Positives

It has been such a long time since I have last posted and for that I apologize.  For those of you who did not hear, on November 1, 2013 something big happened. My companion Nelson Shimai and I were out 1 hour away from our apartment looking for a member's house. We were having a lot of trouble finding the house and it was dark so that made it even harder. While we went to the main road to reconfigure what we were going to do I was hit by a car. It ran over my right foot once, knocked me down, then backed back up over my right foot. It ended up breaking two of the metatarsels in my foot.

 I knew what was coming for a week but I just continued doing the missionary work i could regardless of the physical and emotional pain I was in. My companion Nelson Shimai was such an amazing person during that time. I cannot begin to say all the ways she helped me and served me during this tough time. A few of them include preparing all my meals for me, cleaning up after me, laying out my futon, carrying my temporary wheelchair up and down the apartment staircase and then pushing me all over Ube, and that is just a small portion of the list. If you ever get a chance to meet her or work with her in Japan then you are very lucky. She is one of the kindest and most genuine people I have ever met. Parting with her was not easy when the inevitable happened. I was sent home on medical release because of my broken foot. But although this upset me I was speechless at one little miracle amidst this trial.

Positive Item #1 While in japan I had to go to the biyoin (clinic/hospital type place) The night of the accident we saw a big break in the middle of my foot and I was sent home in a splint and given crutches. The next two times I went I was told that the first doctor was wrong and my foot was actually broken in the metatarsels. I was upset about this for days. Where was my foot really broken? Why am I hearing two different things from 3 different doctors? But then I took a step back. The first doctor that night DID NOT see the original break. He mistook a joint for a break. Had he not mistaken that, I might have been sent home diagnosed with just having a bad bruise and maybe some strain. That would have been even worse. It was a very humbling moment.

Positive Item #2. While traveling home it took me a total of 48 hours including flight and layover time. It was so long. I literally lived the same day twice. Towards the very end I missed my last flight and had to wait an hour and a half before the next one left. But, I met two people that I would not have had I caught the earlier flight. Two sister missionaries getting ready to head home after serving in Europe! It was great to get to see some fellow sisters and chat with them a bit. It brightened my day and gave me something to smile about.

 Positive Item #3 I got to be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my 21st birthday. I got to spend time with my family during the holidays, see my best friend Kailey while she is pregnant with her first child, my amazing friend Victoria before she left for the MTC for her mission, and my great friend Nancy when she came to my home town to visit from college.

This healing process is slow and trying but I know that good will come out of it. I was on crutches for a month, and then constantly in a walking boot for almost a month. I am now in the process of trying to walk again. It is hard and kind of painful but I am pushing through and trying my best. This is the second time I have been sent home on medical release. It is much harder this time around because I am not 100% sure what it is that I am supposed to do. The path is not clear and that makes things hard. The Lord knows each and every one of us perfectly. He knows what we should do in our life and what will lead us to happiness and ultimately to live with Him again someday. We just have to learn to trust Him and accept His will. He does not always give us the answers we want right away but they will come in His own time and in His own way.

A quote that has been said to me multiple times from different independent sources is that sometimes we just have to step out of the light and into the dark with faith, trusting that the Lord will light up our way. I testify that trials make us stronger and they bring you closer to your Savior Jesus Christ and your loving Heavenly Father. He often requires waiting on our part and this is an excellent time to develop patience, a rare and precious virtue. I know the Lord loves me and I know he loves you more than you can possibly imagine. I may not know what my next step is going to be just yet, but I know that if I turn my will completely over to the Lord and trust Him that He will guide me to the right one for me and my life. No matter what your trial is, He will do the same for you.

Different Views as a Missionary

Being a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is such a great experience. I love it so much. I love everything I am learning and experiencing; the good and bad. I have 2 pieces of revelation that I received that have really helped me and may help those thinking about or planning to serve a mission.

1. Those who ignore you, are rude, or say "no" are just unprepared. Don't get upset over unprepared people, because you wouldn't be able to teach them anyways. Heavenly Father will guide you to those who are prepared. Therefore, He could not have you spend your time trying to teach those who are not yet prepared to hear the gospel, when there are people out there prepared.

2. Stop everyone you can! Talk to everyone you can! When you are serving in a foreign country, this next point is extremely strong. It is very rare to run into the same person on the street twice. Therefore, every person you see, that moment right then may be the ONLY opportunity they will every have (while on this earth) to hear about the restored gospel. Will you stop them? Will you put forth all your effort to try to teach them and help them feel the truth of your message with just a few sentences??

I just loved these thoughts that have come to my heart these past couple of weeks. They have really helped me to put forth more effort in stopping and talking to everyone, and not stressing the ones who say, "no."
I did have one really great day this week with sky high numbers due to break back sky high effort and faith that day. We contacted 38 people. Had 7 totsuzen (sudden street) lessons. I extended 3 baptism invites to people on the street, and we successfully placed 1 Book of Mormon! We also visited and taught 5 less actives that day as well!

Here are some pictures! Enjoy! Thank you everyone for your support and prayers. I want to hear from all of you so please write me!! I love you all! The church is true!!

Sister Kirstyn Smotherman

Zone Conference, Iwakuni, and Sushi

Missionary life is so busy and hectic that I have not had a lot of time to send in updates for my blog. But here is one now!!

Last Monday I had a really great P-day. A less active member took us sightseeing. We went to two different places. First we went to this place that is really well known in Japan. I have forgotten eh name but it is a fresh water spring that is really pretty and there are shrines all around the area. The next place was this trail that lead to this really pretty calendar scene. The car ride on the way there and back was so beautiful. The landscaping in the part of Japan was beautiful.

This past week I got to experience a Zone Conference!! It was a conference for both the Hiroshima Zone and the Yamaguchi Zone. I am in the Yamaguchi Zone. The conference was absolutely great. A lot was talked about on faith and having the courage to do this work and remember that the Lord will always help us in everything that we do. We are also focusing a lot on involving members more in the missionary work in their area and helping to teach them how they can be a missionary everyday. The Zone Conference itself was in Hikari. It was very interesting at the end of the conference when half the missionaries in the Yamaguchi Zone missed their train home. We are about 4 hours away from Hikari, so we luckily made the train. But half of the missionaries missed it because some of the Elders suggested we go streeting to people close by before the train came. We cut it to close and were running by the time we had to catch our train. Luckily, all the sisters made it in time, but none of the elders did. My companion and I made it just before the doors closed. So we were very grateful. The scenery on the train was absolutely breathtaking. We saw the ocean for a big portion of it, and when it was not the ocean, it was rolling green hills, tress, beautiful houses, and so forth.

This group picture does not have the whole zone conference in it, that one is being sent to me, so I will post it as soon as I get it! It is just the Yamaguchi zone!! It does not have anyone from Hiroshima Zone in it though. 

The day before the Zone Conference, my companions and I went down early and stayed with the sisters in Iwakuni. It is a newly opened up area and is BEAUTIFUL. The people there were so kind too. We went on splits with them. I went with Sister Miller and had such a great experience. The people there were so open to talking to us and we even gave away several Book of Mormons!! Sharp Shimai and I realized that the people in Iwakuni are so receptive because they have never had missionaries in that area before and there is an American base there so they are used to seeing Americans. In Ube, they know you are a missionary if you are an American. Therefore, they do not really want to talk to you. Nevertheless, I had such a great experience in iwakuni. The people were so kind, the scenery was breathtaking, and the sisters serving there were awesome. I would not mind being transferred to Iwakuni at some point in the future.

Saturday night, our gas was not working so we went out for dinner to this Sushi place that is right next to our apartment. Their sushi is pretty good and they have the best ice cream I have ever tasted that Japan has to offer. But, I finally built up the guts to try the last sushi thing I wanted to eat just so I could say I did.

Fish eggs. This was fish eggs with cucumber and rice, but I did not like it very much. As I was trying to finish chewing Sharp Shimai said "You just ate Nemo". It made me laugh so hard. But I swallowed and I did it! So for the sushi realm, I have eaten SQUID< OCTOPUS< AND FISH EGGS>. I may take a break for a bit on trying new things for a while unless I am offered it specifically by a member. 

Well, I have been out in the field for one month now. I feel I have already learned and grown so much, but I still have so much more to learn and so much more to grow. This gospel is true and is such a blessing in my life. The members of the Church of Jesus Christ literally have the most valuable knowledge in the world. The purpose of this earth and this life is to prepare to meet God and become more like Him. Therefore, the fact that we know about this purpose and about the foundation of the world, we are the richest people in the world to have that knowledge. Do not take it for granted. Cherish it and share it!!

I love you all! Please write me!! Missionaries love receiving letters!!!

 

First Days in Japan

Hello everyone!!

I am going to start off by saying that Japan is AWESOME. I spent my first two nights there in the mission home under the Fukuoka temple. It is beautiful there. I also got to go out with another green bean and a missionary who has been there before to go streeting for about 30 minutes. Guess who it was? ROBERTS SHIMAI. My first companion at the MTC! It was super fun getting to see her. Afterwards we went to a Japanese restaurant and ate really delicious food. They were accommodating to my diet and gave me some yummy grilled seasoned chicken rather than the funky Japanese fried chicken. Then that night we went to Eikiwa(English Class) and watched how things were done and participated a little bit by being there for people to practice with.

The first area that I have been called to labor in is.......UBE. It is in the Yamaguchi zone. A little information about the area. It is more country then city and we have 400 church members here, 60 who are active. The humidity and heat is killer, but I am slowly getting used to it. I am also starting to get a farmer`s tan and a watch tan. I remember telling everyone that I wanted to be called to a really cold mission. Well, here I am in Japan, constantly dripping with sweat. This is also the time of the cicadas. They are constantly buzzing and it is VERY LOUD. There are also mosquitoes everywhere and to make room for my suitcase and to decrease weight insect repellent is one thing that got tossed. Well, I have already gotten multiple bites on my lower leg and ankle. 

Another cool thing is, guess who was in my area and in this branch and apartment that I am in right now. BURGON SHIMAI. She is now in Fukuoka but how cool is that? She was a shimai in my district my first round at the MTC. I love her to death and she is the funniest girl ever!! As of now we are kind of living in two apartments. We are in the process of moving into a new one that is fairly nice, but it does not have air conditioning yet. It is finally going to be installed tomorrow so we are very excited. A lot of people here actually do not have air conditioning. I literally have never been more grateful for air conditioning in my whole life. You think you are going to die with the air conditioning stuck on 80 degrees or 82 degrees? Try coming to Japan and sitting in a home on the floor teaching a lesson with no air conditioning and the weather in the 90s and ultra high humidity. 

I tried my first real raw sushi for lunch one day. It was an interesting experience. The place we went to had this little conveyor belt that went around the tiny restaurant carrying plate pf sushi. You pay by the plate. I tried the salmon, shrimp, and tuna one. The salmon and shrimp were good. I am not a fan of tuna when it is raw.   

My first Sunday here in Japan was quite an experience. I of course was asked to go to the pulpit and introduce myself, bear testimony, and ask the members to help us in anyway that they could. The members were all so sweet and kind. Right after church we had a baptism. It was for this sweet old lady who is so cute. It was wonderful to be able to watch her enter the waters of baptism. 

Japan is awesome. It is a bit overwhelming to enter a store and just the city in general and having Japanese symbols be everywhere but I am adjusting well. Biking down pretty areas makes being in Japan surreal. Biking is also generally very hard in Japan because of all the narrow walkways and sharp turns. I have almost fallen off a couple times but other than that I am okay. Buying my bike was tough. I picked out 3 really good ones and almost fell off and killed myself. Not really, but it felt like it. I had to find a midget one because I am so short. This is the one I ended up getting and it was cheaper too but still good quality. I get a basket for my bike in couple days, so until then my lovely companions carry my bag in their basket.

A little bit about my companions. I am in a tripanionship. There is Sister Buhler who is the trainer. She has almost been out on her mission for 1 year now. She knows Japanese really well and she knows her way around Ube really well so I am in good hands. She is so loving and kind and upbeat. Then there is Sister Sharp. She actually entered the MTC the same day I did originally. She is a fun and spunky girl。She knows quite a bit of Japanese as well after having been out for 6 weeks. Both of these sisters have such strong and burning testimonies and such a love for the people. I am a very lucky girl to have these two sisters as my companions. 

  

Things I will miss at the MTC

Well I have already left for Japan and left the glorious MTC campus. The days were long and hard but so worth it. Here is a list of the things i will miss at the MTC.

• seeing the beautiful mountain backdrop
• bacon, scrambled eggs, and hash brown Wednesdays
• watching Mormon adds while working out
• seeing the same skirt 20 times a day on diffferent sisters
• going to the bookstore every day
• the excitement and spirituality of bi-weekly devotionals
• Sunday night movies/previous recorded talks
• drilling Nihongo with teachers daily
• feeling the spirit in every room
• temple trips on P-days
• hearing different language spoken every day
• singing hymns in Nihongo with my district
• the cream soda tree
• studying outside when the weather is nice
• meeting amazing spiritually strong people

This gospel is so true. I know with all my heart. I cannot wait to start teaching in Japan. Please write me letters!! I love you all.

Tender Mercies of the Lord

Trials come into a person’s life inevitably. But we can all take heart because it is for our benefit. I came across a quote one day that said something along the lines of “..through the Atonement, the Lord has invested in your success. So trust Him when he puts trials in your life, because he know what will refine you and what will lead you to perfection.” Isn’t that cool? That has to be one of the coolest quote/thought I have ever come across.

When we are in the midst of trials if we take the time, we can see many tender mercies that help us to overcome that trial. I would like to share some tender mercies that I have been blessed with by the lord to help me with my IBS. The things I have been blessed with are normally things tons of people struggle with, which makes me eternally grateful to the Lord.

1.       A huge tip for controlling IBS is to eat smaller portions. Well for the last week and a half, my appetite has taken a NOSEDIVE. For those of you who know me well, you know I love to cook, I love to bake, and I love to eat. I am ALWAYS looking for new recipes to try out. Lately I have been way more aware of my fullness. It can get kind of annoying to be honest. I sit at the dinner table with my family, the food is sooo good, and what happens? I am full after 10 STINKIN BITES!! It is so crazy!!! Some days I am even full after 5 bites. It has made me so aware of “intuitive eating”. (Which I have researched and I am a HUGE advocate of). I will be eating and I will feel full, but my brain still wants more food. It has opened my eyes to how much we need to listen to our bodies and how much we do not even think while we eat. It is kind of entertaining because my mom has picked up on my cues with this. I will be eating then pause and get this bummed look on my face and push my plate away because I am full. I even got Chipotle tonight and didn’t even eat 1/3 of my burrito bowl. This has been a blessing because I am no longer experiencing IBS pain from overeating. I have also taken notice when I am doing something and decide I am suddenly craving something or I am bored. I am immediately able to tell if my stomach is full or not and whether I am actually hungry or just bored/having a craving. It has also made me more aware of what I am eating. I look at my food and think Okay, I only got room for so many bites, what deliciousness will I get to partake of? This is the biggest tender mercy I have been blessed with because it helps my IBS so much.

2.       I have lost a lot of my desire for candy, ice cream, and cookies. If I ever get any or do get a craving I can only handle a few bites. Sugar is also said to exacerbate IBS symptoms. This is another tender mercy of the Lord, because boy do I love sugar and I love to bake. ;) Ice cream used to be my favorite food but now I can only stand a few bites. It’s a strange feeling to be honest. But it is also a tender mercy of the Lord because my stomach is not irritated from high sugary or fatty foods.

It took me a while to notice these things as tender mercies. I just saw them as abnormalities in my life and as annoyances. I mean I am a MISSIONARY. People feed you SO MUCH FOOD!!!  How am I supposed to enter a member’s home an expect them to be all smiley about me only eating a very small portion of their meal? It’s tough but I talked with my doctor and mother and was told I can just explain my situation since I am on doctor’s orders to eat smaller portions. But it was pointed out to me that these things are such HUGE blessings and TENDER MERCIES of the Lord. Instead of having to work towards eating smaller portions and not eating sweets, I get to work at getting used to the habit. It is a strange feeling being full after only a few bites, but after all my health classes I have taken, Americans already eat too much. So I guess I am pretty good to go. I have lost 7 pounds since I got home from these changed habits alone. So that’s pretty awesome.  

I didn’t know that something as different as “physical” changes could be said to be tender mercies but they are. It has opened my eyes to other tender mercies I have been blessed with. So the next time you are in the middle of trial, look for the tender mercies in your life. They might even be things you see as burdens, which is what I saw these as initially. Just know that they will ALWAYS be there. You just have to look at them. Once you find them, accept them and then CHERISH them.

I am so excited to return to the mission field. My letters and everything else required have been sent in to Church Headquarters so I am just now waiting to hear back about a when. There is even a chance it could be this coming Monday or Tuesday!! Thank you for your prayers and kind words as I have been home. I love you all!

Two Miracles and a Trial

The MTC is truly a glorious place. My experiences there have been spiritually uplifting and testimony-strengthening. I would like to share 2 experiences that I had that were truly miracles in my eyes.

1.      1.  Every Tuesday and Sunday evening, devotionals are held at the MTC. I woke up one Tuesday morning and told my companion and the other sister companionship in my district, that we needed to go to the main auditorium for devotional that night, rather than the overflow room. I told them that I had a dream that Richard G. Scott, of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles was coming to speak. We waited to get for an hour that evening and who walks in and speaks to us? RICHARD G. SCOTT. It was an amazing devotional on prayer and personal revelation. It was the best devotional I attended since being at the MTC.

2.        2. One evening I got really sick and was in a lot pain. It was a sickness that is not associated with my current unknown diagnosis. I talked to my companion and the other sisters and they went to find me some Elders’ to give me a Priesthood blessing. It was humbling because I had just showered, so I was in Pjs, no make-up, and wet hair, and was sitting here before 6 random Elders seeking out a Priesthood blessing. The blessing was beautiful and miraculous. With the “bug” that I had, I should have been ill for 2 more days or so. BUT I WASN’T. I was in no pain whatsoever and was no longer sick. It truly was a miracle. I was truly healed.

The MTC is an amazing place to learn and to grow.  It is so easy to feel the Spirit and the influence of the Lord in your life while you are there. I have only been out in the field for a month, but the experience of a mission is spectacular.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Well, everyone I have some news. I have been ill frequently over the past couple of weeks. I have also been in a lot of pain. One evening, a few days ago, it got so bad that I actually ended up going to the ER here in Utah. It was a painful experience. I have talked with doctors here and my Branch and District president. The answer is not good and is not pleasant. I am going to have to take a medical release and come home for a bit to get treatment and tests done to find out what is causing me to be sick and in so much pain.  But I want all of you to know one thing, I WILL BE RETURNING! I was told I would get to go to my same mission, Japan Fukuoka, and I will still get to learn and speak the Japanese language; so long as the diagnosis is not too serious. I am so grateful for that.

Once again, I AM COMING BACK TO SERVE THE LORD. I know I am meant to serve a mission and I have loved the experiences I have had thus far while I have been out here. Nothing will hold me back from returning once I figure out what is wrong. I want you all to know that I KNOW this church is true. I know it with all my soul. Nothing has ever felt more right nor brought me so much peace. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it is another testament of Jesus Christ. Of this I have absolutely no doubt. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he was chosen of God to restore this church. I know God lives and I KNOW he loves us and hears and answers our prayers.

I KNOW the Lord works mighty miracles in the lives of his children. I have already experienced a couple of miracles my first month out here in the field. My testimony has already been strengthened greatly by those experiences. I want to have more testimony-strengthening experiences and I WANT to return and serve the people of Japan. I want to share my testimony and love of the Savior with others. I want to give them the information they need to return to the loving arms of their Heavenly Father.

I know that God has a plan for all of us and that everything happens for a reason. This trial has been very hard on me and still will be hard but I know the Lord loves me and I know that this is all in the Lord's plan. I know that everything will work out for my good and that everything will be okay.

I love you all. Please give me a hug. Please be understanding.

Ai Shittmas!

My First Week at the MTC

Well, I have already been at the MTC for a week and all I can say is wow. This place is amazing and the people are amazing. My very first day was so overwhelming but it was fun. Here is a picture of me with my dork dot....

Here is my name tag. Isn't it awesome???? I love it; especially the fact that it is written in a mixture of hiragana, Katanaka, and Kanji. It's so surreal knowing that I literally am a missionary and that I literally have the name of Christ upon me.

The language learning process is intense. For starters all the books and learning materials I was given amount to a total of about 15 pounds. These are all the books that I was given. I was also given a "Preach my Gospel" in Romajji, which is the phonetic form of Japanese. It's an overwhelming amount of books, but hey, it's a lot more resources that I have at my fingertips that will help me to learn Japanese.

 

Here is the Shimai (sisters) of my district. From the left, it is me, Sister Roberts (my companion, Sister Johnson, and Sistor Burgon. They are an awesome bunch of girls and we are all in the same room as well, so that's fun.

Lastly, we walked around the temple on Sunday after the last session of General Conference. There were so many missionaries there it was INSANE. This picture alone I think describes that.

Well, I will post again in a couple weeks or so. Send me letters everyone!! Or packages if you really love me. (wink wink) Sayonara!!

Sayonara

Well, it’s time to say goodbye. I just want to send my love and thanks to all of my lovely friends out there. You guys all mean a lot to me. I am so excited to go and serve the people of Japan. I will be in the Provo MTC for two months then I will officially be in the “land of the rising sun”. I like that, it sounds really optimistic and that’s exactly what a missionary needs.  I am excited for the challenges I will face and the miracles I will see and the growth I will experience. Please write me letters. It will be posted on my Facebook so write it down!! If you want to send a quick letter. Go to dearelder.com and send me one from there for free!!

I hope to hear from you and I wish you well! Amanda will be keeping up my Facebook and blog so for now Sayonara everyone. I will see you in 18 months!!

I love to see the Temple

I had the glorious opportunity to go through the Las Angeles Temple a couple weeks ago. It was a glorious experience. I cannot fully describe the peace and happiness that I felt while I was there. I now understand why we are constantly told to go to the temple and go there often. It truly is the house of the Lord. I was able to take some fun missionary photos outside the temple while I was there. Here are some of my favorite ones.

I enter the MTC next Wednesday!! That is exactly 6 days from now!! I am very excited but very nervous as well. I know that my mission will challenge me  in many ways but that I will come back a stronger person. I cannot wait to go and serve the Lord.

My next post will be in a few days and will have all my contact information. You all should write me!!

I am going to Japan!!!

Well, this used to be an old blog for posting about my experiences at BYU-Idaho but I never really got around to posting about them. But I have seen so many blogs about missionaries and how their family members post their letters and pictures they send home. So I have decided to go ahead and make this my official blog for informing all my good family and friends of my experiences while serving as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I am very excited to serve and will be reporting to the Provo MTC on April 3, 2013!!! That is in exactly 34 days from today!!! I am so excited to go serve the people within the boundaries of the Japan Fukuoka Mission. I will admit, when I first read my call letter I was stressed about learning Japanese because of the two step process of learning the language( knowing the symbols and sounds, putting those symbols and sounds together to form words and to distinguish what those words mean). I know that it will be a very complicated language to learn, but I also know that the Lord will help me and bless me because I am bringing his gospel to his children.


 It has been really exciting to start looking at the language ( which is really cool and complicated), studying the culture and aspects of Japan (squatting toilets and sleeping on futons on the ground, ect), and buying things that I will need on my mission. There is also of course the spiritual preparation which I have been delving into with many rewards in return. I am so excited to leave and serve and learn, and I am excited for you guys to follow along in my journey!!