Busy!

This week was good. Lots of stuff.

We had two junkais (splits for training) this week. We went to Hikari and Hatsukaichi. Back to back. We were tired. I got to see Kuroki Shimai though. I sure love her! We walked in their apartment, and she said we just looked tired...haha...punk. The junkais were good. They're tiring though. 

 

We also went on Wednesday and did Helping Hands. It was good. Lots of people have been going to help. We were going to go on Saturday too, but we can't go anymore :( The church is making us have the government's volunteer insurance if we go. But the rules and stuff are really strict so we can't go with the other people and do Helping Hands anymore. We're so sad!!! We just wanted to help, but it looks like the missionaries are done helping :( But I got to meet Tashiro Choro! He is in the Area Presidency  (I'm pretty sure). He is the nicest man in the whole world. His son was my Ward Mission Leader in Fujisaki. But he is so nice! He came to help. He did Helping Hands with the people from our Stake. 

 

Tuesday we had mensetsu (interview) with Kaicho (President)! It was so good! I love him so much! He is seriously the very best mission president anyone could ever have. He is amazing. The AP (Assistants to the President) training was super good too. The interview went really well. He's the best! He was excited about Ling! :)

 

Hopefully I get to go play basketball today. It's been forever! But we're doing good! 

Love ya lots!

Babcock Shimai

Helping Hands and a Baptism!!!

So this week was a little crazy. It started out pretty normal, but then got a little crazy. We were out housing on Tuesday night and it started POURING rain. I have never seen it rain so hard in my entire life. And then there was lots of lightning and thunder. It was close too. So we rode home in the crazy rain and we were just drenched. We were watching the storm at our apartment. Our power was bumping a little, but we didn't think it was a huge deal. All night though there was thunder and lightning. And then sirens. Lots of sirens. I couldn't really sleep. We got an email from Nishiyama Kaicho at like 4:30 AM. He was talking about the storm and stuff. Then at like 6:20 we got a call from Otani Choro. He wanted to make sure we were ok and that our power and water were working. We told him yes. Then he told us that there was flooding and stuff. Later we got another email from Nishiyama Kaicho. There were fires and landslides and flooding and stuff. We had no idea that it was so bad. We got a call from Okanoue Shimai too. She wanted to make sure we were ok. Our apartment and everything around it was fine. It just looked like it had rained a lot.

Anyways, we heard that lots of people were killed and that it was really bad. We ended going up there to Midorii to do Helping Hands. We went on Thursday and Saturday. It was SO sad! You can't see the roads. There were cars that were almost completely buried in mud. There was probably 4 feet of mud everywhere. Roads had been wiped out and were just rivers. The mud completely wiped houses away. It was so sad. But people were in pretty good spirits. These people are amazing. They were just grateful for what they had. They were happy their families were ok and that, even though their house was surrounded by mud, their house was still there. I am so impressed by how well they responded. Amazing. But it was so good that we got to go help. We were digging houses and cars out of the mud and filling bags with it. Then we hauled the bags to sandbag so it wouldn't all flood again. It's still been raining a little bit, but not near as bad, so that is definitely a blessing. 

 

But in happier news, Ling got baptized on Saturday!!! We spent the whole morning shoveling mud, then we went home and got ready, and went to Ling's baptism. It was SO good. She asked Kuchar Shimai and I to talk at it, so that was super scary, but it was also cool that she asked us. It was at the church in Hikari. The Hikari elders were there too. Apparently someone  told the branch the missionaries were going to do a special number. But we didn't know! So we just grabbed all the missionaries, including the Hikari elders, and sang a hymn. It wasn't so great, but it's ok! It all really went so well! She is amazing! SO amazing! She was a little nervous to get baptized, but afterwards she was so happy! She said she just had felt such a good feeling. Then she even bore her testimony! It was so cool. She even ended her testimony "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." One of the ZL's (zone leaders) said that was the first time his whole mission he had heard a Recent Convert end their testimony like that right after their baptism. It's because she is Golden! She said that people could call her Ling Shimai now too. It was so cute! Then her confirmation on Sunday was great too. She is the best ever! She is going to do so great! 

 

So that was this week. Sorry I didn't write more. I don't have a lot of time, but everything is going super great! I love this work! Please keep the people that were affected by the big storm in your prayers!!! 

 

Love you all!

Babcock Shimai

 

 

Very full river

Land slide

Kuchar Shimai, Ling Shimai, & Lacee (Babcock Shimai)



The three Shimaitachi & Correa Choro (Elder Correa)

 

Fun Week

So this week was kind of crazy, but a ton of fun!

We had a lesson with Ling at the Takasu church (in Hiroshima). We don't have a baptismal font here in Yasufuruichi because it's not actually a church building. So we took her to the church where she's going to get baptized. We couldn't show her the actual baptismal font (long story) but she really liked the church. Then we did a lesson with her while we were there. It was so good! She is so amazing! I can't even believe how prepared she is. I know I say that like every single week, but it's true! So we have one more lesson and then the baptismal interview before her baptism on Saturday. We're super excited! We went over the interview questions with her! She is doing so good! She was able to come to church for 30 minutes yesterday, even though she had work. But she came so she can be baptized! So we're super excited for her! And she's way excited to get baptized. She really wants to. So that's neat.

 

We also had 2 days of junkai (meeting & working with other sisters & training) in Iwakuni on Friday and Saturday. It was really good. The sisters there are great! We got to go to a birthday party on the military base! It was super fun! There are a bunch of LDS families that live on base there in Iwakuni, so we had a little kid birthday party with them. What a bunch of adorable little families! They were the cutest! And we ate American food! That was fun! It's been a long time! It was good though. Iwakuni is a great place! Those sisters are great too.

 

Other than that, we're just trying to work really hard. It's kinda tough to keep your area up when you're gone a lot, but we're doing it! Definitely a blessing from the Lord! 

It's been rainy still lately. Lots of typhoons I guess! But it's nice that it's not quite so hot! 

We're doing great! I LOVE Kuchar Shimai! We're having a blast. She's the best. Really. It's fun being able to be out here doing all this with one of my favorite people. So many blessings! 

 

Missions are the best!!! I'm loving every minute! 

 

Have a great week!

Babcock Shimai

Rain, rain, go away!

So this week was kinda lame. Ling was in Osaka. Then we got kinda hit by a couple typhoons. But it was just windy and rainy all week. Nothing too exciting happened. But we only had Sacrament Meeting yesterday. The rest of the meetings were cancelled because they were worried about the typhoon. But then nothing happened. It was the nicest weather we've had all week. Then today it's all cloudy and looks like it's going to rain again. We never know about the weather though. We didn't even know about the typhoons until they were like already here. No one tells us anything... haha. But the typhoons weren't even cool. It just made dendo (missionary work) kind of a pain. We were drenched all week. And no one wants to listen in a typhoon. They all just think we're crazy for running around trying to talk to people when it's a typhoon. They are probably right :)

We had an Open House/International Party. Okanoue Yoshimi chan (the RM) talked about her mission in California. Then we made a GIANT thing that explains the Plan of Salvation and Airi and Chie explained it. It was really cool. Ling was gone, so she couldn't come, but the elders had 3 investigators there! It was good. And I LOVE Yoshimi. She is super awesome!!!

We just did a lot of finding this week. There wasn't really anything too exciting that happened. So sorry this is the lamest email ever! 

 

Things are great though! This week will be more exciting I'm sure of it! We're getting ready for Ling's baptism.

 

Treats!!!

Airi and Chie teach the Plan of Salvation

Lacee (Babcock Shimai) with the Plan of Salvation board.

 

I love you all tons! 

Babcock Shimai

What's up?

What's up!

So this week was pretty great! Another week in the BEST mission in the whole world! So this week we had 2 more lessons with Ling! She is SO awesome! She is my favorite! She came to church again yesterday too. So we taught the 10 Commandments and the Law of Chastity. It went really well. Okanoue Shimai is the best! She is a great joint. But we taught Ling and she was cool with both the 10 Comm. and the Law of Chastity. She was like ya, I'm already doing all those, so I'll continue to keep those commandments. She told us that all the stuff we've taught her so far are just normal. She's been keeping them her whole life. So awesome right?! She has been SO prepared by the Lord. She is progressing really well towards her baptism on the 23rd! Then we taught about fasting yesterday. She was like 2 meals? I like eating! Haha but then she just laughed and said that she was sure she could do it, so next Fast Sunday she's going to fast. She's going to Osaka this week, so we probably won't be able to see her again until Sunday, but she's coming to church again on Sunday she said. So that's going to be great! I love her!!!

 

Okanoue Shimai's daughter, Yoshimi, got back from her mission in California last week. She is SO great. She's such a boss. Her English is perfect, and she is just this super awesome RM. We're pretty much best friends already. She is great! And she wants to help and joint and stuff, so that'll be really cool. 

 

We went to Iwakuni this week too. We got a call from the AP's on Friday asking us to go do a training for a sister who is going to be a trainer this transfer. So we were going on Saturday morning, but then the Iwakuni sisters had an appointment. So we had to go in the afternoon, but we had an appointment at 6:30. The train takes at least 1 hr 15m. So we had to hurry. Plus it was Saturday so there were like no trains. The AP's were super busy though, so we didn't get the email with the slideshow until 8:30pm on Friday. So we went on Saturday early to look at the slides and print them. But then the printer was broken, so we're like pushing buttons and trying to read crazy kanji. But we're also freaking out a little bit because we can't miss our train. So with only 30 minutes left, we called Otani Choro to come fix it. So they hurried so fast, and came and messed with it, but then with only 10 or 15 minutes left, he called Ramey Choro in the Honbu (mission office) to change the format so we could put it on a SD card. So Ramey Choro changed it and sent it, and Otani Choro got it on an SD card. We got there just in time for the train. We just had to take the SD card to a conbini to print. It was crazy! But we got it worked out, and we made it back literally just in time to go to our appointment. It was a crazy day, but super good. And the training went super well. That sister is way awesome, so she's going to do a fantastic job!

 

Then we found a new investigator yesterday housing! He is a young guy. We talked to him about God and the Purpose of Life. We have another appointment with him on Thursday. So we're excited for that. 

 

It's been rainy and windy lately because of the typhoons. But it's a nice break from the hot and humid!

 

Things are going super great! Love you all lots!

Babcock Shimai

Food...Yum!



Kuchar Shimai with a Loaded Bike!!!  :)

Love the people!  How fun!