Summer Sister Black is Back

Konnichiwa!

Father's Day Activity

Let me just start out by saying how much I love the members in Matsudo!! We have the best Ward Missionaries ever! If you remember last week (I think I mentioned it) we had a Ward Missionary Training Meeting. Well, this week one of our Ward Missionaries took this training really seriously and he has been seeing so many miracles! He is fellowshipping Mission School students, sharing the gospel with them, getting referrals from members, and on Sunday he was everywhere in a way we, as missionaries, just can't be. After sacrament meeting, he completely took care of a Recent Convert and her really sick son (who is an investigator) and helped them receive a priesthood blessing and get home safe. We had no idea until afterwards, but we were so so so grateful!

Father's Day

Then there is Yui, who has been waiting for her Mission Call and it came this week!! She opened it yesterday and she was called to the California San Jose Mission! I am so excited for her! This past week, I had the chance to go on splits with her again because we had too many appointments for just Sister Shim and I. Originally, she was just going to come to District Meeting with us and then come back at night for our splits, but on the way back from District Meeting, we ran into a Less Active, so Yui helped us teach her and it was such a good experience for her. She really felt the Spirit during the lesson guiding her as she talked. On our splits, we taught a Young Woman English and she helped me start to teach Kodomo Eikaiwa. She is so prepared to be a missionary. She really was amazing! Ahhhhhh I'm so excited for her!!!

Another miracle from this week was Ai-San and Mami-San. So a little bit of background. They are both Mission School students who took a church tour and wanted to take the lessons. They also live in the same sharehouse.

Some rolls from Ai-san.
I put faces on the picture.

First, Ai-San. We had an amazing lesson with her this week about the Restoration and she had a question about why Jesus had to die, so we talked about the Atonement. As we explained, all she could say was "Sugoi" (Cool, wow, amazing) and she was just so shocked that Jesus Christ would do something like that. She really appreciated it and really wants to know for herself if this is true. Well she came on Sunday to church and the Sunday School lesson was about the sacrament and why it is important, and she actually understood it! She was so happy! We were so happy too!

Her friend, Mami, is also an investigator, but we haven't started the lessons with her because at first she didn't seem all that interested. However, we invited her to church this week and she actually came (and brought Ai with her). She didn't understand a lot, but she really enjoyed it. Also, she's going to go study/work abroad in Canada for a year! The best news? She is going to Vancouver and really really wants to come visit Seattle so we are definitely going to meet up in a few months so I can show her around. I'm so excited!!!

The next Matsudo Member Miracle happened with Ai and Mami at church. They came for all three hours and it was their first time and many members came up to talk to them and introduce themselves, so it was great. However, Sister Shim and I had been invited to the Abiko Ward to help with their YW Event and in order to be there on time we had to leave right before Relief Society. We brought Ai and Mami to Relief Society and luckily we saw Mikami Shimai who actually dosekied for Ai-San once so they knew each other. Mikami Shimai saved the day! She volunteered to sit with them (Yui and another Sister also came over later in the class) and guided them through Relief Society when we couldn't be there.

Afterwards we messaged them and both Ai and Mami had a great time at church and both had really good experiences. I am so so so so grateful for the members that helped make their first church experience a special one. They are both so so special and I love seeing the ward slowly getting more and more dendo fire!

Father's Day

As for the Abiko Ward YW Event, that was so fun!!!

The funniest thing was that we got to church right as it was ending. A bit of background about Abiko, they have 4 Elders, and have not had Sister Missionaries in a long time. They have been practically begging President Nagano for Sisters. Well, when we got there, all the members started freaking out. "Did you get transferred here?" "Why are the Sisters here?" "What is going on?!?!?!?!" It was the funniest thing! This ward is dying for Sister Missionaries, so I am so glad that we were able to go and help just for one day. The YW there were so cute too! We taught a little lesson about dress and grooming and they all had amazing insights. Ah I just love the Youth so much!!!!!!

And with that little adventure, we have now worked in every single area in our Zone, including the areas that only have Elders (Ushiku and Abiko). Whee!!!! Sister Power!

One thing I have learned from the little time I have spent in both Ushiku and Abiko, and even here in Matsudo, is that we really need to be grateful for the missionaries we have. We never know when they will change or get taken away. Recently I talked to a family in Matsudo about how lucky they are to have 3 sets of missionaries in their ward. In my home ward, we have just 1 set of missionaries, so have fortunate Matsudo is to have 6 missionaries who are working full time to bring souls unto Christ. In the upcoming months, the number of missionaries coming to our mission is actually going to decrease so that we will have to close a few areas. Matsudo is so so so fortunate to have so many missionaries and especially to have Sisters in their area. Just last week, we had to close the Mito Sisters area. Please please please give thanks for the missionaries in your area. You never know what might happen, so don't wait until it is too late to work with them. They want to know you and work with you so badly!!!!!!

At the school festival

Last little miracle for the week was that a nearby college had a school festival where they had a ton of booths for food and games. We have an investigator and a recent convert who go to that college, so we decided to go check it out. We went first in the morning and saw the investigator. We only had a little bit of time so it wasn't super effective, but we promised her that we would come back a little bit later after out appointment. Well, later we ran into the recent convert who also wanted to go to the school festival, so we all went together.

We were worried that it wasn't going to be effective, but it was so effective!!! As we were walking in, Sister Shim mentioned the words Korean food, and one student just perked up and looked over and was like "There's actually a Korean booth over here" and it turned out that he was Korean! So of course he and Sister Shim start talking super fast in Korean and he introduces us to his friend and takes a Mission School flyer because he is also super interested in English. YAY!!!!! (P.S. I also got to eat Rotee which is this super yummy Thai street food and I was soooooo excited). We also talked to our investigator again and she brought her friend too who is actually really interested in learning if God exists! Therefore, it turned into a SUPER effective finding opportunity. Thank you Heavenly Father for guiding us that day!

As for a funny moment from today. For p-day we had to go fix our bikes a bit and then we went shopping. When she saw what I bought, Sister Shim said "That looks exactly like what you brought from home!" She is so funny because I promise you, the shirt I bought was quite different from what I brought on my mission. She wanted me to share this with you all. She is so funny! I love her!!!!!!!

Also, as an explanation for the title of this email. This was the first week in which it got so hot that I had to start putting my hair in a braid again. Thus, Summer Sister Black is Back again. I'm not sure I have any pictures with the braid, but yeah. It's back!

Mission School

Now just as a disclaimer. I have noticed that many of my emails are just filled with miracles and it may seem that nothing is hard or nothing goes wrong in my life as a missionary. There are hard days. There are hard trials. There are many many disappointments. However, I feel blessed that Heavenly Father helps me to see that all those disappointments and trials and hard days are there to help me see the miracles. One thing that we teach as missionaries is about the Fall of Adam and Eve. An important aspect of the Fall is that because they ate the fruit, Adam and Eve were able to know pain and sorrow and death. However, because they now knew pain and sorrow and death, they were also able to know joy and happiness. In order to know true happiness, we must also experience sorrow. If we didn't know sorrow, how could we know that we were happy?

When I write these emails, most of the time I remember only the good things, the miracles, and so that is what I share. I have hard days and frustrating experiences just like anyone else, but the blessing of being a missionary, is that we can see the big picture. Heavenly Father gives us trials so that we can grow. I am so so so thankful for that.

I love you all so much! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love,

ブラック姉妹
Black Shimai