Week #28: Another Week...

Sorry for the short letter this week.  I hit one of those weeks where I feel like I have told you everything about this place.

This week we are having a meeting that may be altering our missionary schedule a bit and give us 10 hours of dendo instead of 8 hours. Sounds hard, but hard stuff will make us tougher, and I don't know anything about it besides rumors anyways.  We will find out.

My companion told me a story about his seminary teacher, who had the brilliant idea to make a letter from the first presidency writing about how they are changing the dating age to 18. Pretty brilliant, and definitely a fun idea. It was funny because my companion was just about to turn 16  and be able to date and had been wanting to, so it crushed him. Anyways a funny story to share.

Story number 2, can you tell I am trying to stretch this email and looking for content.  So we were giving out chidashi to a bunch of people and I grab one out of my jacket pocket not realizing it is badly wrinkled, inviting him to church, and the kokosei (high school student) grab the chidashi (flier) and sniffs it I couldn't but stop from bursting out laughing.  It was an accident but funny.

Also this week we have been calling a friend here who before wanted to take the lessons but stopped because it was too much for her.  But again decided to take lessons so that is exciting.

Fun Fact:  It is not uncommon for people to pee outside here, especially old men.  One day we were riding past our apartment and this guy is peeing he yells,  "Dangit!"  and runs off. I am like how did he know English?

Also this week we went to Tateyama, we stopped this one boy on our way out of the train station asking if he wants to learn English and soon like five other girls gathered around and are interested also in learning and came to our class that night.  It was funny because the street contact started with a simple, 'like what you guys doing here'... anyways a good old fun day... we relaxed and had dinner on the beach again with Takashi as well as played football during our dinner time and some youth joined in. Pretty awesome.

Week #26: Temple trip, new companion, and a kitty

This week we went to the temple with our friend Yii shimai who was recently baptized, where we did baptisms for the dead she had an amazing experience she said. Before she entered into the water she said she was praying and she felt her Heavenly Father's spirit really strongly. She is honestly amazing.

We also had our emergency transfer and my new companion is Elder Atkinson, which is cool a lot of fun,  he and I came in at the same time to Japan same doki, so our understanding is about the same. A little tough sometimes but we are doing good. He is from St. George, Utah.  He must be used to the warm weather there, as with Elder Rodgers we never turned on the heater in our apartment, to conserve electricity, so I guess I am just used to it, but atkinson chourou is a wimp and always wants it on!   Guess this is a minor, how to get along with your companion type thing.    We have had a busy and tough week so far still trying to get used to things little sad rogers chourou left of course was a good senkyoshi (missionary).

I put some photos of a kitty we found.  We were standing at a shrine thing and a little kitty walked onto the shoe of our recent convert friend Jonivaar.  Soe he picked it up and put it in his jacket and rode home with it.  As he was biking home it climbed on his back hood and grabbing on for dear life. It was kinda funny.   I think deep inside we wanted to take the cat home and adopt him, our branch president's wife told us how her father had a cat his whole mission...but we decided to be obedient and not take it home to adopt.  Plus who wants that expense and that responsibility!

Also this week we visited our friend who leaves out in an inaka area a rice farmer, who is old and speaks some tough Japanese, we taught him and he said he thinks he can make it to church the week after next. And during a typhoon we stopped a guy, we explained what we do and he says he wants to learn more. So excited to do this great work, especially now with my training wheels off.

The best restaurant with Elder Atkinson

Jonivaar and the kitty named little rogers

Week #25: Happy New Year

 This week has been great, tons of great work. So we started out the week with splits with the Zone leaders, I worked with Elder Law where we visited a few members and did tons of biking, and worked with their recent convert Takahashi. Super good experience, it was a pleasure to work with Elder Law, really great experience. We focused particularly on listening to the Holy ghost, talking with everyone and finding the joy in the work. I believe we were successful on all fronts and it was a great and strong day. Lots to learn from his humble and joyful example, and I never fail to learn something from him. I grateful to work with such strong servants of the Lord.
   
This week we have been visiting lots of members and discussing with them the New Year.  Asking about what plans, and New Year's resolutions they want to make.  Then trying to encourage and uplift them to make goals regarding dendo and helping to hasten the Lord's work. The members are very kind and willing to always help. This has been a great experience and the members have also stuffed us full with plenty of food.
        We are working together to have Yi, Jonivar and Takashi get to the temple with us. Praying for schedules to work though. Yi is super strong, reading the Book of Mormom every day, and praying every day. Same with Jonivar except sometimes his work schedule is a little crazy. But he does all he can.
        Throughout the week, we been doing lots of finding, housing and streeting, hoping someone will want to hear about their Father in Heaven, and  "... that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some." (Alma 26:30)

For we know,  "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God" D&C: 18:10-

        Also this week, we had district meeting where we had training's on opening your mouth, and working with members and also did some mogi's in order to work on, companionship unity and flow. Altogether this week has been strong, excited for what more is yet to come in the new year, shinnenomedetou, feliz año nuevo.

     This week we had eikaiwa taught about various English, sayings or tellings, always enjoy eikaiwa it is a simple break from running around.  We also visited another church as some of our students said another church has a similiar thing and we heard they had food, so we decided to investigate.

Big news also, emergency transfer (basically this just means ooff-cycle transfer), my companion is moving to Takasaki? Something like that, and I am getting a new companion, I still don't understand people like 1/5 of the time and still don't know everything about kisarazu or how to get around, so my new companion and I will probably just do our best and probably get lost some, nor probably get lost a lot.  He is the same transfer as me in my doki (same class, came at the same time) so he is as far as I know at the same level as me in Japanese. I can do ok, but will be fun no doubt to figure things out and a growing experience.

With the new year, we don't go out much contacting, it is a big holiday and everyone is too busy,  so we read and study a lot, cleaned a lot and did get to go out and visit some shrines and observe the culture.