September 16, 2013

On Monday, September 16 Sister Johnson wrote:

Ohayo gozaimasu!!!!

So yeah, changes! I am being transferred! :D I will be going to Aizuwakamatsu, which is a town south west of Fukishima, so it's about three-ish hours from Izumi! I ship out tomorrow! I will again be in a trio, which will be hard, but I hope it will be good! I will be with Sister Morita, who is in her fifth transfer, and is ADORABLE! She is the most fun Nihonjin I've met, so I'm way excited! Together, we will be training a brand-new gaijin sister! Well, Sister Morita is the official trainer, and I will be the "senior companion," I guess! But it will be so much fun! Another cool thing: Aizuwakamatsu has never had sisters before, so we will be opening the area, just like we did here in Izumi! Right now, there are four Elders in Aizu, and so with their help, it should be a smooth transition. I am way sad to be leaving Izumi because the members are so strong and fantastic here, but I am really excited to go serve out in the sticks! It should be a good, fun experience, and I am looking forward to it very much. Both Kubota and Takata Shimai will be staying in Izumi, and both of them will be training brand-new missionaries! Two of the Elders will be training also, so there will be four brand-new missionaries in Izumi! That will be nuts. Well, I'm pretty excited. Thank you for your prayers! Even though I won't be in a companionship, I know that this will be a good experience. I am looking forward to it.

I have been praying for Colorado because of all the flooding! Browne Shimai in my ward was telling me all about it. She's from Loveland, and so she's feeling very sad too. I hope that everyone will be okay! Roads and all! It sounds scary. Speaking of rain, right now, as I type, we are in the middle of a big taifun (typhoon)! The rain is absolutely INSANE, and we've almost been blown off our bikes a few times. Crazy! But, we are planning to spend most of the day inside because I need to pack like a crazy person. We head to the mission home tomorrow, and then to Aizu on Wednesday after we pick up our bean. Yay!

So, this week was good! We had zone conference, which was great. President Rasmussen wants to see 25 baptisms by the end of the fourth quarter, so he is asking for lots of hard work, and I'm ready to get to it! He has asked us all to sacrifice something to show the willingness we have to the Lord, so I will not be drinking Coke Zero until January first! (Hopefully...) That will be very hard for me. We'll see how it goes. On Thursday, we had another opportunity to have another concert at that little restaurant where we performed before, and it was absolutely wonderful! It felt great to play, even though I can feel my technique going the way of all the earth...haha. But it was great, and we were able to really feel the Spirit through the music we performed. There was no immediate result of that concert, but I hope that someday, someone in that room will accept the Savior, Jesus Christ, and that they will remember how they felt that day during the music that was performed. I hope that works out!

So, this whole week, I had a feeling that I would be transferring. I was spending a lot of time thinking about what I've learned here in Izumi, and as I sat pondering in Sacrament meeting yesterday, I had a very wonderful, profound, comforting experience. I was reading hymn 230, which is called "Scatter Sunshine," and as I was reading the words, I felt a voice in my head, a very calm and comforting voice. The voice said, "This is who you are, Sister Johnson. You are a happy fire. I have given you this bright burning light because I need you to use it on behalf of those you will meet in your next area." It was the voice of my Savior, reminding me of one wonderful gift He has given me to be a beacon for those who do not know Him yet. He needs me to be a burning light, a beacon of love and optimism. So, my motto and goal for my next area is to enrich and strengthen my happy fire. I am excited to do so, and I will be placing my trust more fully in the Savior, and taking Him by the hand, so that He can guide me. With His help, we will be able to find those whom He has prepared to hear and receive the fullness of His everlasting Gospel. I love my Savior. He trusts me, and is just waiting for me to trust Him.

1. In a world where sorrow
Ever will be known,
Where are found the needy
And the sad and lone,
How much joy and comfort
You can all bestow,
If you scatter sunshine
Ev'rywhere you go.

(Chorus)
Scatter sunshine all along your way.
Cheer and bless and brighten
Ev'ry passing day.
Scatter sunshine all along your way.
Cheer and bless and brighten
Ev'ry passing day.
Scatter the smiles and sunshine all along over your way.
Cheer and bless and brighten
Ev'ry passing, passing day.

2. Slightest actions often
Meet the sorest needs,
For the world wants daily
Little kindly deeds.
Oh, what care and sorrow
You may help remove,
With your songs and courage,
Sympathy and love.

3. When the days are gloomy,
Sing some happy song;
Meet the world's repining
With a courage strong.
Go with faith undaunted
Thru the ills of life;
Scatter smiles and sunshine
O'er its toil and strife.

Happy anniversary to you and Dad! I hope that you will be safe in Glenwood, with all the flooding and such. I love you so much, and I miss you. I got your card this week, and it was very great to hear from you. I think that as soon as I find out where I live, I will give you that address so you can send me things directly. The mission home takes money out of my account for forwarding mail, so maybe we shouldn't do that anymore... I'll let you know next week. I adore the picture of you and Jada and Sylvie! I miss those adorable girls, and George! I printed the picture of him and cardboard Shakira because it is SO CUTE! Love, love.

Have you ever considered reading the four Gospels in the New Testament? I know that I wouldn't have been able to make it through the last 12 weeks without the light I gained from those books. I love studying the Savior, and trying to pattern my life after Him. It brought me so much hope.

Well, that's about it, really. Please keep me in your prayers (I know you already do) as we make this transfer that all will go smoothly!

I love you more than words can say!
-Johnson Shimai

September 9, 2013

On Monday, September 9, 2013 Sister Johnson wrote:

So this week was interesting. We had an opportunity to teach two investigators this week (we have four total! Isn't that great?!), and one lesson was really great and the other was really bad!

The first lesson we taught was a woman named Kotake San. She is Sister Browne's Japanese teacher, and so we were able to have Sister Browne there during the lesson, which is always the best! Kotake San speaks very good English, so I tried my best to speak in Japanese, but when I couldn't express myself fully, I could speak English and have her understand! That was wonderful. It felt great to be bearing my testimony of the Savior in the best way I could, which is English! Kotake San is what the Japanese members call "kinjin," or in English, a "golden investigator!" She is so wonderful! She has such a strong desire to learn about the Plan of Happiness and about how she can become the best person and mother possible. She reads the Book of Mormon and asks questions, and she loves to pray! The only problem is that her husband is a Buddhist, and is very hantai (opposed) to her joining the church. She is worried that by joining the Church, she will offend her family and her friends, and she doesn't want to do that. So, we are going to have to work with her through that. The lesson was great though; we taught the Plan of Happiness and we focused on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We talked about how through the Atonement, we can overcome any sort of weakness or trial. He is there to help us, and He wants to support us. Kotake San was very open and receptive to the message. The Spirit was definitely there, testifying of truth. I have lots of hope for Kotake San. She is wonderful, and I know that she can feel the love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for her. :)

Our other lesson was with our "Eternal Investigator," _____ San. She has been investigating the Church for about 7 years now, and doesn't want to change, or get baptized, or follow the commandments, or anything else that we've invited her to do. She is very hard to teach, and this week, we tried to teach her the Law of Chastity. The lesson started out very well, but as we invited her to make commitments, the environment became more and more hostile, and by the end, I was so sad by the things that were being said that I wanted to cry. One of my companions decided to read a scripture that was very hellfire and damnation, and I was so upset by that, as was ______ San. It was a very unfortunate incident, and I don't think we will be hearing from her anytime soon. Not all is perfect when you are a missionary, that is for sure. I hope that some sort of healing will take place with _____ San, and that she will be able to forgive us. I feel so sad by that, but all I know how to do is love. I will do my very best to love and reach out to her, and be like my Savior. His love can heal any misjudgement or wrongdoing. I hope that all will be okay.

This week, one really great thing happened! On Saturday night, we were biking home from somewhere very, VERY far away, when we decided to stop and visit the Kikuchi Family. Kikuchi Shimai is probably the sweetest woman I have ever met in my life. She is so full of love and light, and she is so caring. She was just released from the Relief Society presidency. She has taken it upon herself to hand-deliver every month a copy of the Liahona Magazine to every less-active sister in the ward, and she does so by bike. So Saturday, it was raining really hard, and it was very cold. As we were biking to the Kikuchi Family's house, we happened to meet Kikuchi Shimai at a crosswalk! She told us that she was on her way to visit some less-actives's and invited us to join her. We were able to meet with two less active members, and give them Liahonas. Afterwards, Kikuchi Shimai invited us over for dinner with her and her husband. Kikuchi Kyodai is so great as well. He is so fun, and he likes to do magic! He also is very artistic, and makes the most beautiful, delicious salad. After we ate dinner, he told me (in Japanese, of course), "Johnson Shimai, you are so full of light! I think I am going to call you Sunshine from now on." Needless to say, that compliment made me so happy! He proceeded to tell me that he has always been impressed with the light that shines in my face, and he is so happy to have me here in the Izumi ward because I make it a brighter place. It's amazing how the Lord sends angels to us through the people we interact with. Kikuchi Shimai and Kyodai have definitely been my angels for the week. I am so grateful to know the Savior like I do, because He is the only way any of this is possible.

Find some light. I have found a lot of light in the New Testament lately. Lots about the love of Christ. It has been good.
Love you!

About the other pictures:

So, the giant bird is the Sendai Soccer mascot. Soccer is HUGE here in Sendai, and the team is really good! The stadium is about five minutes away from our apartment, and he was handing out flyers, so I wanted to take a picture with him.

This week, we had a music concert after church! I performed the Prelude to the First Bach Suite, and lots of other people performed other classical pieces on piano and flute. It was really great, and it made my heart soar. It also made me realize how much I miss school, and symphony in particular...

The baby is about two months old, I think? I can't remember, but he's very cute. And the two girls are Natsuki and Rina Shimai, two young single adults in our ward. They had my camera during the concert, haha. Love!

September 2, 2013

On Monday, September 2, 2013 Sister Johnson wrote:

The weeks are starting to go by faster, and for that, I am grateful! That means that I am finally starting to lose myself in Japan. I am growing to love it here more every day, especially as my ability to speak grows. My ward mission leader gave me a huge compliment a couple of weeks ago that totally made my day. His name is Kajihara Kyodai, and to be honest, his Japanese is IMPOSSIBLE to understand. So, I told him that as a joke, and we all laughed. Afterwards, he pulled me aside, and said, in Japanese, "Sister Johnson, I am amazed by how well you speak Japanese. I really think you are a genius, especially with language. You will be so good!" Needless to say, my heart soared. That was a great tender mercy from the Lord, one that was much needed and very timely. It's amazing how that happens--how, when in our greatest time of need, our Heavenly Parents send us something that lets us know They know. I absolutely love that, and I am so grateful that they are looking out for me.

This week, all of our teaching appointments fell through, but we were able to visit and build relationships with so many members! We have recently divided the Izumi area with the Elders (which was my idea, by the way), and it is amazing how effective it has been for visiting members! We have been able to visit and get to know so many people in the ward. One of the members we visited was Kumagai Kyodai. He's about 45ish and lives by himself in a small apartment. We went to visit and stood in the genkan. He proceeded to tell us the story of his conversion, and it was amazing the Spirit that was surrounding the four of us. It's times like that that I really love being a missionary. Seeing the beautiful change in people that only Christ can bring about is absolutely incredible, and it brings my soul so much joy.

This week's English class was especially fun! I love teaching English here. I am learning that I have a natural ability to teach and to connect with people, and Eikaiwa is one of the best places to use that gift. This week, we had 11 students in the class! That is huge! Usually we only have four or five! Also, President and Sister President Rasmussen surprised me by coming to my class! It was so much fun and the students were so enthusiastic as we learned about shapes and colors. I loved watching them all learn and stretch themselves in English. Afterwards, both President Rasmussens told me how great I am at teaching, and how usually they have some things to improve upon when they visit Eikaiwa classes, but they told me that my class was absolutely fantastic and to keep doing what I'm doing! Yay! That was great.

It's AMAZING how trustworthy Japanese people are! This week, I left my scriptures on the bus, and I was so devastated because I thought they were lost forever, like they would be in America. So there was lots of tears and sadness, and my companions thought I was crazy reacting that way. Long story short, everything people find on the bus makes it to the lost and found center in Sendai. Nobody steals things here, EVER. I was absolutely amazed as we made our way to the Sendai station to get my scriptures back, and everything was there, and it wasn't a big deal at all! I was so grateful for that. I was so sad to lose them, but Nihonjin are incredibly honest in their dealings with their fellow men.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve here in Japan, even though the last five months of my life have been the hardest I've ever experienced. It's amazing the things that I have learned about myself and about my Savior, and I am grateful for the opportunity to commit myself to change. I'm still me. I still think the same way and have the same opinions, but I am slowly but surely becoming the woman my Heavenly Parents and Savior would have me be. They are always aware of me, and I can feel Their love all throughout my days. I am grateful for that.

This week, I was brave! I tried two new food things that I wasn't expecting to try! First, I tried umeboshi, which, according to my Japanese dictionary, is an apricot. But it does NOT taste like one! It's a bright fuschia color, and it's pickled, so it tastes like a pickle, but a really weird and sour and bitter bright pink pickle. It was so odd. But! I got it down and was glad! The next day, I ate a raw egg over rice with shoyu (soy sauce)! That was delicious! Nihonjin eat raw eggs almost every day, so I decided to try it. The texture was way weird (that frothy texture an egg gets when you scramble it), but it tasted good! Afterwards, I only got a LITTLE sick, so that's good. I have resolved to be brave every week and try one new thing! I hope that I can follow through with this! This week might be nato... I haven't decided yet. Scary! It's amazing how healthy Japanese food is! I think I've lost about 15 pounds here, at least. I am looking and feeling very good.

This transfer and training are almost over, just 14 more days, YAY! I can't wait. We'll see what happens... maybe I'll get shifted to the great cold north...

Well, there isn't much else to report. It's really hot here, and for the first time in my life, I have acne! It's from my helmet, and it really sucks. But, shoganai! (c'est la vie).

I love you Momma. Thank you for the letter about Grandma Duncan. I love that woman. I can feel her every time we go to visit Fukutsu Shimai, a little 88 year old woman in our ward. Grandma Duncan is always standing right beside her when I am there. They are great friends, those two. :)

LOVE YOU!

Monday, August 26, 2013

On Monday, August 26, 2013 Sister Johnson wrote:

So, this week, I had some good experiences! I was able to do some real old-fashioned Japanese farming! We worked in the bishop's storehouse with some of the ward members, and we farmed daikon, which is like a potato, but with way more flavor, and it's delicious. We also farmed nasu (eggplant!!!) and other things, that I didn't know what they were... but it was way fun! Rural Japan is GORGEOUS! It is so green, and the rice fields are beautiful! Also, Japanese scarecrows are hilarious, and they definitely fooled me... haha.

This week, we were given whale meat from the sisters serving in Tagajo! They got it from a member, and then gave it to us! It is still in the freezer, and I am terrified of it. It makes me so sad. Poor whales.

Last P-Day, it was zone P-Day, so we got together with all the Sendai missionaries and had a great big water fight! It was way fun, and we even got the Stake President involved! On Saturday evening, we had the opportunity to go to the final matsuri (festival) of the season! Matsuri are HUGE here! There are so many booths with food and toys and everything you can imagine! There were SO MANY PEOPLE, I could not believe it! Unfortunately, we went at night, so we didn't get an opportunity to really explore the festival. But we got to watch the fireworks! Fireworks here in Japan are incredible! They last for about an hour and are so big and creative and beautiful! They were so fun. The best part about the matsuri was going with the young single adults that are in Izumi. We were able to spent time with them and really build good relationships with them. It was wonderful. One of the pictures is a friend of mine, Shimajiri Yuko Kyodai. He is the one in the Johnny Cash shirt, which is AWESOME. Yuko is so funny though, and he's awesome.

This week, I did a lot of studying Jacob 5. I had never before taken the time to sit and study it, and boy, was I missing out! What beautiful, intricate, incredible scripture that is! In particular, I studied a lot the character of the Lord of the Vineyard. He is so full of love. More than seven times, he says, "It grieveth me that I should lose this tree." In the allegory, the Lord of the Vineyard does everything he possibly can for his olive trees. He loves every single one of them, and wants all of them to bring forth good fruit. I also loved that he labored WITH the servant. It wasn't just a bunch of servants out in the vineyard working, but the Lord of the vineyard was right there next to them. I am not alone. My best companion is the Savior, Jesus Christ. He is working right alongside me. When I speak of Him, He is on my right and my left, and He goes before my face. His spirit carries the message of His love into the hearts of those I talk to. These are grand blessings. And I am thankful.

I think the best thing that happened this week was that we finally got to teach Akazawa San! Akazawa San is the man that we first contacted on the street back in the beginning of July! He is so busy with work, and we had long given up on trying to meet with him, but he called us this last week and set an appointment with us! It was so cool! We met him at the Church and gave him a tour of the building, and then we ended in the Chapel, and we ended up teaching him in there. We talked a lot about him, and he said that he doesn't understand God or know anything about Jesus Christ, but he has always felt like there was something bigger driving the forces of the world. He has a great desire to help people and to serve others. We were able to bear testimony to him of the relationship we have with God, and that we all lived together before we came to this earth. We talked about family and about how we have the opportunity to establish relationships for eternity. We talked about how through the teachings of Jesus Christ, Akazawa San could know more happiness than he had ever before experienced. Afterwards, we sang Families Can Be Together Forever, and it was incredible the Spirit that filled the room. We sat in silence for several moments, and afterwards, Akazawa San said very quietly, "I don:t know anything about Jesus Christ, but there is something different about you three. You are glowing with light. The words of that song have pierced my soul, and I want to know why." Oh, what joy filled my heart and soul as he said those words! We have another appointment with him this week, and I can't wait to teach him more about the love and light and joy that I receive through my Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am so grateful for this miracle. This is why I am here. I am here in Japan to share light and love and joy. I am here to share the glory and knowledge that I have of Jesus Christ. I am here to "glory in my Jesus, because He hath redeemed my soul from Hell," (2 Nephi 33?) and I am so grateful for the privilege that I have to do so.
Jesus Christ is the light and life of the world. His Gospel is one of eternal love, everlasting joy, and perfect peace. I am so grateful for Him, and for Japan, and for the love that fills my soul as I proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Japanese language. There is just so much love I feel that I don't know what to do with it all! All I can do is share it, and so that's what I'll do. :)

I love you. I am so glad that I am here, even though it's hard. I have learned so much.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Oh, how I am feeling the love!!! Sarah is seriously the best for making cardboard-Shakira. I am tremendously thankful for that and for her wanting to make sure I was included in their wedding day. She is the best sister I could ever ask for!
It looks like it was a beautiful day full of joy! With the time difference, the sealing started at midnight my time, Saturday night. So needless to say, I didn't sleep. At all. Church yesterday was rough. But as I was laying on my thin, thin futon, I tried my best to teleport my spirit to the temple. I pictured in my mind the sealing room and all our precious family gathered around a little Sarah and Iver. My mind raced back to when the four of us were sealed for time and all eternity in that same temple. I still remember kneeling across the altar as a four-year-old and seeing the joy and the light in the faces of you and Dad. That was the same light and joy that I pictured to be in the faces of Iver and Sarah. It was so nice, even though I was tired. :) I am so happy that Iver and Sarah are married. What joy that brings to my heart! We have the best family! Someday, I will add to it, too!

Thank you for sending me pictures. They are so beautiful and I can't wait to see more! Can I be honest? I'm really glad the wedding is over. Now, I have absolutely nothing tying me to home. I no longer have a reason to be sad. I no longer have a desire to run away and get on a jetplane to come home! This is a great blessing. Now, I can move on. I can forget myself and finally GO TO WORK! I am grateful.

You think Denver is hot? Try being in 109 degree weather with 100 percent humidity, and then bike up mountains! Then tell me you're hot. I seriously can't believe summer here. I have never sweat so much in my life, but it's okay because EVERYONE is sweaty. All the time. I stick out because I turn red when I sweat, but that's okay. People understand.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for the birthday love!!! It was a really great day! I woke up and opened the package from you and Dad and Iver and Sarah, and I love everything you sent me! Thank you! After that, I had a lot of people show me a lot of love. We had district meeting, and our zone leaders were there for training, and after the meeting, they rolled back the curtain of the stage in the church and there was a huge white board with birthday love on it, and then they all decorated me with a lei and a tiara and a plastic sword, and then they showered me with gifts and cards and they sang to me! It was the best!! After that, President Rasmussen and Sister Rasmussen called me and sang happy birthday to me. Then, we went on splits with our new sister training leader, who is this cute Japanese girl. Her companions are two of my best friends from the MTC!!! So I got to spend my birthday with Gass Shimai and Johnson Shimai. That was wonderful. Later in the evening, the APs called and sang to me! They are two fantastic elders named Uchida Choro and Takase Choro. They are so fun and they are great friends of mine. Both of them think I'll be the first sister AP, haha. That would be cool. ;) But after that, my companions presented me with a homemade ice cream cake and homemade pizza and all this other wonderful food! Overall, it was a good day and I'm so grateful for the love that I felt from so many people. I definitely needed it. Also, please tell everyone thank you for me for all the birthday love I got in the mail! It was a good week for mail.

This week, we were able to participate in SMYC. I'm not sure what that stands for, but basically, it's EFY (Especially For Youth) for Nihonjin youth! President Rasmussen gave a big presentation, and about 50 of us missionaries got to go and work with the youth and teach them about the Book of Mormon. It was awesome; there were about 600 youth there, I'd say! So many Japanese Mormons! The conference was about three hours south of here, so I got to see a little more of Japan too, which was great. Lots of mountains and forest and rice. Lots and lots of rice. It was a good day.

This week, we were able to teach two lessons to our investigator, Kawamura San! It was good! We taught the plan of Salvation and we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and how it could bless his life if he applies the principles that are within the Book of Mormon. After the lesson, Kubota Shimai asked him if he had any friends that would be interested in the Gospel, and Kawamura San said, ``Yeah, my friend Hayashi Koji San!`` So funny story. About seven weeks ago, we were standing on a street corner handing out flyers for Eikaiwa, and I met someone with a guitar and he was really cool! He said that he wanted to come to church because he wants to find the truth. Guess what his name was? Hayashi Koji San!!!!!!!!!! I was so surprised when Kawamura San said that!! It was so awesome! I knew there was a reason Koji San was in my thoughts, even though we were never able to contact him! So, Kawamura San is going to bring him to his next lesson, I think. Japan is a crazy-small world! It was a great experience!

My tongue is being whipped into shape! I have taken on the role of translator for the gaijin missionaries in my ward, and wow! My Japanese is skyrocketing! It's good. Bits and pieces of dreaming (when I actually sleep, that is. Insomnia sucks. It's never been this bad before) in Japanese now! So that's good. In my setting-apart blessing, I am blessed to come to know the beautiful language of the people. That is the poetry. I will learn soon.

So yesterday, we taught Gospel Doctrine, and we taught about temple baptisms. Did you know that Joseph Smith revealed to the saints that ordinance on my birthday in 1840? I didn't until last week. Super cool. But, it was a really great lesson. We read a lot from Doctrine and Covenants 128, and I read it in English to the class, and verse 22, I shouted! I yelled with joy! To match the words in the verse! The spirit was so strong in the class, and even though they couldn't understand the words I was saying, the Japanese members were all smiling because they could feel the joy, too. It was a great connecting moment for me and the ward members. I was grateful for it.

Yesterday, after church, I got to see my first baptism in Japanese!!! An 8-year-old boy in our ward got baptized by his Dad, and it was a great service! The baptismal and confirming ordinances in Japanese are so cool! I have never felt the Spirit in the way that I did yesterday before. It was a way cool experience, and I can't wait until that will be Kawamura San standing in the font! What a great day that will be. Hopefully I'll be here still.

Well, that's about it, I think. I hope you know how much I love you and miss you. I hope that I will get to hear from you in the mail soon!

I love you!
-Johnson Shimai

August 12, 2013

Thank you for the birthday love! I received the birthday package last Tuesday, the 6th! And the post man said that it was a day late! Five days!!!!! WOW! It was crazy fast! But, I haven't opened it yet, because I am waiting to have something fun to do on my birthday! I can't wait, even though I know what's inside it because of the customs form.

This week was eventful! Merkley Choro and Nishida Choro both went home, which was very, very sad for me. They have become some of my greatest friends! And I miss them a lot. But we got two new elders and they are great! One is named Ida Choro, he's from Tokyo and is in his fourth transfer. And the other Choro is a green-bean fresh from the MTC!!! His name is Malmrose Choro. I have taken on the role of translator because Merkley Choro went home, and yesterday in church, Heavenly Father blessed me with a miracle! It was another Gift-of-Tongues moment! I was able to understand about 92 percent of the Japanese that was being said and I was able to translate it for Malmrose Choro. I could definitely feel my Heavenly Father working through me as I was speaking. It was a wonderful experience.

I also had another fantastic experience this last week! I was able to invite someone to be baptized!!! Our street contact from two weeks ago ended up coming to church, and we were able to make an appointment to teach him. His name is Kawamura San. On Wednesday evening, we taught him about the Restoration of the Church through Joseph Smith. The lesson was definitely guided by the Spirit, and I was so thankful for that. My Japanese was far from perfect, but the Spirit was whispering to me that I needed to invite Kawamura San to be baptized, so in very broken Japanese, I did just that! And what was his response? ``If I find out that this is true, then yes!`` In that moment, I was filled with such joy and it was such a wonderful experience! Kawamura San needs to stop drinking coffee and smoking before he can get baptized, but we followed up with him, and his Book of Mormon reading is going very well! It was great, and I am excited to meet with him again soon. It was definitely a blessing that I needed.

So, Momma, I want to tell you about a really cool thing that I was able to do this week. The American family in my ward, the Brownes, are having lots of hardships right now. Brother Browne is having major kidney failure and has been in the hospital for over a week, so Jaelyn (14) and Jacob (16) have had to stay at home by themselves so Sister Browne could be at the hospital. We went to visit Jaelyn and Jacob and we were able to talk to them and talk about Christ. At the beginning, we were just standing in the genkan, and I asked if I might offer a prayer. In my prayer, I used these words: ``As an authorized representative of Jesus Christ, and with the authority of my calling, I ask thee, Heavenly Father, to place a special blessing on this house and on this family of peace, comfort, love, and safety.`` I proceeded to give a blessing through prayer on the Browne family. The spirit was tangible, Mom. It was absolutely incredible. I was filled with so much love for the Browne family, and I could feel the authority moving through my body. I cannot describe it adequately in words. There are no words to describe it. But it was incredible. I have power and authority, and I can use it to bless the lives of those around me. That power is given to me by Jesus Christ. I am His authorized representative. I really, truly believe that.

I am so blessed to have you as my momma. I hope you know how much I love you. I am very sad to be missing this week. You might understand how sad I am... but it's a lot. And I'm having a hard time, but I hope that once Saturday is here, I will stop having thoughts of ``I can still get on a plane and make it home in time for the wedding...`` I will try my hardest to stay busy these next few days.

I love you SO MUCH!

Shakira