The Missionary Purpose

August 10, 2016
From the MTC

Dear Mina,

Hi there, who would have thought that time would fly by so quickly! We only have 12 days left before my district heads off to Japan! Hopefully by next post I'll be able to show my cool katakana name tag,
and some info on my travel itinerary.

As of right now, I believe that MTC, or "Empty Sea" as one of my companion's friends says it.. Is at max capacity, it's so much fun to see new missionaries coming from all over the world.

There are a lot of new missionaries here, as of last week we received 3 new districts! For the sisters, we have a Shimai from Australia, and Mexico. Also, from walking around the MTC there are way more ASL missionaries, and that's so cool. I'm seeing way more groups of missionaries that speak different languages inside their companionship. For example, the other day I met a 3 sister missionary companionship, two were Nihonjin and the other sister was from Mexico. It was crazy!

I'm so grateful that I have a companion that speaks the same language. I can't imagine how hard it is to try and make lesson plans, let alone help each other when you can't easily communicate with each other. Plus all the lessons are English based. As in, if you are learning Japanese, but you are from Brazil. You have to translate from
Portugese --> English --> Japanese. Or if you are Russian, you have to translate the material from Russian --> English --> Japanese. It's so so so much more difficult or international missionaries, than it is for me. As well as those for those companionship  that have a language barrier. But the Gift of Tounges is real!!!!! And that these
missionaries are especially prepared for such a difficult task.

As a slight detour, for those preparing for a mission and are called foreign speaking. As far as my experience goes...from being at the MTC I have found... That the only reason why I am learning Japanese, is so that I "can talk to the people"... And if I am unable to bare my testimony, or talk to people in English. My native language. There
isn't much point in learning Japanese. So being here, yes the language is a huge part of why I am here, but also so that I can learn how to bare testimony and learn the language of the Spirit.

Before I leave I wanted to include a small little video of my companion and I reciting the missionary purpose! 
Woot woot!

Missionary Purpose

Invite others to come into Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

Hope all is well!!!!! 
Thanks for sticking with me!

-Freed Shimai