Or how we like to sing "Bicycle" by Queen . . .

Ok, maybe I should be a little bit more focused ;)

But this week... What to say...

I finally finished my Book of Mormon with highlights according to: restoration, plan of salvation, gospel of Jesus Christ, commandments, and ordinances.  As well as references to Christ and His words.  You can say that 3 Nephi is marked up pretty well... But definitely have learned a lot with a specific focus as I studied the Book of Mormon.  I have seen new insights, and how much doctrine the Book of Mormon holds.  It's awesome!  Now I've started again except with a focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Highlighting according to faith, repentence, baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.  Good stuff.  I'm still learning and I've just started over.  Hopefully I'll finish this version by December. 

I also am so grateful for my lovely companion, Hamilton shimai.  I feel as if I could go on about her all day.  But you or I do not have time for that.  I am just so grateful that we are always on the same page.  We are practically the same person.  In fact it surprises people when we speak in unision.  Exact phrasing and everything. So fun.  Or how we like to sing "Bicycle" by Queen on really long bike rides.  And that we just goofily bounce on our seats and ring our bells according to the song.  Makes dendo a lot more fun.  

This week however we went down to Iyo shi to visit some more less actives.  In fact one of them was a gaijin.  His name was Eric.  And the first time we tried visiting, the front door to this school/clinic was open and we saw pictures of him and his family on a bulletin board.  This time we got to meet him.  He has lived in Japan for the past 22 years.  Married a nihonjin and had a family.  He has two daughters.  One is 15 and the other is 13.  Recently the 13 year old visited Salem so I got to see all of her photos and it was a little fun to see that she went to places I had been to.  Apparently Iyo shi and salem, Oregon are sister cities.  Just like Matsuyama and Sacramento are sister cities.  Fun fact of the day.  

Anyway, we just started talking about how he came in contact with the church because he was baptized when he was 8.  However, he told us that he was never really truly converted and I don't think it helped that his uncle's family (whom he stayed with for a number of months) was this peter priesthood and molly mormon family... who only watched television when it was conference... 

But his whole family went inactive.  He ended up moving to Japan to teach English.  Went to the branch once with the mormon teacher he replaced and then never went again.  But we had a great discussion.  I honestly think the purpose of meeting was to show him that LDS people are normal people.  We ended up talking about good books for his daughters to read.  Movies.  TV shows and such.  But it was nice to talk in English.  He even said it was ok for us to come again.  His daughters seemed to really want us to come again and the wife wasn't hantai at all and was very kind.  He's had missionary friends before so I think he knows whats up but seems fine with it.  

Tonight we are driving up to Takamatsu for the Ringwood taikai tomorrow.  The meeting starts at 9 and no one on this entire side of the mission can get there early enough. So everyone will be traveling tonight.  Yeah... I am going to be bringing my ear plugs and melotonin and pillow. Should be good.  However in preparation for the taikai they have asked us to read Moroni 7.  It's a letter from Mormon to his son Moroni primarily discussing the light of Christ, faith, hope and charity.  That all good things come from God.  All things that are uplifting, bring light into our lives, the sunset after a long day, the sunrise after a long night, music that makes you happy, the Book of Mormon, a welcoming smile are of God. How intertwined faith and hope are.  Hamilton shimai and I discussed which came first "faith or hope".  We came to the conclusion that faith comes first.  For in order to hope you need to first believe that it exists.  Such as hope in the resurrection.  (which my hope has only solidified on my mission.  You should see our backs sing the song of its people every morning).  You can't have hope in the resurrection if you don't have faith in Christ. 

Anyway, hope all is well in the land of California and the states.  Good luck with everything. Know that you are loved by our Father who lives in Heaven.  This life is not just a game of chance.  It has purpose.  The struggles we face are specified to us and our needs.  Our Heavenly Father is involved in our lives.  We just need to open our eyes a little wider than the next day.   Pray.  He is there.  He is listening.  He wants to hear from you. 

Love Always, Bevan Shimai

pictures: Another breath taking sunset.  I swear, Shikoku has the best sunsets ever!

A bride and groom while we were streeting near dogo koen

Be still my soul . . .

This week has been good.  Lots of biking.  We were able to teach our lovely investigators.  Unfortunately this week we had an investigator who we stopped meeting with.  She told us at our last meeting that she was going to be busy until May... Well.. Neither one of us are going to be in Japan at that point.  She then said that she was going to be busy going in and out of the hospital and not able to meet.  I will miss her.  She's about 87 years old and had some sort of medical condition that I didn't fully understand (my medical vocabulary is a little lacking) and I'm not sure if she'll make it to may.  She definitely has a place in my heart.  Hamilton shimai and I found her.  She told us she didn't want any other missionaries to visit her.  She loves us.  Every time we visit she says she loves the clean, beautiful feeling that she feels in her heart.  I'm not sure what will happen.  'Till we meet again. 

But this week, I love it when new investigators just pop out of the woodwork.  This week as we were streeting in a park, I see a man on his bike rubber necking.  I just wave, smile and say "hello"  He pulls over (That NEVER happens) and talks to us.  Apparently he was a previous investigator.  However, he didn't show any interest and we went on our way.  We continue streeting and keep going and loop back through the park.  On the way through the park, he sees us again. Stops us and asks "do you have time?"  Yes.  We do!  So we got a new investigator that day.  Never had that experience before.  So grateful to Heavenly Father.  He will put the elect in our paths!

I guess during my mission I've always thought that skill is heavily related to the ability to find new investigators. But it's not. It's about how well you apply the principles in Preach My Gospel.  Do you have the faith to find?  Do you believe that Heavenly Father will lead those who are ready to listen in your path.  Do you follow the Spirit?  All excellent questions.  A good finder is not someone who has the courage to chase people down the street but to have the boldness to follow the spirit and talk to those he feels the need to talk to.  

Then this week Hamilton shimai actually got separated.  It was getting dark and Hamilton shimai crosses a street before a bunch of cars come up.  She keeps driving down the street while I wait for traffic to clear.  About 3-5 minutes pass and I finally cross the street.  I get to a main interesection and I don't see Hamilton shimai anywhere and I just slightly panic and I think "oh, she'll come back in the next 10 min."  So I wait 10 min.  She doesn't show up.  A part of me is thinking "how long is it going to take for her to notice that I'm not there?"  So I go up to a hotel thinking they'd let me use their phone.  Apparently not.  A tad disappointing.  I tried to use the pay phone in the corner of the lobby but no luck.... It looked like only international calls.  

So I go outside back to the intersection.  I don't see her anywhere.  I think all right, maybe she went this way.  So I bike down and all of a sudden I see the chorotachi.  Ok, it's really rare for us to see the chorotachi so frequently during the day.  Usually we never see them while we're dendoing.  This was the third time.  I pull them over and I ask to use their phone.  At this point it's been 20 minutes.  My hands are shaking from the adrenaline and unable to even type in my number.  Sorenson choro asks if I wanted him to call her.  I hand him the phone.  He dials the number and passes the phone to me.  Hamilton answers in the normal way, thinking it was the chorotachi.  I could tell she was trying to remain cool.  We arrange for a rendez-vous point.  I thank the chorotachi, tell them about our find and head up to the rendez vous point.  So it was all good.  It was so strange to be seperated from my companion for 30 minutes.  I've heard of companions being separeted/lost for over 2 hours and I think, "Can you not just stop at someone's house to use the phone?"  Anyway... 

The Ringwood Conference was really good.  I ended up performing a musical number with Boman shimai and beane shimai (in Uwajima) and Heimuli shimai in Nihama.  But more about that later. 

Really good taikai.  In the morning Welch shimai and Welch kaicho spoke.  Then Ringwood shimai, the daughter of Elder Nelson, spoke. She looks very similar to him, but still feminine.  She gave a very nice talk on being a light to everyone.  That people can sense something is different about you.  

Then Ringwood kaicho spoke.  Except he took a step off the stand and just stood in front of everyone and worked with a white board.  Then told us to not worry about the time, yes he was going to go over time.  I honestly don't remember what he talked about.  I remember he talked about Alma 36 and Alma 26:22.  What was interesting though is that at the beginning everyone got to shake his hand but during that time he took the time to memorize a certain number of missionaries names.  Then if no one would raise their hand he would just call out a name.  He tried to call on me but instead said "Ellsworth shimai" I told him that Ellsworth shimai was in the front.  He got me later.  

Then as we were about to break for lunch Stirling choro was going to give us 40 minutes for lunch.  However, Ringwood kaicho cuts him off and says "give them an hour".. Ringwood Kaicho just got the hearts of over a hundred missionaries.  It made everyone very happy. 

After lunch Boman shimai, Beane shimai, and Heimuli shimai performed "Be still my soul" accompanied by me.  It was an arrangement.  One of the prettiest I've heard. It has the melody a little bit rearranged for a soloist.  So there is a high A in there... Could not sing this song to save my life but Boman shimai has the voice of an angel.  She also added parts to it so that multiple shimai could sing at once (the arrangement is a solo piece).  It was beautiful and rich with voice.  And the accompaniment was also really good.  I really enjoyed playing it and practicing it.  Afterwards everyone told us how much they loved listening to it.  They said it was one of the best musical performances they've ever heard before at church.... Yoshi!  

The afternoon session was a question and answer session.  Everyone asked some good questions.  For the homework we were asked to read Moroni 7 to prepare for the taikai. So I asked about the relationship between faith and hope.  Because Moroni says that neither hope is without faith as faith is nai without hope.  And then you have Alma who says hope comes before faith.  So I wanted to know what his opinion was.  He said that there were two kinds of hope.  The hope to believe and the hope that comes of faith.  An abiding hope in the Resurrection of Christ and the Resurrection to come.  In Eternal Life and such.  And that faith comes from the hope or desire to believe.  And that as we are faithful we will have the hope in the good things in life.  That there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  

This week I have been also thinking about the meaning of happiness.  What does it mean to you to be truly happy?  I've studied it in the scriptures and it mostly defines happiness as people rejoicing in the Lord their God.  The prophet Mormon states that joy comes to those who are penitent and humble, those who are true in heart and purpose.  

Last week I had to prepare a talk in church on humility.  My favorite scripture from this experience was Numbers 12:3 that describes Moses as the most meek man upon the entire earth.  Have you ever thought of meek when you think of Moses - someone who was a mighty prophet able to part the Red Sea and save thousands of Israelites.  But Moses was meek in that he understood who he was, his role.  He was Moses, not God. He knew that God would take care of him.  He trusted God and knew his will.  And he was able to use his priesthood power to part the Red Sea and to perform many miracles.  So my biggest frustration with this talk is that when I was speaking - no one was listening!  To start with you have a little boy who is fussing and whining that he is HOT - his mom finally takes him out of the room.  Then they come back in.  Then one of the members who brings his own standing fan to church gets up while I am speaking and moves his fan over to the little boy.  But then one of the older more frail sisters starts to complain that now she is cold. So now the branch president's wife asks them to move the fan.  So this man gets up again and moves the fan.  And at one point during all this commotion, I stood still and stopped talking because No One was paying attention!  And then I waited for every one to get seated again.  Afterwards, I felt so frustrated.  I almost cried because I was so upset.  I felt like everyone was ignoring me on purpose.  But hey, it's over and I've moved on.  Most of the members came up to me and complimented me on my talk.  No one even corrected my Japanese!  Anyway, life is good.  I guess we all get tested everyday, different challenges and frustrations.  

But funny moment of the week:

So I asked the chorotachi for our new investigator's old teaching record and their response was:

Elders:  "NEVER"

Sisters:  "Wipe your tears on your skirt and bring us the record. "

Sisters:  "Alma 54:7-9,13"

Sisters:  "Alma 30:16, 60:28, 54:11, 60:36"

Elders:  "Ok, we'll bring the record"

Sisters:  "Alma 39:7-9, 13; Proverbs 24:33"

Never get into a battle with shimai when scripture pride is on the line!!  It gave us a nice laugh.  Hope it gives you one too.

Love you alll, thank you!

Bevan Shimai 

P.S all the spiders in the electrical lines

sunset!

Beautiful sunset!

HOW MANY SPIDERS CAN YOU COUNT??

"The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men"

This week has been good.  We went out. We worked hard.  We did our best.  Granted, we don't always see the fruits of our labors, but I like to imagine myself as one who plants seeds, weeds, flowers - I do a lot of planting, just not a lot of harvesting!  But I am working on my patience, maybe by the time my mission ends I will have learned a few things about watching and waiting and letting the Lord take care of the rest.

This last week was zone conference - We discussed an interesting scripture Hebrews 11:32-40.  It talks about how people through their faith have seen miracles and performed miracles and how good things make the faithful strong and valiant.  But in contrast God also reminds us that he gives us sufferings and loss, because without loss and pain we cannot be made perfect.  So when we feel that we are suffering or that life is too hard, remember that this is to help us strengthen our faith and that this is an opportunity to become stronger and more perfect.  I was also grateful for the reminder that it is better to do small works of righteousness everyday than perform great miracles once in awhile.

Hamilton shimai and I finally got a new investigator this week.  Yay! She is a wonderful sister who was baptized about 10 years ago, active for a few years, her son was baptized about 3-4 years ago but then they shortly went less active.  The first lesson we shared with her was back in July and her son was there.  We just talked about what they experienced when they were baptized, what did they feel, what they remember, and such.  Discussing the Holy Ghost and the importance of the sacrament, just a little bit.  However, the mother at the end wasn't very interested in us and seemed more interested in getting us out. :[  

But we decided to visit her again and she let us in and we just started to talk and she shared with us an experience which I guess changed her mind about us.  She told us that as she was feeling a bit lonely and sad she saw an old scripture calendar the missionaries had given her that was on the floor.   She sees it, picks it up, and looks at the scriptures she's read and decides to read the next one.  And it touches her heart in a way I do not know.  She told us she couldn't remember which scripture it was but that it really helped her.  Book of Mormon is true, folks.  Somehow the scripture opened her heart up to once more have an interest in church and the gospel.  She just has a crazy job where she cannot control her hours.   So that's something we'll have to work with.  But in all words, a good day. 

This week I also had to give a talk on humility.  As always the speaker learned a lot more than the hearers.  To start off:

1 Corinthians 1:25

Because the ^afoolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

God is God.  We are not.  We do not know all things.  He does.  He controls the heavens and the earth and we are in his hands.  He is our loving Heavenly Father and he knows each one of us on an individual level.  He loves us on a personal level.  He is involved in our lives if we just let Him.  It is our job to be humble for we are lower than the dust of the earth.  For even the dust of the earth is obedient to our Heavenly Father.  We are not.  We sin.  We make mistakes.  We forget our God and turn away from his outstretched arms.  He is a forgiving, kind, merciful, omnipotent, patient God.  We are not.  But we can get there.  

I don't not understand the ways of my Heavenly Father.  I do not understand His thoughts.   His ways are higher than mine and his thoughts are higher than my thoughts.  I do not understand why everything that's happened in my life, happened.    But I know that I will understand in the end.  I just have to wait.  Here's to patience and enduring well!

Today we went to the Zoo in Matsuyama. It was actually pretty good.  It's better than the SLC zoo :P  it was fun, I really enjoyed myself and it wasn't too hot so all the animals were out and about!

Bevan Shimai

Yikes!

Zone takai

The spiders on Shikoku are so much genkier!

So the big news is . . . . Hamilton shimai and I are staying in Matsuyama for 4 transfers!!! *_*

Wow - Like I said, never been with someone for 3 transfers let alone 4 transfers.  Feeling very blessed because I wouldn't want to be with anyone else for 6 months. Kind of fun to see the entire zone change except for you and your companion.  Hamilton shimai has been in the Matsuyama zone for 8 transfers.  She's been in the Uwajima district for 8 transfers.  (she was in Uwajima before) and now is going to have spent half of her mission in matsuyama.  My prediction is that I will finish my mission in Matsuyama.  And I'll have spent 1 transfer in Kobe, 2 in Akou, 4 in Shimogamo and maybe 5 in Matsuyama.. we'll see.  Maybe I'll gypsy?  (spending only 1 transfer in an area). 

This week was a week of a lot of bike riding.  So now that a lot of the near by people are those who are never home we are starting to go to farther places. Yesterday, we were planning on going somewhere that we thought was to be 90 minutes, however it turned into 2.5 hours.  Because all of a sudden a wild mountain appeared and we fought it with our mamachari's.  "Mamachari's go!"  (a bike that's anything but a mountain bike.. 6 gears.. only)

However, luckily our efforts were satisfied.  1.  We brought bentos (lunch) because there was no way we could've made it back over that mountain without food.  2. We contacted all of the less actives out in that area :D  One moved to Kobe and the other had no interest.  Yeah!!! And we got to enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen.  It was your traditional japanese sunset with the clouds crossing a red sun.  Awe inspiring.  And then back over the mountain.  

We spent a lot of this week just going streeting, housing, trying to spread the great word.  We also had Zone Training this meeting.  I really liked how we discussed the blessings of serving a mission and also how to better work with the Branch.  Got some good ideas on how to work together or how to be more of a help to the branch instead of just individually working from the branch.  

Also a funny note about missionary life:  We measure time according to 6 week increments.  When you find out random facts like: Christmas is 17 more fridays away you think "wow, that's almost 3 transfers"   Or "I only have training left on my mission"  O.o Where did the time go?  Just going to make the best of my time while I have it.  We only have one mission.  Unless you are Sister Mary from the MTC who served 6.  

I don't really have a lot to say.  A lot of appointments ended up dropping this week.  It happens.  We actually ended up teaching one of our less active sisters in her genkan.  She's listened to totsuzen lessons before but never in her genakan.  Hamilton shimai says that's the farthest she's been in her house. Progress?  But we ended up talking about her desires.  How Heavenly Father desires the same for her (her family's happiness) and that it's only through the gospel of Jesus Christ can we have that lasting happiness.  The peace within the storm.  Eternal Families where death does not tear us apart but merely separates us for a short period of time.  So grateful for that promise that I can be with my family forever.  I only want others to have that same joy.  

Also I believe that the spiders on Shikoku are just so much genkier than the ones in Shimogamo, because I never saw any spiders as big as these.  HUGE!  Like fill your hand huge.  Granted, they are no bird eating spider, but you certainly take care to make sure that none fall on your face.  Just the little things that make your day as you go housing.  However, only went housing this week because of time and the lack thereof.  So it was more "effective" to go housing.   Realized this week that streeting so SO much more fun than housing.  I like just being told no rather than having the door be slammed in my face.  :)

Well.  Hope you have a great week this week.  Miss you all.  Love you all so much.  'Till next time. 

Bevan Shimai

Don't let this guy fall on your face!

Beautiful sunset on Shikoku

We get a lot of watermelon!

こんにちは！ みな元気？

This week has been great.  Recently there have been a lot more Relief Society activities.  Not sure if that is because of summer or summer vacation but I approve.  The relief society sisters are becoming friends and not just "people we happen to go to church with."  So counting that blessing.  This past sunday was also really good. The people are waking up. Now it seems to be on a more consistent basis that people are talking to each other.  Greeting each other.  No hugs yet, but I'm keeping my eyes out.  The spirits seem a lot higher.  Before it was more like everyone was enduring church.  Church is not meant to be endured, my friends.  It is a joyous uplifting, enlightening experience.  If it is not, repent. It will do you good ;)

This week we also went out with the Relief Society to lunch.  We went to this Italian restaurant all the way out in Toon city... yes, I laugh everytime I see the signs. The signs are all in kanji (which I can read by the way :DDDDD) and in english.  But in Japanese it's pronounced as "toe-n" and city translates to shi. so it's really とうおん　or 東温市。 I think I've already explained this but whatever. I don't remember if I have or not.  But it means east cool city. Fun facts.. Moving on.

We also had a wonderful lesson with our 86 year old baptismal candidate for next year.  She doesn't remember anything.  She is a members mother.  The daughter wants an eternal family and is hoping to have her mother be baptized in the next year.  However during the lessons, their dog has a tendency to bark.. a lot.  And so the mother will get upset and get up to tell the dog ”うらさい！"  which means "shut up!"  She does it every lesson and in the past the daughter has always tried to help her mom sit back down and focus.  But this time she kind of gave up and just said "yes, go tell the dog that he's urasai."  So she gets up, goes to the door and tells their dog to shut up and for the first time the dog actually became silent.  The daughter and the 3 of us just crack up.  And then throughout the lesson our lovely 86 year old asked us 5 times how long we've studied Japanese. 

The other day while we were visiting a less active there were these little kids who were just staring at us from the street.  Our less active wasn't home so we just go out to the street and start to talk to these kids.  Who were hilarious!  And cute.  Japanese kids are so adorable!  And I can understand them!  Fun fact about Japanese:  kids only speak the plain form, not the more "advanced" polite form because they're just trying to get a grasp for the language.  Usually older kids though will use the polite form of Japanese.  Anyway.. So we're talking and joking with these kids.  There were two 7-year-old boys, a 5 and a 2 year-old girls.  At first they were so surprised that we spoke Japanese.  They were all like "WOA! It's not english!"  And they kept asking us to speak english.  And when we did they were all like "woa!  I don't understand at all" Then we would talk and then towards the end when we had to leave for a dinner appointment with the branch president I just said "I speak nothing but Japanese" and the leader of this group just said "You lie!  You speak English!" And we said good bye.  A good way to end the day. 

Every few weeks or so the branch president and his wife hold a family home evening for the branch and they invite the branch members, the missionaries and anyone else who wants to come.   Last night Hamilton shimai and I got to decorate the cake for someone's birthday.  ええ、さしぶり！Our lovely member friend who's mom we are teaching was there.  She baked the cake but says she's never decorated a cake before.  So she asked us to do it.  It was a peach cake, with peach slices in the middle and on top.  However, as I was frosting the cake, I tried some of the cream they whipped up and it was NOT sweet.  They hadn't added any sugar and I had already frosted the middle and I was finishing up on top... Oh no. Hamilton shimai and I just asked for the sugar and decided to add sugar to the cream and the sprinkled it on top for a sparkly look. 

I mention this only because the Japanese don't have a sweet tooth. They have anko ice cream for goodness sakes! (sweet beans.  Not bad by the way) So it just cracks me up between the differences of American sweet and Japanese sweet. But the cake turned out really good.  Mom, you would be proud :)

On Friday we also had our first district meeting.  Fukui choro is our new district leader. He's a half from Utah.  Nelson choro is new to the area.  I also saw him "born" in shimogamo way back when I was a 2nd transfer.  He's now zone leader. Good missionary.  Fun to work with again.  It's fun to see how we've changed since 2nd and 1st transfer.  District meeting was good.  Talked about making goals.  Among other things. Afterwards went out to eat some delicious indo curry.  Because why have Japanese food when you can have delicious cheap indian food with infinite naan bread and laichi?

But this week we will be going on a kokkan with the sister training leaders.  It's finally our turn.  We were last on the list for kokkans mostly because you've got two old farts working together. Woo woo!

Also another fun fact.  So because a lot of members have farms in Matsuyama we get a lot of watermelon.  We can barely keep up.  We are very grateful since watermelon is pretty expensive in Japan (It can get up to $20 for a melon).  So what we do is that every weekly planning we just divide the melon into two.  I get one half and Hamilton shimai gets the other and we dig in.  I like to carve designs into mine.  Once we made a bridge of kazadoom from Lord of the Rings 1.  And we role played.  My red colored pencil was belraug and the blue was gandalf.  Yes, we are focused as missionaries.  :D  And we destroyed that bridge!!

All in a good weeks work.  Until next time

Bevan Shimai

THE RE-ENACTMENT OF THE BRIDGE OF KHAZAD-DUM as demonstrated by Bevan Shimai

Instructions for building The Bridge of Khazad-dum
Start with one half of a watermelon

Hamilton Shimai is ready to start!

Eat or scoop away all the watermelon until a bridge is left spanning the width of your watermelon!
Now we are ready for the battle between Gandalf and the Balrog of Morgoth

Find two objects - one for Gandalf (blue) and one for Balrog (red)
find a sword for each player - fingers are ok

Have each player jump  up and down on the bridge while stabbing each other with pointed objects until the bridge breaks and both objects are catapulted into the dark abyss of the rind 

Cry out "Fly you fools" as Gandalf falls into the abyss and the Fellowship escapes out of the mountain - just make sure the red pencil falls first then the blue

Repeat again with the second half and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

"Come, Come Ye Saints"

This week was all sunshine, rainbows, and daisies.  End of Story.

We found 100 new investigators every day.  4 families of 25 people. You could say we've got a lot of stuff on our plates. We baptized 400 people last week.  4 families of 100.  It was incredible.  Mind blown.  Faith boosted.  Everything is just to the tune of "there is sunshine in my soul today" 

But in reality.... it's more of to the tune of "come, come ye saints"  And when it says "And should we die"  It's in the hope of the end of the mission. And hope in the resurrection!  Ok.  Not that bad.  But there are those days.

This week we went out to wonderful Toon shi to go and visit some less actives.  And low and behold we met someone who had interest!  Yes, I am totally a faithful and a hopeful missionary.  But he was an ojiichan.  He was about 70. 

Funny thing was that morning, I felt that I needed to translate a certain phrase into Japanese. It was "why do you deny yourself the blessings of the gospel by not coming to church?"  A little strong, desho?  Kedo, I also felt that I needed to pack my mini book of mormon that I've been studying with.  Marking all of the lessons in Preach my Gospel, references to Christ, his words, and such.  Really been enjoying the study.  So I packed it.  

We visit one of the last less actives of the day.  Usually this man isn't home.  But we go up and knock.  Soon enough we hear someone inside.  He first goes to the window to see who it is. He comes to the door. 

So at the door, we're talking to this man, and I just felt that I needed to say that phrase which I had translated earlier.  I use it and he says, "wait a minute" and he goes inside and comes back and says, "come in please."  

We walk in and this house is one that I've never seen before.  There are pictures everywhere.  They cover the entire wall from the top to the bottom. They cover the ceiling.  They cover the coffee table.  They are all pictures of places he's been.  Like New York, Italy, England, France, and Europe.  Very cool.  A little off putting but nonetheless fascinating.  He also has pictures of this one woman scattered throughout the house.  A very beautiful woman.  He had one wall dedicated to his wedding, with this beautiful woman.  Who was his wife.  I believe they divorced a while ago but you can tell that he still loves her.  So sweet!  

But we ended up talking about faith for a little bit.  Which is perfect because we actually prepared a lesson on faith with one of our investigators for earlier that day.  So we had faith on our minds and ready to discuss it.   He told of how he felt that his faith was so weak that he's not sure if he believes anymore.  And we end up opening to Alma 32.  Reading what faith is and what we can do to strengthen it: experimenting on the word, reading the scriptures, praying, going to church, and such.  The spirit was definitely present. 

At the end he told us he wanted to meet again, however because he goes to the hospital so often that he can't make any promises.  So we just exchanged numbers.  Hopefully we can meet again.  Apparently he had a stroke a few years back and he says that he's forgotten the gospel.  Which explains all the pictures, so as to not forget.  But at the end of the lesson he was like "oh, wow, it's all coming back to me.  It feels so good to remember." 

kokkan was this week as well.  I went off takamatsu while Hamilton shimai stayed in Matsuyama.  It was good.  Ochoa shimai is definitely a sweet, kind spirit.  Went streeting and practiced.  Went housing, which was a little sashiburi for me. But it was good.  Ended up talking to a woman for a good 30 minutes.  She was going off about how the young kids are so wild and are not religious and are selfish.  So she was impressed that as 21 year olds are going about spreading the gospel.  However, she had no interest.  Mah, that's ok.  Made a good impression. 

I learned a lot more about how to think more selflessly.  Ochoa shimai talked about how people love to think of themselves.  Such as "What will I wear today?"  "How do I look?" "does my breath smell bad?" "Do I stink?" and such.  But it made me reflect and decide how I wanted to think.  Do I want to think more of others and how they're doing.  Or just focus on me and what kind of day I'm having?    So good to reflect, change, and becoming a better missionary.  Good stuff. 

Well, that's all I've got.  It's finally september!  A year ago I was with Tojo shimai in Shimogamo.  Now I'm on the rock of shikoku and living life with Hamilton shimai.  Good things.  Love you all so much


Bevan Shimai

You could see Hiroshima from where we were!

This week has been good.  Grateful for the little things in life.  Trying our best every day. Waking up tired and coming home exhausted. All in the normal days work.  

This week has been fun.  We went up to takamatsu monday evening.  Stayed in the takamatsu shimai apartment.  enjoyed the lovely song of the trains driving by and the cross bridges ringing.  Made our night...  But the taikai was good.  It's always nice to see the welch's and the AP's.  So funny, one of the ap's right now is Stirling choro.  He's australian.  But I actually worked with him last year in kobe.  He was being trained last year the same time I was.   He's only a transfer above me.  A fantastic missionary though.  Really respect him.  He was in the same MTC district as Archbold shimai.  So I know a lot of stories from their MTC experience.

But anyway... the taikai.  Good meeting.  Learned a lot.  Felt kind of tired but I really liked his perspective on baptism and Abinidi's experience.  We focused our discussion mainly on DC 20:37.  The qualifications for baptism.　I don't have my notes on me but I just remember really liking the discussion.  We talked about how Abinidi was still a successful missionary even though he got burned at the stake.  That he was just as successful as Ammon or Alma.  In fact, his words stirred Alma to repent and to become a new person and to organize the church.  Which greatly helped the church and the nephites.  So thank you abinidi.  When we talked about baptism, Welch kaicho emphasized the importance of the gift of the Holy Ghost and that it is vital to being baptized.  To be baptized by water and "fire".  To be cleansed through the power of the Holy Ghost.  However, it was kind of difficult to get people to talk.  Don't worry, Hamilton shimai contributed just enough. Not like Hermoine level.  But aparently Welch Kaicho was not so happy about that.  It's something the mission needs help with.  Zinke Kaicho kind of struggled with it too.

Then we went streeting for the first time in ever last thursday.  We tried our best... which wasn't much but we ganbate imashita.  God knows we're trying.  For Hamilton shimai it's been 7 transfers since she's tried to go streeting.  She was born in the boonies of Japan (hashimoto) and then went to Osaka, Ibaraki which is the opposite - a very suburban area.  She tried to go streeting with another inaka born missionary however, they just stuck to housing.  Then she went to uwajima and they started the less active project at that time.  So she's been doing less active work for 9 months.  So you could say we were both a little rusty at streeting.  But it's a learning process.  The chorotachi are going to help out this week.  Yeah!  We'll see how it goes.  Last week was a tad difficult lesson wise just because of the huge holiday so everyone is getting together with their family.  Which is completely understandable.  I just can't wait to see everyone again this week.  

This week we also went and visited less actives with our lovely shibu kaicho - branch president/bishop and his wife on saturday .  It was a fantastic day.  I was very grateful for the blessings we received that day.  The first person we try to contact ends up being "lost" because they moved out of the apartment.  The second woman we visited was at first a little closed off with Hamilton shimai. But I just cut in and asked "have you met Shibu shimai?" and they went into a conversation and such and she reacted much better than to the missionaries... I think I like dendo'ing with members.  Makes life a lot easier.  The third person we tried to contact was busy doing a bhuddist ceremony to honor their ancestors... thank you obon.  Then the next contact was actually a really good friend of the S kaicho and his wife.  And so they ended up talking for a while about how life was going and seeing how everyone was.  The contact's son is also a member but wasn't home.  The man's backyard actually ran into the beach walk. So we walked back and looked at the view.  You could see Hiroshima from where we were.  Apparently Matsuyama was also affected by the bomb way back when.  That was a big bomb... But it was a beautiful view.  Last of all we visited someone who ended up not being home but we talked to their daughter.  She didn't know her father was a member.  

Then a family who previously investigated and were good friends of the branch president and wife was right around the corner of this oyasumi kaiin (less active).  So we stopped by, said hello. Talked for a little bit and then went home.  Enjoyed some Coco tsuyama curry.  I don't think I've said how big curry is in Japan.  It's delicious.  And then went home.  The couple said to us "wow, dendo is so much fun"... We replied "Yes, it's fun when you have a member and a car"  :)

Today, we tried to go to the Matsuyama zoo.  Biked a mountain to get there.  However, we get there and we find out it's closed every monday. Just our luck.  So instead, we go with a member to the beach... all the way in Iyoshi.  Which was about an hour bike ride.  So right now Hamilton shimai and I are a little exhausted... to say the least.  But we got to stick our feet into the water, skip rocks, enjoy the breeze.  I was surprised to find that the water was perfectly clear.  You could see the ocean floor very easily.  I think it was because of the rocks.  Not a sandy beach. But a beach nonetheless.  

Interesting conversation of the week with Hamilton shimai.  We talked about comfort zones this week.  And how they are constantly shrinking and growing.  That as we go through new experiences, at first our comfort zone will be really small but then will grow with experience and time.  How when we're in kindergarten we're the small kids on the block but then we're in 5th grade and we're "grown up"... then middle school, your comfort zone shrinks.  You're a senior in high school and you think you know everything.. Then college. The cycle repeats.  Then a mission.  Your comfort zone starts out very small.  But I feel that it has definitley gotten bigger with time.  I think that if our comfort zone isn't growing, maybe we can stretch it a little further by doing something new.  Trying different things.  Stretching ourselves.  And hey, maybe we'll learn something.

Hope you're all doing well.  Love you all. Love this gospel.  Learning something new everyday.  Repenting every day.  Life is good. Keep going. Keep smiling.  

Bevan Shimai

Iyoshi beach with my companion

The Chorrotaichi on the beach - note the large cement "jacks" next to the stairs - these are common on Japanese beaches to prevent erosion

Look - I can almost touch the clouds!

Beautiful clear water - Iyoshi beach