Way to go SEAHAWKS :)

A preparation day with our district missionaries.

Look what I found!

It sounds like some big events have happened back home!  Snow, winning High School basketball games and what was the last one... oh yeah, the SEAHAWKS won the Superbowl!  That is super exciting!  :)  I forget we're a day ahead here.  I was trying to figure out why they would be having the Superbowl on a Monday.  

This week was wonderful!  Winter has officially ended in Okinawa, Japan.  My watch tan line has returned and I am currently sunburned.  It feels like home.  I am having a blast!  This week was especially fun.  We are so busy!  I had interviews with Kaicho (our mission president) and he is seriously thinking about adding more sisters here because we have so much work to do.  He asked me if our apartment was big enough and I'm so desperate to get some extra people here (and I don't like to say no :) ... so I told him of course there was enough room!  If two more sisters do come we'll be living in very tight quarters and they'll be sleeping on the kitchen floor!  But I'm excited and can't wait.  

We did some spring cleaning here as well.  I've been showering in the dark for the past 5 months because our light bulb burned out :)  We finally had a spare moment to buy a new one.  Also this week we went on splits (exchanging missionary companions for the day with missionaries from other areas) with the Naha East Sisters.  That is where Sister Capener transferred so I got to see her again.  

Missionary "splits"….I got to teach with Sister Capener again!  YAY!

After we taught a lesson.  Sometimes I feel like a giant here :)

We had a great day, found lots of new investigators and had lots of great mini-lessons.  I have found that when I am working hard and using time wisely I have the most fun.  It was a little weird to be working again with Sister Capener though.  It felt like old times!  We taught a wonderful 80 year old grandma about the plan of salvation.  Nagahama San is absolutely wonderful.  She was so cute!  She listened and asked some really thoughtful questions.  I love teaching people the basic truths of the gospel!  As we testified about God and prayer, Nagahama San asked what kind of person He was.  I was able to share my simple testimony that God is similar to our father here on Earth.  That he loves us and that He is very aware of us and our needs.  She was really confused though.  She asked how could God know us if there are so many people here.  This was my favorite question :)  I asked Nagahama San how many children she has.  She has 3 and 4 grandchildren!  I asked her if she could ever forget about them.  She looked at me like I was crazy :)  She went on to tell me about their favorite books and when their birthday was.  I testified to her that Heavenly Father cannot forget about us because we are literally His spirit children.  Just like she knew her children and what their strengths and weaknesses were Heavenly Father knows us.  As she prayed for the first time out loud to Heavenly Father she was just beaming.  She said "I did it!'  I love her!  :)  

Sundays are always the busiest.  With a mixture of less actives, investigators and new members, I always have a million people I want to talk to.  This week I got to meet Sarah Nielsen.  I heard about her from a member a couple months ago.  Her brother was baptized and she had taken the lessons, but because of joining the marines and being transferred to Okinawa, Sarah fell through the cracks.  I've been praying for her everyday.  This Sunday was the first Sunday she came to church.  I could have died of happiness.  I treated her like a celebrity.  I gave her a huge hug and almost tackled her.  Luckily for her we hit if off because I was determined to be her best friend before I'd even met her :)  She is a great girl.  Super bright and really happy.  After church I knew I should ask her if she wanted to hear the lessons again, but for some reason I was really, really nervous to ask!  I guess Americans scare me!  :)  But I prayed for courage and asked her before I knew what I was doing!  She just lit up when I asked her.  I can't even really remember what she said, but I'm pretty sure she said yes :)  Yippee!  Being a missionary is sometimes hard even for the full time missionaries :)  But it was all worth it!  I really have a strong testimony that the gospel helps everyone.  No matter where they live or what language they speak.  I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that loves us and a living prophet that guides us.  I am just so happy! 

I hope you guys have a great week!  I love you!

Love,

Hawkins Shimai