Almost Christmas

Hello everyone! This week was the hardest week of my mission but ended up being the most rewarding. Unfortunately one of the computers is broken at the church where we are emailing today, so I do not have a lot of time to email. I apologize!!

This week we went and dendo-ed at the college. It so much fun for me to be able to talk to people my age and show them a little bit about the gospel. We have three colleges super close to us and are very lucky for that. 

This week I had my first eikaiwa in Matsuyama and LOVED it. A lot of people came and it is so fun for me to talk to people in english and teach them. Its what I want to do when I grow up, so it is awesome and a ton of fun for me. Sister Bowman and I even stopped a random boy on his bike and told him to come with us and he did! Haha it was awesome. 

This week we did a lot of visiting people. We went with a recent convert who is just about the cutest lady you have ever seen. I love her and meeting with her is so much fun. I love teaching recent converts because they are still so excited about everything :) We visited a man who has a dog that is seriously like a pig, It was the funniest thing!!

I loved it. We had really good, deep spiritual talks with each of the less actives that we visited. It was awesome and the spirit was really strong in every lesson that we taught. 

Saturday we went to Kobe (a five hour bus ride) to meet with President Welch. It was such a great experience and I am truly grateful for him and his wife. I couldnt be luckier. On the way to Kobe though, a girl started talking to us and then she introduced us to her 2 friends and they asked about where the church was and everything. We basically taught them on the bus and are now spending time with them tonight for Bowman Shimais birthday. It is going to be so much fun and I feel really good about everything that is going to be happening with these girls! It is so exciting! I love being a missionary!

Yesterday was probably my favorite day of my whole mission. Seriously, it was the best sunday ever. Church was awesome. I spoke in it... again.... haha but it was good (maybe... I think). But I cannot tell you in words how much I love this little branch that I am working in. I LOVE it here. Matsuyama is an amazing place and I feel so blessed to be serving here. Last night we had FHE at a members home and had a live nativity... oh my goodness it was the funniest thing ever. I was mary and a random japanese man was joseph... AWKWARD. All of the missionaries were dying laughing.

Me as Mary

We have been doing a lot of things with the zone leaders lately, who are also serving in this branch, and I love it. They are so awesome. They definitely have the spirit with them and the members just adore them. The 4 of us missionaries have so much love coming to us from this tiny little branch. Also yesterday we got to teach primary! Which only has two kids, but it was so much fun. The little kids love sister bowman and I because we have blonde hair haha. They just play with it all day long.

I love this place. I love Matsuyama, I love Japan, and I love being a missionary. There is so much good and so much light in this world if we are all willing to look for it. I love you all. Have a great week :)

Ai shite imasu minasan!!

Love,

Kasteler Shimai

"These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 3:16

"Fear not little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me. And NONE of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost." Doctrine and Convenants 50:41-42