My last message from Japan

Got to love Japan and their statues!

Touring some Japanese gardens

Fall colors and Sister Williams

This week was great!  I was biking back from Fukuoka to our area last week and I was reflecting on my mission and freaking out a little bit because I don't have much time left.  I felt like I had worked so hard in Okinawa and Kurume, but ever since I transferred to Nakagawa, although I have been working hard, I've felt more like I am saving a spot for someone rather than doing a lot of good.  It is rough knowing that you will be in an area for only 6 weeks.  And considering how long I was in my other two areas, 6 weeks goes by in the blink of an eye.  I was just biking and praying that somehow I could feel that Heavenly Father was proud of me.  That He was happy with what I was doing and just a sign that I was doing my best just so I could carry on.  My idea of an answer at that point was finding a scripture when I got home, but about five minutes later into our bike ride I heard a car honking at us and then it pulled off the side of the road.  It was Miyo Shimai (Sister Miyo) from our congregation in Kurume!  She was on a random road over an hour away from where she lives and somehow we bumped into each other in the middle of no where.  I was so excited to see her!  When we were in Kurume we were searching and searching for someone who could teach our investigator with us.  But there was a huge holiday and no one was in town!  So I got desperate and started calling through the ward (local congregation) list top to bottom.  I got a hold of Miyo Shimai and she agreed to come teach with us at the church.  It was the first time I had met her and the lesson went great.  She was actually a less active member, but we were able to reactivate her and she even visited Sister Williams' mom in Utah right before I was transferred.  It was so beyond amazing to see her and get to talk to her!  A huge miracle.  I was pretty surprised.  I left with very grateful tears to our Heavenly Father who hears and answers prayers in a variety of ways.  

Totally nerve racking, but I translated in Church in front of our 200 plus ward members!  Nearly had a heart attack.  Didn't die and didn't do horrible.  But if you think standing up and giving a talk is bad trying standing up in front of everyone and translating someone else's talk.  I think it might be worse!  

This Sunday I was also in tears.  The ward asked me to bear my testimony since I only have one more Sunday left.  Both the mission president and his wife were there.  I was an emotional wreck from my love of Japan and just the lack of sleep that comes from being a missionary for over a year and a half and spending half your nights not in your own futon and instead at other sister's apartments.  

Sister Nelson and I teaching about the Plan of Salvation

Our missionary district (almost all sister missionaries)

Lastly!  Sister Crump and I were out working a couple of nights ago and we "housed" (the process of knocking on doors) in to the cutest family with three boys, 1, 3 and 5 years old.  We introduced ourselves to the husband and started talking a little bit about God when his wife came up behind him.  We talked about how a relationship with God strengthens our families and then the time came when we asked them if we could come back and share a message with them... and the husband looked at his wife and she looked at him and they both nodded their heads and said sure.  We were so excited!  We so rarely teach families that it was a big deal.  We are super excited!  

This is my last preparation day email!  Crazy how quickly things fly by.  It doesn't feel like I am ending anytime soon.  It was weird as we went throughout the week and set up appointments and found new investigators who will all be taught after I leave.  It was pretty sad actually.  I have loved my mission!  I have worked so, so hard and I am exhausted, but if someone told me I had another year I would take it.  I love the people of Japan and even the crazy amount to seafood and weird toilets they have!  I tell people on the street everyday that my heart is Japanese, but I really mean it.  Through all my experiences I know without a doubt that God lives, that He knows us and that as we rely on Him we can do so much more than we ever could have done on our own.  I love you all!  I hope you have a great week!  Please don't forget me at the airport :)  

See you soon!

Hawkins Shimai

Practice makes perfect :)

I am staying warm... barely.  I am so grateful that I had two summers on my mission and only one winter.  I love sharing the gospel, but sunshine makes it even better :)

This week was busy and went by so fast.  Our days were filled with lessons, miracles, missing trains and going on splits with other sisters in the zones we are working with.  It was a lot of fun!  I am exhausted, but so happy.

First things first.  Yesterday I got to cross another thing off of my bucket list.  Sister Crump and I were housing and we were chased by a dog.  IT WAS SO SCARY!  I have had a couple of scares in my mission and there are always those dogs that bark at you and give you a heart attack.  Well this was my first "unleashed dog/run for your life" type of experience.  We are OK.  It bit Sister Crump's planner though :)  We have teeth marks to prove it.  

Sister Crump and I have really been practicing our lessons and the Japanese with it.  I am sure I have been driving her crazy every time I ask her if we can practice just one more time.  Last week we worked on the plan of salvation.  We must have gone over it a million times and then we went out and started working.  One of our last contacts of the day was a woman in her 50s.  Her husband had suddenly passed away from a brain tumor in August.  She said she was out on a walk remembering the experiences she had with her husband when we bumped into her.  She was tearing up as we talked with her about her husband.  It was really neat being able to watch Sister Crump be able to have the "Japanese" she needed to testify and teach this woman about eternal families and the plan that our Heavenly Father has for us.  The woman was really touched.  She gave Sister Crump a handshake afterwards (this is not a "hugging" society, but a handshake is better than a bow).  I know that as we put in all that we can, that Heavenly Father strengthens us and gives us opportunities to share what we know.  It was a really neat tender mercy.

Also this week we had another really big miracle.  Our investigator Yuka Chan is progressing towards baptism.  She reads more of the Book of Mormon than I ever did when I was 15 years old.  She is enthusiastically studying, learning and applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This week we taught about faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the holy ghost and enduring to the end.  She has a baptismal date and was able to see a baptismal service a couple of weeks ago.  But when we taught the lesson she just wasn't excited as I thought she might have been.  I couldn't understand what was going on.  I asked her if she had any questions and she didn't seem to have any.  Then before we were about to end I just got the prompting again that I should ask her what her biggest concern about baptism was.  When I asked her she took a big sigh and said that she had read somethings on the internet and it had made the church seem really strict.  She was nervous that if she became a member what would happen.  The member who joined us in the lesson did a great job of explaining the purpose behind different commandments and guidelines that we have in church and reminded Yuka Chan that her baptismal date was not set in stone and that we would teach her everything so that when she came to that point she would be able to decide for herself what she wanted.  As we testified and taught about commandments and the blessings that come with baptism Yuka Chan regained that excitement for her baptismal goal.  I am so grateful for the promptings of the spirit.  I feel like if that hadn't been addressed early that it could have been really easy for her to decide to stop meeting with us.  Especially since coming on a mission I have seen, felt and experienced the blessings that come from being obedient and following the commandments that God has established for us.  There is no need for me to go through uncharted waters.  I have the assurance that as I follow with faith the teachings of our Heavenly Father that I will be blessed.  I have seen it time and time again.  I am grateful for that knowledge and the peace it gives me.  Please pray for Yuka Chan that as we finish up these last couple of lessons that she will feel peace and excitement about her baptismal date.

I love you all!  Thanks for your letters and encouragement.  I hope you have a great week!  Good luck with Basketball season!  :)
Love you!
Hawkins Shimai

Perfect timing!

A typical Buddist temple

Visiting with a friend

Our mission president, President Gustafson

Being silly and having fun!

Fukuoka Tower in Fujisaki

Sister Carvalho and I 

Sister Messer just transferred near me so we got to work together!

Working for a day with a member who is about to leave for the Missionary Training Center to begin her mission.

So fun to see an "old" friend :)

This week was really great.  Lots of little miracles.  Sister Crump and I were headed back from an activity at the church last week when on our way home we had a motorcycle honk at us.  That isn't the craziest thing 

that has happened on my mission so we just turned around and waved and then kept going.  Well the man pulled ahead of us and hopped off his bike.  I had no idea who it was so I was a little freaked out.  Don't worry my first thoughts flashed back to Miss. Congeniality when Sandra Bullock learns the basics of self defense "S.I.N.G."- sinuous, instep, nose and groin?  Something along those lines.  I was prepared.  Luckily though it turned out to be a former investigator and Eikaiwa (English) student.  He was very nice and so happy that he ran in to us.  It was about dinner time and he invited us to come eat and talk church with him at the restaurant just up the street.  We agreed and said we would meet him up there.  So off he sped and we started biking.  He was waiting for us so we were kind of in a hurry, but we stopped a young girl walking down the street anyway.  She was extremely nice and then I asked her name.  Asami San!  I recognized it as a name that we had gotten recently as a referral from a member.  But it is a pretty common name so we kept talking.  Well, turns out that it was the exact same girl!  Small world.  We had tried to call her, but hadn't gotten an answer and instead we were able to bump in to her.  Perfect timing!  We set up an appointment for the next day.  When we met with her she was just wonderful.  She really has a desire to learn more about God.  We are excited. 

Also, our cute investigator with a baptismal date right now is doing great!   She was able to go see a baptismal service this past week and it went really well.  I was in a different area going on splits with the Fujisaki Sisters but I got a text message that said something along the lines of I went to the baptism and I have interest in baptism!  That was probably the best text message I have ever gotten :)  Please pray for her!  She has a date for November 29th, but lots of busyness going on so we are really trying to meet with her as much as we can.  She is wonderful!  

I am so grateful for my many blessings for the the opportuntity that I have to be a missionary.  I really am just so happy!  Rain or shine missionary work brings out the best in me :)  

I love you all!  Have a wonderful fun and safe week!  

Hawkins Shimai

Rain, Rain, Rain

A little section of our city, Nakagawa!

Sister Crump and I!

Nakagawa is great.  Biking through the jungle on my way to church is something I finally get to check off my bucket list.  This week we had an unusual amount of rain and we worked about 4 solid days all through the down pours.

Brightly colored rain gear!

This week was great!  I really like my companion.  She is hilarious.  Have you ever seen the movie the Best 2 years?  The funny brand new missionary in it?  That is my companion.  

Japanese is a hard language, but she is always studying it and tries so hard.  This week she accidentally testified that God is her "child", instead of "friend", and that the Bible and Book of Mormon are "Satan", I think she meant "scripture".  

It is never dull that is for sure.  We had two investigators at church on Sunday which was really wonderful.  We were able to give Yuki Chan her baptismal calendar and talked a little bit more about that.  She shared with us what she had been reading in the Book of Mormon and said she really likes it.  We have been reading together throughout the week the same chapters in the Book of Mormon and it has been really fun to meet together when we teach her and share what we both have learned. 

We get to teach her again tonight.  I am excited.  Also our investigator from Kurume, Yamamoto San came to church with us.  Last week he went to Church for the first time in his life.  It was wonderful!  

I think one of the biggest things I have learned on my mission is just the importance of work.  I honestly believe that with just enough elbow grease anything can be made better.  We contacted hundreds and hundreds of people these past couple days.  And that is saying a lot for our rural Nakagawa.  But I am amazed at how many people really are interested in religion and the strength that comes through it.  One of the things we focus a lot on when we contact people is families.  And how through God and a living prophet not only can our families be strengthened now, but they can be eternal.  Especially in Japan families are extremely important and I have loved every chance I have had to testify about families and our God who created them.  

I am so sorry this is short, but I can't think of what else happened this week.  There was just too much.  We found new investigators!  We laughed a lot!  We did lots of good and we went to church :)  It was a solid week.  I am exhausted.

I got to see one of my old companions, Sister Takei.

Sister Owada and I on preparation day!

One of the Fukuoka zones during a training meeting.

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

Hawkins Shimai

Pictures from Nakagawa

Children in the local congregation!  Super cute!

Morning hike in Nakagawa, my new area, with Sister Crump.

Red arches along the path.

Our morning hike!  Beautiful!

Sister Crump, my new companion, and I in Nakagawa.

Children in Japan…so friendly!

A sword fight with a boy we met while knocking on doors,  I lost!

Saying goodbye to sweet Sister Williams.  A sad day!

Happy Halloween!

Sorry I did not write earlier... We live so far away from the church now that the mission president gave us special permission to email on a different day than our Preparation day.  Typically we will email Tuesday, but this week we had mission leadership conference and then Sister Owada, my Sister Training Leader companion, and I were super busy running to and fro doing trainings for the two zones that we just barely had enough free time to hop on the computer and email! 

Let me tell you a little bit about my new area.  It's really interesting.  We have MONKEYS!  Seriously though.  Blue butt monkeys!  We live in the Jungle.  It's a cute little place.  It takes us about an hour on our bikes to get to the church.  Luckily no hills, but it is a long way.  Lots of good exercise.  I will send pictures.  I like my new companion, Sister Crump.  We have lots of fun together.  She is great at directions, so she really is heaven sent.  I am getting lost more often than ever.  We have kind of been starting from scratch, but we had two really neat experiences that I wanted to quickly share with you.

We have the cutest high school student who is currently investigating the church.  I got to meet her for the first time this week at Eikaiwa and we taught her a lesson before English class started.  We talked a little bit about the Plan of Salvation and where she has been reading in the Book of Mormon.  I was beyond shocked when she told me that she had read 10 chapters in 1 Nephi since the week before.  She asked wonderful questions and then shared her testimony with us about the peace she feels when she reads even though she might not understand 100 % of the context.  I was pretty much in shock at this point after our investigator said that.  That has got to be a first on my mission.  Especially coming from someone so young.  Then when we finished the lesson I asked her if she had any questions for the church member who joined us in the lesson.  Yuki Chan sat for a minute and then said, "So the sisters mentioned Baptism in the last lesson and I didn't understand it at all.  What is it?"  Our member did a wonderful job of explaining what Baptism is and the meaning behind it.  I asked Yuki Chan if when she felt that what we had taught was true and the God really does live and this is Christ's church would she be baptized... She said yes!  We set a date with her for November 29th.  That girl was just so excited about the whole thing too.  I asked her after the lesson how she felt and she just beamed and said she felt great and wanted to feel like that all the time.  I love seeing that happiness in our Investigators lives.  It is just priceless! 

Lastly, Sister Owada and I due to scheduling problems had the opportunity to work together a lot this week.  We were out housing and no one was super willing to listen to us.  We stopped and prayed and looked at our watches.  We had about 2 more minutes before we had to go home, so we decided to house one more door.  We knocked and a young 21 year old came out and started talking to us.  We talked to her about Christ and she just burst in to tears.  She said that she was at home with her 6 month old daughter and was having a hard time all day.  She kept remembering her nice Christian neighbor who she used live next door to.  But the girl we were talking to had just moved from Kita Kyushu about a month before and had no family or friends close by.  When we knocked on her door she said she felt like it was destiny.  She invited us in and we got to meet her daughter.  It was absolutely wonderful.  Owada Shimai (Sister Owada) and I practically floated home.  I know that God answers prayers.  And most of the time those prayers are answered through other people.  Especially this Sunday when I went to church. I was so nervous!  I felt like a brand new missionary again and there were so many new faces and names to memorize, at the same time I tried to figure out who was our investigator and who was a member.  I don't think I have ever had so many people come up to me and give me a hug or tell me how happy they were to see me even though they didn't know anything about me.  Tender mercies! 

I love you all!   Have a wonderful week!

Hawkins Shimai

Mission leadership training….Sister Leader Trainers and Zone leaders

Our mission president's wife, Sister Gustafson

Saying goodbye to Sister missionaries who are finishing their missions.

Working in Kurume.