ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!

Happy Halloween! We had our branch Halloween Party on Saturday. We had a great outcome, lots of members brought their nonmember friends! 

The scary thing standing next to us is called a Namahage - an Akita legend! 

My DEAR Family! 

The adventure carries on! We got our transfer call this week and I have been called to serve in.....IZUMI!!! My very very first area of my whole mission! My Heavenly Father has called me back to leave my heart where this all started one year ago! I'm going back to the land of the gigantic rolling Izumi hills and the big city! :) Thunder thighs here we come! I'm going back to those wonderful Izumi Saints, who I could only kinda barely talk to...but now I get a second chance to love them and serve them! 

I was thinking after we'd gotten our transfer call, and how I'm getting the opportunity to go back to my bean area, that one of the themes in my mission is second chances. And how Heavenly Father in His big and overflowing mercy, gives us second chances to try again. Thats really why we serve missions - is to share the message that literally every single person gets a second chance, over and over and over and over. I'm so grateful for the second chances I've received and experienced in my mission. 

I was thinking the other day how its not bad to have weaknesses and things that we keep messing up on...the thing thats bad is if we never get over it. Tel said in one of her letters once that "Suffering isn't strength. Strength is strength." Christ is our strength. But if we never get over ourselves and let Him help us, then we're missing the whole point. Mama, I loved what you said in your email last week about how life is not meant to stay stagnant. That change is good. I really believe that. Sometimes its so uncomfortable to change, but if we can choose to change our hearts, then a change of heart, can change everything! 

We had lunch at this nice ladies house this week. She made us Kiritanpo! She isn't a member....yet. She actually is an old investigator we think. She is super genki and travels to Africa and cool places with her husband! 

I'm so sad to leave Akita, because I love these people here. I'm so grateful I could serve here!

My new companions will be Kanno Shimai and Valentine Shimai. We will a threesome for just 5 days, and then Valentine Shimai will return home. Kanno Shimai and I will serve as the sister training leaders in the Sendai area. I'm so excited to have this opportunity to serve! 

Here is some other stuff about my week:

- Going to the Sea of Japan last Monday and it was freezing cold and super windy and the waves were gigantic! 

- The members always buying us McDonalds...so nice...but like kinda too much...don't want to eat there anymore. :)

- Going to Morioka for Zone Training Meeting and seeing the beautiful white swans on the lake!

- We met a less active sister at the church one morning and helped her clean the church. Then we asked if we could share a little message with her. So we showed her the "Because of Him" video. It brought the Spirit so quick and we all could feel it. It was such a sweet and powerful moment of feeling the love of Jesus Christ. Service and the Spirit, the best things about missionary work! 

- We had a lesson with our investigator Sato san. Lesuma Shimai taught her really simply about the Plan of Salvation, while I tried to keep her 2 kids quiet. We'd been praying a lot for help that her kids would'nt be so rowdy and crazy, and guess what? Prayers are answered! Things went good and we were able to have a good lesson! 

- We got to try this famous soup here in Akita called Kiritanpo! 

This is the famous soup Kiritanpo! YUMMY!

- Making my famous caramel popcorn for the Halloween party - it felt so good to make that good ole caramel popcorn and make some people happy! 

My caramel popcorn balls!

I'm going to give it all I've got...and then SOME! 

I love you my family! SOOOOO much!

Love Kingu Shimai