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...

Week ??: I Have No Idea What Week But I'm Melting

Hi friends and family! Sorry I've been kinda MIA recently, but what with technology problems and lack of energy, I've been slacking on the whole group email thing recently. I repent. I'm still alive. Barely.

But I'm melting. Basically literally. Sweat has become my entire life. It is so hot here, and it's just getting started.... I walk for like ten minutes and my back is soaked. But I'm getting real tan so I guess that's nice. I have a square tan line on my foot from my Toms. 

Also the typhoon season here is crazy. I thought our windows would break the other night from the thunder. 

There are crabs here. I see huge orange crabs along with freaking HUGE cicadas all the time. Like it's crazy. Amazing. 

I honestly have no idea what to talk about since it's been such a long time. I promise next time's will be better when I have more battery and more organization. 

You know the Lord loves you when a rich old lady gives you cold water bottles from Costco.

Love you all! 愛しています!

Dimmitt Shimai

1. Dinner with some members!

2. All the ladies in our ward!

3. Chilling out crab

4. Henderson Shimai's powerful tan line vs. my baby one

5. Mustaches

6. My fam's the best 

7. Gion Matsuri

Week 20/21: Pufferfish and Caterpillars

"Did she say my skin was the color of daikon?" - Sister Dimmitt

Hi friends and family! These past two weeks have been great and filled with all sorts of fun things!

This last P-day we went to the beach! We didn`t go into the water because we`re not allowed, but it was nice to collect shells and look at the water and whatnot. It was gorgeous and lots of shells and starfish were everywhere! I also found a fugu, which is basically a poisonous pufferfish they make into sushi.

This week we introduced a lot of American things to some of our investigators. On Thursday we did a scavenger hunt with some of them, and then brought snickerdoodles to a couple more. They liked saying the word, "snickerdoodle," a lot.

Interesting things that have happened/eaten: sweet potato mochi flavored chips, $50 chestnut cake, a takoyaki party with lots of moms, played tag with some kids, watched a parade of kabuki (Japanese classical theatre) actors ride away in boats on the canal.

We went to a mall in Fukuoka for P-Day and I had ramen for the first time! Pretty much the best. There`s an entire floor in the mall called Ramen Stadium that is basically all ramen shops. One was a haunted ramen shop Page Shimai wanted to go into, but that junk looked scary as nothing else, so I politely but firmly declined. Everyone is really loud and fun, and the ramen burns your face off because it`s so hot. But I was okay with that.

Funny story: we were out dendouing when we saw a caterpillar lying in the road. Page Shimai wanted to rescue it, so she picked it up and set it on a leaf. A bus drove by, and I felt a warm liquid splat my legs. I looked down to see bright green juice all over my legs. At first I thought that it was leaf junk from the wheels of the bus, but after looking around, I saw caterpillars all over the road...Needless to say that was gross.

Anyways, that`s all for this week! Lots of love!

Aishiteimasu!

Dimmitt Shimai