Konnichiwa! I'm officially in Toyooka!!!

Someone told me that Fushimi was the coldest area in the mission because it's in Kyoto. This person lied. hahahh Toyooka's colder and we've had some snow!!! last sunday they said they had a foot of snow?? but it melted before I got here so i was secretly grateful for that. It did snow this morning which was way pretty and I was super grateful it wasn't rain. A couple of days ago it was pouring outside and just above freezing and we had to bike and house for a couple hours so that was an adventure (: hahha. Toyooka is suuuuuper inaka (farmland/country) so it takes 30 minutes to bike anywhere. But I loveeeee it!!!!! there are so many rice fields everywhere and the mountains are super close and it's amazing and beautiful and the bike rides are flat and picturesque so I don't even mind them. (: also rice fields smell way good.

since toyooka is inaka there are literally 0 people on the streets so we get to house all the time! I kinda feel like we are white washing again because our investigator pool is super small but I think we'll be able to see the Lord's hand in His work a lot more as He guides us to find the people who are ready, especially since there isn't much time to waste to bike to a place 30 minutes away and then be unproductive. The area is hugeeee and all the houses within 45 minute radius from the apartment have supposedly been visited by missionaries 5 times, but there are still a million more people in japan so we'll find the people who are ready (:

we ate these delicious things called takoyaki that were a lot like ebelskievers??? i don't know how to spell that. it was like a mini pancake ball but we put a ton of stuff in there like octopus and green onions and red ginger and cabbage and a bunch of stuff that i can't remember we dipped it in mayo and octopus sauce and it was good? like way good? it was an activity with the young women and some nonmembers. also this branch is the best. ahhah it's sosooso tiny but the people are cute. we are with the zone leaders here and one is a member of the branch presidency and the other teaches gospel doctrines class and is the elders quorm president, there are lots of women here so i don't think they'll give me a calling hahha. oh!!! also it's super cool because my sensei from the MTC, Wilkes kyodai, worked here for a while so i see a lot of his past investigators. We're going to contact one of them tonight and probably a few more this week. wooooo!

i love you all and i pray for you every day. Thank you so much for your emails and love. Also, Grand Rapids ward: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE LETTERS!!! that was the most thoughtful thing of my life. i'll start working on responses today (:

love,

sister daniels