August 4, 2013 Letter

Eastern front 1137

So all your e-mails asking if I got your letters warmed my heart because I haven't! I haven't gotten anything in over a week! You are probably ok.. When I get mail I get like 5 one day and they are all stamped on different dates. I don't know why but apparently they ship it over in waves! So it's all good but I will reply when I get them! I always reply! Promise!

Fun food fact:

Fruit is super expensive. I already explained this but the interesting thing is that twice a month the brothers and sisters in the church bring food for the missionaries to eat at home. We don't eat at members houses like they do in America. The houses and culture just aren't really set up for that but the members are super loving and generous and they give us lots and lots of food! They are generous in their offerings and will give us fruit! I was sooo excited the first time this happened! They gave us a bag of oranges and I carefully set them in the middle of our table and was all excited! It was rare so I didn't want to be a pig and so I just ate one and waited for the other elders to eat theirs. The things went bad!! They sat for two weeks before I saw the mold! I was like what?! The Japanese elders all told me they just didn't really like them... crazy! When the apples came I didn't make the same mistake and ate the entire bag myself in a week! The watermelon (yes some people are very generous but this one was not 50 bucks don't worry) I ate entirely by myself... probably not many people can say that! hahah so life is awesome with a bunch of Japanese only in my apartment!

Transfer:

Everyone is the same in my apartment and district except for Elder Ohori (one of the ap) and his new replacement is also Japanese and super cool! so life is all good!

Spiritual thought:

I am super sorry Christine.... our search for happiness, pg. 10 fire fighter story and next like two paragraphs I love you!

 The Atonement: The Most Heroic Act of All Time
 
  It is impossible to put into words the full meaning of the atonement of Christ. Entire
  volumes have been written on this subject. But for our purposes here, let me try to
  explain in brief, simple terms what the atonement of Jesus Christ means to me--and
  what it could mean to you.
 
  I remember reading about a fire fighter in the eastern United States who ran into a
  burning house to rescue several children from an arson-induced fire. While his
  colleagues battled the blaze to keep it from spreading to other structures in the
  neighborhood, this man dashed into the building again and again, each time
  emerging with a child in his arms. After rescuing the fifth child, he started back into
  the inferno once more. Neighbors shouted that there were no more children in the
  family. But he insisted that he had seen a baby in a cradle, and he dove into the
  intensifying heat.
 
  Moments after he disappeared into the fire and smoke, a horrifying explosion shook
  the building and the entire structure collapsed. It was several hours before fire
  fighters were able to locate their colleague's body. They found him in the nursery
  near the crib, huddled protectively over a life-sized--and practically unscratched--
  doll.
 
  I'm overwhelmed by that story. I'm touched by the fire fighter's courageous and
  selfless devotion to duty, and I'm thankful that there are men and women in the
  world who are willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of others.
 
  As I think about such heroism, however, I'm reminded that the most heroic act of all
  time ever was performed in behalf of all mankind by the Son of God. In a very real
  sense, all of humanity--past, present, and future--was trapped behind a wall of
  flame that was fueled and fanned by our own faithlessness. Sin separated mortals
  from God (see Romans 6:23), and would do so forever unless a way was found to
  put out the fires of sin and rescue us from ourselves. The way would not be easy, for
  it required the vicarious sacrifice of One who was sinless and who was willing to
  pay the price of sin for all of humanity, now and forever.
 
  Thankfully, that most significant role was heroically played by Jesus Christ on two
  different stages in ancient Jerusalem. The first act was performed quietly, on bended
  knee in the Garden of Gethsemane. There in the quiet isolation of gnarled olive trees
  and sturdy boulders, and in some incredible way that none of us can fully
  comprehend, the Savior took upon Himself the sins of the world. Even though His
  life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty for sin--yours, mine, and
  the sins of everyone who ever lived. His mental and emotional anguish were so
  great that it caused Him to bleed from every pore (see Luke 22:44). And yet He did
  it, willingly, so that we might all have the cleansing opportunity of repentance
  through faith in Jesus Christ, without which none of us would be worthy of entrance
  into God's kingdom.
 
  The second act was performed just hours later in the torture chambers of Jerusalem
  and on the cross at Calvary, where He endured the agony of inquisition, cruel
  beatings, and death by crucifixion. The Savior didn't have to go through that. As the
  Son of God, He had the power to alter the situation in any number of ways. Yet He
  allowed Himself to be battered and abused, humiliated and executed, so that we
  could receive the priceless gift of immortality. The atonement of Jesus Christ was an
  awful yet indispensable part of Heavenly Father's plan for His Son's earthly mission.
  Because Jesus died and then conquered death through His resurrection, all of us will
  have the privilege of immortality. This gift is given freely through the loving grace
  of Jesus Christ to all people of all ages, regardless of their good or evil acts. And to
  those who choose to love the Lord and who show their love and faith in Him by
  keeping His commandments, the Atonement offers the additional promise of
  exaltation, or the privilege of living in the presence of God forever.
 
  Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often sing a hymn, "I
  Stand All Amazed," that expresses what I feel when I consider the Savior's
  benevolent atoning sacrifice:
 
  I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
  Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
  I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
  That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
 
  Oh, it is wonderful
  that he should care for me
  Enough to die for me!
  Oh, it is wonderful,
  Wonderful to me

I read this the other night (I read out of this book as a guilty pleasure because it seems waaaay to fun to be studying so I read it at night only. I recommend it to all, member and nonmember! ) I read this story and my heart was touched. My study has been on the atonement lately and my heart is full. Full of happiness, full of humility, full of mostly gratitude. Jesus was and is the Christ. Through him we can conquer all things. All things will be right in the end because of him so we need not fuss now. If you remember the plan of salvation you cannot have a bad day! Worship him, come to him! He wants to help you and can! He can fix anything and improves everything. Its a bit of a random mess of thought but its in my heart! I testify of these things in his name Jesus Christ's name, Amen. 

Questions from our readers and culture point (it was moma bear... i feel guily calling my mom just a reader):

She wanted to know what shopping and the such was like. Very good question! small.. haha the carts would make you smile they are so cute! You put little baskets in the carts because its more sanitary and you separate things and can pull lots out all at once.. I actually don't really know why honestly... haha but yeah! Shopping itself is pretty similar you have your meat section with the people in the little white hats that weigh your meat... all the produce is together.. the food is waaay different sometimes! It's weird you will see an isle of nothing but different types of rice, then a bag of Doritos... lots of the same things but in smaller bags and tons of different crazy food. Then when you check out you don't hand them money. There is ALWAYS a little tray on the counter you set your money on. It's super important and kind of fun then you bag your own groceries! Always. You either buy bags to put them in or bring your own.

Second question: (this is a common question so i will answer it) do i stand out? Yes. I walk in the bathroom glance in the mirror and sometimes do a double take and get really close and look at my own eyes.. blue.... weird... haha but like i have said before nobody comments on my hair, eyes, height, or skin, only the forearms. But people do stare and do double takes. When we bike around I can get a conichiwa from anyone! It's super useful and its really easy to start conversations because I am a freak! My height is probably the equivalent of being 6' 4" in the states, pretty tall but not freakish. The people stare but they are sooo polite! I actually have two really funny stories about this.. I will share one now...

Funny story:

Train station. Most of the area I am in feels kind of like Spokane as far as population levels go.. roads are way smaller and less people have cars so there are way more people on the streets and bikes but overall that's the vibe. You see taxis but they aren't the most common car. But at the train stations there are tooonnss of people! So we are flying through a train station and everybody is staring (its less personal then one on one on the street so they are less reserved). It's cool, I feel special for the first time in my life right? (my mother was one of the tough love types and wasn't into that ``you are special`` stuff. Reeks to much of caring. I am teasing Mom!). But seriously everyone, its super cool if you ever need a pick me up. So we stroll, weaving through the people feeling pretty cool with our name tags and ties, men on a mission. Literally and in our immature minds.

We approach the exit. There is a small crowd of teenagers gathered doing the normal teenager things: talking, slouching, probably up to no good. Out of this crowd comes a cry! "Sensei! sensei!" (I still have no idea why she chose this title and either does my companion). Boom! Out pops this super excited Japanese girl anywhere between 15 and 25 (its like impossible for me to tell) she is soo excited and grabs my hand in the American way and just plasters me with the speed of speech which only the excited female can manage. I have no idea what she said. I know its wasn't ``is there anything you can teach me about the purpose of life or how i can become a happier person`` so all my usual lines are garbage. So i do what all greenies do in this situation and turn to my trainer  (it has been about 10 seconds and she is still vigorously shaking my hang) and he isn't by my side. I do a meerkat (I am tall now) and locate him. He has physically removed himself from the situation, he is about 10 feet behind me on the other side of a fast flow of people. I shout out `` taskete kudasai`` (please help me). My humble plea for help doesn't even warrant a reply. He just holds up both hands palms outward and gives me the ``you know as well as I do she isn't interested in the gospel or talking to a Japanese person and watermelon is not good`` (he has become really good at facial expressions with the language barrier). so I proceed to tell her about our English class and she excepts my pamphlets readily but then she told me she was from kobe.. so that doesn't really work. So I said to look up our church and she said she would. Boom problem solved. But then she wants a picture... weird.. but I am flattered. I would love to. We take a pic. (Takeshita Choro has come to help by now) then she does it:she goes in for the hug. 

Side note to all those who don't know a ton about missionaries: we are kind of like male nuns for the two years when in comes to people of the opposite sex. probably monks.. but male nuns gives a better feel to the level of our no no on hugs in the train station.

The hug comes.. luckily she did the sunshine prep (both arms and hands spread wide). so I saw it coming, but barely! I did a double stiff arm on her shoulders and she was coming hard so she got my shoulders in the same way and then her head came close to mine pulling away! We looked like we were bonding in a football pregame... luckily I still feel pure.

Love each other for me!

Law choro