This week has been the most emotional week of my life and also just super busy and awesome and fun. But we share 2 computers between 6 missionaries so I don't know how much detail I'll be able to go into. 

So saying goodbye to Wakayama was the most devastating thing I've ever done in my whole life. I cried every day. But only because I loved them more than anything else. They were my whole life for 6 months. It actually tore out my heart talking to Imade san and Kana san and Tateishi shimai because they told me changes they'd seen in their own lives-- whether it was coming back to church and feeling God's love again, or being open to hearing about God and being healed from some really deep food disorders or feeling God's love for the first time, or feeling a beam of light in a life that's been depressed for years. God heals lives and families. He strengthens feeble knees. This I know. 

Now I'm in Kobe with Takahashi shimai who is AMAZING. I can't describe how awesome she is. She's an awesome teacher and also is so good at recognizing points in the day where we can improve and use our time more wisely or be more proactive. She's super hard-working and she loves dendo. (missionary work). We live in an apartment with another set of sisters and the storage space is maybe enough for 2 people, but it's a group of 4 who have all been on missions for over a year and thus have collected lots of little japanese charms and old skirts and kimonos and anpan man stuffed-animals (secretly the best gift I've ever received) and also the apartment is full of ancient things from years of past sisters so it's a little cramped. But we are living in Japan. The other two sisters are really sweet and also incredible singers. One is currently really sick so she's living here close to the mission office so she can figure things out with the mission doctor. 

So we have 7 sets of sister missionaries that we kinda watch over and we will go on companion exchanges with each companionship by the end of this transfer. Which means loooooads of travelling. This week Wednesday we'll be going up to my old Fukuchiyama zone and going on splits with two hawaiian sisters. It looks like I'll be splitting with the young 4th transfer missionary and staying up in their area and training her there. We asked them to send us goals that they'd each like to work on during the exchange and so last night before I fell asleep and also this morning for a little bit I was pondering and studying how to help the sister I'll be with. We also called their zone and district leaders and asked for anything that they would want us to focus on with them. I'm a little bit nervous to go on my first kokan but it'll be way fun I think.  (: 

Last Saturday we had a ward halloween party here in the Kobe ward (which is also full of english speaking americans and philipinos) and it was way fun. I dressed up as anpan man who is a Japanese cartoon probably equivalent to the popularity of spongebob? But I carried around the stuffed animal Kana san's son gave me and dressed up like him and bought some fun face paint. Also my companion and I thought it would be hilarious to wear fake eyelashes but unfortunately I forgot my camera but I'll definitely send those in next week. It was way fun!!!!!!! And my costume was probably the best costume I've ever devised in my whole entire life. 

I have to go but I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 God lives and supports and loves us! 

Love,

Daniels shimai

p.s. thank you for the pictures of the trees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

p.p.s. THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE CITY