Week 2 MTC

Okay so there is so much stuff to say I don't even know where to start. First let me tell you about my teacher, Black Sensei. This guy is huge, like buff huge and he has this deep, thug-like voice. He just looks like a football, manly man. He served his mission in Japan, is majoring in Japanese, has the "one ring" from Lord of the Rings for his wedding ring, and is going to a Magic conference thing with two of his friends. Ya Magic is that card game that the weird kids always played at lunch in High School. It's so funny, he does not match his appearance at all.

So we actually have two sensei's now. Black sensei and Powell sensei (who was actually are first investigator) We have the two best Japanese teachers ever. Seriously everyone is jealous of us haha. Black sensei subbed for a Japanese district who has been here longer than us and he said we're already at their level or beyond.

So I'm pretty positive that all the weight people gain on their missions is from the MTC. Seriously I swear we are always eating! And then we sit in a classroom all day. At first we were all like oh don't worry about it we'll lose any weight gain in Japan because we'll be riding bikes and eating seafood. And then Black sensei shattered our dreams. He said that in Japan the sisters were usually the ones to gain weight and the elders lost it. So if I come home looking a little different just act normal haha.

Every couple weeks there is a group of Nihonji missionaries who come. They are Japanese missionaries who come from Japan, are here for two weeks and then go back to Japan to serve their mission. They're only here for a short time obviously because they already know Japanese. But they are so cute. They are always smiling and we try to say things to them and they giggle to each other and it's fun. Anyways the group that got here with us is leaving this week and on Sunday they song the most beautiful song ever. They sounded like a choir. The words in english I think are "I'll find you again, my friend". I guess it's pretty popular in Japan. But it was so beautiful and I didn't even understand most of it. I've gained such a strong testimony that the gospel is true no matter what part of the world you're from because the spirit is the same. I feel the spirit everytime a Nihonji bares their testimony. They have the strongest testimonies of anyone I've ever heard and they don't take the gospel for granted at all. We are learning everyday that the Lord is hastening his work in Japan and people are prepared for the gospel there. On sunday they organized a third Japanese Branch here!! That's so amazing! There has never been so many missionaries going to Japan at once. We had a meeting last night with all the sisters going to Japan and the two sisters who were conducting it said that when they served their missions there was maybe 6 or so sisters ever going to Japan at once and last night there must have been 30 sisters in that room. I feel so blessed to be part of such a historic time in missionary work. Also speaking of historic, the percentage of sisters at the MTC just past the Elders with 51%. Isn't that amazing? One of the speakers at mission conference on sunday said he'd never seen so many colors at the MTC before haha.

So since we've been here my shimai tachi (sister's) and I have sort of been like grossed out by a lot of the food. Seriously you look at something and think, hm that looks pretty darn good. no. The wraps are the food of choice haha. But anyways so we're always talking about how we feel like we're always eating and never satisfied because the food isn't that great and then on sunday which was fast sunday, we're all like what they don't even open the cafeteria so you have a choice to fast or not? How am I going to last from 6 in the morning until 5 without food? Haha I guess there's no pleasing us. But you know you've been here for a little while when you start saying things like, you know this meal isn't half bad, or this is pretty good. The most common response to how is it though is, well, it's not gross. haha.

Oh my gosh, so on sunday nights they play movies or conference talks and stuff like that. So this week they played Legacy and we all decided to stay and watch it. You would have thought we were watching the years best comedy. I mean we were in the big gym where devotionals are and the entire room was cracking up at that movie. I love the MTC. Everyone is so cheesy and it's great.

This week we started teaching our second investigator (who is now Black sensei) and there are no notes allowed and it has to be all in Japanese. So Baker and I are like okay we need to memorize the things we're going to say. So we get down what we're going to say and in what order. The only problem is when the investigator responds and you don't get it or they say something that doesn't quite fit in with what you had planned to say. So we're giving our lesson and he says something( which we later found out was that he doesn't know if God exists or why it matters) but we didn't know what to do so we just went on with our lesson in which we were saying God has a plan for us and we learn that plan through prophets and scriptures, etc. And at the end we asked him if he'd read the scriptures and pray. He was pretty confused. Why would he pray or know who to pray to if he doesn't even know if God exists? Probably the biggest thing we're learning is that we're not teaching lessons, we're teaching individuals. I'm learning that relying on the spirit is crucial to knowing what to teach because every person is unique and needs the message of the gospel to be tailored to them. I love all that I'm learning and I know that I have been called by God to serve the people of the Japan Sapporo mission and that there are people being prepared for me teach. 

Love

Murray Shimai

P.S. Oh I forgot to mention the funny thing about my senseis. So there's Black sensei who has thighs as big as my waist and squats 600 lbs and then there's Powell sensei who is skinnier than kyle. ya it's pretty funny. Also Powell sensei is from an island by seattle that i can't think of the name of right now. Seriously i have lost my mind. Our tiny dungeon classroom makes us all slap happy. Anyways i was just thinking about that and thought it's pretty funny.