Konnichiwa Family!
It's finally here! This is my last week in the MTC! I have heard I'll miss it, but right now I'm glad to be leaving. However, I keep getting mini panic attacks because I don't actually know the language. But o well. I meet at the travel office Monday July 15th at 4:30. I get to the airport around 6ish and then my flight leaves at 8:20. Then we fly to Seattle and land there around 9:20 PCT and then fly to Osaka at 11:25 and arrive there around 2:30 Japan time on Tuesday July 16th! Then we stay at the Mission President's home for two nights and then I'm off with my companion. My first full day in Japan will be on my birthday!! Let's just hope the MP doesn't make us try and place a Book of Mormon on that day. Anyway, so expect phone calls either between 6-8 am or 9:30-11:00 (seattle time). I'll figure more thigns out with you on Saturday. I'm allowed to email that one last day before I fly out.
Okay, so cool experience this past week. It happened last Wednesday. So in the MTC, I don't feel like a real missionary yet. We only teach fake investigators. Well last Wednesday I was at the gastroeneterologist for my comp. After the appointment, we were sitting outside waiting for the shuttle to come and pick us up. As we are sitting at a bench, an older man come over and says "Hey, Elders!" I assumed he was talking to us. He then asked what we had to share with him. I just sat there with blank look on my face. All I could do was wonder why he was asking me? I'm not a real missionary! I'm still in training! I don't know what to say. So we sis the typical thing and asked him what he wanted to hear. Anyway, somehow he told us his whole life story. He said he is from NM and is a Navaho Indian. He said he got stuck in Utah when he came here for school and married a girl from BYU. He said that she then left him in '93. But he proudly announced that he got 3 beautiful children out of them and they are all in their 20s. We said we were sorry and he brushed it off saying it was no big deal. He then said he got remarried, and had two little girls around the age of 7. He said but then that wife left him 3 years ago. I asked him where those little girls were. He said one is in NM with his parents and the other is in ND with the mom's parents. He says he never gets to see the one in ND because the grandparents don't like him. He's says he's been homeless for 3 years and is hoping to pull his life together and go and "kidnap" her. Again we felt bad, but he brushed it off. Then Womack asked if he had ever heard of the Book of Mormon. He said he actually had a copy with him and that he reads it from time to time. Womack then asked what he thought about it. He said he thought it was true. He said he goes to Sacrament Meeting every once in a while, but can't stay for very long because that's when they serve lunch at the Food and Care Coalition He then said he doesn't like how we don't have girl prophets besides Eve and Mary. I corrected him on that and asked him if he knew what the priesthood was. He didn't know, so I told him what it was and told him that men have that gift and women have the gift of bearing children. He accepted that answer but wish more women had leadership positions. I told him about relief society and whatnot, and then afterwards he introduced himself as Bruce and went and sat back down at his bench. A few minutes later our shuttle arrived and we hopped in the van after saying goodbye to Bruce. We buckled up and the van started to move forward. As it inched forward, I told the driver to wait and got out of the van. I then went over to Bruce and bore my testimony. I told him that I knew Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love him and are aware of him. That they know of his struggles and desires and wishes, and that they want to help him. I told them that they will help him see his family again. I then told him to just pray and ask. I then said goodbye and told him I was so glad to meet him. As I got back in the van adn drove away, I turned to look back at him and he was wiping away tears from his eyes. It was the coolest experience ever!! I can' wait to be a real missionary and have experiences like this all the time! I know probably lots of missionaries will have experiences like this, but I was so grateful that I got this opportunity while in the MTC. It really helped the week start off great! I can't wait to go to Japan!
Other than that, not much has happened this week. I hosted the Nihongin on Wednesday and the live right next to us. Sometimes I try to listen in on their conversations, but then stop because I get depressed because I can't understand a word of what they are saying. However, I did learn something new this week. I guess in Japan it is common for them to ask what your blood type is. They all have the same eyes and the same hair, so this is a way to differentiate themselves. I asked what each one meant and here is what I found out.
O: Friendly, outgoing, carefree, and gets along with everyone (naturally this is me)
A: Diligent, and very into detail
B: Top priority is themselves
AB: weired, awkward, and a genious. What we call a "nerd"
I thought that was a pretty interesting fun fact. On Sunday i bore my terstimony in Japanese. That's about all I can do, so I'm hoping to go off of that for the first few months. This past week I've been a lot more patient with my companion and things to be going well. I think I'm finally learning..maybe a little? Other than that, just trying to get everything ready before I leave and making sure I have everything. Also, just incase anyone wants to DearElder, it has to be written before noon on Friday or else I won't get it. My last DearElders arrive on Friday night and my last packages have to arrive before Saturday at noon. Just as a heads up. Anyway, that's all for now. I'll talk to you again on Saturday sometime before I leave.
Ai shite imasu,
Ellsworth Shimai
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| Final District Photo: Japan Bound |
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