannot do it alone. I know that my Redeemer lives, how I love His majesty and glory. My sweet, sweet family, what a gift it is to know the truth. 

I got a letter from Grandma Jan this week!! I loved it so much, I put it in my journal. Thank you Grammie!! Thanks to all of you sweet people who have been writing! You are all so wonderful. Thank you for your time and thoughtfulness - it means so much to me and helps me soooooo much - you don't even know!

I felt this week a lot about trust as well. WOW I LOVE REVELATION. I love this Church! I probably forget to tell you what we've done in our weeks because I just get writing my testimony and it keeps bursting out. I love this Church. I love the SPIRIT. I love Heavenly Father. I am amazed at how the Spirit can lift us up. I know Heavenly Father blesses us with experiences so that we can help others.

I don't know what I did before I came. haha!  have all of these random, disjointed memories but the time just flows here, it goes so fast! AH! Oh, it is so great. To anyone thinking of serving a mission: DO IT. The Lord will bless you, but more than that--we are too blessed. We are way too blessed. Our brothers and sisters are starving for this Gospel. The Lord will shape you and hone you and it will hurt, but it will be the best thing you've ever done. You will learn lessons you couldn't learn any other way. He will push you, but never too much. I know you can do it, sweet missionary-thinking friends. GO! You will LOVE IT, experience a joy deeper than you've ever felt before, learn to live as you never have before. (Probably, my awesome brothers knew this when they went. Thanks for your examples Spen, Jon, Nate! Dad, thank you for your example! And all you other returned missionaries in my life...) I want to become the kind of teacher who teaches with the Holy Ghost to help my investigators REMEMBER. As President Packer says in PMG, "we are making touch with the light of Christ that is already there. The Gospel will have a familiar 'ring' to them."

We got to sing at Rekimoto San's baptism. Our Zone Leader played the pin flute and I started out singing "Praise to the Man," just us and the Zone Leaders! It was really fun. Life is so PURE, life is so rich. Heavenly Father put us on earth to learn, grow, and prepare to return. This is the best experience ever. You know those moments where you are riding a roller coaster (or... a jet stream boat in New Zealand! Yeah baby! ha ha)... things like that, and then the peaceful moments like being in a boat on a calm lake (Jon and Kristy's backyard!)...its all part of the plan for us, all for a purpose that I think is simple, really. What a blessing to experience it all! We are living it! So awesome...

I love you folks! Thank you for everything! You are so precious to me, and so eternally precious to Him. I love you all! YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL!!!

Love,
Sister Anderson

Also, yesterday we made banana bread to try to take to a dinner appointment and... we were like, why is this so moist? We keep cooking it and it is not getting any less moist... and I was telling my comp the ingredients, sugar, eggs, flour... wait. Flour? Ha ha ha ha! I will attach a pic. We decided that we would rather have the "gift of tongues" than the gift of baking. :)

my Doki (people i came with...) all serving as trainers now.

 Met at trainer/trainee training (that's a lot of train in one sentence)!

Zone conference in August

Note from Sister Jen's mom:

I thought it might be fun to include some comments from Sister Dobson:

I got assigned to be with the genki-est missionary in Kobe. Actually probably in all of Japan. Anderson Shimai is just the greatest!!! She is from Bluffdale and is the youngest of 7 kids. We are on flipped ends of the family cycle [oldest, youngest]. She was at BYU studying a conglomeration of things before the mission. She`s still not exactly sure what she wants to do.

She has been here in Japan since March, and is as courageous as a Lion when it comes to dendoing (proselyting). 

... I`m way way WAY excited to be with Anderson Shimai. I think she is just what I need to learn how to become a great missionary. 

The ward members here are great! They are all very nice and supportive. When they met me on Sunday they kept saying that Anderson Shimai and I have the same `environment` - the direct translation. We act a lot alike I guess. To me, that was a huge compliment. I want to be able to emulate some of the love and joy that Anderson Shimai has.

...Anderson Shimai is very funny. She is very good at being happy all the time. She never has anything negative to say about missionary work. She has an awesome can do attitude that can be hard to keep up with. She is good at listening when I have a hard day.  She`s really good at seeing the bright side of things. 

Pics of the two of them when they first met.

These pics are from Sister Zinke's blog of the sweet missionaries and their families who cook for some of the zone conferences  - so darling and so giving! 

So cute! Love the aprons...

Spray cans, miracles, mafia, and more...

Sweet Fam!

I wrote a letter but it got deleted... this is going to be shorter ha ha. :)
I love you!

So. Miracles are happening before our eyes, which is incredible because our
investigator pool has dropped a lot. This week we finally contacted a
referral that we've been trying to contact for about a month, and she
agreed to a return appointment... and she is from Tokushima! We also
met a family housing (tracting). This sweet mom and her two kids came
to the door and we were talking to them about God. The little boy told us
that he thinks God lives, then looked a bit puzzled and asked, "Where does
He live?" I told him in heaven! Little kid's Japanese is so cute!

I am so aware that the Savior is at the helm of our boat, even the world's
boat. It amazes me. I am on a quest for simplification. My study has
become a hunger to teach simply. I really crave it, I want to teach our
investigators in a way they understand. I have realized all over again, that
the Gospel is remarkably simple. I love the Book of Mormon.
I realized this week that a lot of it is a compilation of investigator's stories.
I so love this work. I love that I get to wear the name of my Savior
over my heart. Even when others are deciding whether they need him,
even our sweet investigator who is doing everything we tell her and
still deciding what to think about Jesus Christ... I realized this the other
day sitting at our table.  And yet, somehow she is progressing. I realized
 anew that the Savior is walking with her, even in this time where she is
deciding whether she needs him and has problems in her mind that make
it hard for her to understand. I love this work. I know that in our
"Gethsemane," our rough spots, He is there, walking with us. Do we take
that hand, feel that strength? We have no need to fear, I am realizing anew.
The Savior is our helper, our keeper and guide, our Savior and Redeemer.
Do we know what that means? Jesus Christ has overcome the obstacles of sin and
death. We can live again with our families, with our Father in Heaven.
"Oh the joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives."

Dad had asked about training and the zone meeting, etc. The Zone
meeting was 3 zones, and we get training from President and the
AP tachi. It was really neat. We get a training plan each month as a
mission that is a focus for us, that President Zinke gets through
revelation to help focus our study and missionary work.  It is also the
training training for new missionaries. I love it!

Also, I have another funny story. We were housing
and heard that there are some Yakuza (Japanese mafia) people
and we saw this door that had a little sign with a symbol on it. I was
thinking that it was the mafia symbol. I stopped my companion, and I
told her that we could not go in that door. We called the district leader and
asked if it was safe to "house" around that door? They informed us that it's safe
to house around it. That night they called us again for another reason
and they asked us why we thought that it was a mafia door?  I
explained the symbol I've been seeing everywhere... and it is the
symbol for Buddhism! ha ha ha ha ha. That just made my stay in Japan
so much more comfortable. We have so many funny things happen! :)

Ahhhhhhhh! we are prepared and ready to puncture this insect repellent spray can because you have to do that for recycling in Japan. Awesome, right? Hopefully I'm getting braver...hahahah!

Note from Sister Jen's mom...Click here for a fascinating description on the laws governing trash disposal in one city in Japan...amazing!

I love you so much fam!! I am on a quest to teach simply and help our
investigators understand. This is a beautiful work. The Gospel is
beautiful, and so beautifully simple. I love this work, I love my God,
I love my Savior Jesus Christ, I love the truth we have.

Before I go... we had a zone meeting this week and the last paper they
handed out was a forward about LDS people knowing what they have...
and it said Scott Anderson, and I started looking
through, and it was Gertrude Speckt's story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It was so funny.
I loved reading it and could just hear dad's voice telling it. What a great
missionary and what great legacy I have from my family. Thanks for your
examples and for teaching your kids with so much love. I love you all!

"Shall we not go on in so great a cause?" (Joseph Smith Doctrine and Covenants 128:22)



Love,
Andason Shimai


This sweet grandpa from eikaiwa (English class) sometimes brings us berries that are
supposed to be really healthy from the mountains. These are some
rare berries that he made into jam! He made it especially for us because he says that
Japanese people don't really eat them... :)

 we dressed up in matcing clothes sunday. ha ha ha

So funny...I saw our shoes in the genkan like this, this was not on purpose!

Dear Mom, I haven't gotten the package yet, but I am so excited! Thank

you so much for all you do for me. Looks like you had fun celebrating your anniversary. 

41 years...wow!

September 3, 2012

PS Sister Jen seems to have a genetic predisposition to dress in matching yellow...hahaha!

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