The First Letter from Japan!

Grady and the other 9 new Elders with President and Sister
McIntyre--this is how we knew he had truly arrived in Japan!!

July 27, 2009 We just received Grady's first email from Japan! He arrived in Japan last Tuesday, July 21. We knew he arrived because his mission president, President McIntyre, posted pictures of the new elders on his blog. We were so excited when we saw the pictures because we hadn't yet heard from Grady. It was just so awesome to see him sitting with the other nine new elders in President McIntyre's home in Japan. They all looked so good and happy. Then, a couple of days later, we received his first email. We thought we might receive it Sunday evening or Monday morning because we heard that his P-day would be Monday. I'm not sure how many times we checked our email Sunday, probably atleast 100! Then, around 11:00 PM there it was! I wasn't home because I had taken Rudy over to the Davis' so he could leave for the Middle Fork at 4:00Am Monday. Gus checked the email and when I got home, he was sitting at the computer, waiting for me. He hadn't read it yet! So sweet! I read it outloud and we both were crying. He sounds so excited and so happy and we were just so thankful for his positive attitude and his strong desire to share the gospel. Here's his sweet letter:

Hey family! It was good to here from you again. Ya the plane ride was pretty long but it was worth it! I love Japan! Everything and everyone is so small. I was at the mission home in Kobe for two days then I got assigned a new area and companion. My new companion’s name is elder Harris. He is from Hurricane Utah. He is really funny and likes to have fun. I already like him. He speaks really good Japanese but it is very fast. He laughs as much or more than me. Oh and I actually have two comps for a week now. Elder Neider is the third and he is from DC. His new comp had some complications or something so he is with us for now. He lives in the same apartment. I am in the Abeno, Osaka area. It has the most people in the mission! Osaka is huge. There are people everywhere. There are a lot of colleges in Osaka so there are a lot of students too. We focus on the younger generation because they are the future leaders of the church. Yesterday was Sunday and it was sweet. The ward is really nice and I am really going to like it. It is a pretty big ward for Japan with 100 to 150 coming each week. O and about your questions. Ya I bought new scriptures. I bought another quad but a lot smaller. They are the nice leather ones. I bought them with my money at the MTC. I saved up the whole time for them. I don’t need anything at the moment but maybe next week. I bought the Mission helmet. I like it so I probably wont need another one. Now don’t be mad but I bought a used bike from a missionary for 20 bucks. He kept really good care of it and it should last for two years. The bikes here are so cheap it isnt worth it to buy a new one. My comps bike started breaking not very long after he bought it and he spent like $450. I thought it was worth a try. The last couple of days we have been doing a lot of street time. We just talk to everyone we see. There are some really busy places here so there are a ton of people always. I love talking to people because I am not afraid to make a fool of myself. I cant understand anything they say to me but I am trying. I haven’t really picked up what anyone has said. They talk so fast. O and dad the cars here are pretty funny. They are all so small! They are all like Subaru 360 sized. They even have vans like it. But I have seen a Ferrari and a lot of Porsches. Most everyone bikes or rides mopeds it seems like. Right now we have a couple of investigators and one just committed to be baptized last night. His name is Fujita San and he is like 30. He is a really nice guy. He comes to eikawa, and that is where Elder Harris met him. eikawa is an English class we teach to people. I cant really understand what is going on during the lesson but it has been cool because the spirit fills in the blanks. I know he is going to be baptized because during the first lesson I felt the spirit very strongly. During lessons I just pretty much teach very simply or bear my testimony. I have felt an improvement in my speech since coming here because I like to try. O and on a funny note I just got done using the toilet. Ya the ones that spray your butt. It was interesting but not bad. the seat was also heated. But really I have really enjoyed Japan. The people here cant grasp the concept of a God. I know they aren’t Christian here but they haven’t ever thought about God, there purpose in life, or where they go after they die. Every time we ask someone this question they don’t know what to say. They are for the most part very polite and pretty happy. But they need the gospel. They need to feel love. I look forward to waking up every morning because I know what someone searches their whole life to find out. My job is to find these special people who are searching. I know that I am not wasting my time here. It has been difficult but there are people waiting. It is like finding a needle in a haystack but the Lord will provide a way. I love you guys and thanks for everything. Ill talk to you next week. Matane.