Konnichiwa! (and lots of photos)

Dear Family! 

- Its beginning to feel like Christmas here in Izumi! This week it snowed for the first time! Me and Kanno Shimai got to ride our bikes home and I loved just looking up into the night sky and seeing billions of snowflakes! Then last night we borrowed Nora:s Christmas Gift from the church and watched it in Japanese while we ate kimuchi soup and curry. Christmas time in Japan! So sweet! Nora:s Christmas still makes me cry, I just love that movie so much! haha! :)

- Our investigator Obara san is doing good! She told us something wonderful this week, she said that the Book of Mormon is becoming more and more interesting to her! Me and Kanno Shimai have really been using the Book of Mormon a lot as we teach her, and I love reading some scriptures together and her nodding her head up and down and saying "Oh I get it, I understand." Its seriously so fun! 

Right now we are in the middle of teaching her bit by bit about the Plan of Salvation. We talked this week about the Creation, the Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Purpose of Life. She is so great and thinks deeply about what we talk about, and she really asks us meaningful questions that keep us on our toes...like when we share testimony or testify of blessings, she asks us WHY do we know that, or HOW did we come to believe that, or WHAT specific blessings are we talking about. Its a blessing to be helping her along the path! 

- On Saturday we visited lots of members, which meant, biking up 1000 hills! I:m grateful for hills, cause they make me stronger! :) It was really fun though to visit the members and share a message about Christ and the Atonement.  I especially love dendo this time of year during Christmas! 

I love you so much Family! 

King Shimai

Grocery shopping in Japan!

Merry Christmas! This is my little Christmas display on my desk. Still have that cute little tree Jan! 

Izumi! 

Me and Butler Shimai (my best missionary friend!) at the Honbu this last week for a Missionary Leadership Counsel. On Tuesday evening we all went caroling for our dendo and then stayed the night at the Honbu, and then the next morning had breakfast, then training, and then lunch, and then more training. It was great! 

Brother Heatin was there (He is like the head honcho guy at the MTC I think; and he also is the man who basically wrote PMG I think!) It was so sweet to see his testimony and example. He knows Japanese cause he served his mission in Japan Fukuoka mission when he was young. 

He was only with us missionaries for this short 2 day training, but from Tuesday evening when he first met us, by the end of the training on Wednesday afternoon he had learned each of our names. It reminded me how important names are! And that even if you might never see someone again, it still impacts them if you will call them by name during the short time you are together. 

This week we had Zone Training Meeting! Me and Kanno Shimai did a training about working with the members. It was fun but scary to stand up in front of a bunch of missionaries and talk in Japanese! But one of my favorite quotes goes like this: "Its good to be scared. Because it means you`re alive!" 

First snowfall! I was so excited!