Konnichiwa!!! (: We got transfer calls today and I will be staying in Kobe!!!! Unfortunately Hunt shimai is being transferred back to America because her mission is all done, but my new companion is named Sister Croft. She's a brand new Sister Training Leader and is AWESOME!!!! I don't actually know her very well but she was super best friends with my trainee when they were in the MTC and I've heard that she is incredible. I'm so excited!!!! But I'm so sad to see Hunt shimai go home-- I've never gotten along so well with anyone. But it's okay because we're going to be super close back in America and at BYU. I LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!! I need to write all of the things down that I've learned from her-- she's incredibly wise. 

This week was suuuuuuuuuuuuuuper busy with our two farthest exchanges and mission leadership council and zone training meeting but it was sososososo fun too!! I got to go on exchanges with two super young missionaries and it's AMAZING to see how Heavenly Father is preparing His missionaries more and more. I'm so amazed by them. 

I want to tell you about 2 really awesome lessons that we had this past week because they were just way awesome. 

One was during an exchange with one of the sisters who is currently in Toyooka. She and I stayed in Kobe because we had a lesson with an investigator who Hunt shimai hadn't met before and she lived super far away. This lady is named Oonishi san and is a grandmother and also a member of the SGI religion. In japan it's pretty big and is kind of a mix between Buddhism and Christianity. But they don't believe in Christ-- but have a similar teachings-- especially when it comes to peace and living healthily. Either way, I've taught her about 3 times or so and she's never really been suuuper interested in learning from us because we are too young to have experience about the world but really wanted to talk about peace so she still asks to meet. The day before at Mission Leader Conference they trained us on using pamphlets more in our lessons and contacting. I've always kind of avoided them and I don't know why because they are AWESOME! They've made this new pamphlet other than the regular lessons that we teach that is called 'Who is God?'' and I figured it would be perfect for her. I mainly just wanted to use it to 1. apply the training I received, 2. because it explains everything super clearly, and 3. I wanted to use the awesome pictures BUT it was also super great to use it because it brought sooo much validity to what we were teaching. In previous lessons we were using the Book of Mormon to teach, but I think her image of us was that we were just teaching some things that we've come to know as we've read the Book of Mormon. But for some reason learning from that pamphlet opened her eyes and heart a ton. I've never seen her so interested and asking so many genuine questions about God and how He differs from Jesus Christ and why Christ is important and how come she feels like she can feel God in her heart. It was awesome!!! The Spirit was there and she could feel it. I'm super excited because that lesson was kind of the deciding factor whether or not we were going to continue to teach her. But Christ can change anyone!! And He does!!

The other experience I wanted to share was with Farhad!!!!!! He is our investigator from Iran and IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had a super cool lesson with him a few hours after church yesterday and we had some elders teach with us since we're still trying to find a man in the ward who is in town and can come help us teach. Anytime we teach with him the Spirit is SO STRONG and we talked to him a lot yesterday about the Godhead-- especially the Holy Ghost and what the Holy Ghost does. He is the best and has been studying the Book of Mormon (in persian) super diligently and was eating up Moroni chapter 10. He told us that he wishes he had an hour every day to read the Book of Mormon and heaven rejoiced and we told him that even if he doesn't have time like that every day he doesn't have to read for that long. I am also learning my Persian numerical system and it is surprisingly extremely easy and I can finally tell which chapters are translated in the Persian Book of Mormon. Fun fact: in the word for ''prophet'' there is a smiley face and the sound is a ''te''. Fortunately he rocks at english. 

Otherwise, this week I participated in an omochitsuki!!! (: It is a super japanese cultural activity where you make your own mochi-- pounded rice. I'll send pictures, but basically you put a freshly-made batch of special rice in a big wooden bowl and you hit it with a hammer a jillion times until it makes this gooey pizza-dough-like substance. And then you roll it up in a ball and stuff it with japanese things. My favorite combination was strawberries and chocolate and sweet beans, but I made the first transfer missionary that I was on splits with try the fermented soybeans. (; Every missionary must try it once!! Hahah I don't think she'll try it again... but we got her a strawberry right away to wash away the taste. 

Also!! At zone training meeting Hunt shimai and I were asked to do training on obedience!!!! haha it was my favorite training ever. 

I love you all!!! Have an excellent week!! I'll try to send some pictures on this email. 

Go bucks!!!

Love,

Sister Daniels

p.s.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grundvig shimai became a SISTER TRAINING LEADER!!!! Unfortunately she's not my companion but maybeeee?... (: I'll definitely get to see her at MLC!!

Also!! 2 of my old companions, MacKenzie shimai and Black shimai have moved into my stl area and I'll get to go on exchanges with both of them!!! (: MacKenzie shimai is training!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a grandma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 She's training a second transfer missionary-- actually the one I was on splits with and we went to the ward omochitsuki!! Yay!!! 

ALSO ELDER NELSON IS COMING TO OUR MISSION IN MARCH WITH HIS SON-IN-LAW, ELDER RINGWOOD OF THE 70!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND A JAPANESE MAN NAMED ELDER AOYAGI  FROM THE QUORUM OF THE 70 IS COMING IN FEBRUARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know how we get these set-ups, but I really enjoy them. Woo!!!!

1. this is most of our zone-- 2 more of our sisters had to catch a bus and couldn't make the picture

2. this was at the omochitsuki-- the two ladies on the right are members: one is less active, and the one in the apron is active and has THE COOLEST CONVERSION STORY. Remind me to tell you sometime

3.

pounding rice^^