Monday, January 18, 2016

Week 12 in Nagamine

Hello Everyone!

This week was amazing! I really don't think I have much to say though.
We had some really awesome lessons with our investigators. We were
able to meet with all of our investigators this week and they are all
progressing so well! I can't wait to see what else happens with them!
Me and Sister Parmley are doing so well together! We have so much fun
and we talk a lot! Last night we knocked on a house with 2 old
obaachans (grandmas) and they were so excited and surprised to see us
they asked us to come in and they fed us treats and we talked for a
long time. They were just hilarious old lady's! I loved them so much.
We took a picture together so I will attach it. Also, this doesn't
have to do with me, but some of the elders in the Kumamoto area had
police come and take them to the police station and so they ended up
almost missing church because of it. Haha apparently they thought that
one of the elders had stolen a bike. But I guess the police officer
and the elders became really good friends. The police officer asked
them that if he saw them on the street if he could come say hi and
talk to them haha. Japanese people. Speaking of, we had a guy
following us the other day, and we got a little worried but it just
turned out that he wanted to take our picture. Seriously, I've never
been asked by so many random strangers if they could take a picture
with me.
Today in personal study I came across this quote by Dallin H Oaks in
the institute manual for Romans:
“In the second chapter of Romans, the Apostle Paul teaches that God
will ‘judge the secrets of men’ (Romans 2:16). His judgment will be
‘according to truth’ (Romans 2:2). In describing that judgment, Paul
contrasted the position of those Jews who preached the law and then
did not practice it with Gentiles who did not have the law but whose
actions ‘shew the work of the law written in their hearts’ (Romans
2:15). He concluded his example with this teaching:
“‘For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
“‘But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of
the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not
of men, but of God.’ (Romans 2:28–29.)
“To paraphrase, a person is a true Latter-day Saint if he (or she) is
so inwardly, if his conversion is that of the heart, in the spirit,
whose praise is not from men for outward acts but from God for the
inward desires of his heart.
“… The issue is not what we have done but what we have become. And
what we have become is the result of more than our actions. It is also
the result of our attitudes, our motives, and our desires”

I love the last two paragraphs. It doesn't matter what we have done
but who we have become. Our actions lead us to the person that we are
going to become, so we must choose good works and actions, but the
actions in and of themselves don't mean anything. It is how we change
and who we become because of those actions. If we choose to follow
Gods commandments we will naturally become more like God, if we choose
to be lazy in our actions, we will become lazy. As long as we have a
conversion of heart, and our actions come from real intent, that is
all that matters. We just have to try our hardest and do our best in
order for us to become the person that God wants us to become. God
won't make us become someone we don't want to or care to become. It is
a personal, inward choice. I just love how much trust God gives to us.
Anyway, love you guys!! Hope you have a fantastic week!

Love,
White Shimai



The two obaachans
6 am volleyball

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