Cooling Down!

Hello friends and family! It`s Sister Dimmitt! It`s FINALLY starting to cool down!!! So happy!! 

My week has been going pretty good. I feel like God has been giving me a little bit of humor recently. One day, we were dendoing, and this guy opens the door in nothing but his whitie tighties. I was rather flabbergasted and didn`t know whether to run, tell him to put pants on, or keep dendoing. So I kept dendoing. And then he started to laugh at me! I was mortified, so I just gave him a flyer and booked it.

For P-Day we went to this famous street in Okinawa called Kokusaidouri. Literally International Street. There were all sorts of cool things there, including a interactive flat screen TV that you could fight people on. Way fun. Today we`re going to a castle! 

This week has been crazy busy, fairly normal, but busy. This week I had the opportunity to go on splits with Page Shimai once again! It was weird dendoing with her, but it felt normal at the same time, and was way fun. We found a Korean tteokbokki place, and ate tteokbokki (spicy Korean rice cakes, also known as happiness).  

The ward is great. Everyone is so kind here. There`s like a hundred members. They love the missionaries! We eat with members at least once a week here, which is much more than Maebaru. We also get referrals from them like all the time! 

Now that I`m thinking about it, there actually wasn`t a whole lot that happened. Unfortunately. Gomen ne.

Having the Spirit with me is something that has become part of my every prayer. If I don`t have the Spirit, I can`t teach or do anything, so I humble myself right away, repent, and pray like it`s my last prayer for the Spirit.  My companion has been a little stressed out recently, and yesterday she seemed a little grumpy. I was wondering what I should do, ask her about it, or what. I felt to tell her just that I loved her. So I did, and she softened right away. I haven`t had any large experiences recently, just small things like that that really help.

But this week something I`ve been thinking about has been the tender mercies that God places in our paths. Things really small, like a sweet grandma, or some gorgeous flowers, or seeing the sea, or having really good contacts. The Lord is really aware of us and our own circumstances. The Lord gives us things to get through every day, and when we pray to him for help and strength, we can really get it. I know because being a missionary is one of the hardest things I`ve ever done, but the Lord has been with me every step of the way. 

Anyways,enjoy the pics! Love you all!! 

Dimmitt Shimai 

1. Kokusai Dori 

2. Fight!

3 and 4. Meals with Members! 

5. Tteokbokki with Page Shimai

6. Tacos

Bonus! Interesting Comments from Sister Dimmitt

Occasionally, we get other emails from Emma, especially if we have asked her questions, etc.  I thought some people might find it interesting to read other comments from her.
________________________

(Entry from her current area.)

Okay, so Oroku is a kinda citish area. All the buildings are concrete because of typhoons. It's kinda like Mexico and Hawaii and Japan all mixed together. There are lots of bright colors and flowers everywhere. Also these things called Shisa, also everywhere. The people here are very nice and very tan. Much more relaxed than people in Fukuoka. Also louder with more PDA. Lots of little kids and old people. It's way hot here. Like the humidity is 80% I think in the 90's? I don't know you can check that one. The wind is also crazy strong, which doesn't help biking up all the huge hills here. We live by ourselves in a huge apartment. They grow dragonfruit and bananas and dragonfruit here. My legs are dang sore from biking so much recently. 

The Lord really knows me, and when I need tender mercies. This week was dang hard. Like dang hard. I almost bawled at every hill we saw. But the Lord still loves me, through things like obaachans who take pity on us and give us cold tea to drink, or seeing the ocean, or teaching me lessons even when I don't deserve the extra help

___________________________

(The rest of these entries are from her previous area.)

Anyways, Ill share some highlights. This week we had a basketball activity, and we invited the ward and this rugby team that were friends with right now. It was so fun! About six of our rugby friends came and some other missionaries and ward members and a couple of investigators as well. It was way fun. I thought I would hate basketball, but I actually loved it! I get way crazy on the defense thing. Two of the boys ended up coming to church! They were kinda weirded out, but it was still way good! 

We also saw the investigator who walked the goat. He said that if he were God, he would bomb the earth, because they were all coming back to him anyways. And he bought us both huge tubs of ice cream to eat whenever we came over to his house. That's our investigator. 

_______________________________

This week we were heading home and I was leading. I turned around after a couple of minutes to see my companion not there. I biked back to where we were at and she still wasn`t there, so I called the Assistants to the President. We were separated for about 45 minutes or so before I finally found her again. That was scary. 

As for my abilities, I`m really grateful for the Spirit, because if I was trying to convert people to my church without it, membership would be a negative five. I`m trying to love my mission. 

_______________________________

But something that's been a lot on my mind recently has been diligence. This transfer has been really hard. Not gonna lie. We've not gotten a single investigator this entire transfer, and currently we have one who's not doing so hot. Something I think the Lord has been testing me on is if I really am in this or not. Will I still continue to work hard even if I don't see the blessings? Will I continue to be obedient if I don't  have hope that that can help me or the work in this area? 

I related diligence, as well as faith to meringue. So in order to make meringue, you have to beat egg whites for a gajillion years until it turns into this fluffy foam that looks very much not like egg whites at all. Usually I use an electrical mixer, but because I'm on a mission, there is currently not one avaliable. So if I want to make meringue. I have to do it by hand with a whisk. Which takes five zillion years. And since I'm a weakling it hurts and takes longer. So you have to beat, and beat, and beat. And you feel like your arm will fall off, but you know that these slimy egg whites can turn into fluffy meringue because you've seen it before, and the recipe promises it will happen. And sometimes you have to take breaks because your arm hurts. But eventually, it turns foamier and foamier until you have beautiful stiff peaks of meringue. 

Currently my arm hurts a lot, but because I've been promised by the recipe that I'll see the much desired stiff peaks of meringue, I'm still beating. My arm's gonna be real buff by the end of the mission. 

Thank you to everyone for all your prayers and support. I really appreciate them. Every little prayer counts. I love you all! 

. 

I Biked Two Mountains . . .

Hello friends and family! Yup...yup, this actually happened. Or I tried to bike them at least. But anyways, that story will come up eventually. 

So this week has just been crazy. Like just crazy. This week I woke up with crazy hives all over, and had to go to the dermatologist to get drugs. During that time period we had two earthquakes. They weren't too big, so it was all fine, but it was a really weird feeling to have the sofa you're sitting on shake a little crazily. 

We had interviews with the mission president and zone conference this week as well! We had to take taxis in order to get to the other side of the island, so that was fun. It cost like $60 one way, so if I don't have to, will not be doing that in the future. But both were way fun. I got to play the piano for zone conference! 

So here's when it starts getting way cray. So Friday we had a dinner appointment with a member, and we were coming from another member's house from a lesson. So we first start with going down this crazy steep hill, then we started going up...and up...and up. The hills just kept getting steeper and higher. Eventually my comp and I weren't able to even get up the hills because they were so steep. I looked down and realized that we were at the top of a mountain, and couldn't help but laugh because of how crazy the situation was. That day we had also gone running up hills for morning exercise, so my legs were extra dead by the end of the day.

The next day the exact same thing happened, except for the person we were visiting wasn't there. Basically this is the sorest I've ever been on my mission. I like literally can't use my knees. 

But this week we saw a crazy miracle, all that came from service. The first week we were here, we were out dendouing and saw an old lady who was struggling with her trash, so we helped her, and started to talk to her. We left shortly, and then this week were dendoing near her house, and actually found her apartment! We started to talking, and then had a lesson, and now she's an investigator! All from service!  This is the first investigator I've had in a while, so it was really special. 

Anyways, sorry this was kinda long, but it's been a while! I love you all so much! 

Sister Dimmitt

1. Our beautiful church building

2. Pig face

3. Foot tan!

4. Blue Seal (famous Okinawan ice cream)

5. They don't use four in apartments!

6. So hot that we use wet hankies. 

Really Short Email Cause I'm Hot and I'm Sorry

Hi y'alls! So this will be kinda short! This week we were way hot and had typhoon come in! That was way fun! 

Actually that will probably be it because I'm lame but I promise I'll send more next week because of lack of time! 

I have pics so please be happy with that and don't hate me! ( I know that's what everyone looks at anyway)

Lots of love ! 

Dimmitt Shimai

1. Okinawa Soba!

2. Cool bridge! 

3. Ocean!

4. Banana tree!

5. Happiness is yakitori in a cup 

Transferred to Okinawa!

Hi friends and family! Guess what? I got transferred! I'm currently on the beautiful island of Okinawa!!! 

So you know when I said I was hot before? So I was hot before, but here the humidity is like a whole other level. So it doesn't feel as hot, especially because there is a nice breeze going, but I look down at my arm and I'm sweating buckets!! Craziness! 

But besides the heat and the humidity and humongous bugs, it's gorgeous here. So many beautiful flowers blooming everywhere! The people here are so kind and sweet! There are these things called shisa everywhere. They're like lion dragon things, and they're supposed to protect the entryway of a house. I don't have any pictures of the normal ones, but I have a picture of a huge one! 

And I got a new companion! Her name is Yonei Shimai, and we were in the MTC together!! I love her to pieces, and we happen to be white-washing together!! So for those of you who don't know, white-washing is when you go into an area without any missionaries that have been there before, and basically start from scratch. To make matters better, we are also switching the area from elders to sisters!! It's gonna be a crazy transfer!! 

Also, even better, I got reunited with my trainer! Page Shimai is now my Sister Training Leader!! I'm so happy! 

Anyways, there's not a whole lot else to say, just happy!

愛してます! 

Dimmitt Shimai

Still Wet!

This might continue for a while. The subject line. Cause I'm pretty much soaked all the time. Anyways, hello friends and family! It's Sister Dimmitt! I've been on my mission for six months! I probably already announced that, but woohoo!

So like I legit just emailed because we had a temple p-day and went to the temple Friday, so not too much has occurred in that time span. Today is transfer p-day, so that's why it's been moved to Tuesday. Kinda weird. Still haven't been called yet, so I'm still not quite sure where I'm going or doing or whatevers. 

As far as interesting events, we ate lunch and studied in a laundromat yesterday. #ghettolife

But something that's been a lot on my mind recently has been diligence. This transfer has been really hard. Not gonna lie. We've not gotten a single investigator this entire transfer, and currently we have one who's not doing so hot. Something I think the Lord has been testing me on is if I really am in this or not. Will I still continue to work hard even if I don't see the blessings? Will I continue to be obedient if I don't  have hope that that can help me or the work in this area?

I related diligence, as well as faith to meringue. So in order to make meringue, you have to beat egg whites for a gajillion years until it turns into this fluffy foam that looks very much not like egg whites at all. Usually I use an electrical mixer, but because I'm on a mission, there is currently not one avaliable. So if I want to make meringue. I have to do it by hand with a whisk. Which takes five zillion years. And since I'm a weakling it hurts and takes longer. So you have to beat, and beat, and beat. And you feel like your arm will fall off, but you know that these slimy egg whites can turn into fluffy meringue because you've seen it before, and the recipe promises it will happen. And sometimes you have to take breaks because your arm hurts. But eventually, it turns foamier and foamier until you have beautiful stiff peaks of meringue.

Currently my arm hurts a lot, but because I've been promised by the recipe that I'll see the much desired stiff peaks of meringue, I'm still beating. My arm's gonna be real buff by the end of the mission.

That was a little dramatic, but not much else has happened, so there you have it! I'll attach some happier pictures at the bottom. Thank you to everyone for all your prayers and support. I really appreciate them. Every little prayer counts. I love you all!

愛してます!

Dimmitt Shimai

5. Squad Melon pan ice

4. My comps shoe tan line

3. District

2. Hakata Ramen!

1. Gion Matsuri! 

Six Months out and Just Wet . . .

Hi friends and family! This week hit my six month mark in my mission! Crazy!! 

Well, as you can probably tell from the title, this is how I've been living. Sweat all day everyday. Makeup and food are now special occasion things. Also looking nice, special occasion thing. Also cicadas. everywhere. Most nightmarish looking things ever and they're HUGE. (shudder)

But anyways, this email is kinda late because we're having a temple p-day and going to the temple today! So excited! The temple is right next to the Fukuoka Zoo so we're going there too! This last P-Day we went to Canal City to have ramen and be happy! We met this random American Mormon family from Utah and it was so crazy! They were so sweet!

This week Henderson Shimai was also sick, so we were stuck inside for a little bit. But we still had some coolish things happen! This Sunday Elder Yamashita of the Seventy came with his family. His wife's home ward happens to be Maebaru, where I'm serving. That was way cool!

Our current investigator, the fourteen year old one, is slowly progressing. We were able to at least greet his parents, which was a start from not being able to talk to them at all, so we're hoping that eventually we'll be able to talk to them about him getting baptized! 

This week while we were dendoing we happened to knock on the door of a Vietnamese girl. She couldn't speak much Japanese and no English, so language was real hard, but she invited us in and gave us water. We were there for about a hour or forty five minutes trying to figure out how to talk to her and share the gospel, using pictures, limited Japanese, etc. Then we remembered that there was a senior missionary in our mission who speaks Vietnamese! So we called her up and they talked in Vietnamese for a little while. That was way cool. She ended up not being interested, but we were still able to bear testimony that Christ is our friend and how great that He is. That was neat.

Amongst other things we got ice cream at a conbini, and I had seaweed ice cream while we listened to the Indiana Jones theme in the store. For whatever reason. 

Anyways, thats all for this week! I love you all so much! Thanks for your support! 

愛しています! 

Dimmitt Shimai

1. Once upon a time I wore a yukata...

2. Just a gecko chillin

3. Mormon family in the mall!

4. Seaweed ice cream!

5. Sweet member

6. Only in a Japanese McDonald's...