Syd's address!

Sister Sydney Sands
Japan Kobe Mission
4-6-28 Shinohara Honmachi
Nada-Ku, Kobe-Shi, Hyogo-Ken
Japan 657-0067

Please note that USPS (the regular US postal mail) is the only method of reliably getting your mail to her. It goes to the main mission address in Kobe, and then from there is forwarded to whatever location she is currently assigned. UPS and Fed Ex does not offer forwarding services there, so if you send something via either of those shipping services, it will get stuck (and possibly lost) at the main mission address, and will not be forwarded to her. 

Shower mold comes in two varieties. (Subtitled: Where has my lost bread gone?)

4/19

Did I tell anyone that we moved? Well, we got to Imabari and the
apartment was a leettle dirty. F. Shimai said "Sorry. We just
moved." At least, that's what I thought she said. In reality, she
said, "Sorry, we're moving." So, four days after I saw my new
apartment, we got another new apartment. Which is really good, because our
travel time to the church went from 30 minutes by bike to 4.

The new apaato (apartment)! (Bah, this keyboard only has one shift key, and it's
on the left side.) The new apaato is really fun. The layout is
fantastic but a little crowded for two huge senkyoushi desks. I found
a hole punch while we were pulling stuff from the chouroutachi's (male missionaries) old
apartment (we don't have chouroutachi anymore *distant look*), and an
Arabic Book of Mormon. So that was fun.

...We lost our bread in the chaos. I'm a little hesitant to say this
over email, but did you know rice mold is blue? Banana mold is white.
Shower mold comes in two varieties: bacteria burgundy, and a
well-cultured nori green. Kiwis can actually reach a foaming point.
I've learned so many things on my mission, but I already know the
color of bread mold. ...I'm so sad. Where has my lost bread gone?

On that note, Japan has excellent cleaning supplies.

Anywho. my kappa (rain outfit) is three times my size. I look like the Michelin man
every time I pull it on. But it's a pretty good feeling to lose 150
pounds every time you step out of the rain.

My three-gear Mamachatti's rocking the Imabari terrain.

My incredible companion still seems to think I'm amazing, which I must
say is  an incredible feeling. Let's see how long I can keep fooling
her...

The water pressure in our new apartment is exemplary. The plumber I'm
fairly sure must have been a retired fireman. Three times in the ofuro
(the bathtub/room), our movable shower head (it's not actually
shower-head-style, but it's about the size of the head of an American
kitchen sink with a rather long, unretractable hose that I really
like. Anywho, the shower head) actually achieved liftoff when I placed
it in its holder. Did you know that if you hose down the ceiling of an
ofuro, the effect is very similar, if not identical, to a heavy
rainfall? If not properly squeegeed, it can continue for, say, the
entire duration of your shower.

My hair... there was no time to cut it, but an appointment has been
made for today. Goodbye, hair. I'll miss you, but only as a mosquito
shield. No bug bites though, in the past few weeks. No complaints
there.

Humidity? everything seems pretty futsu (normal) here. Not nearly as
bad as Louisiana. That will probably change, though, with the seasons.

The Easter Egg Hunt went really well, although they only used like,
seventy eggs for the fourteen children that came. Me and Y. chourou
were like: :| But it was really fun, and the kids had a blast. We
played a bunch of games at the beginning and the mom I found with
S. Shimai showed up. She's so cool.

We've also met this positively adorable little obaachan (grandma) with the cutest
voice and no teeth. Every time we've come, she's given us orange juice
and a banana. She's so cute.

Cute to ieba (speaking of cute), this area has a thriving kodomo (child)
eikaiwa (English class). I... ... There are actually no words to
describe my euphoria. Imagine standing in a room filled with adorable
Asian children who are singing the alphabet. Any creature with a pulse
would be reduced to a quivering puddle of goo.

I don't know what color goo mold is. But futon mold--

Anywho. This email probably seems a little scattered. That's pretty
much how I feel. Oh, I can look at emails any time of the week. Desu.
Yeah. I'mma send this one off and check to make sure all the questions
were answered.

Oh, conference was fantastic, by the way. It was a really fun
experience. The branch president bought me a pair of earphones (like,
airplane earphones), and I plugged them into the iPad and listened to
and read the English as I watched the Japanese. It was really really
good. Although there was once or twice when I couldn't get the timing
right. That was distracting. But all the talks were really, really
good. Definitely a good use of a Saturday and Sunday morning and
afternoon.

Imabari's great. Pray for me that F. Shimai and I'll be able to
make it even better.

Love,
Sanzu Shimai

A bike, flowers and the superior species...

4/13

(Syd's 1st email from her new area, with her new companion.)

 

So, this one is not at all like my last one. Shorter, for one thing.
She's also a little harder to get moving in the mornings. Before, in
Okayama, I felt like I always had to work my hardest, but here, once
we get moving, I feel like I don't have to put in as much effort.
While it's nice, I don't feel like I'm growing too much. I hope that
I'll have enough patience to really figure out how she works, because
once I do, I know we'll really start going places.

But that's enough about my bicycle.

My new Japanese companion, F. shimai's is truly amazing. I'm not entirely sure how, but she
is definitely a member of the superior species known as female
nihonjin. She's pretty fantastic and I really feel like I'm her
partner in the work. She's really good at making me feel good about
myself and at the same time making me want to be better. She hasn't
criticized me once--it's her example that makes me want to be a better
missionary.

Imaaaabari! The inaka (countryside) is quite a bit more populated than I thought
it would be. …And, flowers. There are flowers everywhere, and they just pop up and say
howdy wherever you are--in the street, the dirt, the massive,
uncovered gutters, cement walls, between fences... Forget-me-nots and
pansies abound. Little white star-shaped flowers and watery scarlet
blossoms are everywhere. Sakura season is pretty much over, but there
are a few tenacious hangers-on. Bug season's coming, too. Better
buckle up for that one.

But that's about all I have time for today. Best of luck and best of love.

-サンズ姉妹

P.s. Imma see if I can't get a keyboard for next time.

Farewell, my lovely hometown. Farewell, beautiful Okayama

Farewell, my lovely hometown. Farewell, beautiful Okayama

Transfers came.

I'm leaving. I'm leaving my beloved birthplace on Thursday. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel sad. I feel very sad. But I would have been disappointed, I think, if I stayed. I've gotten too comfortable here to keep growing as I have been.

Truth be told, I knew I'd be transferred first day of the last transfer. I also knew that I'd be getting a Japanese companion. By the way, I'm getting a Japanese companion. Her name is F. Shimai. She was my current companion's previous and first Japanese companion.

Man. I'm gonna miss Okayama. I love it so much here. I finally learned where everything is, too.

But! I'm going to Imabari, a land with a very famous mascot and a fun missionary couple. I heard there's excellent bread and their specialty is boats, ships, and towels. It'll be on Shikoku, the island right off the mainland. There's a [particularly] fun Chinese kid [at church] apparently and branch sports activities. Because I love sports. Haha, I really am excited. As I'm writing this email, I'm getting more and more ready to head out. I'll have to pack soon.

By the way, I'm cutting my hair. Kami no kei to ieba, kimasu. I think it'll be a nice change. I hope it goes well. I'll be very sad if my first impression to the Imabarijin is a gaijin with an awful haircut. But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.

I'm gonna miss this place so much. And we scheduled a brand-spanking new investigator on Saturday!!! And the cute seventeen-year-old we met (the really super cute one who doesn't mind hurting our feelings) prayed for the first time today. And we totally didn't have to say anything other than "Your turn! First you say 'Dear Heavenly Father...' "　She's so cute. Seriously. She's probably beating the boys off with a stick. She's adorable. And we hugged her, which is a big step for nihonjin. Her next appointment? Saturday. AAAGH!! She's so cute!!!! And she likes us! And I'm leaving!

I have the confidence to say that I'm leaving this area better than I found it, but let's see if we can't get one last miracle. It's been so fun. Really, if this week goes well, it'll be the perfect note to end the Okayama experience on.

Friends, members, fellow countrymen. I love you. See you next week with the beginning of the next arc of my missionary life: Imabari!

Love,

Sands Shimai

Oh, also, because of the iPads, we are allowed to read emails any day of the week (not normal dendo time, of course) but we can only reply Monday, so feel free to update me if you need a special missionary prayer for someone or just want to say howdy.

Thirty kids and a couple missionaries celebrate

3/29

This week was incredible. Truly, truly incredible. Weirdest thing in the world--we had it all planned out, then it was like the floor was blown out from underneath us--EVERYTHING fell through. It was incredible. I don't think I've ever seen a week like the one we just had. We taught a grand total of 11 lessons--one higher than our lowest. I'm not even disappointed it was so bizarre.

And I'm sure you all want to know about the iPads. They have safely arrived. They're fine--nothing exciting, although I'm happy to say that Quizlet has become a part of my daily language study. I want to become more acquainted with it--it'll be a powerful tool if we became friends.

Z. Shimai and I are having as much fun as ever. And although we didn't have the lessons we had planned this week, we did get the opportunity to talk with a number of really fun people, and we enjoyed plenty of time together. Do you remember the little 17-year-old we met a while back? We've actually gotten to be fairly friendly, and while she still has little interest in the gospel, she's very interested in English.

The Easter eggs have arrived safely!! :DDDD Very happy, very happy. The members are a little overwhelmed. One of my favorite people was like "We might not be able to get more than thirty kids here." That made me laugh--thirty kids is like, twenty more than I expected. I'm excited to give them to investigators and people on the street and the like, I mean, come on! It's Easter! The Savior ROSE FROM THE DEAD. That's plenty cause for thirty kids and a couple missionaries to celebrate.

Also, transfers are coming up. I'm torn. I really, really, don't want to move or change companions. I love Z. Shimai and I want to keep working with her. I'd be so happy if I stayed. On the other hand... As I am, I feel like I've learned a lot from Okayama, and I wouldn't be surprised if my time has come.

I don't think so, though. I think I'll get one last transfer in Okayama before shoving off.

Man, I love it here. I'll go where He wants me to go.

But no reason to feel one way or the other--we got another week before the trumpet calls.

:D

I'll probably stay.

Love,

Sanzu Shimai

Mascots and Missionaries

The city of Okayama's mascots

Decorated manhole cover

A cute drawing that one of the children drew of Sydney and her companion.

Fear not, father, I am still absolutely the happiest missionary in the world.

3/9

Fear not, father, I am still absolutely the happiest missionary in the world. The nihongo is doing well. I've been getting better at expressing myself. My goal is to be functional before the end of the transfer.

Right now, I'm in Ether, and I find it so interesting that the Lord is so close to the Brother of Jared. I always like thinking about the people the Lord actually walks with before he came to earth. The one I respect the most is Abraham. The Lord had a very, very special relationship with Abraham. He walked with him and truly wanted Abraham to understand all that He did. In Abraham 3, he literally shows Abraham the universe. There is no other prophet recorded that was asked to sacrifice their only son. No other prophet was asked to empathize so deeply with God. I think Abraham was a very special prophet.

And whales are mentioned in Ether. But anyways. (**For those of you who don't know Sydney well, she has a special affinity for whales. :D **) 

We went to Korakuen again this week to see the ume trees bloom. It was free :D It was also very pretty. Not much else was alive, but still.

This week, we didn:t get to see our high-schoolers, but we got to see a different group, who I will refer to as B. Kyoudai and W. Kyoudai. They're so funny. SUPER hazukashii (bashful). They're like *what do I say? I can't speak English to these two foreigners...* and W. Kyoudai:s little brother, who is eight-years-old, brilliant, and ADORABLE, is like *Where are you from? I like collecting beetles.* :D The three of them are so cute. The mom of W. Kyoudai and Little W. Kyoudai is interested in the gospel because she saw how a member's son acted. Some of the best missionary work is the kind where you just ARE a missionary. Let your light so shine, everyone. People notice.

And we should be able to meet our dear high-schoolers and our Christmas gal. The lady from two or so emails ago is busy :/ Like, legitimately busy (not the avoiding us busy--we've seen both). We'll need to engage in some serious prayer to find out how and when to visit her.

 But God's will be done, not mine. Life. It's exciting.

Oh, also, the 10-year-old senmin and her sister love me. :DD I adore them. I adore them so much. Please pray for their parents--the 10-year-old really wants to hear the gospel.

But anyways.

LOVE,

Sanzu Shimai