Happy December!

Dearest Family and Friends,

Yay! It's December! I'm so excited for Christmas! Sister Gottfredson and I freak out every time we see illuminations. In my excitement for Christmas, I changed my facebook profile picture to a picture of me at the Doitsu Mura illumination. Time really is flying by! It is amazing to me that most of this year has been spent on my mission. Next week I will hit my nine months in Japan mark. Only nine more months after that!

We had exchanges this week, and I went to Kasukabe with Horito Shimai. We had a lot of fun teaching English to a member's daughter and her friend. I also had the opportunity to teach Eikaiwa all by myself, and that was a lot of fun. I really love interacting with different people in different areas. During the exchange, we had the opportunity to visit with a lady who LOVES sewing. She showed us the quilt blocks she was working on and several other finished products of various projects she had done. She does everything by hand! It's amazing! I would have loved to show her the quilts that my mom or grandma had made, but sadly I had no pictures (Mom, feel free to send some so I am not lacking in my next encounter with a seamstress).

I went to MLC this last week for the first time. We had a great discussion on consecration and on faith. I know that miracles are possible. We can truly see a miracle this Christmas, every area seeing one baptism. Is anything too hard for the Lord?

We ate dinner at the bishop's house last night! His wife diligently cooked for six hungry missionaries on a fast Sunday. She and her husband truly are angels. They are a great blessing to this ward and to us. Here's a cool story. They were married when there were no temples in Japan. They eventually came to Utah and were sealed in the Provo Temple! Now, their home is filled with the Spirit and has the same kind of atmosphere as the temple. I hope to someday have a home as Spirit-filled as theirs.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season with your families. Remember Christ and all that He has done for each of us individually. His birth was the meridian of time - the most important time in history! His life is central to all human history! Let us all strive to draw closer to Him this Christmas season.

Love, Crandall Shimai