Maebashi storms and earthquakes. Week 3.

Dear Family and Friends,

Yeesh! I'm sitting here in shock just from reading your letter dad! You guys have been having a rough time!... Yikes. I'm so sad to hear about Jazz!! That makes me want to cry! Poor guy... well I'll keep praying you find him too, but that's pretty scary if he's been gone almost a week now. And Grandpa! Getting a concussion by being run over by a horse! I guess this means I need to pray for my family more diligently! It also means I shouldn't complain about my little tired body and sore legs from dendo... I'll be more grateful from now on! (wow-I think being a missionary for sure makes normal things ten times more emotional... :) Ok well this week has been a little slow for us, but safe. You may have heard that Tokyo area had an earthquake. They did. I guess my companion thinks she felt it a little. But we were riding our bikes. I didn't feel a thing.. :( I would have liked to! But I'm sure I'll get another chance... Japan has lots of earthquakes. Anyway, we're fine and there's no problems. Some of the Elders in our nearby area were saying they were in a lesson and felt it. Lucky! but yeah, everyone's fine.

This week we had zone conference and interviews, which were great! We talked about baptism and how that's still our main focus even if we do end up doing a lot of 'seed planting' or just teaching, it's really baptism that opens the doors of the kingdom of heaven for these people. From there they take their own journey, but it is the gate. I think the thing that stuck out to me the most, though, was in my interview and in the conference President Albrect talked about how very soon in the mission young missionaries are going to be going senior... because that's what we have to work with. During the conference he said, especially in the case of those missionaries, to not worry about the language! Study hard and do our best but the Lord will help us say what we need to say through the Spirit's help. He referrenced the story in PMG from President Hinckley about the two missionaries, one who was well-educated and persuasive and had a great confident personality, and one who had earned money for his mission as a sign-painter. He said to the first one, "Well, the Lord can still use you" :) And I have felt that the Lord does make up for our weaknesses and I've said things in lessons through the Spirit's promptings, but I guess as I learn more Japanese skills, I have to keep reminding myself it's through the Lord's power I need to speak. Even if we can speak perfect Japanese, if we don't have the spirit with us the words won't mean anything. Well anyway, while he was saying all that it really hit me and I get the feeling I might be going senior pretty young (especially when I found out the day after conference my companion told president in her interview that she thinks I could!). I have a total of about 10 transfers and am on my third. We'll see what happens!

Ok and the other cool thing this week was on Satuday they had one of the biggest summer festivals. Maybe not the biggest but it's a huge deal. Everyone dressed up in their Ugatas (which are like Kimonos but for summertime) and there was a big matzuri (fetstival) down by the river here in Maebashi and then starting at 7:00 and going for... at least until 8:30 maybe 9:00 they had a HUGE fireworks show. Well I took a whole lot of pictures and video of the fireworks, until my battery ran out. They were gorgeous and so many types! The only bummer is it was raining the whole time! And at the end it was really coming down. We had to wait in this sea of umbrellas for everyone to go back up the stairs to the bridge for like 30 minutes there were so many people. But we went with the Kitagawa family so it was good time. We were going to go to the waterfall with them today too but a typhoon is supposed to be coming so they said it was dangerous. It hasn't really hit yet. Hopefully it can wait until we get back from e-mail :) But I did send off my SD card with Dad & Austin's package. There's a whole lot of pictures but it's not full but just unload them and send them back ok? I have a 2GB one here I'll keep using until I get it back. It should be there about two weeks from now. That was the cheaper way. Sorry it's really late from birthdays I really need to start planning ahead with those things!

Ok and last thing really fast then I gotta go. Next P-day will actually be a Tuesday because they changed it again! (Monday the temple is closed and most e-mail places too) Sooooo we are going to the temple! And I called the Nakano elders who have been trying to meet up with Kouki. I guess he's looking for a job right now but they said if we could all meet together he'd probably make time and it could be a great introduction for them. So (for my birthday!!) I get a P-day and to go the temple and possibly see a great old friend. I'm pretty excited :D

Well thanks for all your e-mails and mail. Grandpa--get better fast! Thanks for your letters! It was Ayumi that was in my Kofu ward... :) And btw so everyone knows, the time for letters from US to Tokyo is 1 at the fastest and 2 weeks at the slowest.

I can't believe only Dad and Austin are going to Ed week...? And Mom what's this I hear about you running in a marathon? And don't let Nathan forget about me!

Love you all so very very much!

Take care and have a fun (safe) week! DAD GOOD LUCK WITH ED WEEK!

LOVE,
LeFevre Shimai :)