Subject: pictures of japan!!! squid ink pasta and the temple which holds the largest free-standing Buddha

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (: I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! (: 

This is my friend from Nara and he is a deer and this is my deer face because they pretend to smile at you and ask you for crackers and then they bite you from behind and I'm pretty sure I've explained this process to you before but I just think it's super genius. But Nara was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (: We'll have to take a pit stop at Nara when we travel back to Japan!!! 

Anyway, this week was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! Croft shimai rocks. Kobe rocks. I wish I could write my whole life out on here because there are so many tiny tender mercies that happen each day but I only have enough time to write a few things. There's a lot of prayer and testimony building and rejection and lessons and people being prepared in between all of the experiences I relate to you each week. BUT I'm going to tell you two super awesome things. 

1. ELDER AOYAGI OF THE QUORUM OF THE 70 CAME TO KOBE THIS PAST WEEK AND HE DID A MISSION TOUR. He is definitely a man of God. Each time a member of the 70 comes to the mission a few missionaries get super lucky and have a one-on-one interview with him. Daniels shimai got to be one of those and really more than anything else the thing that I learned is how the gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect. Whatever challenge or trial or question we have, Christ teaches us how we can fix it. It's kind of like a tree and Jesus Christ is the trunk. and He teaches us doctrine which become the big branches. And from the doctrine we can learn principles which basically just help us understand. those are the smaller branches that branch off of the big branches. Then comes the application where we learn to live the principles that we've acquired from the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Those are the little pear and cherry blossom buds. 

Theoretically, if we are struggling to know what to do to fix a problem, we need to look at the principles behind our problem. And then we match those principles with the words of Jesus Christ in the scriptures where we find the doctrine. And then Jesus Christ just loves us and gives us the power we need to overcome our problems if we rely on Him. This might not make any sense but it definitely does in my mind. 

2. I GOT TO GO ON COMPANION EXCHANGES WITH MACKENZIE SHIMAI AND IT WAS SOOOOOO NATSUKASHIIIIII. I love her with all of my heart. We went up to Maizuru and it snowed almost every minute that we were there. it was so awesome and also the craziest feeling ever of talking with my trainee about how training is going with her trainee. I caught a glimpse of my life in like 40 years and I bet it rocks to be a grandma. I'm so proud of MacKenzie shimai. She has the purest heart and just an insane amount of faith. We went out shovel dendoing!! an old investigator of theirs lives pretty close by and we went to go shovel her out. On the way over we figured out a super good system where I stood in front and shoveled the snow in front of me and took a break to throw it in the snowbank, leaving some behind, and continuing forward. it made a dashed line of show which MacKenzie shimai scooped up and threw into the snowbank, making a perfectly paved path. I'm not sure how to explain things anymore in english. But it was super fun and we wore our Mormon Helping Hands jerseys over our coats and just shoveled for the people on the road. One family we shoveled for let us inside and we played with the little boy and taught a lesson. Missionary work is just living and telling people about why you're happy. 

sorry, there's a #3 too. We went over to a less active's house and had squid ink pasta!! it was actually super delicious. and the ink stains like wildfire spreads so your lips and teeth turn black. haha It was awesome. 

I love you all!! If my explanations aren't understandable just know that following Jesus Christ brings never-ending happiness. Because it's true!

Love,

Daniels shimai

(our family photo) (:

konnichiwa! 

I'm sorry this email will actually be super short because we are rushing super quick because we're going to NARA today!!!!! (: nara is an area that croft shimai served in for 4 transfers and is also one of the old capitals of Japan. it has a deer park and I heard they bite you and slobber on you but I'm also super excited (: also apparently there's the biggest free-standing Buddha in all of Japan at the temple next door. but I promise I'll take lots of pictures!!! (:

something wicked natsukashiiiii was that Grundvig shimai came up to Kobe for the night on Monday night and it was AWESOME to talk to her and hear about her whole life because we don't usually see each other and if we do, it's for like five minutes. Oh my heck I love her with all of my heart. ALSO we went up for zone training meeting in Fukuchiyama and it was AMAZING because 1. that zone is the best zone ever and 2. I saw a lot of missionaries that I love and 3. almost everyone that is in my dendo family was there. that probably doesn't make any sense but my trainer trained 3 and just 2 of us are still here: Porter shimai and I. And then Porter shimai trained 2 and they were both there and I trained one, MacKenzie shimai, and she's training so it was just a group of grandma and aunts and cousins and daughters. The only one missing was Black shimai who was one of Porter shimai's trainee's other trainer but we took a family photo. (:

real quick cool missionary experience: remember our awesome investigator I wrote about last week? We found a PERFECT friend for her and she joined us in her lesson last week. and they were both so calm even when her dog peed on the floor during the middle of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ lesson. But that lesson is so powerful that it doesn't even matter. It's incredible the Spirit that comes every time you teach and or testify about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith. It's my favorite thing in the world to teach. I want you to know that I do know that Heavenly Father wants us to return and live with Him someday. I do know that He doesn't leave us alone to wander and be confused. He teaches us how we can return and live with Him through His prophets on the earth. And He still speaks. I remember when I was young and Dad used to try and help me with my math homework when I was getting really frustrated. But, being a little kid and wanting to do it myself, I did't accept his help. But when I realized I couldn't do it on my own I'd go back to him for help. And because he loves me, he'd always still give me the help I needed. Our Heavenly Father is no different. When the world rejects Him and His prophets He takes away His priesthood authority, and with that, the revelation and direction from living prophets, from the earth. But Joseph Smith asked for direction to know what church is right and know what he needed to do to be saved and God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to him. They restored the church and the priesthood authority and the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world through him.　I know that when we ask God, He will answer and give us the direction and guidance that we need. And He loves us more than we can even imagine or comprehend. 

I　love you all!! Have a wonderful week! (:

love,

Daniels shimai

our new district     

drinking mountain water on our hike

going on splits with the Akashi sisters <3

Konnichiwa!!!! Sorry, this email is going to be super short but I have to tell you about SOMEONE AWESOME we found this past week and starting teaching. 

We have a chinese friend who isn't super seriously meeting with us and trying to learn about God but whenever I consider dropping her I feel like I shouldn't so I haven't. And the Spirit kept nudging me to call her this week so we called and she invited us to hike up the mountain with her and her doberman and then study from the Book of Mormon with her and her daughter. So we meet up at her daugher's apartment and start the hike. As we head down the street she knocks on her friend's door and yells at her to come along with us. So she takes her little Yorkie and joins us up the mountain. As we're walking up the mountain, this woman starts telling me about how she came to believe in God and how He's saved her a jillion times in her life, especially when she went to the Philippines to study international cooking. She told me that she wanted us to come over to her house and talk to her about God because she loves Him and misses hearing about Him. So we set an appointment for the next day and she was super excited and gave us a bunch of pastries when we finished the hike. 

So the next day right after district meeting we head up to her house and just start talking to get to know her a little bit. And like 20 seconds in she asks if we can start with a prayer so that God can be in the conversation with us. So naturally we say yes and we start talking to her about God and the Book of Mormon and she opens up about her whole life: how she was way prideful her whole life and then went to the Philippines to study and some nice people introduced her to Christ. And she was humbled a little bit and really started to love Christ because of the love and peace she felt at the Japanese church she found. Then when she moved back to Japan someone stole a really large amount of money from her and ran away to the Philippines and she was left with nothing and got really angry at God and ripped up her entire Bible and also baptismal certificate. And she just looked so guilty and upset. So I jumped in and told her that she can be baptized again. And her face just lit up and there was so much hope in her eyes. And we taught her all about baptism and about how when we're baptized we're cleansed of all the mistakes we've made in the past and we get a brand new slate. And we make a special promise with God that we will follow Him and He makes a special promise to bless us all the time. And we talked to her about the Priesthood and that because in this church the men hold the priesthood, when we are baptized we become able to return and live with Heavenly Father someday. And right then Croft shimai invited her to be baptized and she has a goal for the end of this month. 

God prepares His children to accept Him. He has a very special plan for each one of us and for each and every person on the bus, train, street and at work. And you can bet that you're a part of it. And it's our opportunity to be good examples and invite them to hear about the thing that will make them happier than anything else in the world. 

I have to go, but one last super awesome thing: it was Croft shimai's birthday and the ward was so cute and awesome to her but also our mission president, President Welch, and his incredible wife took us out to get super delicious american-style burgers and it was 1. delicious, but 2. the most uplifting dinner I've ever had. 

I love you all!!! 

Love,

Daniels shimai