HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 

It was super nice to be able to skype you all for Christmas! <3 I'm sososososososososooo sorry that I forgot that I told you I'd be skyping you an hour earlier and also that I forgot my password. omatase shimashita!!! gomennasai! But it all worked out (:

This past week was way fun!!!! Christmas dendo is my absolute favorite thing in the whole world because I love teaching people about the meaning of Christmas because there are SO MANY PEOPLE here in Japan that have no idea that Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Christ. I think one reason is because in the Japanese language Christ's name is not in the word Christmas, and also it's written in the foreign word alphabet of katakana so people overlook that completely. And also Christianity is just not very popular here yet. Christmas isn't really very much celebrated in Japan except that families sometimes get together and eat fried chicken and cake. And I'm not sure where that tradition came from, but Japanese people definitely get really confused when they learn that America does not eat KFC and strawberry cake on Christmas. I think maybe it's the association in their heads of America= fried chicken and sugary things and also America= Christianity. But as a matter of fact, Jesus Christ suffered for all of the sins, pains, afflictions, deaths, trials and heartaches of every single Japanese person too. And one day they will all know it. 

This past week we had a lot of fun activities with members and investigators revolving around Christmas-- like making gingerbread houses and caroling and attacking investigators' and our mission president's door with snowflakes. It was way fun. And! On Christmas day all the missionaries from the zones in Kobe, Fukuchiyama, Akashi and Kyoto got together and had a big Christmas party!! we ate costco hot dogs and cake and it was super American. Also we had a talent show and our Mission President spoke to us and we heard the testimonies of the missionaries leaving this transfer. It was awesome!!! And then after skyping you all the next day Daniels shimai got gradually sicker and sicker and ended up with a really bad cold this morning. But my companion is actually the most angelic person that I know and has taken super good care of me and was nursing me back to health this morning. I've been sleeping during most of meal times to try and rest up so that we can go out and work for the rest of the day which was working fairly well but today is pretty heavy and fortunately it's preparation day so I can just lay in my futon after emailing. There are quite a few missionaries right now with either the flu or the cold. Fortunately I don't have the flu and I can heal pretty quickly. Which I'll need to do because these next 3 weeks are going to be ridiculously busy. 

I love you all!!! <3 Have a wonderful New Years!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Love

Daniels shimai