24 days until CHRISTMAS‏

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM. Go big you cutie.

So transfer announcements were this week and....I'M STAYING IN AKASHI WITH CURRENT SHIMAI. I am so excited and feel so blessed to be in this crazy awesome area for another transfer. But our area won't have 4 sisters in it anymore. It will become 2 sisters again but it will still be great. :)

This week we have been getting more and more involved with the members in this ward and I love it. On Sunday we went over to this family's house to help decorate their house for Christmas and have FHE and they invited some friends to come too. We talked about eternal families and it was so exciting to see members get so involved in the work. Also during church on Sunday my companion and the other sisters and I performed a musical number. That went well and it was fun. 

Thanksgiving was so good this week! Current Shimai and I went to our local 7/11 and got some fried chicken, sparkling cider, and then thanks to my mother and her wonderful package that got to me the day before we had stuffing and mashed potatoes. And then to top off the meal we had PUMPKIN PIE...pop tarts which seriously tasted just like the real thing. Super yummy. And then we had members invite us over on Saturday so they could feed us a Thanksgiving meal as well. That was super yummy too. All in all it was a great Thanksgiving. :)

This week was really hard. We had about the worst numbers you could ever have. But I learned a really valuable lesson. I learned how to rejoice in other people's successes. The other sisters in our area have been doing really well and are teaching and finding and I learned to instead of getting envious or jealous to congratulate them and find joy in the things that they're doing really well. I have also really learned to supplicate myself to total humility in sincere fervent prayer. It was a happy, hard week. A week where I learned a lot. And I sure didn't want to learn these things in the way I did but that's not how it works. God is in charge and I know if I let Him take the reins then He will guide me to become someone far better than what I had in mind for myself. I love being a missionary and I know that opposition is necessary for growth. I also love and am so grateful for all of you! I hope you have a happy week!

Love your Japanese friend,

Aulick Shimai 

アウリック姉妹