January 1, 2010 Happy New Year! Thanks for the Email again. Sounds like the Christmas break was way fun. Have you gotten my package yet? Is it snowing a lot in Idaho this year? How has the skiing been and how is everyone? Transfer calls were today and I am transferring to a new area. Maizuru is the new areas name. It is at the top of the mission and is super cold. It is right along the coast and it snows a lot I guess. It is supposed to be super pretty but very rural. It has a small branch so I think I am in for a big surprise. Change is good but it doesn’t mean that I wont miss Abeno. My new companion is Japanese and he doesn’t speak any English. I guess I was meant to become Japanese or something. I am very excited and I hope that Suzuki is prepared to show his new companion around and take care of the investigators. I am thinking about the questions that you asked me and it is hard to tell you. I have had so many good experiences and I cant really put my finger on one. In the last year baptisms have tripled for the Kobe mission so it is improving. Pres. McIntyre’s focus for his first half of the mission was to get the missionaries pumped up for missionary work. But now he is going to still focus on the missionaries but put more emphasis on helping members. More than 3/4 of the baptisms were found by the missionaries’ own efforts. It is working but there is a better way. The missionaries shouldn’t even have to find investigators. They should be teaching people all day. I know it sounds kinda crazy but this is the way Gordon B. Hinckley explained it. Maybe tell about Bansho, the older man that looked like Papa. That is very special to me. Or you could say how sweet the toilets are! The majority have heated seats. I hope I haven’t said anything negative about my mission because it has only been good. I have really felt the Lord’s love and help in different ways than before. Advice for the young people? Missions are sweet but they shouldn’t wait to do missionary work. They should start right now. I would give anything to have one of the young members in my ward bring a friend to church or invite them to have the discussions. It is the missionaries’ obligation to help anyone in the ward with anything especially missionary work. The overall theme I think of my mission would be love and patience. I really do love this people. I still can’t understand half of what they are saying to me but I can feel their love. I have also learned to be patient, especially with myself. Sometimes things don’t happen exactly as planned and you just have to pick yourself up and run with it. You guys are awesome and I really do love you. _The mission is great and thanks for all the support. All I really need is a new belt and maybe some warmer gloves like snowboarding ones or something. It is pretty cold. Next time I talk to you I will be in the arctic of the Kobe mission. Till next time! Love you all. O and tell the ward thanks for all the letters and stuff. They are so nice.
Meant to be Japanese!
Lathered Up in Good Company
December 27, 2009 Hello again! It seems like yesterday that I was talking to you guys. It was really good to hear your voices again. This last week was really good. I am glad to hear that everyone back at home is doing well. Tell Miles hello for me. That is such a bummer. Oh, and if you could get me Austin, Kyle’s and Travis’s new address. thanks. This Christmas was definitely different for all of us. It was probably the most humble Christmas that I have had, but it will always be a special one to me. After you guys called me Suzuki, Magidman, Escalante, and some investigators and members went to the zoo. Do you remember Mamor? Me and Harris taught him and he was baptized in Higashi Osaka. Well he came with us to the zoo. He hasn’t been very active in the church since he was baptized so he really appreciated the invite. The zoo was way fun. I realized that the people I went with were good friends of mine that I have taught the gospel to. That is a special relationship. Mamor and Hiroki, ( an English student) both have tons of tattoos and just look wild. It is pretty funny to be with them. After the zoo we had the Christmas dinner. there were about 25 people that showed up! A lot more than what we had expected. It was way fun and it was a potluck dinner thing. A member made tons of curry so that was the main course. All in all it was very humble, different, unorganized, but I know that all that were there went away knowing that Jesus Christ is their Savior. I mean when you have a bunch of 19 year old kids trying to run a Christmas party you can’t expect much more. I feel so young. After dinner we taught a short lesson about Christ and the spirit was really strong. During the dinner I took time to observe all the people that were there. More than half were not members, 2 were recent converts, 7 missionaries, and some returned missionaries in our ward. There was people from Australia, Canada, china, Japan, Brazil, and America. Definitely the most diverse group I have ever spent Christmas with. Mamor was pretty deep in thought a lot of the night. He said that when I called him to invite him to come it was the highlight of his week. I know this was something very simple but it really touched me. This Christmas really made me think about Dad’s term, "lather up in good company" I was definitely lathered up in great company this Christmas. It was very special to me and I will never forget it. This doesn’t mean that I forgot about my family or anything. I just know that I simply won’t see you guys for a while so I am making a new family that I will always remember. Thanks for everything and I really love you guys. I really am learning how to love everyone. My companion, other missionaries, investigators, people that are rude, and myself. I hope I can keep on improving and become like Christ. Thanks again for everything and I will talk to you guys next week.
The Christmas Phone Call
Talking to Grady on Christmas Eve!!
December 24, 2009 We got to call Grady today! It was truly the most exciting, sweet experience that I have ever had. Gus had to work today, Christmas Eve, so we were so worried about him getting home in time to talk to Grady. He's been getting home so late, but I should have known that it would all work out!! It did and we actually all ended up waiting around a little. We had told Grady that we would call around 1PM his time on Christmas, 9pm our time Christmas Eve. Around 8:30 our time we couldn't wait any longer so I dialed the number. A voicemail answered and it was a Japanese woman, speaking in very fast Japanese! I thought I must have had the wrong number, so I dialed again and this time Grady answered! He said that every cell phone in Japan has that same voicemail! He sounded sooooo good! Exactly like himself. Each of us had an extension except Lenzi and Jon, and they shared one. It was so fun to all sit around together and talk to him. We asked lots of questions and he answered them all. He spoke some Japanese to Olivia and it sounded good to us! He had his companion say hello to us (he doesn't speak English!) and the other two Elders in the apartment said hello, too. No one had invited them over for Christmas dinner, but they were planning a dinner for their investigators which was even better! Not once did he sound sad, homesick or even a little discouraged. He was completely upbeat and happy--and much to our relief--he was still so funny! We told him we were a little worried that he had become so serious and maybe wasn't as funny and he was so hurt!! Throughout the conversation he kept saying, "I can't believe you guys thought I wasn't still funny! I am sooo funny!!" He was just the same, only better!! (Like that is even possible!) He was polite and considerate, so interested in us. He expressed his deep love for the people of Japan and he told us how his truly loved his mission. I asked him if he was even a bit homesick (I probably shouldn't have asked this) and he said no. He said that he loved us, and of course missed us, but that he was so happy on his mission and he just didn't have time to feel homesick. I am so thankful for this and even though I know he must feel discouraged at times, it is such a comfort to know that he is working his heart out to be positive and full of faith! All of us ended the conversation crying, but he sounded strong, happy and content. I didn't hear even the smallest sniffle or break in his voice. And for that I am so grateful! He truly seems to understand his purpose and he is taking his responsibility so seriously. He isn't letting himself get down or think negatively about anything! What a great example he is to all of us!
Getting the Phone Number
Grady Christmas Caroling with his zone in Osaka
December 20, 2009 Hey guys. They switched our p-day from today to Christmas for some reason but I can email today to tell you guys what time to call. Ya call me between 9-10 your time. That is totally fine. I want to talk to everyone. I'll be ready for your call. I'll give you my number again just in case. 080-2149-6208. I'm excited to talk to you guys! Talk to you soon.
The "Accident"
December 13, 2009 Hey family thanks for the emails! I didn’t get to read all of them because I am in a big hurry. Sorry next week will be better. This morning I had a little accident. I cut my pinky toe really bad and had to go to the doctor. It bled a ton but I didn’t have to get stitches. We found out when we talked to Grady at Christmas that he had accidentally kicked a broken glass blender that was outside their apartment. The garbage company picks up different kinds of garbage on different days--and I guess it wasn't the glass day yet! I think he said it cut under his toenail very deep. It sounds so awful and thinking that he had to walk on that foot just makes me cringe. He said it hurt pretty bad, and that it kept bleeding and soaking his sock, but that he didn't miss a day going out and doing missionary work! We are going to Kyoto today for presents for family. I made everyone late so I feel horrible so I have to make this short. Sorry. The Christmas calls are on my Christmas day. And you guys call me. My number is 080~2149~6208. They told us to do it in the morning but maybe I could do it at lunch to so the whole family can talk. Sorry for the rush I’ll give you more info next week. This week was another great week and I love the people. I love looking them in the eye and telling them that God exists and he loves them. It is a simple concept but they really can feel the spirit through those simple words. Thanks for all the packages! They are great! Love you all and talk to you next week.
Are You Genki? ( I have no idea what this means!!)
December 6, 2009 Are you genki? Hey family it was good to hear from you again. Everyone sounds all happy and ready for Christmas. Christmas sounds busy as usual. That buffet sure does sound good and the Music and spoken word was always fun to go to. The buffets hear are pretty different. The most popular ones are the all you can eat meat places. There is a grill in the middle of the table and you just cook the raw meat yourself. It is way good but pretty expensive. A member took us to one that was $60 a person. Crazy huh. Man that is a bummer that Miles and Wyatt are both home. When you see Wyatt or Miles tell them write or email me. I haven’t heard from him for a long time. I’m sorry you guys are missing me. I guess I should have been more of a nuisance or something so you could take a deep breath of fresh air when I left. lol. I’ll answer the questions now. I did receive the package and everything was in tact. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to bust into the salami. It is huge! I am pretty sure that I got the camera card. Should I take more pictures? Don’t be afraid to tell me the truth. I still don’t know about the Christmas thing but I guess that you usually call. The language is fun. I think I am improving more because I am really forced to use it to communicate with almost everyone. I still can’t understand too well but I translated for this white guy from Colorado at church yesterday and I was surprised at how much I understood. He is a member but was just visiting. Suzuki really doesn’t know any English. Communication is definitely way hard. I hear the words differently than what they really sound like so a lot goes misunderstood. I am feeling great. I am staying warm and my headaches are pretty good. We are really focusing on Moriya san right now. He is 43 and two of his kids are baptized. He is scheduled to be baptized on the 20th of December. I have been trying to figure out how interested he is. I have really been praying about how to help him realize how important baptism is. This week every time we met the spirit was way strong and I know that he felt it. The Lord really does answer prayers because now I feel that he is sincere. This transfer has been different. We aren’t finding as many investigators as in other transfers. I have really relied on the Lord to help me in everything. I might be down on myself but I feel the spirit everyday as I testify about Christ. This tells me that I need patience and that I am talking how the Lord would want me to. This is so comforting. The other day me and Suzuki had just got home from a long day of trying to find people. We definitely got rejected a lot and I could tell that he was a little down. It made me think how blessed I am to know the restored gospel. Every person that rejected to even talk for one minute may never get that chance again. It is pretty sad and both of us felt really blessed that night. These people are lost and they haven’t thought about things like life after death, or receiving direction from something they can’t see. Simply explaining the Holy Ghost is so foreign to them. This is exactly why this church is true. We believe very strongly that there is one way back to live with our Heavenly Father forever. These strangers that I talk to everyday aren’t strangers to me. Heck, I don’t know, maybe I am talking to my best friend in the pre-earth life that came to earth knowing that this life wasn’t going to be easy. I feel a special bond with them and I do love them. Thanks for all the emails and I hope you can feel my love through these emails. Hope to hear from you soon. And I love you again.
Speaking Full-time Japanese
November 29, 2009 Hey guys! How is is going? Sounds like Thanksgiving went well and it was fun. Thanks for the emails every week. It is nice to hear from you all. I’ll answer some questions first. Well I am on my 4th companion now. Elder Nicerio went home to Australia last week. My new companion is Japanese and doesn’t speak any English. Kinda funny huh. I really don’t speak any English now. I am on my 4th transfer in Japan and he is on his 3rd. We are both 19 and very inexperienced. There is a senior and a junior companion in a companionship and I am the senior which means that I am supposed to be the example and have more responsibilities. Ya, it is pretty funny because communication is definitely limited. He is way cool and fun to be with. He is less hesitant to open up his mouth but that is what I am for. It really isn’t awkward for me. A combination of me not understanding everything and my testimony I guess make it like that. We are working pretty well together. I really have needed to rely even more on the Lord. I do feel inadequite. (dont make fun of my spelling, I am forgeting a lot of English words and how they are spelled) I really am just trying to follow promptings and relying on the spirit and the Love I have for these people. My companions name is elder Suzuki and he hasn’t heard from his family in a while so it would really be nice for him to receive a something for Christmas. Thanks a lot. I can listen to the MormonTabernacle Choir. Thanks a lot. And if you could send the conference talks on CD that would be sweet. I love listening to them. I haven’t gotten the package yet so I am a little worried about the cheese. I don’t know the details about Christmas yet, sorry. the Pres. hasn’t told us yet. Well I have to make this short, sorry. We are going somewhere today and are running a little late. The other night we contacted this skateboarder guy in a park. He was 29 and shinto. We talked about the Book of Mormon and what it was about. After that I was prompted to talk about temples. I felt the spirit very strong and I started to get emotional. I could barely talk. I know that I am directed to God’s prepared people for a reason. Thanks and I love you. Bye
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