Winter Already??

Some flower peddles for a salad

Leaving Sado Island :-(

Articles of Faith (English

Articles of Faith (Japanese)

Hello everyone! 

So yeah, it's cold. Right now the weather is like
California winters... Wish me luck for when the Sanjo winter actually
arrives! This week was really good! I went to Sado and got to be with
Sister Hubbard from my MTC district! It was so amazing and we had a
wonderful time. We talked about how it's funny to hear each other
speak Japanese now because it's so different than the mtc! The island
is beautiful but I was there for less than 24 hours so I didn't go
around too much. But I might go again next transfer!

We also had interviews with the Naganos! They are seriously so
amazing. President Nagano and I talked a lot about finding and new
ideas and afterwards at district meeting we realized that all of our
interviews were pretty much the same! We are determined to try new
ways of finding. And Sister Nagano, she might be the smartest women
I've ever met. We could be talking about something and then it's like
she looks into your soul and understands what's bothering you and then
boom she just says everything you need to hear. We talked a lot about
rejection. She said, "just let it go and find someone else." She said
the more rejected you are the closer you are to finding who God wants
you to find.

I don't have too much else to report about the week. This week I was
really studying about the kind of missionary I want to become. I have
learned a lot through being humbled many times but I'm grateful for
the experiences I've had that help me grow. I love you all so much!

Love Sister Lacey

Sanjo!

Sister Yonaha and Sister Lacey in Sanjo-Shi

Sanjo

Sanjo

Sanjo

Raman Restaurant

Beautiful!

Sanjo!

Wow... Where do I begin?! It seriously feels like I just went on
another mission. The Niigata Zone is pretty much it's own mission. It
was fun taking the 5 hour bus ride up here. I won't have temple pday
for awhile because I'm so far away, but, when we have our mission
leadership council meeting Sister Yonaha, me and the zone leaders will
get to take the Shinkonsen (bullet train) down to Tokyo! I'm so
excited! Anyways, Sister Yonaha is amazing! She is the sweetest thing
ever and is also from Okinawa just like Sister Teruya. I can already
tell my Japanese is improving, she doesn't know a whole lot of english
so I've been speaking a lot of Japanese this week. It's finally
starting to get to the point where sometimes I can't remember if I had
a conversation with someone in English or Japanese because the
languages are getting mixed together haha.

I love being Sister Training Leader! I don't really do all the much
although I gave a training at zone meeting my first day here in
Niigata. Oh! I will be going to Sado island tomorrow for exchanges! I
can't wait, I will be with Sister Hubbard from my Mtc district! I have
realized why I have been given this position as STL. The first half of
my mission I feel like I focused on myself and my own desires but now
it's like a switch went off in my head and I'm just constantly
thinking about the other sisters in my zone and what I should be doing
to help them. It's definitely been a growing experience that was much
needed.

Sanjo is a lot different than Saitama. There are fewer people and
hardly no one out walking in the streets. Our teaching pool is a lot
smaller than my other areas but our progressing investigator is so
amazing. She is the most spiritual and pure hearted person I've ever
met. I really believe she will be baptized soon. Oh, and so Sanjo
isn't even a branch... It's called a group and we have a group leader
instead of a bishop or branch president. There are only a handful of
people that come to church and there are a lot of less actives. It's
just like a little family though. There are no babies in the ward
which makes me sad and there's only about 4 youth that come that are
all siblings. Sister Yonaha and I taught the two sisters for young
women's yesterday and it was so fun! And since there's only a small
amount of people church is only two hours. It definitely is a change
but I love it here. It took awhile for Okegawa to steal my heart from
Urawa but Sanjo has taken it pretty quickly. It's already pretty cold
at night but I love the scenery and a lot of people are nicer do I
have a good feeling and strong desires to see many miracles here in
Niigata! Bring on the snowy miracles!

I'm so glad and honored to be a missionary in Japan. Yesterday one of
President Naganos counselors came to church and afterwards did a
little training with us and the elders. It really helped me a lot and
he helped give me advice on how to focus on the youth and younger aged
people. Almost all the leaders of the church in Japan were converts
from age 15-25 so we are trying to focus on them because they are more
open to new ideas. I love this work so much! I have been doing the
Ponderizing and it is amazing how much more I learn and how I feel
more focused on a daily bases. I love you all so much! Thank you for
everything! Aishiteimasu!

Love, Lacey Shimai

Sent from my iPad

Transfers!

Where do I begin.....? I'm getting transferred to.... SANJO!! It's up
north and one of the colder areas... I will probably be there awhile
and if that's the case I will finally have a white Christmas! But,
here's the crazier news... I'm going to be Sister Training Leader....
And my new companion is another Japanese Sister! I guess her English
isn't very good but that's what I need! I need my Japanese to improve.
And since I'll be over the whole Niigata Zone with Sister Yonaha I
will most likely go to Sado Island a few times! I am beyond excited!
I'm sad to leave Okegawa and all the members but I'm excited for this
new adventure. I heard Sanjo is just a small branch with like 10-20
members so it will be like a family! I will be on again in a few hours
to respond to everyone. I love you all so much! I'm grateful for the
opportunity to have more responsibilities and become a better
missionary. Aishiteimasu!

Love Sister Lacey

Sent from my iPad

One week left!

Visiting Tokyo on Preparation Day

Visiting Tokyo on Preparation Day

Visiting Tokyo on Preparation Day

Add caption

Real American Pizza!

Hello everyone! 

There is only one week left until I reach my halfway
mark... This is insane how fast it all goes by. It's crazy how Jason
goes into the mtc on my exact halfway mark! I'm glad you all had a
great time at the temple. I wish I could have been there but I'm glad
he had so many people to support him. I got to watch the Saturday 
sessions of conference and this Saturday we will watch the Sunday
sessions. I loved conference so much! I loved all the talks on
families. And I learned so much from each talk!

This week was good and we had zone conference. I really enjoyed the
whole thing and I need to apply it to my mission. I really liked when
President Dorff said to hold the Book of Mormon in our hands for more
power but also for a safety blanket as needed. I feel like I am
definitely lacking in confidence which isn't something new. I've been
told time and time again that I need to work on my confidence. I feel
like towards the beginning of my mission I wasn't confident about
teaching simply or answering peoples questions but now I think the
language is starting to effect my confidence. I know I need to not
worry about it and its just an excuse but one lady that we teach
always makes fun of my Japanese and says how my companion is better
and it just got a little over board this week so I've been letting it
affect me. But I just need to remember the times when members and
others say I have a pretty pronunciation and I sound like I'm
Japanese. And when I was with Sister Teruya a member called us and I
answered and they though it was her so just started rambling on about
something and I couldn't quite catch everything so I asked if I could
give the phone to her and they were shocked haha. Anyways, I'm trying
to focus on the good. Sorry for that little rant!

So this week we received a few new contact info from some more young
people! I have definitely seen how focusing on the younger generation
is more beneficial. Also, wewent and visited a member who really needs
the missionaries right now and she was just asking us about dendo and
she gave us all sorts of advice on how and where we should dendo! She
told us to go to the high schools and find around there and said how
there are hundreds of young people and they are more willing to except
new things! She said we need to "attack!" We told her about the
conference we had and how we were counseled to focus on high school
aged students! I'm so grateful for members who love to help the
missionaries.

Oh! And remember Yuna from Urawa? She turned 19 a few months ago and
said she wanted to meet me. We went out for lunch and had a great
conversation and she wants to meet with the elders in Urawa. She said
she wishes I was still there but I told her the elders could help her
too. She is so awesome and so sweet! I love her!

I've been trying to think of new ways to be more effective at finding.
I've realized one of my weaknesses is finding and I want to turn it
into a strength. I want to have a better attitude about finding so now
I call it "Fantastic Finding." I was thinking about doing a survey. I
had been thinking about it for awhile but wasn't quite sure how to go
about it and then I got a letter in the mail from Morgan and in her
letter she also sent my a survey she has been doing! I was able to get
more ideas and then my companion and I thought of some questions and
then talked to our ward missionary leader about it and he said he
would print it off for us! I'm so grateful for the promptings of the
Spirit that help me think of new ideas and to help me strengthen my
weaknesses.

We have been considering people who we might have to drop because they
are not making any commitments. Chat does not keep our commitments so
this week we will meet with her again and hopefully we'll be able to
tell if she is still interested or just likes to talk. Namatame... we
think she just really likes to be dramatic. She keeps coming up with
excuses and this week she is concerned that our church doesn't have a
priest or confession room but we told her about bishops. She still was
concerned and today she is in Korea for work and is going to go see a
priest... We'll see how that goes. She was talking to Sister Bettridge
on the phone about all that and I said I wanted to talk to her and she
said no no no because she would cry if she talked with me because she
feels guilty or something and doesn't want to upset me... 

 I'm really excited for Wakutsu San though. We invited her to be
baptized and she said she doesn't think shes good enough or something
but we told her of the blessings. We taught her the whole restorations
and she was a little confused by prophets but then I did a
tatoebanashi (object lesson) and it clicked for her and she completely
explained to us what prophets were! Today we are teaching her about
the plan of salvation and also we want to set a baptismal date. It's a
lot more fun than I thought asking people to be baptized. I definitely
have just been letting fear get in the way. I just need to remember
Jason's miracle and how everything worked out and I just need to
remember that miracles DO happen.

I love this work and I love being a missionary. I'm so grateful to be
in Japan and to be learning and growing so much. There are hard times
and there are even harder times but they help me appreciate and
cherish the good. I know this is Gods work and He has a perfect and
complete plan. He wants all of His children to return to Him. I know
Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer and He knows every one of us
perfectly. I think sometimes we may over look everything and and try
to understand everything better but it is simple. Just like president
uchtdorf said, we need to "simplify." I love you all so much! Thank
you for everything! Aishiteruyo!

Love, Sister Lacey