Journey in Japan : Happy New Year!!!

Snow!! Wooooo!

明けましておめでとうございます！！！！

Happy New Years everyone!! I can't believe it's 2014!! 2013 was a blur! Christmas in Japan was a little different but it was so much fun!!!

On christmas eve we had a huge party at a church building with all the missionaries in the Sapporo area and it was a blast! We played games and did a white elephant gift exchange and then we did a Nativity type thing and then we watched the Christmas Devotional and then had a Christmas dinner. Like a real American Christmas Dinner with ham and cheesy potatoes! Thank-you Evans Shimai! After dinner we all traveled to Odori koen which is the huge park in the middle of Sapporo where all the festivals are and we sang Christmas carols. It was such a great day. On Christmas day we woke up and opened our presents, Santa still found us! Then we talked to our families on the phone and then we had district training meeting. After district training meeting we all visited some of the Otaru missionaries potential investigators and sang christmas carols for them. After that we traveled back to Teine and with the Elders heart attacked a members door and then we traveled back and ate at a members cafe. It was so good and I needed to be wheeled to the bus station haha. Anyways we met up with some members and we traveled to an old folks home and we sang Christmas carols for them! It was the best Christmas!! It was so much fun to be out and about ON Christmas spreading the joy of Christmas! Kapeliela shimai

and I had a fun missionary opportunity riding to and from the old folks home. We got a ride with a nonmember who is the friend of a member in our ward. So on the way we talked a little bit about while we're in Japan and being a missionary and such. Oh and I forgot to mention that Kapeliela shimai had her ukelele with her. Anyways so we were sitting in the back seat on the way home and we looked at eachother and we're like, yes. So when there was a pause in the conversation she started playing and the driver and the other member sitting in the front were like, what the? haha. And we sang some songs and the nonmember was like, keep going! haha. So we sang in english and then in Japanese. But it was so much fun! We have so many fun opportunities and different ways we can share the gospel with those around us! We just have to take a step out of our comfort zone sometimes and just do it. And it usually turns out really great!

So that was a blast!! And then there was the Messiah concert on Saturday. Since President and Sister Evans have been here they've had a Messiah concert every year. It was so amazing! Like seriously some awesome voices and an orchestra. It was an awesome experience!

I hope everyone has a great New Years!

love,

Murray shimai

Otaru

Otaru with Kapeliela shimai

Christmas dinner!

This is the coolest lady ever! She sat like front row when we were singing at the old folks home and sang like all the songs with us and when we finished called for an encore! haha

I forgot to tell this story. We were walking through a neighborhood and met these little girls and we talked with them for a little bit but then said goodbye and walked away and then the girls came running after us and we started having a little snow ball fight and then we sang them a song with the ukalele in the street haha and they loved it. Then I was like, let's go build a snowmannnn!! Wooo! And they were like, yaaaaa!!! Anyways it was so much fun.