Nine Times

Hello!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope you all fun plans for the weekend. That you're safe and your day is full of thanks!  I'm so thankful for all of you and all you do. Even the people I haven't met like McKenzie and Brenton. I love you guys too!  I'm so thankful I'm here is Japan at this time as a missionary.  I'm thankful for my Savior and His Infinite Atonement.  I'm thankful for my Loving Heavenly Father.  I'm thankful for ponderizing scriptures ;)

Especially this week's

D&C 123:17
"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed".
 


Got some marshmallows from the ward, so naturally we roasted them in
the toaster oven with chopsticks :)

My theme this transfer is Diligence. I've learned so much about diligence these past couple weeks. It's been so nice to study staying diligent to the end considering certain things. This morning I looked
up how many times diligence is listed in Preach My Gospel. It's in nine of the thirteen chapters of PMG. It's in chapter six 20 times. I think it was trying to tell me diligence is really important. One thing I've really learned is diligence isn't running all over the place checking things off of a check list. It's not working until you kill yourself. It's like this scripture says doing all things that lie in OUR POWER. Not things beyond that and nothing less than that. It's doing everything you can everyday and then when you lie down at night and pray telling Heavenly Father I did all I could today I know you will fill in the rest. Then watching his work come forth. And of course doing all of that with a cheerful heart because life is supposed to be enjoyed not just endured :)

This has been such a fun week! I got to go on splits with Sister Lafaele. She's from New Zealand. I asked her so many silly questions about it and she just laughed at me. I know nothing of the world. But we taught Kisaka San about prayer and she prayed for us! It was so special!! The spirit was so strong. When I told her God loves her the look on her face was so special! Then we finally saw Ozawa San!! I almost cried when her voice came over the air phone. Unfortunately we had to drop her baptismal date. And her. She wants to be an eternal family. She loves her family more than anything but she's not ready to take the steps to get there right now. It was really sad. But I got to tell her the story of the day Murata Shimai and I found her. We both giggled as we talked about what we were doing and how big of a miracle it was. In the end we bore our testimonies of the love Heavenly Father has for her. How he will always be there waiting for her. And so will we. It was sad but I have a lot of peace. I know Heavenly Father has a plan for her and that someday she'll be in the temple again kneeling with Hirotaka Kun and Daiichi Kun to be sealed forever.

The other day when I was one splits me and Lafaele Shimai and I decided to get ice cream. Of course. And everytime I go I try and get a different flavor. This time was cheese. I was so excited thinking yes cheese cake. I love cheese cake. Do you remember the cheese cracker we used to eat in our lunch boxes? Yeah it tasted like that.  Go Japan and it's ice cream flavors. I laughed the whole time I was eating it.

I love you all!

Count your many blessings this week!
Sister Zollinger

Odori Zone!

Kuta Shimai and I accidentally matched! MTC comp unity

These cute members made lunch for us today...

then didn't eat it with us.
 But I was so good and a nice district lunch.

 

10 Miracles

Meet Oka Shimai! My new friend from Riverton Utah! She went to school
with my trainer kempy! :) 

 

 

1. Getting rid of lice. It took six weeks but we did it!

 

2. Going to the temple. Walking in the Lord's House has a different meaning as a missionary.

 

3. Finding a new investigator. It took a few 100 people,and some awkward readjusting to finding after about 6 weeks of not doing it but practice makes perfect right! 

 

4. Free bread. Walked past the bread shop around closing time and the owner said if you buy one thing will give you the rest! 

 

5. Clean apartment. Officially clean since all the lice moved in. 

 

6. Meeting Moeka Chan and the surprise team-up thanks to Tsuchiya Shimai.

 

7. A warm apartment. We figured out how to turn on the heater in the apartment! #success! 

 

8. Emergency Transfers. If you all knew how perfect all the timing was in that. Heavenly Father's hands are in the folds of our lives. Oka Shimai is a blast! Seriously so excited for the rest of this transfer. 

 

9. Being companions with Hackett Shimai for two extra weeks! My bean is all grown up and out on her own now but I know she's going to be great. 

 

10. I'm a missionary in the Japan Sapporo Mission. Thankful for this everyday! 

I love you all! 

2 Timothy 1:7 

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Never be afraid

Sister Zollinger 

Found some weird glasses. Never felt like I belong in the 80's so much before now.

Transfers, temple, lice, the works

Hello! 

I hope you're all staying warm where ever you are. Unless you're someplace warm. Then yes, stay warm. So sorry for not emailing on Monday and for not giving a heads up that I wouldn't be emailing until today. Please forgive me. 😁
 
Ponderizing this week so far has been great! Last Saturday Tsuchiya Shimai took us and out investigator Hosokawa San (the one that showed up randomly at church) to lunch. It was amazing! It was an organic store so I thought it was going to be weird stuff cows eat. But it was sooo yummy! I want to go there everyday. Then we taught her about the plan of salvation. She was telling us how when her son was little he talked about them being in heaven together and that he was looking for her. Cutest thing I've ever heard! Then after lunch Tsuchiya Shimai was like I want to go see Ozawa San again let's go and drove us there.
 
Unfortunately she wasn't home. Then on the way back to our apartment I was thinking about what to talk about and I though hey I always enjoy a new ponderizing scripture. So I
asked her what her favorite was. I told her that I was doing the challenge from conference and she had no idea what I was talking about. So I showed her the talk and got all excited and said she was going to read it! Then she came literally running up to me on Sunday and shoved a scripture in my face and yelled 「これ」(this) it's my scripture. She said she challenged herself to do it every week until we meet in Japan again.. ❤️ She's my favorite person in the world.
 
Anyways this weeks ponderizing scripture is Jacob 7:23
"And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again among the people; and they searched the scriptures, and hearkened no more to the words of this wicked man".
There are so many opposing voices in our life. People and things telling us we're not good enough, that we aren't smart enough, pretty enough. That we'll never become better. When we stop listening to those voices all that will be left is peace and the love of God. Then, we will SEARCH the scriptures to find more. Isn't that beautiful? Loved that on Monday.
 
Other than that, WE HAVE NO MORE LICE!!!!! I almost cried. Because we are all clear we had to clean our apartment again. Including all of our clothes, the futons, everything. So on Monday we didn't leave our apartment but of five minutes to run next door and buy more laundry soap. Daily planning Monday night was so excited. We were like yes finally 6 weeks later and we have a full day of dendo!  

So we went to Zone Training Meeting, did the special musical number, I gave a workshop it was great. Then we got a call from the assistants.  Hackett Shimai is getting transferred to Muroran today. So we spent the whole day packing and frantically trying to clean all our clothes because the Arrington's came to pick up her suitcases at 6:00 last night. It was insane. Right now we're are on the way to the temple for our "p-day" and then getting in the car and driving to Muroran to trade companions.

Zollinger Shimai and Hackett Shimai

 
I'm not going to lie I'm kinda sad she's leaving. And even more sad that she couldn't say goodbye to anyone. It has been so fun. We have seen so many miracles together. And literally been though so much.  Heavenly Fathers hands have been in the folds of this whole experience. From becoming companions, getting hit by cars, getting lost, getting lice, closing the area, becoming Sister Training Leader, setting a baptismal date, seeing everyone progress. Everything is because of Heavenly Father's love for us. I'm so thankful.
 
I love you all so Much!

Sister Zollinger

Trainer Gone Breaker

Happy Halloween! 🕸🎃👻
 
I hope you all have a fabulous day and eat lots of candy! We had a party here in Kotoni and a member made these super legit costumes for me and Sister Hackett! I was Olaf :) Seriously one of the funniest costumes I've ever had!

This weeks Scripture is 3 Nephi 16:18
"Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion".
 
I seriously love this a lot! Yesterday in church it was the primary program. They were amazing like always! For the closing hymn we sang "families can be together forever". So here I was minding my own business singing my heart out when I looked up and saw the young Okawa Shimais face as she looked at her one year old daughter run around.  Then up at the Nishidas sharing their hymn book while there 5 year old son sings his lungs out. Then up at Bishop his face glowing as he looked across the ward. Then it hit me like a wave. Steams of emotion ran over me. Mom said a while ago that she was excited to meet my Japanese family. This is my family. I want to be with them forever.  That's why I love this scripture so much. When Christ comes there will be no separation between us. No race or class. We will all see eye to eye. We will all be Zion.
 
This week we weren't able to meet with Ozawa San which was really hard. We are hoping to see her this week and continue to help her progress toward her baptismal date. On the other hand Kisaka San is really progressing! We saw her two times last week and both were really powerful lessons. Hackett Shimai and I worked together so well and we really were able to follow the spirit in a way that helped Kisaka San. Kisaka San recognized the spirit and started pin pointing times in her life when she's felt it before. It was so cool! She's coming to Nakatsuka's FHE at Honbu tonight and we are thinking about bringing up baptism! She's seriously the cutest lady in the world. She giggles at everything. Makes me laugh every time. She also really wants me to sing Ave Maria. Hardest song in the world, wish me luck.
 
Another funny for your day. Hackett Shimai and I stayed! Now we're just hoping she's by

We stayed!  So celebrate with ice cream!

companion for my last transfer too so I can stay I trained her, broke her, and the she kills me. So fun! The missionary couple came yesterday and said "if you want to stay together you know what you gotta do?" Then he tapped his head and said, "don't get rid of it". First time I was thankful for lice.
 
We have had to buy so much cleaning supplies and shampoos and things for lice and it's the end of the month so we have no money. Last weeks shopping was so sad and we only got the bear minimum. But then all of the things we wanted but didn't get were given to us over the week. It was sooo special. The tender mercies of the Lord are endless.
 
I love you all!

Sister Zollinger

Beautiful park

 

My companion knows me so well.