Sisters Do As Sisters Should: さようなら Martha!

So Martha is officially on her mission and since I was on vacation last week she's already been gone for 2 weeks. Bare with me as I play catch up.

Her 1st e-mail:

Hi Family,

So I'm finally a missionay and in the MTC. Not going to lie, it sometimes feels like a prision here. I am always always studying and Japanese is so so hard. O and dad in response to your Japanese question- Hai, Genki desu. Seriously French just keeps coming out! Japanese is so hard! They switch their wording up so when you are saying a prayer it literally means this: The Spirit (subject marker like "o") feel so that please bless us. It makes absolutely no sense to me, but we are finally learning sentence structure tomorrow so hopefully I'll start to catch on. I haven't learned characters yet but I am trying to memorize hiragana on my own. So far I can say a basic prayer, bear my testimony, provide an overview, say where I'm from, extend and invitation, o and intorduce myself. We had to teach an investigator on our SECOND day here at the MTC in Japanese. I felt like an idiot, especially because my comp knows Japanese probably just as well as I know French. So basically I ready my few sentences and sat their like an idiot while she did all of the talking. It's getting a little better each day I teach him, but I still turn bright red everytime I open up my mouth to talk. My comp. is great, but it's a hard adjustment for me. The Lord is really testing me with her. First off, I'm used to being one of the smartest in my class, but since she knows Japanese I always feel so dumb. Second, I like my space so just a companion in general is hard. And third she is so excited to be on a mission, to the point that she left her fiance to come and read PMG 6 times before getting here (quite the oposite of me). But she's really nice. She was homeschooled and doesn't have much in common with me, but she still is really nice, and I'm learning to become more patient with her and myself. It will be a process though. But she does have celiac disease which is not cool for her, but I love learning more and more about it. Also thanks for the package! I thought about eating all 9 caramel bears, but I gave in a shared them with my roommates (who are great!), since I assumed that's why you gave me so many in the first place. I was so excited to see those though, especially since you only make them during Christmas. Oh, and thanks Nathan for putting on the chocolate chips. I can't believe you're getting mom's iphone though. Just don't leave it in the sprinkler!! Also, mom, that means you have taken over my phone. Please take care of it and treat it as if it were your own child. But other than that the MTC is good and the food isn't that bad. The sisters are taking bets on whihc elder will gain the most weight. My vote is for Crook choro. Anyway, I have to get going, but I'll try and send you a hand written letter later on this week! Have fun in Texas (also I'm visiting all the time if scott sets up his practice in Maui) and then have fun in Germany. O and don't have too much fun on the boat without me. I'm so jealous! I love you all and will write you again soon. Also I'll try to send pictures if I can figure it out.

Ai shite imasu yo! (I love you!)

Ellsworth Shimai

Here we are saying farewell: