Hey Everyone!

Holy Cow, what a week!

Konichiwa everyone!

So... This week I got a greenie! Whoohoo! I'm training on my second transfer! Co-training with Sister Andaca. We are training Sister Heather Lane from San Diego, CA! She's an angel and the best greenie I could possibly ask for. Plus... she's blonde and blue-eyed, so all the Japanese people want to talk to her! =(

I can't believe our mission president is doing this to me though! I hardly speak Japanese and now I'm in a spot where I'm constantly having to translate. It's crazy... But it is making me learn a lot faster...

Oh, exciting news! You know how on my first day in the field, I got horrible bruising on my poor little tooshie!? I have finally recovered! Yaaaaay! I can ride a bike without cringing now! I haven't fallen off my bike for an entire week now, so things are looking good! And my broken hand is almost healed!

We still have a baptism scheduled for this Saturday =) I'm still praying that it will push through.

After the baptism, We're going to go to the Firework festival and do Japanese folk dancing with a couple of investigators!

In preparation for the festival, lots of boys and men have been running around the city in packs... wearing sumo loincloths... beating drums... it's so weird to see half naked men running down the street in the middle of the day... but it's totally normal to everyone!

This week has just been busy, busy, busy... Training is hard work... but I know Heavenly farther is helping me, cause sometimes I still feel like a baby myself and I just think- there is no way I can do this... but somehow it always gets done!

Now there are three of us living in our shoebox-sized apartment, and it's quite cozy... but that's alright, cause it's a party everyday! I can already see the ways that Sister Lane is beginning to help our investigators even though her Japanese is minimal and she's only been here for less than a week. We love her so much and are so grateful for everything she does!

Sorry, this is so brief, but I just want to thank you for all the prayers in my behalf! I see miracles every day, and all I have to owe it to is the power of prayer and extreme faith! God is looking out for me!

Anyway... time is running out for me and I've got to go bike shopping for Sister Lane today! Whoohoo! Hopefully my translating will be adequate for this job!

Love you all!

Have a lovely week!

Roberts Shimai

Me, Andaca and Sister Lane!

Andaca, Lane and Victoria

One of our investigators made me eat ume boshi (fermented pickled plum...). Nasty stuff. She forced it down my throat! It was like eating a cube of rotten salt.