FLIGHT PLANS
Oh man. its so real!!! My flight plan got here on Friday!!!! I LEAVE FOR JAPAN 4 DAYS!!!! I cant believe that i have already been here 9 weeks!! It has definitely been such a great and amazing journey so far in my life. :)
When the elders came back with the flight plans, they ran through the door and just threw them all over the class room! Like money!! We realized what they were and we started flipping out!! we all just kinda dove towards the pile of papers. (picture someone feeding a group of insanely starving chickens...and all the chickens are like flopping over each other and fighting over the seeds). it was nuts!! It finally hit me that i was leaving, and this is what went through my mind: "YES!!!!!........i cant believe this is happening!!!!......oh man, this is really happening......oh no.......i'm not ready.......OH FLIP.........asians..........I KNOW NOTHING...........*starts crying because of all emotions*"
low key scared out of my mind, but i've never been happier. ahah i'm a huge ball of emotions :)
FAST SUNDAY
Wow. Probably one of the most spiritual meetings i have ever been apart of in my life!! my zone is like family to me, and when i heard almost my whole zone baring their testimonies during sacrament meeting...I lost it. I felt the spirit open my heart, and now its probably 100x the size it was. It was probably the last time i would bare my testimony in English for a while! Before my mission, i was kind of scared of fast sundays because i knew that i would feel the spirit....and i would get up...probably make a fool of myself on the way to the pulpit....(probably would trip up the stairs...idk)...BUT NOW...!!!!! I hope and pray that i would recieve that spiritual prompting to share what i know. Even if i do fall up the stairs of make a fool of myself. I will somehow make it look stylish...lol
When i was finished pouring my heart and soul out at the pulpit...as i was walking away...and i hit my funny bone on the wood podium thing and it made the loudest sound ever. plus i was in pain. so that was cool :) hahah
TESTIMONY
I CANT GET ENOUGH OF THIS!!!:) I love sharing the gospel!! even if it is just in the MTC. i have made a goal this last week here, that i would share my testimony with a random human at least once a day. (in Japanese)! and so far, i have had the coolest experiences. i challenged my companion to do the same, and we found this super cute senior couple the other day! we saw them, and we both had that 'you need to talk to them' feeling. so we did, and all 4 of us bore our testimonies to each other in our mission language. (they were speaking german).
I had a really cool thought come to my mind during that experience.
-The Lord really does love his children. And the gospel is the same, no matter what language you speak. It is the same truths, same stories, same church, and same purpose.
The lord is hastening his work, and i get to be apart of that!! And so do all of you! We are all missionaries! You dont need a name tag to share the gospel with someone. :) i challenge you all, (or whoever is reading this)...to share your testimony with someone today. Whether that be over social media, in person, or through your actions. I promise it will bring so much happiness and you can be that impact in someone elses life.
The church is true!!! And jesus christ is the savior. that message alone is too good not to share :)
RAIN
One of my favorite things on the earth. Rain :) I was having a hard time with the language the other day, and when we got done...I walked outside, and it was completely POURING rain. The smallest tender mercies are pretty impacting most of the time. And this whole week, I have probably found 8 pennies on the ground :) I know that Angels are surrounding me, and baring me up when I feel overwhelmed. The Lord's hand is in every single detail of our lives, and he knows exactly what we need...& who we need at the right moment.
BEE
So my job as a STL, I have to interview all the sisters once a week. Just to make sure that they are all doing okay, or if they need help in anyway. I had a really neat experience to get close with this one sister. As I was talking to her, I had the weirdest impression to ask her about her family. Specifically her mom. So guided by the spirit i did so...and comes to find out that we were going through the exact same thing with our families. Her mom was diagnosed with cancer on her first week here at the MTC, and she was really struggling. She felt like no one understood how she felt, and that she was all alone with this trial. I bore my testimony to her about the plan of salvation and how I KNOW that the Lord knows what he is doing. And all manner of trials are for our good. We both cried, and bore testimony of the savior. It was so powerful.
Now the Bee....I was interviewing this other sister...and as I am talking to her, this HUGE AS CRAP BEE just lands on my lap and starts having this crazy seizure or something. Believe me, I almost pooped my pants. I immediately through myself on the ground, (probably flashed some people, but whatever) and i start laughing/crying.....and then just laid there.
I could only imagine what some people thought as they were watching me, "What is that unhuman-like specimen doing laying on the ground?" Or..."SANKA YOU DEAD??"....*ya man*
ELDER CHRISTOFFERSON
What a great way to end my last devotional here at the MTC. Another apostle came to speak to us! Elder Christofferson taught with such power and conviction. It was so funny because I have been here at the MTC long enough to see 3 apostles!!! He started to speak, and I felt as if his voice went 2 octaves lower. I don't know if anyone else noticed that...but I heard that difference in his voice. I know that apostles and the Prophet speak by the power of God. They are ordained seers and revelators here on this earth...on gods behalf.
He talked about Trust and Repentence. Sometimes the concept of repentance gets twisted and it's turns into this scary thing...but it's the opposite!! It's a beautiful gift given from god...so we can align our lives to his will. So we can have that change of heart, and turn to him. Through repentance, we can become like God and Jesus Christ. I truly have a testimony of that. I want to be that celestial missionary. I want to give 100% of myself to him. I am on a mission to do God's will, and teach the gospel to the people of Japan!! That's so awesome!!! :)
"Lord, I will follow you. I am yours. You're what I care about. You are my goal, you are my life. My other life is gone."
HYRUM SMITH
So sick!!! This actually happened today!!! On our way out of temple, from doing a session...we run into the actor who plays Hyrum Smith and he is also an actor in the temple video!!! We locked eyes and I was like...." yo....you look familiar....but how??" *he walks away* "Oh no.....come back.......I know you!!!!!!!!!!"
Well flip. Maybe in the next life I'll talk to him hahah
このふくいんわしんじつです。このふくいんわしあわせおかんじることができるとあかしします。もるもんしょわたいせつです。そして、もるもんしょによってけいじおうけることができるとあかしします。きょかいによってへいのうけることができるとあかしします。いえすきりすとわすくいぬしとあかしします。イエス・キリストによってつみのゆろしおうけることができるとあかしします。イエス・キリストわほんとにとしっています。かみさまといえすきりすとわみなさんほんとにおあいしています。すくいのけかくわほんとにとしっています。イエス・キリストわいきえるとしっています。いえすきりすとのみなによって、とあかしします、あめん。
あいしています、みなさん！
Face Swap
I love you all!! :)
-phelps shimai
