Jubile in Japan

Week 5: Love Actually

This week was a long one to say the least. But I learned so much in such a short amount of time.

First off, we taught a lesson to one of our investigators named Toshii-kyoudai (he is actually our teacher playing an investigator he had). The first lesson this week went really well. We gaged his faith, and he said he believed in Christ and his atonement. He still had a long way to go, but it was nice to see he was progressing. However, the very next lesson he started off with saying, that he had never felt the spirit once since we started teaching. The awkward silence probably went on for 5 minutes or so. We just didn't know what to say. So the lesson continued on rough to say the least. It felt like he wasn't putting in any effort, so we pretty much chastised him, which apparently he didn't like. So afterwards our teacher (who pretends to be Toshii-kyoudai) came up and told us basically that we don't understand Toshii at all. So I went home and cried myself to sleep that night. However, the next day we mogied (role played) and as I was pretending to be Toshii-kyoudai I started feeling his own frustration and that maybe I wasn't trying to understand what he was expecting as far as feeling the spirit. So the next lesson we taught I just told Toshii what a great person he was, and that we could see his desire to want to feel the spirit. At one of our devotionals, someone said something that applied to my week so much it wasn't even funny. They said, "Teach with boldness, but not overbearance. Overbearance is teaching with boldness, but without love." And almost every hour this week that quote was running through my mind. Although, the investigators at the MTC aren't real, the ones in Japan are. So I need to start loving those people right now. With the light of Christ, whose love for all his children is unconditional and everlasting. I don't think I'll ever get to that point, but if I can just let his love flow through me, I think that would be enough. So, yes, I learned a hard lesson, but I feel like I have grown the most this week.

Another thing that happened was that our Sempai (district above us) left. So now we are top dogs. We will be the next ones heading out on a plane to Japan. So that is an exciting though, because I am starting to get a bit stir crazy and I am getting a bit sick of BYU ice cream. But do I still eat ten bowls, yes I do. But this week we were able to go to BYU campus to watch the devotional given by David F. Evans. He was a missionary in Japan, too. Woot! Represent. And we saw one of our teachers in regular clothes and his wife, too. So, that was a bit odd. Sometimes I forget there is a real world beyond the MTC gates. However, it is really nice just being able to focus on the gospel. So, in a way, I am very grateful for the seclusion of the MTC. It helps me focus on my growth towards God, so that I have the tenacity to be able to love the gospel enough that I want to shout it from the rooftops. I am getting excited to go teach the Japanese now that we're on the downhill slope of our MTC central mission (that's the are name of our MTC mission, because now we are starting to be recognized by staff because we have been here so long).

Now for some fun stuff. I don't know what is wrong with our Choro-tachi (our elders), because for some reason they keep stealing things from other buildings and bringing them to our room. Like yesterday after we hosted the new missionaries (this new batch of missionaries I think is the largest group to ever enter the MTC at one time, so that's pretty historic) they brought in some nicer desks from the Tongan building. However, I did sit in one, and if I wasn't so tired from lifting bags of the new sister missionaries, I might've stolen one myself (Just kidding, but am I?). And they also told us a story about how they had a chemical warfare at their residence hall by poking holes in spray deodorant and rolling them into other rooms. To say the least, it didn't work and they mostly just ended up spraying their own rooms. They also threw soda cans at one of our elders while he was in the shower. Sometimes, I wonder if there is caffeine slipped into their drinks or something, because sometimes all I can do is roll my eyes. But I really do love them. We had a moment of bonding this week when we said our first impressions of one another. Oh, they were pretty bad. But then we summed up what we think of each person now in one sentence. And I just wanted to do a big group hug, but it is against the rules so we did a group handshake instead.

Anyways, I love it here at the MTC, can't wait to go and serve in Japan, though! Thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes in my behalf. I love you all and wish you the best this week.

Until we meet again!

Johnson Shimai