This week we went with some ward members on the base to go bowling! It was super fun just kicking back and having fun with the members and their kids. The Military Base is such a trippy place. It's literally like stepping into America again. The same nicely paved sidewalks, neatly mowed grass and junky delicious fast food, in comparison to small cars, school kids in uniforms and sushi restaurants everywhere like Japan. It was even weirder because we were in normal casual clothes, and couldn't wear our tags on base either, so I really felt like Amber walking around on base, instead on Sister Stevenson. I'm not sure I liked it or not. But it felt so weird. Going back home isn't going to be as easy as I thought. But let's not talk about that! In other news...
So one night, me and Malone Shimai were just heading out to go proselyte like usual. We planned to go to the main part of town where we could probably talk to a lot more people. So we headed out on our bikes, stopping people and talking. For some reason I just felt so off. When I talked to people, the words weren't coming out like I wanted. It was awkward. I could tell Malone Shimai was struggling too. So after we stop and I ask her what"s up with us? She said that she felt alittle off too. So we pulled into a parking lot and prayed to get over this and be able to work hard.
We got back on our bikes and started riding but then just as we were about 5 minutes from town, I had a feeling. "Maybe you feel weird because you're not supposed to go this way."
I've learned a lot about how I personally feel the spirit, and often the way I can describe it is that a thought comes into my mind, kind of from an outside source. I can feel that I didn't just think it up on my own. A thought will come into my head and I wonder where that thought came from. I recognize that that is the spirit trying to communicate to me. So I didn't question it. I stopped and told Malone Shimai that I don’t quite know how I feel, but I don’t feel too strongly that we should go into the main part of town. She confirmed that she doesn’t really feel like that either. We said another prayer and decided to pick a place across the river, kind of close by. I saw a big building and thought,"Sweet! We could talk to more people in less time!" That was my logic at least. So we climb up all 7 flights of stairs. After the 1st two floors, I still felt in a funk. I had been eyeing this area just alittle farther down the river till I saw this building. I felt the spirit lightly say, "You know where you're supposed to go." I didn't question it and I reluctantly told Malone Shimai that I feel like we should go more down. Thank goodness Malone Shimai is so amazingly patient and chill.
We headed over to the area I had been eyeing. We housed and it was getting later and started to rain super hard. We were about to head home when we knocked on our last door. So I don't know why it's a japan thing, but usually when the Japanese open the door, they only open it a crack, just enough to talk(usually). They don't just open the door wide open to strangers like Americans do. But when we knocked on this last house, this young mom opened it. We told her who we were and she opened the door wide open enough to see us. Her cute little girl came to the door and started to show us her Barbie’s. We started talking to her about God and who he is and that he loves us. And it was amazing. As we talked, a thought came into my head to ask her, "If you could get any help from God, what would you want?" Once again, that thought came from an outside source so I didn’t fight it, I asked her. Now often the common answer missionaries get is,"uhhh.. i dont know." or "I've never thought about it." But as I asked that, she thought deeply. She simply said, "If I could get any help from God, I would just want to be ... stronger." She told us how that it was just her and her little girl who lived there. All at once I could peak into their situation. No father. Young mom. Bills, money, work. The little girl even said that she was lonely a lot of the time, but she said that she had her Barbie’s as her friends. I just had so much love for this poor mom.
We testified of God's love and the Plan of Salvation. We promised her that that strength is real and God wants to give it. We couldn’t make a new appointment, but I walked away from that door feeling such a sweet spirit. No we didn't make a new investigator, but there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that the spirit guided us to that door. God guided his missionaries to his daughter, even just to deliver a message that she is not forgotten and that she was loved. And that even though things are hard, that he is mindful of her. I'm with President Monson when he says that there are fewer sweeter feelings in this life than to follow a prompting and then to later find out that it was the answer to some souls prayer. That's why I love being a missionary.
Stevenson Shimai
So one night, me and Malone Shimai were just heading out to go proselyte like usual. We planned to go to the main part of town where we could probably talk to a lot more people. So we headed out on our bikes, stopping people and talking. For some reason I just felt so off. When I talked to people, the words weren't coming out like I wanted. It was awkward. I could tell Malone Shimai was struggling too. So after we stop and I ask her what"s up with us? She said that she felt alittle off too. So we pulled into a parking lot and prayed to get over this and be able to work hard.
We got back on our bikes and started riding but then just as we were about 5 minutes from town, I had a feeling. "Maybe you feel weird because you're not supposed to go this way."
I've learned a lot about how I personally feel the spirit, and often the way I can describe it is that a thought comes into my mind, kind of from an outside source. I can feel that I didn't just think it up on my own. A thought will come into my head and I wonder where that thought came from. I recognize that that is the spirit trying to communicate to me. So I didn't question it. I stopped and told Malone Shimai that I don’t quite know how I feel, but I don’t feel too strongly that we should go into the main part of town. She confirmed that she doesn’t really feel like that either. We said another prayer and decided to pick a place across the river, kind of close by. I saw a big building and thought,"Sweet! We could talk to more people in less time!" That was my logic at least. So we climb up all 7 flights of stairs. After the 1st two floors, I still felt in a funk. I had been eyeing this area just alittle farther down the river till I saw this building. I felt the spirit lightly say, "You know where you're supposed to go." I didn't question it and I reluctantly told Malone Shimai that I feel like we should go more down. Thank goodness Malone Shimai is so amazingly patient and chill.
We headed over to the area I had been eyeing. We housed and it was getting later and started to rain super hard. We were about to head home when we knocked on our last door. So I don't know why it's a japan thing, but usually when the Japanese open the door, they only open it a crack, just enough to talk(usually). They don't just open the door wide open to strangers like Americans do. But when we knocked on this last house, this young mom opened it. We told her who we were and she opened the door wide open enough to see us. Her cute little girl came to the door and started to show us her Barbie’s. We started talking to her about God and who he is and that he loves us. And it was amazing. As we talked, a thought came into my head to ask her, "If you could get any help from God, what would you want?" Once again, that thought came from an outside source so I didn’t fight it, I asked her. Now often the common answer missionaries get is,"uhhh.. i dont know." or "I've never thought about it." But as I asked that, she thought deeply. She simply said, "If I could get any help from God, I would just want to be ... stronger." She told us how that it was just her and her little girl who lived there. All at once I could peak into their situation. No father. Young mom. Bills, money, work. The little girl even said that she was lonely a lot of the time, but she said that she had her Barbie’s as her friends. I just had so much love for this poor mom.
We testified of God's love and the Plan of Salvation. We promised her that that strength is real and God wants to give it. We couldn’t make a new appointment, but I walked away from that door feeling such a sweet spirit. No we didn't make a new investigator, but there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that the spirit guided us to that door. God guided his missionaries to his daughter, even just to deliver a message that she is not forgotten and that she was loved. And that even though things are hard, that he is mindful of her. I'm with President Monson when he says that there are fewer sweeter feelings in this life than to follow a prompting and then to later find out that it was the answer to some souls prayer. That's why I love being a missionary.
Stevenson Shimai