July 22nd, 2013 Letter

All right folks I have the full time but I am way behind on everything with mail. This one will be good but next week will be even better! You guys are so lucky.

The East Front 1030 Monday

 

Moral: High! I am loving life and でんどう　(dendo) which means missionary work. My biggest worry is that time is going by to fast! I feel like I got here yesterday and its been almost a month! I figure there is worse problems to have!

 

The BBQ is good but a lot less manly. Watermelon costs $50 each!

Our desk. He is really busy but I tell him it is no excuse.

Best shower on earth and sassiest drier on earth but I still love her.

Language: Lately I have been trying to work more on grammar. They never really use the words "I" or "you" because at the end of sentences there is a word or cognition that tells which direction the verb is going and with what emotion attached. That was a horrible explanation but you get the jist. It makes listening really difficult but once you master just one its really a fun and a beautiful way to talk. My English has definitely gotten worse then then my Japanese has got good, but that's called sacrifice right? ;-)

 

Gospel: We have a family that is really coming along and wants to receive baptism. They were even asking if they could do baptism for there dead parents some how (golden!). They came to church this week and brought their son who is 7 and has special needs. He looks totally normal but doesn't really like to talk to people and likes to bang stuff including his head on things. He is sooo cute but it was a huge burden for the family and I feel like they felt embarrassed by the noise in the silent sacrament meeting. He doesn't like to color or anything (I will explain later. Mom do you have any ideas on how to keep a little guy with a ton of energy busy that long? He is super strong and super smart and will destroy anything not made of metal... like destroy.). Other then that it is going really really good!

 

This is a picture of the boat parade we went to.

 

 

Food: I could talk for literally hours... so I am going to give you one food fact every letter from now on ( as a disclaimer I might be making some huge assumptions because I am only pulling from the 8 Japanese people I live with and they are all early twenties). Fact of the day is: there are no real rules on what you eat for what meal. For example, in America you eat omelets or pancakes for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and steak for dinner. People break the rules all the times here and there are tons of exceptions but in general there is a pattern. In japan you normally eat the left-overs from the dinner the night before for breakfast.  "Over", my companion always says that after we finish something. It sounds way better in Japanese but he thinks it translates right, and it does, but I giggle every time.

The whole place here is either rice fields, concrete and steal, or crazy forest!

 

 

Spiritual Message: Today I go to the first (really the second but no one cares except bishop stones) letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13. Read it, love it, dig into it. I fell in love and found sooo much clarity into the biggest questions in my life, about the gospel and everything else. My thoughts to you today are this, our many goals: becoming charitable, forgetting ourselves and serving others, becoming as god is, every attribute of Christ (e.i. humble,patient, wise), knowing truth, knowing all things, becoming like God, becoming perfect. they are all one. The path is charity. The path is loving others, the path is following the commandments. I don't care how you say it they are all the same. I have known this deep down the whole time but now I see it clearly. I see it and I set my sails for it. I am a horrible sailor but I have a map and the ultimate teacher is ready and willing to answer my questions.

 

I will hopefully send a bunch of pictures in 5 seconds.

 

This is my companion. He is so great! He has the best heart of any out here!

 

Funny Story: In Japan pens and pencils are very very important. I don't really know why except the kanji are sometimes so tiny lines and they need to be clear and distinct or its impossible to read. Any way, very important to the Japanese heart. For example my companion practically made me buy a 10 dollar pencil. It is pretty dang awesome but they are a little crazy for my taste. So... remember the super cute little boy that went to church? well... the fist time my companion ever met the family he had a pen in his shirt pocket like always. The little boy is Japanese, therefor he has a Japanese heart, therefore he loves pens.... LOVES pens. He jumped on Takeshita Choro`s chest and grabbed the pen and like a navy seal dismantling a gun dismantles the thing in 5 second. But the gun was not the navy`s seals gun it was the enemy's gun. Shattered, broken, destroyed. Sad day. So now Takeshita Choro always hides all pens before he knocks on the door. But this is not the funny story! the funny story takes place at church.

 

Takeshita Choro has a sister that has special needs as well so he is soo awesome and loving and good with the kid. Takeshita Choro knew that he loved pens he carefully selected one of the finest make, no screws no latches, no moving parts to rip off. Perfect! During church the two of them would just lovingly sit in the corner and draw together while I was trying to figure out the theme of the talk (that is my goal and it is super hard). So drawing time came, the pen was given and Takeshita Choro grinned as an attempt at unscrewing the tip was made. No screws. Takeshita Choro grins at me... an attempt at pulling the back off is made. No ledge. Takeshita Choro leans back... the genius little guy they proceeds to take the felt tip between his teeth and pull the interworking of the pen out for all the world to see! 10 dollar pen dead. The battle of frantic Japanese that went on between the two of them was the part that I loved the most. Takeshita choro had just watched his son be torn about... ahhh!

 

Picture of the district leader I went on splits with and old faithful.

 

 

Life is good! and my pencil is alive and well!

 

Love each other for me!

Law Choro