June 24, 2011

Natalie's Letter

´' Where we´ve been doesnt matter as much as where we are going´´

 

Well it has been yet another week...crazy to think about but true. this means that i have eight more weeks...i know its going to fly by way too fast! Our Sempai or older group of missionaries that are here got there travel plans and are leaving in a week...really sad to think about because i have grown so fond of them. Im trying to think of things that have happened this week but I really cant think of anything special. All the days start to blend together and it seems like what was only yesterday was a week ago. I guess I could tell you the things i look forward to the most in my week... Good to report that while i used to not look forward to the time in class where we learn a little japanese, i am now looking forward to that. my companion and i have been trying to speak more and more japanese and i am finding that i can understand a lot. but still struggle when i have to say something back. I love wednesdays when all the new missionaries come in. Last wednesday we got 500 new missionaries. so great! included in that was a really good friend from byu who I thought had already left but then when i saw him in the cafeteria it was great! i love seeing people i know come in! I love temple day. Going there and being in the house of god is amazing! I love it! This week has been pretty special because all the new mission presidents are here this week. Which also means that the prophet and all the twelve apostles have been here and tonight we have a special fireside and rumor has it that its going to be Elder Holland speaking to us! I love the weekly devotionals. Getting uplifted by their messages. I love the MTC and the work that I am doing. It feels though like I am just at a really long camp where I am learning japanese and that ill go home at the end of august. Its gonna be weird when I actually go to Japan instead. So excited though! I am doing well and in high spirts! Please continue to send letter and dear elders. They really help espcially knowing that I have not been forgotten ;) I know what i am doing is the right thing and I thank God for this opportunity everyday.

 

loves

Stevenson Shimai

 

 

Riley's Letter

I just emailed cobb back after she filled me in on the jimmer draft update. i told her i can learn to be a kings fan. the mtc is still way awesome, we still work way hard everyday and we are still super tired everyday. the lifestyle is rigorous but i wouldnt have it any other way. today we will have a devotional from two of the apostles (names tba) but i am way excited for that. they are all here at the mtc because of the new mission presidents thing. i havent seen any of them yet but its still way cool. so my friend, jack armstrong, who was and is like my best friend from hawaii, entered into the mtc on wednesday, i thought he was going to come in on the 29th and i had already started the countdown like two weeks ago. so i was in the caf on wednesday and it was way busy becasue of all the new missionaries and i was looking around i was like hey i hope i know some of these noobs that would be way cool. and then i saw jack ahead of me in line and i totally freaked out. i gave him a huge hug and it was like the most excited i have ever been. so i got to have dinner with him. it was so awesome. i love that guy. i was so excited. so that was definitely a highlight of the week. my companion and i sang in the choir for devotional on tuesday so that was way cool. the lesson me and my companion taught last saturday went really well, it was way fun. we teach the plan of salvation tomorrow so we will see how that goes. i really like teaching. our sempai, or senior japanese missionaries, the missionaries who have been here six weeks longer then us leave a week from monday. so that is way sweet. i really like all the japanese missionaries, i am good friends with a lot of them. its crazy that they leave so soon and then we will be the sempai and will get more japanese misionaries. (japanese missionaries only come in every six weeks). my other really good friend, kaz, who is going to sendai comes in the mtc on the 24th of august so i will miss him by a week so i am really bummed about that.

but, the life of a missionary is so awesome. it is really rigorous but its all good. the other day my abs were sore from laughing so much and so hard with my district. they are all way funny guys. i love eating apples. i probably have two if not three a day, they are way good. let me know if it is bad to be eating so many apples. the food here is good but it tastes a lot better going in then it does coming out for sure. i dont know if i will have time to write her this week but grandma jo and heidi sent us way good cookies. they were much appreciated so tell her thank you for me and i will write them as soon i can. and tell grandma garner that her package was much appreciated too. my companion and i enjoyed the idaho spuds. my companion, elder de la mare, says thank you for all to of the goodies too. we get along really well. i really like our teachers too. they are super nice and really good teachers. i think teaching at the mtc would be the best job. this morning we went to the temple today so that was really nice. unfortunately they are closing it starting july and it will be closed like the whole month, so i am really bummed about that. i love going to the temple. and i love just getting out from the mtc any time i can. as much as i like the mtc it is feel really good to get out in the real world once again. time goes by really fast here. in a week we will be the sempai japanese missionaries and it feels like we just got here. its pretty crazy. as exciting as it will be to leave, and as badly as i want to go to japan some days, it almost seems like it is going too fast, in the sense that we have so much to learn. but it will definitely be way exciting when the time comes too leave here. but thats not for a while, so i dont have to think about it now. its all about prespective. any one can get down on themselves if they try. the key is too really make an effort to fight off those thoughts, make an effort to have the right perspective and enjoy the moment and then everything will be good. the spirit is so strong here. there are so many people who love us, pray for us and only want the best for us. it is really comforting. i love you guys so much. you guys are the best. i hope everything is going well. until next time, im singing off. let me know whats going on with u gusy and the ward and everything.

Love Elder Stevenson

The District

"Us and our companions"

"Me and Elder Beazer trying to dance like another elder"

"It happened! I finally got my badge! Happy day :)"

"Me & Watanabe Shimai-my companion"

June 17, 2011

Natalie's Letter 

"To love another person, is to see the face of God"

It's crazy to think that only one week has pasted since last time I wrote. Time somehow seems to go really slow but insanely fast at the same time. I find myself thinking in the morning that the day will never end yet somehow come the end of the day I haven't even done everything I had wanted to do.

This week has really been a roller coaster of experiences. My first emotional break down occured on Saturday...i did pretty good, almost two weeks in and this was my first. But it was interesting why it occured. Every Saturday we go to the Teaching Resource Center where we practice teaching lessons and contacting people. That means the first half in Japanese and then we were able to teacht the lesson in English. Volunteers come into help be the ïnvestigators" and they are usually  members of the church. However, this time my companion and I ended up with a girl who was not a member and was from Tawain and spoke better Japanese than English. Little to say, we were kinda nervous that our first time teaching the gosple was actaully a real scenario and not a member of the Church. We prayed that everything would work out as our Elders made fun of us cause we kept repeating, "she's a nonmember and doesn't speak very much English". So in we went, apologized for our awful Japanese and started our lesson. We knew it was gonna be hard when she didn't know what a prophet was or what agency was or some of the basic terms that we automatically thought she would understand. Diashippai  on our part. We knew she wasn't so much interested in what we had to say because from the very beginning when we asked her what she expected to get out of our meeting she said she was just there to help. So it was kinda like talking to a brick wall that just shook her head occasionally. When we got to the Joseph Smith part of the lesson, it was my turn to bear my testimony of this event and being the Spirit weeper that I am, started crying. I felt the Spirit so strong in what I was saying. I told her about how important it is to pray to God to establish a relationship with Him and to allow Him to work in your life and when I asked her if she would pray she said, "maybe, probably not." and that broke my heart. We closed the lesson and went back to class. Our teacher gave us some feedback and all I felt like doing was crying. Why? I didn't know right then. She kept telling us that it went fine and that we did our best. I finally lost it completely and probably cried the hardest I have ever cried. And then it hit me why I was crying. I didn't realize it then but the minute I walked into that room, I loved that girl and I saw her the way God sees all of His children and my heart ached for her. I wanted so badly for her to see that we weren't just pretending and saying these things cause we were told to but that we meant what we said and that the gospel could make her life so much better than it already was. My teacher shared a scripture with me found in 2 Nephi 33:34. (look it up) lt pretty much said that even the prophets cry for the people and how they reject the truth. I experienced how hard this mission was actually going to be. I didn't even know this girl yet I loved her so much and wanted the world for her and it broke my heart knowing that she did not see the value in what I was teaching her. I knew from that moment that I was going to have no problem loving the people of Japan. And I knew that so much heart break was in my future.

The rest for the week went fine and on Tuesday has Rosemary Wixom of the General Primary Presidency come and speak to us. Her message was wonderful and something I pulled out of it was that we as missionaries are not teaching new information to these people. We are just helping them remember what they already knew in Heaven. People know this gospel already, our job is to just open that spot in their heart up where they have stored that information.

One thing about the MTC that I find to be quite entertaining that I am discovering happens is that emotions and change of attitude came change frequently. For example, take this moment in my life that happened yesterday. I was sitting in class and we were talking about having the Spirit with you and having him direct your paths in all things and having him tell you what to say and do. My companion and I were getting really discouraged because in class we do Mogi’s (or pretend teaching) where we will teach our companion something  and then they teach it back. After wards we are suppose to follow up  by answering these questions: Did my investigator (my companion) feel the Spirit? Did I follow the Spirit while teaching? And yeah I feel the Spirit I’m at the MTC but I have never felt like I had the Spirit telling me what to say or what scripture to read. And I was frustrated and didn’t know how to fix that. I wanted to go home. This was too hard and I was done being a missionary. How could I take this glorious message that I love so much and convince people to believe it and come to know of it’s certainty. Too hard. I was done. Packing my bags and coming home. Fast forward 20 minutes. I found myself looking out the window watching the world carry on and thought, “There is no other place I would rather be right now.” Constantly I am over-comed with thoughts and emotions of how amazing a mission is. And how I wouldn’t want to be any place else. How lucky am I that I get to tell people about Christ and His gospel and how it will so benefit their lives. I love my work! I am so glad I was called on a mission and pray that everyone who does have the opportunity takes it and runs with it. I am constantly telling my companion how I wish everyone could be in my shoes right now.

To answer your question about if I finally resolved my concerns and frustrations about having the Spirit with me and having it work through me, the answer it yes. I got it later that night. We were sitting in class talking about this same thing again. I was starting to get discouraged again thinking that this was impossible and that I would never happen. Then we watched a movie clip from a talk Elder David Bednard gave at a MTC fireside. It went like this: If you are worried about not always having the Spirit with you or having it in the moment when you need it to be there I tell you, Quit worrying about it. It will be there when you need it. I promise you in the name of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ that your steps will be guided. Your mouth will be opened and in most instances you will have no idea why or how you got there. Sometimes you have no idea why you do somethings. The Lord does. You may not even know when you are having  those Spiritual impressions.” Bam. It hit me pretty hard. And then our teacher asked us this question: “what does it mean to recognize and follow the Spirit through your teaching?” and just as if someone was giving me the answer the words came to me “it means being a missionary and everything that that entails. I means doing what is right and what you are suppose to do.” Answers to my concerns. If I am being who I was called to be and doing everything I can, the Lord will provide and I will have the Spirit when I need it the most. It’s funny  because then we had to Mogi again and this time I found myself telling my investigator the exact things that I needed to hear. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

I have said too much but my heart is full of gratitude and humility for this wondrous thing I have been blessed with. It’s humbling to know that God trusted me enough to send me in His place. What a great calling I have. I know that God is the Almighty Creator. I know that He is mindful and aware of His children. He loves them and will not lead them astray. He has lifted me in my weakest moments. God will not leave us alone but will let us struggle in our trials so we can learn for ourselves. He is wanting to bless His children but will not do so until we let Him in. I am continually reminded of His mercy in my life and how much He has blessed me. I love Him and am so blessed to be one of His chosen servants to help spread this gospel to all parts of the earth.  I found myself lying in bed one night thinking about the day I would be released and I started to cry knowing that there would be a day that I could no longer wake up and put on my black name badge that bears the name of the Savior. How I love and cherish that badge. I already know that it is going to be one of the saddest days of my life and I will cry harder when the missionary mantle is taken off of me than when it was placed on me. I am moved thinking of what I am taking part of and thank God everyday for this opportunity. I love where I am and what I am doing. Go forward with faith and press onward.

Ai- Stevenson Shimai

Riley's Letter

"Bubba Gump Shrimp Comp' ny"

I had a way good week. The MTC is so awesome, i love being a missionary. i love how that we can take so much time to just study and learn the gospel. i get so much out of it. last saturday my companion and i taught our first lesson at the trc. it was good. it was really fun, i really like teaching. we did really well together, it was fun. we teach again next tomorrow so that should be interesting. but i love learning the gospel and i love teaching it. teaching is such an art form that i cant wait to master. we went to the temple this morning so that was really good. it is cool having natalie in there becasue we always talk to each other in the celestial room. its cool because we used to do that with you guys and now its just us. natalie always gets emotional in the room because she says how much it makes her miss you guys. i guess i agree to but honestly the only thing that i really miss is hawaii, sorry guys. but i am doing well, i love seeing the hawaii guys here. i love that place and it miss it a ton. but i realized that i am not going to be on a mission forever so i need to take advantage of every moment, live in the moment, and just be positive and learn. because hawaii has made me realize that everything is better in 20/20. like there were days in hawaii where i wish i was home but now looking back i would love to re-live hawaii again. so its the same thing with being on a mission. there are times when it is tough but i know that i will look back and my mission and want to re live every moment of that, so i know that making the most of every moment will be the best in the long run and in the short run. i also realized that although there are struggles and thats what makes you learn and grow as a missionary, i realized that you do not have to be saddened by those struggles. as a missionary you have every reason to be happy so no matter what i am going to choose to be happy all day every day. i figure thats the best mindset. learning how to be happy thorugh your struggles will make you a way better missionary and person. its all about perspective. of course you are going to get discouraged if you dwell on the hard times and that we still have two years to go but if you look for the small victories, making it thorugh just one day at a time then everything will be alright. i also realized from the firseide on tuesday that we are never a lone. we will always have christ with us at all times. so that message brings comfort. i have learned how powerful this message is. between the knowledge of the book of mormon, the restoration, god's love for us and the atonement, all that has enough power to change anyones life and give any one hope. i am really excited to go out and share that message with the people of japan. and it doesnt matter that my language will not be very good for a long time because the language is not what teaches people. you will not be able to reach someones heart with your fluency level. it is all about the spirit. so yes, i am and i will continue to try my very best to learn the language but i will not stress over it becasue i need to focus on always having the spirit to be with me because that is the real teacher. i need to be able to teach with the spirit. my comp and i were talking about how much we have already learned and we have only been here for life two weeks, so we are excited to see how much we will learn by the time we leave here. life is good at the mtc.

June 10, 2011

Natalie's Letter

"No one knows how much you know until they know how much you care."

 

Konnichiwa kazoku to tomodachi!

 

I have officially completed my first week and a half of the MTC. Has it felt like I have been here for forever...yes! The first few days seemed to drag on a really long time and I felt like I had way too much time on my hands. Five days later and I'm wishing I had more time! There just never seems to be enough time to study my scriptures, write in my journal and then learn Japanese! Speaking of Japanese....how is it...hard. But the other day at lunch we sat near some Sisters who were going to Armenia and saw what they were learning and were very grateful that I was only learning Japanese. I can already pray, bear my testimony, contact someone and extend the baptismal challenge. But still don't know how to do anything else. It's hard. I have already hit many walls where I just wanna cry and do cry but then I think Natalie, God called you to Japan for a reason so buck up and realize that you are learning a brand new language and yeah it's gonna take a long time to get. You've only been here a week and some so understand that you are doing great. It's hard though. But hey, next time you all see me I'll be able to speak it :)

 

For those of you who have no idea what the life of a missionary is like let me tell you...you're on quite a schedule. You get up and 6:30 everyday (but me and my doryo (companion) feel the need to get up at 6 to go to a workout class they have so we do not put on the missionary 15. After that you have 30 minutes to get ready (i have never gotten ready so quickly in my life!) and then head to breakfast at 7:10. After that the day varies but contains two class periods last three hours each where we learn basic Japanes stuff and how to actually do my job as a missionary cause come on a bunch of 19 year old boys and a smattering a girl really have no idea what to actually do...actually that's a lie. We totally know what we're doing. Then at some point we have 50 mins of gym time where we like to go play baseball. Then meal times are at 11:40 for lunch and 4:40 for dinner (umm...who eats dinner at 4:40...its a struggle to be hungry by then) More studying and and hour and a half for language study (yes, I am practically teaching myself this language.) Then light out at 10:30. And let me tell you I have never been so tired and more excited to go to be at 10:30 than ever before!

 

In the MTC we are divided up by what they call districts and yes, Riley or rather Stevenson Choro and I are in the same district. It's pretty fun though cause it helps me not miss home as much cause I have home right there with me but it is a struggle not to call him Riley...I've slipped many a times. My district included 8 Elders and me and my companion. Half of which already know Japanese including my companion...Talk about intimadating. Out of all the missionaries going to Japan (there are around 60 total) there are only three Shimai's (me, my companion and another Sister who has been here longer) So that makes me feel pretty special when I think that I am one of three Sisters going to Japan. Maybe puts a little more pressure on. I love the people I am around and they are all starting to become my good friends and it's funny to think that they are all my brothers age...weird. My companion is great. She's from Provo and is half Japanese and really helps me out. We have fun together. It's fun to see people you know here although I am continually looking for those boys my age who are all just starting to come home. But it's nice when you run into Elder Bell and his companion and girls I've known from past school years.

 

The MTC is really an amazing place. I love it. It really has a special spirit here. I hope that everyone (bubs this means you) that can serve a mission does becasuse just to get to the MTC is great! I am really blessed even though sometimes the Japanese gets to me. Really jealous of those English speaking missionaries and even the Spanish one cause all the Spanish I have ever taken is coming back to me! Fail! Please continue to pray for me in everything! I really need them! Also write me! I would really enjoy the encouragement!

 

I love you all and want you to know that I am so happy with this decision I have made. I can already see the blessing it will bring me!

 

Mattne!

Stevenson Shimai

 

 

June 10, 2011

Riley's Letter 

Aloha,

So the MTC is way sweet. This week was awesome. Its really a ton of fun. The Japanese is picking up, i am starting to get the hang of it so its pretty exciting and way crazy at the same time. My district is super fun. The guys are way funny. I would for sure be friends with most all of them outside the MTC. My companion is super cool to, we work really well together. The days are long but it is way good. WE had a way good firside both on sunday and tuesday. THe spirit is so strong here. I realized that the lord did not call me to japan based on my ability to speak japanese. the lord knows that i can and i will eventually be able to learn the language but thats just a side note with being a missionary. It is all about teaching with the spirit and strengthening your own testimony. I love how we have so much time here to just study and read the scriptures. it is so awesome. i love it. i realized that someone in fukuoka needs ME, they need MY story and with the spirit by my side i will bring something to that someone in japan that no one else can, just me. THat is motivation for me to study hard and to be diligent and to not get discouraged when learning the language, cuz i realized that being on a mission is not about me anymore. My whole life,everything has been about me but these next two years will be about the lord and the people who are ready to here the gospel. so yes at times it is hard and not fun but that doesnt matter becasue i just have to suck it and realize that its not about me. I am also way excited to start teaching. we have our first investigator on saturday so we are way excited about that. My companion, ELder De La Mare is a way hard worker and we teach really well together but it will be a learning experience for sure. i am excited, i want to get out teach people all day, i want the expierence that will make me an effective teacher. i learned that without the spirit we are nothing. so i pray really hard all day everyday to have the spirit with me in whatever i do because it is the difference maker. like my japanese and myself will not be the teacher in japan, it will be the spirit. i need it so badly, and i love becasue as missionaries we live so that we can have everyday. it is really cool.

anyways, life is good. the japanese is still hard, but thats okay, i am trying way hard and i really like my teachers. i love it here, i cant believe that i am a missionary. it is such an honor. the only thing that i miss, is BYU-H. i dont know why but i super miss it. its not like a homesick distracting feeling tho. like i love it when i see hawaii guys here. just something about having that connection makes it way special. jack, my way good friend comes in two weeks so i am super excited cuz i love that guy. i've seen cambell quite a bit so that is good and collinsworth is cool. oh and i have to tell you that i have a new passion. after i dominated basketball we decided to move outside for gym and i have been playing soccer like everyday. it is so much fun. my debut i dished out four assists, had an off day the next and then i scored my first career goal the other day. i was so pumped. i love going out on the field for gym so that is way nice to be out in  the real world. we also went to the temple this morning so that was way nice. i really like the provo temple. and it is cool having natalie around.

so love you all, thats about it. i love it here and cant wait to progress and be the missionary that the lord wants me to be. whats going on with you fools. my pday is friday so i can email every week. love you all, you guys are the best. thanks for raising me the way you did. i would still like it if you could send me those adresses. and i think i need another pday/ exercise shirt, i dont have too many of those.

thanks, love you,

Elder Stevenson

The Missionaries

Sister Natalie Stevenson

Elder Riley Garner Stevenson

                                           "Happily" preparing missionary wardrobe. 

                                      You've got to be kidding!

                                          Off to the barber.

                                          Farewell Sunday.

                                                  A 5:00 am goodbye.

                                           Leaving Aunt Mary's house for the MTC.

                                          

                                          Final goodbyes...

                                           Natalie & Mom
                                                   -No more phone calls

                                                    The Missionaries.