Week 4: I think (MTC)

So......Elder Russell M. Nelson (of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) came and spoke for devotional!!! So cool. I've never been that close to an apostle. When he walked in the room it was like this wave of spiritualness rushed over the entire room. Since I was in the choir I wasn't on the floor but it's not a gigantic room so everyone was pretty close. Except for the people in the overflow room. There are so many missionaries here there's not room for everyone in the gym. So seriously people are hardcore about devotionals. The line starts like an hour before and as soon as they start letting people in people are running to get seats. Yeah, it's pretty intense. Anyways Sister Nelson spoke for a little bit and she was awesome. She talked about praying to be led to those whose ancestors are praying for me to find their posterity. She said that there are countless numbers of people praying for me to find their posterity. Elder Nelson also said that ancestors are very much on our side and they will help us. A huge theme of all the talks and things since I've been here have been about how this work is not just for those people we meet and see. It's so much more than that because it doesn't just effect those people we teach here on earth. I've been thinking about how many people are in Japan and how little work for the dead has been done there because there are not a lot of members. How many Japanese ancestors are praying and waiting for their family members to be taught the gospel so they can have their work done. I know the Lord is hastening his work, especially in Japan. Just this last week 3 new Japanese districts arrived and this week new nihonjin get here!! There have never been so many missionaries going to Japan and I know the Lord has been preparing their hearts for the message of the gospel.

Our Relief Society speaker on Sunday was Robin Bonham from the relief society general board and she was amazing. She talked about how blessed we are to be a part of the greatest women's organization in the world and how lucky we are to be able to take this message of the restored gospel to the world!

On sunday night our devotional speaker was Mary Ellen Edmunds!! She is so awesome. She's served 4 missions I think and was in the first companionship of sister missionaries in the Philippines.  She's also flippin hilarious. Seriously she is a stand-up comedian on the
weekends I swear. So great. She was talking to us about not letting things bother us that don't really matter. Like she was sharing this experience she had where she met this elder on his mission and asked for his home phone number so she could call and tell his mom how he's doing and stuff. And the mom is like is he losing his hair? Apparently he was really worried about that. And sister Edmunds is like, well you know for the 15 minutes I saw him he was looking pretty good haha. And then she says to us, "Don't worry about losing your hair. There's worse things you could lose than that. Besides the angels have it all
in a sack!" Like, what? Haha I don't know if it's that funny over email but we were busting a gut haha. She also talked about having help from both sides of the veil and treasuring the Book of Mormon because she was in different countries at the times when they didn't have Books of Mormon in that language.

Anyways it's been a super awesome week and I can't believe I'm already half way through my MTC stay! It's so crazy. I've already had some really amazing experiences that I'll never forget. I had an amazing experience at the temple last week that left me with no doubt that this work is so important for those we see and don't see. I'm so grateful to be a part of it!!

Ai Shiteimasu!!
Murray Shimai