minasan!! konnichiwa! 

Nooooooooooo we have to wait an extra week for conference!!!!!!!!!!!!! </3 We'll come to the branch building next weekend and I'll get to watch it in english hopefully? I know they'll have it in english but I might need to watch it in japanese in order to be with my doryo. I'm not positive but I'm SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! alsooooo

ELDER CHRISTOFFERSON IS COMING TO KOBE!!!!!!!!!! AND HE'S MEETING WITH OUR MISSION!!!!!!!!! woooo!! technically ibaraki, but our zone leaders said that he'll still do a tour with us. I'm SO EXCITED TO MEET HIM AGAIN!!! He's the best. How was his talk at conference? Obviously it was fantastic but what was it about?!?!! Thank you dad for the highlights. I truly appreciated them. I want to hear Bednar's analogy!!!!! Also just everything, I miss conference. Last conference I was in the MTC?? natsukashii

so the biggest change of my life as I currently know it happened on Friday at Zone Training meeting in Fukuchiyama:

**From now on all of the sister missionaries in the Kobe, Japan mission will be focusing 100% of our efforts on oyasumi kaiin (less active members). 

I think that was the last thing I ever expected to hear. Prior to the announcement Zinke Kaicho was pretty clear that once our beloved investigators receive the ordinance of baptism and confirmation, that the ward/branch then takes them under their wing and we continue to find and teach non-members. 

To be honest, at first I was a little disappointed because from here on out we are not meant to spend our time going from house to house, introducing the Gospel and the idea of a loving Heavenly Father to people and looking for those who are prepared to hear and accept our message. Nor are we supposed to street (which is kinda already non existent in Toyooka because as consequence of the countryside, everything is pretty far away so most people have a car. Also it's cold.) But since it's been warming up I've seen people!!! Real ones!! And they're young! 

The Zone Leaders didn't have much information for us, but they said that all of our time is devoted to less actives, unless we still have investigators that we believe we should continue to teach rather than turn over to the elders. (And we don't have a ton, but our 15 year-old with a baptismal date is ours.The rest we're handing over.) 

Anyway, I was a little skeptical and then I realized I was being faithless and that it wasn't a huge restriction on our dendo, but rather just a piece of the infinite knowledge of the Lord granted to us. This is His work. He'll move it along as He sees fit; His plan is perfect beyond our comprehension. I asked my Heavenly Father in that meeting if this is His will and the confirmation was powerful and undeniable. I thought about the members of the Toyooka branch that I love with all my heart. The members that have multiple callings, and still work and still join us in our lessons and still sacrifice their time to welcome our investigators into this branch and still sneak us cookies after church and still invite their friends to meet with us and still manage to sleep and eat and live. I love these people. I truly love them. They need our help. I'm doing this because I love them. I'm going to love these less-actives and I'm going to do it for them to help them receive eternal life. I'm here in Toyooka and here in Japan, on a mission for 1 1/2 years, because I love the Lord, my Savior and Redeemer, my Master and my King. I love my Father in Heaven. And they love these people so much more than I can comprehend. God sent His Son on our behalf. and The Son sacrificed each moment of His life for us, for them. They believe each of us is worth the effort. They're worth all of my effort. I'm looking forward to this transfer (:

after that announcement anything else that happened earlier in the week escaped my mind. Oh!! we met with Mao chan. basically it's the best feeling in the world when it clicks for people why they need a Redeemer, and when they realize that Jesus Christ made it possible for them to live with God again. Life is good. 

Kogure shimai is amazing and hilarious and refuses to teach me proper ways to say ''ahhh that's too bad'' or ''sad!'' because she thinks it's hilarious when I say things that apparently translate to ''I'm going to miss you!'' to dead hamsters on the bike path. haha but really she's awesome and has so much dendo fire and I love her. she was a less active all through high school and we're sooo excited to work towards helping these people. My nihongo is improving? my head is still kinda rough but if things get worse I'll ask for a blessing. haha I took Excedrin yesterday because it was fast sunday and those days are always pretty hard for the headaches and it's incredible how strong caffeine is, especially when you're a missionary. hahaha

Have fun in mexico!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry you missed your flight, mitch. but I'm happy you got there (: thanks for sending me the picture of you all playing cards. Tell Grandma happy 70th birthday for me! 

I love you all!!! You're in my prayers! Pray for Japan! and for the missionaries in your ward! 

love,

Daniels Shimai

p.s. the sakura are out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and a recent convert in the branch who is 73 re-taught me the sakura song which i sang in my kindergarten musical. natsukashii. I'll try and get a good picture this week

p.p.s. here's some creepy anime that the choro tachi's recent convert drew of the missionaries

also the current fukuchiyama zone!