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| Goodbye My Beautiful Tokushima |
On Monday we had family home evening...I told the family we
were with about the experiences I had had in Tokushima, and the family and us
cried hahaha. It was heart wrenching...and the Elders were really fighting to
keep their eyes dry. And they were not too successful at that :)
The week was full of saying goodbye to investigators and
members, but it was truly an amazing week. I was able to see how much the Lord
had blessed me in Tokushima. It was neat to be able to talk to people and see
how much we had learned together in the past seven and a half months. I
received a lot of letters that ripped my heart to pieces, but really just left
me feeling so humbled knowing that the Lord has blessed so many lives here. I
left with a feeling of joy and peace knowing that I had done what I was called
to do in Tokushima.
I received one gift leaving Tokushima that just melted my
heart completely. From our two college students (who are being baptized soon!!)
I received a soccer ball that they had written their testimonies on in English
and little thank you notes. It was the sweetest thing ever. They had run to
their college English professor to get his help with translation, but they
essentially wrote: "Thank you. I am so happy that I met you. Because of
you, I know about Jesus Christ." And I just cried a lot about that.
Another moment that melted my heart was saying goodbye to
Chapman Shimai. She pulled me aside and told me that she had seen me all of
those mornings I woke up early to make her learning tools for Japanese...and
that she had cried when I would wake up early because she could see the
sacrifice I was making for her. And basically that just also made my heart
melt. She left me a note in my suitcase and a necklace from Tahiti that I
discovered this morning as I unpacked my bags and it was the sweetest thing
ever.
Tokushima is a special place and it will live on in my heart
forever. A few investigators and a member came to say goodbye to me at the bus
stop and I left Tokushima with some tears in my eyes...after the most
exhausting week of my life (waking up between 3:30 and 5 every morning to make
sure that the Chouro (Elders) and Chapman Shimai knew the 7 and a half months worth of
information stored inside my brain)...and I said goodbye to Tokushima!
So! For the last two days! I have been in Ibaraki! Mills
Shimai is amazing! She helped dear Chapman Shimai in the MTC a whole lot, and I
am forever grateful for that. Training an American who speaks English is 700%
different. My world turned back to normal side up instead of the crazy roller
coaster ride it was at the beginning of last transfer. Ibaraki is amazing, the
members are super sweet and it is so much fun living in an apartment with four
Shimais! I am with Daniels Shimai's trainee, Mackenzie Shimai from New Zealand
and she has the craziest conversion story ever, it is way cool!!!
Anyway....I am excited for the upcoming week in Ibaraki and
learning a new area and all of the new investigators :) It is a great place and
WAYYY more city than Tokushima, which is crazy. I am definitely back in Osaka!!
I love you all!
Love,
Grundvig Shimai
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| Goodbye Tokushima |
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