Minasan (everyone) Konnichiwa!
First things first, Grover Shimai and I taught Higashimuki-san on Friday and we invited him to be baptized! AND HE SAID YES!!!! So now all we gotta do is help him really establish faith in Iesu Kirisuto and he'll be golden. Grover Shimai may have cried a little after the lesson because she was so happy. Also that same day we taught TRC and Komiya Chourou's dad was the person we taught!!! It was awesome. Komiya Chourou and his otou-san say "ano" the exact same way. It's kinda hilarious.
On Saturday we as a district played this game called Tanaka-san. Basically, everyone draws lots to see who is "Tanaka-san" and whoever is Tanaka-san has to speak only in Nihongo until the round is over. Demo, everyone wants to convince everyone else that they're Tanaka-san because if at the end of the game, someone guesses you're Tanaka-san, whether or not you actually are Tanaka-san, you get a point. So everyone speaks as much Nihongo as possible to convince everyone else that they're Tanaka-san so they can get the most points. Basically, it's a super fun game to help us improve our Nihongo.
On Sunday we had an MTC Conference, and it was basically a giant discussion on the Book of Mormon and how it can bless our lives. We all had to read Mosiah 4 in preparation for the conference because there was an application discussion about it. Naturally, me being me, I had like a paragraph and a half plus a couple cross-references prepared, and so I got up to share my insights with President Martino. According to Komiya Chourou, the entire assembly turned to look at me when I started talking like "who invited the college professor???" and I kept getting random comments from people throughout the day after that so that made me happy. Thanks AP Literature!
Also, the MTC choir director, Brother Ryan Eggett, spoke that night at devotional and it was super awesome. He talked a lot about the history and background of the composers of various hymns in the hymnbook and it was sooooo cool. Look up the story of Evan Stevens and you'll see what I mean.
The coolest thing though was last night because PRESIDENT RUSSELL M NELSON CAME TO SPEAK!!! He and Sister Nelson talked about covenants and how we as missionaries need to be living epistles of the Lord, with the truth of the everlasting gospel etched into our hearts and shining through our faces. I loved that because epistles are firm, intense, and declarative. Remember Moroni's epistles to Pahoran? They were bold and absolute in their desire to bring to pass righteousness. Demo, Pahoran's epistles back to Moroni also teach us about the nature of epistles. His were filled with love and understanding and cool-headedness towards Moroni. So based on these two examples, the testimonies we bear as missionaries and as members must be borne with love and boldness. Doubt not; fear not. Trust that Kamisama will give you the strength and power you need. He will help you become more righteous, even as you stumble down the path back to His presence. We must become true beacons and epistles of His goodness and glory.
I'd like to leave you all with a 30-day challenge we were given by Sister Martino, the wife of the MTC President:
Start every day with a question you care about. It can be about literally anything, even just as simple as "Who should give the opening prayer?" (The only caveat is it needs to be a question you care about. If you don't care, Heavenly Father won't care.) Then start reading the Book of Mormon with your question in mind, seeking the answer and believing that God cannot lie. Pay attention to thoughts and feelings you have as you read, and the answer will come.
Do this and I give you my promise with the authority of a representative of Jesus Christ that your questions will be answered.
I love you all very much! Until next week!
Sherwood Shimai
**Quick translation explanation: So "dai senpai" literally means "big upperclassman." So there's the kohai, who've been here for 3 weeks or less, senpai, who've been here for 3-6 weeks, and dai-senpai, who've been here for 6-9 weeks. "dai" basically just means "big" or "great" in context. So in the Nihongo Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi is "Dai Ichi Nifai."
**Quick translation explanation: So "dai senpai" literally means "big upperclassman." So there's the kohai, who've been here for 3 weeks or less, senpai, who've been here for 3-6 weeks, and dai-senpai, who've been here for 6-9 weeks. "dai" basically just means "big" or "great" in context. So in the Nihongo Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi is "Dai Ichi Nifai."
Hopefully everyone can access the two embedded recordings. If not, I apologize.
recording of Komiya Chourou and Valdivia Chourou singing "Homeward Bound."
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